WORRY, BLAME AND INEVITABILITY

A LOVELY FRIEND ASKED ME AT LUNCH YESTERDAY IF I WERENT WORRIED ABOUT THE INTERNET REMAINING OPEN AND FREE FROM CORPORATE OR GOVERNMENT DOMINATION.  I REPLIED THAT THERE WASNT MUCH THAT I WORRIED ABOUT THESE DAYS, THAT I THOUGHT THE INTERNET WAS FANTASTIC AND CONTAINED INHERENTLY WITHIN ITSELF THE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS IT MIGHT FACE OVER TIME, BASED AS IT IS IN ALL THE PEOPLE. 

ABOUT WORRY IN GENERAL, AGE SEEMS TO HAVE WINNOWED IT DOWN TO A FEW BIG THINGS.  I WOULD NEVER WORRY, FOR INSTANCE, ABOUT THE ECONOMY, ESPECIALLY JOBS, THOUGH I MIGHT WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE DID WITH THEIR TIME AND FOR THEIR SUSTENANCE.  THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION IS NOT WHETHER THEY ARE WORKING BUT WHAT THEY ARE PRODUCING THROUGH THEIR EFFORT.  THERE ARE A FEW THINGS HOWEVER THAT I DO PRIVILEGE WITH ACTIVE CONCERN: GROUP IDENTITY HAS OUTLIVED ITS BEST BEFORE DATE — IT IS TIME WE IDENTIFIED WITH ALL — ALL THE HUMANS, ALL THE CREATURES, ALL THE PLANET.  FROM THAT FLOWS TRULY EGALITARIAN RECIPROCAL DISINTERESTED JUSTICE.  FLOWING FROM THAT IS THE ELIMINATION OF FORCE — EITHER INTIMIDATION, DESTRUCTION OR MURDER — IN THE CONDUCT OF HUMAN RELATIONS.  FLOWING FROM THAT IS THE ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS, THE ONLY TRUE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, AND FLOWING FROM THAT IS THE ELIMINATION OF ALL THREATS TO THE ENVIRONMENT CAUSED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY.

I DO NOT THINK IT IS USEFUL TO BLAME THIS OR THAT GROUP FOR THESE LARGESCALE PROBLEMS, WHICH ARE SYSTEMIC — ROOTED IN OUR GENETICALLY CODED EMOTIONALLY BASED BEHAVIORS — AND ARE UBIQUITOUS THROUGHOUT THE BIOSPHERE AND THROUGHOUT THE CULTURES AND SOCIAL SPECIES OF EARTH.  THERE IS A CERTAIN INEVITABILITY TO THIS HISTORY OF OURS AND THE NOTION THAT ANY PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL OR SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE OR CULTURE IS TO BLAME — THAT IF THIS ABERRANT BEHAVIOR HAD NEVER EXISTED OR COULD BE OVERWHELMED EARTH WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT TODAY — STANDS ON PRETTY SHAKY GROUND.  THERE IS JUST NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT ALTERNATE EVOLUTIONS OF EARTH.  BUT THE NOTION THAT EVOLUTION STOPPED WHEN WE WERE BORN OR IS STOPPING NOW IS EVEN MORE FANTASTIC.  RATHER THAN WASTE ENERGY AND TIME PURSUING ENEMIES WITH THIS SORT OF RETRIBUTIVE PUNITIVE SO-CALLED JUSTICE WE WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO TRANSCEND OUR FOLLY IF INSTEAD WE USE THE TIME TO EXAMINE OUR OWN ROLE IN THE PARTICULAR FAILURES OF MANKIND.  THERE IS MORE THAN BLAME ENOUGH TO GO AROUND, WHICH MAKES BLAME A GENERALLY USELESS EMOTION AND A PARTICULARLY USELESS PURSUIT IN TERMS OF BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE EDIFICATION.