Marc Legare is a philosopher and motorcycle adventurist.
He has travelled extensively, worked and lived in Australia, US, and across Canada.
He has a varied working career including: Firefighter, Lawyer, Navy, Motorcycle Importer, plus others.
He chose to return to southern Saskatchewan because of his family's deep roots here.
Who are "they"? The "they" being referred to are those we see as behind the scene players, pulling strings and making macro decisions that intentionally negatively affect us all. We refer to those people so often it is worth a moment to ponder who they are, if they exist at all, and how did they get so powerful.
Some people see "they" simply as the government. Others view them as powerful people in control of big business, while others contend they are the ultra-wealthy. Further still, some regard them as a group of people belonging to a clandestine society that make things happen through the influence held by their collective membership. A few go so far as to say they are an amalgam of everyone in all the above subsets, diabolically united, for the sole purpose of exercising their dominion over us peons.
Perhaps there is some validity to those views. However, what about us? Are we mere victims or are we part of the problem? For those who believe it is the government, remember this; it is us who keep electing the same old politicians, from the same old parties, with the same old rhetoric, with the same old promises. As for big business, keep in mind it is us who vote with our money by racing toward the outrageously wealthy multi-nationals with credit card in hand to obtain the "best deal" on goods and services they tell us we cannot live without.
What if there is no "they"? What if what is happening is the inevitable self-destructive outcome of a myriad of insane decisions and inane philosophies we have collectively adopted over the past few decades? What if the reason we are going through this worldwide debt crisis, divisions, drug use, loss of freedoms, and an ocean of other hellish societal upheavals is simply due to cause and effect? Worse still, what if it is all happening because we have weak, grossly misguided morals and are now reaping what we have sown?
How many want to face the real possibility that we have done this to ourselves? Do we have the courage to entertain that our modern absurdly illogical beliefs concomitant with our long-in-the-tooth selfishness is why we are in serious trouble today? If we take a step back and look at our collective disfunction there is sufficient evidence to suggest we are our own perpetrators.
Our society has turned its' back on a truckload of morals and traditions once honored by our ancestors. Placing a high value on the traditional family unit is just one example. We flippantly declared it obsolete yet in times like these the value of a tight family cannot be overstated.
What if old traditions and morality, such as a strongly bonded family unit, is exactly what kept society on an even keel? Without doubt, abandoning it has caused us to be weaker and more vulnerable to outside powers. Negating simple, basic, universally held traditions and morals has divided us, and we all know of the adage, "divided we fall." We cannot ignore the absolute truth that "we" abandoned our values and many other fundamental ethics, not "they."
Disturbingly, there is an appearance of a "they" at this point in time. To our shame, if they are a reality we are the ones who created such a monster.
Furthermore, if there is a "they" playing puppet master, our moral decay makes their goals a great deal easier.
If "they" exist and have so much power, it is wise to know who is aiding and abetting their cause. A good place to start looking for them is in our own bathroom mirrors. Elphias Levi said it plainly; "Man is the creator of his heaven or hell, and there is no demons except his own follies."
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
