Us vs them?

When you get right down to it, it has been quite a journey from the so-called evils of capitalism to being enriched by the culture of others. It's always a journey. It's always an adventure. It's what we call life. You can believe what you believe and you can advocate any system you want, but in the end -- and this is fate to which capitalism itself must submit -- is whether life, the world is ready to accept it. In the case of capitalism, it is obvious, the verdict has already fallen. The only ones unaware of this are, unfortunately, the capitalists themselves. Sure, they still have the power to destroy the world, to put an end to reality as we know it, but that won't be the end of everything; it will only be the end of capitalism and us.

As I have never tired of saying, there are alternatives. All of these, of course, are based on one simply premise (assumption, if you will), namely that "the other" (whoever and whatever that may be) is every bit as important as ourselves. We have to ask ourselves who these "others" are, but even a moment's reflection shows us that they are simply whoever is not us. I agree, that sounds rather simplistic. Of course the others are who are whoever I'm not, but it goes just a bit deeper than that. We assume, quite incorrectly I might add, that everybody is just like ourselves. Nobody is like ourselves. Our fate is that we -- each and every one of us -- is an individual and therefore unlike anybody else.

The paradox is that while we are are all individually unique, we share a number of ideas and beliefs, regardless of what our cultures have told us. For example, a modicum of food, clothing, and shelter are ideals that every one of us has. Add to this, a bit of security, to be reasonably healthy, to know that it's worth getting up for tomorrow. What all of this entails will vary of course: to some a warm bowl of porridge suffices, though for others it must be a multicourse meal. Though different in detail, both simply desire not to be hungry.

This is what I find so difficult to get my head around. Even is we are multicourse-meal types, why do we begrudge the other her porridge? I just don't know. It's an age-old problem, but it simply needn't be. Only the begrudger can make the difference, but only if he wants to. When we look out into the world today, it becomes pretty obvious very fast that too many multicoursers don't want to. That's bad, to be sure, but even worst, it is sad.

My sadness comes from the fact that I can see the day coming with our poor porridge-eater will have to go hungry because our I-have-to-have-more-for-me guy has found a way to get the porridge, too. At some point, it will all just blow up, most likely from the bottom. At the same time, as we have seen over the last few posts, from the top, the system is killing itself ... and it's taking every single one of us with it.

It's time to stop.

Those "others" that we so often despise and look down upon are really not trying to take anything away from us who falsely believe that we've worked hard and deserve all that we have. They, like the rest of us, just want to live something resembling a decent life. If we can't help make that happen, then we don't deserve what we have. It's very simple.

And when we consider how fast the world is getting small, it won't take long for many more to realize, it's not a matter of Us vs Them. It's only us.

The root of reality

When all is said and done, the world as we see it is nothing more than the world as we see it. Yes, it really is that simple, but in saying that, I have to acknowledge, that it really is rather complex. Not complicated, mind you, rather complex.

We only have our senses. We only have our own experiences to fall back on. But all of that, whether we like it or not, is individual, not necessarily valid for every other human being on the planet. What this tells me is that we should tread slowly. There's no use in proclaiming we've found the secret of life when in the end we have only found the secret of our own lives.

We share a lot with others, no doubt about it. And for this simple reason, it does us well to share with others whenever we can. Personally, I think it is even better when we can share more with others who are more different from ourselves than we can imagine. I have to admit that my current job, though not always the most exciting or demanding job I've ever had, offers me these particular kinds of opportunities to a degree I never thought imaginable.

Not only was I born into one culture, I have had the wonderful opportunity to be exposed to more: to have lived in a "home culture" other than my own (PA vs CA), to now live in a second version of a foreign culture (HE vs BW), but to spend most of my working time dealing with individuals with similar interests and concerns from very different cultures as well (AT, BE, CN, CZ, FR, ES, FI, FR, GR, HU, IT, JP, LI, LU, NL, PT, PL, SL, TR, UK, just to name the most frequently occurring). And, I can assure you all, my life has become all the richer for this reason. What I have learned is that there are so many different, but meaningful, ways of slicing up reality that it is hard to say ... no, it is impossible to say ... which one is "right" (or good, or proper, or most sensible). All of the people from all of these different cultures have all had something to share with me, be it emotionally or intellectually, and from each I have learned a little bit about who they are and what they think and how they see the world, but even more about myself. Each and every one of them has provided me with an additional "standard of comparison" for what I believe, think, and am.

All of this interaction has gone beyond the mere obvious, the superficial, the everyday. We have laughed and cried together, we've shared meals and experiences and sometimes tribulations together. Each time I was guest anywhere, my host has done what was humanly possible to allow me to experience the world as they experience the world. And, each and every time, my life has become richer because of it.

What fascinates and amazes me about all this is that not a single one of them has ever, ever asked for anything in return. The notion of self-interest, oddly enough, has never played a role in any of these experiences. Yes, I know, there are those who would like to reduce all of this to their simply wanting me to see their own culture more favorably. The problem is that to see them that way is to demean their sharing with me. I firmly believe that they all have done this for the very simply reason that they would like for me to at least once experience what reality means to them. I, for the other, am more than grateful for the opportunity.

Yes, I have tried to thank each and every one of them each time for what they have given me, but for the most part, they think it is self-evident that one would share. This is, when you really get down to it, a very basic, fundamental, human way of being. Sharing, it would seem, is much more basic, much more fundamental than any economic "system" could ever be. I don't know about you, but this give me plenty to think about. There are infinite ways to slice reality, but at root, there may not be such big differences after all.

Crossroads, threshold, whatever

There are enough alarmists running around: the end of the world, the end of history, the end of capitalism, the end of who-knows-what. I'm not one of them. On the other hand, we are faced with a number of serious issues which, much like the nuclear destruction of the world in the 1950s/Cold War, which could mean the end of all of us, if we don't wise up. There is no self-destructive, nefarious cabal hiding somewhere waiting to end everything as we know it. As Pogo said so long ago, "We have met the enemy, and he is us" (1953). As my mother never tired of saying, we're all our own worst enemies.

There is little doubt in my mind that if we continue (as a society and a world) along our current path, our day are numbered. We're polluting faster than we can find remedies. We're using up resources faster than we can recycle and find substitutes. We're polarizing each other faster than we can make friends. We're oppressing faster than we're freeing. In short, we are doing our damnedest to bring on the end nobody really wants.

It's not a big deal. I mean, why should I get all upset about any of this? If we destroy our basis for living, none of us will be around to be the wiser. OK, a whole lot of people will no doubt suffer and slowly die anquishing and painful deaths, but what the hell, wasn't it worth it. That second X-Box, that 17th Beamer, that €40,000 bottle of wine ... it all was worth it, right up to the end. And since there will be nobody left, there will be no one to give a rat's behind what we had or didn't have before we checked out of life. When we are gone, no one will be left to care one way or the other.

Still, I am one of those helplessly romantic people who think the earth is an overwhelmingly beautiful place. It is full of magic and wonder and beauty. It can put up with abuse than none of us can; it provides for all who are there, untill they take more than they deserve; it is, unquestionably, the greatest mystery that we can imagine. But, what the hell .. there's money to be made. Right.

Personally, I'm not all that excited or depressed about being or not being here when it all goes down the tubes. Chances are very, very good that I'll be gone before it happens. In a couple of decades, I'll barely be a memory in anyone's mind. Still, I have grandchildren, as do my siblings. By default, I have children who are going to outlive me. I may not care about what happens to me -- after all, I had my chance -- but I do care about what happens to them. That's just the kind of person I am. If I merely sit back and watch those who think they know do whatever the hell they please till there's nothing left for anybody, well, then I'm just as guilty as they are. I have no desire to die guilty ... not because I'm afraid I won't get into heaven, but because it simply isn't necessary that I do. I still have a voice (though faint), I still have the opportunity (though diminishing), and I still have the means (though restricted) to possibly instill a moment of doubt about the wisdom of the world as it is in any number of others.

No, it is not for me that I speak. It is for others who so far have no voice, no opportunity, and no means. The difference between me and many folks, but especially between me and the capitalists, is that others, "the other" (in philosophical terms) is more important to me than myself.

I'm not alone, I know. But I also know that I am an anathema to the current rational way of thinking. We are at a crossroads, or a threshold, or whatever. We all have to decide what we want to do. The upside is there are many options available. The downside is that TPTB want to think we don't have them.

You're choice. Your move.

The real problem with "arguments"

We like to think that we live in a rational world, even if there is craziness going on around us all the time. We assume that rational is normal and that craziness is not. Unfortunately, like so many other things, this is merely an assumption.

Though held in high esteem, rationality is little understood by those who advocate it most strongly. In the rational world, if this is right, then that must be wrong; if this is good, that must be bad; if it isn't one, then, by default, it must be the other. This is -- and you'll excuse my directness -- simply insane.

The rational mind, the mind that we exalt these days, is a mind of either-or: there are always only two options -- Republicans or Democrats, freedom or slavery, good or bad, right or wrong, capitalists or communists (or socialists, or whatever else they decide is "the other"). The rational world, it would seem, is reduced a mere black and white. It is this, or it is that. The trouble is, our experience tells us that it is anything but ... the world is not either-or.

Rationality, like so many other well-liked notions, is simply an unquestioned assumption. Who decided when and where that there were only ever to be two options. While I may agree that there are two sides to every question, who decided that we're asking the right question to begin with? This reduction to simplicity is a dangerous path to be following. It assumes that there are only two options. There aren't. There are as many options as we decide to allow.

I have long advocated that we start thinking about "reasonable" and abandon "rational". To be reasonable is to acknowledge that there may be a third, fourth, or who knows how many other options available. To be reasonable means we can try this because it seems like a really good idea, and when we find out it isn't working as expected, we can modify it, fine-tune it without having to throw out everything we've discovered thus far. To be reasonable means that everyone has a say, and what makes the most sense becomes clear.

Unfortunately, capitalists (to simply stay with the topic) are not reasonable people. They are absolute rationalists. The fact that their entire system is built upon questionable assumptions not only never occurs to them, they deny that such is even a possibility. If you base all you believe on one single notion -- in the capitalist's case: private property -- then a questioning of that notion, that assumption in this case, is a life-threatening act. As such, they are willing to resort to life-threatening actions to enforce their point of view (cf. the current escalation of political violence against the citizenry).

Capitalism can only work if private property is the non plus ultra of human existence. It is the most fundamental, basic and essential assumption upon which the whole idea rests. This is an assumption. And one which I question vigorously.

It has become so that property rights have now superceded, have now overwhelmed, human rights. We -- you and I -- both as members of a community and living breathing human beings, are no where near as important as whatever resources may be under our feet. We have created a system of belief that holds to be true that things are more important and more valuable that people. And this, all based on an assumption. It is supported, of course, by another assumption, that the world can be reduced to either-or, that we live in a rational world. This assumption is just as faulty.

The time has come, dear reader, that we all start questioning assumptions.