We've had some fine elected officials with high ideals, but they're no match for the corporate control of both major political parties. If they can't overwhelm decent politicians with corrupt donations, they know somebody who can arrange a plane crash. Good guys finish last.
Think of the crimes that happen every day with no attempt at enforcement. Bribery, usury, fraud, and extortion are out of control. Oh, you can still get busted for pot, even if your state says it's legal, but banks can openly launder drug money without fear. If you're the CEO of a major criminal operation, you can have a cabinet post.
People are afraid of violent crime, so we build lots of prisons, which are used to lock up petty drug dealers and people from the global south trying to find a job. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is spending our great-grandchildren's savings training more people to be violent. They'll arm any group with a grievance just to keep the pot stirred.
At least since the fall of the USSR, a major goal of US foreign policy has apparently been to recruit enough enemies to justify obscene military budgets. We've provided arms for al Qaida in four wars now, between bombing several nations, supposedly our allies, to kill al Qaida.
Government by rule of law was a pleasant dream, but it is clearly broken beyond repair. Those who are winning (pulling down six figures or more) are not interested in changing it. Those who aren't have no access to the controls. There is no justice. It's just us.
What are we gonna do? NOTHING! That is my proposal. Do nothing. Refuse to play a rigged game. Kill your TV. Park your car forever. Don't go to work. Don't pay your taxes or bills. Don't mow your lawn. Do not enter a store or an office or a school. Stand still.
Breathe deeply. There is no reason to panic. People lived on this planet for a long time without governments or corporations. Take your shoes off and stand in the garden until you find your connection to the living planet of which you are an integral part.
Take time to understand your real needs. Air is free. Water is still not too difficult. People can go a month without food in an emergency, but it would be a very good idea to decide where you can find food growing nearby. Learn to foster the ecosystem in which you can be happy. Learn to be happy wherever you end up.
The system depends upon you to support it. It can only continue if you sell your precious time so you can buy worthless trinkets. Violent control fails when nonviolent people refuse to be controlled. We cannot be exploited if we refuse to participate in any transaction that may lack integrity. We each have a natural capacity to be wise, empathic, and compassionate.
Obviously, if everybody followed this path, the state of the planet would improve considerably. At least that seems obvious to me, but I've looked into enough eyes to convince myself that human beings are intrinsically good to each other, if we can avoid getting caught in the negative spirals that justify violence and exploitation.
I had a plan once to kill the worst corporate bosses on the planet. I figured out a place where they met that wasn't all that well protected. I planned the armaments and began to recruit the soldiers I could trust to carry out the revolution.
Luckily, someone who loved me brought me to my senses. Every corporation has a succession plan. Knock off one greed-head and his underling will step into his shoes without missing a beat. The system doesn't need any particular psychopath. It generates new ones every day. By choosing the path of violence, I risk becoming one myself, if I don't die by the sword or drive myself to suicide.
Of course, everybody is not going to suddenly stop participating in the corporate game. We're all intricately complicit in the problems society has created. And it's damn difficult to live at peace with the world while your neighbors are still fighting a war. So how do we get them to stop, too?
Leading by example is the best suggestion I can offer. If I show up on my neighbor's doorstep with a gift basket of fresh produce, he's considerably less likely to shoot me. Neighborhood potlucks can go a long way toward inspiring broad boycotts & a general strike, especially if we focus on the healthful alternative.
The world will never be perfect, but we have the capacity to forgive. When I accidentally hurt somebody, I hope to be mature enough to recognize my errors and make amends. The only one I'm responsible to control is myself. Healing the planet is a lifetime commitment with its own rewards.
As your neighborhood slowly morphs into a conclave of healthy resistance, you may be inspired to Bike4Peace. There are other neighborhoods, only a bike ride away, which are going through a similar transition. We can learn a lot from each other.
As far as I can see, the only point of the Age of Communications has been to share this call. Please pass it to others before you quit using electronics (made by exploiting people and the planet). Enjoy life as long as it lasts.
2
2
1
