Does the (ugly) reality and the news get you down? This post is for you.

[BelgianMadCow]

I think I get how you feel. If you take in the entirety of the reality we're in now, it can be too much to bear. I've been "watching" for ten years, and it can be a heavy burden. I did, however, finish the Shock Doctrine. I think it's required reading - but maybe not for you, since you're "awake" anyway.

Reality is ugly, and watching too much of it will get you down. I think we do need to face the music, but at the same time we need to have positive alternatives, and also focus on those positive things that are happening. They exist, but they're just harder to find. For me, the cooperative movement has been that alternative, where I find likeminded people and where I can put my energy to a good and positive use. I think we need a LOT of positive energy, and focusing too much on the negative will impede that.

I have a friend whose analysis of the world is very similar to mine, but who is usually very upbeat and positive, to the point of me asking "hey, do you take some kind of pills?". His answer: "I've stopped watching the news for a long time." I think those of us that are awake and sensitive can suffer from a "palantir"-effect - you become glued to the negativity.

My view of the world is very similar to Chris Hedges' - but, like him, I think there is hope, and resistance is never futile. We aren't made to be automatons serving "the economy", disregarding human suffering. There are counter movements and they are growing stronger and coalescing. What shape they take, is another matter. But reality is what we make it.

Sorry for presuming things about how you feel - maybe this doesn't fit you. Just saying - if this post appeals to you - you're not alone, and people like you are why I haven't given up hope for the US.

In my darkest moments, I've found courage and hope in the below, who knows maybe so do you:

All that is gold does not glitter
Not all those who wander are lost
The old that is strong does not wither
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

[Control-Z]

1. Nice OP.

Thoughtful and hopeful. Thank you.

[sarge43]

2. "There is good in the world, Mr Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." n/t

[BelgianMadCow]

9. Yes. That's the very heart of it.

That moment goes straight to my heart. As does the one later on: "I cannot carry it for you, but I can carry you". Goes much further than a movie quote.

In these hyperindividualistic times, in which we're all told that we have to "make it" for ourselves (and "making it" is defined in a consumerist way), sooo many people are having a hard time. But it feels like a personal failure, and we're told it is. So we toil on in silence, and feel alone. Yet, when you speak up, all of a sudden it becomes clear that many people are experiencing the same. And that simple conversation, in which you reply to "how are you" with the truth, doesn't change anything except share the burden. Which makes it more easy to bear.

[sarge43]

15. "Let me help you." is all we have to say and do.

Holding a door open to taking a stand against the powerful, greedy and indifferent

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

[Egalitarian Thug]

3. I'm so happy I got to send this to the Greatest Page. Nice.

[truth2power]

4. Your OP speaks to me. Rec'd to come back to this afternoon with a Gandalf quote. n/t

[merrily]

5. I am not sure if the issue is being hopeful vs.

being discouraged or if the issue is being resourceful and coming up with new tactics, strategies and approaches. I think facts tell us we need to do the latter, and maybe go back to some old things that worked well in the past, like boycotting and picketing private enterprises.

[BelgianMadCow]

10. "like boycotting" - yes indeed. The system exists ONLY because we allow it to.

There are many ways in which we can withdraw our support. Share / repair / shop consciously come to mind. LETS. And moving our money / bank accounts etc so that at the very least the money we have doesn't work against us.

We urgently need to envision and support alternative tactics and strategies. We still need the organized non-violent resistance MLK spoke of, but it has to take new forms. We see every day how "classical" dissent is treated in the west. Ridiculed, underreported, repressed. In Greece, they've outlawed striking (after massive strikes). In Spain, they're outlawing protest.

[merrily]

11. I am not sure that the system exists only because we allow it.

Thanks in large part to our own tax dollars, we are out-propaganda-ed, out-armed, out-surveilled, etc. And we don't have the power of the legislative pen or the military or the national guard, etc. Moreoever, many of us have day jobs and family responsibilities that keep us busy and tired. And, whenever we seem ready to rise up, they give us whatever they feel will keep us from doing that, even if they soon take back a lot of it. So, I am not about to blame us.

But, I agree that we must change our tactics. For one thing, MLK patterned his civil disobedience on Ghandi's and Ghandi patterned his civil disobedience on that of Thoreau. What Thoreau did: went to jail because he stopped paying his taxes (because he considered a war unjust) and became angry with the relative who bailed him out.

[BelgianMadCow]

12. I wasn't assigning blame. You're right that we're not the main culprits, but

we do have personal responsability. Let me make it extreme:
politicians bought? What if nobody went to the polls?
tax system unfair? What if nobody paid their taxes?
big corps screwing us to no end? How about not giving them one dime?
and so on.

So the system that abuses us, is dependent on our consent. It can be retracted. I didn't mean to imply we're all terribly guilty, just pointing out options for resistance. Just being aware about our consumption patterns alone can change the world (eg: Barilla). We live in a branded world. We can re-brand it.

Of course, that requires awareness, alternatives to be present, somewhat affordable, and critical mass.

But let me be very clear: I don't judge anyone that still supports the system that enslaves us. He who is without sins can cast the first stone. I'm a sinner.

[merrily]

13. I have suggested some of those things here.

I have suggested a year in which we buy nothing but absolute necessities (and someone rightly pointed out we might make an exception for true mom and pop stores--though this would ultimately also help their larger vendors). I have suggested a tax strike (which indeed was the point of my Thoreau example). I have suggested targeted boycotts of commercial enterprises, as I already did on this thread. I also suggested buying bulletproof vests and reading up on how to survive a riot. (A lot of stuff online about that.) I have suggested one national website for action items and one international one for the same purpose.

I've asked others to make suggestions, including about how to get such things started if one is not already rich.


so far, I can't say I've met with rousing success, to put it kindly.



I don't think that no one showing up at the polls thing is ever going to happen, realistically, though, so I have not suggested that. I think the most that will do is suppress the vote on the left some and I am not at all sure that plutocrats would mind that one little bit.

[BelgianMadCow]

14. So you are ahead of the curve, and activist

like DU used to be, and still is at times (activist, very much less so). Time may prove you right.

Belgium is a country full of people that are used to being ruled by others. We take it in and toil on. We play nice.
Yet, NewB, a cooperative bank being set up, wanted to get 10.000 cooperants in three months. They had them after one week, without any commercials. Now we're at 44.000. 3,5 % of the population is scientifically proven to be a treshold for sea change. In Belgium, that's 350.000. I bet we'll get there.

Positive alternatives don't often get much attention at DU. It has frustrated me as well. Hang in there!

[merrily]

17. I always do.

Hang in, I mean.

[LuvNewcastle]

6. I go through long stretches without watching any news and I take breaks

from DU as well. There's only so much up-to-the-minute coverage of world events that I can take. We're really the first generation of people who have been surrounded with coverage from all over the globe. Our ancestors didn't have to deal with that, at least. I'm not so sure humans are really equipped psychologically to deal with so much awful information. I know I'm not. If you can't tune it out completely, at least take breaks from it all. It'll help you keep your sanity.

[BelgianMadCow]

8. I have had major arguments with my better half about how much one should get exposure

with me, taking it all in and she saying "why do you try to carry all the problems of the world".

And then recently, she explained that if she opens her eyes to it all, she can no longer function. Which is not an option if you have a household and children. That has made me realize that if I do more to carry that responsability, she can open her eyes more. And both have happened.

She also said "how can we LIVE when there are still children anywhere in the world that have to cry or be sad, for lacking basic necessities".

I should listen to my better half more, or better.

Thank you for chiming in.

[Sanity Claws]

7. I like the cooperative movement too

IMHO, it's important to disengage from the mainstream economy to the extent we can. An economy with workers coops, B corporations, and the like can create an alternative economy with a focus on the triple line.

For those who are not familiar B corps, here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_corporation

[woo me with science]

16. Beautiful post.

And much needed. Thank you.

[rhett o rick]

18. Thanks for posting this. Very well said. We need a strategy.

A serious strategy. One of our biggest challenges is something you mentioned. We must get some interest from those that are too busy trying to get by. Not to ask too much but something. Even a progressive vote will help. Boycotts help. Buying less and buying locally helps as does growing vegetables. Actually, not eating meat is a huge help. Some of these things can be done without interrupting or daily struggles. We need to be able to communicate to everyone. Millions dont vote and millions vote against their own interests.

[BelgianMadCow]

19. People being spread too thin, like butter on too much toast, working and struggling to get by

afraid to lose their job, and with hardly any free time left is a great recipe for compliance, yes. But thinking about what one buys doesn't significantly disturb the routine, and it's not risky in any way.

And like you say, consuming less meat or none is a big thing in itself. I have "troubles" with that at the moment: my six year old is a big animal lover, and he has come to realize that we eat dead animals. He now proclaims he is a vegetarian (nobody around him is), asks about all food what it's made of, and refuses to eat even the dishes he most liked before. I'm in awe of his resolve, nobody around him pushed him to that conclusion. But here I am, trying to find vegatarian alternatives for the home cooking. It isn't easy, but I've eaten some great dishes, so I know it can be done. I'll have to adapt, cause I'm not gonna lie about meat content to him.

Did you notice you inspired my post? http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4554813

[Octafish]

20. Some posts can make a big difference.

The OP is one that can make all the difference.

Thank you, BelgianMadCow!