Capitalism the Nightmare - Truthdig

"Nearly three-fourths (71 percent) of the world’s population is poor, living on $10 a day or less, and 11 percent (767 million people, including 385 million children) live in what the World Bank calls “extreme poverty” (less than a $1.90 a day). Meanwhile, Oxfam reliably reports that, surreal as it sounds, the world’s eight richest people possess among themselves as much wealth as the poorest half of the entire human race." Paul Street, Capitalism the Nightmare, Truthdig

This is a sobering thought for the first day of this year's Advent Calendar.

Trinkets and charms are fun to buy, to give and receive, but it almost seems as though we have given up trying to solve the worlds gravest threats, for a little novelty.

In the long run I hope for guidance from friends, science and philosophers to steer my efforts towards a social responsibility.

The Mind Heart Calendar Begins Today

By some accident or roll of the dice you are here.  Full of soft flesh, muscle and frantic nerves. You may be desperately trying to save the world by caring for others, working for security, researching climate change, fighting for the environment, but no matter how many questions you may have or how many nights you have lost sleep, it seems the bad guys keep winning.

The system is set up to convince you that this is the only way our world can work and no-one can break it. Controlling the world is easy if you have all the weapons. It's a lot easier to brag about the wars you have won than to control the future.

If the system can convince us that we are powerless and there is nothing we can do, we follow others and become robotic servants rather than thinking, skillful, ethical beings.

But we have achieved language, music, science. Hate will only choose who and when to kill. Life is so much more complex and rewarding than the will to control.

The only thing we can do is love life. Life is all we have. This one life to love, to nurture and to care.

When it's worse than you already think it is

This blog is going to begin a new project - The Mind-Heart Advent Calendar which will operate like the Christmas Advent Calendar but instead of chocolates or gifts, each day will be a gift of life-affirming community to recall our humanity. Rather than the oppressive messages of capitalism which have dominated corporate media.

Says Chris Hedges: "Our capitalist democracy ceased to function more than two decades ago. We underwent a corporate coup carried out by the Democratic and Republican parties. There are no institutions left that can authentically be called democratic."

Hedges points out the "long and ruthless corporate assault on the working class, the legal system, electoral politics, the mass media, social services, the ecosystem, education and civil liberties in the name of neo-liberalism has disemboweled the country."

Noam Chomsky compares this time to late Weimar Germany.  It has left the nation a decayed wreck. We celebrate ignorance. We have replaced political discourse, news, culture and intellectual inquiry with celebrity worship and spectacle.

Chomsky, in the article published in April 2010 predicted the sweep of right wing Republicans: "We will be told that white males are a persecuted minority. We will be told we have to defend ourselves and the honor of the nation. Military force will be exalted. People will be beaten up. This could become an overwhelming force. And if it happens it will be more dangerous than Germany."

Although I live in Canada - a different nation, we shall be impacted and we are threatened by this movement as much as Europe was threatened by the Nazi's.  The nature of our society with its deniers, thugs, and public activists is still the same.  Those who seek power know how to divide us and I am hoping that this blog might help inspire us to come together to respond.

Every day beginning December 1st this blog will post a new quote, image or aphorism or advice that will link us to our humanity to fight the darkness of hate and ignorance. Not by calling names to people but by calling out our vulnerability to defeat in spirit.  Please sign up to receive these posts as they become available every day. Also if you wish to contribute a piece please contact me via the comment section.