Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was one of the most influential political philosophers of the twentieth century. In examining the refugee crisis during World War II, she argues that statelessness is a consequence of the modern nation-state specifically excluding those who are not citizens. The Origins of Totalitarianism, examining the rise of the Nazi and Communist Russian regimes, is rooted in the phenomenon of excluding certain groups. We’re seeing this happening as a priority objective under President Trump’s second term, and should be able to extrapolate where this is leading. Seizure of wealth by eliminating the competition.
We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record.
An unprecedented 68.5 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among them are nearly 25.4 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. There are also an estimated 10 million stateless people who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement…nearly 1 person is forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution.
Despite being the world’s deadliest migration route.The International Organization for Migration estimates that 22,400 migrants and asylum seekers from the southern hemisphere have died since 2000 in attempts to reach the European Union, many of them attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
But the risk is worth it for the many more finding freedom.
This explains why Canaan locked down this escape route.
The earliest population groups’ migrations up mountains, through deserts, across oceans, and into frozen wastelands experienced the same factors driving them out – persecution and extermination.
Walled up by virtually impenetrable mountains to the east and north, and desert to the south, the main way out was to “Go west, young man!” The Mediterranean served then, as it still does today, to provide rapid transit for desperate refugees.
Refugees trading one hard urban for another hard frontier life risked death in unfamiliar beast-infested wildernesses.
No doubt there was a kind of Oklahoma land rush as the Babel emigres needed to find a place to settle onto as soon as possible for sheer survival.
Like Robinson Crusoe on a deserted island or our own American pioneers heading west, these early settlers had to build all the food-production infrastructure of flocks, fields, vineyards, orchards, irrigation ditches, wells from the ground up.
And all the while protecting their livelihood and lives from predators in a situation akin to Crusoe’s Caribbean cannibals or the Wild West’s Johnson County War.
The only reason to rush into a high risk of death is the rush away from certain doom.
Occam’s razor logical explanation for the presence of the Khoisan in the most inhospitable Kalahari Desert is “push factored” migration to escape extermination, enslavement or absorption by incoming cultures.
This is supported by yet another scientific upset contradicting evolutionists’ a priori assumption that Homo sapiens evolved from apes only found in Africa, ergo Homo sapiens must have spread worldwide from Africa .
Au contraire. Recent DNA test results on a 3,500 year old African human fossil bone found a higher proportion of Eurasian DNA than is currently found in Africans, indicating that Africans were originally part of, then became isolated from, a population which included Europeans and Asians and migrated to Africa.
The following graph of migration patterns demonstrates historically known “push” factors driving people out of their homeland and “pull” factors luring people to go to the trouble of resettling in a strange land during periods of social or military conflicts.
- Famine. In Ireland during the mid-1800’s a potato blight causing mass starvation and disease prompted mass emigration. It is estimated that in just four years at its worst one million people died, one million emigrated, and others became nation-less refugees resulting in an immediate population drop of 20-25% out of a population of nine million, with a continuing population decline for a century. The destruction of the Irish people is attributed to England, which ruled Ireland from 1801-1922 as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and which permitted for the benefit of the wealthy landowners “a mass of poverty, disaffection, and degradation without a parallel in the world.”
These same factors were active in the earliest stages of history as described in the Bible.
“the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” (Genesis 43:1-2, 47:1-6)
The experiential validation of the Bible’s historical accounts provides a basis for trust in the Bible’s prognostication of humanity’s future.
- Subjugation. Government policies in 18th century Germany turned many of its people into virtual serfs / slaves. German laws of primo-geniture permitted only the eldest sons in families to inherit all of a fathers’ land. Heavy taxation prevented accumulation of capital for investment into private ventures, and constant warfare cut short the lives of generations of young men. From the 1700’s through the 1800’s millions of Germans emigrated to America, many of them as farmers developing America into the top exporter of food to the world, with Johann Jakob Astor demonstrating German Americans’ success in business by becoming America’s first multimillionaire.
Illustration of the most famous scene from the expose Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, in which the slave Eliza has to cross a treacherous body of water on ice floes to reach freedom from the slavers pursuing her, and most importantly, her son.
“the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field…And the LORD said…bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt…But the Egyptians pursued after them, …And the LORD said unto Moses…speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward…And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground...(Exodus 1:13-22, 3:1-10, 14:9-22)
- Class struggle by laborers against capitalists. The 19th century was marked by an endless series of wars, with the British emerging as the victors, defeating both the Napoleonic and the Hapsburg Empires to become the largest empire in history, controlling the fourth part of the world’s population and landmass including much of Asia and almost all of Africa under colonial rule. The Pax Britannica (updated Pax Romana) ushered in unprecedented globalization and economic integration. In combination with the Second Industrial Revolution this resulted in skyrocketing profits and power accruing exponentially to the upper classes who built fabulous mansions and
filled them with treasures from around the world, but in plummeting standards of living for the vast majority of people on whose labor the rich were getting richer, due in large part to a massive population shift from farms to urbanization. Outright slavery was abolished but factory and mine workers were treated no better than slaves and often even worse. Widespread unemployment of able bodied men destroyed families as factory and mine owners increasing their profits by preferentially employing women and children who were paid less per hour. Children as young as 6 years old worked up to 16 hours a day, 6 days a week. Diseases swept through the crowded and unsanitary cities.
“And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life…
- house which king Solomon built for the LORD…overlaid with gold...seven years in building it.
- But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years…
- made also an house for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken to wife…
- All these were of costly stones…
- stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits…
- and cedars…
- two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about…
- And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many
- Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
- Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country...
And [when] Solomon slept with his fathers…Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee…the king answered the people roughly…So…the people [of Israel]…rebelled against the house of David unto this day…there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.” (I Kings 4-12)
- Benefiting future generations: In 2015 Mexican immigrants accounted for more than 1/4 of all US immigrants. What is seldom expressed in the polarized and inflammatory political discourse is that many Mexicans feel forced to leave their native country. The North American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA) displaced more than five million agricultural workers from their land. Many Mexican immigrants who would prefer to stay home come to the US so that they can provide a better future for their children and future generations.
“…And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before…And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money…now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.” (Genesis 27:41-45, 31:4-16)
Kingdom Come 