I think a lot of people change when they're afraid and hungry, Avigail.
I've been worried for over ten years about the emergence of fascism with increased austerity in the western world. There's a strong historic correlation between the two. When people are afraid, homeless and hungry they tend to look for others to blame, and those others are often worse off than they are. I wish people would see the root cause as systemic, but that doesn't seem to be the tendency.
Thanks Diana, yes, I describe this in the essay, and in other essays too. This issue is at the heart of my work. See also the quote in the Afteword which is taken from a StarTrek DS-9. What Quark says to Nog echoes what you are saying in your comment.
Scared as we might be, if our empathy circuitry is working, we would ‘wake up’ to ourselves and not behave like savages. Most of us have a fully functional brain that is capable of empathy. If you remember the Fukushima disaster in Japan, which displaced many people, it was interesting how the Japanese people behaved towards one another despite their fears and great physical discomfort. Most human are capable of maintaining their humanity even under stress. It is very much possible.
Thank you Avigail for continuing to write for the Fully Human vision of the world. I find your work consistently informative, insightful and compassionate.
Whether they are conscious of it or not, those who support Trump believe in a tooth-and-claw world. But Trump is an easy target. I am suggesting that this mindset is everywhere, and in all societies.
I agree, Trump is a very easy target, organisations like Fems for Dems and the BBC love to use terms they consider self-explanatory when talking about Trump. Misogynist, Racist, Authoritarian - I use capital letters deliberately as in my mind when people say these words it is as though they have just put forward a definitive argument that brooks no disagreement. Many Americans talk about choosing Harris as the lesser of two evils, a dubious distinction in my view because I think the forces behind her are even more reprehensible and much more dangerous than MAGA Republicans. Anyway, as the great Hannah Arendt put it in an article in the Listener magazine entitled ‘Personal responsibility under dictatorship’, “……those who choose the lesser evil forget quickly that they chose evil.”
Thanks for the interesting comment. I agree. Is the article you referenced easy to find? Because humanity is so good at repeating patterns no useful observations go out of fashion. Hannah Arendt would be busy these days.
I agree, Hannah Arendt would be very busy these days. And perhaps surprised as well. I can’t recall where she wrote it but somewhere (perhaps in Crises of the Republic c1970) she said that propaganda cannot entirely control the individual, but I think the dark arts have advanced considerably since then.
The quote was from an article she wrote for The Listener magazine, 6th August 1964, I’d made a note of it. The full article is available through the eResources section (specifically Gale Primary Sources) of the National Library of Scotland www.nls.uk. It’s a scanned image and is hard to share but here is a link
to a longer version of the same article. From page 18 (which is the first page!) to the Personal Responsibility section on page 27 is additional to the Listener article. I am unclear as to whether the Listener article is a shorter version of the original longer article or whether Hannah Arendt expanded the Listener article. Incidentally to join the NLS (which is free) all you need is an email and Scottish address.
Real nurturing means raising children to be able to develop to ‘full-humanness’. Most parents have no idea how to do this. But the worst upbringing is facilitated by immature parents, who raise their children to be only survivalists or members of the parents’ cult…
Indeed, or those who completely outsource the task to institutions (public and private) without even knowing what kind of “adult” is being unleashed against the rest of the world.
Brilliant article skewering the awful truth about sociopathic political elites led by predator narcissists. Sadly, it says more about the herd like instincts of too many people and their potential to go along with fascists and enable genocide.
Thanks Brendan. Yes, I agree. We can sit and blame all we like but it is us who put them in power and us who allow them to carry on with their appalling vision.
Yes, of course. Our individual and collective parents. That’s the explanation. What matters is what we’re going to do about it. There is a heck of a lot we can do, but I see big sections of humanity that are broken and that have succumbed to low aspirations, and to the predators’ favourite propaganda items, that nothing can ever change, and that any idea or vision of something better is delusional.
As a therapist I encounter this all the time. People want better, but they genuinely don’t know what, or how much is possible. The stuffing has been knocked out of them already in childhood in their families, school and wider society.
My own profession is a huge culprit, because it also perpetuates an unsubstantiated belief that all we can hope for is to manage symptoms. What passes as modern psychology is not interested in health or in thriving. To add insult to injury, and in complete disregard of good science, psychology and psychiatry ignore anything to do with the conditions people live in and what ingredients for development were missing early in their life. People’s psychological symptoms are treated like a ‘malfunction’ with no regard for, or interest in causes. Managing symptoms is good business. It sells a huge amount of medication and is a revolving doorvfor therapists. (I address this in my short book, Therapy Without A Therapist). My profession has sold out almost completely to the predators’ vision and ethos, more or less from the emergence of neoliberalism.
People do not have to be predators themselves to enable the predators’ reality. It is the non-predators who can make all the difference. I’m not holding my breath about negotiating with predators to get them to be slightly ‘nicer’ while maintaining their tooth-and-claw reality… We have plenty of evidence to prove that this is not working. The predators’ grip is tight and they won’t give up on it any time soon, or of their own volition. In one of her novellas, Ursula Le Guin, my favourite author, makes one of her characters say: “Freedom is never given. It must be taken.”
'Survival of the species — not the ethics or morality of the species — has been the ruling principle in the tooth-and-claw natural world, from which we have emerged.'
In modern society, our ultra-capitalist system strongly enforces this fiercely competitive mindset towards economics and the general workforce....all so that maximum profits can be generated for those at the top who're in charge of or are stakeholders in various companies.
Great article and a good description of a fascist society. Reminded me of this well know quote from Bibi Netanyahu:
“The weak crumble, are slaughtered and are erased from history while the strong, for good or for ill, survive. The strong are respected, and alliances are made with the strong, and in the end peace is made with the strong.”
Exactly. Netanyahu is a predatory human and he preaches the predators’ philosophy. I grew up with it not only in Israel but in my own family. Disgusting. It has to stop. He talks about ‘peace’ but he has no need for peace. War is profitable. Israel has been selling weapons to both sides in many conflicts in the world. Peace is not what he or others like him want. They couldn’t exist in a world where peace was the norm. Thank you so much for reading and for your comment.
Well, that is an incredible endorsement… ☺️ Thank you for reading and commenting, and it’s very sweet of you to say what you did... Imperial Delusional Fools is a very apt acronym and what I said is tragically true about Israel. Israel is so dangerous, it is time for people to wake up and stop it.
I can just tell you I made the mistake (years ago) of sending my kids to a school based on league tables... and later when I had a chance (when some minor problem arose) to have a long chat with the principal of that school, which after it I realised that the wrong type of people (i.e. what you call predators) are sitting in management(!) Not only this was a private school which I was paying full fees on 2 children buy I got absolutely zero understanding or even sympathy from that "school". I was sitting in the office and felt like I was in some corporate banking environment rather than a real school. I say: Beware of slick school brochures that professional PR firms created... So when I read what you wrote about the state of our Education it certainly hit a chord with me. We need some heart in our schools not just stupid money people. So yes, you do have my endorsement and rightly so.
It sounds like you had such a disappointment and shock because you must have expected something good for the money you paid. My experience with private schools, though the experience of clients or clients’ children is that they are definitely corporate and their focus seems to be their own financial survival, and their status. I know a few teachers who left the private system in disgust for the same reason. Having said that, my first hand experience with the public school, as in the non-private here is not much better. They don’t have a corporate agenda but they are definitely also focused on their own survival. They are letting children down so badly, it’s horrible. We need a change all through our society and its institution. Our focus, our idea of what life is about and what is for must change. Thank you for reading and for your comments. It is so nice to meet you, even if it is through these little chat boxes.
Regarding education , I hold a lot of hope for my grand daughters who are being 'home schooled /unschooled' by their mother and us their extended family. I am watching what a great education they are receiving without compromise for their creative being-ness and human uniqueness. I like to think that they have a hope of growing up with their sense of who they are intact and from that make more compassionate adults . Many people say things like 'but what about "socialisation" ?' and I think that what they are alluding to is the tendency of a traditional mainstream education system to mold children to fit the society and institutions rather than encourage their blossoming into whole human adults who might just be able to change those systems with their creative thinking . Home schooling may not be for everyone , but I agree school systems need to do better. I'm sure that their great grandmother ( your friend Margot Salom) would be proud of the independent and truly progressive track that is being taken through the feminine line of her descendants.
Well said Katrina. Thank you! I hear about a lot of children thriving in home schooling because the parents who teach them, do so from the right vision and ethos. Parents I know who home school nurture their children’s curiosity, creativity and sense of self, better than any school could. Schools are like ‘sausage factories’ and when it comes to socialisation, I have never heard of a home schooled child who is isolated. Parents know how to provide their children with the opportunities to be with others. I am sure that Margot is proud looking upon her family wherever she is. It takes courage to live from a different vision in the world as it is, and we need to work together if we are going to change it. Children who are educated differently will be among those who will lead the change. 🩷
There is some curious issue around your observation of the predator phenomena. I mean all those people in high office that seem to typify exactly that “drive” to success at all cost. Obviously in todays culture THEY are the dominant bunch but it is of some question as to why they do it? What draws them to seek these positions? I find that it is not so easy to say with certainty what is the answer.
This is a point that people often ponder about.
There is a recording of Prof Yeshayahu Leibowitz whereby he is debating between himself on this very question:
If he couldn’t say for sure then I definitely need to be careful in giving an answer, however if I needed to place a bet on it I would say that I am tending towards the fraudster option. That is because it could be that for some people the act of defrauding other people is some kind of a creative act which brings them some sort of satisfaction. It is possible that for them this inventiveness is the source of pleasure (rather than the pain or “predatory” action). They obviously do not seem to be bothered whatsoever by the suffering they cause but I am just speculating here that maybe it’s not the predation but the successful trickery which gives them the feeling they have won. Some sort of sick brain-power contest. Who knows? This is a complicated question that may be not only psychological but sociological as well. Some say that the enjoyment comes because they are doing something which is "forbidden" but this sounds to me not very convincing.
I wrote a bit about this in my article on psychopaths. They certainly enjoy what they do as all predators enjoy it when they are successful in catching their prey. I used to have to cats that were with us from kitten and died at the old age of 20. After we moved to Scotland with them and they had access to the outdoors more, they re-discovered their hunting instinct. I witnessed a few times when they caught a vole or a bird and you could actually see the satisfaction they felt. It was so obvious. It was not conscious, as in they did not ‘know’ they were satisfied, but they were, all the same. In the case of my cats they did not need to hunt because they were hungry. They were well fed here. But the instinct to hunt and even eat the prey was still there. I have managed a few times to save a living creature from their jaws and let it loose. On those occasions the anger they felt was very clear as well. I think human predators are not that complicated. They do lack the executive functions that make us properly human and they demonstrate many of the traits you see in predators in nature. But the ‘food’ they try to hunt is not meat. Depending on the particular personality disorder (that is what we call it) they have, they require specific food. Narcissists need admiration as their ‘food’ or supply, Borderlines need fusion with others (they cannot be alone) and psychopaths need control. I accept that I can be wrong and that we might know more in the future, but right now that is what we know. Regardless of how we understand or explain this, we need to remember two things. One, human predators exist, and two, they are very dangerous. As a therapist I work with their victims all the time. This article intended to say that their impact extends to all of society and that it is the predatory mindset that has been running human society for thousands of years. Given that they are a minority (~20%), those of us who are capable of much better, need to take charge of the world.
Thanks for the link to Leibowitz’ recording. I will watch it. He was an interesting man. You know, even the Bible mentions narcissism for example in the piece of prose when the people came to God demanding a king like all the other nations, and God offers them a warning, through the prophet Samuel, I think. He tells them what the king will do, that he will want a lot of horses, and wives, etc. None of this is new. Human predators have been around from the beginning and we have allowed them to be there. Look at how this country (I live in the UK) fawns over Royalty. In what universe do intelligent people need monarchs? So I don’t blame the predators for being what they are. I blame the rest of humanity for putting them in positions of power. We should not then be surprised that they do what they do. Just like the Bible says in that story. You want a king? Fine. Have your king. But don’t be surprised when he does what he does…
Very (very) interesting. I say that on an intellectual level rather than professional, but even on a professional level there is the challenge of understanding your patients and the motivation to improve their lives. Don't you find it a bit funny that you may be dealing with someone who is incapable of acknowledging you sit in front of them trying to help them? It’s a bit funny thinking about it, I see now in a better way why you call them predators - in some sense we come to question if they are fully human or at least in part - have some predatory lineage. Fascinating, I think that understanding can help us to deal with the shock (and sometimes even disgust) we may initially develop towards such “creatures”. Who can forget Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins... However, I do wish to say that we should be very careful in our conclusions about them because if this phenomenon exists “on a linear spectrum” then it could be that many of us (much more than 20%) suffer with some degree of this as well, but hey I am far from being an expert on this. Really, really interesting. By the way I’m further down the mainland – in East Anglia. I visited your part of the world few months ago – Pentland hills. At one time we thought of moving up north as access to nature is such a big plus.
Just war. Killing. Death. Following orders. One group human, the other group not human (as Israel qualifies the gentiles). One proud general, a few heroes, most of them dead. The only female lieutenant dead, of course.
One line to behold:
--"Children."
--"Not for long."
Why did you choose it? They were nearly all predators on the 'human side', or following the orders of predators. Onethousandsevenhundredandforty 'casualties'. IT DOES NOT CHANGE ANYTHING REMEMBERING THE NAMES.
The script writers could have done better. They could have shown the 'other' side, too. Perhaps this was 'Israel' exterminating 'human animals' and they won. It only works in the film and it only works in real life because we can't relate, we can't empathize with the other side: we don't get the option to know them. They just have a group name. We even don't get to see them when they die.
400 years of history wasted: according to the script writers we will behave the same way, even in the distant future. Only a dead 'alien' is a good alien.
If you watch all of Deep Space 9 you will see that the writers very much show the other side, and there are many episodes covering the moral and ethical issues behind this war. Incidentally there are many more females even in this episode. DS-9 is not only very gender inclusive it was one of the first series on TV where there was a huge African American cast and some episodes are almost entirely African American.
The war you saw was instigated by a race of ‘changelings’ who are non-solid beings that can change their shape into anything. Their aim is to take over the entire galaxy and destroy all ‘solids’ as they call everyone else, because they do not trust them. They argue that they have been treated badly by ‘solids’ so now they want to kill everyone and keep the entire galaxy to themselves because they believe it is the only way that is safe for their kind. The Founders, as the changelings come to be called, breed their soldiers who are genetically engineered and are called the Jem’Hadar. The Founders breed them to be addicted to this drug that they provide, without which the Jem’Hadar cannot survive. They are bred to be loyal and are kept loyal by this drug called Ketracel-white. Between the Founders and the Jem’Hadar is another race that the Founders genetically engineered and enhanced from a small species of animal they found on some planet. They are called Vorta. The Vorta run the war for the Founders, and are bred to see the Founders as gods and always obey them. They are genetically made with a trigger in the back that terminates their life if they are disloyal to the Founders.
There were many episodes where Sisko and other characters interact with the Jem’Hadar and they are definitely ‘humanised' and seen as sentient, intelligent beings, not just an enemy to kill. In a few of the episodes there is cooperation too. It’s definitely not straightforward, and all of that complexity is approached very intelligently and thoughtfully throughout the entire series.
DS-9 is not a collection of stand alone episodes like other StarTrek series. It is a linked story-line. So if you don’t know the whole context, it is easy to misjudge what you see. The writers never suggest that the Federation are always right either —and the Federation is not made of humans only, but of many planets with many species of beings.
There are more than a few episodes where the Federation is not at all made to look good. I think DS-9 is one of the best among all the StarTrek series. I do recommend you watch the whole seven seasons, and see what you think. Thanks of you comment.
I just remembered "Errand of Mercy", the 26th episode of the first season of Star Trek, where earthlings & volcanlings try to prevent a bigger war by beginning a little war ... and fail. The script writers saw the possibility of non-violence (though paired with the power of being non-corporeous changelings).
I am certain that war is not part of human genome or human psyche. It is just one option possible to us. If it weren't like that, we wouldn't be here any more.
"Resistance takes many forms, and there is no greater resistance than to insist on remaining human and finding a purpose in life, no matter what. Predators would do anything to take this away from their victims."
"The vision human predators offers for our world has no purpose, other than to preserve and perpetuate the environment in which they, a small minority, can thrive."
"Schools, or teachers with a different vision or ethos, that nurture children’s spirit, and show them a different way to be are the exception, not the rule."
"The predators among us thrive on fear. In fact, the predators in charge, especially those in the media, have turned all of us into fear addicts. It is not a difficult thing to accomplish, given that most people are led by a limbic system that is not naturally well-connected to our executive brain. Fear sells even better than sex."
"If we want to create a world that is no longer run by predators and their vision, we have to change. Humans who are well developed and whose humanity does not disappear the moment they feel fear, can create a different environment for themselves and everyone."
Am here thanks to my beloved friend PWBF's quote-restack -- amazingly precise rundown, Avigail. In broad terms, this "Herodian" strain of sadistic depravity appears to be a recurring theme from ancient times to now seeing "there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecc. 1:9) Cannot wait for the day the Fourth Reich gets the everlasting state it deserves -- a state of eternal death.
Will hopefully check out more of your work after the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Thank you so much! I did not enjoy writing this piece, but I had to. We are tip-toeing around too many serious issue for fear of offending people. We have to recognise our reality for what it is if we want to change it. I hope you cried with relief, or from the experience of validation and not out of torment. 🙏🏼
I think a lot of people change when they're afraid and hungry, Avigail.
I've been worried for over ten years about the emergence of fascism with increased austerity in the western world. There's a strong historic correlation between the two. When people are afraid, homeless and hungry they tend to look for others to blame, and those others are often worse off than they are. I wish people would see the root cause as systemic, but that doesn't seem to be the tendency.
Thanks Diana, yes, I describe this in the essay, and in other essays too. This issue is at the heart of my work. See also the quote in the Afteword which is taken from a StarTrek DS-9. What Quark says to Nog echoes what you are saying in your comment.
Scared as we might be, if our empathy circuitry is working, we would ‘wake up’ to ourselves and not behave like savages. Most of us have a fully functional brain that is capable of empathy. If you remember the Fukushima disaster in Japan, which displaced many people, it was interesting how the Japanese people behaved towards one another despite their fears and great physical discomfort. Most human are capable of maintaining their humanity even under stress. It is very much possible.
Thank you Avigail for continuing to write for the Fully Human vision of the world. I find your work consistently informative, insightful and compassionate.
Thank you for reading and it is so kind of you to say. I am grateful for such warm feedback.
The MAGA cult likes to inflict pain just like Trump does 🤮
Whether they are conscious of it or not, those who support Trump believe in a tooth-and-claw world. But Trump is an easy target. I am suggesting that this mindset is everywhere, and in all societies.
I agree, Trump is a very easy target, organisations like Fems for Dems and the BBC love to use terms they consider self-explanatory when talking about Trump. Misogynist, Racist, Authoritarian - I use capital letters deliberately as in my mind when people say these words it is as though they have just put forward a definitive argument that brooks no disagreement. Many Americans talk about choosing Harris as the lesser of two evils, a dubious distinction in my view because I think the forces behind her are even more reprehensible and much more dangerous than MAGA Republicans. Anyway, as the great Hannah Arendt put it in an article in the Listener magazine entitled ‘Personal responsibility under dictatorship’, “……those who choose the lesser evil forget quickly that they chose evil.”
Thanks for the interesting comment. I agree. Is the article you referenced easy to find? Because humanity is so good at repeating patterns no useful observations go out of fashion. Hannah Arendt would be busy these days.
I agree, Hannah Arendt would be very busy these days. And perhaps surprised as well. I can’t recall where she wrote it but somewhere (perhaps in Crises of the Republic c1970) she said that propaganda cannot entirely control the individual, but I think the dark arts have advanced considerably since then.
The quote was from an article she wrote for The Listener magazine, 6th August 1964, I’d made a note of it. The full article is available through the eResources section (specifically Gale Primary Sources) of the National Library of Scotland www.nls.uk. It’s a scanned image and is hard to share but here is a link
https://www.scribd.com/document/132311240/Hannah-Arendt-Personal-Responsibility-Under-Dictatorship
to a longer version of the same article. From page 18 (which is the first page!) to the Personal Responsibility section on page 27 is additional to the Listener article. I am unclear as to whether the Listener article is a shorter version of the original longer article or whether Hannah Arendt expanded the Listener article. Incidentally to join the NLS (which is free) all you need is an email and Scottish address.
Here is a link to a writer on SubStack who takes a more realpolitik approach to the problem you have identified. https://open.substack.com/pub/glenndiesen/p/destroying-ukraine-with-idealism?r=25kg1g&utm_medium=ios
And here is where my theory of his so called “mommy issues” rise to the fore. Nurturing wasn’t likely a high priority in these households.
Real nurturing means raising children to be able to develop to ‘full-humanness’. Most parents have no idea how to do this. But the worst upbringing is facilitated by immature parents, who raise their children to be only survivalists or members of the parents’ cult…
Indeed, or those who completely outsource the task to institutions (public and private) without even knowing what kind of “adult” is being unleashed against the rest of the world.
You might be correct, some people respect their laws 🥴
Brilliant article skewering the awful truth about sociopathic political elites led by predator narcissists. Sadly, it says more about the herd like instincts of too many people and their potential to go along with fascists and enable genocide.
Thanks Brendan. Yes, I agree. We can sit and blame all we like but it is us who put them in power and us who allow them to carry on with their appalling vision.
We live in an unnecessary nightmare created by our parents.
Fixed.
Yes, of course. Our individual and collective parents. That’s the explanation. What matters is what we’re going to do about it. There is a heck of a lot we can do, but I see big sections of humanity that are broken and that have succumbed to low aspirations, and to the predators’ favourite propaganda items, that nothing can ever change, and that any idea or vision of something better is delusional.
As a therapist I encounter this all the time. People want better, but they genuinely don’t know what, or how much is possible. The stuffing has been knocked out of them already in childhood in their families, school and wider society.
My own profession is a huge culprit, because it also perpetuates an unsubstantiated belief that all we can hope for is to manage symptoms. What passes as modern psychology is not interested in health or in thriving. To add insult to injury, and in complete disregard of good science, psychology and psychiatry ignore anything to do with the conditions people live in and what ingredients for development were missing early in their life. People’s psychological symptoms are treated like a ‘malfunction’ with no regard for, or interest in causes. Managing symptoms is good business. It sells a huge amount of medication and is a revolving doorvfor therapists. (I address this in my short book, Therapy Without A Therapist). My profession has sold out almost completely to the predators’ vision and ethos, more or less from the emergence of neoliberalism.
People do not have to be predators themselves to enable the predators’ reality. It is the non-predators who can make all the difference. I’m not holding my breath about negotiating with predators to get them to be slightly ‘nicer’ while maintaining their tooth-and-claw reality… We have plenty of evidence to prove that this is not working. The predators’ grip is tight and they won’t give up on it any time soon, or of their own volition. In one of her novellas, Ursula Le Guin, my favourite author, makes one of her characters say: “Freedom is never given. It must be taken.”
lol great comment
'Survival of the species — not the ethics or morality of the species — has been the ruling principle in the tooth-and-claw natural world, from which we have emerged.'
In modern society, our ultra-capitalist system strongly enforces this fiercely competitive mindset towards economics and the general workforce....all so that maximum profits can be generated for those at the top who're in charge of or are stakeholders in various companies.
Which tells us that the whole thing is run by predators for their benefit. 🙏
Great article and a good description of a fascist society. Reminded me of this well know quote from Bibi Netanyahu:
“The weak crumble, are slaughtered and are erased from history while the strong, for good or for ill, survive. The strong are respected, and alliances are made with the strong, and in the end peace is made with the strong.”
Exactly. Netanyahu is a predatory human and he preaches the predators’ philosophy. I grew up with it not only in Israel but in my own family. Disgusting. It has to stop. He talks about ‘peace’ but he has no need for peace. War is profitable. Israel has been selling weapons to both sides in many conflicts in the world. Peace is not what he or others like him want. They couldn’t exist in a world where peace was the norm. Thank you so much for reading and for your comment.
After reading this I duly recommend you to replace the existing Secretary of State for Education or better still our Prime Minister. Thank you.
Ps.
And yes, I can also confirm the i.d.f IS the people (imperial delusional fools)
Well, that is an incredible endorsement… ☺️ Thank you for reading and commenting, and it’s very sweet of you to say what you did... Imperial Delusional Fools is a very apt acronym and what I said is tragically true about Israel. Israel is so dangerous, it is time for people to wake up and stop it.
I can just tell you I made the mistake (years ago) of sending my kids to a school based on league tables... and later when I had a chance (when some minor problem arose) to have a long chat with the principal of that school, which after it I realised that the wrong type of people (i.e. what you call predators) are sitting in management(!) Not only this was a private school which I was paying full fees on 2 children buy I got absolutely zero understanding or even sympathy from that "school". I was sitting in the office and felt like I was in some corporate banking environment rather than a real school. I say: Beware of slick school brochures that professional PR firms created... So when I read what you wrote about the state of our Education it certainly hit a chord with me. We need some heart in our schools not just stupid money people. So yes, you do have my endorsement and rightly so.
It sounds like you had such a disappointment and shock because you must have expected something good for the money you paid. My experience with private schools, though the experience of clients or clients’ children is that they are definitely corporate and their focus seems to be their own financial survival, and their status. I know a few teachers who left the private system in disgust for the same reason. Having said that, my first hand experience with the public school, as in the non-private here is not much better. They don’t have a corporate agenda but they are definitely also focused on their own survival. They are letting children down so badly, it’s horrible. We need a change all through our society and its institution. Our focus, our idea of what life is about and what is for must change. Thank you for reading and for your comments. It is so nice to meet you, even if it is through these little chat boxes.
Regarding education , I hold a lot of hope for my grand daughters who are being 'home schooled /unschooled' by their mother and us their extended family. I am watching what a great education they are receiving without compromise for their creative being-ness and human uniqueness. I like to think that they have a hope of growing up with their sense of who they are intact and from that make more compassionate adults . Many people say things like 'but what about "socialisation" ?' and I think that what they are alluding to is the tendency of a traditional mainstream education system to mold children to fit the society and institutions rather than encourage their blossoming into whole human adults who might just be able to change those systems with their creative thinking . Home schooling may not be for everyone , but I agree school systems need to do better. I'm sure that their great grandmother ( your friend Margot Salom) would be proud of the independent and truly progressive track that is being taken through the feminine line of her descendants.
Well said Katrina. Thank you! I hear about a lot of children thriving in home schooling because the parents who teach them, do so from the right vision and ethos. Parents I know who home school nurture their children’s curiosity, creativity and sense of self, better than any school could. Schools are like ‘sausage factories’ and when it comes to socialisation, I have never heard of a home schooled child who is isolated. Parents know how to provide their children with the opportunities to be with others. I am sure that Margot is proud looking upon her family wherever she is. It takes courage to live from a different vision in the world as it is, and we need to work together if we are going to change it. Children who are educated differently will be among those who will lead the change. 🩷
There is some curious issue around your observation of the predator phenomena. I mean all those people in high office that seem to typify exactly that “drive” to success at all cost. Obviously in todays culture THEY are the dominant bunch but it is of some question as to why they do it? What draws them to seek these positions? I find that it is not so easy to say with certainty what is the answer.
This is a point that people often ponder about.
There is a recording of Prof Yeshayahu Leibowitz whereby he is debating between himself on this very question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLGYqDtvzOo
If he couldn’t say for sure then I definitely need to be careful in giving an answer, however if I needed to place a bet on it I would say that I am tending towards the fraudster option. That is because it could be that for some people the act of defrauding other people is some kind of a creative act which brings them some sort of satisfaction. It is possible that for them this inventiveness is the source of pleasure (rather than the pain or “predatory” action). They obviously do not seem to be bothered whatsoever by the suffering they cause but I am just speculating here that maybe it’s not the predation but the successful trickery which gives them the feeling they have won. Some sort of sick brain-power contest. Who knows? This is a complicated question that may be not only psychological but sociological as well. Some say that the enjoyment comes because they are doing something which is "forbidden" but this sounds to me not very convincing.
I wrote a bit about this in my article on psychopaths. They certainly enjoy what they do as all predators enjoy it when they are successful in catching their prey. I used to have to cats that were with us from kitten and died at the old age of 20. After we moved to Scotland with them and they had access to the outdoors more, they re-discovered their hunting instinct. I witnessed a few times when they caught a vole or a bird and you could actually see the satisfaction they felt. It was so obvious. It was not conscious, as in they did not ‘know’ they were satisfied, but they were, all the same. In the case of my cats they did not need to hunt because they were hungry. They were well fed here. But the instinct to hunt and even eat the prey was still there. I have managed a few times to save a living creature from their jaws and let it loose. On those occasions the anger they felt was very clear as well. I think human predators are not that complicated. They do lack the executive functions that make us properly human and they demonstrate many of the traits you see in predators in nature. But the ‘food’ they try to hunt is not meat. Depending on the particular personality disorder (that is what we call it) they have, they require specific food. Narcissists need admiration as their ‘food’ or supply, Borderlines need fusion with others (they cannot be alone) and psychopaths need control. I accept that I can be wrong and that we might know more in the future, but right now that is what we know. Regardless of how we understand or explain this, we need to remember two things. One, human predators exist, and two, they are very dangerous. As a therapist I work with their victims all the time. This article intended to say that their impact extends to all of society and that it is the predatory mindset that has been running human society for thousands of years. Given that they are a minority (~20%), those of us who are capable of much better, need to take charge of the world.
Thanks for the link to Leibowitz’ recording. I will watch it. He was an interesting man. You know, even the Bible mentions narcissism for example in the piece of prose when the people came to God demanding a king like all the other nations, and God offers them a warning, through the prophet Samuel, I think. He tells them what the king will do, that he will want a lot of horses, and wives, etc. None of this is new. Human predators have been around from the beginning and we have allowed them to be there. Look at how this country (I live in the UK) fawns over Royalty. In what universe do intelligent people need monarchs? So I don’t blame the predators for being what they are. I blame the rest of humanity for putting them in positions of power. We should not then be surprised that they do what they do. Just like the Bible says in that story. You want a king? Fine. Have your king. But don’t be surprised when he does what he does…
Very (very) interesting. I say that on an intellectual level rather than professional, but even on a professional level there is the challenge of understanding your patients and the motivation to improve their lives. Don't you find it a bit funny that you may be dealing with someone who is incapable of acknowledging you sit in front of them trying to help them? It’s a bit funny thinking about it, I see now in a better way why you call them predators - in some sense we come to question if they are fully human or at least in part - have some predatory lineage. Fascinating, I think that understanding can help us to deal with the shock (and sometimes even disgust) we may initially develop towards such “creatures”. Who can forget Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins... However, I do wish to say that we should be very careful in our conclusions about them because if this phenomenon exists “on a linear spectrum” then it could be that many of us (much more than 20%) suffer with some degree of this as well, but hey I am far from being an expert on this. Really, really interesting. By the way I’m further down the mainland – in East Anglia. I visited your part of the world few months ago – Pentland hills. At one time we thought of moving up north as access to nature is such a big plus.
Just saw the star trek episode.
Just war. Killing. Death. Following orders. One group human, the other group not human (as Israel qualifies the gentiles). One proud general, a few heroes, most of them dead. The only female lieutenant dead, of course.
One line to behold:
--"Children."
--"Not for long."
Why did you choose it? They were nearly all predators on the 'human side', or following the orders of predators. Onethousandsevenhundredandforty 'casualties'. IT DOES NOT CHANGE ANYTHING REMEMBERING THE NAMES.
The script writers could have done better. They could have shown the 'other' side, too. Perhaps this was 'Israel' exterminating 'human animals' and they won. It only works in the film and it only works in real life because we can't relate, we can't empathize with the other side: we don't get the option to know them. They just have a group name. We even don't get to see them when they die.
400 years of history wasted: according to the script writers we will behave the same way, even in the distant future. Only a dead 'alien' is a good alien.
If you watch all of Deep Space 9 you will see that the writers very much show the other side, and there are many episodes covering the moral and ethical issues behind this war. Incidentally there are many more females even in this episode. DS-9 is not only very gender inclusive it was one of the first series on TV where there was a huge African American cast and some episodes are almost entirely African American.
The war you saw was instigated by a race of ‘changelings’ who are non-solid beings that can change their shape into anything. Their aim is to take over the entire galaxy and destroy all ‘solids’ as they call everyone else, because they do not trust them. They argue that they have been treated badly by ‘solids’ so now they want to kill everyone and keep the entire galaxy to themselves because they believe it is the only way that is safe for their kind. The Founders, as the changelings come to be called, breed their soldiers who are genetically engineered and are called the Jem’Hadar. The Founders breed them to be addicted to this drug that they provide, without which the Jem’Hadar cannot survive. They are bred to be loyal and are kept loyal by this drug called Ketracel-white. Between the Founders and the Jem’Hadar is another race that the Founders genetically engineered and enhanced from a small species of animal they found on some planet. They are called Vorta. The Vorta run the war for the Founders, and are bred to see the Founders as gods and always obey them. They are genetically made with a trigger in the back that terminates their life if they are disloyal to the Founders.
There were many episodes where Sisko and other characters interact with the Jem’Hadar and they are definitely ‘humanised' and seen as sentient, intelligent beings, not just an enemy to kill. In a few of the episodes there is cooperation too. It’s definitely not straightforward, and all of that complexity is approached very intelligently and thoughtfully throughout the entire series.
DS-9 is not a collection of stand alone episodes like other StarTrek series. It is a linked story-line. So if you don’t know the whole context, it is easy to misjudge what you see. The writers never suggest that the Federation are always right either —and the Federation is not made of humans only, but of many planets with many species of beings.
There are more than a few episodes where the Federation is not at all made to look good. I think DS-9 is one of the best among all the StarTrek series. I do recommend you watch the whole seven seasons, and see what you think. Thanks of you comment.
I just remembered "Errand of Mercy", the 26th episode of the first season of Star Trek, where earthlings & volcanlings try to prevent a bigger war by beginning a little war ... and fail. The script writers saw the possibility of non-violence (though paired with the power of being non-corporeous changelings).
I am certain that war is not part of human genome or human psyche. It is just one option possible to us. If it weren't like that, we wouldn't be here any more.
"Resistance takes many forms, and there is no greater resistance than to insist on remaining human and finding a purpose in life, no matter what. Predators would do anything to take this away from their victims."
"The vision human predators offers for our world has no purpose, other than to preserve and perpetuate the environment in which they, a small minority, can thrive."
"Schools, or teachers with a different vision or ethos, that nurture children’s spirit, and show them a different way to be are the exception, not the rule."
"The predators among us thrive on fear. In fact, the predators in charge, especially those in the media, have turned all of us into fear addicts. It is not a difficult thing to accomplish, given that most people are led by a limbic system that is not naturally well-connected to our executive brain. Fear sells even better than sex."
"If we want to create a world that is no longer run by predators and their vision, we have to change. Humans who are well developed and whose humanity does not disappear the moment they feel fear, can create a different environment for themselves and everyone."
Thanks Samer
Am here thanks to my beloved friend PWBF's quote-restack -- amazingly precise rundown, Avigail. In broad terms, this "Herodian" strain of sadistic depravity appears to be a recurring theme from ancient times to now seeing "there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecc. 1:9) Cannot wait for the day the Fourth Reich gets the everlasting state it deserves -- a state of eternal death.
Will hopefully check out more of your work after the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Fantastic analysis! Thank you.
Thank you so much! I did not enjoy writing this piece, but I had to. We are tip-toeing around too many serious issue for fear of offending people. We have to recognise our reality for what it is if we want to change it. I hope you cried with relief, or from the experience of validation and not out of torment. 🙏🏼