Conflict, Racism, and Species Survival

Let's take a step back and ask ourselves, "What value do we have as a species?" Most of the millions of species on our planet have a purpose by keeping the ecosystem in balance. Do humans have a purpose? The purpose of life is to be a caretaker for animals, the Earth, and each other. There is no other meaning to life. A biologist may say that our purpose is to procreate, but we have already done that all to well.

I was told in church that our purpose is to "glorify god," but I'm not sure which of the 1,000 gods I'm supposed to glorify. They are listed on the Internet; I suppose I could pick one at random, or maybe glorify a garden gnome.

It was around 10,000 years ago when we learned to use technology and teamwork to protect ourselves against large land predators. Finally, we were safe. But the little creatures that attack us, in the form of microbes, continue to remind us that we are just like any other species and that we must succumb to the checks and balances of nature. 

With our current attack by a mutated animal virus, it would seem like we would unify and work as a team to defeat our invisible enemy. This enemy simply wants to hijack our cells to reproduce itself, and doesn't care if it destroys its host, for it will simply move on to other living cells. And if we defeat the corona virus there will be other viruses constantly mutating and becoming more lethal, and we provide every virus with exactly what they want — millions of humans packed into tight places.

Industrial Age

Let's take another step back to our social evolution in Europe. Modern science took off in the late 1500s and when Voltaire and Rousseau ushered in the Age of Reason in the early 1700s, religion was supposed to go away, but it did not. I am now grateful for religion and the mass ignorance it creates. See, I've always believed in science and reality, but science created technology, which has led us to the bad predicament we are currently in.

In the 1820s we humans led a sustainable existence and fit into the ecosystem like every other species. But along came technology and the steam-powered engine. Textile factories sprung up in northern England, which created a much greater demand for raw materials such as cotton. Who was going to provide this material, so that everyone could own more clothes? Slaves, of course, working in plantations in the southern U.S. But black slaves were in the New World far beyond that time. Initially they were brought to the Americas to work on sugar plantations because Europeans had developed a taste for sugar. And as slaves in South America and the Caribbean worked under appalling conditions, Europeans got fat eating sweets.

So, I'm now grateful for the institutionalized ignorance created by religion, which slows down our technological progression and gives us a better chance at keeping pace socially.

Capitalism

Another byproduct of science and technology is capitalism. See, capitalism simply follows the laws of Darwinism and the system is ruthless and systematic as greedy people try to grab whatever they can. Everyone is now in a race to get more things. When I question capitalism, people are quick to slap me down and they tell me it encourages innovation and efficiency. That is true on a small scale, but now capitalism has taken a life of its own and big corporations now gobble other corporations and the rich are getting richer to the point where half the world's wealth is in the hands of a few. And how do the American people respond? They elect a fucking billionaire as their president, who is a cog in the great machine that will squeeze the common man and woman to death as the rich horde everything.

From childhood I was told that socialism, communism, and Marxism are all evil. Our government has meddled in the affairs of other nations, staged coups, gone to war, and even engineered assassinations to protect our "way of life," which is a lie fed to us by the blood-sucking capitalists. Poor Che Guevara, a fighter for the people, was murdered by a CIA minion. All he wanted to do was start a global Marxist revolution, and the American government wouldn't have it.

Sustainability

Small wonder that people are angry. We live in a failed system that never did deliver the promise of a decent life for the masses. In the U.S. we have a medical system that's our enemy and only wants to suck the sick of their last remaining dollar. Many in the medical industry are filthy rich thanks to bilking insurance companies, which, in turn, bilk us. This is Donald Trump's America, a broken, soulless place that survives based on lies and misconceptions. 

And in this backdrop a part of our population is taking to the streets, and I don't blame them. The system has been particularly brutal to African Americans, who were brought here against their will and under appalling conditions, and the appalling conditions never ended. 

And we called it capitalism when entrepreneurs docked their ships at slave ports on the west African coast and purchased slaves. It was the black slave traders who went into the interior of the African continent to kidnap innocent people, which devastated the societies and economies of west Africa. And then the ships sailed to the Americas where the slaves were purchased by aspiring capitalists who simply wanted to make money, which, I know, is a good Christian thing to do.

Racism

It wasn't enough that the African Americans had to endure 250 years of slavery in north America. After they were freed in 1865 they had to endure another 100 years of Jim Crow laws, and if you don't know who Jim Crow was look it up, and I can tell you he was a disgusting fictional character. So, this is all due to our beloved capitalistic system and the Christian religion, which is clear in its support of slavery. And worse yet, Christianity was pushed on the slaves to help make them docile and to allow southern socialites to proclaim, "See, we saved the souls of these black savages." And as the descendent of a Druid I know what it's like to have someone else's religion forced upon you.

Small wonder there is a drug problem in black America with law enforcement and racist vigilantes murdering blacks, not to mention the carceral state and prison industrial complex that profits when young black men are thrown in jail. The system squeezes and exploits black America, just like it's been doing since the 1600s. I stand with my black brothers and sisters who are particularly singled out and used by a dark and grotesque economic and social system that whitewashes itself with nice pictures of white families sitting in steepled churches and proudly wearing their MAGA hats at Trump rallies. Modern America is a venomous snake and with large corporations controlling the media we are fed disgusting propaganda that would make Joseph Goebbels proud. And it's not surprising that the white capitalists would use a disinformation model that was invented by the Nazis, which is designed to make you safe and sound at night, and to scapegoat someone else, and all the while exploiting the underclasses, who they say are "lazy."

Summary

I started blogging in 2004 to help me see my own intellectual progression as I traveled through life. Shortly after getting into the environmental movement I was exposed to the rancorous immigration debate in the Sierra Club, where the old white guys didn't want America invaded by the brown hordes, which they said would compromise their environment. I'm proud that the Sierra Club stood against them and said we should address "root causes," because that is the correct answer. Following the economic crash of 2008 and the current hostile anti-immigrant atmosphere created by Trump, immigration is less of an issue. Besides, human migration is a normal and integral part of our 100,000 year existence as a species. We are always moving in search of a better life.

During the heat of the immigration battle I once said there is no use saving the environment if we are just going to fill our rivers with blood. Eventually, I created this blog, which was my second blog, and is devoted to social sustainability. I realized that we can't have a sustainable environment when we have such an unsustainable and unjust society.

I used to want to save humanity but in the last five years I've changed my thoughts. I now see humanity as just another species. Right now we are a misbehaving species that is wiping out thousands of other species, doing irreparable harm to the Earth, and hurting and harming our fellow humans. DO WE DESERVE TO EXIST? I would say "no," except there is always a handful of good people who give me hope. If we think we can provide some positive benefit to this world, then it's up to us to save ourselves. Otherwise, I no longer care if humans go extinct — under current conditions it's the best thing that could ever happen to the Earth.

Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, and Mahatma Gandhi are my three greatest heroes because they showed me that being human can be something special. They showed us that we don't have to be a violent, all-consuming species that tramples on our brothers for our own personal gain. Why the fuck do we forget their teachings every single day?

In 1966 Martin Luther King said something extremely beautiful. He said a riot is "the language of the unheard." Why don't you listen, America? Maybe it's time to listen.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash