The exploitation of the mind
We know what individual enterprise has brought into the world and we also know what State exploitation can do. Both are equally ruthless and brutal; the latter perhaps more so, because there is no appeal and the State is run by the few. They also seek power and position. They also exploit man. Perhaps they may organize collective food, clothing and shelter for everybody. But they will exploit something which is much more important, your mind, your being, which means what you are thinking. Surely that is also exploitation, to control what you say and think.
— J. Krishnamurti (source)
Isn’t this exactly what is happening in a country like China? It may be that the country has become economically strong, it may be that everybody in the country is assured of food, shelter and clothing. But people in such countries are deprived of certain things that are more significant, their right to know, right to think, and their right to express. Over the past few years, the whole world has come together thanks to the internet. We people from different parts of the world increasingly interact with each other, we have come to understand each other better. We now better understand the problems of the world. But people in countries like China are not being allowed to participate in this interaction at this crucial period in the history of mankind. That’s 1.3 billion people who are being denied their right to know and their right to express, we are losing out on one fifth of the world’s population. That’s not how it should be.
I’m a fan of Krishnamurti’s writings but I have to confess to being a little challenged by the tension between individual freedoms and our duties and commitments to our community. I suppose that Krishnamurti might simply say that we choose or don’t choose these commitments. But here in North America I worry about our cultural drift towards individualism. I guess I’m a bit of a federalist. Of course, from my position of relative privilege here in Canada (white, male) I am feeling very shy about commenting on the current state of China.
Hey, have you read King Henry the #? by Shakespeare. There’s this scene when the King wanders amongst his troops, incognito, the night before the battle – of course he has this long monologue about bravery and duty. At one point, he says something like, “..your duty is to your king, but your soul is your own.” That maybe is a terrible example since it’s really a story of war and conquest!
What I really wanted to say is good work on the great WordPress stuff!