TAKING LEAVE OF OUR HUMANITY
‘And times are a changing’, a line from a ballad sung by Bob
Dylan and indeed there is a shifting global mood around the world, a world far
less confident and struggling with a multitude of issues. Every language has certain phrases or
expressions that can sum up a single feeling or emotion just perfectly, but
they defy an easy translation and the German word “Zeitgeist” is one of
them. It reflects upon the defining
spirit or mood of a particular period of our history as shown by the ideas and
beliefs of the time. Historically it is
used in reference to turmoil and uncertainty, when once more the human race
seesaws like a pendulum, from order to chaos, from peace to war.
Humans have always excelled at turning up the heat and the inevitable
rhetoric that accompanies it shows an abysmal failure at diffusing tensions through
diplomatic solutions. For some strange
reason cranking up the volume and bellicose posturing seems to attract a
following. It is almost like a siren
song we can’t resist once we start listening to it. And it affects all sides of the political
spectrum. Even individuals and groups
clamoring for positive changes are sounding increasingly angry and dispirited
as they see all their efforts ignored or trampled.
We’re once more turning into a self-fulfilling prophecy. We’re joining the chorus and taking
sides. We’re like matches in a matchbox,
absolutely harmless when we take out one matchstick at the time to either lite
a fire or a cooking stove. But if a
matchstick inside the box catches fire they all go up in flames. When common sense, reason and decency leave
us, our humanity becomes once more like a contagion that affects everything and
everyone around us. We’re affected by a
radical change in “Zeitgeist”.
All around the globe the posturing and tough talk is
increasing at an alarming pace and we witness this in the behavior of the
leaders elected. America’s democracy is
on shaky grounds and the difference this time around lies in who is in charge
of the guns, of the judiciary, of security forces, of policies. There is a massive shift to the extreme right
and we’ve already seen evidence of hooligans and criminals pardoned for crimes
like sedition, rebellion and for inflicting grievous violence and bodily
harm. People at their worst, do the
worst.
Friedrich Nietzsche wrote the following lines in “Beyond good
and evil” in 1886.
“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself
does not become a monster. If you gaze
long enough into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”
Male insecurity comes
shining through
The fact that Nietzsche used HE, rather than he or she, is
due to the simple fact that he was raised in a male dominated society, replete
with all the notions that come with assumed male dominance and superiority. Trump’s appeal with many young, male voters,
can be traced back to male insecurity, turning back the clock on rights women
fought so hard for; ignoring the gains made by people belonging to minorities. The fragile male ego is once more on full
display.
Nationalistic fervor ramped up to unprecedented heights and
of course reinforced by demonizing enemies, both new and old, and with
exaggerated threats. Within record time
the nation is transformed into a boot camp.
Ramping up for battle. Conflicts
and wars are shaped by fear and intolerance and from those two spring forth all
others.
Demonizing minorities
The conflict between Israel and Hamas is a textbook example
of how we lose control of a situation, of our humanity, especially when ramped
up male testosterone seeks an outlet.
Take a close look at the Knesset or the military command structure and
what you see is male faces. Israel’s
Prime Minster, Benjamin Nethanyahu, if he were to lose power, faces corruption
and fraud charges. Are any other bells
ringing? Hamas, a militant group in Gaza,
has been involved in fighting a losing battle with Israel from day one. They have no planes, tanks, artillery,
sophisticated missiles, drones or any type of defense systems. Israel has all of the above and the worst of
its destructive weapons, heavy duty bombs, are supplied by the U.S. The death and destruction inflicted on the
civilians trying to sustain their lives in Gaza has been horrific and is
totally out of proportion when compared to what Hamas fighters have been able
to do in return. Israeli justification
has been alarmingly uniform in simplicity; the enemy is embedded within the
civilian population and we have evidence that they are using civilians as a
human shield. Amazing how military
intelligence can pinpoint embedded militants but can’t find the location of
hostages.
Israel has never been happy with a two-state solution. They want a state of Israel run by Israeli
and populated by Israeli. A catch 22 for
Israel is the sad fact that not a single Arab nation wants to take in more
Palestinians. The existing refugee camps
in Jordan and Lebanon are as old as the first Israeli war which led to the
expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
"No bombs raining down on their heads."
The displaced have never given up on regaining their homeland
and the majority refuses to give up their Palestinian identity or integrate as
citizens of a new nation. The simplest
solution from day one—rather than a one-sided United Nations declaration of an
independent state of Israel—would have been a totally integrated state of
Israel that treats all its citizens equally before the law and in civilian
life. You live side by side, as you have
done in the past, and make it work.
Yes, theoretically this could lead to the election of a Prime
Minister of Palestinian descent, but above all, he or she would still be an
Israeli citizen. Our world is literally
filled with similar conflicts on almost every continent. Separatist groups galore. And what stands in the way? An ingrained belief that it is impossible for
two groups differing in either culture, race or language to live side by side
in peace and harmony.
"Who gets to decide?"
And this ingrained resistance of non-cooperation has been
sharpened by decades of violence, opposition and the near vitriolic rhetoric of
extremists on both sides. All Hamas and
Israel have accomplished is shutting the doors on a lasting peace and
meaningful cooperation between both parties.
The civility is gone, the respect and trust and the willingness to
engage in peaceful cooperation and to re-establish a healthy working
relationship.
Throughout human history we have never started from a clean
slate and there has never been a nation that has not suffered or endured
outside interference or migration. With
migration comes integration and this is a fact of life. Ignore it and you find yourself in a constant
state of conflict.
Conflicts allow males
to thrive and reassert dominance
I stated earlier on in this article how current conflicts
around the world are increasingly being shaped by male insecurity and by males
once more trying to reassert their dominance.
Our world has been changing, for better or worse, and it is male
blowback that is once more leading the charge as if by reasserting male
supremacy and dominance we fix all other problems as well.
A simple question: why do women have to fight for rights men
take for granted? It is all about a
balance of power and who wields it.
Females are at their most vulnerable when they reach child bearing age. Child bearing is a transformative,
life-changing event, something males will never experience. Yet none of us would exist without a female’s
ability to give birth.
Perhaps it is that inability to give birth, to be totally
dependent on a female’s ability to give life that promotes the bloodlust in
males to kill, to exercise power over life.
The ultimate power over life. A
bizarre dichotomy that continues to play out.
Why do women in a man’s world constantly have to prove
themselves? It all boils down to male insecurity
true to form. Trump’s agenda and that of
his cronies is not about America’s dwindling fortunes or shortages, it is
fueled by male insecurity and re-establishing male hegemony. Look at the spate of executive orders and who
or what it impacts: deporting illegals, taking away birthrights, scaling back
or even prohibiting reproductive rights.
Turning back the clock on gender differences, on diversity and
inclusion. What do any of the above have
to do with? “Make America Great Again.”
On a number of occasions throughout human history we have
made incredible advances and introduced positive changes, especially for women
and minorities, only to see the positive changes squashed by dark periods of
repression and regression. Changes were
driven and motivated by people demanding change, to shed the shackles of
servitude and oppression, of feeling powerless and under-represented.
Trump and company,
joined by a growing list of nations faced with the same predicaments, follow
the scenario as described in my novella, Energy & Origin, to a T.
All life, from its primordial origin to the present, is
driven by energy and momentum and it’s a force that never stops or slows down
and we have no control over it.
The impact of “male”
dominance
So, what do you do when you run short or run out? Especially energy of the fossil kind. You look around and take what you can. Canada has everything, from land to precious
resources and let’s not forget plenty of water.
Greenland has untapped mineral sources, the Panama canal offers control
over all shipping going East or West and a renamed Gulf of Mexico provides
access to offshore oil wells.
Energy & Origin is
all about how a superior access to energy allows a species to advance or assume
a superior position. From it flows
everything we witness today. It is not a
benign force and at its worst it will bring out the worst. We’re always willing to share and listen in
good times, not so much when nations and people scramble to stay on top.
Male egos are once more flying high. Male testosterone is overflowing. That we’re taking leave of our humanity
should be obvious.
Energy & Origin by
W.M.A. Bes is available on Amazon.ca
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