Wednesday, 1 August 2012

21:45 hs



I've just seen an American movie called Salt of the Earth, from 1954. It is about a miners' community in New Mexico that goes on strike. It is somewhat depressing to realise that some of the themes developed in the movie are still eerily contemporary. Workers' rights being trampled on, ethnic minorities being treated as second class citizens, people in power willing to deploy all sorts of devious and illegal tactics. The film is, to some extent, a fairy tale, in that its happy end has ordinary people overcoming powerful interests. Although I'm not sure whether that was already the case at the time in which the story is set. I don't know whether such happy end was a very unlikely outcome in real life already at that time. It seems to me that it is set somewhere in the first half of the 20th century. Perhaps the information was given at some point, but I missed it. Whatever the case may be, the story does come across as a fairy tale today. The current Occupy movement is very encouraging and inspiring; but given the extent to which technology has been harnessed and turned into a means of seemingly unlimited violence, I can't help but wonder to what extent the populations of Western countries and above all the USA are safe from harm coming from the powers that be.

This is one of the things that went on in my mind's life today.

I have also been thinking about Venezuela's inclusion in the Mercosul, which is an economic and political agreement between some of the main powers in South America, including Brazil, the most powerful of them all. South American countries, led mainly by Brazil, have been quietly and consistently adopting a defiant stance regarding foreign and indeed domestic policy. Defiant to the extent that their policies aren't the kinds of policy that the US government would tend to favour, to put it mildly. And it seems to me that the good news is that this development is likely to favour the majority of the population not only in South America, but also all around the globe. The so-called 99%.

These things are important, because the very survival of humankind could be at stake. Typical so-called neo-con policies are, generally speaking, amenable to climate change denial. In fact, those policies are actually designed to keep the pace of global warming continuously increasing.

I've also been thinking about losing some weight and, which is a related subject, sticking with my alcohol abstinence. I need to start exercising. Mind you, I've been taking long walks almost on a daily basis lately.

Money has been on my mind too, since I was taken by surprise late last night by a payment which turned out to be substantially smaller than I expected. It is incredible to think of how many tiring things have been going through my head in the last twenty four hours, beginning with my dreams. Dreams of precarious housing after a flood. Perhaps it is alright to be a bit manicheistic sometimes. Maybe life is really all black and white. The power of light versus the power of darkness in an eternal battle of wills. Our job is to stay on the side of light. And of illumination. I shall keep on trying my best. I guess most people find themselves in a kind of twilight zone from time to time. Gosh, how vulnerable I am, come to think of it! How weak and susceptible. I'm sure there are many others out there who feel the same way about themselves. I think they are right to feel that way. And so am I.