If You Can't See It Is It Still There?

  Juanita Nelson once told me "the evil in our government cannot happen without our cooperation."  And I assumed the "our" meant all of us (people in large numbers).  She is right in theory, and she bravely chooses to live a life of not cooperating.  She is a hero and example to many.  I choose to start with myself, too -- the best I can-- and try hard to be that example.  More importantly,  we can use our talents and shout while we are young and/or while we still can.  Personally, I find it easy to get overwhelmed with our economy.  Facing enormous pressures I am no Juanita Nelson certainly: but, I continue to try. The photo above overwhelms me.   We are living in unprecedented times; but, change for the better is inevitable, I believe.  

Can things be there and not-there at the same time? Can a and not-a exist simultaneously? Yes, it seems to be the case that this is the nature of the world, or at least our perception of the world.
Does a tribesman/woman from New Guinea "see" computer code? If he/she doesn't, does it exist for him/her? If we answer, "no, it does not exist for them", we deny the effect of the code upon the life of the tribesman. The bulldozers that wipe out their homes and habitat were most likely computer modeled, for instance. If we say "yes, it does exist for them, regardless of perception", we seem to deny the existence of independent, individual reality. Neither of these options reflects truth, in my opinion.
All ranting aside, we can limit the effect capitalism, or any other such construct, has on our minds. The degree to which we can do this depends largely on the individual and the amount of mental discipline they are willing to exercise over themselves. Few of us are fortunate enough to have been born and raised in a state even approaching that which pre-industrial, pre-urban humanity dealt with on a daily basis. We have been given certain "ideas" since we were very young; if these preconceptions are making us unhappy, should we try to shed them? Getting rid of them is often more difficult and painful than bearing their burden. Many elect to keep the ball and chain, and pound rocks all day; trying to escape can get you shot, right? The sheriff has a wide eye, he rarely sleeps, and he's trigger-happy.
I believe that knowing ones self, and being honest about what one sees, is the first step to finding the key to freedom. For instance, I am somewhat of an egotistical person, and I find it offensive to think of myself as a prisoner of any sort (hence all the cheesy prison metaphors). Hence, I struggle to be free of ideological imposition of any sort. This method has its pitfalls, but I believe there can be a similar path for each individual, and it can be a more "positive" sentiment; for some it can be love, compassion, or a disposition towards the epic or heroic elements of our nature.
Let me get to the point: all the "good" people and all the "selfish" people in the world have a common enemy: the present system of resource plunder and environmental destruction. The reason we all must throw off the shackles of ideological oppression is very simple, if you need fear to motivate you: if we don't, we will doom ourselves in both a personal and collective sense. If we don't, there will be no world in which we can feel love, pity, compassion, rage, hatred, or greed. The world will recycle us, and that will be the end of it.
On a personal level, I get away every chance I get. Tonight, I'm staying up all night for a drive at dawn to an area between Superstition Mountain and Canyon Lake, AZ. There is a vast network of canyons and gorges there, and I will spend the day exploring them. I do this as much as 3 times a month. If more people chose to/had a chance to escape from cities on a regular basis, I have the crazy idea that a lot of our problems would solve
themselves.

Try to feel better,

---SeaQ

SeaQ-- I thank my lucky stars that I spent the first half of my life in pretty wild places, new mexico, rural virginia, back to new mexico, montana and I have a strong vivid memory of  my body in a kind of balance with nature, in new mexico we were off the grid completely, and subject to those older rhythms.... I think we can charge the wildness in ourselves, our minds, our imaginations...I think we must.
Have fun at Superstition Mountain, I hope to explore more of AZ, I am crazy about   the Chiracaua and those ghost filled White Mountains around Tuscon.

I know what you mean...I (mostly) grew up in the wild areas of Northern Michigan, and have spent a lot of my time in Ontario, as well. I took full advantage of it.
I have lived all over the Eastern part of the nation, but when I came to live out west, it blew my mind. The desert just wants to swallow you up.
Last summer, my girlfriend and I visited Alamogordo, and then went around the whole circumfrence of White Sands Missle Range.  My mind is reeling from the experience we had. Have you visited Malpais in the Valley of Fires?

 

--SeaQ

P.S- Sorry, I'm not kissing the dirt. 

.1 percent is small, but it's a relatively small amount of a massive, massive entity. And it's an entity that depends on constant GROWTH, so even the slightest contraction triggers an existential crisis. The wailing and gnashing of teeth at .1 % wonderfully illustrates this overspecialized and absurd system.

By the way, merely seeing the name "Lee Scott" nearly drives me into a frenzy. I'm sure you have seen "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price". That man needs to be sentenced to some hard labor, in addition to being stripped of his wealth. He's a fucking parasite, as is the company he represents.

SeaQ