Last edited Thu May 3, 2012, 03:40 PM - Edit history (1)
One of my favorite posts ever on DU.
Having been raised in nature, and having been fortunate to have lived my whole life in very rural areas, connected to the Earth, I have reflected on, almost daily, these conflicting value systems that you write about.
The way of being that you describe below is, from my perspective, insane.
"It seems curious, indeed, that a portion of our society would view a habitat like this as a natural resource to be used to hydrofrack for gas .... and that making money off of it, despite ruining the site, and poisoning all the life in contact with it, is the true measure of success. Worse, the very minds that are diseased with greed and destruction, are those that this society continues to view as "leaders," and recognizes their "power." But that is the exact opposite of their true being: they do not achieve results by way of self-discipline that brings out their good potential; instead, they are ruled by external and violent forces, which can only result in destruction, disease, and death."
One of my favorite "philosophers" is Smohalla. He lived not far from the same land where I grew up, and I may have wandered in his footsteps at times. The excerpt that the passage below was taken from was authored by a man who was from a different culture, with a very different preponderant value system, than that of Smohalla. The difference in perspective between the value systems of the author and Smohalla appears to be extreme, and I thought this exchange might interest you, in light of your post.
"My young men shall never work," said he with a wave of the hand, including numerous imaginary Indians, as well as the two seated near by. " Men who work cannot dream, and wisdom comes to us in dreams."
" But your young men have to work hard during the fishing season to get food for winter."
" This work only lasts for a few weeks. Besides, it is natural work and does them no harm. But the work of the white man hardens soul and body : nor is it right to tear up and mutilate the earth as white men do."
"We simply take the gifts that are freely offered. We no more harm the earth than would an infant's fingers harm its mother's breast. But the white man tears up large tracts of land, runs deep ditches, cuts down forests, and changes the whole face of the earth. You know very well this is not right. Every honest man,'" said he, looking at me searchingly, "knows in his heart that this is all wrong. But the white men are so greedy they do not consider these things."
http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Reading%20Room%20Documents/smohalla_1891.htm
"OWS seeks to replace the entire political, social, and economic culture with a wider sense of human community. It already conducts itself in that manner. Rather than leaders with the prerogative to make decisions for the group, OWS operates on consensus. It is clear from the past ten or twelve years that there is no political, institutional solution for what ails us. Fortunately, we do not need one."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002579714
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