Fourth Form of Madness

In May this year I spent a month in France. I went there as I study philosophy and I wanted to be in the place where the existentialist movement birthed back in the 1940/1950’s for my fortieth birthday (let’s just say my new beginning). I love the existentialists, all that you are who you choose to be radical freedom stuff just speaks to my soul. I’m not so keen on the “god is dead” branch as I have a fundamental disagreement with that notion but then my ideal of god probably differs from most folks. Actually I have a real soft spot for the outcast of the existentialists, Camus. Now there was a thinker and although, through his theory of the absurd and “no appeal” I should find myself at odds with him, I don’t. Life is intrinsically meaningless, those looking to a god like a child looks to a parent to make sense of something, to make it meaningful and full of absolute values, are appealing to nothing, to make something of nothing. Those that look to themselves to find meaning where they essentially know there is none (no absolute rights or wrong) can still believe in god. If god is not the definer of right or wrong or instigator of what happens (this is you through choice, you are what you are by continually choosing) then god can exist within Camus theory. If god say is more like an indiscriminating energy that doesn’t care if you pass your math exam or if you conceive or if you don’t catch an STD from the latest casual fling and definitely is not passing judgment, and still lets you feel all the anxiety of living a life that is objectively essentially meaningless whilst still striving for personal meaning , then god and Camus get along just fine.

Anyway whilst in France meandering through the history museums, the French revolution came up once or twice. Also being a sociology student, I was really intrigued by the French revolution. In my mind, I couldn’t comprehend how the aristrocacy in France couldn’t see a revolution coming when people were literally starving in the streets. Eventually not even religion is able to placate the people down from revolting. The few had so much and the many so little. This felt familiar. Looking at the present day world there are actually many places where this is true. On my return home I became very interested in researching the current financial crisis, and in my mind, what I consider to be the start of it (or at least the visible start of it) with Enron. I was enraged and I must say a little incredulous at the fact that there hadn’t been a revolution in America. The time is ripe – so many with so little, and so few with so much. Coupled with the visible inequalities in access to education, health care and ultimately power to change things and people you have a revolution on your hands.

Which is why, and I am not afraid to admit it, my heart is bursting with pride, love and respect for the American people who are part of the “Occupy” movement. It has rejuvenated my faith in my brothers and my sisters to feel what is unjust, even in an upside down world that has long forgotten what true justice is. Any world that allows a CEO to walk away from creating a global financial crisis with a $284million dollar handshake whilst a large portion of middle America starts sleeping in the streets, is no world that I want to actually chose to be apart of. We must all chose against these outcomes for them not to keep occurring. Choice doesn’t start at the polling booth, not anymore. Choice starts in your heart, in your mind, in your being. You chose what you will and will not be a part of. Even in times of oppression and injustice, you can chose. This is true freedom, not the watered down external version of freedom. Only once this freedom of your inner is established will you truly experience freedom in any sense in the outer.

This financial fraudulence is not just occurring in America. I bushed shoulders with some powerful and knighted men who always offered a friendly hello. The same men who a few years on brought the bank and its shareholder’s to their knees for their dishonest and possibly fraudulent deals. They looked like ordinary people, they had families, took holidays and talked about the weekend sports. I guess at one point they were regular, ordinary guys (though I think even I might be being to generous here) but somewhere in the hustle bustle of making million dollar deals, the good press, the private jets and the opulent life of high status living they stop choosing to care about Others or least how their decision would affect Others. How do people get this back once it is lost? Hard question, but to be sure it doesn’t come from a quiet, accommodating public. It must be stimulated by a loud, unhappy, united public that shows, through shear numbers that it can oppose the will of the few, albeit powerful, and will hold them accountable, each and every time they stray. I firmly believe that this must be in a peaceful process. We must chose to be peaceful in facing our opposers. Violence is a choice that shapes our future in ways that we can never fully restore. The choice of violence will always from then on be with us, as a lived possibility. Best not to travel down that road.

The whole world is struggling against the greed and dishonesty of America’s political and banking/stockbroking system and my heart, support and thoughts/actions are with everyone fighting this struggle. Through our existence we are one, let’s unite to make a fairer more opulent existence for every being.