By Julie-Anne Lothian
Some say there is nothing left to fight for, that we are a lost generation with no cause, no war and no purpose. And with this in mind, we assume no responsibility: if there is nothing to fight against, then fighting seems pointless.
Although logically sound, the argument is false. It is not that there is nothing left to fight against, but that sacrificing anything to do so would cause far too much discomfort. And so we sit and complain, because no one is doing anything. Yet when something goes wrong it astonishes us when no one gives a damn. Maybe I am being too harsh. I do not wish to forget all those who get up every morning and fight their own personal battles. This, however, may be part of the problem: we are not sovereign entities wandering aimlessly. Your individuality is wrapped up within countless other lives. The coffee you drink, the paper you write on, hell, the thoughts you believe to be your own; all have a story. What we fail to remember is that that story is also wrapped up in the lives of other people.
I believe that the greatest thing the evils of the world are capable of is distraction. We all know that injustices occur; we are all aware of the fact that some people go home to a good meal and a warm bed, while others do not have a home. What we have convinced ourselves of is that this is someone else’s fault. We say the ‘system’ is to blame: the government is not fulfilling their duties, the neo-imperialist powers of the world are enslaving all of us. This is true to a point (and not something I wish to go into here), but it is also part of an increasingly elaborate diversion. When there are so many things that are beyond your control it’s easy to assume that you are not the problem.
This is the war I believe we have to fight, and this is also why no one is taking up arms. The battle is not against a neo-liberal machine that perpetuates the oppression of most while rewarding some. The war is against the individualistic self who believes that it affects, and is effected by, nothing outside of itself. We are the enemies of the world, and we have fashioned the most impressive war strategy ever known: self-manipulation. With this internal manipulation, we have created a society bent on self-destruction. It is a highly effective and complex system that is sophisticated in its application. This is because we have made ourselves unaware of the fact that the suffering of others is our own suffering. Unless we change the belief that we are not part of the lives of others, we will squeeze the life out of everything we value in the world.
The point I wish to make is a simple one: we depend on others for our survival. Even our beliefs are affected by those around us. In keeping with the tone of this column, let me leave you with words that are not my own: “you can never escape from your fate, the mistake is to take without giving. So break the tradition, make a decision, because no matter how hard you try you’re still in prison if you’re born with wings and never fly”*.
Some say there is nothing left to fight for, that we are a lost generation with no cause, no war and no purpose. And with this in mind, we assume no responsibility: if there is nothing to fight against, then fighting seems pointless.
Although logically sound, the argument is false. It is not that there is nothing left to fight against, but that sacrificing anything to do so would cause far too much discomfort. And so we sit and complain, because no one is doing anything. Yet when something goes wrong it astonishes us when no one gives a damn. Maybe I am being too harsh. I do not wish to forget all those who get up every morning and fight their own personal battles. This, however, may be part of the problem: we are not sovereign entities wandering aimlessly. Your individuality is wrapped up within countless other lives. The coffee you drink, the paper you write on, hell, the thoughts you believe to be your own; all have a story. What we fail to remember is that that story is also wrapped up in the lives of other people.
I believe that the greatest thing the evils of the world are capable of is distraction. We all know that injustices occur; we are all aware of the fact that some people go home to a good meal and a warm bed, while others do not have a home. What we have convinced ourselves of is that this is someone else’s fault. We say the ‘system’ is to blame: the government is not fulfilling their duties, the neo-imperialist powers of the world are enslaving all of us. This is true to a point (and not something I wish to go into here), but it is also part of an increasingly elaborate diversion. When there are so many things that are beyond your control it’s easy to assume that you are not the problem.
This is the war I believe we have to fight, and this is also why no one is taking up arms. The battle is not against a neo-liberal machine that perpetuates the oppression of most while rewarding some. The war is against the individualistic self who believes that it affects, and is effected by, nothing outside of itself. We are the enemies of the world, and we have fashioned the most impressive war strategy ever known: self-manipulation. With this internal manipulation, we have created a society bent on self-destruction. It is a highly effective and complex system that is sophisticated in its application. This is because we have made ourselves unaware of the fact that the suffering of others is our own suffering. Unless we change the belief that we are not part of the lives of others, we will squeeze the life out of everything we value in the world.
The point I wish to make is a simple one: we depend on others for our survival. Even our beliefs are affected by those around us. In keeping with the tone of this column, let me leave you with words that are not my own: “you can never escape from your fate, the mistake is to take without giving. So break the tradition, make a decision, because no matter how hard you try you’re still in prison if you’re born with wings and never fly”*.
*Quotation by Faithless
0 comments:
Post a Comment