A Question of Morals and Morality
Sha'Tara ~ %~)
Much has been said of the fact that this world is becoming one world. Thanks to technology and an exponentially increasing Earthian population, most people are as aware, perhaps even more so, of what happens on the other side of the globe than in the apartment two floors down. If we look at the labels on the things we buy, be it for food, be it for entertainment, we are reminded instantly that they have indeed travelled from the other side of the planet. We live in a global economy; the economy is the god of the age, ergo, we are a global community even if our miserable pretense of, and pretentious leadership, whether elected or not, is not in accord. These so-called governments are but left-over fading shadows of a time and world that could have been but was essentially still-born.
Perhaps we can agree on this one thing then, that we are in essence a global community. But isn’t that a rather spurious definition? Perhaps I could say, isn’t that a condemning claim?
What sort of community fails to act when great numbers of its own membership starve to death when the means to prevent such horror are available to the community – and the community knows this? What sort of community allows its children to be enslaved in sweat shops and forced into prostitution and not only does nothing to stop this, but actually profits from such conditions? What sort of community degrades itself into any kind of genocidal lust?
If there be one thing that can be said of this current global community, it is this: it has no morals. It retains no sense of common decency. Worse, not only is this true of its rank and file members but more so of its leadership, whether this leadership is found in banking and business, at the head of religious institutions or in government.
Technology has swept in from the great halls of science escorted with much fanfare by the great prostitute known as Media and with hardly a blow being struck to slow it down, has established itself as the way-shower and life-giver for the global community. Whatever it wants, it plunders with impunity, in exchange giving the proverbial handful of beads and trinkets to the billions of deluded individuals whose sole reason for existing has become a chasing after the wind, the pursuing of her or his pleasure across the endless seas of malls.
Examples, some will cry. Give us examples. As if such were needed. It’s all a matter of observation. Look at crime, drug consumption, gambling. Look at the corruption at all levels of government everywhere, especially where justice is concerned. Look at the lifestyles of the “rich and famous” and how the rank and file pants after their corrupt ways. Look at how ordinary people treat each other as they drive around, the attitudes, the unnecessary noise, the vulgarity. Look at how much is spent on personal entertainment. Finally, look at how much of that is done using the ubiquitous credit and debt machinery provided by computer technology. And I haven’t even touched on environmental destruction, blatant exploitation and resource wars. Am I painting a picture yet?
Can a society, a community that has fallen so hard, so deep and so fast, hope to recover its senses in time to avoid a complete collapse?
What “collapse” would that be? asks the blasé Earthian while scanning his iPhone for the latest joke or line of gossip? I’ll explain: the collapse of his humanity; the loss of the very first signs that he was beginning to win the battle to become a true human being.
Throughout the years that I’ve experienced “Earthianity” in myself, I’ve wondered what it meant to be human. I heard many things relating to that term. For example, being humane is a human trait. Here are two dictionary definitions of the term:
1. Marked or motivated by concern with the alleviation of suffering
2. Showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement
Those are pretty straightforward definitions, which derive from humanity. Being human means to have such concerns, not only when some articulate preacher, or politician or orator brings on the guilt in order to empty wallets, but all the time. Repeat: all the time, as in always.
An authentic human would never rest easy, nor easily indulge in the artificial life offered by the technocrats (the real and actual rulers of today’s world) while being aware of the social conditions within his community, conditions caused by the very vehicle that allows him all manners of self-gratification. A human would also demonstrate that s/he is on a definite path of moral and intellectual advancement. There would be, in such a being, a change that would cause a rift with society as a whole.
This is not a question of guilt - guilt never accomplishes nor solves anything – it’s a question of empathy. A human being is naturally empathic (or if you prefer, empathetic) whereas by obvious observation, the Earthian is anything but. Empathy is a natural by-product of caring and caring comes from a superior intellect guided by clear and working morality – as opposed to an oppressive and false morality imposed on families or groups by power-wielding patriarchs, prophets or organizations. This I have learned: that the opposite of moral in this society, is not “immoral” but greedy. This world is awash in a rising, deadly tide of distilled greed.
Christmas (or as it is now the politically correct way to call it, “The Holidays”) is fast approaching and the money-grabbers are rubbing their hands, standing by their cash registers in anticipation of mega profits from the consuming madness they were instrumental in inoculating their victims with. Watch and listen to the ads, read the signs, the flyers, and you get the picture of what this is really all about.
But is that “right”? Is it “moral”? Is it “acceptable”? Is it “justifiable”? Rhetorical questions.
Can nothing be done about it? Of course, everything can be done about it. So simple: don’t buy into it. Ignore it. Stay home. Meditate. Wonder. Hope. Let your mind wander into a world that knows no peace, no comfort, has no hope and just be there, holding the hand of someone who is dying. And know, as you will, that by such an act of will you have overcome the sense of hopelessness the enormity of the problem brings to your mind.
Perhaps, if the idea of being alone is too frightening, find a simple church somewhere and sneak in to just feel the Immanent. Find a midnight mass to commune - not necessarily with the people there, most are just as caught up in the madness as everyone else - but with that Nameless Something you wish was possible, real.
Another way is to watch “A Christmas Carol” while realizing that we are all Scrooges and that we all need a miracle to change us. And then accepting the fact that it’s not the miracle that changes us, but our willingness to enter into the miracle on a daily basis. The miracle is the beginning, the walking into a door that was always ajar, always there, in our peripheral spirit vision.
However we push ourselves through that door; that threshold that it is so necessary to cross in order to realize what it means to be a moral being, the idea is to become the miracle; to live it, not as an emotion tied to a once a year event such as Christmas, but as a way of life.
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