Our Social Paradigm of First Principles

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 399 B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  Our Social Paradigm of First Principles (Previously published) Share Tweet Forward

In his book “The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection” author Tamin Ansary makes the point that “every stable society is permeated by a social paradigm that organizes human interactions, gives purpose to people’s lives, and makes events meaningful.” It behooves us then, to understand the origins of the social paradigm of our contemporary American society as conceived by the Founding Fathers.  The Revolutionary generation of the United States was overwhelmingly concerned with “virtue” as the essential element of public life. Virtue was a word they used repeatedly in their public statements. Researchers note that the word virtue appears about six thousand times in the correspondence and other writings of the Revolutionary generation. Virtue makes more appearances than the word freedom.  The Founding Fathers were deeply concerned with human frailty and kept those frailties in mind in the design of the new government. In the words of Founding Father Pierce Butler, “We must follow the example of Solon who gave the Athenians not the best Government he could devise; but the best Government they would receive.” That is what we have today, the best government we will receive.  The Founding Father’s concern with human shortcomings focused intensely on the fear that our leaders could become Caesar-like dictators. The world history familiar to them did not offer many examples of popular military leaders voluntarily giving up power. The example of Oliver Cromwell must have been uppermost in the minds of the Founding Fathers. Cromwell had, a century earlier, established the English republic, but then became a dictator who passed power to his incompetent son.  Even today, a review of governments around the world makes the case for the Founding Father’s concern. Fortunately, our social paradigm was favorably molded by President George Washington’s virtuous decision to give up power after his second presidential term.  The Roman Republic, much admired by the Founding Fathers, did offer a relevant example of civic virtue in the behavior of Lucius Cincinnatus. Cincinnatus was a Roman general who saved his country from a foreign invasion. As the story goes, Cincinnatus was plowing his fields when he was asked to defend the city which was under attack. He took over the army and achieved a swift victory in just sixteen days; he then promptly relinquished power and returned to his plow. On two occasions Cincinnatus was granted supreme power and given the title of dictator. On both occasions he did not hold on to power for a day longer than necessary. Cincinnatus is often offered as the classic example of civic virtue and service. The philosophical question here is whether moral civic behavior is the result of human agreement or, ingrained in our nature?  The social paradigm of the United States is that of a nation conceived not as an ethnic based society, but as a set of ideals such as freedom, honesty, and justice. Ideals such as these blend and interact to make up our social paradigms.  Consider that American patriotism has been historically different; it has never been explicitly linked to a single ethnic identity or place. For example, when President Reagan called for American unity, it was not a call to unify around ethnicity or land. It was a call to unify around the Constitution. His call for “American greatness and exceptionalism” did not remind us of race or geography. It evoked our founding documents: “As long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours.” America is not defined by its ethnicity or geography. America is defined by its founding documents. How unique is that!  America’s political paradigm is also distinctive. We criticize the role of money in American politics, and indeed, we must be vigilant that democracy does not turn into an oligarchy governed by a rich minority. But, although the aim of getting rich in the United States may be to gain political power; this is preferable to the corrupt formulation in other countries where the aim of gaining political power is as a way to get rich.  Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos, Lily & José (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

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