THE HOPE OF THE PEOPLE

THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE is techno-bureaucratic centralism. It has yielded a Ruling Class empowered by incalculable financial wealth. This social class in turn exploits the force of technology, bureaucratic yes-men and a virtually hermetically sealed, bought and paid for, pseudo-Federalist government.  It’s mechanisms of threat and control of the People-- that is, those who are the locus of the living social force of love, truth and justice-- are courts of law and expensive lawyers; the unconscionable prisons; the intelligence agencies; the military; police forces; and training/propaganda institutions called ‘schools.’ 

George Orwell represented this centralism in the symbolism of “Big Brother.”  But it is realized today in a de-subjectivized mass of alienated individuals who in moments of doubt, decision and especially crisis turn toward the “leader,” the professionals, the experts, the specialists, the loudest and richest voice in the ethos. 

Long since have we lost the “sensus communis,” the felt sense of the greatest good and purpose of the whole, the community, the ethos.  Long since have we lost the intellectual capacity and honesty of the Socratic spirit.  We turn to the authority, often authoritarian, demagogic, amoral, indifferent, narcissistic, but presenting a face of comfort, trustworthiness and strength.

The ethos, consequently, devolves into one of fear, that is, of paranoia, hysteria and perversion of all sorts.  The illusion of knowing is propagated from all corners of media, institutions, religions; yet the vehicle of truth in the ongoing process of inquiry, of question and answer, comment and response, listening and speaking, studying and reflecting is lost.  It is not annihilated but distorted, deflected, disseminated, distracted in the spectacular side-show of entertainment, addictive consumption and conformity that passes as sociality.

As President George H.W. Bush so aptly put it, ‘there are a thousand points of light’ always.  Yet it cannot go unnoticed that the social body can so easily be coalesced around a central focus that is universalized and becomes the only game in town, according to the official story.  We see this in the “shutdowns” of many countries.  We see it in American history when hundreds of thousands of young people are dragged cluelessly into meaningless and hopeless wars such as Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.  We see it in the ideology and successful mass propagandizing of vaccination, a harmful and mostly ineffective practice that has taken on religious proportions.  Yet those who are truly religious cannot use their religious beliefs to oppose being forcibly vaxxed. 

The true “virus” is ignorance, anger, self-righteousness and paralyzing fear—maladies that we have all fallen prey to.  The true “virus” is our own foregoing of authentic courage in the face of doubt, decision, crisis and violent force.  The true “virus” is allowing our minds and creativity, our autonomy and ethical responsibility to be expropriated and co-opted by forces tantamount to evil.

The cure is the natural immunity of health, love, joyfulness, peace, play and happiness without reason.  Have fun, work hard and support one another.  I hope I can listen to myself.