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    Autumn in the Mind
    Autumn in the Mind
    Autumn in the Mind
    Ebook11 pages7 minutes

    Autumn in the Mind

    By Rori O'Keeffe

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    The long sleep of change is upon us; can humanity make the necessary adaptations to survive and thrive in a future on this finite planet? If you need reason to hope, then you lose; the truth is, you need hope to find the reasons to survive. Crowded and resource-scarce environments bring out the worst in homo sapiens, it seems, and that explains a lot of what's gone wrong in the ages of civilization.

    What about governments in the so-called free world, leading us into tyranny? Is there anything we can do, in time, to ward off the impending dictatorships in the western world? If courage doesn't come when we need it, then we don't have it. I say that we do have the courage, but there's something missing, still....

    Science has become the closest thing we have to a shared conceptual language, and it explains quite well what is going wrong in this world within individuals and societies. Simply, we are designed by evolution to become ineffective in survival when our population reaches critical pressures: That means violence, warfare, and authoritarianism. That's not to say that authoritarian ways of living are adaptive - on the contrary, unremitting strong authority would help finish off freedom, and perhaps humanity itself.

    We have to exert the remarkable human qualities of reflection, introspection and self-control if we are to change, one by one, into gentler, more patient, and more intelligent individuals and societies.

    I don't have all the answers in this short essay, but I point to how our thinking needs to change if we are to hold onto lady liberty, and avoid falling over the precipice into species extinction. I hope, therefore there is hope for all.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRori O'Keeffe
    Release dateSep 14, 2014
    ISBN9781310727009
    Autumn in the Mind
    Author

    Rori O'Keeffe

    rookee75@gmail.comA thought for my fellow journeyers:The new narrative of the right, I've noticed, is downright scary. Is the following an accurate characterization of the new right, or is it satire?"Women have been oppressing men. People of colour have been oppressing white people. LGBTQ people are oppressing straight people. Political correctness is nothing more than a concerted effort to advance those people's agendas. If democracy leads to rule by the weak, stupid and perverted, then to hell with it. Dictatorship is the best and surest way of enshrining the status of the the male, the white, the straight."I wish I could say it's just satire, but observing the multitudes of right-wing voices on social media, as well as paying close attention to the American GOP's ultimate fulfillment of Reagan's dream, it's obvious that Americans are flirting with catastrophe. Beware modern conservatism: It's nothing but authoritarianism, pure and simple.How long will it be before Canadian conservatism becomes infected with this virus? Not too long, I don't think. The same well-moneyed forces are at work here as in the U.S. Expect a sharp shift further to the right if the Republican party takes control of both chambers in the next U.S. midterms.What are whites, men and straight people afraid of? I think the common denominator of their fears is the challenge of having to compete for jobs and status in an inclusive society. Most are insecure because they are woefully unprepared psychologically to compete on a level playing field, having been sheltered by generations of unearned privilege. Soothe them, don't make them feel worse about themselves (think of Hillary's poorly-considered reference to the "basket full of deplorables." That comment may have cost her the election. It proved to many that liberals just hate the uneducated and mostly poor white people of the country.)Whatever you do, don't try to make them feel inferior. That is central to their fears about themselves in an increasingly inclusive social environment. It's important, because if the U.S. goes down to dictatorship, then most or all the other democracies will as well, and civilization will expire in a global Orwellian nightmare. There are so many scathing things I could say about these democracies, but they are almost paradises compared to what a future of dictatorships would be like.Please be kind, unwind.Peace.

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