Isms
By Dr. Jim Ferguson
People ask me, “When do you write?” And I often explain that I’m always writing. Thankfully topics keep finding me because I have a 1000+ word essay due each Thursday afternoon. Actually, I’m blessed to have this column to hopefully make a difference. The real dilemma is my thoughts, discussions with Becky and what I’ve written all seem to run together.
I learned a new word last week which prompted this essay. But then the most improbable baseball game in the College World Series occurred, and it could not go unmentioned.
I’m not a sports fanatic, but since I played baseball until I went to college, I have a special love for the game and especially catchers, because I was one. Maybe it’s a form of syllogistic logic. This basic thought train goes: President Trump loves America. I love America. Therefore, I love President Trump.
The Vols baseball team played the Florida Seminoles on June 14 at the College World Series. Our guys were behind deep in the game, and then, after a controversial check-swing, Blake Burke singled, a rally ensued and Dylan Dreiling hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. What a dramatic comeback!
It was an amazing and tumultuous game with 23 runs scored, 31 base hits, including two triples. Pitchers were falling like dominos and the two teams had five errors, undoubtedly from stress. I am no sportscaster, but there was even more. I had never seen a player hit for the cycle (a single, double, triple and home run) in a World Series or any game. And Christian Moore did it. The last time this was accomplished in the College World Series was in 1956 when I was five years old. The Omaha Stadium inscription aptly reads, “The Greatest Show on Dirt.”
And now, after my baseball sidebar, it’s back to my original topic: Isms, which arose when I learned the word, transhumanism. Mr. Webster defines humanism as “the philosophy or perspective centered on human values or interests.” We often hear this word paired with secular humanism, a worldly perspective eschewing the notion of supernaturalism (beyond natural phenomena).
I was surprised to learn that I’ve been writing about transhumanism for years in my science fiction novels and didn’t know it. Webster explains transhumanism as a philosophical and intellectual movement advocating the enhancement of humans by developing and using sophisticated technology. In my novel “Mantis,” one character was augmented with a “Chip” interface which allowed his brain to directly connect with sophisticated computers. You might imagine this as connecting to the Internet without an external device. The prefix trans- means beyond, so transhumanism is literally beyond human.
There are many -isms where the suffix identifies a state of the noun. Examples include feminism, socialism, Methodism and I could go on. Naturalism holds that there is no God or Creator.
Theism derives from the Latin word theo or God. Theists believe there is a Creator God and the Universe didn’t just happen. Furthermore, theists hold that human worth and dignity are only possible with the perspective of God. All other -isms such as humanism, animism or even deism fall woefully short. Admittedly, I am a theist. For me, the belief in a Creative Entity and force is a far more plausible explanation for the universe than one just bursting forth (from what?) 13.8 billion years ago.
The lovely Becky says, “Be careful what you ask him because you may get his opinion whether you asked him or not.” My kids learned this growing up. I’ve been known to say, “That explanation will take several sentences,” and then they’d have to decide how badly they wanted to know.
Recently, I was driving my grandson, Oakley, to swim practice and he asked me if you have to vote. I explained to him that you are not required to vote, but millions have sacrificed, many with their lives, for the privilege of citizens to vote. I have heard people say that since Tennessee is Trump country it’s not necessary to vote in the November election. I consider this very wrong. Pericles, the great leader of the ancient Athenian democracy, spoke of people who felt it was not their business to be involved with politics – the workings of the polis or city-state. Pericles said, those people “have no business here at all.” It’s not just a privilege to vote, it is our DUTY!
America seems hung up in “Bidenism,” just as Ol’ Joe is hung up on the notion he’s fit to be president. Perhaps it’s “Dr.” Jill who keeps putting him out there to cover the Biden family’s tracks. The media keep trying to cover up his senility and feebleness by “telling a story rather than the story.” Biden is a useful figurehead for the progressive Democrat power structure and everyone sees that unelected officials are running the country.
Case in point, the Italian prime minister had to corral “the wanderer” at the G7 meeting, and Obama had to lead Joe off the stage when he froze up at a recent Los Angeles fundraiser. President Trump says he would like Biden to “shuffle back to Delaware.” So would I. But he won’t because he’s a placeholder for Kamala, which is really scary.
President Trump recently said he’d like to make tips non-taxable so people could keep what they earn. Kamala countered saying she’d like to give $25,000 – of my money or yours – to first-time homebuyers. And there you have it: being allowed to keep what you earn or taking from Peter to give to Paul.
Since Democrats can’t run on the failed policies of Bidenism they are saying crime is down (because it’s not being reported to be FBI), DEI is beneficial (when it actually destroys systems based on merit and achievement), and the national debt is due to Bush and Trump tax cuts (even though government revenue skyrocketed from those tax cuts which stimulated the economy). The deficit and inflation problems are because Washington keeps printing dollars and spending beyond the budget. And, of course, Democrats can’t run on the border crisis because their policies opened the border promoting drugs and sex trafficking.
As a science fiction writer, I’ve often imagined how aliens might perceive humans. But I can’t imagine a human who could support the destructive policies of Bidenism. Maybe there really are aliens living among us.
