The Most Precious Commodity
A 2007 television series called ’Meet the Natives’ followed five hunter-gatherer tribesmen from the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, as they encountered US culture in a sort of reverse anthropology experiment. In one unforgettable episode they travelled around New York City where they encountered an elderly homeless man. They were dumbfounded that no one was there to take care of him. In their society, they would have built him a hut and made sure that he had adequate food. I think the tribesmen felt sorry for us who have so lost our way.
They live in a time before the monetization of society, a time before debt and credit, a time where every tribe member, child or elder is considered the most precious commodity.
At the core of our western biblical mythology we find Adam and Eve leaving the garden. What is at the heart of this powerful metaphor and what was the transgression that led to the expulsion? Perhaps the phrase, “money is the root of all evil” has some relevance. History is the never ending story of conquering, plundering, subjugation, rebellion, and the establishment of new orders that then conquer, subjugate, give rise to rebellion and so on. With the invention of money, the machinery of war was modernized and codified. The collective wealth created by workers could now be efficiently siphoned off to make war. The modern, so-called, democratic societies we inhabit are still constructed after the model of societies whose purpose was to make war. Nationalism contains not only the idea that we are special, but that we are entitled to be special at the expense of others. Nationalism is also an effective cover for elitism. The 1% use nationalistic rhetoric to get the 99% to do their bidding by creating the illusion that they will benefit from the military or economic adventure of the moment, when it is really in the interest of the 1% and not the populace as a whole.
In addition to smoothing the machinery of war, the monetizing of society had another dire consequence: the devaluation of the underclass, now expendable units in the service of the state. When times are good there is a cushion that prevents a good portion of the 99% from rubbing against the toxic underpinnings of society, but when economies go south as they do periodically, the cushion is removed, and the true nature of the beast we inhabit comes to light. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise was coincident with the suppression of empathy and the development of the ability to objectify others. Thus began history.
Some interesting things have happened along the path of our evolutionary spiral:
1. Having ostensibly left the garden behind in pursuit of wealth, power and ego fulfillment, it has never really left us, or, left us alone. It pops up now and then in the form of Buddha or Jesus or even LSD dropping hippies, or in a moment of pure empathy that creeps up on us unawares. We have a sense of morality and social justice, which just might be programmed into our DNA by nature and not a human invention at all, as can be seen by the extreme cooperation and understanding of right and wrong exhibited by the emperor penguins in “The March of the Penguins.”
2. The machinery of war became so powerful that the possibility of obliterating all life on earth has become possible either by design or mishap.
3. Human activity has become so toxic that it has already caused serious and possibly irreversible damage to the environment in the form of global warming, toxic waste from manufacturing and agribusiness, and radioactive fallout from history’s most stupid, dangerous and costly way of boiling water - nuclear power.
4. We have realized that the world is not infinite. A mere 300 years ago this continent had not been mapped. Now everywhere on earth has either been populated or deeply affected by human activity. Save for space, there are no new physical frontiers.
5. We have seen the earth from space. Humanity has been able to look back at itself and appreciate the precious, singular and fragile world we inhabit.
Violence Redefined
Normally we limit the definition of violence to mean the use of “rough or injurious physical force” against others as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary. Wikipedia says “Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes.” The obvious inference of “physical force” is the use of fists, clubs, weapons restraints etc. I would maintain that any act, whether physical, verbal, written, economic, electronic, etc., that adversely affects the well being of others is an act of violence. We should include in our definition the ill effects of our activity on the non-human community of beings. We can argue what constitutes well being for humans, and what level of impact on the environment is acceptable, but there are certain fundamental universal rights that we should agree on:
1.) Access to adequate and healthy nutrition
2.) Access to adequate shelter
3.) Access to clean water
4.) Freedom of expression
5.) Freedom from war, physical violence and coercion
6.) Access to education
7.) Freedom from debt slavery and bondage of all forms
8.) Access to Health Care
Many argue that these things are not possible because there is not enough money, but a radical reordering of the world’s priorities will enable all of this and much more. In any case, a radical reordering of the world’s priorities is necessary to save the planet from a descent into a state of permanent warfare and/or repression, permanent ecological degradation and global warming.
If we aspire to a world where people once again are the most precious commodity, we need to understand how violence permeates the furthest capillaries of our social and ecological fabric. We have to root out and expose what constitutes violence towards people and the environment and how they are inextricably linked. Our morning coffee may come at the expense of growers and workers through unfair wages and land distribution. Monoculture agriculture and the use of genetically modified organisms and pesticides depletes the soil, kills off mutually beneficial organisms including the bees, who are key to our survival. Mountain top removal, tar sand mining and hydro-fracking should be ranked as ecological genocide. A presidential candidate asking why he should pay for someone else’s education may be preaching a form of violence against the people, intentional or otherwise. A large portion of the populace living in poverty while our treasure is spent on dubious adventures abroad is violence twice over.
The Unifying Principle of the Occupy Movement is Non-Violence
If we want to step off of the cycle of conquering, plundering and subjugation, we have to first eradicate violence in our own behavior and then seek to educate others about how pernicious and pervasive it really is. A movement such as this can never succeed in transforming the war making state if it engages in the slightest violence. The Occupy movement with all of its various causes can be seen inherently as a movement to counter the effects of violence on society and the web of life. Addressing violence in all of its manifestations, gross and subtle, is, to my mind, the primary activity of this movement and the unifying principle that many have claimed is missing. I hope it will ultimately practice non-violence on a scale never before seen. The moral force of such a movement would be irresistible.
We are the 100%
What most of the 1% and still too many of the 99% do not yet realize is that we are all part of the 100%. Seen from space, there is no distinction. We all breathe the same air drink the same water and are part of the same self-contained system. The 1% need the 99%, not to make them rich but to enrich their lives and to welcome them back into the fold. The 99% need the 1% to realize their responsibility to mother earth and their fellow beings and to do the right thing. Should that come to pass, the rewards will be beyond anything we have previously imagined, and will far outstrip the hollow pleasures of having more money than one could ever spend. In The Phenomenon of Man Pierre Teilhard DeChardin pointed out that bees have achieved the end point of their evolution and that the overall organization of their existence is steady state, but that humanity has yet to achieve this goal. He also says that it is inevitable that we will.
Rather than being trapped in the endless and fruitless four-year political cycles of a corrupt, antiquated and broken system, we should examine what is needed to build a world order that will last for millennia: a foundation based on vision and love and the politics of inclusion. The good news is that millions of intelligent and visionary people would like nothing more than to set this wheel in motion and put the old one to rest.
Peace and Joy to All
