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Originally Posted by ni'k
The problem is the current dominant worldview of liberal capitalist democracies which basically sees mankind separate from the earth and the earth as a commodity for mankind to use/consume. Basically a Capitalist Christian viewpoint. I think there is something to the idea that we need to realise that we are all part of the one conciousness. When Philip K Dick talks about how the empire never ended and the idea of the black iron prison i interpret that to mean our slavery to God (which is our slavery to an imaginary father figure/schizophrenic cut off from outer reality). This worldview tells us that we are an isolated individual (I) who will die alone and is forever in debt/guilt to an imaginary father figure. I think the black iron prison refers to the cut off point, an imaginary black line separating our bodies and isolating them thus causing a division in the one - (self/world division) which can be imagined as a black line around our skin cutting us off from everything else/a black line around our minds cutting us off from true conciousness.
We certainly can't continue to function the way we are going -
1. the earth is already overpopulated, and thanks to the christian/reckless hedonist consumerist ideologies we continue to have so many kids (instead of looking after the ones that are already here). This will only end up in mass death/war over resources.
2. the enviroment. remember back when anyone who talked about it was just a hippie? the way we live is unhealthy for both the world and us. We build things that are designed not to last and thus to be replaced, made only for profit and are out of sync with nature. It's both inefficient and dangerous.
3. the war machine shows no signs of stopping. we are in a fucked up position were we help fund and propagate it by our very participation in much of society.
4. sexually we are fucked up, superstitious and dumb. homophobia/our hiv aids policies/our squeamishness and christian bullshit combines with our permissive hedonism to create a society of loneliness, repression, intolerance, sti's, unwanted pregnancies, lack of sufficient knowledge and unfufillment. crucial to all this is the view of the body as a commodity which is encouraged under capitalism.
5. saying JUST GET A JOB doesn't work - capitalism depends on a reserve army of the unemployed in order to function. it also means that third world people can't get any work because their countries are being raped/destroyed by capitalism. also capitalism destroys people both pyschologically and physically. the rest are at best addicts with a borderline pyschosis/depression.
i think that irony is the first line of defense/denial to all this. breaking out of the post modern condition should be the goal of culture, but we seem to be failing to do anything culturally but encourage obedience/ignorance/denial/addiction/distraction AT BEST and at worst racism, homophobia, sheer propaganda.
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It seems like the america you describe is working towards short term goals, such as making a ton of money. Maybe produce a bunch of cool things, and maybe create an atmosphere on mars so they can have a vacation station. What do you think everyone ought to be working towards? Nobodys going to change anything unless they know a "what for?"