Chapter 10 – Enemies of Order

There is another element to the role of mage we encounter in this world too often. Consider Merlin, Gandalf and Obi-Wan; their lives were not without conflict. They had enemies, and so do the goodly supporters of Order wherever we are. Some enemies are violent and obvious, many are more subtle. Of course, many of us find it hard to relate to fictitious wizards, because, after all, they had power and we do not. I believe this thinking stems from a false dichotomy. I admit that by definition, they had in those stories power beyond the ordinary, yet this does not make them so different from us in reality. On the one hand, both technology and our own inherent mental powers can make any of us quite comparable to the wizards of fiction. Take the crystal balls and Palantiri, for example. Any computer with an internet connection can outperform those items in terms of imagery, data retrieval and communication. Modern technology of course has enabled us to fly both faster and more comfortably than any eagle or broom method of transit I have seen in the movies. Three-D printers are now able to pull almost anything but a rabbit out of a hat. We’re still working on the shape change and teleporting technology, of course.

As to our inherent mental powers, I think that we often do not give them enough credit. There is a wide range of ways we can have positive impact by using our minds with positive intention and focus. For example, if you have ever written a letter to the editor or to your elected official, pointing out some social policy problem, you used powers of logic, as well as an array of facts to present your case. That would have been a real use of mental powers which touched the minds of perhaps thousands of readers and enhanced the thinking of some. Further, the fact that we cannot now measure the value of prayer and meditation gives us no reason to think that they are useless. Without any doubt, directing our minds away from fear and anger and toward gratitude and purpose yields health benefits and makes orderly behaviors easier.  I myself had a huge epiphany during my thirteen-month bout with cancer. I stopped thinking about life as a chance to seek pleasures and reframed my life as a series of opportunities to contribute to and benefit others. This may have been the biggest transition for me ever, and the results have been a move from fear, insecurity and frequent disappointment to greater peace, purpose, serenity and joy.

To be more specific, the order mages of the world stand against all forms of violence. War itself is an action which is destructive to the extreme and a violation of the order which has governed the animal kingdom since its inception. Animals do not go to war, although I have heard there may be an exception to be made in the case of ants. Unless we wish to reduce ourselves to the moral status of ants, however, we must resist aggressor nations as an ethical imperative of order. At the time of this writing, Russian troops are occupying parts of the sovereign nation of Ukraine, with casualties estimated in the hundreds of thousands, including civilians, and no end to the fighting in site. [1] In the case of this particular war, it seems that the primary motivation is simply one dictator’s egotistical desire to build an empire. When two or more nations are at war, it may be easy to feel that order mages are powerless to oppose the aggressor, but it is not so. Resistance may include boycotting products exported by them, writing to elected officials, speaking out in support of the victimized countries in social media, being present at protests or vigils. Also, the Ukranian flag, which is being flown on private property as well as at storefronts, is a silent statement of solidarity and a reminder to all who see.

As if that war were not bad enough, another war is being fought on Earth which is of much greater scope and consequence. Indeed, we are fighting World War III and many do not realize it. This war is not against tanks and bombers but against our own industrial lifestyle. Yes, this is a global war to preserve as much of the ecological balance on this planet as possible. The natural order of life in our world is under heavy and increasing assault, not only by greenhouse gas emissions, but also by plastic pollution, habitat loss, pesticides and good old-fashioned litter. This is a global war, not a territorial one. Therefore every adult on Earth is a soldier for one side or the other. As Order Mages, it is our calling and sacred duty to devote ourselves to combat this destruction using any peaceful means possible.

I will briefly summarize the key areas of attack as follows. As we know, global industrialization has been burning fossil fuels for over a century, adding tons of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to the atmosphere. These chemicals, when in gaseous form, capture more solar energy than oxygen does, trapping more heat in the atmosphere, leading to warmer surface temperatures. These changes pose serious challenges to species which have adapted for millennia to preexisting heat levels, as well as cause polar ice melt which both desalinates and raises ocean levels. This, in turn, is detrimental to coastal life. The loss of polar ice adds to a vicious cycle, since snow and ice on the ground reflect more solar energy back into space than does surface water or rock and soil. So the more polar ice is lost, the more heat is retained.

A second major assault on the biosphere is caused by excessive land development. Massive loss of forests and prairies is a primary cause of the extinction of approximately 10,000 species per year. Prey become extinct, predators become extinct, parasites become extinct, and the dominoes may fall at our feet from multiple directions. One example among many is that both the loss of habitat and use of chemical pesticides has caused a severe loss of bee populations here in the United States. Without the bees, crops of all kinds will fail to pollenate adequately, and food production will drop off. Given the fact that human population continues to grow, the consequences of massive food shortages are easy to imagine.  

A third major assault is in the form of plastic pollution. Plastic does not occur in Nature; life on Earth has no inherent ability to adapt to it. One only has to visit a fast-food outlet or convenience store to see the tons of plastics that are sent to landfills every day. Private residences and businesses account for additional tons as well. To make the matter worse, much of this plastic never reaches the landfill. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, “Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is being dumped into our oceans.” [2] That adds up to 1,440 truckloads of plastic each day! Plastic is not bio-degradable and is often lethal to small and medium sized marine life. In addition, there is the problem of microplastics, which, according to the National Geographic,

Microplastics have been detected in marine organisms from plankton to whales, in commercial seafood, and even in drinking water. Alarmingly, standard water treatment facilities cannot remove all traces of microplastics. To further complicate matters, microplastics in the ocean can bind with other harmful chemicals before being ingested by marine organisms.[3]

 This is a problem which is compounding every day.

Although the environmental outlook is poor and can be terrifying, it is not terminal. Individuals, corporations and nations are waking up to the problems we face and are taking action. Although we can expect that fifty years from now, we will have lost many species of life which we now rely upon or take for granted, and that human life will face serious difficulties, climatologists are not telling us to expect the end of the world. There will be hunger, land disputes and probably wars, but at no time in history will the calm balanced voices of order mages be more needed. There is an old saying, “desperate times call for desperate measures.” I propose we modify that to read: “desperate times call for calm thinkers.” In a world where land loss and food shortages lead to ever-growing numbers of refugees looking for homes and the privileged seek to continue repelling them, violence will multiply unless the advocates of fair and orderly justice are heard.

There is a great deal that any order mage can do to fight for the Earth. For those with material means, there are numerous reputable environmental organizations which make efficient use of donated funds. Aside from monetary donations, organizations like Friends of the Earth regularly make online petitions available that supporters may sign and support for free. Governments and big corporations need to hear your voice; please consider ways to speak out. At home, there are many ways to save energy, save water, plant trees, shrubs and native flowering plants, place bird houses, bat houses and bee houses, eat less red meat, avoid single-use plastics and recycle carefully. We are all in this together! Further, not only can we work together to mitigate the damages done, we will be sorely needed as the human cost of pollution and climate change goes up and up. By planning for the future now, we can be the ones who have saved our resources and are able to help those made homeless or ill from what is to come.

Terrorists are the most stereotypical enemies of orderly society and they are far too numerous in this day and age. In an article written in 2013 and revised in 2022, Ourworldindata.org estimated that “over the past decade, terrorists killed an average of 26,000 persons worldwide each year.”[4] I’m afraid I know of very little that the average follower of order can do to hinder the work of terrorists. However, when we cooperate with security measures, wait patiently in line at the airport, provide identification and other information when needed, we are participating in a system which fights terrorism. In light of the fact that some nations are known supporters of terrorism, avoiding travel to those nations and boycotting their exports are options we have. Here at home, if we are willing to report “suspicious behavior” as requested, we are certainly doing our part there.

I have to point out right here that there is one other way in which we can all dampen the fires of terrorism. We ought to work for justice around the world. There is a reason why the terms terrorists and freedom fighters are often confused. Many acts of terrorism throughout the centuries were provoked by oppression and foreign rule. There are many governments around the world which are neither democratic nor benevolent toward all their populace. Working toward a true justice for all may be the best way to fight this problem.

Our next stop in the hierarchy of destruction belongs to the murder rate. Individual murders are often done in a heat of rage, or fear, or out of greed. Although the murder rate is higher than the terrorism body count, I have placed it below them due to the organized and premeditated nature of acts of terrorism. According to a United Nations study, “464,000 people estimated to have been victims of intentional homicide in 2017.”[5] Thousands of murders each year are carried out by organized crime. Those devoted to uphold order do well to support law enforcement. To the degree that many murders are drug-related, donations or even volunteering for a drug rehab program may save lives and support harmony in families. Obviously, when we ourselves obey the law and say no to drugs we are increasing the availability of law enforcement to successfully carry out their mandate and sapping the strength of the drug lords. Supporting our local youth programs may help prevent some of those young people from becoming users now and in the future.

Of course, plenty of crimes against order do not result in deaths at all. Among them, child abuse may well be the most egregious. Reporting suspected cases of child abuse is certainly an act which upholds order and mitigates damage. If that is all that is done, however, the result is like pruning a poison ivy plant in a garden. The best goal, of course, is to labor to eradicate this from our communities, which must include follow-up care for the victims to minimize the chance that they will repeat the cycle, to identify adults who are at risk for committing this crime in the future, and to provide healing to identified perpetrators as well. It is unfortunate that while suicide hotline numbers are broadcast freely over social media, hotline numbers for potential or actual child abusers, if they exist at all, are virtually unheard of. This being one reason why help, if it arrives at all, arrives only in the form of handcuffs. Don’t think I am not happy so see justice done! As an order mage, I gladly uphold the law and take satisfaction in its enforcement. However, as a former student of Social Work. I also understand the root causes behind antisocial behavior and feel compassion for convicts, especially repentant ones.

As far as help is concerned, in my society at least, it is often viewed negatively when adult men express needs for personal help. On the bright side, many generic support groups have sprung up, especially in church contexts, for adults in which help is encouraged to be asked for at need. In the U.S. and Europe, at least, church attendance continues to decline and those in most need of support are probably disconnected from local sources. We who are devoted to uphold social order would do well to try and be good neighbors and coworkers. If our mental perceptions are on the alert, we may notice the signs of a parent in need of help.

Sometimes we can be thrown into situations of conflict where our actions may determine the difference between violence and peaceful resolution. I worked for nine years in the accounting office of a residential drug rehabilitation program. Once of the training sessions required for all employees was named “De-escalation.” We were trained to deal with angry and potentially violent individuals in a way that would most likely have a calming effect. As an accountant, I had minimal direct contact with the residents and only once did I have to call upon my training to help soothe an irate individual. Sadly, however, violence can occur anywhere and most of us will have occasions where we are faced with a potentially violent person. As we know, violent acts cascade over time as victims often lash out at others, sometimes years later. The day that you soothe an angry person and bring them back from the brink is the day you send ripples of peace far into the future. Free online trainings are available and one online guide can be found using this link, assuming that it is still active.[6]

While we work to do what little we can do against these obvious and destructive evils, let us not forget the value of the everyday things that we do. Giving someone a smile, allowing another car to go first, picking up a piece of trash, returning the store cart to its rightful place, and (dare I say it men?) putting the seat down. All of these little things add up to the everyday experience of peaceful living that most of us take for granted. In the movie, The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey, Gandalf states beautifully, “I have found it is the small things: everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love…”[7] We have all known the indignation of being cut in front of on the highway, or in the supermarket. What we often fail to do is appreciate the courtesies offered by the majority who do not act this way. Each of them has been treated rudely in the past but choose not to repeat this cycle. We can take credit also for making a difference in this world when we act the same way and show courtesy to others.

Another enemy, although I hate to use the word in this case, is the ideological opponent. There are millions of sincere, non-violent people in this world to whom the very word order reeks of fascism. They cast their votes for candidates who promise to overturn legislation designed to protect minorities and the environment all in the name of freedom. I have said earlier in this book that the ideal balance between freedoms and protection lies not at one political pole or the other, but somewhere in the middle. However, the extremists that I am referring to here would strip government controls and protections to the bare minimum as a matter of principle. As long as they promote their views legally and without violence, they are within their rights. The only way to effectively oppose them, in my view, is through the gentle voice of diplomacy and in the ballot box.

The enemies closest to home are the ones hardest to ignore. You may be a law-abiding citizen. You may obey traffic regulations. You may pay your taxes honestly. You may politely allow people to speak when they disagree with you. Sadly, you will frequently run into those who do not live this way at all. You’ve run into the aggressive driver (or, more likely, they’ve run into you!). You’ve heard people boast about how they cut corners on their tax returns. You’ve seen people who make it hard for anyone to get in a word edgewise, let alone disagree with them. If you have spoken up in the past about the virtues of fair play, safe driving, honesty in financial dealings or polite conversation, you’ve probably been dissed or scoffed at. This is the burden we carry as citizens truly devoted to order. I’ve had to deal with coworkers and neighbors who fell into the above categories. I’m sorry to say I do not have the cure for such attitudes. I’ve tried to go through my life letting them be the persons they are while not allowing them to cause me to change into someone I do not want to be. To me, it is a matter of integrity. My only recommendation is that you take pride in the person you are without harshly judging those whose hearts and histories you cannot know.

As if it were not enough that we seem beset by enemies on all sides, there is also the opposition that comes from the spiritual dimension. Fallen angels, demons, devils, the dark side of the Force, poltergeists, oppressive spirits, malevolent souls of the deceased are all examples of the negative realm. Based on your own belief system, you may well be well aware of the supernatural conflict of which you are part. “The Devil made me do it,” is a stereotypical cop-out of responsibility for our own actions. However, we are often far less willing to excuse the bad actions of others by considering the negative energy they may have oppressing them.

The first and final battlefield of order against chaos and destruction is that which is fought in our own minds and hearts. Sloth, for example, can gnaw at our best intentions to maintain orderly lives. Anger is another internal enemy. Some of us are quicker of temper than others, and I sadly confess that I myself am one of them. In order for us not to be participants in the chain of abuse or hostility, it is imperative that we know our own minds, and identify those things which provoke hostile responses in us. I have learned over the years, for example, that physical pain or illness causes me to feel irritation more acutely when a problem arises or an unwanted external stimulus occurs. My kids learned firsthand that when I was undergoing chemotherapy in my forties for an early onset form of cancer, I would snap at them in situations that would otherwise have only provoked a gentle whine. I caught on to that dynamic rather quickly and gave them extra hugs and good words during that trying time for the family. The internal battles we fight to live peacefully and with patience toward all will probably take more of our energy than all of our efforts to fight the good fight in the world around us.

I thank God that I am no longer under chemotherapy, but I still need to be vigilant when under stress, anxiety or dealing with low level pain such as the pinched nerve in my neck. When a stressful situation occurs, it is then that we most need to take a few minutes and calm ourselves, connect with our Higher Power, and restore our inner balance. There was a deeply telling scene in the movie Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Jedi Knight Qui Gon Jinn was engaged in a light saber battle with Sith warrior Darth Maul. Their duel was interrupted by an energy barrier that interposed itself between them temporarily. During the interim, Maul paced back and forth, never taking his eyes off his opponent.  He seemed to be focusing on his adrenaline and desire to kill. Qui Gon, however, knelt and closed his eyes, focusing his awareness on the Force and projecting a peaceful demeanor. We face this duality whenever we are feeling attacked or are in a frustrating situation. We can yield to our primal instinct for aggression by listening to the “devil” (Darth Maul) on one shoulder, or we can heed the counsel of the “angel” (Qui Gon) on our other shoulder, remining centered and peaceful as we seek a constructive solution. That is the path of the Order Mage.