Now there are a listing of issues that reside in our world,
we have among them, what might be called “social” issues.
That are problems within the social order like poverty, social change,
pollution, income inequality, bigotry like racism and sexism to name a few…
these issues are the result of social actions and beliefs and doings that
the human being has done individually or collectively.
These named problems are the result of our actions and thus we have created
the problems and we can solve the problem with our actions and beliefs and
doings, both individually and collectively.
The question arises in how important do we consider these problems in
the midst of our affairs. In other words, how do we rate poverty in the midst
of our other issues, which are also socially created by human beings.
The so called “welfare state” is one possible solution to the problems created
by our actions or inaction, as the case may be. The “welfare state” is a perfectly reasonable
response to the problems that have been created by human actions or inactions.
In other words, if we create the problem, then we must find the solution.
If our ism’s and ideologies have created the problems/issues, then we can
find a solution within other ism’s and ideologies that are meant to solve
the problems created by the guilty ism/isms and ideologies.
If Capitalism has made poverty a permanent issue in society today, then
we must find a solution to that problem. But why, one may ask?
And therein lies one of the many issues that exists within society today.
We have failed to take responsibility for our actions even if the actions were
taken by our grandfathers and fathers………
If our collective actions taken hundreds of years ago has created a permanent
class of underemployed or unemployed people, we must be held responsible for
that collective actions. But why? Why am I to be held responsible for actions taken
hundreds of years ago? Ask yourself, then why we are being held to be guilty
of the actions of Adam/Eve, in the matter of the original sin, disobedience?
If the sins of the father can be passed on to the children, then we are
responsible for the actions of our father and grandfather. If we are not responsible
for the sins/actions of our father/grandfather, then we are not accountable for
the actions/sins of Adam/Eve.
You can’t have it both ways. Either we are guilty in both counts or we are
innocent in both counts, you can’t have us guilty in one instance and
innocent in another instance.
But I can’t have it both ways either, I don’t believe in original sin, of
disobedience to god and yet, I believe we are accountable for the actions
of our father and grandfather in their actions or inactions that has created
the issues and problems of today.
How do I solve this dilemma?
By noting the context. We have social issues like poverty which
damage people, socially, economically, politically, emotionally,
and psychologically. It doesn’t matter if you believe or not,
you are still being damaged as a human being by ism’s and ideologies
that have led to these social issues, whereas you can overcome
the indoctrinations of your childhood which include religious
indoctrinations like Catholicism and belief in god.
By knowing thyself and overcoming those indoctrinations which
then lead us to becoming who we are. We can individually overcome
our indoctrinations whereas we cannot individually overcome collective permanent
poverty cycles. We must work together to overcome permanent poverty
whereas we can individually overcome our childhood indoctrinations.
Overcoming permanent poverty requires everyone in society to engage with,
and therein lies the difference. The belief in god and the idea of original sin
is an childhood indoctrination which affects us only if we allow it to,
whereas poverty damages regardless if we believe in capitalism or not.
The question of knowing thyself and then overcoming those childhood
indoctrinations and with that, becoming who you are. That path of
knowledge is essential in our individual engagement with the universe,
with reality. But we don’t need that engagement to overcome permanent
poverty. We need another level of engagement to overcome permanent
poverty… We must overcome permanent poverty by collective actions
of society, of everyone. So our engagement really has two levels,
first our engagement with ourselves to overcome our childhood indoctrinations
and the second level of engagement is with society and its issues and problems.
The first engagement is a private “battle” and the second engagement is about
our collective actions we must achieve together. That is the difference between
our being guilty by the actions of Adam/Eve and our being guilty of the actions
or inactions of our father and grandfather. We can solve one collectively
and we can solve one individually. It is important to understand that
engagement is both collective and individually.
Kropotkin