Still Born At Year O?

Still born at Year 0?

Why does man repeat his mistakes?  At first it appears to be a paradoxical question.  To repeat mistakes are surely a contradiction for a thinking rational creature such as man.  We learn from our mistakes, we evolve from errors of judgement, and without flaws we cannot possibly consider ourselves human.  So when we consider the human condition we find incontrovertible evidence of mans denial, self-centered nature, his ability to lock himself in an almost physical bubble prohibiting him from viewing the world outwardly but taking an easier inward looking, self-serving and almost self-righteous view of the world.

Mans history is strewn with conflict after conflict, an almost designed inability to sustain a peaceful coexistence with himself or within himself.  There is some evidence that suggests this is due to his social surroundings as shown by Philip Zimbardo with his Stanford Prison experiment.  Who felt that an individuals environment directly effected their behavior though my social theory indicates that people are governed by what I have referred to as an Omnipresent Social Memory (OSM)???.  In light of that I have considered the Social History of Nazi Germanys Third Reich, surely this shows how a cultured sophisticated people can easily become institutionally hateful if their cultural historic memory (What I have referred to in my social theory as the states Omnipresent Cultural Memory, OCM) is that way inclined.  It could be said the irrationality of Nazi Germany, which did not just grow out of losing the first world war or the willingness of people of the time to believe in an unrealistic principle of being Stabbed in the Back but that such cultural myths and legends were historically part of the ego of the state that effected the society as a whole and singularly the social memory of the individual.  Circumstances then arose such as the great depression which resulted in the collapse of the state. This led to a reaction psychologically similar to an individual suffering from a mental breakdown.  

People questioned in the 1930’s that with so many technological advancements and so many more sophisticated societies whether there would be any more conflicts.  Yet even today in our so called modern era there are. So why are there so many wars throughout the world fought between so many different cultures such as in, Afghanistan, the middle east etc, etc.  and that’s not referring to the wars that will come elsewhere, in Europe, Asia and the Sub-Continent if people do not control their Cultural and Social Memories.  

So when answering the question of why is there so much conflict we must return once more to the human condition of first Judging, then Condemning, and then Punishing others for no other reason other than a lack of understanding of the issues that effect people; showing once more how self indulgent the human ego is, and within that ideology of self, are contained the aspects required for human conflict as all are enslaved by their jailer the Omnipresent Social Memory (OSM).  

Could one of the reasons be that each person at whatever age they are at really only believes that they are say 60, 40, or 20 years old.  That they do not acknowledge the fact that the human race has been evolving for thousands of years and that they have thousands of years if not hundreds of thousands of years of experiences to call upon and not just 60, 40 or 20 years.  Do people really think that they were born at year 0, as the OSM would have them believe, and therefore although technology advances man does not, because he always runs his 100m dash through life from a self-serving stand point as opposed to realising that all rely on each other.  Instead we are an inward looking human race where it could be said that humanity has barely left the starting line.  Since we are still all affected by the OSM then none have moved from year 0 and have understood that we are all the same, we are all The Pope, The Reprobate, The Titan, The King, The Commoner, The Conqueror because we are all connected and only altered by our interaction with others, our circumstance, and environment.  

What sort of shock would there be if people looked outward instead of inward.  I have no doubt that many things would change in the life of man; if peace, compassion and mercy were not considered rude and hateful ideals spoken of by dreaded liberal softies, instead as right wing fanatics would have you believe that people mentioning such ideals as peace, compassion, and mercy, are Communist, Socialist, Marxist, Anti-Capitalist and that they threaten all our daily lives; when in fact such ideals are the ideals of democracy.  And those that are Capitalists in high places are the ones actually behaving in an Anti-Capitalist way otherwise why do  they expect those same ideals of democracy for themselves and their children, of being helped when trouble strikes, but cannot see that others when in difficulty are similarly deserving.  Why do they live in a closed shop that only they have access to, why do they have undemocratic secret societies that only a privileged few have entry to by introduction, or why are these closed shops culturally in every walk of life in the Arts, in Politics, in Learning and that it is not what you know but who you know that gives you stature and status.  That is not capitalism nor is it democracy.  It is their OSM and their OCM that unfortunately guides their decision making.  Do such people have double standards, or no standards at all.  If you treat someone in a hateful manner as to ostracise, stigmatise, and alienate them when you know that you would hate to be treated in such a hateful manner it is because you are being governed by your OSM; as any that behave to others in a hateful manner are always the first to complain when others behave similarly to them, this shows a lack of thought and thoughtless behaviour leads to a lack of true values.

 And when people talk of bale outs I have to ask would any that were offered help, when in need turn their back on the help given them.  I think not, whether that be the man on the street living in a cardboard box or others living in high towers.  And just the same those living in castles can feel shame as those living in cardboard boxes; the only difference is when you are living in a cardboard box you are reminded of your shame everyday, as people pass you by with indifference and eventually you become forgotten to the world, those in high towers are in a position where they can forget the world by closing the door at night and be left to the comfort of their home.  And so it is that one can forget the world and one can be forgotten by it.  And both are shamed by this attitude.    

Perhaps then being born at year 0 should be seen as an opportunity not to repeat ones mistakes but for a fresh start.  Perhaps if we all seized the opportunity to love others as we all want to be loved, and to be compassionate to others then surely new beginnings and an end to sufferings would be the order of the day.  And for all those people who wish to reply to such ideas, that you have heard it all before, it’s the same tone that others in the past have said regarding peace and love.  I say who else in history told you that your will has never been your own. That you are governed by your OSM and OCM and that you need to take back your lives so that you can become more.  Or are you so controlled by your OSM that you do not realise that the few things in life that have been created, that have been worth something, are free.  And to all those money people out there know this, that the things of real value are not material but are created out of love.  And that everything in life that has been destroyed was because people behaved hatefully to one another.  And one of the things holding people back is the OSM that is preventing unity.  Consider the OCM of organisations designed to make a profit but not exploring the avenues of capitalism that create true wealth for all, moral, ethical, material wealth for all.

As an example take fuel and heating prices that have increased substantially since April 2008 and April 2010 respectively.  The cultural memory of these organisations guides their philosophy and ideals in order to make a higher profit.  But what occurs is that people reduce their use of the car and in so doing spend less money on fuel, and would rather lower their heating costs as best they can by having the heating on just for a few hours at night, or not at all.  And will even eat less, as food becomes more expensive so that the increasing price of things has an adverse effect on the organisations profit, and so the cultural memory of such organisations reacts by increasing their prices on the goods they provide which in turn results once more in the reverse effect, and this is repeated until someone comes along who has an understanding of human behaviour and is not so tied into the cultural memory of their organisation (which unfortunately is too reliant on the current human thinking governed by the OSM) and that person takes a step back and says by reducing the cost of our goods to our consumers we will in fact gain more, more of our product would then be purchased, and we would gain new customers rather than lose them by what is occurring when the OCM of the organisation keeps prices spiralling upwards. The same ideology applies with the man on the street who wonders why people get the cheapest quote they can for works to be done.  They cannot see that you are paying for what you can afford and not what is of best value.  There is always the willingness to blame the victim and by doing so make them the victim once more.  To blame people for their issues and problems whatever environment they were born into shows a lack of understanding of human nature.  In the same way people say negative things about others because of how negatively they have been treated in life.  They feel the burden of negativity and reflect that on those around them creating and perpetuating a cycle of pain and hurt.  Such a cycle is the same as the large organisation that keeps increasing the price of its goods it does so because the people at their head are trapped in a web of negativity also.

 It is as though people cannot see that every great achievement in history occurred because peoples or nations worked together not because they competed with one another but because they loved what they were doing.  It was Love that propelled man to the moon.  It will be Love that cures cancer.  It will be Love that gives people true freedom.  So the question is, are you content in this common era of ours, to live in a divided world, to be conflicted, aggressive and confrontational, to blame the weak and vulnerable for being weak and vulnerable; whatever their circumstance or wherever they come from, when you can change the world just by changing yourself, by being a more compassionate thoughtful being or will you still believe and behave in a manner that makes you seem like you are still born at year zero.

Adam David Papa-Adams © 2011 all rights reserved

SEE also www.socialtheory.co.uk