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Dr. Cruz,

I am writing because I received an invitation, I think that is what it is, to become a friend of yours, which consideration would be an honor. I don't know how this "friend" process works. I have been fortunate to, with no input of my own, to have a select and eclectic number of friends. The intellectual capacity and finely written posts coupled with their efforts to make me a friend through no effort of my own is special honor to me.

Now I have received this communication from you; I would certainly like to be among that select group. I have read your abbreviated biography and find is most honorable, now your taking MMA, you seem to be the kind of leader needed in civilian life that you were in serving our country. I received an Associates Degree with a major in philosophy. I basically took to British Empiricism, John Lock, David Hume and George Berkeley. I finished my college with a degree in Business Administration with a Major in Accounting. I never have stopped reading philosophy and have continued reading through out my life, along with an occasional college course. Then taken long periods away from reading academic works.

I am now intrigued with what is described as "Construction and De-Construction" this seems to be the latest, what is in vogue, in our American Philosophy. Not that our college philosophy professors are promoting this idea, it is the culmination of a long trend of thought. I particularly look to the work of Bertrand Russell, Alfred North Whitehead and the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Thinking that questioned the meaning of meaning and that trend continued leading to what I think is the prominence of text analysis of this philosophy called "De-Construction", a means of analyzing serious written works from Political Science and every field even contrasting the spoken word versus the written word. This means of questioning defeats the tenets of many of our beliefs, it is very interesting to me and I think it does not in the final analysis, the final outcome, to me need not be Scepticism, Nihilism nor Moral Relativism. We are free, some would say condemned to freedom, in light of human nature matters can go awry and sadistic practices allowed because we have demonized the other, Martin Buber's "Thou".

The idea of the "proletariat" goes back to Roman and even Greek times. What progress man has made to "love" his fellow man has been paid for with millions and millions of lives and suffering that is to awful to truly comprehend. The world is still stuck in a dark cloudy form of tribalism even in our own times. Though we would not call it that. We are more noble we are nations, not tribes for heavens sake. I want to laugh. Man has become civilized and no more need be said, only these tribal factions, relics of the past, need to be brought under control.

I cannot go further without mentioning A.J. Ayer's Language Truth and Logic and its impact on my thought. I, also, keep this little book next to my desk. I continued reading philosophical works through my existential period, the personality Albert Camu stands out, various writers. Then of course Popper, Huxley, Maslow and the field seemed to get stale until the ideas of "De-Construction" have by the sheer intellectual force seems to be the tool that our young philosophy students are particularly attracted to.

This is my subjective observation and my own experience. I discussed this with a popular author that thought this would lead to a relative moral position. I took exception because if we really read the works of Gide, Camu and right up to Derrida the option for man to adopt for the good (I am thinking of Marin Buber and his ideas in " I and Thou"). I am adamant that man can live in a world that would not philosophical moral relativism and that we have the capacity to choose the moral over evil. That I can go to my Catholic Church and feel better after leaving is a contradiction that exists and is undeniable.

I know what I feel though my personal philosophy contradicts my actions is a viable living reality in my life and I suspect millions upon millions of good Catholics and yet both concepts (Scepticism and ritual) simultaneously co-exist. The hard working American Catholic (along with all other religions) consciously and sub-consciouly have this relation with their religion and function very well under this condition and I doubt matters will change much in the future. I have read a very interesting, and keep it in my very small personal library next to my work desk, a book the work of Sigmund Freud in which he predicted, if I remember right, religion would have lost considerable impact on man's thinking at this stage of humanity's development on earth. Now, he predicated this on the mountain of knowledge of where and how man's beliefs had come into existence after the turn of the first quarter century of man's existence on earth, that would the 20th century.

Cultural Anthropology had made most of what is the core its subject matter by then. How could he be so wrong? It is amazing to me and just maybe the most telling of Human Nature that the hold of religiosity would hold man in the intellectual box that it does in our own time. I often think religion is used to absolve one from the heinous deeds performed for what ever cause man is pursuing, we can even make up causes to secure the imprimatur of "the people", the red menace for example when the CIA intelligence indicated the Russian nation was of no threat to the USA and was crumbling from within.

Murder, exploitation and worse are forgiven through your religiosity, to put it simply. I could speak of man's propensity for Sadism but that would take some time. I would like to speak of our common Latin Heritage and my son that just was just released after six years of active duty in The United States Army with two tours in Iraq. He graduated in the top ten percent of one percent on the SAT before attending UCLA for a little over two years, before six years active duty, The United States Army, Military Police, and will soon be a "Longhorn", a student attending The University of Texas in Austin Texas. I forgot to mention I am a Real Estate Broker and National Mortgage Officer, was until recently semi retired but now work over full time. I work with a small group of finance professionals primarily in the Real Estate area.

I wish I could a little more but it is getting late on the West Coast and I have a eight AM appointment, I just am not sleepy as I took an extended nap which has me in a time warp.

Good wishes in your future in civilian life and somehow I will figure out how I can finalize this personal friend feature of The Vine. I enjoy your posts. I wanted to say something of pathos and ethos, Greek words I do believe, but my time is over. I am enjoying turning in while sipping herbs tea and listening to Willie Colon, some Jazz and will finish with a little Mahler, music to think of today's agenda before drifting off. I am not a writer only a person with a good deal reading to draw my ideas from so please pardon my mistakes I have made in this post. Good Night.

Take care, and always

Persevere

— Persevere

The Newsvine is an excellent means of expressing oneself and alleviating that day to day stress. It's your magical hour to have people listen to you. Welcome aboard and I also requested your friendship.

Citizen Ira

— Citizen Ira

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