by Ima Gardener
an interesting characteristic of the modern anarchist movement is that it is apparently primarily and almost single-mindedly motivated by an interest in the suffering and well being of other creatures, environments and/or relationships without metaphysical moral dictate by authority. the only motivation, therefore, must be empathy, and not merely sympathy. sympathy requires an external valuation of "right and wrong" placed artificially against an objective element, a person or thing, with the external valuation comprising of a perceived metaphysical reality. someone feels sorry for another because of the "idea" of wrong, perhaps supplied by a religion or social authority or consensus. empathy, on the other hand, requires a keen sensitivity to personal pain so that what could be seen as an objective situation, the suffering of another human being for instance, is felt to be a subjective experience: without feeling anothers pain as her own, an anarchist has no motivation beyond impulses to hate and destroy.
the amount of energy necessary to sustain efforts against oppression on the basis of anger and hate (perceived opposition) is tremendous and ultimately unsustainable. this energy either results in harm or burns itself out; the anarchist either creates an explosive situation resulting in the harm of others (and equates anarchism to murder and selfishness to bourgeois society) or becomes depressed and returns to the fold of popular hierarchical thought. the anarchist motivated by a very real feeling of empathy and compassion, however, cannot harm others or burn out--for so long as she feels others' pain as her own she will be compelled to neither inflict more pain or cease trying to reduce the suffering of others. her truth is real truth because it is hers unquestionably, and she feels the imperative beyond metaphysical ideas, words or any other kind of quantification.
she is truly free because she is experiencing that which cannot be bound by the rational or calculating mind. her compulsion is only to act directly in the aid of herself and others based on a sensitivity free from the blinding nature of hate. if she were to hate another person she would eventually wish him harm and her ability to sense suffering in herself and others would disappear, as it is impossible to be repelled by suffering and oppression while at the same time desiring to inflict it (those who supposedly fight suffering by inflicting suffering are merely obsessed with power and frustrated by not being able to oppress others themselves, and ridiculously claim that theirs is the only justifiable violence). if so enticed by power into a state of rage that she desires to harm one so another may not be harmed, to merely rearrange the dynamic of hierarchy rather than exist outside of or subvert it, she is only supporting the continuation of a system of violence. in fact, she becomes a system of violence. she is violence.
by such feelings of rage she is also immediately removed from any possibility of happiness, as happiness and hate do no coexist and are different feelings and conditions. rage is an excitement of such a saccharine glee that it eventually sickens the stomach. no, as hers is such a powerful truth she must only be motivated by love and concern for all beings, even those who harm others, to be free from the poisonous roots of hierarchy. egalitarian compassion is all that's left when every tier, every compulsion and every motivation of hierarchy has been relinquished. if she does not reflect this now she will be ineffectual at best and further the continuation of oppression at worst.
hate, anger and selfishness are at the core of hierarchy and monopolised power. hate and anger are the psychological equivalents to hierarchy, as they are both based on a sense of personal entitlement. when negative identification has been overcome (a sense of, "i am this because i am not that") compassion is achieved, as one sees the suffering of others as one's own as well as the oppression wreaked as one's own responsibility. only then does an anarchist truly seperate her mind and thoughts and heart from the desire for power and to oppress. only then is she effective.
the amount of energy necessary to sustain efforts against oppression on the basis of anger and hate (perceived opposition) is tremendous and ultimately unsustainable. this energy either results in harm or burns itself out; the anarchist either creates an explosive situation resulting in the harm of others (and equates anarchism to murder and selfishness to bourgeois society) or becomes depressed and returns to the fold of popular hierarchical thought. the anarchist motivated by a very real feeling of empathy and compassion, however, cannot harm others or burn out--for so long as she feels others' pain as her own she will be compelled to neither inflict more pain or cease trying to reduce the suffering of others. her truth is real truth because it is hers unquestionably, and she feels the imperative beyond metaphysical ideas, words or any other kind of quantification.
she is truly free because she is experiencing that which cannot be bound by the rational or calculating mind. her compulsion is only to act directly in the aid of herself and others based on a sensitivity free from the blinding nature of hate. if she were to hate another person she would eventually wish him harm and her ability to sense suffering in herself and others would disappear, as it is impossible to be repelled by suffering and oppression while at the same time desiring to inflict it (those who supposedly fight suffering by inflicting suffering are merely obsessed with power and frustrated by not being able to oppress others themselves, and ridiculously claim that theirs is the only justifiable violence). if so enticed by power into a state of rage that she desires to harm one so another may not be harmed, to merely rearrange the dynamic of hierarchy rather than exist outside of or subvert it, she is only supporting the continuation of a system of violence. in fact, she becomes a system of violence. she is violence.
by such feelings of rage she is also immediately removed from any possibility of happiness, as happiness and hate do no coexist and are different feelings and conditions. rage is an excitement of such a saccharine glee that it eventually sickens the stomach. no, as hers is such a powerful truth she must only be motivated by love and concern for all beings, even those who harm others, to be free from the poisonous roots of hierarchy. egalitarian compassion is all that's left when every tier, every compulsion and every motivation of hierarchy has been relinquished. if she does not reflect this now she will be ineffectual at best and further the continuation of oppression at worst.
hate, anger and selfishness are at the core of hierarchy and monopolised power. hate and anger are the psychological equivalents to hierarchy, as they are both based on a sense of personal entitlement. when negative identification has been overcome (a sense of, "i am this because i am not that") compassion is achieved, as one sees the suffering of others as one's own as well as the oppression wreaked as one's own responsibility. only then does an anarchist truly seperate her mind and thoughts and heart from the desire for power and to oppress. only then is she effective.
No comments:
Post a Comment