Mending Walls: the concept

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When I began doing occasional “mending walls” posts some time ago, I didn’t stop to make the meme clear to folks who may lack the historical/cultural background to catch it.

Mea culpa. While I did at one time cite a late cultural referrence that demonstrated our society’s tension with the idea of walls (the Frost poem, of course), I thought perhaps a little more background might make the analogy to our society’s need to defend itself from predators a bit clearer.

Let’s take a pretty basic cultural reference to “mending walls” that anyone from the early 20th century and previously with just a bare literacy would almost automatically associate with “mending walls”. (They would do so, because they’d have at least a passing familiarity with the single most influential book in the English language… )

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At one point in its history, Israel was conquered by Babylon. (Yes, I’m aware of the modern tendency to simply say “Persia” but that’s just because of historical illiteracy: Babylon was under Assyrians, Medes and Persians at different times during the period in question.) Many Jews were taken to Babylon. Yes, Jews, Judeans. Israel was a divided country at this time and the Northern tribes escaped exportation.

Now, Babylonian—actually, pretty typical Middle Eastern—policies toward conquered nations pretty much dictated that some captive peoples would be of the most important class of their country, held as hostages. Slaves, servants, along with all the other captives but still hostages. That’s what led to such as the Book of Daniel being written in Babylon during this period of “captivity”.

But after a few changes of rulership, eventually some of the Jews in Babylon won license (not a right or freedom: a license) to return to Israel and rebuild Jerusalem. So they did.

They struggled for some time in the rebuilding, but had a problem: neighboring peoples, remembering the days of David and Solomon and the chokehold on trade routes through Israel that Solomon established, would raid and tear down what had been built.

So, Nehemiah petitioned Artaxerxes (yeh, the Persians “owned” Babylon, in addition to the rest of their empire, now) to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and six months after his initial survey (caried on by night because of marauders), the wall was completed.

Jerusalem, now safe from predation by neighboring Palestinians (*heh*) could now be rebuilt.

Analogy: a society or culture under attack MUST have strong defensive “walls” to survive. I therefore apply “mending walls” to many different aspects of our society that have degenerated, allowing those who would overthrow it to have nearly free rein.

Family
Honor
Faith
Truth
Justice
Responsibility

These are a few of the basic building blocks of our culture that have eroded in recent years. There are more, of course; a society is a complex thing and a civilized society requires all of these elements and many more in order to thrive. Without them, or when the building blocks are crumbling, the barbarians have an open invitation to feast on our bones.

Frankly, I see little value placed on even the few “building blocks” listed above by the Mass Media Podpeople, Academia Nut Fruitcakes and politicians of all stripes.

And common folk seem to care less and less about such things as well. One could almost divide our society today into two separate (and becoming ever more distinct classes: those who at least attempt to embrace the values that form the building blocks of civilization* as against the barbarians now among us, not limited to my next door neighbors but also walking the halls of power, in the media and government and academia.

It is war. But it is most importantly a war that must yield to two critical issues:

1.) Civilization will die if we do not fight for it.
2.) The best “win” is to civilize the barbarians, preferably by persuasion, but by force if necessary.

Example (one of many): inner city gangs. Attempt to persuade young people to NOT become involved. Take current gang members and shove them on chain gangs; work them til they drop every day until they are too old and tired and worn out to engage in their preferred barbarity.

Harsh? Yes. “Cruel and unusual”? Maybe. Maybe not. Use the barbarians’ judicial juijitsu against them and claim “international law” precedence, if necessary. *heh* Nah, I don’t mean that. Such behavior yields ground unecessarily. Just populate juries in trials against gang members ONLY with people who’ve been harmed by gangs.

It’s not “prejudicial”; it’s common sense. THAT population understands what the price can be for going easy on barbarians.

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?

While we’re at it, another realm of barbarism is law enforcement. Yeh, we need some group to actively police police. All too many bullies, jerks and idiots gravitate into law enforcement, IMO. (One is too many if it’s the traffic cop who’s just sped to his coffee break giving you a speeding ticket for following him. *heh*)

But even more, what of the example set by our dearly beloved feddle gummint? Ruby Ridge? Waco? Elian Gonzalez? Martha Stewart? Did heads roll because of feddle gummint law enforcement misbehavior in any of these cases? (The answer is obvious… and damning.)

Barbarians inside our society, barbarians outside our society are aided and abetted by anarcho-tyranny in a government specifically tasked with guarding our society.

Scary, huh?

Well, do your bit, as often as possible, to plug holes in the wall.

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Writing “mene, mene, tekel, upharsin” 100 times on the walls at The Random yak, The Bullwinkle Blog and TMH’s Bacon Bits.

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*Yeh, there’s really only been one real civilization in the last 1,500 years or so—and I welcome arguments for Eastern “civilizations” in opposition.