3 Steps to Clean Reform

Three Steps to Eliminating Corruption

A reader pointed out a website where you can vote for or against a world government. I ordered the book that the author of that site wrote, called:

Rescue Plan for Planet Earth, Democratic World Government through a Global Referendum, by Jim Stark, The Key Publishing House, Toronto, 2008

I have not finished reading this book so I will not attempt a review other than to mention that, as mentioned in the book, Stark has been an activist for world federalism since at least 1977 when he founded Operation Dismantle, a non-profit organization meant to end nuclear weapons. In the 1980's he went on an unofficial mission to the UN to start the ball rolling on a draft resolution for a global election to be conducted at the same time countries elected their national leaders -- such piggybacking would save the expense of multiple headcounts. Amazingly, it almost worked.

When the Internet came along Stark gave up on national governments. A world referendum will never get off the ground through official measures, since nationalist governments seem to be ideologically opposed to anything beyond their own sovereignty, in spite of the obvious cost savings that a world government promise for them. Now he is hopeful that an open referendum can be conducted through his Website. Where governments failed, clicks in the form of virtual votes direct from the people might succeed. And it is true that polls he cites indicate that if it were up to Joe Average, the idea would pass.

In any case, since I am dealing with Comenius's chapter on personal reform these days, I wanted to focus in on one aspect of this "Rescue Plan," the question of how to avoid corruption in a world federation.

The suggestions Stark makes for eliminating corruption are startling.

His idea for attaining total, squeaky clean transparency is to make everything accessible to public scrutiny. Complete elimination of secrecy, and even privacy, including a rule that every high official eliminate the slightest wisp of suspicion of corruption by agreeing to complete video and audio surveillance during every minute of their public service (excluding at home and on their own time). He also proposes making lying illegal. Jail time for every time you utter an untruth. He himself cites evidence that the average person lies at least two hundred times a day, which means that a world government would not eliminate overcrowded prisons problem anytime soon.

When I read this proposal of total surveillance I was reminded of what the Master said about justice being a concern for all of us, not just high officials.

"Each man has been placed in a post of honour, which he must not desert. A humble workman who commits an injustice is as much to blame as a renowned tyrant. Thus we all have our choice between justice and injustice." (Paris Talks, 159)

If that is the case, it would not make sense to limit surveillance to members of the world government. Everybody should submit to recording their entire lives -- and not just in order to eliminate wrongdoing. There are good historical and psychological reasons for recording our lives and playing it back in summary form for our own benefit. It would be much easier to take your actions into account each day if a record were taken for that very purpose, as one program being tested for Microsoft does, a photo is taken from a buttonhole camera on your collar every few seconds during your whole day. Indeed, I was toying with this idea several years ago in several essays I wrote for the Hamilton Film and Video Maker's Club. It would certainly be a good "make work" project for filmmakers, videographers and other such specialists.

Now that we have the technology to record images and play them back, I do not see Comenius objecting to the idea of requiring world government officials to submit to this as part of their job description. If people are so afraid of a world dictatorship that they need to be assured by such measures, so be it. Let their motto be that of the Globe and Mail, attributed to Cato, which is: "We will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures." And if we say something that even hints of a lie or corruption or that we might take arbitrary measures, then let the world go over our every word, freely available on the net, to make sure we do not.

But having said all that, I discern Comenius raising a finger in the air. "Do you not think," I hear him say, "That however you record and assess your actions, the real challenge is to know how to eliminate corruption and replace it with the healthy form of the human, which of course is the image of God? In other words, this has to start with religion. Religion makes self into an image of Perfection. To do that, we will surely have to be systematic. We should do it in three steps. First, pay attention to the invisible motives of the heart, the realm of faith. The measure here is sincerity. Then, secondly, we can sit back and watch the pattern of our actions. This is the scientific or behavioural stage. Third, having done that, we will be prepared to push aside the `tangles at the periphery' and choose the one, the few and the best." What does all that mean? Well, let us stop trying to sum up and paraphrase Comenius. Let the man's literary gift speak for itself.

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from: Comenius, Panorthosia, Ch. 20, para 9, pp. 23-24

"We may observe three methods of putting these reforms into practice easily.

Step I

The first is to attend constantly to yourself, especially to the prime motives of your heart, the centre of all action, according to God's advice in the words of Solomon:

'Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.' (Proverbs iv, 23).

For the heart is the birthplace of our thoughts and the imaginations which follow, and imagination breeds covetousness, which is prompted by our emotions, and these will be our undoing unless they are kept under control. There is therefore very little difficulty in attending to the prime motives of your heart and turning your thoughts elsewhere as soon as you are aware of any evil stirring.

Step II

The second is to keep the supreme pattern for your actions always in view, taking care never to go astray, according to the commandment given to Moses:

"Look that thou make them after their pattern which was showed thee in the mount." (Exodus 25:40)

And what exactly was that pattern? It was the pattern presented to Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle (and to Solomon for the temple at a later date), (See I Chronicles xxviii, 11-12) and it was in three parts, the outer courtyard, the inner courtyard, and the Sanctuary.

The meaning of these for us (who are the true Temples of God) has been explained elsewhere. But the first supreme model and pattern of all God's works, the very creation (and subsequent incarnation) of God's Wisdom is JESUS CHRIST; and if you make a habit of looking to him whenever the need for action occurs (asking yourself whether he did such things, and if so, how) and at the same time to copy his inspiring example, it will come to pass that you discover the truth of his promise,

"Learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30).

Step III

Lastly, you will greatly simplify your own individual reform if you remember that your fatherland is in heaven above and your stay on earth is but a sojourn and a pilgrimage, and so do not overcharge yourself with surfeiting (See Luke xxi, 34 and x, 41, 2) but rest content with life's necessities; in so doing you will learn from pleasant personal experience how much more blessed it is to be content with the ONE THING NEEDFUL (like Mary) than to be beset with cares and troubled about many things (like Martha).

Therefore in the whole realm of things choose few for yourself, but let them be of the best; see that the best things cannot be taken away from you, and you will be blessed. You should have one God, your Father in Heaven, one Mediator between you and God, Christ your leader and the author of your salvation, one Counsellor and Comforter, (Isaiah 9:6) the Holy Spirit, and you will be sure of salvation. But after God you must rely on yourself alone, if possible, or on some special patron or trusty friend; but avoid becoming dependent on anyone else or dividing your loyalties among many.

It is best to have one dwelling-place of suitable size, one course at mealtimes to keep you healthy, and one raiment which is adequate to cover your body modestly and protect it from harm. As the saying goes, there is a state of rest at the centre, and rotation at the circumference of things. Therefore whatever you do,

I. you must always choose few things, since many are a distraction whereas the few keep to the centre;

II. but choose the best, since one that is excellent is worth many that are inferior;

III. and keep a firm hold on them, so that you can never be separated from them and re-involved in a tangle of problems.

--
John Taylor

email: badijet@gmail.com
blog: http://badiblog.blogspot.com/

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