In Man We (have to) Trust

The most dangerous thing Milton seems to address about the commandments of a person's government and/or religious leaders is the opression of the majority. Truth becomes twisted by the intentions of those with growing power. This power monster can only lead to a bottleneck of the populace, where any thoughts or creativity outside the allowance set forth by their authority will have severe consequences. Why? Are people easier to control if you take away their God given abilities? Milton talks about the conditioning that started first within the catholic church "wherein Bishops themselves were forbid to read the Books of Gentiles, but Heresies they might read: while others long before them on the contrary scrupl'd more the Books of Hereticks, then of Gentiles". There seems to be something hidden behind the curtain of church and state besides the distrust of an individual with his or her own soul. Milton declares every person should have the ability to decide what is good and evil, "but herein the difference is of bad books, that they to a discreet and judicious reader serve in many respects to discover, to confute, to forewarn, and to illustrate". If people were able to see all aspects of a story being feed to them, in a majority, by those who had the same ability to reason, there would be a problem in future tyrannical control. The actual problem lies (and is created) within the government and church and unfortunately they are very aware of it "Good and evill we know in the field of this world grow up together almost inseparably". Milton does not suggest we rid ourselves of government and church, but rather of quietly laying down our rights one by one. We are being dumbed down on a mass scale, and rather than recognizing it, we jump on band wagons and protest that which suppresses our very existence of expression, "Seeing therefore that those books, & those in great abundance which are likeliest to taint both life and doctrine, cannot be supresst without the fall of learning".
I find a certain affirmation in Milton's text. There is a wave growing all around me, of the most intelligent and talented people, who are stuck working their lives away for someone elses glory. Someone elses power. Someone elses war. I recognize the same atmosphere in the ideas of the 'Areopagitica'. It's funny how relative we are to our past, even if the language is archaic. So I'd like to give a shout out to Milton and whole-heartedly repeat what he says "FUCK THE MAN!!!"
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth" Albert Einstein.


one love
good robot #3