So Jeffry Sachs came to speak at Tulane tonight. He teaches at Columbia and wrote some grand book, "The End of Poverty." He took simple numbers and showed how rich governments and/or corporations could EASILY end poverty by, say, 2025 (I forget the precise date). He is not stirring, nor passionate. He's an economist- a simple man who took simple numbers and said, "Hello! It's easy. We buy Africa mosquito nets--tada!"
I sat in that auditorium and felt like I was drowning. It should be that easy, shouldn't it? Ever since I have had a conscience I have felt empathy with people and parts of our world that have been exploited and suffer injustice and inequity. Movements to end poverty, save the rainforest, have universal healthcare, etc, etc, all stem from that same desire to help--the bleeding heart, yada yada. We have always said that the numbers are simple.
Well, it's not about numbers. According to Mr. Sachs if we each--each one of us Americans gave 5 bucks we could 'solve Africa'. Well fucking line me up Dr. But I challenge a single one of you new converts to collect this magical five dollars from anyone. Where I'm going with this...
I sat there, listening to him, in a packed crowd of Tulane students, and slowly lost a bit of faith in humanity. It breaks my heart. Two weeks ago we were petitioning for Burma's democracy movement. Never in my life have I seen people so adept at averting their eyes. Now, these same people sit and think, "yes, wonderful, five bucks to end poverty." But he doesn't mention that politics go with this- that you can't fucking drive around your gigantic SUV, wear your designer clothes, SUPPORT WAR, etc., and solve the problem with your five dollars. I don't want to be high and mighty--I am full of my own contradictions--but damnit. DAMN IT. He sits there talking about ending the war/ending poverty to the same fuckers who still support our troops (because note that the Democrats have been 'supporting our troops' forever).
For all the liberal arts bullshit we go through here people don't connect lines. They see ending poverty, the war, the world bank, etc. as different entities--and clearly positions on these don't have to line up. So here comes someone who separates them for you--you can fight poverty by not really doing anything. Drive your SUV, and yes please, continue buying diamonds from warlords in Africa, and don't forget about Sam's club, because we wouldn't want to disadvantage the sweatshop workers in China who are lifting their families our of poverty. Just give some to aid organizations.
YOU CAN'T FIX POVERTY AND SAVE THE WORLD WITH MONEY IF THE SYSTEM THE MONEY SITS IN DOESN'T WORK!
Jesus. I am conflicted, can you tell?
It just amazes me in a sad, sad way that people are acting as if this is a really new phenomenon--really excited about a movement peace activists and anti-corporatists have been doing for years. I sat there feeling that the majority of students at my school are nearly incapable of empathy (a view, might i add, which is fostered by our wonderful LLLLiberal, atomized conception of the individual). The commments in the crowd--ridiculous.
I'm being critical. I'm being a cynic. I know, but god, at some point I'm entitled, aren't I?
The end point; this school makes me loose faith in the youth and future of america. thanks tulane. thanks.
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I am you. You are me. A HUGE percentage of the average individual's mental and even physical efforts, day-to-day, are alloted to blinding ourselves to this, at least in our conscious mind. We're so conditioned that we have involuntary reactions to things like eye contact. A person can't question those deeper parts of himself/herself and relating to the larger world without questioning such jobs as economist, or nearly every job a white collar, or blue collar person is probably concerned with. We've been 'half-sold a duck' in the form of money-as-it-is. There should be plans for self-sufficiency of all people, just as all nations, the US a loose federation with limited capitalism, or anarcho-syndicalism... After that, we wouldn't have most of the jobs thought of as so integral to our system. No more Mr. detached economist. Bye bye.
I think modernism can be defined by people having to adapt to technology, which was created by people who understood less than they currently do about technology, which creates this pattern of systems increasing in complexity, all based on formats that were compromises to begin with. We're losing our human-ness. Just like in all those dystopian books and movies. I yearn for the imaginary day when we're just a bunch of villages. People care about each other deeply in all circumstances and that is the biggest motivating factor in life.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - attributed to Nelson Mandela, but I just discovered that it was actually written by Marianne Williamson. Makes me think of memes.
'Not blind to causality' - the pith of a popular koan, attributed to an old zen Master Baizhang
When one is mindful about himself/herself, it opens the filter valve of how we see the world, as well as our own looking glass, back and forth. Kind of like LSD or similar drugs. I am you, and you are me becomes apparent. Always increasingly.
I'm not ready to talk about what can be done, but definitely open to learning more about it and discussing...
All I can say is that I think EVERYONE should, as much as possible, put themselves in a place of oppression, and learn about systems of oppression because we're fucking wallowing in them.
Don't be ashamed of your bleeding heart! Why shouldn't our hearts bleed for the things we've seen in the world and the worse things we know are out there? A bleeding heart, what a stirring metaphor.
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