Posted by J.M. on April 27, 19100 at 21:42:50:
One of the kernels of reality that one might glean by reading many of the postings on the GLS forum is that shipwreck preservation incites an almost religious fervor amongst many people. For some of these people the shipwreck is like a god that must be worshipped, protected and fought for. In fact, if words were violence, there would have been much pain and suffering from that which has occurred on this page. According to those who worship the shipwreck as a god, we all have a duty to these rotting, rusting, hulks of wood and steel just like the crusaders of the Middle Ages had a duty to god to cleanse the European continent of the “heathens.” The “heathens” today are those who would show a lack of faith in the wreckage of our past by altering or removing something from the god of men’s minds. Of course, the crusaders are quick to point out that these decomposing machines are like time capsules that contain snapshots of our past and they must be protected to the exclusion of the unfaithful. They say there is a book of our history in this god that must be protected until it is read. Few of crusaders will take the time out of their worship activities to write this book that details our history.
For those people who make the laws and shape the morals of our society this battle cry from the crusaders fills the listless void of purpose and gives them reason for being. When these lawmakers worship the god of men’s minds, or worse, worship the will of the crusaders, we end up with things like Bill 13 and/or the Thunder Bay Area Preserve. It’s odd how these religious zealots will raise a battle cry for a shipwreck but say nothing of the rusted moldboard plow sitting in the weeds behind the shed or the old sawmill down by the river. They are all machines designed by the 19th century mind and constructed of the will but only one becomes deified and worshipped to the extent that it is used as a vehicle for restricting the freedom of others.
The faithful crusaders think we need more law to protect these “gods” from ourselves. We need “temples” or special areas (preserves) where we can worship these “gods” and not have to worry about the “heathens” treading on sacred ground. While the crusaders take up the battle cry, Mother Nature, the real mover and shaker, works her inevitable magic of destruction and decay on these gods of men’s minds as they move toward an unavoidable destiny with oblivion. The wrecks rot and decay according to God’s will and through God’s hand of nature. Nature uses tools of destruction that far exceed man’s abilities and will. Taken collectively, shipwrecks lose more in one day against nature’s assault than they have in thirty years of man’s influence. Nevertheless, the restrictions on freedom keep coming, driven by the zeal of the crusaders and implemented through the listlessness of the lawmakers.
One may wonder what these restrictions are and how, if at all, they are hurting us. Much depends on how a person measures freedom when considering what effect the restrictions have upon us. People may consider themselves free and yet still take part in a compulsory tax system such as we have in America. A person may think themselves free while they are required to wear helmets, register firearms, pay for permits and licenses etc. etc. etc. There are people who think themselves free but cannot legally hurt themselves because it is against the law to do wrong to yourself and/or your property. That is not freedom; it is paternalism. The precepts of paternalism are; “YOU ARE NOT INTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO DECIDE WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU SO WE WILL MAKE THAT DECISION FOR YOU AND YOU WILL ABIDE BY OUR DECISION OR FACE THE LEGAL (violent) CONSEQUENCES FOR DISOBEYING.” Such is the argument for protecting us from ourselves. No doubt there are people who would destroy themselves without paternalistic guidance. Children fall into this category as well as many adults. Children need paternalistic guidance for humans to continue to survive as a species; adults do not. Those who argue that adults need paternalistic guidance must face the consequences of natural selection, namely the proliferation of those who need paternalistic guidance. Once we head down the path of paternalism it becomes more necessary as time passes to have paternalism simply because of the proliferation of those who need it. Therein lies the fertile ground for which the crusaders of shipwreck idols plant their seed of restriction. Here is their logical, yet unsound argument:
Premise #1 Shipwrecks are like gods who need worship and protection.
Premise #2 The enlightened ones are charged with worshipping and protecting these gods from the heathens.
Premise #3 The Heathens must be controlled by the enlightened ones because they know not how they are injuring themselves.
Conclusion: We need more law and more restriction.
I openly challenge all zealots and crusader-types on the basis of these faulty premises. I would suggest that P#1 is faulty because these inanimate objects are merely machines borne of men’s minds and constructed by men much like the rusting piece of farm machinery behind the shed and, except for some very rare instances, have little or no historical value.
I would suggest that P#2 is faulty for the same reason I look with shame on my English ancestors who butchered their neighbors in the name of god during the Crusades. They too were saving the heathens from themselves in a bloody, paternalistic way.
Lastly, I reject P#3 because of its origin in paternalism and the arrogant superiority that it stems from. People should be free to do injury to themselves and their property otherwise freedom is just hollow pseudonym for totalitarianism. In logic, faulty premises always make for bad conclusions and bad conclusions always allow for bad policy proscriptions. Don’t let the religious fanatics take away your freedom.
Serving Liberty,
J.M.