Can we just take a moment to appreciate the irony of all the world’s leading governments “taking a stand against terrorism” by launching the most massive surveillance apparatus the world has ever seen. And the perpetual warfare in countries with vastly different cultures than the West and victory is only declared when the countries more or less resemble the Western ideal of the corporate state. And if that’s not bad enough, how about those flying killing machines called drones that they like to launch over countries not even declared war upon, making sure that for every civilian killed, 20 more revenge-bent “terrorists” pop up. And let’s not forget about the West’s own citizens, in their desire to protect us against dark boogeymen, every ounce of privacy awarded us through the ages are wiped out in less than a decade “for our own protection”.
Hey, sociopaths in charge, guess what? Living has always come with certain risks. One of them is death from unexpected events. Like falling in the shower. Or getting shot by your gun-crazy neighbor. These things happen. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your neighbor, or the shower, is conspiring against you. That just means they are careless and/or morons. Considering that dying at the hands of terrorists in a Western country is smaller than the chance of getting struck by lightning, maybe there is some disproportionate use of resources we need to discuss here. Unless of course, this isn’t about terrorists with 30 year old Kalashnikovs and spotty internet connection at all.
Isn’t it funny that most natural resources in developing countries are immediately privatized after a “successful” US operation? To understand why that is, you first have to admit to yourself the sad truth that at this time the US government is pretty much a corporation, too. They love to privatize other people’s shit. Not because of some favorable ideology, although I’m sure their hand-picked puppet politicians still have to tell themselves that, but very simply because it makes them and their companies more money.
So the broad conclusion here is that the real terrorists are the ones that instigate violence for personal gain. People who already have more money than they could spend in a lifetime, yet somehow feel it is a good thing that water in the poorest regions on the planet can only be traded for a paper currency – with profits going directly to their own corrupted bank accounts. Like the president of Nestle, who feels like water as a human right is an “extreme viewpoint” and water as a commodity is better handled by private interest.
What this feels like, to me, is the final nail in the corporate agenda. Money over everything. Extinguish every culture that doesn’t feel the same way and terrorize the population with fear until they blindly obey orders. “For their own protection.”
It’s been 13 years since 9/11. That means every child under thirteen living on this planet has not known a time without war. Remember the 90’s, the first time in history when world peace actually seemed attainable after the fall of the Berlin war? I’m a child of the 90’s and maybe that’s why I still cling to that illusion. A state of war for me is abnormal. Peace is normal. But the children growing up today, war for them is normal because they have never not known it. They are living ‘1984‘s perpetual warfare – a book written in 1949 meant to be a warning, not an instruction manual. It’s up to us, who still remember a time when peace seemed normal, to teach those ideals.
So quit worrying about ebola, or even your plane blowing up mid-air. If that were to happen it would be a tragedy. But you are still way, way more likely to die in traffic and I don’t see you stop driving your car any time soon. It’s illogical. But then again, life is illogical. The real criminals are the ones buying up every piece of land and fresh water aquifers they can get their hands on. The ones that are buying up patents that could revolutionize our energy sources and get us off dirty oil once and for all, because those new inventions interfere with their current monopolies.
At this point in time, we are all terrorists. Everyone is a terrorist, except the ones in charge actually launching missiles. You are one if you want to fight for a healthier planet, a more just social system, and economic reform. But you are also one if you think the current system is just dandy, that military imperialism is a-ok and that billions starving so that you can maintain your lifestyle is justified. You are a terrorist if you fight for the survival of your culture. You are a terrorist if you practice non-violent activism. You will be spied upon, you will be encouraged to go into debt, and soon you will be thrown in prison if you can’t repay that debt. Never mind that jobs as we know them are disappearing daily thanks to automation and machines, and that the right to be paid a living wage is being fought tooth and nail by the corporations. Never mind that the monetary system that rules us all is designed for perpetual debt and that there will never be enough money in existence to repay it.
We are living in exciting times, guys. I may not have the answers but asking questions is usually a pretty solid place to start.
honeythatsok 
“They are living ‘1984‘s perpetual warfare – a book written in 1949 meant to be a warning, not an instruction manual” – brilliant post, really enjoying the blog !
I thought this title was humorously witty.
Reminds me of Riddler saying “riddle me this”
Water Wells may have the water and so you got to dig it up, hell has its on places with faces and that’s the payback that will get dug you dig?
Love Your Stuff MS Honey!
Bravo, Joey. Bravo.
You expressed everything so wonderfully and succinctly that I can’t think of anything to add. Just wanted to commend you on the great post.
Did you know you are a suspected terrorist if you have a large food storage in your basement – you know, just in case the economy collapses? And Monsanto would like nothing more than to label those of us who want clean seeds and food and who get angry when our organic crops get contaminated by their Frankenseeds as food terrorists. Whoever is in resistance to the powers that are in control becomes a threatening “terrorist.” It is a crazy world and we have to keep our wits about us, make choices about what we want to stand up for – otherwise we end up in the insane asylum or jail (now often private for-profit corporations).
Nice article Joey. I’m still trying to line up beheaders with water-privateers :-) but I’m with you all the way otherwise.
“What this feels like, to me, is the final nail in the corporate agenda. Money over everything.”
I rail against this everyday in my mind and heart and to the best of my current ability, my actions. I need to get better. Thank you for a perfect articulation of overly-complicated-simple problems. We’ve enslaved ourselves to a system fueled by greed and secretism that cannot continue in this way.
Brilliant piece – your writing is stellar and your voice is loud and clear.
Peace, always,
Allison
So true. And the more fearful everyone is, the more distracted they (we) are from the right priorities… Thank you for the thought provoking post.
Thank you for expressing our anger and exasperation with your passionate and eloquent words. It is impossible to understand what makes corporate elitists tick – the outcome of their behaviors (war, climate change, etc.) are horrifying. Why can’t they see it?
I like to see it as the last gasps of a dying ideal. In the same way that a drowning person thrashes before sinking then this is a process of change. These egos know that we’re evolving past them so they cling tighter. Money is an illusion, as is security and even nation states are ideas given power by consensual hallucination. Robert Pirsig said that fanatics are seldom certain so I choose to source myself in loving kindness and unsentimental compassion. Our fear and anxiety gives these illusions and separations power and when we let go of them, as we will, then we can get a loving stronger dream to play in.
I really love this comment. You nailed it. I think we live in exciting times because it is a time of transition. It either gets better from here… or it becomes our darkest nightmares because it sure as hell can’t continue the way it is. We are running out of planet and resources. We are running out of places to dump our trash. It is amazing to be part of a movement that wish to see a future based on love and kindness, rather than selfishness and greed. And we finally have the technology to match our dreams.
If you think of us and our consciousness as akin to watching a television, there are multiple channels available that we exist on. There’s the ego, which is fear and anxiety as well as physical gratification, adrenaline, touch and passion, then you change channel and you’re on something more rarefied, the spirit where we’re all one consciousness experiencing itself. Perhaps the most revolutionary idea is to say that it’s all going to be ok. That we can still refuse to bear suffering and know that in the end that so long as we bear love and peace within ourselves, we win.
Very good questions. And you set of a train of thoughts in my head
Thank you! That’s all a writer can hope to do :)