Comment on "The System is Cracking"
Dear Fernando,
I feel touched by what you write. Apart from being a good roundup of what has been going on in the last year or so (and I haven’t been following the news closely so this is helpful to me) and a good reminder of the numbers involved, you have managed to touch my heart and I am sure you are not exaggerating in what you say, nor are you overly pessimistic.
I have recently read a book by Gil Bailie (“Violence Unveiled”) who says that things are only getting so much more violent (or we perceive them as such) because of our awareness of Human Rights, and ultimately of our growing awareness that Jesus, when he was killed, was killed innocently by a mob (us). So since the advent of Christianity, the world has become more violent, because a mechanism has been uncovered and made redundant that had helped establish peace. Here is how it worked: In earlier times (and still today in some cultures) people felt that it was necessary and correct to kill others for being different because killing a scapegoat, or a group of scapegoats, would help their own community feel more united – meaning peace for themselves. The story of people of Israel is full of examples of this. This to me explains in part what happens when ethnic violence breaks out.
Gaza, Zimbabwe, Congo and Sri Lanka can be roughly summarised under this premise, but I am not so sure about the financial crisis – this is an interesting point that I’ll think about some more. I think you are most correct to say that the system stinks when it comes to the financial crisis, where the assumption that we will all live better (for now) if some trillions get poured into saving the banking industry seems such an obvious scam in favour of those who “have” already. Planned and executed, but not as part of an underlying anthropological issue that Christ on the cross has helped uncover. Just plain short-term thinking, and stupid at that. Something to resist non-violently by creating credit unions and refusing consumerism.
Uta Sievers
18 January 2008
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