1/17/2002, Paul Isaacs wrote: > We are not "modern" in any sense of the term. We have been aware of the need for sustainability for at least 25 years now but we continue to wantonly consume the planet's future. We are primitive barbarians. Vandals. Vikings pillaging tomorrow's necessities from today's children. > There is no condemnation of "us" that is too harsh. It is a truth that we can not seem to bring ourselves to either admit or learn. Dear Paul, Thanks for a much needed critique of the Armstrong ideas. I appreciated both your comments and Jan's. I agree that 'us' as a ~society~ deserves condemnation, especially on behalf of future generations, assuming humanity survives the crises 'we' are creating. On the other hand, if 'us' refers to us ordinary people, then we need to avoid the trap of blaming the victim. Yes, many of us could recycle more, or seek to live in self-sufficient communities, or bicycle to work, or whatever. But this isn't possible for most people who are simply struggling to survive. We are in fact victims of a system that we did not create. A system designed to entice and compel us to participate and consume. A system which is not democratic, not even close. To blame ourselves is disempowering. Anger, in this case, is more productive than guilt. Our culpability is our failure to kick the bastards out of power. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the people of the world. 'They' will never change the system. They are convinced it is the only possible future, and they perceive that they are benefiting from it. The job is up to us. We may not succeed, but if we don't try we deserve condemnation. imho, rkm ============================================================================ From: "Teresa Hawkes" <•••@••.•••> To: •••@••.••• Subject: RE: rn:K. Armstrong: the roots of terrorism Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 11:15:42 -0600 This is a very sane posting. I am tired of posts that sound, quite frankly, like a over-reactive spy novel in which a few sinister agents of evil manipulate the populations of the world like puppets. Quite frankly, chaos theory alone should show us all why this is in no way possible, which is not to say that there aren't people who are greedy and evil in positions to instigate actions incurring harm to many. Armstrong's assessment is balanced. It shows us how all of us have contributed to the current state of affairs! ---<snip>--- =============== Dear Teresa, I'm intrigued by your comment about chaos theory. What evidence leads you to believe that world affairs are chaotic? Certainly, if you look at tiny details, there's a lot of randomness. But as you look at things on a bigger scale, there is a lot more order, a lot more predictability, and a lot more opportunity for conscious control. Let's look at an example... In the US after WW II there was a major increase in automobile usage, and a decline in rail and other public transport. If you want to know exactly how may cars would be bought on a single day, then you're dealing with a chaotic situation. But that doesn't mean there weren't conscious actions molding and guiding that chaos in an effective way. In fact, General Motors and Firestone formed a conspiratorial joint venture - they bought up urban rail systems all across the nation, scrapped them, and replaced them with bus lines. People were thus forced into internal-combustion transport, significantly increasing profits for oil companies, auto manufacturers, and tire companies. This is not a theory, it is documented history. And the project was guided not by chaos but by conscious planning and execution. Were the people of LA to blame for flocking to cars in the face of unreliable and uncomfortable bus transport? To some extent perhaps they were, but you can't put their culpability in the same category as that of GM and Firestone. Most of us must struggle along as best we can, trying to hold down a job, etc. Those with money and power have a lot more to say about what happens to society, and what choices the rest of us are left with. And those at the very top have a great deal of control. Render unto chaos that which is chaotic, and recognize elite planning when that is what's going on. regards, rkm http://cyberjournal.org ============================================================================
