Monday, March 26, 2012

March 26, 2012

The world changes of course, and in recent times there has been a change towards a superficial appearance of peaceableness, harmony. This is to say  that the outward, apparent world has (seemingly) become peaceful. It "has" become harmonious.  It is also "connected" through markets. This apparent peace and harmony is superficial. There is an interest in cooperation but I do not think that there is a change in the underlying reality that governs our lives on this planet.
     Socio-economic developments have created an interest in social cooperation, on a superficial level. Alas, but this is only appearance. Has there has been change or has there been only the appearance of a more cooperative tendency? On the one hand, social cooperation is the idea here, while on the other hand it is also only a superficial idea even as we pursue it actively.

    The developments of the last century or century and a half created market society. Should we observe the long term, we see this "peaceableness" effect: core capitalist society (in Europe, in the big towns, in the university cultures) develops an appearance of peace and harmony and these developments have fostered a real interest in this kind of thing, or a kind of hunger for it, which is to say an interest or an appetite for our peaceful coexistence with the others, other persons. This is harmony, at least a harmony in feeling. Tone. There is a trend. What is a "trend?"
     In fact, today’s capitalist world, in its core areas, looks more harmonious than ever. The only question is the one involving underlying realities. Has peace and cooperation actually entered in any deep way into the human mind?

    Is reality a sitcom...Is reality a sitcom in which everyone treats everyone great? Yes! – Hey! – it is! Very much so!

     This is the reality we have all created for ourselves.

    Our economy is basically strong. Since we do not have  mass poverty we remain free from some kind of mass social unrest, so, we are able or empowered to enjoy a certain level of peace and harmony.
     But the Hutus did not suddenly start massacring the Tutsi because they developed social unrest as if out of nowhere. Poverty and food problems helped. To what extent are "we " so different? Only the outer conditions differ!
    Try seeing your neighbors or the next five persons who walk by – as total psychopaths.
    How did you do? It probably isn’t that difficult.

     Therefore this is the case: socio-economic developments have created an impasse. We "love" each other more than ever.
     But, under the surface we hate one another just as much, too.

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