Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Compassionate existentialism: don't fuck with us

Well I am not going to post an informative article or even a distraction from the chaos in which we are living. I am only going to say that I am totally disgusted with the situation in which we find ourselves today.

First, I would love to blame someone - where the feck is a scape goat when you need one? There are plenty of candidates:

First, the elite 'masters of the universe' including bankers, multi-national corporations, and the entire capitalistic structure that participates in creating much for the few and little for the many. There is no sophisticated philosophical justification for this: the powerful do what they do, because they can. The goal of power is power, getting it, keeping it and defending it. It's not rocket science. And might makes right.

Second I would like to blame the common people who make all this possible with their stampeding mentality right over the cliff - into consumer zombie land. Me Me Me, More More More, Now Now Now. One has to admire the effectiveness of corporate marketing in its ability to turn human beings into little profit units. They are to be congratulated because they have succeeded in replacing human creativity with material acquisition.

Many argue that the media has taken over managing the populace to such an extent, that it is not the people's fault. Proganda is all we ever get via the main media..our perceptions of the world are entirely created by an electronic box. Lies to manipulate the public, in this way or that way, the elite media cowboys round up the herd in the direction of the market where profits are the highest.

Who is responsible for a lie? Is the liar or the believer of a lie more culpable? Suppose someone lied about you...and someone else believed it,resulting in bad things happening? Certainly the person who told the lie would be guilty; but, what about the person who believed the lie swallowing it whole?
Don't we have a responsibility to evaluate what we hear? I always thought there was something called intellectual intregity in giving fair consideration to opposing premises; by which we determine the survival of ourselves and others. People who want freedom cannot expect it if too lazy to develop a healthy crtical faculty in determining the 'truth'.

When I think of all the years I was duped into being the kind of person advertising told me I should be, from Ozzie and Harriett to Mary Tyler Moore and Posh, it's difficult to hold others in contempt of being duped by commercial culture after having fallen victim to its allure myself.

Feck it. Both are guilty...that is to say responsible.
What to do? What to do?

I prefer to take the existentialist way out; maybe its a cop out, but no more or less so, than anyone else's method. The universe is a chaotic mess with no reason to chose one 'truth' over another (since humans like to think that all truth must be reason-based; and since reason is naught but a high class whore).

So I am trapped into deciding my own truth, not necessarily reason based. How nice - I have a choice. After giving this a great deal of thought and attention, I have found the winner: something I can commit myself to whether it makes sense or not.

Compassion. It is the only quality that if it did not exist, there would be no reason for human beings to exist, for me anyway. Compassion seems to be what has been drained out of us to be good little competitive zombies. Everyone knows the webs of rational argument that are spun from a 'ME first, and feck YOU' attitude about others in society and, indeed, on every intimate level.

Compassion is the bedrock of love. And I can't live in a world without one or the other.

I can hear the realist whines already: Try using compassion to stop someone bombing women and children! Try using compasssion to reason with your boss that you need your job! Try using compassion to stop a bullet passing through your body!

Ok ok. I said I am committed to compassion: I did not say I am a delusional wimp. As hard as I try, I cannot turn the other cheek to the intentional cruelty and horrow inflicted on the innocent by brutes of the elite. Those who use others mercilessly for the advancement of their own agendas by virtue of might, must be found with might. Because they have not consciences. Because they have not compassion.

Might must be met with might. One does not reason to compassion - the compassion challenged have little incentive to change unless their agendas are interrupted. And this takes power. Power of united action, or even single acts of great courage must stay the agendas of the 'masters of the universe', who consign the fate of humans to the utilitarian profitibility serving their strategies. Yes, power must stop power.

Bloodshed though is not the appropriate response to power mongers oppression and lies....I do not believe in violence. Violence begets violence. Instead I find the concept of non-compliance, Ghandhi-esque, quite attractive. Even a few million elite masters of banking, war and international trade.....cannot control billions if the the billions do not agreed to be controlled.

I propose general strikes...shut down governments, multi-nationals, communications, and trade. Stay home - and do nothing. If only 30% of the population of any country employed this strategy, the people would scare the big dogs shiteless and regain power over a world where most feel totally impotent to chart a better course for the planet and species.

There are not enough jails or personnel drag 30% of a population from their homes and imprison them for doing nothing!! No bloodshed, no violence, no protesting....just non-compliance.

Compassionate existentialists can be extremely dangerous. Big dogs better take note: or we will just organise everyone to do nothing! And then who will do the labour in your big capitalist machine?

2 comments:

Notsilvia Night said...

Hallo SheilaNagig
A strike might be good idea, non-cooperation with the war-mongers and oppressors.However, at the moment, you do not yet have enough support for a general strike. Eventually though this support might build up.

But on a lot of other things I disagree with you.
While in reality power is indeed an end in itself, most of the powerful will justify their hold on power by some "higher good", even towards their deluded self.
The current western elites are pseudo-religious philosophical nut-cases, or you might also call them fascists.
And yes, they are to blame for the current state of affairs.
But don´t blame the common person.
People can´t know, how much they don´t know. And we have been conditioned from childhood on to trust into the mass-media and the school- and educational-system to inform us about all the important things in our world.The realization that those institutions would deliberately lie to us or severely distort the truth takes a while to sink in.
Give it time, truth is a rather obstinate little plant. It looks harmless and vulnerable, but it´s got razor-sharp leaves and it´s basically indestructible, no matter how hard some might try.

Sheilanagig said...

Not silvia,

True there is not enough support for a general strike. Sadly, I don't think there will be.

Yes I also think that ideology accompanies power mongers. But I don't think it is primary; rather a rationalisation of entitlement.

As to the last part of your comment, I am divided on the answer, if there is indeed one. I must ask at the end of the day - who is responsible for a lie?

The liar, or the one who swallows the lie whole? Even a noble lie must be believed by an intelligent mind.

I understand what you are saying though. But in order to have power to change, people must take responsibility for at least some ethics of seeking truth, be it convenient emotionally or not.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment: I enjoy discussion.

Cheers

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