Les politiques nous parlent constamment de croissance. La croissance economique est necessaire. Une croissance economique forte est une bonne nouvelle. Cela signifie plus de prodution industrielle, moins de chomage, une meilleure cote de popularite. Une population contente et satisfaite de la politique du gouvernement.
Je ne peux pas balayer d'un revers de main le bien-fonde du raisonnement. Peut-on se rejouir d'une crise economique? Peut-on vouloir que des gens soient licencies pour cause de ralentissement? Le chomage induit drames, pleurs, conflits, rupture d'harmonie, violence.
Peut-on le vouloir... Les premiers chretiens, en se convertissant, ont eux aussi modifie profondement la structure economique des endroits ou ils habitaient. Plus de viande sacrifiees aux idoles, cela signifiait plus de travail pour le boucher du coin de la rue. Ces bouleversements ont cause bien des emeutes et des persecutions contre les premiers chretiens. Et pourtant, la foi a prevalu.
Je suis donc un "decroissant": comme les premiers chretiens, je mets dans la balance mes convictions (ecologiques) et la situation economique. Et ce sont mes convictions qui l'emportent. La planete Terre est plus importante que la croissance, plus importante meme que le chomage. Comme les autres decroissants, je refuse d'acheter au supermarche tout produit emballe. Au fermier du marche en plein air, je demande de re-utiliser le sac plastique de la semaine derniere que je lui tends.
Il est tout a fait vrai que nous autres decroissants, par notre changement d'habitude de consommation, nous diminuons l'activite des grosses entreprises petrochimiques. Peut-etre meme que par mon geste, je retire a quelqu'un qui y travaille le pain de la bouche. Mais j'ai confiance que cette personne retrouvera de quoi se nourrir avec un autre profession qui, elle gardera notre terre propre. L'economie repose sur l'offre et la demande; modifions la demande, et l'offre se modifiera aussi.
Pour ce qui est de moi-meme, je me definis comme un "decroissant" radical: je crois en la saine reduction de nos "besoins". Je crois en la simplicite d'existence.
Pour ce qui est de la societe en general, je suis aussi un "decroissant" optimiste: l'espoir suscite par l'election de Barack Obama reside dans la conciliation entre croissance et energie verte. C'est une vraie revolution, a l'echelle des autres revolutions industrielles que le monde a connues.
En somme, il est toujours permis d'utiliser le mot "croissance".
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
"giftig" gifts
Shocking to some this will be. But it's true -I do not like Halloween.
It is not even the dark side of it that frightens me the most (as in Europe it would be, since what France and Europe adopted from that American tradition is essentially the ghosts and witches, and not at all the cute girl in her bee outfit or the superman toddler.)
It was very painful for me last Halloween when I had to think that I, oh what an horrible feeling, I did not even find these children cute! No! What? Me! And I'm usually so fond of kids! The reality is that when I think about them begging for candy from people they don't even know, one word constantly comes to my mind: ENTITLEMENT. "I don't know you, and you don't know me, but because I'm asking and because you can't refuse, you are going to give it to me." A very dangerous seed to sow in a child's mind.
And -Treats! Treats! Treats! It's not so much about tricking, but it's about treats, and my right to have no, not bread to eat, that's not enough, but sweets, treats, sweets, treats!
Oh, I would understand if that would sparkle a fire of friendship in the community, if after Halloween people would continue to not be afraid of ringing other people's bells in the neighborhood, but that generally sadly does not happen.
The Halloween Parade in Leesburg, VA, was interesting. Children with their buckets waiting for an autumn rainfall of good candy. Proudly marching adults throwing out handfuls of shit, "des bonbons de la merde", oui, wrapped clumps of sugar and food coloring! A wrong sense of abundance. A false idea of goodness. Heaps of cheap stuff to swallow down (I dare not say "food" nor "eat") thrown to precious kids. Reader, I urge you to watch the trailer of this documentary, please do:
http://www.nosenfantsnousaccuseront-lefilm.com/
Yes, my friend Michel in Belfort, France, you are right: a society that poisons its children is not a dignified society, and our sick children some day will accuse us for all the jello we fed them with. The play on words is almost too easy: in German, "Gift" means "poison", "giftig", poisonous. That's what all free gifts are.
Of course... I always like to go back in time and find out about the origins of a festival, and usually what I discover makes me like the meaning behind it. Then the meaning makes me like the festival itself as a manifestation of the human spirit. Mankind, all mankind, all over the world, and the human spirit, are wonderful.
So what with Jack-o-lantern: doesn't it also fall into the above category? Yes. And I do like part of the meaning of it. Live righteously, so that you are condemned to err forever on the earth. I agree with the live righteously part, though not for the same reason. Fear of damnation will not be my motive.
It is not even the dark side of it that frightens me the most (as in Europe it would be, since what France and Europe adopted from that American tradition is essentially the ghosts and witches, and not at all the cute girl in her bee outfit or the superman toddler.)
It was very painful for me last Halloween when I had to think that I, oh what an horrible feeling, I did not even find these children cute! No! What? Me! And I'm usually so fond of kids! The reality is that when I think about them begging for candy from people they don't even know, one word constantly comes to my mind: ENTITLEMENT. "I don't know you, and you don't know me, but because I'm asking and because you can't refuse, you are going to give it to me." A very dangerous seed to sow in a child's mind.
And -Treats! Treats! Treats! It's not so much about tricking, but it's about treats, and my right to have no, not bread to eat, that's not enough, but sweets, treats, sweets, treats!
Oh, I would understand if that would sparkle a fire of friendship in the community, if after Halloween people would continue to not be afraid of ringing other people's bells in the neighborhood, but that generally sadly does not happen.
The Halloween Parade in Leesburg, VA, was interesting. Children with their buckets waiting for an autumn rainfall of good candy. Proudly marching adults throwing out handfuls of shit, "des bonbons de la merde", oui, wrapped clumps of sugar and food coloring! A wrong sense of abundance. A false idea of goodness. Heaps of cheap stuff to swallow down (I dare not say "food" nor "eat") thrown to precious kids. Reader, I urge you to watch the trailer of this documentary, please do:
http://www.nosenfantsnousaccuseront-lefilm.com/
Yes, my friend Michel in Belfort, France, you are right: a society that poisons its children is not a dignified society, and our sick children some day will accuse us for all the jello we fed them with. The play on words is almost too easy: in German, "Gift" means "poison", "giftig", poisonous. That's what all free gifts are.
Of course... I always like to go back in time and find out about the origins of a festival, and usually what I discover makes me like the meaning behind it. Then the meaning makes me like the festival itself as a manifestation of the human spirit. Mankind, all mankind, all over the world, and the human spirit, are wonderful.
So what with Jack-o-lantern: doesn't it also fall into the above category? Yes. And I do like part of the meaning of it. Live righteously, so that you are condemned to err forever on the earth. I agree with the live righteously part, though not for the same reason. Fear of damnation will not be my motive.
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