Sivad wrote:I pick my battles and fight to win. I don't engage in or support pointless struggles that are sure to make everyone worse off in the end. Chavez could have used that oil boom to secure his country's independence from the international banking cartel. Instead he squandered his people's future on political patronage and clientelism to establish a power base for himself.
Gulagist revolutions have never ended in any kind of progress. The only socialists that have ever made any real lasting progress are those that take the world as it is and work with it. And we would have lot more social democratic progress if the red fascists weren't going around gulaging societies in the name of socialism.
I won't ever believe that one has to always give in to groups, elites and exploiters in order to keep a troubled peace. Life in this world Sivad is about constant steps forward and some steps backward. The important thing to remember is to learn from the past and come up with solutions.
For me the capitalists raping the Earth, paying people nothing, creating inequality and hating on people for being who they are and being people of humble origins when the majority of people are that in this world...and only catering to the needs of a tiny group in order to do what? If you don't share what the Earth has for all in a fair and decent manner...if you don't see Venezuelans as worthy of being cared about? No change you will have. No power you will have.
How much influence would you have in your life Sivad if you don't care about anyone? Do you think people feel your lack of caring about them or they just assume you care and trust you without any 'caring' investment on your part?
It is a universal principle. You walk into a restaurant and no one pays attention to you....no one seats you or gives you a menu, or comes to bring the water and ask for your order. They just don't care. Will they get your business? Yes or no? Will you walk out and not like the place and probably if someone tells you if that place has good food or not? What will you say?
You don't care about Venezuelans like you just stated earlier? You won't have any influence.
You care? You listen? You read, you inquire, you study, you talk, you ask Venezuelans, you reflect on their needs and problems, and you respond.
There is a solution.
You stay afraid, you keep thinking that you have to give in to people who don't care about the country and who just want to create resentment so they can retain some privileges at the expense of the well being of the vast majority? You won't win Sivad.
Not in the battle that counts. The long war of justice. It is a tough road. But necessary. The currency is CARING about your fellow human beings. Not hating on humanity because deep in your heart and mind you don't believe that ____________ insert your group of hating on, are not quite as human. You don't believe they are really human. They are sub humans. Not worthy of respect, consideration and sharing what you have. It is interesting. People in general find it a lot harder to say no to someone who is genuinely interested and caring about them as individuals and who treat them well and with justice, than to the ones who are treating them badly. Why is it hard for others to accept that in politics there are consequences? If you allow corruption and privilege it will pollute the main values of democracy and independence. That is not a mystery. Yet, if you make money more important than popular votes? Don't cry when you lose control to the ones who have all the money. That is what cause and effect is about. The USA government is doing that.
I don't like or respect racists. In fact, I really despise them deeply. But if I stop thinking they are not human and don't deserve acknowledgement of them being humans? And capable of change with the right conditions? Then where does one have the moral high ground? You don't.
You can't live the values of the people who are oppressing others through their discrimination and denial of humanity and dignity to their fellow human beings. Because the values those racists, etc do? If all of their actions follow those values and as such they become disconnected from caring. On some fundamental level they stop caring. They stop caring about the many who somehow don't fit their tiny ideas. They find it hard to care at all. They find it easy to care about a very small group of people. Most racists I know personally Sivad, love their kids, their spouses and etc. Where they go wrong is in not seeing any humanity in people unlike them. They don't have the ability to be inclusive and to be self reflective and say, "I guess I don't know any people from that group at all well. I base my opinion on something less than experience, knowledge and some truth....more on visceral reactions and prejudices and wanting to be right. I know they are human.....but they are not quite as human as I am...as my child is, or my wife is or my husband, etc." And they are disconnected and don't care. Once that happens? Never will they be able to understand caring is the key to change. Not apathy, not hatred, not exclusion, not marginalizing, not judging on and hating on people. The only thing that perpetrates is a mirror like reaction. You hate on people, they will hate on you, you disrespect people, they will disrespect you.
In politics it is the same thing. Power relationships are built in to all human relationships. Many feel abusing people with less power than they have is alright and acceptable. Justified and right. Until the day the person receiving the abuse decides to rebel or to go over the top and maybe kill the abuser with a blunt object. Or run away and never work for them again and it is all karmic. It has a deeply law based universality to it. Cause and effect.
My politics is about positive change. Love of people. Connection to people and working for the benefit of the entire society and not for exclusive clicks of privilege. That is what I chose. And I am consistent to that. We should all choose to be consistent to our values. Hopefully they are not about fear, exclusion and hating on others because they are not the same as we are. But the world is full of that. I just don't think it will end that way. We are too socially aware as a species for such a lonely ending.
Once you do that?(Stop caring). You won't have any true influence for change in a positive way. Period.
I like this video, an economist talking about the details of why economics are about interesting complexities: