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Crapp's avatar

100% on the need to let go of the norms and indoctrination. That is the first, vital step - and from there, collective solutions will flow. And you know, i take your point about the Vegan thing - i don’t necessarily agree, as you know, that is the an essential path to a more equitable, healthy system. But i can see the argument that it would punch a hole in the current profit centers that are major pillars of the system. In my view, these holes would only be temporary whilst the system regrouped and shifted capital around into other profit centres.

There are a lot of other factors to be considered - how much Lithium, gadgetry etc is in use, alongside all sorts of other extracted minerals with horrific practices that poison water supplies, habitats etc. how is this all disposed of? How many pesticides etc would be put into use to ramp up the increase in plant farming etc? How are we transporting all of this etc? These are all factors inherent in our modern indoctrinated life that will remain huge problems.

The good news is our population bubble has burst and we are not reproducing as much. Population levels are simply going to reduce, if we survive long enough.

My problem with many of our current antidotes is that they are reductionist. We carve off a section of our collective experience, isolate the problems within that and provide solutions to those. Thus giving the appearance of possible progress, whilst remaining relatively unaware of the impact outside of that particular area - ie, on the whole which we are trying to fix. But until we arrive at the point where we let go, as you rightly point out, and begin developing means of collaborative existence together, we’re sticking plasters on wounds rather than taking the knife from the attacker.

And the attacker is the systemic code we are all running on in our heads. Unwittingly, unwillingly, because we get snared long before we even realise there’s a trap. And once in there, scrabbling for existence and trying to find some form of happiness overtakes. But fundamental to getting out of all of that is empathy, understanding and love for each other, irrespective of where we find ourselves in the doctrinal soup. We’re all addicts or recovering addicts of the systemic opium. And as any addict will tell you, love, support, acceptance and understanding by oneself and that of others is vital to managing it. So I don’t see it as throwing stones. I see it as open arms for each other, and, as you rightly point out, a shift of focus and energy away from the system towards each other, our fellow dwellers, our home and our shared experience on this big, beautiful space ship hurtling through space time.

Is our job to force solutions on each other or is it to help and support each other off the systemic opium?

Cheers for your writing and thoughts, always.

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Jo Waller's avatar

My gran was one of the suffragettes who exposed the hypocrisy of the patriarchy and I’m deeply grateful. Hamas action on Oct 7th was also motivated by love. I’m not saying don’t get angry or don’t strongly express your view point. I’m saying that if we take sides, us against them, it will make the problems worse. What we resist persists. It gives it greater energy- as we have seen with the response to Oct 7th. The hope is that now it has been brought to the attention of the world, things will change.

The very obvious problems with our world are OUR problems. I imagine it as sitting across a table seeing each other as the problem is much less helpful than sitting on the same side of the table and looking across at the problem. Those in the patriarchy who kept women down or who abuse Palestinians are just as trapped by the Patriarchy as those who are physically trapped by it. We want to release then not oppose them.

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