other|matters

In generations past, the immediate signal of exploitation was an inequality of the distribution of resources. That inequality was then the fuel for revolution. That inequality today is so great, yet where is the revolution? Even the protests marches of today are largely symbolic impotent exercises. The power brokers—in “feeding” our appetites—have already wiped out any possible revolution. But, there is one simple sign that has not yet been thoroughly conquered, though it almost has: emptiness and meaninglessness. Is that emptiness the fuel for tomorrow’s revolution?

That emptiness has turned the citizen inward. In a few cases, the result has been reflection and meditation. In many cases, that turn has resulted in self-destruction, by way of fulfilling harmful appetites or by suicide itself. But the power brokers have answered this concern: religious revival.

As the appetite for personal media continues to rise, so too does the appetite for religion. For, personal media feeds the appetite of the baser self, that nafs al-amāra, but it leaves the person feeling empty. A full stomach with an empty heart. Personal media does not provide fulfillment. That emptiness is then fulfilled by religion. What then is religion here? It is bonding. It is interaction. It is not a quest for salvation in the other world—though such claims are offered—so much as it is a quest for human interaction.

Thus, we see this tightening handshake between supposedly secular power brokers and supposedly religious power brokers. The power brokers, to expand their power, feed the appetites of the masses with music, sex, food, etc.. That compels a sense of meaninglessness and alienation. Then, that need is fulfilled by religion.

What then would be the next step? It is simple. In order to sustain this increasingly aggressive lifestyle, as we deplete resources, we seek to lay claim to any available resources, regardless of who may possess them. The result of that attempt to lay claim is simple: war.

A nation that launches war for the sake of acquiring resources cannot stop war unless it stops being the nation that it is. It becomes a runaway train.

Mind you, I am not speaking of some illuminati seeking to control the world. This secret is wide open. Anyone seeking more and more power need not hide. They need only to feed you with food that does not nourish you.