Power = wealth

Power = wealth is a relationship recognized since people began to group together for mutual benefit. It didn’t take long for leaders to arise and organize the groups. It didn’t take long for the leaders to become absolute authorities, then absolutely obeyed Kings. Sooner or later, the king would be overrun by another king who had acquired a bit more power. After this system had been in place for thousands of years, a small, young society got “fed up” with it and decided to turn it around, making the society leaders absolutely obey the people. Unheard of! But it worked! They grouped themselves into towns, counties, and states. The state leaders developed a government which was to unite the states, adjudicate their different opinions to develop the best action plans, and supervise action. They called themselves the United States.

Not everyone agreed with this system. After all it was contrary to the status quo that had been in effect for many centuries. Plus, they were usually interested in taking power positions themselves. They began to fight the new system. The had very little success in the beginning, but they began to develop what seemed to be good arguments. By the early 20th century they had united themselves and became known as Tammany Hall, working quietly behind the elected government. World War II and Franklin D. Roosevelt pretty much destroyed the system. The survivors had to start over again, keeping themselves more hidden. Gradually they became more and more powerful, and you began to hear of a “Deep State” which was gradually positioning itself for government take over. I suggest you might pick up a Bible and read the first 24 chapters of Ezekiel. The United States in not yet the position of Israel at the time, but we are getting there, and are increasingly in danger of what happened as a result.

Thirty years ago, Oprah Winfrey interviewed a successful young businessman who had become aware of developing problems in our national government, and he outlined a number of things he would do to correct things if he were president. Today Donald Trump IS our president. He is now trying to accomplish the things he had outlined - - - and the Deep State members are apoplexic! He is trying to undo everything they have accomplished in their takeover plans. They are accusing him of everything they would and have done and would do in activating their takeover plans. They accuse him of using the presidency for financial benefit. They can’t understand that a wealthy business man is simply interest in righting a government ship that is increasingly in danger of sinking. Why would a billionaire spend his own money to be elected, just so he would not have his hands tied by desires of financial supporters? Why would he be refusing a nice salary if he is after every dollar he could find? This is beyond their understanding! Yes, he is not a politician and has had a steep learning curve, but he has been a quick learner. Yes, he uses Twitter too much, but it is the only way he can get his thoughts out to the people – mass media certainly does not help him on this. Yes, he has done things the Deep State considers disastrous, but they have regularly turned out successful. Politicians, however, know how to get people to take their “side” and support them.

The conflict of existence

In reality, all existence is controlled by just two forces – the force of good and the force of evil. Different cultures refer to them differently light and dark, white and black, or perhaps ying and yang (a representation of white and black).  I am sure there are also other terms I have not heard. All relate to some aspect of light.

What is darkness? The absence of light. I once spent some recreation time in spelunking (cave exploration). If you turn off all sources of light you are using, the cave becomes absolutely dark. You can put something right in front of your eye, but you will not be able to see even the faintest outline of your finger. This is a blackness you will never see on the surface. You may stand in the middle of a desert with both sun and moon on the opposite side of the earth, and no moisture in the sky to reflect light from surface sources. Even here you will never experience such a blackness, because the stars provide enough light to see your finger before you eye. Similarly, something white is reflecting all colors of the rainbow, while something black is absorbing all colors of the rainbow.

Likewise, evil can be said to emit no goodness at all. The 'color' black absorbs all light waves and emits none. Or, like darkness, evil lurks in locations where it has minimal contact with goodness. In other words, the force of evil is a vacuum, sucking in anything good and releasing none.

I guess the conflict between good and evil, could be compared to the view I am seeing out the window. The light of morning sun has driven darkness into deep crevices. White snow is brightly reflecting the sunlight. There are morning shadows across the snow, dulling the reflection brightness. I see bare grey trees, and I see some green evergreens. Our life can be like that. You probably have known some people who are filled with the joy of life, and are ready to help when needed – brightly reflecting the goodness of life. You likely know others whose goodness is shaded. They are willing to give when asked, but they face problems making them less free to reflect the goodness of life. Then there are those grey individuals, who are basically good, but have some (often hidden) dishonorable characteristics. Finally, there are “green” people who are constantly praised for an involvement which is good, but who otherwise reflects no goodness at all (and who may be covering evil actions elsewhere).

Perhaps one reason for the Star Wars popularity is these movies’ effective capture of the conflict between good and evil, with which we are constantly confronted.