Re: MD Is Society Making Progress?

 

well i don't have blind faith in our (human) upwards progression towards the 'good'. i *know* that our globalised monoculture is a cul-de-sac. i feel it more strongly every day. in my opinion many of the features of our 'primitive' ancestors' cultures need to be integrated into a new grassroots democratic society that will require greater versatility, responsibility and excellence from its citizens. in short more 'arete'.

the logic of this assertion is quite simple: a grassroots democratic society is the  one that allows the individual maximal freedom to move towards the good (or away from the bad) that he/she intuits (ie DQ). in our current mess any real response to this most important and immediate of stimuli is too often compromised or even squashed by the 'system' - the net of demands, constraints and frustrations that result most often in individual impotence rather than empowerment.

i feel that the political ramifications of the MoQ are still relatively unexplored. personally i have found a lot of resonance between pirsig and the situationists (especially vaneigem). just quickly the situationists were the group of artists and philosophers that were instrumental in the paris revolt of may 68. again for those in the dark....may 68 saw a student protest turn into a nationwide strike and nearly a revolution.

this is what is most important to me. everyday the culture i live in revolts me more and more - its crushing banality is fortunately offset by the fact that my marginal status allows me the luxury of not being fully ensnared. a bystander i am relatively immune to the ubiquitous imperatives (money, fame, status) but this only shifts my own reality further into the surreal. to me the farce is obvious (and frequently hilarious)- but it continues like endless hollywood teen movie reruns.and in the end the question i ask myself subconsciously everyday is the same - "why aren't you doing something about it?"  because, as you know, this farce i scoff at and rail against *is* me.

gav