Wind down from your artificially induced stress/pace and confront your personal reality – take stock for a moment. Your existence has been confined to sustaining and maintaining a system that makes ever-increasing demands on your liberty and freedom – the pillars upon which joy and satisfaction are built/derived! The frenzied pace of western society is largely the result of the manic need for ever increasing profits and greater concentrations of wealth in the fewest possible hands, which inevitably makes higher demands on those at the bottom of the financial scale. Obtaining wealth is simply a matter of applying unfair downward pressure in favour of upward flowing benefits; wealth is not created it is the result of manipulation and/or theft – the historical record bears this out. Put simply, profit is exploitation/theft!
We have all been led to believe that the present system is the way of ‘progress’; notwithstanding the ‘economic train’ is about to reach the end of the line. The present system will soon result in the depletion of all finite resources (including basic foodstuffs) and an untenable increase in non-degradable lethal pollutants – a formula for death! The principal characteristic of the present western system is its complete incompatibility with the natural harmony of the living planet. Lethal inharmonious forces are being applied to a finely tuned harmonious living biosphere – the consequences are apparent to all as global warming and the degradation of the environment.
Who would have thought that nihilism dressed as economic rationalism/progress would have become the dominant social system subsuming all opposing ideologies and political systems? The entire developed world is captive to the pursuit of ‘wealth’ (with little regard to consequences). It is clear today that this pursuit is having a negative impact on society, family and the environment, to the extent that the very survival of the species is now in question.
The “failure” of society is its inability to address and adapt at speed to the forces that threaten its very existence. The failure is OUR almost universal lethargy or inability to effectively ACT when faced with the consequences of our present destructive course. This dilemma presents a most curious behaviour for social analysts; the principal characteristic of the species WAS its ability to adapt and survive, whereas today in clear view of all the forces that threaten our existence, we are paralysed.
It is not for the lack of knowledge or means that we fail to act – technologies exist that could replace antiquated polluting technologies; it is the will to apply the remedies that we lack. The prohibitive factor is behavioural, small personal SACRIFICES ARE REQUIRED TODAY in order to ensure the survival of the species and the biosphere, tomorrow!
I recently attended a conference on global warming, diminishing resources and the inevitable conflict that would result. We are witnessing today the criminal invasion and plunder of a weaker nation by a stronger nation – I need not draw attention to the fact that the logic and method of the strong stealing and harming the weak is both retrogressive and barbaric. Yet this behaviour is from a nation that would have the world believe it is the torchbearer for everything noble, progressive, enlightened and moral! The facts however, speak for themselves; this nation is the thieving and murdering brute of the world.
The vast majority of people are appalled by the overt aggression of this nation, however, the people seem at a loss when faced with the necessity of remedial action. The answer to a large extent is our unwillingness to make small sacrifices – a system cannot be opposed if the majority of time is spent supporting it (work, etc!) The sacrifice in this instance should be obvious, one is required to suffer some LOSS in order to change the status quo; nevertheless, the rewards outweigh the costs – the reward in this instance is a tenable FUTURE for our children and ourselves!
Not a single speaker at this conference asked the audience to take a PERSONAL stand against what everyone agreed were malevolent powers of destruction! The issue of PERSONAL SACRIFICE is the key to social (and personal) change – all actions whether passive (withdrawing support) or active (direct opposition) directed against the forces that would destroy the planet, are effective. The fact that the meeting did not resolve itself in a direct personal challenge to ACT, greatly diminished its effectiveness.
Regardless of powerful and numerous constraining factors, unless we are willing to make REAL SACRIFICES today, we run the risk of losing tomorrow!
Peace.
Source:
http://cleaves.zapto.org/clv/newswire.php?story_id=446
Original: The Failure of Modern Western Society