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Let the revolution begin - II

By Gary Leech. Dated: 10/2/2013 10:57:30 PM

Toward a world of compassion and harmony

WE DO have a conscience! It has just been temporarily subsumed under the weight of the propaganda that the capitalist elites and their political lackeys bombard us with daily. This propaganda hides from us the connections between our relatively comfortable lifestyles and the massive suffering endured by millions in order to ensure that lifestyle. WE benefit from the great wealth generated under capitalism while half of the world's population endures misery and hardship. But even our comfortable lifestyles are being eroded with nary a peep from us as we are forced to work longer hours and to accumulate ever-higher levels of debt while the wealth generated from our work is increasingly centralized in the hands of the 1%. There exists a propaganda machine that convinces us to accept this unjust reality. Our education system demands order and obedience within hierarchical authoritarian structures that grade us and categorize us according to the needs of a society whose values are dictated by capitalist elites. Why else would we be forced to sit obediently in rows, to memorize the ridiculous myths about "democracy" and "freedom" and "justice" that are spoon fed to us from "white" washed textbooks? Not only does education bury our conscience, it also crushes our spirit. The only thing that we are good for upon graduation is to enter an equally rigid workplace that demands the same order and obedience. We have not been educated; we've been indoctrinated! Let the Revolution begin.
And do the media enlighten us to this reality? No! They further indoctrinate us through sensationalized stories that serve to reinforce the beliefs and myths instilled in us by the education system and to distract us from the real issues that impact our lives and the world in which we live. It is more important that we shop, watch television and tweet celebrities than face the harsh realities that result from our lifestyle choices. But no amount of shopping and television and celebrity worship can sufficiently numb our conscience; this is why so many of us are so dependent on painkillers in the form of alcohol, illegal drugs and anti-depressants. Is it not time to rekindle both our conscience and our spirit? Let the Revolution begin!
To those who cowardly bomb the poorest peoples of the world with remote-controlled monsters in the sky; to those who believe they have an inalienable right to perpetrate structural genocide through their brutal exploitation of people and nature; to those who use the wealth generated by OUR labor to build THEIR mansions and privileged lifestyles; to those who defend their privilege with hi-tech tools of surveillance that spy on our every action and word in the name of national security; and to those who use their power and influence to develop mechanisms of propaganda and mind control to keep us compliant, I issue a warning: Beware, for these weapons will soon be turned against you! After all, if the political palaces known as the White House, 24 Sussex Drive and 10 Downing Street, and the corporate suites of Wall Street, Bay Street and The City, and the war ministries located in the Pentagon, the Pearkes Building and Whitehall were to all vanish into oblivion, wouldn't the billions of oppressed and impoverished people around the world be better off? These establishments and what they represent are not sources of freedom and life; they are the perpetrators of suffering and death. Let the Revolution begin!
Should it not be the corporate elites who are forced to cower in fear, terrified at the prospect of hunger and disease ravaging them and their families to the point that they are forced to beg for food stamps and other handouts? Should it not be the homes of the fat cat investment bankers that are foreclosed on so that they find themselves and their families, not safely ensconced in their luxurious gated communities, but living on the street in constant fear of the violent threat posed by the angry hordes whose dignity they have been destroying for centuries? Should it not be the politicians and generals who wield the modern hi-tech swords of death who are forced to live in constant fear of being blown to pieces or made to endure torture at the hands of the poor and dispossessed victims of their ongoing genocide? Would this not constitute justice? Let the Revolution begin!
And what kind of world could be gained through such a Revolution? Imagine a world in which all resources were evenly distributed so that no child ever went hungry. Imagine a world in which we cared about our neighbor more than we care about a contestant on a reality TV show or a character in a soap opera. Imagine a world in which nurturing Mother Earth was more fulfilling than shopping for a new pair of shoes or the latest electronic gadget. Imagine a world in which we co-operate rather than compete with each other. Imagine a world where that cooperation extends to the workplace and we are empowered as co-bosses by a collective decision-making process rather than being mere appendages of the production system forced to obediently follow the dictates of others. Imagine a world where authoritarianism does not exist in the political realm, in our workplaces or in our homes. Imagine a world in which ALL of us have a meaningful voice in ALL of the major decisions that impact our lives. Imagine a world where ALL blacks, whites, browns, males, females and queers are seen as equal human beings. In short, imagine a world of harmony and compassion. Some might say that such a world is nothing more than a utopian dream, but I say it is the belief that we can continue as we are that is utopian.
So let the Revolution begin, NOW!
—(Concluded)