Autor: Josef Skála | 20. 9. 2022
Dear comrades and friends: I personally and also on behalf of the Scientific Board of the Institute of the Czech left, of which I have been the Chairman, would like to thank you very much for the invitation to address you at the beginning of this important meeting in such a dynamic time.
At the same time I regret to inform you that it is impossible for me to attend all the sessions for a number of serious reasons as I have been willing to offer you a feedback as an observer at the end of the two days meeting.
Considering the above and that I am not expecting your approval at all for what you would hear from me, but at the same time as I sincerely believe that your deserve an independent view on a number of issues of common interest in order to get a reference and something to think about, I decided to address some of the key issues I value as important. No doubt you would consider them in your own way and form on other occasions. Please accept that all what you would hear is my personal view for which I am willing and able take a personal responsibility, that it is not my aim to lecture anyone, because each of us is responsible for himself, for his or her actions.
Please don’t believe me because I am not a propagandist, I don’t seek the truth, instead I do prefer to be wrong and I will gladly apologize if someone actually proves me wrong. The exception to this is the simple experience that fear, emotion, false ambitions and pride are the antithesis of the trinity of our good servants - beauty, humility and love. You may accept that we are living in extremely dynamic time, with a serious deficit of truth and critical thinking. On the other side we have been exposed to an extensive offer of lies and bullshit. I therefore decided to offer you four realistic options among few others, from which everyone can choose according to his or her taste.
Four options, attitudes and solutions to the current situation
First option: Pay attention to the collapse of the system you have been witnessing and you will be its victim. This will happen if you participate in the daily game of political clowns, getting upset about their actions and the actions of those in power. The problem with this possibility is that it only hurts a person. Nothing is improving, nothing is being done to change the course of things. A tired and always angry person is destined to be weak until he decides on another option.
Option Two: Don’t pay attention to current political events and enjoy life. Why? You have not created the political system and the cultural decadence in which we live, you have not chosen a system, and for some I suppose they have not even agreed with it. Let those in power continue to harm and have the attention of those who want to imitate or follow them. A person who chooses this option refuses to give the system energy, thoughts and time. He or she is content to take away as much joy as possible from life, to educate children or grandchildren as well as he or she can. And to follow Christ, if he or she is a believer, and be always willing to stand up for his teachings. Be an example to others with his happiness and ability to be happy and not to worry about current politics.
The third option: Become a revolutionary. One can become a revolutionary. How committed a person is to the revolution is up to him. Not only is he or she angry at the direction of things, but he or she undertakes to fight in every way possible.
But the revolutionary should not forget that revolution almost always ends with the victory of the state - the acquisition of greater power, while the common man loses it. The current situation in many countries of Europe prove this statement.
A revolutionary should therefore understand the probability that any win may look like a win, but will ultimately turn out to be a loss. Why? Because the state, as it would not be corrupt and rotten, will always be more powerful than a person and his money.
Option Four: Create new systems and don’t try to take over existing ones. Essentially, revolutionary man is trying to take over and repair the system instead of building new one. Creating new ones is the most difficult of the possibilities we have, but at the same time the most fruitful if a person can do it.
In this soulless world, it is worth sacrificing ourselves and laying the foundations if we want to pass on freedom and self-determination to ensure dignity for future generations. Food, clothing, goods, services, community, teaching, art, beauty and much more offer to create new mini-systems.
What needs to be changed specifically and why?
In order to live a dignified life, it is necessary to realize that we will never turn a broken jug into a new one. We must therefore decide to make a new jug, intensify the work on a new educational system and prepare alternative pathways for those young people who allow the development of their individual abilities in order to acquire new habits for the new era with new technologies all based on the holistic knowledge. The understanding that our planet represents a spaceship that cannot be created, driven and kept alive by a half-educated person is the pre-condition for becoming a personality for a new time.
Reflecting on my own experience gained in private and institutional sector, including the EC and from lecturing at universities in a variety of countries and working as an analyst I decided – despite my seniority to establish a project - Pharus de Victoria in Austria. It is one of the very few emerging in the newly formed world. I will not mention details today as Walter has already been informed about and Barbara and others could be informed and spread word around should they feel it worth and appropriate. What awaits us and what we will not miss.
We will see what the announced demonstrations, the autumn and winter will really bring after the G7 decided to cap the price of oil and gas and the message came from Russia that states that comply with the so-called price cap will be completely excluded from supplies from Russia.
In fact, it may mean that America’s asymmetric allies, such as the Czech Republic, will buy gas and oil from China at a very high price, and at the risk of increasing economic dependence on the state that the United States of America has designated as enemy number one or number two behind Russia.
This one example already leads us to reflect on the question of truth, lies and babbling (or bullshit). And, of course to the origin of this word (which comes from British military) and the book called - On Babbling in Organizations, Media, Politics and Science, by a respected neuropathologist František Koukolík (1941). The author offers a scientifically based and clearly formulated observation that proves that babbling is more dangerous than a lie: A liar in his own way honours the truth. He knows he’s lying. But the babbler (or bull shitter) doesn’t care.
I mention truth, lies and babbling (or bullshit), because these are categories as old as humanity itself. Today lies and babbling have reached the level of pathology among many citizens, scientists and the vast majority of politicians. Thanks to the Internet and social networks they are incomparably higher and globally effective. Unfortunately mostly with negative consequences.
Please remember the babbling of bankers when explaining the financial crisis in 2008 or the explanation of inflation, energy prices and the war in Ukraine by European political elites, all regardless of the opinion and feelings of citizens.
For those present here, there should be an obligation to realize that every day opinions are on increase and at the expense of factual arguments. The clash of immutable and ready-made attitudes is often unbearable and many of us forget that emotions usually lead to undesirable reactions and results.
In addition, it does not hurt to look at an imaginary apocalyptic clock from time to time. Since 1947, they have shown our approach to the apocalypse, the imaginary midnight of humanity.
They suggest that the reason for the apocalypse is not nuclear armament, which is starting again, or climate change, which haunts us on every corner, but above all the disruption of public space. In the context of the aforementioned disruption of the public space, in other words the disruption of society, there are many different realities. As an example, I will give the following:
Almost no one knows what is real and what is not. What is and what is not true. We stopped somewhere in the 18th century, at the time of the first newspapers. We are lazy and did not grow up even in the era of television, the Internet and social networks. Why? Because you blindly accept what was written by newspapers, said by TV or received a million likes, and therefore it must be true, and not otherwise.
Some of us think, or claim that they can change the world. These people forget that the world is too complex and massive a structure, and that it is much greener, more efficient, and economical to change ourselves. This is because each of us can have an impact on our first social shell only, i.e. three to five people you love or who love you. Further, our influence is weakening. Therefore, trying to change the world, like gluing together a broken jug, is an unnecessary waste of energy.
A similar loss of energy is caused by the effort to discuss with a deeply believing person. It does not matter whether the subject of the belief is the religion, politics or an idea. Why is that so? Every belief has a neurophysiological basis. Discussion and dialogue can therefore only be conducted with a person who is amenable to argument. Question: how many of those present are amenable to argumentation? How many are aware of the fact, that:
Cognitive dissonance says: It’s much easier to deny reality and keep it your own.
It doesn’t matter what we believe, as long as we believe firmly. Whether it’s black, or white, the machine runs as well. I mention the neurophysiological basis, because it is experimentally proven that in groups of believers in different things, when using magnetic resonance imaging in the head, the same network lights up.
In other words: Is there a democracy, in one group – Is there not a democracy, in the other group, the same network lights up when the head is inserted into the magnetic resonance scanner.
I wish you to hold a fruitful Assembly and I am looking forward to reading the conclusions and thank you very much for your attention. Thank you.
NB.: Those who don´t know the author, please visit: http://www.fek-eurojournal.de/?2021/07/2021-07-03_Interview_mit_Jan_Campbell_MiSy
