Idiots

In psychiatric terms, the word "idiot" has a very specific definition, meaning one who is severely retarded who will never gain understanding beyond the age of three.  Colloquially, it is used for any person who is retarded or foolish, lacking understanding.   The term comes from Freud, who assumed the immature brain was driven by the "Id" or passions, lusts and desires.  An idiot is one who is controlled by his Id and has no ego or superego.  He doesn't care what others think or how they feel; other people only exist to serve his needs.  A three-year-old screams and yells to get what he wants because he can only consider his own desires.  My son, at the age of three, said, "If you give me what I want, I won't cry, but if you don't, I'll cry."  He clearly understood the concept of, "I will make you miserable until I get what I want."

An idiot also has no sense of time.  He is unable to think in the past or the future; he only thinks about what he wants now.  His immediate need reigns supreme and consequences are irrelevant.  If you just gave him a candy and he wants another, the previous one didn't even exist, all he knows is he wants one now.  If you tell him he can have one later, he screams louder because he doesn't understand.  If you try to explain the consequences of eating candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he doesn't get it.  He will still choose what he wants now -- consequences be damned!  I watched a You Tube video of a three-year-old in Cambodia who smoked like an adult.  The family sat around laughing at him, but if he didn't get a cigarette he would scream and cry until he did.  His father said he had no choice but to give him another cigarette.  Is there any hope when the parents are idiots just like the child?

A three-year-old child is small and weak and can do little damage by his temper-tantrums, but things are quite different when one who acts this way is fully-grown.  This kind of adult can do a lot of damage: they hurt others, they kill people, they destroy property, they enslave others.  The problem is compounded when one of these is in charge.  Those who are infantile emotionally have no social boundaries so they easily become leaders, and because they don't consider others they are always despots.  The problem with this is that they gain political power in society and begin to force their foolishness on others, doing a great deal of damage.

I want...

All evil begins with the phrase, "I want..."  Idiots commit evil because are not aware of the needs or desires of others, only their own.  Therefore, whatever damage is done by them in the process of getting their desires is only "collateral damage."  They feel like whatever they do is alright because "I was just trying to get what I want."  These idiots use other people, they steal, lie, scam, cheat and even kill to get what they want.  A young man on death row in California was being interviewed on television.  He said, "I needed her car and she wouldn't give it to me... I had to kill her to get it.  Anybody would have done the same if they were in my shoes." 

Mommy

Idiots in government want to be a mommy because they get power.  As the population becomes more dependent, they give up more freedom, allowing governments to have more control.  Since those seeking greatness are idiots, driven by their appetite for power and control, they don't open the way for the growth, maturity and independence of the population, but rather dependence.  They make promises to provide goods, services, and security at "no cost."  They think that "stealing from the rich to give to the poor" could work.  As if they could be a parent of infinite resources in charge of children with infinite needs -- idiocy!

Idiots in the population fall into the trap because they want someone else to take care of them.  They don't feel capable of taking responsibility for themselves, assuming everyone else exists to serve their immediate needs.  If they can't get family, friends, or neighbors to do it, they want the government.  The government makes a perfect parent to an immature person because the cost of taking care of him can be spread out over a large number of people.  It seems worthwhile to give up freedom to have everything they want provided for them.  Grown idiots complain, or even riot if their wants aren't met, but never decide to take over their own care.

Somebody stop me!

Idiots are impetuous.  They don't have an internal stop mechanism when it comes to their desires.  They gain weight because they want food that tastes good now and don't think about the long-term effects of overeating.  They also indulge in sex, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and any other pleasure of the flesh.  Like a child they don't know how to stop so they automatically assume others should stop them.  They look around for others to be in charge of them.  For this reason, they require more and more laws to control them.  There are two issues here, idiots who are in power making laws to control others because they have no control, and those who break the laws, becoming destructive to society, because they are out of control. 

Because idiots need to be controlled, they assume everyone else does as well.  Those who make laws assume others need as much control as they do, and those who need protection from themselves hope the government will do it.  Most of these are laws of protection such as seatbelt, smoking, helmet, and gun laws.  They also include all the licensing laws that require people to take classes in anatomy and physiology before they can cut hair, for example.

There are idiots who really do need someone to stop them from injuring others.  They need many laws and strict punishments to keep them in line at all times.  This is easy when a small proportion of the population is immature, but when a majority are thus in need it becomes impossible.  The jails cannot hold all the destructive elements of such a society, and it collapses under its own weight.

Bureaucratic idiots

In a democracy the people choose their leaders.  If the people are idiots, they will choose idiots to be their leaders.  This starts a cycle of infantile behavior including temper-tantrums, wars, bureaucracies, and other sociopathic behavior.  People blame the leaders who have made promises to give the idiots in the population what they want, but don't deliver on their promises.  However, the real problem is having enough idiots in a population that would elect such an idiot into office in the first place. 

The Founding Fathers of the United States of America wanted to avoid a democracy because it is just "mob rule."  It wasn't until the 1950's that the government was changed from a republic to a democracy by idiots who want control.  Now, all that is needed is a majority of idiots to force the entire population to fill their needs.  It seems we have arrived, our entire system is based on filling infantile needs of food, shelter, and security.  Nobody is taught to grow up and be independent.  The entire society has sacrificed freedom for the promise of security.  I was in an airport last week watching the people standing in line to be x-rayed, strip-searched, and scanned and heard over the loudspeaker: "You must report any suspicious activity..." and realized that we were living in "1984."  Our movements are all monitored.  Our cell phones can all be monitored.  "The war in foreign lands" is never-ending as the enemy changes.  The population of idiots has taken over.

When we have more children than adults, we are, as all other populations in the past, ripening for destruction.  And, like all past civilizations it happens in the same way -- from the inside out.  Our self-destructive behavior becomes so great as more and more people are clamoring for what they want -- "bread and circuses" -- that it is unsustainable.  Any idiot can then simply take over and enslave everyone.  There is, however, a way out; we can still turn it around.  We are not yet doomed as Greece, Rome, and all other societies of the past.

Mature citizens

Everyone born begins as idiots -- driven by their "Id."  Those who come from "functional families" have a much better chance of growing out of it in childhood, becoming free and independent, because the "function" of a family is to support the growth and autonomy of the children.  This is the importance of the family to society.  Our modern prophets have recently warned us what happens if we don't support the family:  "We warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."  (True to the Faith, Family)  There will always be "dysfunctional families" however, if there are no "functional families" within one generation the entire population is dependent -- and they have no one to be dependent on so the society collapses.  If we support families in nurturing the growth of children to maturity there will always be independent people to teach the rest of society.

Mature citizens want freedom.  They are willing to sacrifice parental security so they take responsibility.  They especially don't want the government to provide for their wants, needs, or desires.  They don't want "bread and circuses."  They don't want subsidies.  They prefer the freedom to choose their own way in life.  As we take responsibility for ourselves, and teach others to do the same, we help our nation to grow up, preventing our demise.

Those who decide to grow up keep themselves away from indulgences of the flesh.  They don't spend more than they have or take loans (installments) for lifestyle choices.  They don't live to eat or choose food for taste, instead choosing to nourish their bodies.  They don't take drugs to change the way they feel.  They work for their own support.  They accept the vicissitudes of life, knowing there will be ups and downs.  They know that in the short run there is always unfairness, waiting for justice while forgiving others.  They understand that pain and suffering are temporary, and do not let it deter them from learning, growing, and doing good.  Mature people are independent.

Intelligence

Those who grow up and become independent are no longer idiots because they are no longer driven by the "Id," or their passions.  Independence comes from intelligence.  You have to know how to do something before you can do it yourself.  All knowledge comes from God.  "The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth."  (D&C 93:36)  Therefore, in order to avoid remaining an idiot everyone must come to know God.  There is no other way to grow up.  The very knowledge of how to grow up, or even that there is such a thing as maturity comes from Emmanuel -- "God with us."  He shows us the way; He tells us the way -- He is the way. 

Moreover, we cannot overcome any of our wants without the ability to be forgiven of our idiotic errors.  Everyone makes mistakes, it's part of the learning process.  However, if we don't have a way to get past them, we are doomed to repeat them over and over, making our lives redundant, echoing past mistakes, and doing the same things again and again.  Jesus Christ is the only one who offers forgiveness for past mistakes, allowing us to put the past behind us so we can move ahead and learn and grow.

Most assume Jesus is only a "spiritual leader," but this is far from the case.  He is The Way in all things of the body and spirit.  Even our social and political maturity is dependent on Him.  This is why John Adams frankly stated, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."  All intelligence comes from Christ, and we cannot grow up without intelligence so without Jesus Christ we can only remain idiots in a world of idiots headed for collapse and ultimate destruction.