About the Title…

The late 1960s brought fascinating music from unexpected places to the world. One particular group, Focus, was from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The song was Focus-Pocus, a manic composition that typifies the wild energy of those times and underscores abandonment and its inclination toward anarchy. There were myriad other bands and recordings, but this one fits nicely with this article’s title and direction.

We’re off track as a society, a nation, and a race. A segment of our culture seeks to return to a more rational and constitutionally-based way of life and social organization, while the remainder embraces the chaos they created because it allows them to disregard the ethics and morals that inhibits their ego-centric pursuit of self above all else. This is the Will to Power – the rationale to justify what Machiavelli wrote about in the 16th century. I’ve used this quote several times in other articles, but it plays nicely in this one.

The quote is a paraphrase of Machiavelli’s ideas. It was part of a political philosophy called consequentialism, which judges actions by consequences. Machiavelli’s ideas were meant to warn against being too pious in politics, not to encourage cruelty. Machiavelli suggests that influential leaders should maintain appearances and not be morally sound in their decision-making.

We interpret this and paraphrase this as:

“The End Justifies the Means.” ~ Attributed to Niccolo Machiavelli

It’s the perfect rationalization and justification to excuse any, and every questionable decision or action.

Will to Power

The Will to Power is a concept of Friedrich Nietzsche, a 19th-century German philosopher, who states that people have an innate instinct to increase their strength, overcome challenges, and thus recreate themselves.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s work was based on the idea that good and evil do not exist, and man alone determines his existence and has control of his success and failure; therefore, he chooses what is right and wrong.

“God is Dead” is one of Nietzsche’s most famous quotes. He challenged the traditional ideas of morality and religion, describing his philosophy as ‘existentialist’ or based on existence and that no absolute values exist. He asserts that God is a fictional creation of human beings. So, by extension, only we are responsible for and to ourselves. Therefore, we determine our values and create our moral code.

Friedrich Nietzsche suffered from several mental and physical illnesses throughout his life, including what some say was a psychotic break, yet many consider him a visionary philosopher, basing their lives on his writings, adapting and incorporating his perspectives to rationalize a hedonistic approach to self-indulgence.

Nietzsche believed the world is full of suffering and lacks an overall purpose or meaning.

I completely agree with this statement about suffering and disagree with almost everything else. He thought man’s direction should come from within the individual, not from an external source like God.

I attribute suffering to human selfishness and avarice because when left to our own devices and choices, we will always revert to Nietzsche’s Will to Power to satisfy our inner need for control, self-satisfaction, and self-centeredness: narcissism. We lack guidance and direction without a substantial foundation in a force greater than ourselves. We give this force many names; I prefer the Native American description of “Great Spirit,” but God is more common and understandable for many.

The popular interpretation of Nietzsche’s philosophy allows, or better yet, encourages people to do whatever they want to improve their situation, leaving that up to the person to decide or rationalize. I find this quite disturbing, but it explains a lot about the illegal, illicit, licentious, and amoral attitudes in modern America. Any aware individual can recognize the deterioration of our society from the activities we see around us. Look at what we’ve become.

Nietzsche’s doctrine is erringly aligned with Hitler’s Nazi takeover of Germany. While it’s true Hitler read and enjoyed Nietzsche’s philosophy and may have adapted and integrated some of Nietzsche’s tenets, there were other drivers in the Nazi rise to power as it became the predominant German party in the 1930s and was used by subsequent totalitarian and autocratic regimes that followed.

The Nazi rise to prominence is irrelevant to this article, but the results are crucial because they expose the consequences of the renunciation of God, and the reliance on personal ethics and morals, which is the point of this commentary.

Will to Power

Will to Power, according to Nietzsche, is the fundamental motivation for all human action and ambition. It overcomes resistance through creativity and by embracing it and the resistance. It helps to realize one’s potential. It’s the primary force behind decision-making. It’s the instinct of life itself. It is the will to live and to survive. It’s the drive to assert one’s ego over others.

Nietzsche claimed that belief in God suppressed the Will to Power by imposing invented rules and morals that should belong to the individual alone.

Answer this next question honestly…

If there was no law or God, would you be able to determine right from wrong, and how could you tell the difference if all you had to guide you were your desires?

Voltaire said: “If God didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” The statement suggests that even if God weren’t real, people would still create a belief in a higher power due to the need for moral guidance and order in society.

Dostoevsky proposed a similar line of thought: “If there is no God, then everything is permitted.” Fundamentally, without divine authority establishing moral standards, there is no intrinsic foundation for determining right from wrong or good from evil.

It implies that no absolute consequences or guidelines govern behavior without divine direction. I conclude that the present situation in America’s society, culture, and partisan politics is disintegrating, and what we see today are the consequences of our moral decline.

We have no moral compass.

Who would set the cardinal points, certainly not the individual because they would only point to self.

Do you ever wonder where we find our examples?

Let’s consider who sets the tone and direction for this republic.

The administrators of this republic set themselves above the law-our moral compass, the Constitution of the United States. I do not imply that this republic represents or is equal to God, but in light of its place as the guiding principle of this republic, it is the ethical rudder for America and sets standards for societal and administrative standards of proper conduct or practice. It is the law of the land, providing the precepts needed to govern this republic effectively and efficiently. So, ignoring or obviating our
Constitution violates the rules of this republic. Not prosecuting those who break these rules messages the citizens that these rules are no longer in effect.

Listening to the Nationalist Socialist American Party (NASP) members scream about taking their grievances to the street, emphatically calling for war to overthrow the current administration, is insurrection. They threaten to violently contravene the administration’s agents and are guilty of insurrection.

Just so we’re clear:

‘Insurrection is ‘an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government.’

This is the example the citizens of this republic observe in an unending media info-blitz of infractions, transgressions, and violations care of the Corporate Media Complex (CMC). If our leadership refuses to follow the law through their examples or encourages misbehavior and is rarely prosecuted, why should we, the citizens, obey the constitutional precepts? After all, these are the people we’ve hired to manage this republic. They represent us to the republic and stand as our examples.

If the NASP leadership encourages its constituents to violate the law, how can it prosecute a political rival for allegedly performing similar actions? Here is the link to Nietzsche’s Will to Power. The dichotomy may not be evident to the citizenry, but the hypocrisy registers subconsciously. They can see duplicity and wonder why the government denies the multi-tiered justice system but employs it so obviously and expertly.

Twenty-five million illegal people invaded this republic through a secure and closed border. The leadership denies inviting them in violation of the US Constitution but refuses to remove them for the good of the republic. They continually lie to the citizens, denying any involvement. Yet the world sees this subterfuge and gaslighting.

The Administration encourages cities to support sanctuary policies through fiscal support in violation of the US Constitution, yet fights federal departments responsible for homeland security – another constitutional violation.

The Wuhan Virus was loosed on the world, killing 18.2 million people, causing an $8.5 trillion financial impact worldwide, yet no one could or would identify the culprit.

Biden pardoned 8,064 people, including convicted felons and his family, but insists they did nothing wrong. Then why did they need pardons? He frequently denied that he’d pardon his son Hunter but did anyway. Why did Faucci need a pardon? Why did any of the 8,064 people require or even deserve pardons? It appears to imply guilt simply by granting them.

What is my rationale for following the law or abiding by the precepts that govern this republic if my leadership blatantly and ostentatiously flaunts them?

Multiple violations of the US Constitution and the Oaths’ of Office are evident, yet not one of these miscreants is held accountable.

~ The oath of office is: I, (name), promise and swear before almighty and all-knowing God that I will, in the fulfillment of my office, follow the constitution and other laws, acting rightfully and impartially for the sake of the citizens and the society.

That seems perfectly specific to me. Why bother having or swearing to this if you don’t intend to abide by it? It’s simply another worthless promise made with no intention of keeping it. What message does this convey to those who’ve sworn the same oath and who see this as a life-time commitment. There are no durational stipulations in that oath. therefore is doesn’t expire.

The consequences of this mendacious conduct are evident throughout this commonwealth in the actions and attitudes of its citizens.

Do you follow apparent laws like those for traffic or even pedestrians?

Do you justify or rationalize your decisions not to follow them?

– Everyone does it.

– I’m keeping up with the traffic flow.

– I’m in a hurry – late for an appointment or work.

– The light was yellow.

– It was only red for a nano-second

– Nobody saw me.

– The ramp-meter lights slow me down. I’m already late.

– No one stops for those anymore.

– I was only five mph over the posted limit – the police allow some leeway.

– My boss will never know.

– I’ll never do it again.

– My spouse will never find out. (HEY CHARLIE – I’ll never tell her! – JB)

– It’s only $100.

Don’t worry; I’m not perfect, either.

If we’re left to our own devices, that is, to decide what’s right and wrong based on our desires or needs; there are no rules. Nietzsche’s Will to Power assures us that it’s best for our ego or reinvention of self and to feed our needs regardless of the consequences. It’s fundamentally narcissism.

Imagine the chaos if everyone is self-centered and does not care about the impact on anyone else. This is why we have laws. You know why they exist and their purpose. They keep us from acting on the impulse to do what we please, regardless of the harm we could do if left unchecked. A society without laws is anarchy.

Lastly, I can see Nietzsche’s Will to Power as a way to move people from a community-based life to a self-centered existence. Regardless of your acceptance or belief in a higher power or what you call it; the critical aspect is recognizing responsibility for each other and our duty to this republic as citizens.

The Focus

Our republic has become a bloated bureaucracy managed by self-centered, self-serving, and egotistical politicians who have fractured it into two major camps for personal profit and their acquisition of power. The upside is allowing the remaining rubble to become thought leaders for alternatives and change; this is truly a testament to the foresight of this republic’s framers. Fortunately, it also proves their concerns and warnings about the problems with the two-party system.

The missing component in this political tug-of-war is the damage to the citizens resulting from the contest. When you concentrate on yourself, there are consequences for everyone else.

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money & wealth)”. ~ Matthew 6:24.

History is a marvelous source of decisions gone wrong. Query your favorite data source and ask for examples of states in chaos and the reasons for their demise. AI told me that the best two examples are Yemen and Iraq. Both were recipients of substantial financial investments from the USA, where these gifts were redirected to anti-American religious organizations.

Did we expect money to turn these America-haters to recant their stances and adopt democracy?

In reality, it strengthened their ideological animosity and resolve toward the Great Satan America since those funds were funneled to religious leaders in these Islamist Jihadist countries. Our pitiful attempts at westernizing these anti-American zealots are laughable.

It proves that we have the wrong people making decisions. Trusting a plumber to perform a quadruple heart bypass just because he claims to be a cardiac surgeon is ludicrous. Sure, the theory is similar. They both deal with moving liquids through pipes, but they are vastly different. Making managerial and governmental decisions differs from those of millennia-old religious beliefs.

How long have we worked to undo the racial prejudices in this country? Have we solved anything? We still celebrate Black History Month 160 years after the war that was proposed to end it. We passed several laws and a Constitutional Amendment to guarantee equality, but everything we do either ensures apartheid and separation or further alienates people into cult-like political camps.

The LGBTQI. movement insisted that they, too, wanted recognition by accentuating their differences from the general populace. They insisted on being different, following their need to reinvent themselves, following their inner desire for acceptance by insisting they were different.

About 250 years ago, we were proud to be Americans. It meant something, something special. People from every country came here to be part of something greater than themselves. They wanted to be Americans. Now, we insist on hyphenated ethnic identifiers, clinging to those things that separate us and make us stand out from the republic that we fought to join and preserve. No one can serve two masters.

We are either Americans or we are ethnically aligned and hyphenated entities; we cannot be both. Look around you and witness the results of this foolish quest for personal identities.

Every aspect of our daily lives is fractured by our need for our ego to survive and reinvent who we are. We are totally dissatisfied to be part of a great collective called America.

I guess that wasn’t good enough to suit our Will to Power.

Unabashedly and Unashamedly,

February 13, 2025

~ The Author ~
Charles R. Dickens was born in 1951, is a veteran of the Vietnam war, for which he volunteered, and the great-great grandson of the noted author, whose name he shares.

He is a fiercely proud American, who still believes this is the greatest country on the planet, with which we’ve lost control and certainly our direction. He grew up in moderate financial surrounding; we’re not rich by any stretch, but didn’t go hungry – his incredibly hard working father saw to that. As most from that era, he learned about life from his father, whose story would take too long to tell, other than to say that, he is also a fiercely proud American; a WWII and Korean war, veteran Marine.

Charlie was educated in the parochial system which, demanded that you actually learn something, and have capability to retain it before you advance. He attended several universities in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, and chased the goose further to a master’s, and has retained some very definite ideas about education in this country.

In addition, Charlie is a retired blues guitar and vocalist – a musician. This was his therapy career. Nothing brings him as much joy as playing music, and he wishes that he could make a living at it… but alas… life goes on!