Politics can be soft or hard. We cannot escape soft politics in everyday life as we all have and hold an opinion on a myriad of topics and subjects. Hard politics can, when working for good, bring us government and structure, support and services. It can bring about advancements and societal improvement or change. But, when it’s not working for good, it can manifest manipulation of others, unchecked control and suspicion or envy of outsiders. History has taught us some tough lessons in how hard politics have led the world down a pathway of darkness and despair.

A mix of nationalist idiocracy and a manipulative narcissistic sociopath brought about the deaths of at least 55 million people between 1939 and 1945.

It’s been so often seen, especially during the last decade, that right wing politics abuse the tenuous link between the crusades and the Knights Templar. We know that far right political parties promote the same nationalist rhetoric we saw play out almost a century ago and the call to a higher purpose or “new crusade” is an evocative message to the uninformed.

So often is St George’s Cross or the crusader flag seen as one of the same with the Templar cross. Yet, the Templar cross or Mark of Cain has nothing to do with any nationalistic identity nor do the Templars represent any crusader agenda