Thursday, May 9, 2013

Day 21 - The Politics of a Burning Building: Surviving Survival





Day 21 - The Politics of a Burning Building: Surviving Survival


Tonight we are continuing in the series "The Politics of a Burning Building". For the full context of this series, please check out -


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The Burning Building -

Imagine that you are in a burning building along with a thousand other people, and there is only one exit. Above this exit is a sign that says "Survival". This exit to "Survival" is only big enough to fit two regularly sized people at a time, or one large person at a time, or one person with a disability that requires that they use a wheelchair or be assisted by others in order to pass.

You realize that there is limited time before the structure collapses above you and the fires engulf the entire building. If everyone finds a way to cooperate and calmly proceed through the exit to "Survival", moving at a reasonable pace and ensuring that people who require assistance are helped along the way so that they do not become blockages for the rest - it is likely that everyone will make it out safely to "Survival" with some time and effort.

If the people do not cooperate in consideration of each other's common need to get to "Survival" and adapting as a group to meet that need, then there will be chaos, disorder, and panic. Energy will be wasted trying to find or force a path to "Survival" and this will ensure casualties, as well as risking the fires spreading more quickly during the commotion. But those who are first to act on instinct and can fight best, will get through "Survival" first and ensure they are not left behind in the chaos.

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Tonight we are looking at the "Survivors". Here is a recap -


"The Survivors - These are the people who do whatever they must in order to ensure their own survival, and have determined that the entire group will likely NOT cooperate and unless they fight and compete with others to get to "Survival", they will end up trapped in the burning building." - Day 19 - The Politics of a Burning Building: Introduction


If it is understood that cooperation and moving together as a group is the most practical method of reaching a common goal, where then does the fear and inclination of distrust and self-interest come from, and why do we assume that during a disaster or mass emergency situation, people in a group will likely panic and behave irrationally? What is the consequence of making such an assumption, and what is the responsibility of those in positions of political/governmental/institutional leadership?

In the current world system, "Survival" is the concern of everyone alive in the world today. Each day, the majority of people in the world must compete with each other in order to survive because of the way our current money system is structured.

As mentioned in the previous post, the sign above the exit door that reads "Survival" can just as easily be replaced by a sign that reads "Money" - and it is clearly able to be seen that in this world, money is equal to survival. Without money, you cannot have access to goods and services and you cannot participate in your living effectively.

Money is deliberately manipulated in such a way that ensures there will never be enough for everyone equally, because that would remove the power and influence of those who control the money system and benefit from the conflicts and the very competition that this lack of money produces in the world system - because the more people focus on competing with each other for money, and the less they work cooperatively towards mutual goals - the easier it is for certain elite groups of people to bypass and actually profit from the conflicts going on by those busy trying to survive.

Thus, our children are often taught during their schooling to compete with one another - to get the best grades or suffer humiliation or being "left behind". We teach our young adults to study hard and do whatever it takes even if it means cheating so that they can get into a good university, so that they will be better equipped and trained to compete in the world system for survival through money. We constantly reward those who "make a killing in the marketplace" with large bounties of money. We do not reward excellence for being an example of what all are capable of becoming - we instead reward excellence to encourage competition and further division between people of various classes and abilities and social standing - creating more and more conflicts and greater demands for being the "best of the best" instead of focusing on bringing out the best in all.

 Cooperation and mutual benefit removes competition and becomes a platform for agreement and unity. And for these reasons, cooperation is highly discouraged and/or disregarded because it alleviates conflict and friction which generates "market activity" and "production" - not for the benefit of all, but as a requirement to attain basic survival through money which is drizzled down in small quantities after the elites of the world have made their profit.

This is a part of the reason why, in the current world system we do not see products that are made to last or goods and services that focus on long term use and preventing waste. This is why there are so many companies and products to choose from. It is not because we demand such variety - there is such variety and so much product in our markets because all of those goods are the attempts of survivors doing what they must do in order to make money, hoping that you will spend some of yours so that they can benefit from a fraction of the profit made by the elite class.

Here we can see how it is that people are so geared for survival and competition instead of considering mutual support and agreement. Even though we all see it would be better to work together and have an economic system that benefits all equally, we are too caught up in the daily struggle for survival that has been going on for several decades and has created such a momentum that for some to stop now would only result in them being left out and trampled upon by the horde of the majority still rushing to reach "Survival".

What we must realize here is very critical - if there is to be any change in the current race for humanity to reach "Survival" out of the eminently collapsing building that is our current world system, it must be done at once, through a MAJORITY decision that is not forced or coerced, but based on an equal understanding and awareness of our global problem.

We must realize that even if the most driven, brilliant, stalwart, and politically influential people in the world were to now become politically active - they will NOT be able to change the world system on behalf of the majority anymore than can a handful of people slow the momentum of a charging crowd.

The MAJORITY must decide as a group that this is the agreed solution, and ONLY AS A MAJORITY united in a common purpose and understanding of what is at stake for our survival, can we in fact turn the tide and change our momentum to ensure that we do not, in our current headlong rush to "Survival", allow any to fall behind or be trampled underfoot or become victims of abuse, and that those who dare to stand up as leaders for actual change will be backed by MAJORITY support and will not be vulnerable to the controls of the system which hold power over the very money system that causes separation and conflict - so that the REAL Politicians and the REAL Leaders of the world no longer need to compromise themselves or their integrity or ask permission of the system in order to do what is best for ALL.

In the blogs to follow we will have a look at the government institutions that are supposed to ensure the well being of the majority - and the various keepers of the peace in the current system who seem powerless today to do anything about the corruption of the system, and what their place SHOULD BE in the Politics of a Burning Building.

Continue to the next segment "Crisis of Trust"

1 comment:

  1. Awesome post - Thanks for this Blog series Joe!

    ReplyDelete

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