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An International system of Greed and Suffering that You and I maintain
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3173
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Posted by
Anonymous
Tuesday, January 28, 2003
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Are we just here to produce and consume. Are we here to be manipulated on every level. The latihan sheds light on the nature of human existence. But for us as with our fellow human beings we exist at the base level much of the time. We live in a world where materialism and consumerism dominate our lives. We expect and demand more and more. Could we manage to go without things we now take for granted and think are 'normal'. All of these, basics, luxuries, excesses...require Oil...the system behind it.. the power house of our economies of trade and ever expanding thirst for markets is what the present farce over Iraq stems from.
Today, whatever domestic politics one possess, however self interested and conservative we like to be, recent events shake our complacent lives and demand that we look up. That is of course if you live in the 'developed world'. In actual reality we have to look within ourselves at this point. The most prominent thing on the agenda at the moment is War Against Iraq. George W Bush and his cohort are now unstoppable. UN resolutions, International Community opinion, are a side show. Direct action by those not happy with this state of affairs is futile. Standing in the way of a battering ram when it rams into the door of truth is a case of naivety. Where we all can make a difference is by being clear about what is going on.
That the West in all its 'development' is now getting fat and gluttonous. With the lingering raison d'Ítre for the fight against sovietism, hazy at the best of times... now being used for the "War on Terrorism" we are confronted by a monolith of untold arrogance and stupidity. A crusade of philistinary. Today, capitalism and the search for market share is the bottom line imperative behind all US and much of the rest of the world's foreign policy. The pursuit of Freedom and Democracy and liberal values are an optional extra for people who join the western system - more like a velvet glove covering a wart infested clenched fist. Adaptable, but ultimately unsustainable greed is the order of the day.
A short history lesson, (apologies to all those that may know it). In 1898 US President McKinley invaded Spanish Possessions in the Pacific and the Caribbean, on the 'legitimacy' of the Monroe Doctrine. This roughly speaking was the dawn of US world power and the decline of British. In 1947, the Truman Doctrine came about with Britain saying they could no longer exploit Iranian Oil and defend against 'Russian Expansionism' in the Middle East region. The US stepped into the breech. Skirting around various bits of key history in the Middle East, various Arab states acted as the linchpin of US power and control over the vital mineral resource - oil. However, in the 1950s the Shah, one of a long line of US backed 'dictators' oppressed his people and acted as a Washington Client state. In 1979. It all went pear shaped there, as far the US was concerned. Iran had to be replaced. So the US adopted Saudi Arabia and its vast oil reserves. Today Saudi Arabia, with its own brand of tough tasting Islam - Wuhabi, is a regime tottering on unstable ground. After appeasing an oppressed set of people with a brand of Islam unpalatable to the toughest mouth it spawned 18 of the 19 'September 11th' Hijackers. Saudi Arabia looks decidedly smelly - gangrenous even by US hypocritical standards. As far as the US is concerned 1979 Iran could be 2009 Saudi Arabia. "So where do we go, oh yeah lets kick out our old friend and whipping boy Saddam." So now Iraq with a nest egg of oil reserves is sitting there ripe for clientism. Just the slight matter of Saddam. Hey no problem.
Many people say that Oil is the battle charge of the looney left or ranting cries of resentful people. But does anyone care for a few pointers. Bush his Vice President (a former Defence Secretary), and National Security advisor look like they have decidedly dodgy conflicts of interest. George W Bush, 1978-84; senior executive, Arbusto Energy/Bush Exploration, an oil company; 1986-1990 senior executive of the Harken oil company. Dick Cheney, 1995-2000: chief executive of the Halliburton Oil company. Condoleezza Rice, 1991-2000: Senior executive with the Chevron oil company, which just so happened to name a an oil tanker after her... And this is just these folks.
On the other hand one can point to the tired arguments about the nature of Saddam's 'evil'. Evil conducted with the aid of technology, know how and just plain weaponry designed and built by the West. What about the long list of evil perpetrated in our (the US, Britain and their allies) names. I hear people say what happens when we find out Saddam has supplied this or that device to "the terrorists", well there are so many other credible places that they could get hold of them, are we doing enough to fill in those leaks. But this is really a side issue inflated for effect and our government's interests. The reality is that we created the problem and if we have any civilised decency, if good people in our governments can ride the tiger of evil that stain our so called 'democracies' then we can restore dignified and just politics. Or we can create such if it has never actually existed in any powerful way before.
We live in societies where the majority of a compliant media draws the wool neatly over our eyes. Iraq is part of a wider theatre of geo-politics and western interest. We don't hear this clearly enough. Iraq is an example of one region of the world in which the representation of a unipolar world based on US power, power of the latest top dog. Where any semblance of tentative International peace and Justice (in the broadest sense of the word justice), which is shakey at the best of times, is now replaced by an unbridled menace of this hyper power. Unchecked and unrepentant. The present US Presidential Administration staffed by many of the same folk that supported Ronald Reagan's 'glorious politics' has legitimated a net $60 Billion increase in the US national defence budget. Lets replace Sovietism for Islam, Rogue States and Weapons of Mass Destruction. In essence we all live in a state of nullified hypocrisy, as long as we (in the 'developed' world) buy into the system and consume to our hearts content then we enjoy freedom - at the rest of the world's expense. Recently the National Security Apparatus in the US at least, has been preparing for innumerable 'September 11ths' they just expected it in more conventional ways. A CIA memorandum of the late 1990s professed that the world is divided into the US and them, the haves and the have nots. People look at US and the western world more generally, with its wealth and power, 'our standard of life' and feel resentment. This is why the Bush Administration thinks it needs Star Wars and the SDI (Strategic Defence Initiative). A NMD (Nuclear Missile Defence) shield is an expensive illustration of a fortress mentality. Of greed and exploitation gone terribly wrong.
There is so much We can do on an incremental level in our daily lives. We can address what we buy, and what services we take for granted. It doesn't take much. We can address how we vote. We can address what political or civil society action in the most civilised way we can take. We can support campaign and development bodies that do get legislators and policy makers ears. We can open up an educated and informed view of reality. We can stand up to filthy cliques and vested interests that riddle western 'democracy'. We can learn to understand the whole world in a more harmonious and informed way. We can look at how greedy and complacent we all actually are. We can look into the future and see how wanton materialism can be refined into something more harmonious. Lets start today.
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| An International system of Greed and Suffering that You and I maintain | Log-in or register a new user account | 5 Comments |
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| Comments are statements made by the person that posted them.
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Re: An International system of Greed and Suffering that You and I maintain
(Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Mar 23, 2003 - 07:57 AM
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Yes good points.
Further....for a relatively balanced account of the reality why not check out the URL below:
http://www.mideastweb.org/iraq.htm
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Re: An International system of Greed and Suffering that You and I maintain
(Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Apr 19, 2003 - 07:37 PM
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Dear Anonymous,
What's really bothering you. Please tell us, we'd like to know. Is it the proverbial pebble in your spiritual shoe?
Perhaps you would like to take over Coffee Cup Annan's post over at the U. N. before that building gets converted to useful condominiums?
Viva le dollar, pound, lira, yen, peseta, escudo, peso, ruble, deutchmark, rupiah, le franc, etc. and oil. Not to mention v4, v6, v8 and rotary engined mobiles. Hallelujah for the Internet, OIL, Google and fiber optics. Vive les jeunes filles et les jeune hommes -- for without them we'd have no grandchildren. Viva la diferencia, Dr. Bronner castile soap, Madame Curie and greed in the flesh, kosher salami, Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard, God Bless Roquefort cheese, omelets, pizza and so on.
One thing for sure, dear Anon, you absolutely do not sound like you resonate free of greed youhself. Sounds like you are suffering from deep Great White Whale guilt, palee, no matter your race. But, heck, there's always room for improvement, ey?
Saiful Rimkeit.
Santa Rosa, CA. U. S. A.
srimkeit@sonic.net
P. S. : oiloiloiloiloiloiloiloiloiloiloiloiloil.
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Re: An International system of Greed and Suffering that You and I maintain
(Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Apr 20, 2003 - 07:52 AM
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Nervous liberal or anarcho-syndicalist, where does one exist along this spectrum, if at all. It seems you are a poor judge of character and sentiment. What matters here is not who I am, and my choice of anonymity, more the points I make. The advocation of turning back the clocks and reverting to a eco\social utopia is not on the agenda. If you care to read my article more clearly you'll see it embraces a healthy dose of realism. Re-read what I wrote and focus on that which you agree with. Personalities aside, lets find the consensus.
"But, heck, there's always room for improvement, ey?"
I agree.
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Re: An International system of Greed and Suffering that You and I maintain
(Score: 1)
by Luthfi56 (-)
on Jun 20, 2004 - 12:49 AM
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I completely disagree with the anonymous poster, but rather than going into a no-less lengthy post explaining why, I would point out that Subud is home not only to people from many religions and those of no religion, but also to people who have widely differing political viewpoints. We're not here to argue about politics and demand that we do this or that, but to receive the latihan together and to join in any Subud cultural, charitable, enterprise and other activity that we may happen to want to join in.
The poster states that his is 'an educated and informed view of reality.' Well, I've got a B.A. (Hons) in Politics and International Relations, so might not be regarded as without any education or information, but my view of 'reality' is not the same.
Leaving aside the subjects raised by the poster, ultimately, whatever we do together in Subud, its essence is deeply personal, everyone has their own unique relationship with Almighty God. I do think it is true that if our inner selves, and our relationship with the Almighty, are changed, then our relationship with the world changes.
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