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item0060E 908, 909 908 12 January 2004 Seeds of optimism
Even in dark times, optimism is possible. This week, I have deliberately tried to turn away from the illiberal authoritarianism of current Western politics, and accentuate the positive. I think I can see better times ahead, the small green shoots of a more rational and peaceful world - even in the Middle East, even in Europe - and even in America. I was encouraged in my optimism by Anatole Kaletsky, writing in the The Times last Thursday. He highlighted the growing strengths of the Asian consumer market, and the driving aspirations of a new Asian middle-class, in both India and China. And that (as he observed) "creates a preference for peace over war". These are matters of the highest possible abstraction, difficult to grasp in written form. The best I can do, in these intervals stolen from the currents of day, is to highlight the pluses and minuses of the situation in which we find ourselves... Factors favouring pessimism - by which I mean to refer to the power structures of "big states", those which endow their leaders with illusions of omnipotence. The nation-state is an inherently oppressive institution, closely linked with the "armed-forces interest", concentrating and legitimising power in a few hands, all posing real threats to the sanity of their leaders and the security of its citizens. Both the United States and the United Kingdom constitute such threats, as do the personalities of George Bush and Tony Blair. The Armed Forces Interest - this is a deep-rooted element in human society, linking the modern arms industry with the professional military, and extending its tentacles throughout society, through much of professional Police establishment, to the ends of the British Legion and other former-service groups - it is informed by a lingering Hobbesian perception that all social order is ultimately underpinned by the judicious use of force, and it attracts all those in society (for the most part, male) preoccupied with the deployment of physical force.Fundamentalism - the forces of "religion" are commonly blamed for generating the most destructive forms of fundamentalism, but many despots and dictators seek to generate near-religious commitment in their cause (Hitler, or Mussolini, or Mosley), and many of the deeper human emotions (particularly racism) seem to generate their own fundamentalist dimensions - these psycho-systems constitute a real threat to the future of mankind.Human nastiness - a Christian theologian might call it "original sin" - it is clear that the human species, almost uniquely in the natural world, is capable of systematic and "evil" malfunction (Harold Shipman comes to mind, this week) - very powerful individuals have shown themselves capable of extreme cruelty and systematic exploitation, and the risk of such evil is ever-present - this is a positive driveHuman selfishness - this simple proposition cannot be ignored, for mankind has shown a distinctive self-centredness which, while no doubt a Darwinian asset, is also responsible for man's ability to batten down the horizons and ignore the hardships of others, dispense with altruism, ignore global degradation, and even the most awful crimes happening under our very noses.Factors favouring optimism Altruism - my observation of my fellow man is that we all have huge resources of altruism, a real sensitivity to the sufferings of others, even though social conventions may inhibit its expression Corporations for peace - Devolution, Political Dispersal -
Where do you figure, on the Pessimism Index? Drop me a line
909 15 January 2004 LAW BEFORE JUSTICE Letter to the Worthing ARGUS Dear Sir
I recently attended the sentencing of Chris Baldwin at Chichester Crown
Court ("Pro-cannabis trader jailed", The Argus, January 10). I was
confused that Mr Baldwin was being sent to prison after what amounted to a
glowing summation of his character. The Judge described him as
"honest", "sincere", with a "genuine belief in his medical need for cannabis
after 30 years of suffering ... and honest commitment to try to persuade the
Government to change the law".
Norwich What do you think? Drop me a line
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