We have a word to describe a society in which one must play by the rules of those with all the wealth and ‘power,’ a system designed by and for the wealthy and powerful: tyranny. While most people would scoff at the idea of the USA being described as tyrannical, I would challenge them to think harder and longer on the nature and purpose of a state, or society, let alone a government, that purports to be working for the people, but has actually conned the people into working for them.
This is the free-est society in the world in many ways, but that does not mean it is free. As I have said before, you are free in this society as long as you play by the rules of the system. The ‘freedom’ we have in this society, in this system, is the freedom to not be a part of the system, and thus to either starve, die, or leave. Therefore, there is really no choice within the system, but rather of the system, to either be a part of the system or not. Those in power advertise the former while selling the latter.
As with any system, it is a scam.
And, further, it is no different than the purported ideological ‘enemies’ that the elite and wealthy of this society have sacrificed millions of poor people to fight and ‘protect’ ‘us’ against; ‘wars’ that are fought for the sole purpose of bolstering their positions of power and increasing their personal wealth. For, how is it any different for this society’s rule to be “either play by the rules or die” than a communist’s or dictator’s? Again, the only choice we have is no choice at all: to either be a part of the system or to not.
To focus the discussion, I am not saying that it is impossible for a person in this society to work outside the system. But the only way to truly work outside the system is to somehow have enough money to not have to work for money. Is it possible to pursue true happiness when you have to work full-time to make enough money to procure the basic necessities of life? I will not say it is impossible, but I would say it is as close to impossible as is possible to get.
I value love, creativity, enlightenment, and true happiness. As such, I would prefer a society, a system, in which such things are valued as well, a society that is geared towards the enlightenment and happiness of its citizens, not geared towards absolutely un-enlightened things, such as materialism, power over others, and personal wealth. “Looking out for number one” is one of the harsh lessons we learn in this society. It is, in fact, taken as wisdom to think this way. One of the reasons for this is that it is the only way one can survive in this society. If you do not look out for number one, you will not make it far, let alone live that long.
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From my personal notes 8/13/00
