Thought / founding tenets / founding amendments / and ''championships''.
 |
| image credits: found this here |
Interesting, isn't it, so much talk of ''the West'' and ''Western Thought'' and the tenets thereof when considering a group that calls itself a union of countries with their continent's name, and the choice of being led by an elected or by a non-elected entity, is viewed?
Whether one likes or not the outcome of an election, if one deems and calls themselves to be ''democratic'' - and (more than that even) how people look at and discuss things after another nation votes concerning their own matters, (unless those thus worried with that other nation have a ''conquering'' instinct to take the land of those others and rule them (over them that is). In any case, it reveals much of the person who speaks like that.
To rule over others, now there is a concept.
To rule over others, now there is a concept.
Recently for one or another reason I've been led to that timeless author Michel Foucault regarding that which he so eloquently defined as Biopower.
To be master of another, of their body - individually or as a collective of bodies (of people), now there's an issue.
Another issue (though one can tie it to the former) is what he thought of as being Fascism - not the State as a definition of it's form of rule, but the seed any one individual can have
(enclosed in one's ''thought'' / that everyone can or does have) within his or her persona.
The only difference being how one recognizes that element and thus keeps it at bay - or not.
___________________________________________________________
Let us consider a referendum (any referendum) - We all know what that is so I won't insult your intelligence by explaining it.
I have written my thoughts and opinion regarding this element of democratic rule (well, if we really look at it - it does mirror the form of rule that sprung forth from Solon's land (Solon and his famous points, as groundwork for the proto-demoicracy that lead to the famed Athenian democracy) .
So, we all wear the shirt that says ''Euro'', or, we all wear the shirt that says ''Western Thought'', or the shirt that says ''The kangaroo-like jumping people that comb their hair backwards and hang flowers on their ears'', or ''People who wear trousers when their large frock that holds their gardening gear is in the wash'', or whatever the group within the larger group calls itself ◄
(in this case the larger group being a group of nations that grouped themselves into a union of countries - that has long gone past the notion of being ''a larger group of peoples, that do and wear this or that, that exchange beans, milk, steaks, fish, cars and cauliflower amongst themselves'')
► and we give our opinions (yes, opinions - some of which are fiery opinions containing bullet and blade, and other kinds imbued with '"harsher words" that we allegedly left behind in past centuries)
regarding one of our groups ''within'' - when they wish to employ decision-making by the ''demos''.
Going back to what we all call the foundations of ''Western Thought'' - the kind that the Romans spread around, taken from the Hellenes and in turn adopted, and adapted, by where the roads would take them by through hand of others.
We've all become ''friends'' and decided not to shoot each other up, but it seems - (and it seems more and more each day) - that how we define that ''friendship'' is just that. ►We have decided to stop shooting each other up.
When we considered that it would be good to be ''good neighbours'', and exchange a cup of flour or sugar with a smile and more ease, we somehow forgot about the mentioned issues brought up by one of our ''thinkers'' - in this case Mr. Foucault. Of course, one must bear in mind that this specific union of ''good neighbours'' was born in Rome in the aftermath of WWII, in 1957 (if I'm not mistaken), and that Mr Foucault hadn't made his thoughts public before that date (that I'm aware of), but we've had plenty of ''thinkers'' publishing their thoughts beforehand that we could have kept in mind and a person's literacy hasn't enough significance to make them more or less inclined to rule and be master over another (over others).
I doubt that Pol Pot, or Leopold II (the one that inspired ''A Heart of Darkness), Mussolini, Suharto, Cromwell, Franco, Salazar, Napoleon (who after being such a hero became an emperor), Idi Amin, Pinochet, Papa Doc or his son, or others like them were illiterate. Thought and reading are but a tool - and I'm not sure if the tool makes its maker, or if the maker makes the tool, when considering the quest for power over others.
One thing I know is, if I wish to call myself a democratic person and wish to live in a democratic society, - regardless my not being able to bring myself to vote if I think that no-one in the group of contenders are ''eligeable'' or worthy of my vote, or voting for a person or group of persons I believe in, - I must accept not ''winning''.
Another thing I know is, regardless the outcome of a referendum, as in the case of one being held in a ''sub-group" to which I do not belong, I must respectfully (if I am in fact as I say: ''a good neighbour'') await and accept their decision over themselves.
Whether they are Greek, British, German, French, Danes, Irish, Spaniards, Italians, or the Portuguese or any other of the so called ''good neighbours'', indeed whomever they may be, I must surrender to the notion ''it's their own business'' what they do with a referendum that is theirs, and I must respect their decision one way or another. If not, I leave unchecked the will to manipulate or ''rule'' over others as the aforementioned dictators.
The notion of Biopower: see it, check it, and weild it or weild it not -
Western Thought, hmm.... (ok fine - Now going west from ''the West'')
The other side of the Atlantic (both North and South), hmmmmmmmmmm...
In the North - The American Second Amendment :
(I'll just copy my own thought and words from a day ago on a social media network, regarding Mr. Lewis) ↕ LINK - news article (source - TIME) and place them down below.
(my mentioned words and thought)
- a great warrior, champion for the dignity of Man, as he never has rest whilst fighting a legislation that was written by a small minority of his nation, that in fact is made up of large groups of people - larger than that smaller group that does not mirror them, be they indigenous and precolonial or others that were unspeakably tormented, or others yet, and that for one reason or other never had a say in said legislation made in a time that has no bearing on recent centuries, a small group with a strong lobby... ►
[where blind to reason insistence on maintaining something that makes no sense - a civilian population armed against each other - where even the excuse of an atmosphere due to civil war where everyone hates each other and is thus weary of their fellow man - which is also no excuse whatsoever, as there have been civil wars more recent in other lands (Spain for example, or others in Europe - or other parts of the globe where guns in their civilian population is ''controlled'' - and that use no such excuse and have no such custom nor reckless bloodshed for the financial profit of a few) - a small group that laid down rule and law in that land, habitually persecutors of said other groups in said land, where great men and women have no rest. ]
Even neighbouring countries have a fraction of the problem and sadness created due to insistence on what those of the lobby in this case, in his nation, call freedom.
Freedom? They want to talk of freedom ? ..to this man? )
________________________
Respect ♥
(he is a fine example where one actually is in fact able to have high respect for people who end up holding public office - some that for one reason or other have had to enter ''politics''.
Love him.
He is part of the beautiful side of his land.
One doesn't need to share his nationality to be uplifted, even.
♥ Respect
South of that land, Brazil, yes, one of the BRICs, those very same countries that founded that ''counterpoint'' to the IMF (founded in the aftermath of wwii, and until recently with no ''competition''), - that other world bank, the NDB, and along this train of thought - look at recent upheaval, (not to mention the hot spots concerning and/or around other BRICs nations), does this ring any bells?
Biopower.
LINK - http://guidarte.blogspot.pt/2014/03/the-ukrane-new-european-powder-keg.html
LINK - http://guidarte.blogspot.pt/2015/01/liberte-egalite-fraternite-pt-fr-en.html
LINK - http://guidarte.blogspot.pt/2015/11/apontamento-provindo-da-terceira-bola-voadora-em-torno-de-outra-bola-voadora-em-torno-de.html (written in EN, despite the title)
LINK - http://guidarte.blogspot.pt/2011/08/extremism-food-for-thought.html
LINK - http://guidarte.blogspot.pt/2015/09/europe-its-not-that-different-from.html
LINK - http://guidarte.blogspot.pt/2014/03/o-assunto-da-coadocao-votacao-e-um.html
(written in PT / artigo em Português) regarding another form of Biopower
LINK - http://guidarte.blogspot.pt/2016/03/bruxelles-et-les-evenements-en-autre.html
(language: FR/PT/EN) Similar to the other links, concerning Biopower.
(if I were to choose one among the above links, though any of them portray my personal way of looking at things, and bare some differences between themselves, I would perhaps be inclined to pick the one with a Portuguese title that is nevertheless written in English. )
 |
| photo credits: I don't know if he's calling us silly, or if he simply just couldn't catch his own tail - i dunno - image found here |
Yes, with concerns to Europe, there are many ''championships'' and, I suppose this is true with respect to other continents. It has been so throughout the ages.
Have a good, and wholesome summer, whomsoever reads my musings.
Take care.
♥
as I just wrote, commenting on an article posted by a friend «the project that was born in the aftermath of wwii, our european union ....
ReplyDelete(at first as a common market, and changing it's nature in the more recent past), has been dampened by some rather authoritarian beurocrats - that are not elected by people, any of us in the continent, and that have paved destruction of the union and undermined it). They have laid way for the rise of ''nationalisms'' and respective ''hatreds'' even, that hadn't been rampant for a long time to those who look upon us from an ''outsider perspective''.
On the one side, what we see as said ''nationalists'' and respective hard right, on the other, the undermining of what is supposed to keep it at bay. (...)
Although the majority of the peoples of europe are not ''hard right'', the rampant rise is present more and more and the democratic processes harder to deal with due to a number of things)
....... as i was going to say, in a shorter comment - the union of lands born from the aftermath of wwii, has been undermined, it is dying. One understands that even, and especially, in working classes, there is much dismay and that ironically these are easier to be caught by ''nationalisms'' because the ''talk'' of the hard right is as you know.
We live in rather troubled times, I don't like what I see, and the solutions are not easily made available to correct bad policies and decision that impose upon the more fragile members of society - financial speaking, or others. Thus angers arising (frustrations) and...., well, as you know, angers that can be manipulated and played upon.
It is sad, yes it is.»
________________________________________
If one sees the EU start to understand where it has made mistakes or has its shorrtcomings and thus driven people to be weary and tired of it, even peoples that haven't been as hard pressed - as a group, as others from other parts of the EU.
If the EU is to survive, it must deal with and correct its shortcomings, lest it too becomes instrument (and it already has, somewhat) of oppression and anguish..
I'm a bit tired of the subject though it is important, and life is short.
I will go tend the daisies in my garden.
Have a good day.