We can visualize human social formations with the aid of concentric circles. One can think of the inner most circle as containing the individual in society. The next circle can be thought of as the domicile of the family (extended or not), the next one as harboring the community (homogenous or not), then comes the circle where the modern nation-state resides. The final large circle represents the domain of global human community. It is with the circle of the community human diversity comes into being. Modern cosmopolitan communities tend to contain a multitude of nationalities and ethnic groupings. Here, tribalism & ethnicism, even racism tend to be tempered/diffused or the general notion of identity politics somewhat subdued. Traditionally and by and large, communities usually consist of homogenous tribes, but modern nation-states, being products of turbulent human histories, almost always contain mixed communities!
Modernity has imposed its values on all these concentric circles, per force. Human relations, in whichever circle we are dealing with, are mostly dictated by the logic of capital, establishment rhetoric aside! The modern world system has created these non-human values (even anti-human/anti-nature) to facilitate its main objective–accumulation at whatever cost. Other natural human tendencies have become increasingly subservient to this dominant edict that operates all over the world. Even those with metaphysical inclinations (established religions, etc.) are not spared from this dangerous malaise. Consequences are now upon us. Callous exploitation of non-renewable resources, destruction of life support systems throughout the breadth and depth of the planet, economic and social polarization (racism/ethnicism, sexism, etc.,) are all leading to conflicts within and between the circles as described above!
As the crisis of modern world deepens, the usually tempered conflicts within and between the circles are becoming more intense. As greed is the main operating principle of the prevailing world system, alternative/altruistic approaches to problem solving are not entertained or welcomed by the global status quo. The important thing to consider at this point in time (in the world system) is; easy accumulation might not be easy going forward. Reasons abound. To start with, resources are dwindling fast, including the most critical one of fossil fuel, on which the whole edifice of the modern world is built. Secondly, the current demand of the global sheeple is such that wages and taxes can only go up. Thirdly, unrelenting damages to the global environment/ecology (by the greed system) will be resisted by the awakening global humanity. All these and more, add to costs, hence, profit will decline precipitously. Since the overriding concern of TPTB (the power that be) is only incessant accumulation (to what end we don’t know) the future looks very bleak, to say the least. Currently some politicos of the powerful nations are threatening to instigate wars that can potentially utilize WMD (weapons of mass destruction), including nuclear weapons! Greed blinded system might not be able to save humanity from the impending chaos and catastrophes, unless the logic of capital is replaced by the logic of life!
The built-in greed of the system, coupled with technology, is accelerating our demise. Instead of advanced technologies being used to liberate humanity from the elements, they are efficiently employed to subjugate the totality of the human spirit to the prevailing avarice! The psychos occupying state power continue to fight all attempts at liberation. They eagerly work to eliminate alternative views from taking hold of the sheeple’s imagination. The unstated intention of the ‘deep state’ and their followers is to zombify the sheeple (human mass). Opioids, numbing entertainments, spectator sports, etc. are all employed to subdue initiatives that might arise from below. Many of the current tech gadgets take precious time away from more fulfilling human engagements, to say nothing about their role as surveillance instruments, to help TPTB monitor each and every activity of the sheeple. Escape from this suffocating and deadening reality might not be possible, so long as the sheeple is willing to do what is expected of it by TPTB. The dystopian novel of George Orwell ‘1984’ presciently anticipated this prevailing totalitarianism way back in the 1940s! See Chengu’s article next column and others on page 41 & 44.
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest-a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Albert Einstein. Good Day!