Thoughts on complicity
Sunday, March 26th, 2006One thing the Ruling Class does not have to generally concern themselves with is how other people think. Some who have time for the pursuits of the spirit become intellectually curious about different ways of thinking. For the most part, however, Rulers do not worry about what their subjects believe so long as they behave. You will find throughout the history of oppression that folks in charge are concerned more with the “rule of law” than fairness. Actually, it is a common thought that the “rule of law” leads to fairness.
What I find so troubling is that in 2006, we in the USA (those who rule the world), know so little about other ways of life. We think of the followers of Islam as backwards. People who do not love the Global Economy are Luddites. Those who do not sacrifice family for money are foolish. Yet we claim that we are followers of God’s Will while we flaunt the number one law of loving your fellow human as we love ourselves.
I recently had a discussion that went something like this:
If you have to choose between losing money at your business and spending more time with your family or spending less time with your family but making more money… you should always choose to make more money since you can spend time with your family later. That time later will be better spent since you will have more capital to spend on them.
In my world view, the most important thing is to care and love your family and friends. Nothing else is as important. Those who are truly enlightened understand that all humanity is one family. If this is true then taking care of all humans is paramount. If you must chose, chose family first.
But why must we live in a world that makes us choose? Why can we not find a way to organize our lives so that we are rewarded for caring for humans and discouraged from caring for wealth? Are we still living in a world of scarcity where we must fight for what little we need to survive? Why, if the world is so bountiful, can we not find a better way?
That, in a nutshell, is what motivates me. I want to find a better way. I want to find a way where all humans can get what they need without depriving others of life?
…it was her turn to receive her family’s sustenance for the next month: half a jug of cooking oil and two bags of rice and maize.
Have we really come to this? With my $400 iPod sitting next to me, is it really so important that I have so much while others have so little?
I remember in my Political Science classes that folks would make the argument that if we did not have money and exchange, folks would not be motivated to work. Look at the failure of Communism they would say. I simply can not believe that the woman in the story above is not motivated to work. Instead, I believe it is the failure of our system of politics that says she has no value and should therefore starve. Can we really find nothing “productive” for her to do? Is she just one more wasted cog in this machine that must grind on?
Even if she has no wealth and can produce nothing of value for our society, should ANY human have to suffer like this? What possible benefit can this bring to humanity? How can the starvation of millions benefit us? All those lives, all those humans willing to work to make the world better, can we really not find anything for them to do? What kind of sick and twisted Ruling Class would abide a system that kills so many?
I have to find a way out of this madness. If not for me… then for my ancestors who know this is not right. I stand today, accused of complicity in this war on humanity. What will I do to turn the tide? What will I do help save our souls?