Farewell to Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.: 1922-2019, A Talent Well Spent
Farewell to Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.: 1922-2019, A Talent Well Spent
Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., philosopher, scientist, poet, statesman, economist, died on Tuesday, February 12, at the age of 96. It was Lincoln’s birthday, an American President Lyndon LaRouche loved and celebrated in his writings.
Those who knew and loved Lyndon LaRouche know that humanity has suffered a great loss and, today, we dedicate ourselves anew to bring to reality the big ideas for which history will honor him. For those who did not know him or have only recently come to his ideas, there is no better guide to this unique personality than LaRouche himself. Here is how he spoke about life here on earth in a speech at a conference in 1988, in the midst of a political prosecution similar, in striking respects, to that which we encounter against an American president in the United States today:
“There is no part of society, no constituency which does not have the same interests. There is the people of no nation that has any different interest than that of any other nation in this matter. We’re speaking of the future of hundreds of billions of unborn souls, without whose success our lives mean nothing. That is the common interest which unites each and every one of us, such that there is no distinction among any of us on this issue, on this cause, on this interest. If we fight so, if we fight with love of humanity, by thinking especially of those hundreds of billions of souls waiting to be born, and thinking also of those whose martyrdom and other sacrifice gave us what was our potential and our debt to them, respecting what we pass on to the future. And we think of our lives not as something lived from moment to moment, but as a very small piece of experience, with a beginning, and not too much later, an end. And think of our lives not as things which are lived for pleasure in and of themselves, but as an opportunity to fulfill a purpose, a purpose which is reflected in what we bequeath to those hundreds of billions of souls waiting to be born, in their condition. Such that, if we at any point were to cut short our mortal life by spending it in a way, which ensured the cause of those hundreds of billions of souls yet to be born, we could walk to death with joy, because we had completed our life, fulfilled it. We might have been denied the chance of fulfilling it a little bit more, but nonetheless, we had fulfilled it. The joy of life, the true joy of life which relates to what the New Testament calls agape in the original Greek, caritas in the Latin, and charity in the King James version, as referred to in I Corinthians 13, the quality of agape, the quality of charity, the quality of sacred love, which unites us as individuals with the hundreds of billions of unborn souls, for whose love we can give our lives, and who we can walk smiling with joy, knowing that in a sense, they love us, too, even though they’re yet to be born. It gives a sense of the true importance of our lives, the true joy of being a living human being. And we must work with one another in the sense of that attitude toward humanity, historical humanity, humanity which, as a great family, which owes to its past generations, and the present owes to its future generations. The love uniting that family is, in the matter of works, the practical expression of faith, from which faith, the strength to fight and win this war derives. If we can do so, I am certain we shall win. I’m better than most at understanding the laws of nature and natural law generally, and understanding such recondite concepts as absolute time and things of that sort. And I can understand perhaps more readily than most, how faith expressed in this way, in a practical way, is assured of success. We are each little, we are each individual. But if we know we’re united, we’re united to this effect, then we know that what each of us as an individual does, in this united way, will be cause to prosper. Thus, in this terrible moment of humanity, when civilization as we’ve known it for hundreds of years threatens to be removed from us, in the coming two to ten years or so, we have the risk of losing civilization. But we also have the possibility of a heroic solution to this crisis, of becoming generations, which, in our time, faced with the cup of Gethsemane, accepted it, and thus, perpetuated, in the imitation of Christ, the cause of the salvation of future souls.”
One year later, after being sent to prison, he wrote on the occasion of Martin Luther King’s birthday, January 17, 1990:
“Those of us who find ourselves in Gethsemane—a Gethsemane where we are told that we must take a role of leadership with our eye on Christ on the Cross — often experience something which, unfortunately, most people do not. We tend to look at things from a different standpoint. Before trying to situate how I see the recent period, and the period immediately before us, I should try to communicate what my viewpoint is, a viewpoint which I know is shared in some degree of very close approximation by everyone who has gone to Gethsemane with the view of the Cross in his eyes, saying, ‘He did it, I am now being told that I must, too, walk in His way.’
“What I suggest often, in trying to explain this to a person who has not experienced it, is to say: ‘Imagine a time 50 years after you’re dead. Imagine in that moment, 50 years ahead, that you can become conscious and look back at the entirety of your mortal life, from its beginning to its ending. And, rather than seeing that mortal life as a succession of experiences, you see it as a unity. Imagine facing the question respecting that mortal life, asking, “Was that life necessary in the total scheme of the universe and the existence of mankind, was it necessary that I be born in order to lead that life, the sum total of that number of years between birth and death? Did I do something, or did my living represent something, which was positively beneficial to present generations, and implicitly to future generations after me?” If so, then I should have walked through that life with joy, knowing that every moment was precious to all mankind, because what I was doing by living was something that was needed by all mankind, something beneficial to all mankind.'”
Later, speaking about Martin Luther King’s unique genius in January of 2004, LaRouche said:
[Excerpt from LaRouche’s keynote from the Jan. 19 2004 Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by the Talladega County (Alabama) Democratic Conference.]
“We’re all mortal. And to arouse in us the passions, while we’re alive, which will impel us to do good, we have to have a sense that our life, and the consuming of our life—the spending of our talent, is going to mean something for coming generations. The best people look for things—like Moses—that are going to happen, when he will no longer be around to enjoy them. It’s this sense of immortality. It’s why parents, in the best degree, sacrifice for their children. It’s why communities sacrifice for education, for their children, for opportunities for their children. You go through the pangs of suffering and shortage, but you have the sense that you’re going someplace, that your life is going to mean something. That you can die with a smile on your face: You’ve conquered death. You’ve spent your talent wisely, why life will mean something better for generations to come.”
What Russians Think of Lyndon
The following are two statements from leading Russian officials regarding their regard for the work of the late Lyndon LaRouche and the Schiller Institute, which he and his wife Helga created.
The first is the presentation at the Feb. 16 Conference of the Schiller Institute in New Jersey by the Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, H.E. Vassily A. Nebenzia, as read by Counsellor Theodore Strzhizhovskiy.
The second is a eulogy for Lyndon LaRouche by Academician Sergei Glazyev, in Zaftra newspaper (translated from the Russian), titled A Great Thinker of Our Time. Academician Glazyev is an advisor to President Putin, and a full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Mike Billington
H.E. Ambassador Vassily A. Nebenzia’s presentation was titled “Prospects for East-West Collaboration: The Russian Federation’s View.”
FEDOR STRZHIZHOVSKIY: Ladies and Gents, it’s a real pleasure for me to be here, giving the tribute to the role which Russian-American relations plays in the modern world, and the contribution of the Schiller Institute to that relation, we
prepared a statement which I will read now.
First of all, I welcome the organizers, participants and guests of this conference. The Schiller Institute is known for its valuable contribution to the understanding of international political processes, and development of new approaches to the global challenges. The conferences held under your auspices are respectful platforms, where the most urgent present-day issues can be discussed without politicizing and ideological clichés. We were very saddened by the bitter news about the passing of Lyndon LaRouche, the founder and inspirer of the Schiller Institute. We would like to express our deepest condolences to Helga Zepp-LaRouche, as well as to the relatives and colleagues.
We are convinced that the paradigm of international, political, and economical intervention that he had proposed will be further developed by his apprentices and associates.
[applause]
We believe that the assent of a more human epoch is only possible when the world enjoys a more equitable, polycentric model of governance. However, recently we have become witnesses of the attempts to shatter the world security architecture, substitute agreed universal norms by some rules-based order, where rules are invented, depending on the geopolitical interest to concrete countries. Nonetheless, dangerous for the global stability is the striving of the governments of some countries to unilaterally impose their will on the global community, or on specific sovereign states, or even to interfere in their domestic affairs. In the same light, we should view the use of sanctions as a tool to execute pressure and punish the countries that implement an independent policy.
Russia is proud to be located between West and East. Historically, we have been implementing multitask foreign policy and developing relations with other countries in the spirit of mutual respect. Russia comprehensively helps to search for, based on international law, collective decisions to the global problems which all the countries face today. We consecutively engage in the activities of the UN and Group of 20, to contribute to the relevant forms of interaction, for example, Collective Security Treaty Organization, Eurasian Economic Union, Commonwealth of Independent States, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS. One of the conceptual pillars of developing this sort of cooperation was proposed by President Putin in his initiative called, “Greater Eurasian Partnership.” It would bring together member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Probably one day, it would encompass the European Union. The previous year was marked by a number of significant steps to implement this project: The Eurasian Economic Commission and ASEAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding which was crucial for the extension of the geography and economy of the Eurasian Partnership. Adoption of the declaration on further development in integrational process in the Eurasian Economic Union made it possible to extend the establishment of common markets and add to it such areas of cooperation as education, research, health care, and trade. The Eurasian Economic Union and Chinese initiative, One Belt, One Road, joined the integration and transportation projects on contractual and legal basis of the agreement on trade and economic cooperation.
Bilateral cooperation of Russia and China also takes on a global dimension. Our effective foreign policy coordination, including the UN platform, has become a significant factor of stabilization in global policy.
We are also committed to foster our relations with another privileged strategic partner: India. This commitment was reiterated in the joint declaration “Russia-India Reliable Partnership in a Changing World,” adopted at the bilateral summit in October.
We cannot but mention an unofficial summit, Russia-India-China, that took place in December in Buenos Aires after a 12-year pause.
Relations between Russia and the U.S. are also crucially important for global stability, because we are two states, major nuclear powers and UN Security Council permanent members. We face shared challenges: international terrorism, military and humanitarian crises, drug trafficking, transnational crime, and others. The success of our joint efforts of these and many other tracks is that both Moscow and Washington are interested in what is needed in the sustainable development of all countries. Russia understands the increased responsibility of both states for global peace and security. We have repeatedly expressed our readiness to normalize the relations between our countries. We hope that systemic political dialogue with our American partners, based on mutual respect and consideration of each other’s national interests, will be resumed.
We are convinced that the present-day world has no alternative to cooperation and merge of potentials. Only this path may lead to the assent of a more human epoch. We wish for this conference to be creative, and contribute to mutual trust and confidence of global affairs. We wish youevery success and hope we will have meaningful discussions.
Thank you.
A Great Thinker of Our Time — by Academician Sergei Glazyev
Lyndon LaRouche has left us. He was a titan of thought, a man of incredibly encyclopedic knowledge, great soul, and love for humanity. He will always remain in our memory as an ardent fighter for mankind’s happy future, based on implementation of the principles of physical economy — a realistic school of economic thought, directed towards the creation of material benefits and the conditions for socioeconomic development. In contrast to the libertarian tendency that today dominates mainstream economic ideology, in the interests of the world financial oligarchy, Lyndon LaRouche developed genuine economic science in the interests of the development of the productive forces of mankind. His concept of a Eurasian development bridge from Western Europe to Russia’s Far East, and onward to Alaska and the U.S.A., could become a real alternative to today’s hybrid world war. LaRouche foresaw the Russophobic aggression of the American ruling elite and warned of its ruinous consequences, insisting on broad international cooperation for the creation of transcontinental development corridors.
LaRouche forecast the inevitable onset of a global financial crisis, many years before it arrived. LaRouche’s famous curve [the Triple Curve], depicting the growing gap between the volume of real output and that of financial speculation, was a serious warning for all economists who were really thinking. It turned out that not only in Russia, but also in the U.S.A., “no one is a prophet in his own country.” Instead of being recognized, LaRouche was persecuted by the American financial oligarchy, who imprisoned him on false charges.
I remember one of the leaders of the Brookings Institution urging me, in a whisper, not to have any contact with LaRouche, so as not to spoil my eeputation. For me, who had come to the U.S.A. to take part in a scientific forum on issues of developing democratic institutions in the post-Soviet region, this was shocking. From then on, I started closely reading LaRouche’s ublications and attending conferences he organized. And I must acknowledge that his presentations were often a ray of light in the kingdom of darkness and hypocrisy, which had seized the public mind of “progressive” mankind. {EIR} magazine, published by LaRouche, was a guidebook through the dark corridors of the Western ruling elite, exposing the hidden springs of the world financial oligarchy’s antihuman policies. Tracing the fonts of its origin from the time of the sack of the Byzantine Empire, he described the eternal struggle against that worldwide evil, which is incarnate in the oligarchical clans of capitalism in the West. Many of the recurrences of racism, Nazism and fascism, and religious extremism, which we observe in the world today, cannot be explained without LaRouche’s investigations, which were striking in their historical depth.
LaRouche enjoyed enormous respect among the expert community in many countries around the world. I have had the opportunity to meet his supporters in India, Latin America, China, Africa, and, of course, in Europe and the CIS countries. One would hope for this international expert community, inspired by the ideas of Lyndon LaRouche, to be preserved. Today those ideas are coming to life in a new world economic paradigm, which we call “integral,” for it unites the interests of the peoples of various countries in the harmonious development of humanity.
