one nation under fear

 i find it a little fascinating that in the biblical creation story our species original sin was eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. assuming this is metaphor, it's meaning is still mysterious.

for one, what is good and what is evil? and why is knowledge of it forbidden us? isn't such knowledge of the most vital importance? isn't our whole punitive criminal (in)justice system predicated on the assumption that sane people know the difference between right and wrong?

as anyone remotely knowledgeable of christianity should know, 'the wages of sin is death'. this proclaimed by 'our lord and savior' jesus christ in the new testament, it's consistent with old testament god's admonition to adam and eve, that if they ate forbidden fruit they would surely die.

so, what's the surreal deal here, christians? are we supposed to have knowledge of good and evil, to know what's right and what's wrong, or should we leave such matters up to god?

i doubt anyone has a satisfactory answer.

returning to the question of morality or the discernment of sin and virtue, again, by what or whose definition? and aren't many such questions fraught with complexity and ambiguity, in the surreal world?

some think that morality is best left to be defined by 'authorities'. of course the ultimate 'authority' lies with the highest levels of government, those who make laws, interpret, and execute them. and it is painfully obvious that these 'authorities', at least in the usa, are a bunch of idiots and assholes!

now i'll get to the title topic of this post. fear has long dominated my life. especially fear of failure and of rejection. and as i've gotten more experienced and better informed, fear/conviction that this is a hopelessly dystopian world  

but the fear that i and others like me now confront with a fascist would be dictator with many fascist brutal ruthless supporters running things in the usa, is a much more visceral fear. the fear of running afoul of these evil sick bastards. the fear of being punished for trying to stand up against them. it's a very well founded fear, considering what has been and is being done to others who have tried and are trying, like in the case of a young man, a foreign student at nearby cornell university, who, after speaking out against the horrid genocide being committed against palestinians by the horrid state of israel with the full horrid support of the usa and most of it's 'western' allies,.... found himself facing persecution and likely imprisonment and deportation, if he didn't first decide to self deport himself, which he did... link below to an excellent youtube video put out by the socialist equality party, detailing not only this case but the horrid history of american suppression of human rights, in striking contrast to the hypocritical lies and propaganda put out by the american establishment about how virtuous it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XjO7RRKQPI