Where do we go from here.....?

The more I see, the less I believe that we have learned. The cynical malaise of our age seems to be deepening as the poisonous evil of right-wing ideology seeps into all aspects of our society. Portraying itself as various aspects of perceived ‘goodness,’ the right-wing ideology that prevails is the worst kind of evil; that which degrades the weak and vulnerable in the name of God and Country. Feeding off fear and prejudice, while attempting to line the pockets of the rich and powerful on the backs of average people. Though they try to hide behind patriotic or quasi-religious slogans, they constantly show their hateful and malevolent hand in each negative ad, each angry speech, and each slip of the tongue which reveals their racists or intolerant attitudes. And these attitudes are slowly colonizing each corner of our daily lives until we don’t know where hate begins and politics ends. At each stage of history the members of the establishment, those with wealth and power, declare wars on alien nations and on their own people, and they do so in the name of order, decorum, goodness, family, and the nation. And the radicals, who are constantly demonized and marginalized, work tirelessly to counteract the terrible effects of the prevailing ideologies in the ultimate and continuous struggle that, though largely thankless, is the only thing that has brought real civilization to the world. 

But I am now in my forty-fifth year, and let’s say that I am lucky enough to live for another thirty years. Do I see any end to this cycle of malevolence and hate? Not really. I want to but I don’t. Weber saw it more than a hundred years ago. As rationalization of society increases we are trapped into an ‘iron-cage’ of control and bureaucracy.  And the evil men and women who are eager to exploit this process of rationalization in the name of goodness, live prosperous lives and hold many of the positions of ‘respectability’ despite the evil at the core of their agenda.

Oh Shelley where are you when we really need you? I hope the English graveyard in Rome where you rest is a quiet and cheerful spot!  

I want so much to be an optimist! I want so much to see the magic and beauty of the world.