Monday, July 19, 2010

Systemic overload

Understand systems?

If not, you're doomed. Everything we do in this world, unless your a caveman, or more prosaically, a third world man; and even then in this day and age, is systemically controlled. Our government. Our businesses. Our politics. All. Everything in human history related to our social organization, which is a fancy way to say our lives, are systemic. From loose tribal associations to nation states; from bartering to multinational corporations; from feuds to world war and nuclear annihilation. Everything is a big interconnected system.

Some of us have accepted this as the way it is; for better or worse. Some of us, remarkably, seem to be surprised that they have very little say over the events of their lives.

Surprised that the government would focus on big financial institutions over the average smuck lost in the dross of our ever depressing recession? Why? We are interchangeable parts, easily replaced. We are all, to one extent or another, waist deep in the whirl of systemic developments beyond our puny control. We are not important players whose function is necessary in order to continue our march along civility's trail. It is the price of our inextricable march towards being the Gods we so believe we are. That our machines and systems will swallow us is to be expected. That we are doomed is our destiny.

The farce, of course, is the umbrage we see on all the blue, bug-eyed faces shocked, SHOCKED, that they do not have any real control over their lives, and all those papers they signed without reading do, in fact, bear indelibly upon their now miserable lives. Beyond retreating to the caves of our forefathers, there are only two things we can do: accept our doom in all it's glory, or gather and use the impact of our mass ( God bless physics ) to exert some means of influence on the systems that be.

Nominally, the government is the agent of the people. Naturally, that means that some care has to be exercised in the individuals sent to participate in it's administration. Any entity having business with the government will apply whatever pressure it can to sway those in government to it's line of thinking. The bigger you are the more your words have purchase. Some see this as corrupting; thus the moral outrage at the shills of DC trampling the unwashed masses. BUT, those representing us are sent there by us, and as such, speak for us. This is basic civics. It's also a lot of hard work in addition to everything else that occupies our time. This is why when the perception is that the money is coming in, we trollop along in gleeful ignorance. That we're not actually in the money, that it's all inflation and debt, is someone else's problem so long as we feel no impact on our daily lives. Now that that little bubble has been deflated and the hardscape has left us bruised and bloodied, we want answers, answers.

We just don't like the answers we're being given.

Sorry, but there is a reason for education. For all the talk of elites callously shivving the masses, and the wisdom of the common man made plain by the media deceivers enraptured by the sound of their own voices, the angst emanating is that of ignorance butting up against the walls of reality. Maybe we all should have been paying attention to the way the world works; to the interconnectedness of government, business, and finance. To the intricacies incarnate in such affairs we should be aware, but for so many of us school is a social function, and as knowledge leeches out of us over the years our ignorance leaves us supine in the face of those who are. The sputtering of impotent rage notwithstanding, what are we to do?

We can elect morons promising to dismantle the world as we know it, but they won't because the institutions are too strong for that, besides do any of the morons advocating such things have any idea what that would entail? I doubt it. Mostly it more sound and fury signifying nothing that substantive. The answers are there; there simply isn't the will to do it. It's not glamorous, nor will it advance the putative machinations of our national parties as they continue to out asinine each other. Morons all. As Nero fiddles goes the saying.

Which leads us back to systems, all of which have a strong instinct to self preservation. So while we strut and fret upon the stage of outrage and indignation, the systems, and those who care for them; you know the ones who were actually studying and paying attention, will change as they need to in order to survive and perpetuate.

We're mostly just along for the ride.

Friday, July 2, 2010

The grimness of our resolve

I added a forgotten point in this revision.
Now that my hiatus is over; having just returned from a refreshing immersion into primal scream therapy, my imprimatur to wax poetic on the vexing problems of the day is once more at the fore. Rejoice dear readers, your moonless nights and cascading darkness now welcomes the breaking dawn.

Ah, such narcissistic virtue! Anyway,

It is apparent that though winter is traditionally our period of discontent, I find our great nation in the throws of its summer of discomfited discomfort. Poor economic news, wearying bifurcated trudging in our many overseas adventures that seem never to end, political gamesmanship to the detriment of the country's well being all in the name of which dysfunctional party can further lead us into gridlock and decay; not to mention the BP debacle, all in the midst of blue skies, warm weather, BBQ's, and interminable family vacations gone bad.

God bless America. Hell, we could be Greeks, for christsakes.

The application of common sense is sorely needed. That, and a bit of historical perspective.

But that requires though and rumination; qualities not presumed to have any real benefit in this age of screamers and provocateurs. There's no money in it. Better to hyperventilate, cry, agonize, sweat profusely, blame bogeymen and foreigners rather than deal with the problems of the day with any kind of reasonableness.

So here's a few salient provocations from Mr. primitive:

Don't like abortion? Don't have one. Live as an example, not as a mouthpiece. Talk is cheap.
Worried the government is going to take your guns? Please. Have you been paying attention. Gun rights are not diminishing in this country. To the contrary, they're expanding. The perversity, of course, is the idea that more guns provide more personal protection, but statistically, nearly all gun violence is perpetrated by someone you know, not by strangers. And many times your own gun will be used against you. So, buy as many as you like.
Don't like what's happening to the country? Then get involved. Just recognize that you're not the only voice and that it's a messy affair that requires due diligence and compromise. Really.
Don't like foreigners taking our jobs? Then feel free to work in the fields, clean other peoples houses, dig ditches; you know, all that manual labor stuff you and your children have absolutely no interest in.
Don't like the government? Too bad. Without it there's be chaos and lawlessness. Whether you understand the government in all it's bureaucratic glory, whether you recognize all the systems we, we being the humans who've populated and created or allowed to be created these systems, have to work with and are controlled by, the ugly truth is we're stuck with what we have. Make it work. Make it better.
Fiscal policy? It's simple; save when you can. That means when the times are good save for those times, like now, when they're not. Tax appropriately. pay for what you need and want and don't just think of yourself. There's nothing more dishonest than saying the government should pay you but not the other guy because then it'd be too expensive; you deserve it; he doesn't. That doesn't work. It's amazing how many people don't understand how our entitlement programs are funded.
Pay for education. Stupid and ignorant does not a country make. Nor does it bode well for the future. Knowing how the systems that affect us work is far more beneficial that ranting and raving that life's too complicated. it is. Get used to it.

Think you can turn back the clock? Good luck.

Be as mad as you want because you weren't paying attention before and now you're paying the price for your ignorance and fear. Trying to go back never works.

You'll see.