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Postmodern humans or robotic automatons?

By Jose Zepeda - posted Friday, 9 November 2007


How do we live our daily lives, our public responsibilities and our faith or religion in an interrelated way, so as to have a meaningful life?

The new "terrorist" era has given rise to many reactions. There is a growing need for some people to impose their will, ideology or beliefs. Much of this is in the information transmitted and fed to us by a globalised media which is under the control and direction of very few. There is no system of scrutiny. With the technology that is available at the present time this is nearly instantaneous. Therefore, we are conditioned and used to having a globalised media as our source of information on a daily basis.

On the other hand, we seem to have become less investigative as a global society. We seem to have lost habits of independently scrutinising the motives and reasons for events and the way they are presented to us in certain ways or styles. In a few words, we have gradually been converted to automatons that react and respond guided by those who have conditioned our minds and behaviours. In the end, therefore, we and our elected leaders are failing to participate in the political systems in our countries. Our political leaders have become the servants not of their democratic societies, but of economies and globalised politics. Now, let me go to the point.

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September 11 has been marked as a date significant for the terrorist attacks in the United States. Brutal assassinations of innocents occur in many countries. These are unacceptable to those who value human life.

We must condemn them with all our will and ensure that each individual human person on this planet makes the effort to avoid such barbaric acts. But how can “I” do that? "Me"? I have no power to do anything.

So we must ask ourselves why we don’t have power to change our destiny: to love, to respect and to live in peace.

What have we done? What are we doing? What will we do in order to correct this?

This takes me to reflect a little more deeply on "why" and "how" such things happen. What have "we" done wrong to deserve such attacks? And why are these attacks increasing, rather than decreasing? When will they stop to let the world be a place of peace, harmony and respect for the human person and the environment in which we live?

Profound indifference and intolerance dominate many societies at present. Have we misunderstood the whole ownership of advancement in many fields which facilitate the so called “progress” of human beings? As we have advanced on the material and economic interaction, have we failed to increase the cultural interrelationships of East and West?

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In order to contribute to shaping the world in which we live, we need to realise that we have responsibilities here that are individual and collective, rather than just to take a passive attitude. There is too much at stake. Our very existence is in danger.

We must act now. If not for a concern for others, or for ourselves, then from our beliefs and the principles under which we live. These exhort us to peace, respect, harmony, generosity and love.

Leadership

I think we need to entirely reconsider national political systems and how they operate in the new postmodern world. What are the criteria required to be an elected leader, which leaders have most influence on our globalised lives?

Do we need to demand a whole new system in order to hold global elections for certain leaders? Nationhood is no longer as narrow as the borders of a particular group of people, or cultures and languages.

The world is shrinking. For example, leaders from the USA or China make decisions about my life and my future. How will my life be affected when I have no power or means to vote for them, or access to information about who will or will not benefit from their decisions?  Economic and political benefits flow to a few very powerful and influential people who tell politicians what to do and how to act.

Why is it that the life of a United States citizen, when it comes to health or safety, is considered more valuable than the lives of those who live in rural, remote or poor regions of the planet?  Why are many invisible and irrelevant?

We must strongly reject and condemn with all the weight of civilised society’s laws those who commit acts of terrorism or are involved in such activities. However, at the same time, we must use our sense of individual and group responsibility to prevent acts of terrorism.

But how? What can I do as an individual who does not count when it comes to elect those who will decide my destiny?

I suspect that behind terrorism there is much of this frustration. This leads vulnerable individuals to exploitation by the new globalised anti-powers of our post-modern world, who label all under "terrorism". But how do we distinguish and separate them?

Persons like the leaders of the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, India and England are no longer state leaders only. They are global leaders who decide on the lives of most people on the planet. So why is it that we don’t have anything to do with their elections or appointments?

Political leaders in smaller nations are becoming irrelevant. They cannot be in a position to guide the citizens of their countries to choose their way of life. Often, they are directed by someone who does not know what impact their decisions will have on the lives of millions, so we are converted into robotic automatons.

Solutions

We need to develop global solutions for new global problems; however, the solutions cannot be decided by small groups of persons with their own particular interests only.

So how do we include all members of the global community? How do we count them and make them visible in order that they may have a say in their own destiny?

For me, as an individual, this begins with very basic questions. For example, how do I live my faith or beliefs? How do I integrate into my everyday life my political responsibilities as a citizen and my faith practices? These inform the way I think, act and conduct my life with others.

As a Catholic the more deeply I reflect on my duties and responsibilities, I cannot avoid asking myself the following questions:

What did I do to prevent the terrorist attacks of September 11 on innocent victims?  And, if I did not do anything, why didn’t I? Is it because I did not consider it was my problem. Was I thinking, “someone else will take care of it”? After all I am only me, an individual with no power. I can ask many more questions as to why I did not do anything at all.

However, after the tragedy, I immediately went to pray for the victims, for their families, for those who were affected. I did condemn the attacks. I felt angry and threatened. There were many emotional reactions to them. However, I never questioned myself as to what I could have done to prevent such acts. So at present, I am asking myself "What am I doing to ensure the world will not continue to suffer from such acts?"

To respond, I have to go back to the basics of my political responsibilities and my practise of faith. I find myself feeling disempowered, irrelevant, and accused of opposing those who are risking their lives to protect me from the terrorists I oppose.

If I try to break these barriers of fear, to take risks with my own life in order to make it relevant and meaningful, then I will recover the sense of my life’s sacredness as well as increase my respect for the lives of others. I might even gain some solidarity with those who look for the meaning of human life. I might move from my position of comfort and automation, (a position created by globalised mind control), toward a position of regaining concrete power. Even if this means a little effort on my part, it would give my life a sense of purpose beyond the automated and disposable entity that many of us have become.

So my last question is: ”What will I do, to change my attitudes of non involvement, of avoiding trouble, of protecting my comfortable easy style of life?” Why risk myself for people I don’t even know, for people who hate me just because I am Christian or considered Western?

Well, I cannot hide my faith and place it under the carpet. It challenges me to see my entire life, since I have grown up wondering how best to follow the teachings of Jesus, and how to ensure, as a participant of my religion, that I reach out to other Catholics.

Do you feel similar concerns? Let’s start doing our small part to restore the sacredness of human life. Not to reinvent the world but to bring peace to it by changing our attitudes.

At present there are forces trying to establish the domination of a monoculture, in order for us to be part of the "sameness", automatons in service of those few who think they are mini gods.

The postmodern world is confronted by a silent shifting from the celebration of the rich and diverse world that is God’s gift, to a relativism that considers people’s lives as disposable and for the convenience of a few. We hear dangerous messages arrogantly claiming God’s guidance in order to justify their enforced influence on others.

Many world religious leaders feel alone or isolated if they dare to speak out against powerful leaders. We are failing in our commitments daily, and religious leaders lose moral authority, as we their followers fail to empower them on our behalf.

Human existence is threatened by monoculture. Political, economical, cultural and religious, as well as other important aspects of human existence, are at present threatened by the monoculture being imposed on the majority on our planet.

Peace, harmony, love, respect, difference and diversity are integral aspects of human development. If these are suppressed, then we lose our sense of sacredness. We lose the richness of our world and this threatens our very existence.

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Article edited by Jacqueline Jago.
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About the Author

Jose Zepeta is International Coordinator of Always People, a not for profit organisation working across all faiths and cultures committed to "people helping people" and working towards justice and peace for all. Jose has travelled extensively in his role with Always People, working in the area of human rights, justice and peace negotiations and these reflections come out of his observations and experience.

Jose is also a Consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

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Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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