butchersapron
Bring back hanging
You sure? You sure that you didn't lose all politcal perspective in the few days after the victory?
Are ordinary folks to blame as well?
- Thread starter lobster
- Start date
Nothing lasts for ever.
What is needed is a historical perspective.
From an individualist, short-termist perspective nothing ever changes, people are stuck in their ways of thinking and acting, the progressives, the innovators, the rebels are a tiny minority, isolated, even reviled. Such was the feeling of such people for most of recorded history in periods inbetween massive upheavals, wars, revolutions and collapses.
Form a historical perspective we are sitting on the edge of a precipice, with a very rickety bridge ahead and most of the vast and growing crowd behind us ignoring this, and the pressure at their backs to move forward. Rather they prefer escapism, distraction, hedonism or introversion - which of course are as "rational" a response as that of those at the front arguing rather fruitlessly over the nature of the bridge, whether it can carry us all, whether we should wait until a new one has been built or shouting inaudibly in the din that people should quit pushing!
What is needed is a historical perspective.
From an individualist, short-termist perspective nothing ever changes, people are stuck in their ways of thinking and acting, the progressives, the innovators, the rebels are a tiny minority, isolated, even reviled. Such was the feeling of such people for most of recorded history in periods inbetween massive upheavals, wars, revolutions and collapses.
Form a historical perspective we are sitting on the edge of a precipice, with a very rickety bridge ahead and most of the vast and growing crowd behind us ignoring this, and the pressure at their backs to move forward. Rather they prefer escapism, distraction, hedonism or introversion - which of course are as "rational" a response as that of those at the front arguing rather fruitlessly over the nature of the bridge, whether it can carry us all, whether we should wait until a new one has been built or shouting inaudibly in the din that people should quit pushing!
elbows
Well-Known Member
We are all victims of that which has gone before. Beliefs, ideas, education, television, have messed with all our minds. It is easy to share the cynicism that people have towards elites, and to a limited extent the cynicism that elites have towards the masses and true democracy. As a species we dont seem to have a good track record of where we lead ourselves and others. We exploit our own weaknesses and those of others. Those with some real power are clearly in a position to set the direction far more than the masses, and to actively distort the views of the masses, but all the same the attitudes of masses in society does have some real responsibility for how thing turn out.
Crisis will necessitate the abandonment of universal cynicism, both the leaders and the lead will have to fight harder for what they believe in, or harder against that which they oppose, the luxury of paying little attention or going with the flow will be less abundant, though still present.
I fear much trouble ahead, but on an optimistic day I think its an opportunity to really find out what unites us, what common ground we have. A period of horror, followed by co-operation on massive and obviously important tasks, and a shift to a genuinely fairer system as a result of new realities and the public pressure. This may not happen, it could go very wrong, but just ocasionally a common sense of decency within our beliefs might push us in the right direction for a change.
Crisis will necessitate the abandonment of universal cynicism, both the leaders and the lead will have to fight harder for what they believe in, or harder against that which they oppose, the luxury of paying little attention or going with the flow will be less abundant, though still present.
I fear much trouble ahead, but on an optimistic day I think its an opportunity to really find out what unites us, what common ground we have. A period of horror, followed by co-operation on massive and obviously important tasks, and a shift to a genuinely fairer system as a result of new realities and the public pressure. This may not happen, it could go very wrong, but just ocasionally a common sense of decency within our beliefs might push us in the right direction for a change.
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