U.S AIR FORCE

On the Syrian Refugee Crisis

An Exercise in Reason, Compassion, Tolerance and Free Will

PEARSON, PAYTON E III 1st Lt USAF ACC 343 RS

11/02/2015

Editors:

Millard, Timothy 1st Lt USAF ACC 343 RS

Mr. Craig Donnelly, CoachUp

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this paper should not be misconstrued as those of the

military in general. They are the personal perspectives of the author alone.

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1

Proposal ...................................................................................................................... 1

Querying Methodology, References, and Market Ideas .............................................. 3

Size and Numbers .......................................................................................................... 3

More on Diaspora and Assimilation ............................................................................. 6

On Compassion and Cultural Incompatibility ............................................................ 6

More on the Screening Process and Political Ideologies ............................................. 8

More on Demographic Asymmetry, Prejudice and Categorization ............................ 8

On the Future of Humanity ......................................................................................10

Conclusions ..............................................................................................................11

References ................................................................................................................13

1

Introduction

So how does one navigate the Syrian refugee crisis? A crisis of millions of displaced

Syrians, with no country they can truly call home, and little hope for a prosperous future? It is

difficult to determine what the “correct” course of action actually is. We can look at the facts to

better determine the path to take, but no matter how much resolution one gives to the seemingly

monumental reality by accounting for all imaginable aspects, always there appears to be more

variables than one can measure. As a result, there is no “right” answer, only the best answer

discerned from the lowest common denominator derived from the free market of ideas.

First and foremost, please criticize the blazes out of this essay! It is the only way to find

the best answer. But do so from a reasonable standpoint, one bereft of logical fallacies such as

ad hominem attacks.

Proposal

I have a potential solution for the Syrian refugee crisis, one which will never be

implemented, but will ensure that the cultural, economic, political and physical integrity of the

nations involved will remain intact. A very intense screening process must be implemented. Of

course to be clear, this is essentially taking the “double-down” approach to socialism as

extensive governmental legislation will be required. The socialistic nature to this approach is

thus: any form of legislation, no matter how small or well-intended is government, and any form

of government by its very nature of compulsory adherence is socialism.1

That is to say, any

legislation is compulsory to those operating under said regime, lest the regime lose its publicly

perceived integrity; the categorical assumption under such a schema is that of generalization,

which is to say that the individual does not have a choice of their own.

This is contrary to the ideal solution, a free and open society where no government

benefits would be allotted to supposed “at risk” or “disadvantaged” groups, one where freedom

of association is a given. These “disadvantaged” groups would be Syrian refugees and the

benefits they receive would be the screening processes put in place especially for their situation.

However, understanding the reality of the world in which we live, juxtaposed with the idyllic

future that has the ultimate goal of eventually eliminating the need for such programs, the only

way to allow for such a cultural infusion in a society that exalts socialistic ideals without causing

the metaphorical back of Atlas2

to break under the extreme pressure, is to instigate this screening

process.

1 This is described in my essay, Individualized Education.

2 In Greek mythology, Atlas was the Titan that held up the sky. He is commonly shown as a man holding the world

on his back; used as an analogy to western civilization “holding up” the weight of the world.

2

Of the principles in question, only universal ones which are understood and fully

accepted in the receiving culture must be asked; any morally ambiguous ideas should be avoided

entirely, so as not to legislate a morality that has not been universally established. The idea of

universality at this point, however, is highly localized, and thus not accurate by the very nature

of the requirement to generalize in a socialist society.3

It is merely a stepping stone, a starting

point, one that must be implemented in order to allow for these societies to survive: both those of

the refugees as well as the receiving countries. Of these universal questions that can and should

be asked, those only pertaining to one thing will mitigate essentially all the potential fears of the

world at large: do you respect an individual’s free will? That is to say, do you respect an

individual’s ability to freely associate with whomever and whatever institutions or individuals

they so desire, and additionally how any individual chooses to run their life, so long as such

choices do not infringe upon your own personal ability to choose? If the answer to any part of

this question is no, then said individual must either be eliminated from the screening process, or,

if they maintain a fervent desire to be a part of the free and open society (relatively speaking)

that is the west, they must be put through further scrutiny and perhaps given a thorough4

education5

on the infinite importance of respecting free will, and how this one fundamental

precept is what has spurred western society’s technological and cultural innovation exponentially

when compared to the relative tumult of Middle Eastern countries for the past thousand years.

This must be made clear, and the evidence shown proof positive to any incoming refugees.

It must also be noted here that all human interaction is propaganda, an attempt to affect

one’s perspective upon another person or group. So long as that perspective respects

perspective, it is healthy and good axiomatically. Of any possible propaganda, the lowest

common denominator approach yields one healthy path: respect the very thing that makes us

human, which is free will. So, while I may say such education is indeed propaganda, it is a

specific propaganda of a universal that only the intolerant will not accept and is thus holistic to a

tolerant society.

It is possible that such a filtering process is already being implemented, though doubtful

given the current difficulties of the region. If, however, the screening process does screen in

such a way, then ultimately the missing factor is advertising of said process. It would be doubly

important to advertise a working process to the populace for (1) educating the receiving cultures

to allow for greater resolution of the process, and (2) to educate the incoming refugees on the

requirements; this would prevent the chaffing that comes along with uprooting and expectations

3 The idea of generalizing with regards to free will must not be confused with generalizing with regards to

demography. 4

And entirely voluntary, with consequences for not accepting such principles being elimination from the screening

process. 5

Propaganda/advertising; reference my discussion, There is no Viewing Through the Looking Glass of the Man Unknown. Would one disagree with “propaganda” that is intended to further exalt the importance of free will?

3

being incompatible with reality. In this schema, the advertising would be both on the individual

level and on the cultural level.

Querying Methodology, References, and Market Ideas

However, a mere questionnaire will undeniably be woefully insufficient in this process,

as it is easy to lie. There is merely one, biased point of resolution with regards to the fidelity of

the measurement in such a case: the refugee in question. Bias in the refugee’s answers to such a

questionnaire is a given, unless there is an intense incentive to give accurate responses to the

questions. No, the true determiner of whether a refugee actually lives these ideals of respecting

choice is in their actions. This idea of references and action, where you have a subjective

community of peers that can determine if a person is tolerant or not, as well as objective actions

that the screener can analyze for signs of tolerance, allows for the highest degree of resolution to

the measurement possible, as multiple wills are involved, which provides a higher degree of

objectivity.6

This same concept is what individual private companies implement when trying to find a

new hire. Said new hire must be “cut from a ‘good’ cloth,” a cloth that indicates an

understanding—or potential for understanding—of the principles upon which a specific company

was founded in order for that company to survive in perpetuity. Any company that would

aimlessly invite copious numbers of unskilled, untrained, ignorant workers with no sense of

personal purpose or that of said company into their folds either needs to have a business model

that allows for it, or will find themselves bankrupt in a matter of months.

Size and Numbers

This also brings up the important idea of relative size of the specific company, which in

our example is the whole of Europe, with subsidiaries in specific countries of Europe. We then

can juxtapose this relative size with that of the United States. As it is, we see essentially the

absolute maximum amount of immigration possible before cultural destruction/deconstruction in

the United States. United States immigration stands at roughly 1 million immigrants per year in

a population of 320 million people (Department of Homeland Security 5). At this rate, it leaves

the number of people in the United States considered “Caucasian” at roughly 72%. What this

means is that placing potential competency and principles aside, roughly 3 of the United States

native citizens can “lift up” a society per every 1 immigrant citizen.7

I must emphasize once

more however, this is only necessary in a society where government is a reality. In a free and

open society, one free of the chains of government intransigence and legislation, freedom of

6 One opinion is subjective, but multiple subjective opinions is objectivity. Reference my discussion, Objective

Reality is Subjective. 7

This is assuming the elimination of all other confounding variables that would render the measurement even worse

than discussed. The number given is as conservative as possible.

4

association would be assured as infinite devotion to the individual free will is accomplished;

each individual chooses their associates. A central government’s Achilles heel8

is the

requirement to generalize in order to sustain (in a semi-reasoning society).

So, in this crisis, what do the numbers tell us? Approximately 4 million Syrians have

been displaced from the cultural squalor that is Syria’s geopolitical climate (Berman), with at

least 200,000 immigrants having already made the trek to Europe, and another 2,000 immigrants

flowing into the region every day. This is compared to the overall population of Europe of

roughly 750 million. If this population of people were to be allowed in to the European Union in

a mere year, it would be more than double the absolute maximum allowed before cultural

destruction/deconstruction.9

However, this is assuming that the refugee population will evenly

disperse throughout the whole of Europe, and as it stands, most countries of the European Union

are not welcoming in Syrian refugees with open arms (and for good reason). Of the primary

acceptors are Germany, Turkey, France and others.

But there are additional frustrators to this problem, frustrators that do not exist in the

United States. First of all, the European Union is far more socialist than the United States. This

means that there is much more generalization of morality. With greater generalization comes

much greater difficulty in being able to mitigate these types of situations. It is a type of cultural

ossification; if any perturbation to the system comes in, and comes at a rate beyond what the

system can handle, the entire system is likely to collapse without immediate action to prevent it.

A good indicator for the socialization of Europe as opposed to the United States is the overall tax

rate of the member nations. In the United States, the average tax rate of the citizenry is 31.5%

(Becker), though some metrics put the average tax rate of the United States somewhere around

24% (Tax Policy Center). To yield the most conservative results for this analysis, a 31.5%

average tax rate will be used. This yields the roughly 3 to 1 maximum ratio of cultures described

earlier. In the European Union, the average tax rate is approximately 39.4% (Taxation Trends of

the European Union 16-17). If we look at it purely using taxation as the defining factor for

degree of socialization, and we ignore other socioeconomic and political norms, and ignore the

cloth from which the average Syrian refugee is cut10

this further reduces the number of refugees

that Europe can effectively allow through their borders from the 2.34 million otherwise11

to

around 1.87 million.12

One more note on this, a positive example of the great benefits of cultural assimilation of

less advantaged cultures is in the United States with regards to the African American population.

8 In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero whose only vulnerability was his heel, as the rest of his body was

dipped in the river Styx. In reference to socialized government, an Achilles heel is a weakness. 9

This is using the United States as an example, (1 million)*(750/320). 10

Mostly military-aged men, uneducated, with an average IQ of 82 (IQ and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations). 11

Over the course of a year with equal distribution throughout the European Union assumed. 12

1.87 million is the product of (320/750)*(31.5/39.4)*(4 million).

5

While the African American population still is shown to consistently have an average

intelligence level that is roughly ½ a standard deviation less than the norm of the average

American citizen,13

this difference is more than 1 full standard deviation above the average

intelligence of the African continent, where the average IQ ranges from 59 in Equatorial Guinea,

to the mid 80’s in some northern African countries, with an overall average for the whole

continent of 72 (IQ and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations). Whatever is being done in the

United States is most definitely working. While it took roughly 6000 years for human beings to

develop the foresight and understanding to conceive the importance of agriculture and

industrialization, a time where human intelligence on average rose by around 25 to 30%, it has

only taken 200 years for this particular demographic to improve their average intelligence

roughly 20% through the United States “company’s” incentivization of the free market. The

reason countries such as the United States attract individuals from across the globe is because,

despite the strong criticism to the contrary, the United States still remains the land of

opportunity relative to the rest of the world.

It is true that a great deal of the African American intelligence difference compared to

that of the African continent is through self-selection, but that is part of the point. Those with the

courage to uproot from their home of origin are following the same model that humanity

followed thousands of years ago, one that led to the beginnings of an agrarian society followed

by industrialization much later. Additionally, the culture of the United States is intentionally

shaped to bring in the best people from all across the world, without prejudice towards any

particular ideology or ethnicity. While its history has not been perfect, the United States’ driving

imperative has been a chronicle of striving to constantly progress towards a more tolerant

society. The extreme criticism to which the United States submits herself keeps her honest, more

so than she would be otherwise.

A similar situation of opportunity, albeit to a far smaller degree due to ossification of its

various cultures, can be seen in the European Union. Said strong cultures will no longer be

strong if the principles that made them strong are not accepted and maintained. The United

States is strong because it is a country of the persecuted, a country of immigrants. This operates

as a self-selector, and in addition to that, makes those same immigrants—typically—wounded

healers14

of a sort, where they do not want to affect the same persecution that they themselves

experienced upon the society in which they are entering. The European Union does not have this

same cultural “luxury.” The European Union is mostly a target of opportunity due to proximity.

13 Some estimates put it at 83 to 85, but the best estimates put it at around 91 to 93 (What is Intelligence?: Beyond

the Flynn Effect). 14

Wounded Healer is a psychology concept keyed by Carl Jung to indicate a person with a high degree of empathy

due to having experienced the same pains of those they are trying to help. In Greek mythology, the centaur Chiron was afflicted by an incurable wound when injured by one of Hercules’ poisoned arrows. Since he was immortal, he

could not die and had to endure agonizing pain throughout his entire existence. In his search for a cure, along the

way he found ways to help others.

6

On the above explanations, it also must be made as clear as possible that this is by no

means an attempt to advance the worn out argument of “The White Man’s Burden,” by

transposing those ideals upon other cultures and ethnicities. It is merely accepting empirical

realities that have been thoroughly proven with time-honored studies and experiments. The

reality is that in demographics from countries categorized as part of the “third world,”

competency, intelligence, work ethic, and a variety of other factors have significant asymmetries

with demographics from those countries categorized as part of the “first world.” As such, either

certain measures need be put in place in order to maintain a society reasonably similar to the one

we experience today, or one must accept a cultural shift, which could be rather unsavory, as will

be explained later.

More on Diaspora and Assimilation

It is readily apparent that negative consequences result when cultural assimilation is

disregarded. This is analogous to when there is no discretion with regards to whom one allows

their “corporation” to associate. The “corporation” that is the European Union deteriorates and

eventually becomes defunct.15

Those ideals, whether accepted or not, have become the European

Union’s universals, but are not necessarily the universals of the incoming refugees. The

consequences of this disconnect are already well-established with evidence. One need look no

further than France, and their “no-go” zones, where entire populations of immoderate Muslims

congregate and essentially instigate Sharia Law, denying the important aspect of assimilation

that allowed for western civilization to survive for as long as it has (Moore).

A French citizen satirizing aspects of the religion of Islam and the overall culture of the

Middle East, one Charlie Hebdo, was summarily executed for exercising his right to free speech,

a right that is considered to be the epitome of western civilization. The importance of this

cultural disconnect cannot be overstated. When attempting to allow refugees to migrate to a

specific country or region, one with vastly different values from the receiving nation, extreme

discretion must be implemented in order for the receiving cultures to survive.

On Compassion and Cultural Incompatibility

Nevertheless, we can find a workable solution to provide for the highest level of

discernment in this crisis, but it is not something that we must accept purely because we are all

human beings, compassionate towards one another with loving intent. No. It is precisely

because we are human beings that we need to exercise extreme discretion. Human beings have

free will, and with that free will, they can do whatever it is that they desire. One path leads to the

15 While the European Union violates the fundamental precept that would adequately allow one to describe it as a

corporation—freedom of association—the population within its borders nevertheless must endure the dictates of the

Union.

in my essay, A Knife’s Edge.

7

utter destruction of society, the other leads to affluence, beauty and progress. The path that leads

to affluence, beauty and progress is that which universalizes the respect of free will. This is

because cooperation and respect of one another’s ability to choose go hand-in-hand, and

cooperation and affluence as well. The one that leads to destruction of society is the one that

universalizes an eye for an eye, a dog-eat-dog world where killing one another is never off the

table. It must be understood that human nature on its own is neither good nor bad, human nature

is choice, which is to say there is no real “nature” of it. We have a choice whether we want to be

“good” or “evil” and our definitions of these terms are vitally important. Our culture is self-

described (though critically) as, “good,” where we define “good” as respecting each other, which

is to say respecting each other’s ability to choose, freedom of association. An “evil” society is

one that does not respect free will and its universalization. Simply because western society

espouses love and compassion does not mean that the whole of the human race does. Simply

because the cloth from which the people of western civilization is cut is one of cooperation does

not mean the entire world is cut from that same cloth. It is human choice on every level. As it

stands, it can be said that since these values of respect of the free will have not been

universalized throughout the entire world, they are killing us with our love.

This is what necessitates government in the first place. Until respect of the free will, a

fundamental piece of what makes us human and provides self-awareness, is fully universalized

throughout the human race,16

ramparts must be in place to protect that one definition. It is the

one universal that is the cornerstone upon which all humanity must build itself, for it is who we

are. We have free will. Legislation put in place to protect the free will, thus, is just, to prevent

them from killing us with our love. With this understood, a workable screening process can be

put in place. With this understood, government will reach its pinnacle of size and influence, a

maximum size that will be attained once essentially every human being follows that one

definition, and eventually ebb out of existence throughout the globe, as it will no longer be

necessary. Once respect of the free will is universalized, respective cultural incompatibilities

dissolve. I submit that we are very near that point, closer than we have ever been. Though,

being so close to the pinnacle necessitates being very close to the proverbial “cliff” as well.17

This is where we tackle cultural incompatibility. This is where religion plays its part.

Before any knee-jerk judgment/reaction is affected here, every individual is a religion of one,

and as such, an individual’s religion can either respect that one definition that gives our society

its cooperative nature, or it may not. However, the cloth from which those who claim to follow

the religion of Islam are cut is one that in general does not respect free will, one that advocates

killing infidels in order to allow for its own growth and universalization (Quran 2:191-193).

16

The antithesis of which is self-hatred stemming from fear. 17

Also known as the knife’s edge, discussed by some of the founding fathers of the United States and also discussed

Individualized Education.

8

These concepts must be taken into consideration when determining how to move forward, for

they are antithetical to western civilization.

More on the Screening Process and Political Ideologies

Keeping in mind the extreme cultural incompatibility of western civilization and the

Middle East, society must exercise discretion with regards to any screening process for refugees

moving forward. As stated earlier, a questionnaire will not have sufficient fidelity for

determination of a person’s compatibility with western civilization; example through action must

be used. Such a process will not be swift; it will take a large logistical effort, and a great deal of

time, but if impatience becomes the foundation of this entire crisis, destruction of society will

ensue. This was one of the foundational principles of the development of the United States of

America: render government as ineffectual as possible, gridlock it as much as possible, so as to

act as a rampart against the whims of a fickle populace, stemming from lack of foresight. A

“good” government, as a result, is one that exercises the utmost discretion before taking any

universalized action, i.e. legislation. It is a government that does nothing (or next to nothing) in

other words. The slippery slope that is the “socialistic nightmare” of Europe requires a doubling-

down approach18

in order to survive, a situation where legislation has to be developed lest the

whole of the union collapse.

In the United States, much of the populace is trying its damndest to stem the tide of

socialism so as to avoid situations such as this one,19

which would be entirely irrelevant in a

society with a minimalist government or no government at all. But with a presidential hopeful

that is openly socialist on one side, and a nonsensical opportunist on the other, it appears that we

are diverging further and further away from the truth. The good news is that, in Europe this

situation is likely to resolve, as legislation will be required in order to implement an intense

screening process, which means the government will increase in size, and government only ever

does one thing without a concerted effort to the contrary: grow. That is to say, the impetus for

government to grow has a far stronger inertia than the impetus for government to shrink. The

reason this is good for Europe is because the solution is to do what the population is likely to

want to do anyway: increase the size of government.

More on Demographic Asymmetry, Prejudice and Categorization

Another point must be emphasized here however. Once cultural assimilation has

occurred, and it has been determined that in general those who have been accepted into the

European Union during this crisis truly do follow the espoused principles of western society,

18 This is also called the sunk cost fallacy.

19 Through adamant, constant, and thorough advertising of the ultimate goal, also described in my essay,

9

other perhaps more unsavory realities can be addressed and for the most part summarily

disregarded—or at least brought into question as to their pertinence—due to the following

evidence, lending more credibility to the idea that this situation actually can be resolved. It is

well established through rigorous study on the topic that the average level of intelligence of those

from the Middle East20

is very low compared to the western world; the average IQ of a Syrian is

roughly 82, which is more than 1 standard deviation below the norm of 100 for most western

countries. Notwithstanding, genetic diversity yields the best results. Intelligence, while a strong

indicator of success in life due to the fact that more intelligent societies tend to be more tolerant,

is essentially filtered out by the proposed screening processes as a variable of any importance; all

that matters is fidelity to respect of the free will. But beyond this, it has been shown that when

populations of less intelligent people interbreed with populations of more intelligent people, the

resulting offspring generally have the same intelligence as the more intelligent population, with a

higher propensity towards genetic outliers of a positive nature (Conrad D.). That is to say, while

the average intelligence of the interracial children is essentially the same as the more intelligent

population, there is also a greater potential of producing super-intelligent children in subsequent

generations. (Eyferth 102-114).

The point of bringing up this study is to further emphasize that it is not an issue of racial

prejudice; it is an issue of cultural values and their potential correlation with intelligence levels.

Let us clarify what prejudice is. Prejudice is discrimination of a particular person or group of

individuals based upon any difference that said individual or group has from the potentially

prejudiced population. This can be racial differences, religious differences, even differences of

eye color; it does not matter. What separates prejudice from a clinical categorization is the

intent. Prejudice seeks to subjugate a sub-group of individuals with no purpose beyond this

subjugation; it is merely meant to make one group favored in some way over another

subjugated group.

A clinical categorization is defined with the purpose of better understanding the point

from which a certain individual or group of individuals is originating so as to better be able to aid

them in society with the knowledge derived from said categorization.21

For instance, a person

with ADHD is understood as having a psychological stigma that causes them to need constant

stimulation. The best way to help these individuals may be through healthy exercise, instilling

within them a strong sense of purpose, or a variety of other possibilities. A person with a low IQ

may have been malnourished as a child, possibly was subject to a variety of diseases that

20 This is the average, not to say that it is impossible for outliers to exist; touchy subject, I understand. This is

precisely why it must be elaborated upon, being as it is indeed a touchy subject. The most difficult realities to

swallow are often times the ones that are the most neglected/ignored. 21

The American Anthropological Association states that there is no actual race categorization, a statement to which

I mostly disagree for this reason: it shirks the information that can be gleaned from a clinical categorization.

Without said categorization, a “disadvantaged” group would be potentially disadvantaged without knowing why,

which would then lead them to believe there is racial prejudice where it does not exist, further perpetuating a victim

mentality, which will further hurt their particular human subgroup.

10

hampered cognitive development, had a strong genetic inclination to lower intelligence, or any

number of other factors, all of which can be mitigated with ease if they are recognized.

Subsequent generations should be given access to as much nourishment as possible as well as

vaccinations against those diseases that would cause impaired cognitive function. Also a strong

incentive for these individuals to improve themselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and

spiritually is easily derived from a free market that rewards such things. Genetically, it is

understood that Native Americans tend to have difficulty with alcohol. This is likely because

physiologically their bodies did not develop the same type of tolerance to the urge to drink

alcohol as people from Europe. With this understanding, avoidance of alcohol within the Native

American population is strongly incentivized. What people do with that knowledge is entirely

their choice.

The same type of categorization methodology must be employed with regards to the

Syrian refugee crisis. These individuals tend to be military-aged men, with lower IQ’s, have a

predisposition towards a religion cut from a cloth of intolerance, and have no desire do

assimilate; they instead subscribe to an ideology of “waiting it out.”

Roughly 90% of ISIS fighters come from the Middle East; while ISIS is recruiting from

all across the world, only 3400 members of the over 30,000 within their ranks have come from

outside the Middle East, to include 150 from the United States (Mamoun). This is a very

important categorization that lends credence to the above assertion.22

Once more, those

immigrating to the United States come from all over the world, but mostly from Asia, Central

America and Canada (Department of Homeland Security 10). The total number of immigrants

to the United States from Syria last year was scarcely over 3300. The roughly 4 million

displaced Syrian refugees attempting to flood into Europe goes against all previous trends and is

something for which Europe is currently ill-prepared.

On the Future of Humanity

This discussion has revealed a story of assimilation of what are considered in many

aspects to be incompatible cultures of human beings throughout the world, but this learning

experience is only a small part of an inevitable future. There is another very important23

situation

to which this small example can be extrapolated: how would cultural assimilation of beings from

other planets and solar systems be accomplished? The Syrian refugee crisis acts as a type of

microcosm to this far grander event that may take place in humanity’s immediate future. Human

civilization, throughout its entire history, has been a story of technologically and culturally

“superior” cultures overtaking and dominating others. It invariably develops in a way where one

culture en masse annihilates another, with few exceptions. Perhaps this situation can be made

the first true exception, a situation where humanity proves how far they have grown,

22 And once more, understand we are all religions of one.

23 And perhaps in the future, the most important.

11

and they show how ready they are for bigger things. However, in this future, our culture will by

no means be the dominant one.

I know this seems far-fetched, but it is undoubtedly within the next few generations that

we will discover beyond a shadow of a doubt that humans are not alone in the universe; the

extraterrestrial parallel is perhaps the most important point of this entire discussion. It is going

to happen,24

but first we must work on our own selves before any other-worldly civilization can

begin further work on us perceivably. This could be a dress rehearsal of sorts. It shows us as a

society exercising reason, compassion, tolerance, and most importantly unconditional love

towards one another—if we pass the test.

Extraterrestrial civilizations that have developed interstellar and intergalactic space

travel, civilizations that are potentially anywhere from a few thousand to even a few billion years

our seniors, would far outstrip any technological, spiritual, emotional, physical, or even cultural

understanding that we have. Perhaps it is possible that they would understand us better than we

understand ourselves. Perhaps they understand the trend of dominance and destruction that

typically goes hand-in-hand with exaltation of diversity of cultures while disregarding

assimilation. How would you affect a future where this no longer occurs? Guidance through

example, mentorship, reason, evidence, advertising and more. Perhaps as the guiding example

said other-worldly beings would subject themselves to the “torture” that is human society, but in

a covert manner. Would such beings be accepted in a human society? This is potentially one of

the many tests that we still must pass before we can have any idea as to the answer to this

question. This can be done; simply because our society has never done it before does not mean

that it is impossible.

It’s time to buck the trend. But the only way to do that is to understand the realities.

Exaltation of “cultural diversity” in order to deny objective realities has had disastrous

consequences so far in our history. This is different from assimilation, where the foundational

principles upon which a receiving culture was founded25

are respected but other diverse cultural

norms are integrated. The only way to change this reality is to first admit to it, for in the next

few years the ultimate test could be before us.

Conclusions

In order to adequately develop the solution to this very difficult reality, we must first

accept the realities that we can determine, unknown unknowns and known unknowns aside.

Never in human history has cultural assimilation ever occurred in a 100% healthy manner,

always there are conquered and conquerors. In truth, much positivity has come from this, as the

24 Barring the miniscule possibility that we are the only intelligent life in the universe. Reference the Drake

Equation. 25

For the west, cooperation, compassion, and tolerance.

12

dominant culture tends to be the one succeeding in a survival of the fittest existence, where the

more advantageous culture usually grows out of initially diverse demographics while still

maintaining several elements of the opposing culture. This indeed sharpened humanity in

general, though in an exceedingly painful manner.

We are all human, and western civilization has developed a spirit of compassion and

service to one another, one where watching other people suffer at the hands of the intolerant and

tyrannical not only pains us, but for the truly compassionate and effectual among us, it calls us to

action to instigate palpable change. Every large event in our history has brought with it a very

powerful lesson, and the primary lesson that humanity is attempting to learn at this point is to go

beyond their well-understood “barbaric” roots and use those past experiences to exemplify a

paradigm shift, one where the tide has genuinely turned to a more peaceful future. That

paradigm shift is where refugees from considered incompatible cultures can effectively

assimilate with relative ease. This requires a strong sense of not only compassion and purpose,

but especially reason. And most importantly it requires a strong understanding of what makes us

who we are: free will. It is a lesson where someone is always watching, and whether or not you

pass is determined by the number of times you must repeat the same lesson; you do not know if

you have passed without understanding your history.

We must accept realities for what they are, empirical evidence and all, in order to change

them; this is where reason comes into play. To deny realities not only shirks the lessons that

would come along with them, but also tends society more towards mysticism and deferral of

choice to other, more “enlightened” groups.26

That is to say, we must embrace our potential not

only as the receiving cultures of this diaspora, but also as refugees, as reasoning human beings,

as compassionate custodians of each other’s’ futures. The Syrian refugee crisis can be mitigated

in a healthy and holistic manner, but we must embrace truth. It is a lesson, and the only way to

learn from it, is to accept it. It comes down to one thing: universally respect the free will.

26 This is an absolute “no-go” if we are to prepare ourselves for a much grander future. We are masters of our own

fate.

13

References

1. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 2013 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. N.p.:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2014. 5-8. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

<http://www.dhs.gov/yearbook-immigration-statistics>.

2. Berman, Russell. "The Syrian Refugee Crisis and the 2016 Campaign." The Atlantic. The

Atlantic, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

<http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/the-syrian-refugee-crisis-and-the-

2016-campaign/406513/>.

3. Becker, Bernie. "Average US Worker Pays 31.5 Percent Tax Rate." The Hill. Ed. Greg

Nash. The Hill, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

<http://thehill.com/policy/finance/238735-average-us-worker-pays-315-pct-tax-rate-

report>.

4. Tax Policy Center. "Historical Average Federal Tax Rates for All Households." Tax

Facts. N.p.: Tax Policy Center, 2015. N. pag. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

<http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=456>.

5. Eurostat. "Development of the Overall Tax Revenue in the European Union." Taxation

Trends in the European Union. 2014 ed. Luxembourg: Eurostat, 2014. 16-17. Web. 5

Oct. 2015.

6. Lynn, Richard, and Tatu Vanhanen. IQ and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations. 2002

ed. Westport: Praeger/Greenwood, 2002. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

7. Flynn, James R. What is Intelligence?: Beyond the Flynn Effect. 2002 ed. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print.

8. Moore, Art. "Yes, There ARE 'No-Go' Zones in Europe." WND. Ed. Nash. WND, 20 Jan.

2015. Web. 5 Oct. 2015. <http://www.wnd.com/2015/01/yes-there-are-no-go-zones-in-

europe/>.

9. Khan, Zeba, Maajid Nawaz, Ayaan H. Ali, and Douglas Murray, Islam is a Religion of

Peace. 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh34Xsq7D_A>.

10. Conrad, Donald F., and Matthew E. Hurles. "The Population Genetics of Structural

Variation." Nature Genetics. Ed. Nash. Nature Genetics, 2007. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

<http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v39/n7s/full/ng2042.html>.

14

11. K, Eyferth. "A Study of the Negro Mixed Race in Germany." Vita Humana 2 (1959):

102-14. Print.

12. "American Anthropological Association Statement on "Race"." American

Anthropological Association. American Anthropological Association, 17 May 1998.

Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://www.aaanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm>.

13. Mamoun, Abdelhak. "ISIS Has 30,000 Foreign Fighters from More Than 100 Countries."

Iraqi News. Iraqi News, 29 May 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.

<http://www.iraqinews.com/arab-world-news/isis-30000-foreign-fighters-100-

countries/>.

14. Rushton, J P., and Arthur R. Jensen. "Thirty Years of Research on Race Differences in

Cognitive Ability." Psychology 11.2 (2005). Print.