Beam me up. Now. Please.
I just finished reading a book by war correspondent Chris Hedges called War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning. It should be required reading for anyone that thinks violence and war are solutions for any problem.
While I do fantasize about being a Zen forest hermit from time to time, I am no misanthropist. I love people. All people.
But if aliens are observing our planet they must think we are nuts. Violent nuts. It must look like Planet War, or Planet Waste. Any species more intelligent than an amoeba would high tail it at the speed of light away from this burning orb. War is Hell, and that is no exaggeration.
The author's eye-witness stories didn't do much for my opinion of our species. It was difficult reading, and it will probably haunt me for the rest of my life. It was shocking to someone who lived such a peaceful existence.
Hedges must have PTSD. I know I do after reading his contribution to the flaming heap of anti-war literature. But I am not holding my breath for an enlightened alien abduction, and I am sure I would get lonely all alone in a hut in the forest (give me a year and come and check on me).
I think that humanity can be that species that attains a non-violent state. How alien would that be on a planet where war is waged continuously? I am sure it can be done.
The author of this book and I agree on how to achieve non-violence, and indeed it seems like the only answer. That answer is love. We need more love than anything else. Never mind more stuff, that is why we have war in the first place. We need more love.
Lots and lots of love. It's free - we should be spreading that stuff around. It is the antidote to hate.
I am sure lots of perfectly nice aliens would feel comfortable beaming down to Planet Love.
I wonder how many emissions war causes?
ReplyDeleteLots. Hate is the worst one.
DeleteTo fill in the missing pieces, read "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" by Naomi Kline.
ReplyDeleteI am not putting in a bid for terrorism any time soon, but a day may soon come when more people begin to realize that terrorism is a just reaction to imperial exploitation. People will fight for their families, you know?
Another book that offers a great counter perspective to war, is "The More Beautiful World our Heart's Know is Possible." I really enjoyed it.
I read Kline's book and also recommend it. Hard to remain in denial when the facts are laid out in such a way that you can see how we are all being played.
DeleteThat they call people fighting for their very lives (and the lives of their families) "terrorism" says a lot about our sick system. If we allow it to happen on our behalf I guess we are all terrorists.
It is hard for people benefitting from imperialism to denounce imperialism. But that is what has to happen. How good can all that stuff be if it is soaked in blood?
I love the title "The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible". Going to our public library webpage right now. After Hedge's book I need something radically positive.
Charles Eisenstein is the author. Given what I've read on your blog, you will rather enjoy it. And yes, it's way more settling to the system than Klein and Hedges; not that their work is unimportant, it's just tough reading for those who care.
DeleteConsidering our current political climate, I just want beamed out of the USA. Hate appears to be winning.
ReplyDeleteNova Scotia is welcoming all Americans to join us up here. Whether Trump wins or not.
DeleteClick here to see "Cape Breton if Donald Trump Wins"
Miss Marla, I was doing a little research tonight and before you give up hope, check these titles out:
Deletehttp://www.amazon.com/The-Resilience-Imperative-Cooperative-Steady-state/dp/0865717079/ref=pd_sim_14_15?ie=UTF8&dpID=41vIRqsG4eL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=01S2M5BP84GHCVG2MEJT
http://www.amazon.com/Owning-Our-Future-Ownership-Revolution/dp/1605093106/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41CzyzF43IL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR106%2C160_&refRID=0N57SDFMD5EFRY46SWBP
When you are looking at these titles, also look at similar titles. It may be slow in coming, but a revolution is happening.
"Empire of Illusion" was a very disturbing read for me. I always look forward to your blog posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kris T. "Empire of Illusion" was quite a dose of reality that can be quite uncomfortable. You can kind of see why some people just don't want to know. But how can we fix anything without awareness of the problems?
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