The System and the Abyss

The recent entries reminds me of an article I wrote some 24 years ago in that beautiful city by the bay, San Francisco.

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The system is going to the abyss and it wants to drag the rest of humanity with it.

But who or what exactly is the system? Perhaps to make it easier to understand and unmask this sort of abstract entity, we need to ask a different question. Instead of asking who or what is the system, maybe we should ask: who or what represent the system? Then, maybe this abstraction can become a little less hazy.

Who or what then represents the System? The state, the institutions, the corporations, the banks, the multinationals, the transnationals, the para-states, and finally, the organizations, governments, politicians, bureaucrats and individuals who not only accept the ideology of the system, but advocate, defend and utilize its principles and methodology that promote the continued negation of what are fundamental to the human being: his freedom and intentionality.

But where is this ideology originating? Its principles, its methodology – where are all these based on, where are all these coming from? The way I see it, these are all based on and coming from an archaic point of view, a point of view regarding "nature", the "natural" and the "nature" of the human being. That bastardly notion that considers the human being as part of the animal kingdom and therefore, part of "nature". The bad news is that this concept of "human nature" is universally accepted.

On this basis, their ideology, principles, laws and methodology – all that institutionalized injustice throughout the world – is therefore only practical, common sensical, logical, rational, pragmatic, natural, and therefore justified. Why not? Isn't it all natural? Aren't all these according to nature?

On top of all of these – and what makes matters even worse – is that they believe that this "nature" of things was granted; it has been given by the highest authority; it was granted by the divinity itself.

And since their gods are capable of unbridled violence, doesn't that justify their own violence -- at least in their own miniscule heads?

From this background, from this starting point, from this point of view, it is then only reasonable that the fittest survive, the most aggressive succeed, the most competitive win, the rich becomes richer, and corporate CEOs become demigods. Of course, not to forget, they shall all inherit the earth!

Or so, they think.

Everything is logical, everything is reasonable, everything is justified -- and why not? it's all "natural"!

But where do all these lead us?

Where else but to more concentration of power, concentration of information, of resources, of goods, etc. In short, the appropriation of the whole by a small part of the whole, whose consequence is pain, suffering, hunger, vengeance, war, violence at home, violence in the streets, massive unemployment, discrimination, intolerance, destruction of the environment, the abyss -- and of course, without realizing it, the slow death of the human spirit!

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