What I believe and value

 

What I believe and value 

• I am a cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world. I am not a patriot. Nationalism is a form of petty sectarianism. I do not identify with any city or nation, but rather with the world at large. I don’t pledge allegiance to any flag and I don’t sing any anthems. 

• I am a pacifist and opposed to war. I am a conscientious objector in the wider sense of refusing to fight under any circumstances for any reason. I have never owned a gun and haven’t been in a fight since I was a child. I would rather die defending my right not to own and use a gun than use one. Might does not make right. There is never a justified reason for a nation to invade another one by force, although countries and citizens have a right to defend themselves if they so choose. 

• The history of colonialism, particularly the slavery of people of color, deeply informs my view of America and the world. Since the war, the imperialist reach of capitalism has been as pernicious a force as the expansion of communism and socialism. One has only to take a cursory look at the activities of the CIA to confirm this. Capitalism in its extremes represents a form of totalitarianism parading as liberalism. At the end of the day, from the beginning of human history, the struggle between opposing nations and ideologies has always been about economics, i.e. the ownership of material resources and control of geographical trade routes. 

• We need a better international order to distribute wealth and resources, preferably a federation of nation states with more power than the United Nations. Just like America, the planet needs a stronger central government and a united states. This is particularly relevant as the world comes to terms with the existential threat of global climate change. As Carl Jung wrote, “if the individual is not truly regenerated in spirit, society cannot be either, for society is the sum total of individuals in need of redemption.” The world needs better leadership for that to happen.

• I try to lead a life of empathy and compassion according to the golden rule. My mother encouraged me to dance with the wallflowers, and I did. I place a high value on being kind and generous to others, both with my time and resources, particularly with my children. To give is better than to receive. I regard all people as being equal, regardless of race, and they deserve to be treated as such. My early experience as a young man working menial jobs, e.g. a supermarket worker, a county landscaper, and a house painter all taught me the meaning of hard work and the value of each and every job that people do. I believe in ‘human rights,’ but that is a fiction and not 'inalienable.' Human rights is rather a promise not a given which we apes recently evolved into homo sapiens need to achieve and do not possess by any design, biological or metaphysical.

• Democratic socialism comes the closest to representing my political ideology. I believe in representative forms of government, but relatively unfettered capitalism is not up to the challenge of providing a sound basis for a democracy given its chaotic economic lines. For starters, despite the SCOTUS Citizen United ruling, corporations are not individuals and should have very restricted influence on day-to-day legislation. I was brought up as a liberal democrat like my parents, but moved to the left during my years of activism in college. The highest values in any society are freedom, justice and equality. I have always been a proponent of the rights of the underdogs and less privileged. I have absolute respect for other genders, but am firmly rooted in my male heterosexuality. Women should have the absolute right to legislate their own bodies. 

• I was brought up to be a liberal democrat like my parents, but moved to the left during my years of activism at college. Capitalism is not regulated well enough in America. There is outrageous income inequality and effectively extremely separate but unequal stratas of society fixed mainly along racial lines. The tax system needs reform to bring it back in line with what it was in the pre-1980s, that is with a much higher taxation of those in upper income brackets and corporations, which should not be treated legally as if they are individuals. Since the 1980s, the middle class has struggled while the wealth of the 1% has soared astronomically. The mainstream media is primarily tied to corporate interests so there is a myth of a  “free press.” Most of the more enlightened outlets and publishers rely on private funding to survive. People should not have to rely on their jobs to maintain their health. As Marx wrote, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” America needs true, single payer healthcare and state funded college-level education.

• I have great faith in human reason, but that optimism is tempered by a skepticism regarding the possibility of truth being represented in language. There is always a gap between language and the world. I’m humbled by the power of words. In elementary school I was diagnosed with dyslexia and developed a stubborn, difficult relationship with language, which I have spent my whole life trying to overcome. While reading, hesitating constantly and being distracted, it ultimately made me a more attentive and discerning student. Cultivating wisdom; reading, listening and knowledge acquisition has always been a high priority for me. I enjoy sharing my beliefs and stories in writing; being a gadfly, enemy of humbug, and defender of the truth on social media. I embrace fictions, i.e. have been highly influenced by the writings of Yuval Noah Harari, in particular his book Sapiens, as a mode of interpreting the world and experience.

• I was brought up as a Roman Catholic under the influence of my mother, but became an atheist in my early teens when beginning to think critically and see the world for what it is. In essence I am now a stoic. I have an innate skepticism for authority, given beliefs and ideologies. I had a somewhat uncompromising father who had an unsuitable design for me crafted in his image. Early on in life I read the Roman stoic philosophers, which perfectly suited my inclination for free, independent thinking and guided me throughout life in judging what is and is not within my power to control. Although an atheist, I have been a student of comparative religions, and this has given me some tolerance for the various religious beliefs. There is no God or gods or demi-gods (other than convenient fictions); nevertheless there is lot of value added for people who believe in religion, and there are positive values and charitable deeds which arise from practicing the various faiths – except when religion becomes absolutist and/or extremist, and leads to social oppression, violence and war. I identify most with Buddhism, in particular the concept of dependent arising, i.e. all things come into being in dependence on their conditions, but find that faith impossible to follow in a capitalist society.

• I deeply honor the memory of my mother and father and the family name. Whenever my sisters and I were going out by ourselves in the world, my mother would say, “Remember you’re a White.” This meant both having pride in oneself and identity as well as being respectful of others.

• My 30 years of marriage with Kristin has made me an infinitely happier and better person and given me and my wife the gift of raising a family. My understanding of and capacity for love has greatly matured over these very fruitful years.

• I want my children to be happy, healthy, well-educated, honest good citizens, and I am willing to sacrifice everything I have to help see this happen. I want them to know the value of hard work and have respect for people of all walks of life, race and level of income. I want to give them everything they possibly need to thrive and succeed in the world. Aside from that, I do not try to influence my children or steer the course of their lives; however, I do not hesitate to give my advice if they solicit it. I have also not been adverse to correcting them when necessary.

• I highly value a number of close friendships, in particular several men who have been like the brother I didn’t have. I started a book club years ago and it has been a success especially in terms of bringing friends together in a semi-intellectual setting.

• I am intensely  interested in geography and foreign cultures – their history, cuisine, arts and architecture, etc. I have become a historian of my family and my life. I have collected everything about myself and my family like a packrat. 

• I have always enjoyed being in nature, particularly at the beach or climbing mountains. As a child I spent a lot of time alone up in tree houses that I built. I crave solitude, love walking, and taking photos. We should all be anchored in an awareness of the earth if we are going to save ourselves and descendants from extinction due to  another world war and/or climate change. 

• I love music, literature, films and art. My mother introduced me to classical music, and for a while I was a semi-professional singer. Music is an international language, which arguably no one can do without. 

• I have always been inclined to test myself by not shying away from challenges, for instance teaching myself programming while writing a doctoral dissertation at Oxford.

• Over the years I have tempered my heretic self and become less focused on myself and my inner journey. I have tried to become a good leader and example to others, beginning at home. 

• I pride myself almost to a fault on being humble and even self-effacing as a form of humor. I am my own harshest critic. At times I get deeply depressed, mainly over my perceived failures public and private, but I use those hours of despair to rise up like a phoenix the next day. I cultivate a sense of humor as a way of viewing the world and easing the tedious edge of it. I do not lead a life of quiet desperation, although I think my father did.

• I value collecting things of practical value, but I am not wanting of anything or dissatisfied with what I have. I have a large book and music collection, which are there for my children if they wish to have them. I have enjoyed all the material advantages of a 60s baby boomer, but I got my ethics from my parents who were products of the Great Depression and WWII. I have always loved building things and learning how things work; I have had a lifelong fascination with technology. 

• Finally, I enjoy leading the “good life.” I’m something of a bon vivant, consistently eating the best foods from around the world as well as drinking the best spirits. In that sense I am again a ‘Roman’ at heart, or rather, an Epicurean. Everything in moderation, except every now and then in excess or in abstinence. I am frugal about most things. As my mother used to say, “Waste not, want not.” I enjoy exercise and the sense of well being that results from it. I have played soccer and racket sports since childhood, and ran 4 marathons in my 40s.

Ⓒ Frank X. White, III

Silver Spring, MD

June 4, 2022