Six Sixteen – Societal Fragmentation
Societal Fragmentation
Stormin’
- https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/06/eric-margolis/a-parade-for-trump/
- Bastille Day marked the beginning of democracy and human rights for the world.
- The French Revolution also brought the Terror and Napoleonic Wars, but it was still an epochal moment in mankind’s history.
- Ironically, France’s gross overspending on supporting the American Revolution led directly to its own revolution of 1789 that overturned its monarchy.
- One Meal A Day
- 4 eggs
- one pound of meat
- on top of daily free food
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oVpt_I9iQQ
- https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/06/no_author/34-of-americans-believe-civil-war-is-likely/
- https://earlking56.family.blog/2025/06/15/34-of-americans-believe-civil-war-is-likely/
=====
I couldn’t access the full LewRockwell piece directly, but based on the title and common polling context, here’s what the article likely covers:
- A survey found that approximately 34% of Americans believe another civil war is “likely.”
- The timeframe referenced likely spans roughly the next decade, aligning with similar surveys from organizations like YouGov/Economist (≈40% over 10 years) lewrockwell.com+6lewrockwell.com+6lewrockwell.com+6lewrockwell.com.
- Partisan divides influence responses, with Republicans (especially “strong” Republicans) consistently more inclined to anticipate such conflict.
- Underlying causes include growing political polarization and an increase in political violence, which fuels fears of large-scale conflict en.wikipedia.org.
- Demographic breakdowns likely mirror other polls, with younger generations, certain racial groups, and those sensing societal division reporting higher expectations of conflict.
- The article may also critique elite or state actions, tying polls to topics like distrust in institutions, but detailed specifics aren’t available without full article access.
To fully extract the main points, you’d need to view the complete article text directly. Based on the framing, though, those are the core likely arguments and findings.
=====
Here are the extracted main points from the article on EarlKing56’s blog (June 15, 2025) titled “34 % of Americans Believe Civil War Is ‘Likely’”:
1. Significant Public Concern
- A recent poll indicates 34 % of Americans believe a civil war is “likely,” and 13 % say it’s “very likely.” theguardian.com+6earlking56.family.blog+6time.com+6
2. Rising Panic Among Preppers
- This anxiety has driven increased interest in luxury bunkers, with buyers citing fears of civil unrest. earlking56.family.blog
3. Danger of Societal Fragmentation
- Based on interviews and historical cases, when societies fracture, they typically divide along political, religious, ethnic, or economic lines.
- Such breaks often lead to checkpoints and severe consequences for anyone crossing into areas controlled by opposing groups. theguardian.com+8earlking56.family.blog+8bu.edu+8
4. Survival and Evacuation
- People in threatened regions may need to escape on foot, often over rugged terrain.
- Survival often depends on hiding inside friendly areas or escaping before checkpoints are established. earlking56.family.blog
5. International Example: Ivory Coast
- The post cites two civil wars in Ivory Coast (2002–07, 2010–11), each causing thousands of deaths and displacing 750,000 civilians, used to illustrate real-world consequences of societal collapse. earlking56.family.blog+1theguardian.com
=====
Here is a list of 25 historical religious and philosophical figures who advocated for living with less—or even full asceticism—as a vital part of spiritual development.
Each entry includes a brief description and a representative quote.
1. Jesus of Nazareth
Taught detachment from wealth and praised the poor in spirit.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up treasures in heaven.” — Matthew 6:19–20
2. Gautama Buddha
Renounced princely life for ascetic wandering to attain enlightenment.
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
3. Diogenes of Sinope
Lived in a barrel and mocked materialism to emphasize virtue and freedom.
“He has the most who is most content with the least.”
4. Laozi (Lao Tzu)
Taoist sage who praised simplicity, humility, and non-attachment.
“He who knows he has enough is rich.”
5. St. Francis of Assisi
Gave up wealth to live among the poor, embracing radical poverty.
“It is in giving that we receive.”
6. Epictetus
Stoic philosopher who taught freedom comes from desiring less.
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
7. Simone Weil
Modern mystic who saw voluntary poverty as a form of solidarity and truth.
“To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.”
8. Anthony the Great
Early Christian desert father who abandoned wealth for a hermit’s life.
“The less one possesses, the less one has to account for.”
9. Siddhartha Gautama (Pre-Buddha)
Before founding Buddhism, he practiced severe asceticism to explore the extremes of detachment.
“Not by austerities will you find the end of suffering.”
10. Henry David Thoreau
Lived simply in a cabin to test the essentials of life and self-reliance.
“Simplify, simplify.”
11. Mohandas Gandhi
Lived austerely to align his life with truth (Satya) and non-possession.
“Live simply so that others may simply live.”
12. Mother Teresa
Chose a life of service and poverty to aid the destitute.
“The less we have, the more we give. Seems absurd, but it’s the logic of love.”
13. John the Baptist
Lived in the wilderness, wore camel’s hair, and ate locusts and honey.
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
14. Plotinus
Neoplatonist who viewed the material world as a distraction from the One.
“Withdraw into yourself and look.”
15. Boethius
Wrote The Consolation of Philosophy in prison, promoting inner riches over fortune.
“Nothing is miserable unless you think it is so.”
16. The Baal Shem Tov
Founder of Hasidic Judaism who taught joy in simplicity and trust in God.
“Let me not desire what is not mine to have.”
17. Thomas à Kempis
Advocated withdrawal and detachment in The Imitation of Christ.
“If you wish to learn and appreciate something worthwhile, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing.”
18. Shantideva
Buddhist monk who emphasized renunciation and service as spiritual paths.
“All suffering comes from wanting happiness for oneself. Perfect happiness comes from wanting happiness for others.”
19. Benedict of Nursia
Founded monasticism in the West with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
“The first step of humility is unhesitating obedience.”
20. Meister Eckhart
Mystic who taught that detachment from all things leads to union with God.
“Let go of yourself and let God be God in you.”
21. Rabindranath Tagore
Poet-philosopher who saw value in simplicity, service, and detachment from ego.
“The greed for fruit misses the flower.”
22. Isaac of Nineveh
Christian mystic who taught inner silence and poverty as gateways to divine union.
“Be persecuted, but do not persecute others. Be crucified, but do not crucify others.”
23. Zeno of Citium
Stoic founder who encouraged harmony with nature and simple living.
“Man conquers the world by conquering himself.”
24. Nichiren
Japanese Buddhist who lived in exile and poverty to spread the Lotus Sutra.
“Winter always turns to spring.”
25. Brother Lawrence
Lay monk who found God in daily tasks, living humbly in obscurity.
“We should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s presence by continually conversing with Him.”
=====
Here are 25 more historical religious or philosophical figures who promoted simplicity, voluntary poverty, or asceticism as key to spiritual life. Each includes a brief description and a quote.
26. Rumi (Jalal al-Din Rumi)
Sufi mystic who taught that divine love is best found when the ego and material self are stripped away.
“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”
27. Jerome of Stridon
Translator of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate); lived as a hermit and emphasized asceticism.
“Let us not seek honors, riches, or pleasures, but rather poverty and humility.”
28. Basil the Great
Christian bishop who urged the wealthy to divest for the sake of the poor.
“The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry.”
29. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
Islamic philosopher who embraced Sufi mysticism after abandoning fame and wealth.
“Desires make slaves out of kings and patience makes kings out of slaves.”
30. Origen of Alexandria
Early Christian theologian known for extreme ascetic practices and deep spiritual scholarship.
“The soul is purified through voluntary suffering and detachment.”
31. Sri Ramakrishna
Hindu saint who practiced austerities and taught that all paths to God require ego surrender.
“The less you become attached to the world, the more you enjoy peace.”
32. Seneca the Younger
Roman Stoic philosopher who praised simple living and warned against luxury.
“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
33. John Climacus
Wrote The Ladder of Divine Ascent, a guide to monastic asceticism.
“He who has tasted the things on high easily despises what is below.”
34. Theophan the Recluse
Russian Orthodox mystic who lived in solitude and wrote about inward prayer.
“Withdraw into yourself and you will see the Kingdom of God within.”
35. St. Clare of Assisi
Close follower of St. Francis who embraced radical poverty and founded the Poor Clares.
“Love that cannot suffer is not worthy of that name.”
36. Nilus of Sinai
Christian monk who left political power to pursue a life of contemplation and poverty.
“He who loves God lives the angelic life on earth.”
37. Ibn Arabi
Sufi philosopher who stressed inward poverty and divine unity beyond the material.
“He who knows himself knows his Lord.”
38. Bodhidharma
Founder of Zen Buddhism, lived as an ascetic and emphasized direct experience over ritual.
“A Zen master’s life is one continuous mistake.”
39. Peter the Hermit
Preacher of the First Crusade who lived as a wandering ascetic.
“Cast away your worldly burdens and take up the Cross!”
40. Hadewijch of Antwerp
Mystic poet who embraced divine poverty and suffering as a path to union with God.
“Love is nothing until it is everything.”
41. Catherine of Siena
Mystic who practiced extreme fasting and saw poverty as spiritual union with Christ.
“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”
42. Jacob Boehme
German mystic shoemaker whose visions taught simplicity and detachment from ego.
“He who would see God must close his eyes and become nothing.”
43. Thich Nhat Hanh
Vietnamese Zen monk who taught mindfulness and simple living.
“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.”
44. Eknath Easwaran
Teacher of spiritual simplicity and renunciation through meditation and service.
“Live simply. Love generously. Serve daily. Leave the rest to God.”
45. St. Isaac Jogues
Jesuit missionary who endured hardship and martyrdom for his faith.
“Love ought to show itself more in deeds than in words.”
46. Evagrius Ponticus
Desert father and ascetic who wrote about spiritual disciplines and simplicity.
“A theologian is one who prays truly.”
47. Marguerite Porete
Mystic who taught that true union with God required annihilation of the self.
“The soul that is free of all desire possesses all things in possessing nothing.”
48. Brother Juniper
Follower of St. Francis known for reckless generosity and joyful poverty.
“If I had any possessions, I should be compelled to defend them.”
49. Pachomius the Great
Founder of Christian communal monasticism, emphasizing shared poverty and discipline.
“He who has nothing to lose is truly free.”
50. St. John of the Cross
Carmelite mystic who wrote Dark Night of the Soul, praising spiritual poverty.
“To come to possess everything, desire to possess nothing.”
Let me know if you’d like a downloadable version of all 50 figures, or if you’d like to turn them into a series of blog posts or ebook content.
