After reading the most recent news regarding the status of the DREAM act, I could not help but to think of the pathetic societal roles which we have for so long now bestowed upon ourselves. Throughout the trembling pace of the world’s history we have seen a myriad of conflicts. Some, unimportant to our very natural interest, have passed unmarked and unnoticed. Others, supposedly relevant and intrinsically interpretative of our very essence, have been transformed into chronological landmarks of time for they apparently serve as beacons of remarkable traits that should be forever remembered. Both bygone tragedy and success, though usually olden at best, prove pivotal to the confection of our very own philosophical and ideological principles. We grow from studying our historical patrimony and so, we build upon it, one chapter at a time, accumulating lessons and thus accumulating tools for the future.
Hereon, it is not in a futile manner that I will mention what I believe to be already known, but, as I auspiciously presume, some of us will value the reminder. History was never intended to be an objective narration of facts nor a reconstruction of the absolute truth for it usually represents a unilateral perspective of a particular episode that allows for numerous vantage points. Nonetheless, it is not my purpose to discern the methods by which historians teach us of the apposite past but rather to merely speculate on the elemental value of some lessons that need further revision.
I do not wish to unleash some sort of untamed beast here. I simply want to dexterously express my dearest concern upon the issues that have influenced an entire population. See, history holds its own chisel too, sculpting society with the sheer brushes of its wrist, cutting and reshaping the very nature of who we are. Every hero, thief, peasant, politician, priest, soldier and civilian who came long before us has left a legacy of thought, a footprint as proof of what we were and, most importantly, a sign of where we should go. The vicissitudes of time provide us with enough lessons so that we do not become prisoners of our own devices. Therefore, in lieu of providing more vichyssoise verbiage, I will cite particular historical evidence that I believe to be quite relevant.
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| King James I and IV of Scotland |
Four hundred years ago, a group of thirteen recusant Catholics decided to place and detonate 36 barrels of gunpowder in order to obliterate the House of Lords during the Opening of Parliament and therefore kill King James I along with everyone one else in it. After much planning and some unexpected delays, the date for the attack was finally moved and set to November 5th. Guy Fawkes, a specialist in gunpowder, was in charge of the barrels located inside a rented undercroft lying right underneath the House of Lords. After carefully setting up the charges and assuring that they were ready for detonation, he hid them all under coal and wooden sticks. It was November 4th. Fawkes returned to revise everything was in proper conditions. He sat next to the barrels and, for the last time, reviewed every single detail for, as he very well understood, much was pending on the efficacy of this detonation.
Everything was going to change for these Catholic conspirators. No more religious persecution, no more repression, no more totalitarian decrees annihilating Catholics from their basic rights to live peacefully. With King James, the Prince of Wales, and most of his leading ministers dead, they would seize young Prince Charles and Princess Elizabeth and raise a general revolt to return Catholicism to the land. Nonetheless, their hopes of reinstating religious tolerance were quickly terminated when Guy Fawkes was discovered and arrested the morning of November 5th while guarding the gunpowder. Eventually, the remaining conspirators were all tracked and, imminently, shared Guy Fawkes’ horrendous sentence. Furthermore, the individuals responsible for the plot were hanged, drawn and quartered.
Now, it is a matter of the utmost importance vis-à-vis the substance of this narration that we understand the elemental value of what followed to this particularly episode. Failed terrorist attempts are usually not celebrated but, on this particular occasion, King James decided to turn November 5th into some sort of national holiday. Why would he choose to venerate such day? Well, it is to my most sensitive creativity that I must thank for designing a potential answer. The truth, however, is that I will never really know. Many theories surround the Gunpowder Plot. Some historians believe that the protestant elite used the plot itself in order to raise an even more fervent anti-Catholic sentiment.
In my opinion, the reasons behind such an ironic commemoration differ from that which is usually taught in history books. My speculation is hereon connected to the roles we occupy in modern society. While the plot could be analyzed as a rudimentary act of wild desperation devised by an isolated party of idealists, it could, also, inasmuch be read as an act of the crudest bravery. King James wanted to eliminate any potential ambiguity and, did so, by celebrating the day on which England’s very own health and wealth was challenged by a group of rebels. Through the elaboration of an appreciative festivity, King James shifted the focus of the attack and aimed it towards the entire kingdom. Suddenly, the monarchy’s health was important to not just the King and his Parliament but to everyone else as well.
Four hundred years later, we are still being manipulated by those who do nothing for us. In spite of the slight socio-structural changes, we still live in somewhat of a totalitarian order. Unfortunately, this time, we are far more responsible for our reality than we were ever before. Though the populations of the 17th century were perhaps less educated and less knowledgeable than the populations occupying the world of the relative present, they, unlike us, never really had a choice on who to call for specific legislative positions. We do. We elect our own puppet-masters. But, what is even more stupefying is that we choose to depend of them in order for change to take place. We deem them as “representatives” of their respective constituency but, with unveiled eyes, we can clearly see that they turn any insinuation of progress into some sort of delayed, cumbersome process.
Taught and fed by a pedagogical snare that allows for information to reward more prudent behavioral traits, we have subsequently evolved into complacent individuals who lack the initiative to even challenge what we suspect to be fraudulent in essence. History teaches us of the Gunpowder Plot as an act of the most idiotic nature and, in even higher magnitudes, it teaches us of the insanity suffered by those extremely irrational conspirators who wanted to fight for religious tolerance and ended up dying for the cause. In other words, we are taught to doubt our own ideals and principals; we are taught to follow and never challenge. We are taught to comply and to become complacent with our inability to control decisions which influence our daily lives.
I propose now a higher truth. I propose now a different philosophy. If we have engineered society in the likes of a self-absorbed, stratified, organizational monster then I propose we destroy its tentacles in hopes of regaining control over our lives. Why do we depend on legislation in order to educate the young minds of today? Education is not a national treasure but rather an individual and international right which should never be denied nor bargained with. The key to possibly overcoming these overwhelming weapons of mass-dependence is education. Only knowledge can lead us to the proper state of mind and only knowledge can provide us with the nurturing components that will guarantee a positive social involvement. We cannot and should not depend on our governments for they are obsolete without the support of their people. Let us rethink about our roles in society and let us design a better tomorrow.
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