Stop fooling yourselves. If you count yourself above average in intelligence, as judged by this world’s standards, you had better put this all aside and be a fool rather than let it hold you back from the true wisdom from above- 1stCorinthians 3:18 TLB
I am an unapologetic fan of the refinements a civilized society provides.
The refinements of civilization include (but are not limited to) gems such as indoor plumbing, civil rights, ready-to-wear clothing, paved roads, and an objective system of justice. Nor, should we forget about electricity, education for all people even poor people, toilet paper, human rights and around the clock delivery services.
Synonyms for the word civilized include: educated, sophisticated, polite, enlightened and improved. No normal person would argue against education, politeness, enlightenment, improvement and toilet paper.
Seriously.
This week my views were challenged. The challenge ensued as I was listening to a podcast about biological boys who identify as girls competing in girls’ sports. The host (Eric Metaxes) said in passing that he was afraid we have become so civilized as a society concerning this issue that we have essentially lost our good sense and ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.
As a lover of civilization I found his choice of words offensive. It felt absurd to intimate that a society could become too advanced, too enlightened, too polite and too sophisticated. But then I found some definitions for the word civilization. One caught my attention:
The act or process of civilizing, as by bringing out of a savage, uneducated, or unrefined state.
Okay, so, it occurred to me that one trait of savage, uneducated and unrefined people is that they do not fear rejecting ideas that appear idiotic and inane. Because they are unsophisticated and savage they laugh, mock and scoff at ideas that make no sense. Savages have not been trained to look deeper than the obvious so they make their judgments based on the obvious and are unafraid to state the obvious.
Conversely, educated, enlightened and polite people have been taught to believe that open-mindedness is the highest value humans can attain to. Therefore, the obvious answer is rarely the correct answer, it just appears to be correct to unsophisticated savages who do not know any better. Educators reinforce this mindset by reminding students frequently that people once believed that the earth was flat because it appears to flat and that for centuries no one believed disease was spread by germs because no one could see germs.
Differences over what exactly makes an individual a male or a female is one of the clearest illustrations of this phenomenon. To an “uncivilized” person, it is evident that a man who SAYS he is a woman is not actually a woman. The man in question might wish he was a woman or enjoy pretending he is a woman. It’s even possible he might think he has female feelings. An “uncivilized” person would say that feelings cannot alter reality. A person is what their DNA and private parts say they are. Period. An “uncivilized” person would also say that allowing a man who says he is woman to play sports against actual women or offering reproductive healthcare to people who were not born with actual uterus’s is just a whole lot of crazy talk.
That’s not all.
There are members of an “anti-fascist” organization committing real acts of physical violence against people who SAY things the “anti-fascists” find aggressive. The “anti-fascists” feel very strongly that hurtful words and hostile speech are actually forms of violence, every bit as painful as being kicked in the crotch. Therefore, the “anti-fascists” feel it is perfectly rational to kick people in the crotch, punch people in the face and throw objects at anyone who they feel is verbally aggressive. A sophisticated person would say that if the “anti-fascists” FEEL words are every bit as violent as actions, who are we to argue with them? Perhaps for those soft-hearted, little cupcakes getting called a mean name or having their worldview questioned is just as hurtful as say, being punched repeatedly in the face.
There’s more.
A baby is only a baby if the woman pregnant with the baby wants it to be a baby. If a woman does not want the baby to be a baby, it magically transforms into a soulless blob of tissue. The courts have decided it is not acceptable to ask a perfectly acceptable question on the census form because some feel the MOTIVES for asking the question might be dubious. If one person feels another person said something racist then the person is a racist. If one pampered football player feels a symbol means something sinister then the symbol is suddenly sinister.
Sigh.
Somewhere, somehow the “civilized” among us decided that feelings are more important than science, truth, or the actual experiences of millions of people. When feelings are king even the most “civilized” among us will nod their heads at pure madness simply because it is uncivilized and impolite to do anything else.
Maybe it’s time to be a little less “civilized” and lot more sensible.
🤗🤡😍