Seeds of Change

Professor Morpheus, ;)

I knew you were going to need those yielded paragraphs!

Yes, the historical references that aren't mined for lessons to be learned are the equivalent of books that are left unread. It doesn't matter much that they exist if the lessons go unheeded and ignored. (Clearly, I'm not using enough qualifiers. ;))

Historian Charles Maier is quoted by Hedges on p. 150 as saying that the decline of the "American empire" began when we shifted from an "empire of production to one of consumption."

How many people do you know who actually make anything, as their job? I know very few. Everyone seems to be selling goods and services or products made elsewhere. It's intriguing that at the same time we've moved from making things as an national occupation or having to make things that we use domestically, the craft industry has exploded. There is something being satisfied there. We are meant to be creative and productive in a way that modern life has little real use for. My guess is that it is an underlying and overlooked stress for many. So we've taken up those former necessary tasks as hobbies to fill the void left by our overly convenient lifestyle. There seems to be some intrinsic satisfaction in the ability to create something or produce something even if there isn't an actual need for it.

I can't help but notice some of these trends and wonder if there isn't some hope glimmering on the horizon. I read an article today about the rift between two different camps of gardeners. Traditional gardeners garden mainly for aesthetics and have no qualms about using whatever chemicals are needed to maintain landscapes that are carefully manicured.  Younger gardeners, who tend to be advocates for organic gardening, non toxic pest control and a natural looking landscapes, are taking those traditionalists to task for their environmentally unfriendly (and what many of them see as shallow) ways. For all the advertising and cultural nonsense that this generation has grown up with, many of them are taking a longer view of things in all sorts of new ways, and thinking about the impact of their actions.

On page 149 Hedges writes: "If protesters are characterized as cranks or fringe groups, if their voices are never heard, the state will have little trouble suppressing local protests, as happened during the Democratic and Republican conventions." I doubt he was talking about the early TEA Party protests, but he could have been if you recall how those were covered in the media. His words seem prophetic however, in light of the way the Occupy movement was reported on, and subsequently treated by local authorities. You would have thought both groups were full of people with ultra extreme ideas who liked to wear funny costumes. It was disconcerting to see some of the more colorful characters be featured on ALL the networks. ("Corporate media control everything we read, watch, or hear. They impose a bland uniformity of opinion." [146])

It is very interesting to read the predictions of the author, and those he quotes , about what they thought would happen to the current administration. In another election year (as if they ever stop now) we are once again reminded of the grueling nature of campaigning and how hard the process is on individuals and their families. One can't help but wonder how many decent, honest people with good ideas and a desire to make things better wouldn't think of politics because of the personal costs. The financial costs mean that those people couldn't launch a viable run (sometimes even for local office) because the amount of money now needed is overwhelming.

"Political candidates are elected in popular votes by citizens, but must raise staggering amounts of corporate funds to compete." (146)

Hedges has brought so much together in this last chapter, trying to focus on one thing  feels like adult ADD on crack. (I mean, you know, I'm guessing...lol)