Togo Was a Philosopher

Dear friends of Togo,

Several of you, after reading last week’s Note, took time to consider the possible label that could be applied to those deemed citizens of Casa de Togo.¹ In the end, I did default to the generic “friends of Togo.” However, I am hoping that these notes — based on the philosophy and musings of his great mind — will be an ongoing discussion. Togo used to say, “All things are open to consideration and genteel conversation.” He was particularly fond of saying this after he had already taken action and his deeds could not be undone. However, he also said,

“All actions, especially the mistakes, are an opportunity to learn.”
— Togo

“Indeed, this could have been a mistake.” — Togo

So please, feel free to interact here. It’s a safe place. This site has some additional communication features I plan to explore in the interest of encouraging conversation. And genuine, genteel conversation can change things. Whether you are “friends,” or “Togodians,” or “Togonauts,” feel free to enter in.

These Notes will vary in terms of solemnity versus frivolity. Today’s note is more serious. Next week’s promises the discussion of squirrels. Real squirrels.

Toward the end of his life, Togo was increasingly dismayed over the political scene, both in the United States and around the world. As he and I discussed on our walks, the quest for political dominance is often expressed through violence and disregard for the rule of law.

Those conversations, as well as regular review of reputable news sources, have led me to a time of quiet. Instead of trying to respond to spurilous news reports, court filings, and politicians’ assertions, I have chosen, for now, to step back into the words of great thinkers to give background and context to today.²

Togo was greatly concerned by our human quest for power. That pursuit goes back to the first humans to walk on this earth and is reflected in history and literature. Recently, Togo and I had been looking at the work of Simone Weil, a French philosopher, who though plagued by illness and who lived only 34 years, took a remarkable journey through thought and contemplation of the world and, ultimately, spirituality.

One of her many notable writings, was an essay, “The Iliad, or the Poem of Force.”³ In it, Weil supposes that the real story of the Iliad is that of “force” (coercion, often through violence).

The true hero, the true subject, the centre of the Iliad, is force. Force employed by man, force that enslaves man, force before which man's flesh shrinks away. In this work, at all times, the human spirit is shown as modified by its relations with force, as swept away, blinded, by the very force it imagined it could handle, as deformed by the weight of the force it submits to.

Numerous types of power have been identified by those in fields that view and analyze human behavior. The power that comes from coercion and physical force is deemed to be one of the weaker forms. It rules only as long as no greater force unseats it.

In Togo’s view, that coercive power seems to be the primary driver in today’s political realm. Given the opportunity, he would have dug the largest of holes of his canine career and buried it deep in an unreachable cavern. Despite his puzzlement about the behavior of humans, Togo was a great humanitarian. And, perhaps like Simone Weil, would cheer on a hero known as benevolent leadership.

As long as those seeking power through coercion and authoritarianism⁴ rise to the top of our governments, we will see an escalating war of wills and a desecration of democracy for us all.

Togo believed in accountability and the rule of law. He called it the “rule of the leash.” He believed in it because he trusted the one who held the leash. And, as a result, the leash was held loosely in encouragement of his input and pursuits and often resulted in broader freedoms. Yet, he understood the necessary constraints of its privilege. And he appreciated both the safety and the voice it provided him.

If Togo could influence your vote today, he would ask that you seek the power of combined wisdom complete with its safety and the guarantee of your continued influence.

Next week, as promised, some initial thoughts on squirrels.

1. Since well over 300 individuals read the last Note and only a handful commented, the thoughtful responses and stated preferences hardly signal a statistically significant preference. However, the thoughts shared on why a particular name was favored by the individuals stirred my further thinking on the topic. Thank you.

2. A similar, yet far more scholarly and weighty, approach through the view of history is being presented through the work of Dr. Heather Cox Richardson in her Substack newsletter, Letters from an American.

3. Weil, Simone (1965). Translated by Mary McCarthy. "The Iliad, or The Poem of Force". Chicago Review. 18 (2): 5–30. doi:10.2307/25294008. JSTOR 25294008. Retrieved 11 March 2024.

4. Togo would define authoritarianism as “Do whatever you’re told, because I hold the power.”