Are Your Memes Tearing Our Genes?

One of the things that made this country different from any other country was that from its beginnings, it was conceived as a nation founded on the Rule of Law. Those who came did not find a monarchy or theocracy controlled by a church. They found a nation ruled by law, but the power of their old memes was still very influential. (A MEME is a piece of information that exists in human minds; this includes beliefs & doctrines.)

As I survey the pathetic political and social landscape of our country, I see people with some questionable and strange "memes" allowing those memes to control their behaviors -- cruelty, inequality, hatred, ignorance, bigotry and most of all, “Violence” seems to rule the land! Both Laws and Values are being increasingly ignored – at least that’s the way it looks to me (how does it look to you).

If America becomes the place where without “Equality Under the Law,” or without citizens who hold a common set of accepted values, what will it look like? The “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave” will become the “Land of Utter Chaos and the Home of the Completely Confused.”  

Over 99% of our Genes are identical, that is a big part of what makes us all the same kind of human. But, we are also social beings, who need one another physically, psychologically and emotionally to survive. We are also tied to each other spiritually. The things that make us different and interfere with peace come from the differences in our "Memes" not our “Genes.”

Let me give a personal example. After I arrived in Texas, I was asked to advise a local school board about teaching Creationism in its Science curriculum. I asked them this question, “Which Version of Creationism are you planning on teaching -- the Babylonian version, the Egyptian version, the Greek version, the Native American version, or the Jewish one? They just stared at me.

Creation accounts are “memes," (beliefs - things in minds), not science! Certain people with religious authority have always been afraid of letting their members hear the FACTS, because FACTS undermine “their” memes (doctrines). And, you have probably heard about the old dreaded slippery slope they are all afraid of – if the faithful start questioning the “official memes,” the next thing they might question is their institution’s authority, and who knows which authority they question next! Meme-based institutions – especially Religious, Political or Economic – stand on their Authority Claims and don’t like to be questioned. Science stands on the Facts and welcomes questions.

America was created on memes that promised Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness. The Founding Generation had been under the yoke of Authority concentrated in the hands of the elite few – kings, popes, bishops, priests, protestant ministers, heads of corporations, and central bankers. If the members of the Founding Generation reappeared today, they would clearly recognize their old adversaries are trying to take over again. What we are seeing today is , does not reflect their ideas of the “American Community.” What we are seeing is even contradictory to the basic idea of "Community" itself. Life under the control of “Unquestioned Authority” becomes more divisive, hurtful, hateful and counter-productive. It Tears Our Genes Apart! It creates a huge mass of angry, raging and violent individuals!

The ONLY alternative is, a society whose decisions are based upon a laws created by people with Shared Values-Based Relationships and who hold a Shared Standard of Behavior – one that puts Life First! Decisions that Protect Life, Preserve Life, Make Life More Functional, and Increases the Quality of Life – For ALL PEOPLE.

This is what TOV is all about! TOV is not a quick ritual that promises an Instant Utopia or a No Pain Messianic Future for all Approved Believers – that simply isn’t probable where humans are concerned. Humans make choices and throughout history some chose to do acts of TOV (Good) and others chose to do acts of RA (Evil). What I am saying is that with Shared Values-Based Relationships and the TOV Standard to guide our Choices and Behaviors, members of this generation would be much better equipped to solve and resolve common problems by decisions that would consider the common good of all.

Don't be upset! I'm not taking away anyone’s precious memes! I am reminding you. Reconciling FACTs with Memes is something grown up adults are fully capable of doing. When the FACTS prove to be correct, which they always do -- Memes that disagree can and should be changed. What responsible adult would want to cling to Memes (beliefs) that are not only wrong, but false! Everybody has his or her personal BS (Belief System), but even though one’s old BS feels very comfortable, hanging on to it when it is clearly wrong is simply a Bad BS.

Don't let Your Memes Tear Apart Our Genes. Learn about TOV! Use it to transform yourself, transform your community, your country, your society, your part of the world.

Do TOV, Choose Life, & Update Your BS!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

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