The art at the immediate left (or above?) is a visionary illustration of a movement which might start with a critical mass of balloonists tired of the same old fare (and lack of actual community-making they might experience). Imagine communities "in the sky", tying together, even soaring (in between bike work-outs to create more heat)! And then coming down to Earth and sharing their spirits with the "ground bound".
Visionary writers, poets, welcome to expound upon this idea!
Again, at left (or above?), the idea of the "information society" has been promoted everywhere (where "we" once were "an industrial society"); the reality of such, thoughtfully "arted" is that "we" are to be an "in formation" society, where the reality of the "chain of command" which runs "our democracy" is now being peeled back (re: "privileges" watered down and rendered meaningless), now that "we" are not so needed anymore and so-called "developing" nations' peoples "are needed"--with their "rights" curtailed scientifically even more.
But don't take my word for it, listen to this indigenous wisdom keeper explain reality. (link forthcoming soon)
What to do?
I'll assume that you've already been undertaking a course of intellectual self-defense, that you already have been able to connect your intuitive dissent feelings with facts (and contexts), and that your critical faculties are either being honed to crucial finery as you practice your visions or something of that sort. And you may've already begun entertaining and envisioning scenarios of contention and confrontation in creative nonviolent strategies.
I'm skeptical, of course. Because many creative people in my experience are deeply "strategically challenged"; that is, all our lives we've been imbibed with either the well-financed propaganda system, or one of its competing "alternatives". This is where I challenge you to not merely see how corporations manipulate, or how capitalism (merely one symptom) exploits the uncomprehending. This is where I challenge you to "see others as you would like others to see you"; where we see people coerced and manipulated into systems of domination (and submission), both as "dominators" and "dominated". Where we come to a critical understanding of how implementers (such as cops) can become so hostile and alienated. Where we start to see how the very systems that people (whom once had great ideals) find themselves stuck in confines and traps in which the so-called "alternatives" have a way of perpetuating (at least on the surface; behind the scenes is another story), and in my view, actually contributing significantly to the problem rather than "solving" it.
There are various factors at work in this reality, and I'll touch on just a few. One is that all of these competing elites (as Chomsky shows) are engaged in "propaganda" aka the techniques of thought control. You can see it most plainly when you understand how "PR" (Public Relations) works. Another problem is that everyone is working in the unstated/meta context of believing they must work only within these confines. In this way, the situation is like a war. Supposedly a non-killing war, but if you happen to be a member of a group that is being officially scapegoated...then, even your death doesn't make a dent in the enforced silence. "Too much" is supposedly "at stake" for the alleged arbiters of the "alternatives" to "stick their neck out" and get the word out that could save your life.
This is the problem of politics in general. People who buy into playing politics do not want to demystify the meta game they are all playing. If you'd like to educate yourself about this topic, take a look at www.anti-politics.net. This is as far as I'll touch on this for now. (And please do challenge me on this premise of mine!)
The next question then becomes, do we realize the value of seeking to reach the hearts of those whom have been manipulated away from being in touch with their own hearts and original desires (before the institutions which tool them wrapped around them)? I'm not saying that it's "not important" to reach the hearts of the groups traditionally known as being oppressed. They/we are important, OF COURSE! Yet, in order to enact CRUCIAL challenge, we're going to have to find ways of reaching the hearts of those who are part and parcel (and help support) war in all its forms, at home and abroad; openly aggressive and covertly aggressive.
So the question is how to move us *and* them in such creative ways that collective we's feel we need not any longer continue to always subordinate our intelligence to martial/war methods and ideology. How do we bridge with intensities of alienation while not getting trampled ourselves?
One way I'm envisioning is something along the lines of "anti-organization". Note that this is qualatively different from normalized ideas of traditional organization. There's a reason for this; the reason is to learn from those whom have already been pre-emptively attacked by the reality of today's politics and police methods. I'll go into this in more depth sometime (sooner if anyone speaks up).
So imagine this: varying "affinity groups" or "teams" (or individuals, even) of creative contention which "hammer" at formalized mind-sets planted within all of us, but especially those artificially separated from "the commons" by their uncritical trust in "The Way Things Is" and such.
Here we go out not only from the ghettos of "normal" methods of interaction but also of the ghettos of "normalized" ideas of contention. What does that mean? What does that entail? I'll let you percolate that in your mind for awhile! If you still don't get it, ask and we'll speak.
So imagine teams of comedians (coming away from their ghetto-like separated-away stages) and engaging folks known to be rife with severe alienation --in ways which inspire folks to come out from behind their armor and out into meaningful communications and community!
That's key: meaningful community. If we don't have something to offer human beings so that they realize the value of coming away from the war reality they've always known --(and hear me, ALL domesticated folks/most of everyone "in society" does live in various varieties of war, "low intensity" as such may be!)--why should they "risk their necks"? So we need to offer something that can INSPIRE.
(Of course, we'll have to *hear them out* just as we wish to be understood! The more creative and fun ways we can do this, the better! See, for example, the card game in the links section at right: "The Game")
Up to our imagination and courage how much sanity we birth!
Practice practice practice practice!
(And in case you poo-poo this angle on things, know that I've personally engaged varying degrees of the strategically challenged, including in potentially very dangerous situations, and yet, with this methodology, have found amazing openings! Challenge me sometime to pontificate, and I'll speak about it on live radio or TV; "Democracy Now" anyone?!)
Finally, this piece invites readers to *look behind* intensities which are launched at us informally (as opposed to formally, such as by soldiers/implements of the State who are on duty who are usually acting as they are trained/indoctrinated). When people fire out things upon us with particularly emotive invective, we need to listen to the Toltec teachings and first, "not take it personally" (unless that's your calling). Such hurlings are symptoms and if we can metaphorically "step out of the way" of such, and "take a step back", we may better see "the bigger picture".
That is, the idea that people who fire off such emotive things are seeking to make a kind of bridge! But since they/we have all usually been systematically separated from knowing how to even engage in the most basic dialogue (beyond "How are you?" "I'm fine, and you?"), thanks to our domestication, it's typical that early attempts at communications are enraged.
Listen to your favorite wisdom keeper on this. Krishnamurti, Osho, indigenous persons, who-ever; they all say similar things, I think. The question is, can we implement such consciousness in ways that are truly meaningful? Can we "run with the ball" further? Do we give ourselves permission?!?
One need not be fake about it, though; one need not be "nice". We can be enraged as well (or some grey area in between, depending on what spirit you want to perfect). We can be real. Hell, many enraged people DON'T TRUST "nice"; they see right through such!
More details to follow!
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