Abuses of Values And Rebellion
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 12:05 am
I have become convinced that the reason for rebellion against legitimate values is a result of these values being misused.
Wrong things done for society discredit society. Wrong things done for family discredit family. Wrong things done for reason discredit reason. Wrong things done for beauty discredit beauty. And wrong things done for money discredit money.
None of these things are bad in themselves. The problem is that they stand to be abused. And abuses of a value discredit the value itself.
When society is done in corrupt and tyrannical ways, that leads many sincere people to become antisocial. When the name of family is used to protect incest and domestic violence, that leads many sincere people to become anti-family. When reason is used to attack passion and creativity, that feeds anti-rational ideologies. When the concept of beauty is used to abuse unattractive teenagers, that feeds feminist agitation against beauty. And when money is used to control and oppress people, that feeds Communism.
I used to be anti-family; then I had a family of my own and realized how wrong that stance was. Family can be a beautiful thing if it is done right. Abusers in the name of family have no more the right to speak for family than abusers in the name of beauty have the right to speak for beauty. Both of these things existed long before these abusers existed; both will continue existing long after they are gone.
The correct way to affirm legitimate values is to keep wrong things from being done in their name. That way the value survives, and wrong things done in its name are corrected. Doing this will solve both the problem of rebellion and the problem of corrupt things being done in the name of values. The result will be benefit achieved all across the board.
Wrong things done for society discredit society. Wrong things done for family discredit family. Wrong things done for reason discredit reason. Wrong things done for beauty discredit beauty. And wrong things done for money discredit money.
None of these things are bad in themselves. The problem is that they stand to be abused. And abuses of a value discredit the value itself.
When society is done in corrupt and tyrannical ways, that leads many sincere people to become antisocial. When the name of family is used to protect incest and domestic violence, that leads many sincere people to become anti-family. When reason is used to attack passion and creativity, that feeds anti-rational ideologies. When the concept of beauty is used to abuse unattractive teenagers, that feeds feminist agitation against beauty. And when money is used to control and oppress people, that feeds Communism.
I used to be anti-family; then I had a family of my own and realized how wrong that stance was. Family can be a beautiful thing if it is done right. Abusers in the name of family have no more the right to speak for family than abusers in the name of beauty have the right to speak for beauty. Both of these things existed long before these abusers existed; both will continue existing long after they are gone.
The correct way to affirm legitimate values is to keep wrong things from being done in their name. That way the value survives, and wrong things done in its name are corrected. Doing this will solve both the problem of rebellion and the problem of corrupt things being done in the name of values. The result will be benefit achieved all across the board.