The Big View
I have been writing a lot about the UK election, and as it's a fresh issue that helps to account for it; it would probably be not right for me to sound out-of-touch with current events!
But, today, let's step back a little and think of the global situation and the UK's recent events in the light of that.
What's recently happened in Greece and is possibly impending in Portugal and Spain, and much further away - in Thailand and parts of Africa - is probably only a glimmer of the stark realities of where modern culture has taken us. Despite our withdrawal as a country of Empire so many years ago now, there has ever since been a continuation of the theme of the main western countries taking a colonial approach in far-away territories. The west has always tried to make out to our distant friends that there is something superior about our way of life of TVs, cars and associated gimmicks, and now that eastern countries are better able to produce those commodities, we feel hurt that they should have turned the tables, so to speak.
But it has not been just the gimmicks that we have sold - we have sold our way of life as well. Many are the people from so far abroad have been fed on the idea that we have a superior approach to life, and that we are able to provide them with all their material wants.
Unfortunately, those poor would-be nouveau riche have all too often not realised that there are wisdoms in their own culture that would provide the real happiness they seek. They - as well as we - all too often seek our happiness in the external; we are deluded into thinking that the objects that fascinate us are the reality. We chase after those objects, and when they escape us we become frustrated. Later we die, and what have we achieved in preparation for physical death, which is really the entry to the after-life?
So when this new UK government trots out old, hackneyed, phrases about our well-being, why not stop and think a moment. Ask, "Is this reality they're putting in front of us?" ... "Are we again being deluded?" ... "Is what they're putting forward both sustainable and fair [for us and the world]?" ... "Why can't we do with less?"
But, today, let's step back a little and think of the global situation and the UK's recent events in the light of that.
What's recently happened in Greece and is possibly impending in Portugal and Spain, and much further away - in Thailand and parts of Africa - is probably only a glimmer of the stark realities of where modern culture has taken us. Despite our withdrawal as a country of Empire so many years ago now, there has ever since been a continuation of the theme of the main western countries taking a colonial approach in far-away territories. The west has always tried to make out to our distant friends that there is something superior about our way of life of TVs, cars and associated gimmicks, and now that eastern countries are better able to produce those commodities, we feel hurt that they should have turned the tables, so to speak.
But it has not been just the gimmicks that we have sold - we have sold our way of life as well. Many are the people from so far abroad have been fed on the idea that we have a superior approach to life, and that we are able to provide them with all their material wants.
Unfortunately, those poor would-be nouveau riche have all too often not realised that there are wisdoms in their own culture that would provide the real happiness they seek. They - as well as we - all too often seek our happiness in the external; we are deluded into thinking that the objects that fascinate us are the reality. We chase after those objects, and when they escape us we become frustrated. Later we die, and what have we achieved in preparation for physical death, which is really the entry to the after-life?
So when this new UK government trots out old, hackneyed, phrases about our well-being, why not stop and think a moment. Ask, "Is this reality they're putting in front of us?" ... "Are we again being deluded?" ... "Is what they're putting forward both sustainable and fair [for us and the world]?" ... "Why can't we do with less?"
Comments
Post a Comment