Wednesday, July 9, 2014

"Civilized" Violence

Man remains just the same. "Civilized" and "cultured" people live with exactly the same interests as the most ignorant savages. Modern civilization is based on violence and slavery and fine words. But all these fine words about "progress" and "civilization are merely words.
(G. I. Gurdjieff)

She is a teacher, she is eloquent and says all the right things. A lawyer could never have found a trace of ill-will and wrong-doing in what she said. Clearly, everything she aims for is the best of her students. Yet every feeling person could tell that something is very wrong with this situation. Her parents can't do anything about her stampede. In the name of progress, literacy and education she just slaughtered their little girl whose crime it was that her brain was wired a little differently than what the intellectual profession considers "right" these days.

Have you ever noticed how much violence can originate from a "cultured" speech, and have you ever perceived how sometimes love can be expressed in a few sentences littered with f-words? Nothing has changed. "Culture" is not progress. The movie is simply refined. Instead of blood and swords we now have "points of views". The violence and egotism stays exactly the same. Sure, there is progress in the sense that you can now recover from modern day sparring matches with only a few psychological bruises. The hurt is the same though.

You only have to understand this movie script once and change will be in the air. Discover that kindness and love is yours to choose day in, day out.  Step out of the narrowness of your ego and discover love instead. If your brother or sister had a bad day, accept it and move on. In contrast to the olden days where violence was unfortunately very real, in today's world you have the choice to just zoom into kindness and love and it will be wherever you walk.

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