A lone German standing with arms folded in a sea of Sieg Heil (victory) or Nazi or Hitler salute. This 1936 photo is the icon for courage, individualism and independent critical thinking. The young man was August Landmesser who had been a Nazi party member for 2 years until he met Irene Eckler. Their marriage licence was disapproved because Irene was Jewish. Under Nuremberg Laws, Aryans were not allowed to marry non-Aryans. Anti-miscegenation law was meant to preserve the purity of the German race. They tried to fled for Denmark but were arrested. August was kicked out of the Nazi Party and jailed for the crime of "Rassenchande" or race defilement. Later he left prison, got drafted and went MIA (missing in action). Irene went to concentration camp and was euthanised. They had 2 daughters who were fostered out, never to see each other again. The elder girl, Ingrid, later wrote a book of their persecution "A family torn apart by "Rassenschande"
Fast forward today, I came across a comment by Sally (not her real name) at the Prime Minister's FB page. PM Lee posted Dec 21 on the children vax programme where he encouraged parents to get their children to vax. Sally explained how they have been brought up to trust the authorities to do the right things and how she is "compelled to believe that whatever Gov.sg chooses for us, it is for our own good".
I hesitate to point out her inappropriate use of 'compelled'. Did she not have free will to make that comment? Perhaps the neural state had been conditioned. Nevertheless, her faith in authority is most admirable, or most compelling, to appropriately use her vocabulary here.
From the hallowed halls of parliament, Minister of Education Chan Chun Sing taught "cotton comes from sheep". Sally is not the exception, but a typical product of our education system. The minister has very little to worry about for he will have lots of sheep to produce his cotton.
As surely as each part of our body has a function, our brain is meant for us to think independently. For Socrates, an un-examined life is not worth living. As for Plato, he understood the shadows in his imaginary cave are unreal. The quest for knowledge, and thus free from the shackles of pre-conditioned minds, requires of us to leave Plato's cave and examine, ie study and question, what life throws at us.
There was a time when we could trust political and clerical leaders, community elders, professional expertise, media, etc. Today the world is enveloped in a fog of mis-information, fact suppression, and black flags. The older generation will remember Steven Lee, the newscaster of Radio Television Singapore. A stoic, serious looking Steven in black and white, who did exactly what he was supposed to do every evening -- simply a deadpan delivery of the news and nothing else. Today's mainstream media serves political masters and news have become propaganda. With obscene salaries north of US$10m, the Rachel Maddows, Don Lemons, Chris Cuomos, Joy Reids, etc will say anything to please their leftist bosses. There are no balanced views anymore. It's all unashamedly partisan salesmanship.
There was a time when we held papers like New York Times, Time Magazine, etc. in high esteem. Today Washington Post is the defacto propaganda machine of the Democrat Party. What does it say when the National Geographic recently carried the editorial on a book by Leftist writer who wrote the young Kyle Rittenhouse killed 3 black men in the Kenosha riot when the court had cleared him of any wrong doing in an incident which involved no black Americans. The intent of course was to continue the Left's narrative of "white supremacist terrorism", and attack the conservative Right. What is the consequence when almost all the so-called 'fact-check' sites are funded by Leftist organisations and internet search engines suppress some particular narratives.
Here in Singapore, our Ministry of Health on Jan 5 lodged a police report against a Facebook group called 'Heal The Divide'. Note that this is just a social media community, not an activist group. MOH alleged that the group "has exhorted parents through a message on their Telegram channel on Dec 27 2021, to visit the paediatric vaccination centres to overwhelm on-site medical staff with questions. Such an act will greatly disrupt operations at our paediatric vaccination centres, and amount to an instigation of harassment of the medical staff."
I hesitate to point out her inappropriate use of 'compelled'. Did she not have free will to make that comment? Perhaps the neural state had been conditioned. Nevertheless, her faith in authority is most admirable, or most compelling, to appropriately use her vocabulary here.
From the hallowed halls of parliament, Minister of Education Chan Chun Sing taught "cotton comes from sheep". Sally is not the exception, but a typical product of our education system. The minister has very little to worry about for he will have lots of sheep to produce his cotton.
As surely as each part of our body has a function, our brain is meant for us to think independently. For Socrates, an un-examined life is not worth living. As for Plato, he understood the shadows in his imaginary cave are unreal. The quest for knowledge, and thus free from the shackles of pre-conditioned minds, requires of us to leave Plato's cave and examine, ie study and question, what life throws at us.
There was a time when we could trust political and clerical leaders, community elders, professional expertise, media, etc. Today the world is enveloped in a fog of mis-information, fact suppression, and black flags. The older generation will remember Steven Lee, the newscaster of Radio Television Singapore. A stoic, serious looking Steven in black and white, who did exactly what he was supposed to do every evening -- simply a deadpan delivery of the news and nothing else. Today's mainstream media serves political masters and news have become propaganda. With obscene salaries north of US$10m, the Rachel Maddows, Don Lemons, Chris Cuomos, Joy Reids, etc will say anything to please their leftist bosses. There are no balanced views anymore. It's all unashamedly partisan salesmanship.
There was a time when we held papers like New York Times, Time Magazine, etc. in high esteem. Today Washington Post is the defacto propaganda machine of the Democrat Party. What does it say when the National Geographic recently carried the editorial on a book by Leftist writer who wrote the young Kyle Rittenhouse killed 3 black men in the Kenosha riot when the court had cleared him of any wrong doing in an incident which involved no black Americans. The intent of course was to continue the Left's narrative of "white supremacist terrorism", and attack the conservative Right. What is the consequence when almost all the so-called 'fact-check' sites are funded by Leftist organisations and internet search engines suppress some particular narratives.
Here in Singapore, our Ministry of Health on Jan 5 lodged a police report against a Facebook group called 'Heal The Divide'. Note that this is just a social media community, not an activist group. MOH alleged that the group "has exhorted parents through a message on their Telegram channel on Dec 27 2021, to visit the paediatric vaccination centres to overwhelm on-site medical staff with questions. Such an act will greatly disrupt operations at our paediatric vaccination centres, and amount to an instigation of harassment of the medical staff."
I have no knowledge of what Iris Koh from the FB group disseminated via Telegram. If this blurred image (I cannot recall where I copied this from) is what MOH is referring to, I'm inclined to say it's worse than a case of making a mountain out of a molehill. Iris was simply suggesting to parents to ask questions if they have any unanswered concerns. The MOH is being paranoia over a non-issue. It went into a Ministry of Truth hyperbole overdrive with "exhorted","overwhelm", "instigation". "harassment". The ministry is asking Singaporeans to remain as sheep. Ask no questions.
Pardon a short digression with a story of many years ago. I once accompanied a child to a clinic. The doctor had a notice on the wall of do's and don't when in consultation. Amongst these - do not ask unnecessary questions; do not suggest medication ("if you know your medication, you don't need to be here" -- not the exact words, but same sentiment). During the consultation, the doctor paid no attention to me. Not once did he acknowledge my presence. I tried to offer my observation of the child's condition but it seemed I was invisible. At the end of the consultation I told the doctor I'm betting your practice will close shop in 6 months. Indeed, he was gone after several months. We have a right, and indeed if we have concerns, we should ask. I support vaccination but I am anti-mRNA and DNA vector vax and would have preferred to remain un-vax. Due to need for mobility, I took the Sinovac. I did'nt just roll up the sleeve and receive the jab. I asked to be shown the Sinovac bottle. Yes siree, trust is at an all time low.
In all fairness, MOH has some good websites that provide very comprehensive information for parents. However, questions must always be entertained. I could think of many. For example, MOH advises that children with adverse reactions to components of the vax may be exempted, but how many parents know what these are? Even the MOH is precluded from complete knowledge because Bill Gates dictated that trade secrets in patents must prevail. MOH is confident of the safety, but CDC carried a report of clinical trial showing serious adverse event is at a high 5%. Taiwan, HK and UK stopped their 2nd dose for children pending resolution of some concerns (Taiwan has since resumed the vax). Vietnam has reported 5 deaths and 200 hospitalised. 2 Nov 2021 the British Medical Journal carried a report of findings by Pfizer whistleblower that their clinical trials had integrity issues.
Pardon a short digression with a story of many years ago. I once accompanied a child to a clinic. The doctor had a notice on the wall of do's and don't when in consultation. Amongst these - do not ask unnecessary questions; do not suggest medication ("if you know your medication, you don't need to be here" -- not the exact words, but same sentiment). During the consultation, the doctor paid no attention to me. Not once did he acknowledge my presence. I tried to offer my observation of the child's condition but it seemed I was invisible. At the end of the consultation I told the doctor I'm betting your practice will close shop in 6 months. Indeed, he was gone after several months. We have a right, and indeed if we have concerns, we should ask. I support vaccination but I am anti-mRNA and DNA vector vax and would have preferred to remain un-vax. Due to need for mobility, I took the Sinovac. I did'nt just roll up the sleeve and receive the jab. I asked to be shown the Sinovac bottle. Yes siree, trust is at an all time low.
In all fairness, MOH has some good websites that provide very comprehensive information for parents. However, questions must always be entertained. I could think of many. For example, MOH advises that children with adverse reactions to components of the vax may be exempted, but how many parents know what these are? Even the MOH is precluded from complete knowledge because Bill Gates dictated that trade secrets in patents must prevail. MOH is confident of the safety, but CDC carried a report of clinical trial showing serious adverse event is at a high 5%. Taiwan, HK and UK stopped their 2nd dose for children pending resolution of some concerns (Taiwan has since resumed the vax). Vietnam has reported 5 deaths and 200 hospitalised. 2 Nov 2021 the British Medical Journal carried a report of findings by Pfizer whistleblower that their clinical trials had integrity issues.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said : “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."
This quote has profound relevance in our times. By consistency, Emerson was referring to a cowardly stickiness to safe grounds, no questioning of anything, not exploring out, simply doing the same things over and over robotic manner. The 'hobglobin' is the elf, rogue or devil playing in your brain. To understand Emerson, his full quote is enlightening:
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”
Was Iris misunderstood? I have my blogs and Facebook posts suppressed by Big Tech, been to FB jail on several occasions. Could I have been misunderstood too?
Turning the lights off brains and taking the path of foolish consistency in the current age of information tyranny, is coping by apeing the ostritch. This is exactly what's happening in this unprecendented pandemic management and it's a universal malaise. It's in all levels in governments, the general public, medical professions, the scientific world, and of course in big tech and media. Sally will be absolutely comfortable with the status quo. Everybody has a red line of sorts. I wonder what defines Sally's. Perhaps like the German August Landmesser and the Jew Irene Eckler, we will face a vaccine-differentiated regulation anti-miscegenation policy --- the un-vaxxed persons will not be allowed to marry the vaxxed.
This quote has profound relevance in our times. By consistency, Emerson was referring to a cowardly stickiness to safe grounds, no questioning of anything, not exploring out, simply doing the same things over and over robotic manner. The 'hobglobin' is the elf, rogue or devil playing in your brain. To understand Emerson, his full quote is enlightening:
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”
Was Iris misunderstood? I have my blogs and Facebook posts suppressed by Big Tech, been to FB jail on several occasions. Could I have been misunderstood too?
Turning the lights off brains and taking the path of foolish consistency in the current age of information tyranny, is coping by apeing the ostritch. This is exactly what's happening in this unprecendented pandemic management and it's a universal malaise. It's in all levels in governments, the general public, medical professions, the scientific world, and of course in big tech and media. Sally will be absolutely comfortable with the status quo. Everybody has a red line of sorts. I wonder what defines Sally's. Perhaps like the German August Landmesser and the Jew Irene Eckler, we will face a vaccine-differentiated regulation anti-miscegenation policy --- the un-vaxxed persons will not be allowed to marry the vaxxed.
