A Resolute Struggle

“In a resolute struggle of the good against evil, there are, however, definite rules that must not be disregarded, if it is to succeed.”

Candace Owens published her interview with Hunter Biden yesterday. I watched about half of it but it disturbed me so badly I couldn’t finish it. This morning I realize more clearly what scared me about it.

It’s not that the interview was unpleasant or hostile or that it revealed scandalous things. Candace set the tone right away by saying that she certainly would not be asking Hunter to say anything bad about his father or even to talk about politics and his father’s presidency. Candace and Hunter talked about personal things, namely Hunter’s addictions and alcoholism. Candace admitted that some of her own family members have had their own struggles with substance abuse.

Hunter claimed to have been “clean and sober” since 2019 when “it came to the point when I could either get out of bed and live or I could die. I chose to live.” Hunter was frank about being sober and free of cocaine, both powder and crack, for as long as 7 years but then one single drink sent him spiralling down to the same addiction again. He spoke of that demon in the back of his alcoholic’s mind, whenever he felt under pressure and weak and self-loathing, whispering, “I know a way you can stop feeling bad…”

That’s what scared me. My parents and my brothers and I were damaged terribly by alcohol. My father was a high functioning alcoholic (and it’s painful to put it so nakedly) who drank rye every day of his life until he finally was dying of stomach cancer. My younger brother’s health was ruined and his life cut short by booze and cigarettes – COPD and blood clots and a ruined mental acuity. My mother’s mental acuity was ruined by micro-strokes caused by booze.

And as for me? Pot and finally the big one, rye whisky. I’ve been clean and sober for four years this spring. I haven’t had any struggles with cravings since March 3, 2022 when I swore an oath to my “higher power” – as the cliche puts it – that I would never go back to wasting my life wresting with that lying devil.

But what Hunter said about his struggles scared me badly. It’s always lying in ambush, isn’t it? I don’t want to die like that.

There are many people who set great store by the Bible and I understand that. I’m an old Shakespeare lover and the poetry and inspiration of some of the Bible is also beautiful to me. But the main book of inspiration for me has been the I Ching, translated and edited by Richard Wilhelm and rendered into English by Cary F. Baynes. The I Ching does not claim to be the word of God. It is the word of Confucius and other Chinese philosophers going back almost 3000 years.

On the subject of struggling against Evil I can’t think of a better passage of advice and inspiration than Hexigram 43, Kuai, Breakthrough/Resoluteness

<< 43. Kuai / Break-through (Resoluteness)...

<< Even if only one inferior man is occupying a ruling position in a city, he is able to oppress superior men. Even a single passion still lurking in the heart has power to obscure reason. Passion and reason cannot exist side by side-therefore fight without quarter is necessary if the good is to prevail.

<< In a resolute struggle of the good against evil, there are, however, definite rules that must not be disregarded, if it is to succeed.

[Us old hippies were subtly indoctrinated, by media and rock stars and Hollywood etc., to hear the word “rules” and react with “You’re not the boss of me!”. That’s not it. The I Ching is talking about procedures that are necessary to follow if you want to succeed]

<< First, resolution must be based on a union of strength and friendliness.

[No sense blustering and being hostile and high-and-mighty. That’s weakness. You’re playing into the hands of the Enemy.]

<< Second, a compromise with evil is not possible; evil must under all circumstances be openly discredited. Nor must our own passions and shortcomings be glossed over.

[Cutting down? Only drinking on weekends? Only “social drinking”. It doesn’t work. And being all virtuous and sure of yourself? Arrogance. The enemy loves your brittle overconfidence. And going along with frivolous company? What other people may do and be OK is irrelevant. You know this is serious – for YOU! For YOUR SOUL, nobody else’s life, YOUR LIFE.]

<< Third, the struggle must not be carried on directly by force. If evil is branded, it thinks of weapons, and if we do it the favor of fighting against it blow for blow, we lose in the end because thus we ourselves get entangled in hatred and passion.

<< Therefore it is important to begin at home, to be on guard in our own persons against the faults we have branded. In this way, finding no opponent, the sharp edges of the weapons of evil become dulled.

<< For the same reasons we should not combat our own faults directly. As long as we wrestle with them, they continue victorious.

[A HA! The enemy loves to wrestle. He’ll tire you out. You have to stop the whole game.]

<< Finally, the best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good…>>

So? How do I do that?

Maybe I need to be Active in my life. Do something good for others, do something good. As long as I do and think of myself as NOT doing bad I’m vulnerable. That’s no way to build up a feeling that my life without booze is BETTER.

The way to build up that feeling is to rack up some positive accomplishments to be proud of. Get out for a walk, smile at a baby, pet a cat, tell the leaves of spring and the blue sky above that they are blessed. Say hi-how-are-ya to a grocery clerk. Be a nice guy that people want to be kind to. Be grateful, you old sob-sister.

Let’s try that.