Awareness

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To act in goodness one must know the full extent of his existence. To make a concious choise to perform no evil act is one step, but only the first. When it comes to judging actions good and evil are no more than perspectives, and perspectives tend to change with the amout of information recieved. If you are not aware of all the consequenses of your actions you act in ignorance, and from ignorance we do the worst things. So the question becomes: How aware are you?

I will try to clarify. I can't seem to find anyone who thinks that the way the worlds riches are divided among us is right. Myself, I do not think so, but I do not take any action to rectify any of this. It occured to me however that I am participating in upholding the imbalance by yielding to the commercial messages. I am a consumer among the finest, and I do not see the link between my actions and the big picture. Buying that trinket that amused me for ten minutes seemed so minuscule, so innocent. In my present frame of mind it strikes me that even one dollar is quite a responsibility.

It took a tsunami for me to donate money to charity, for me to open my eyes an see that there is real need in the world. Seems that wave washed over all the world, not just asia. Let's hope it washed away some of the sand in our eyes. I know it did mine. What I don't know is how long it will last, this new found awareness of mine. The tv-pictures will end, and the world-aid account numbers will once more be replaced by the commercial messages. The world moves on, and so it should, but I am left with one more question: Do I not have to accept the responsibility that comes with my awareness if I want to call myself a human being? Otherwise I would just be an animal prowling the globe in search of satiation of hunger. A puppet to the whims of my wants and needs.

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Re: Awareness
Cyracuz

I must make two observations.
You exist, live, think. You have desires, ambitions. If they are legitimes your action of consuming is also legitime. It is not because you bought an expensive painting - because you love painting - that people in Asia and Africa are dying. It is not because you have a beautiful and expensive house that kids in Africa are starving to death.
The people in Africa or Asia have their own duties in orther to eliminate the causes of unger and misery. We, in the western, have passed by that: the plagues, the misery, the hunger - and we solved part of those problems. Africans and Asians have the responsability of dealing with their problems and give a solution.
I am not talking about the tsunami: it was a natural cataclysm that could also occur in Europe or America.
But I think that charity is not the resolution of the problems of extreme misery in Africa and Asia.
Remember this old and famous oriental sentence:
"Don't give me a fish. Instead, teach me how to fish."

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That is true Val. But another truth is that there exists many trade agreements that are designed to keep the money flowing west. By eating at MacDonalds, or by buying articles made in Taiwan for a quarter of the price of the same article produced in the west I am supporting these agreements. I am not ashamed that I go out and buy a new record or a painting. These things have value far beyond mere money.

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The people in Africa or Asia have their own duties in orther to eliminate the causes of unger and misery. We, in the western, have passed by that: the plagues, the misery, the hunger - and we solved part of those problems. Africans and Asians have the responsability of dealing with their problems and give a solution.

This is true. They have a responsibility. But it is a fact that a lot of the poor conditions in third world countries are a direct result of western treatment. Another fact is that the western civilisations are good at poking sticks into the wheels of any nation that might in the future compete and threaten our financial safety. But it is my impression that the imbalance of the world is the number one danger to our financial security.

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Cyracuz wrote:

This is true. They have a responsibility. But it is a fact that a lot of the poor conditions in third world countries are a direct result of western treatment. Another fact is that the western civilisations are good at poking sticks into the wheels of any nation that might in the future compete and threaten our financial safety. But it is my impression that the imbalance of the world is the number one danger to our financial security.

<nodding>

I agree with a lot of what you said Cyracruz, specially that all this "awareness" that came along with the Tsunami will eventually fade away...

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Yes the awareness wil fade, but only if you let it. I think we all have a responsibility to eachother in that we must not do things to hamper eachothers quests for a better life. Wether or not I act in malice or in ignorance, the result is the same for the poor who suffer from it. What I am saying is that I feel the time has come for me to assume that responsibility. Only by doing this can I look into the eyes of the people I meet without feeling shame. And without the shame I feel I would also lose the pride of this lie I've been living.

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I feel no shame in the mistakes I make throughout my own quest, Cyracuz. And neither should you.
Unless... <thinking>

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No shame as long as you see them as mistakes superjuly. No one is perfect, and I am not saying that we should be. But I think the world would be better for it if we all strived for this perfection instead of using all our effort on satisfying fabricated needs. I guess it is a matter of chosing your values. Everyone has to do what they think is right.
But when I refuse to accept learning, and am content with what I am told about the world by it's political leaders, then I am a muscle on an arm with a monsters mind, and that I do no longer desire to be. I would like to be the one who steers the horse I am on, and to do that I need to see the road, not just the horse in front of me...

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Re: Awareness

Cyracuz wrote:

But when I refuse to accept learning, and am content with what I am told about the world by it's political leaders, then I am a muscle on an arm with a monsters mind, and that I do no longer desire to be. I would like to be the one who steers the horse I am on, and to do that I need to see the road, not just the horse in front of me...

There is a reason why we have governments that create, impose and uphold rules. We had empires and kingdoms. We always had leaders. The difference is that today men have so much more power than ever before, that its ruling system (because there must be one in every functional society) needs to be updated and refined accordingly. There are a lot more people for the riches to be shared among, nowadays. With that said, I'll remind you of greed.
Very bad things would happen if much power falls into the wrong hands (e.g.: greedy hands). A bad leader would be a greedy leader, therefore the wrong hands, even though he might think that what he is doing is right. But he's a bad leader.

(thinking of Bush?)

There are sick people who will kill and swear that they did the right thing.
There are rapists who can swear they're doing the right thing by responding their so said "biological urges".
Some people need to be put straight. Be called upon things. Be judged. Be punished.

You're not refusing to accept learning by acknowledging, accepting and following certain necessarily imposed rules; You're simply finding a happy medium.

Cyracuz wrote:

So the question becomes: How aware are you?

I find a happy medium.

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Quote:

But when I refuse to accept learning, and am content with what I am told about the world by it's political leaders, then I am a muscle on an arm with a monsters mind, and that I do no longer desire to be. I would like to be the one who steers the horse I am on, and to do that I need to see the road, not just the horse in front of me...

Well noted Cyracuz.

I don't think however, that by stopping to buy food, etc, will make much of a difference unless the whole world follows. I think that it is not your fault that people in Africa are poor and dying, it is ultimately the fault of those who exploited them, i.e. the big companies. What we need to help those in third-world country is an efficient long-term plan, but this will be difficult, as perhaps the whole economy of the world must change.

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bookmark

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But by buying products from big companies I support them. So in turn I support exploiting...

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Ciracuz

You are right about the exploitation of part of Asia and Africa, made by western countries. But the solution is not - and I repeat, I am not talking about the tsunami - to send food and other suplies. Look at North Corea: people are dying of hunger and the regime spends fortunes in nuclear equipement. Those people must promote, first of all, changes in their leadership, in order to establish new priorities.
Look at Japan. And, in part, China, Egypt, Morocco, that are slowly but firmly leaving the state of misery, and building a more equitative society.
Our fight must be against our own leaders, that want to preserve that misery in Asia and Africa in order to have access to a cheep and miserable workmanship.

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I agree val. Sending food and suplies only prolongs the sufferings. We should send them agricultural machines, educate them in their countries and help them build something that may last. What is the point of getting a medschool student from somewhere in africa to school here in norway, for instance, if he only gets a job as a doctor in norway after his education?

But when it comes down to it I am not really looking for a solution to these problems. I am not of a mind to change anything on a global scale.

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Our fight must be against our own leaders, that want to preserve that misery in Asia and Africa in order to have access to a cheep and miserable workmanship.

Yes! Well said. By supporting our leaders we are all equally guilty for the situation in the world. Not through concious action, but through indifference. A quote comes to mind, though I am sorry to say I don't remember who said it: "There is only one thing worse than evil itself, and that is the indifference of good men." So then I say, don't try to end world famine by feeding everyone. Don't try to make world peace by killing every agressor. Our fight should be against this indifference, and against ignorance. Having said that, I can see that the fight is personal. My enemy is not the out in the world. My enemy is within me. It is the fear that can be preyed on by those who want something for themselves. If I have no fear in my heart I am immune to the propagandas of warmongers. We cannot change the world in any other way than this, and it would require the help of evey human being on the planet. That is impossible you might say. Maybe so, but that does not give anyone an excuse not to try.

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Cyracuz, you can not stop the exploitation by merely stopping to buy the products. You can't do that unless the whole world follows. Like Val said, long term help is much more efficient than short term one.

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I know that ray. Not that I think I can do it, but in the first place someone managed to get the exploitation started, and it does not go on by itself. Someone is maintaining it. Who? I do not think you are an evil person ray. But that trail of thought, to shed the responsibility because others do it is not something the world benefits from. That very attitude is "the indifference of good men".

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Quote:

I know that ray. Not that I think I can do it, but in the first place someone managed to get the exploitation started, and it does not go on by itself. Someone is maintaining it. Who? I do not think you are an evil person ray. But that trail of thought, to shed the responsibility because others do it is not something the world benefits from. That very attitude is "the indifference of good men".

But the thing is, even if we stop buying the products, how will it improve living conditions there? The action alone will not cure the problem. Even if I do stop buying the products, others would still buy it, which would make it really fruitless unless we have a clear majority on not buying the products. Now, I'm not saying that you should buy the products, heck, I'd stop buying the products if I know which products to avoid, but we should also consider a way to solve the problem in the long-run. That was all I'm saying and also typing out my ignorance of which products are actually hurting other countries :wink: I think you are right in that we need to break away from the shroud of ignorance, and I am on your side if you want to tackle this problem.

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I agree with you ray. When it comes to spesific actions I am at a loss. Like you say, wich products are the wrong ones? My personal solution to this problem is to rid myself of all fabricated needs. I have a lot of them. It is not primarily for the sake of the world I do this. It is mostly because I think I can benefit greatly from it. I think the quality of my life will increase, and maybe then, when I have learned an alternative way of life I can share it and maybe, just maybe, someone will follow...

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Awareness

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