Faith And Collective Trauma 11

It's a dog-eat-dog world, they say. I've heard that one several times in recent months. Is it true? Well, it could depend on a few factors. For example, which world are you referring to? The world of capitalism and finance? yep. Or maybe more like a shark-eat-other fish world. How about social media? Depends on who's tweeting and whether or not you're still dumb enough to read comments sections. The natural world? Well, that depends on whether you want to take a Darwinist view of things. Charles Darwin was heavily influenced by the zeitgeist of his day, being the Industrial Revolution and Post-Industrial England, so his view of the brutal competition among organisms to survive and thrive to pass on their genes was much informed by the brutal capitalism of his era. This of course is also very much a part of our ethos of war and war-likeness that we seem to be so slow and reluctant to shake off. When I visit the cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica, for example, I don't see species competing against each other. I see them working together in very complex rhythms and harmonies and symbioses. In my interactions with others I try not to get in other people's way, and I especially try not to treat others as things in the way. Unless I happen to be running for the bus. Or I'm on my way home with an excruciatingly full bladder. And especially don't get in my way if I happen to be running for the bus with an excruciatingly full bladder. here's an elephant in the room? my Anglican priest friend (I won't say which one) and I were talking about war and the military and he was trying to persuade me that it's governments abandoning the soldiers after they're no longer available to kill for their country (my interpolation) that causes military PTSD. I countered that it's rather because they are trained to kill and that this goes so contrary to our essential human nature that they are literally traumatized and psychologically destroyed on the battle field, because they are killing other people., My friend, who presumes to be not just any Christian, but a Christian minister, took exception to my argument, saying but that's already accepted that they are going to do that. I countered that it's still the elephant in the living room and no one wants to talk about it because it is true. He couldn't argue, but I think he might be a little bit mad at me for a while. More, much more needs to be done to persuade us to question our governments and the whole perverted ethos of nationalism that we are bred on. Remember the words, "Question authority, before they question you." We need badly to learn the ways of peace and reconciliation and this is going to make us dangerous rebels, because we will be challenging the very foundations of capitalism, globalism and nationalism, and they do not want us to do this, because they so rely upon our manipulated compliance in order to pull off their nasty agendas. As children are educated and nurtured to grow into intelligent, caring and loving adults, who can reach generously across barriers of race, ethnicity, religion, poverty and nationality; if we can learn and teach our children to work and live together, not competitively but cooperatively; if we consistently award generosity and kindness instead of competition and winning, then just maybe we will get through this particularly rough patch that our planet, thanks to our stupid violence and greed, is facing. The opposition is going to be fierce and relentless, because there are so many invested interests in greed and violence, and so much the more must we resist and work against this.