Idealists and Realists

by Jerre Skog

There is a tendency in today´s society for anyone, who argues for changes in politics that might make the world a better place to live for mankind, to get ridiculed, laughed at, told to “get real” and in general dismissed as a dreamer without attachment to the “real world”. Calls to stop and think and find better solutions instead of launching devastating attacks on other countries are derided as “signs of weakness” and those who propagate for such peaceful alternatives recieve little but sneers if not outright hostility. A person, who advocates a change in the energy systems for the sake of earth´s resources or claims that economic growth ad infinitum is an impossibility on a limited earth, gets clobbered over the head with the economist´s figures and corporation´s balance sheets and is quickly removed from public limelight and denied access to all influental media channels. Such people are threats to the national or corporate greed, disguised under other names and therefore are labelled “idealists” or even more condescending “dreamers” or “naive utopians” who “avoid hard facts and think only with their soft hearts”.

Those who use such labels for their adversaries call themself “Realists” which is supposed to indicate that they and only they use their brains in a way that take into account all hard facts and are not swayed by illogical feelings. They have the answers and they know the correct solutions to all problems. The Realists rule almost without exception all countries of the world and are in the habit of doing so since we formed our first civilizations. It is the Realists who have made most of us completely dependent on a commodity, oil, that is expected to run out in 50 years and even started wars to control it. The Realist planners can satisfied look back on a transport system that clogs up highways to a degree that can drive a motorist to kill others for a minor offense. The Realist defenders of nations insist on building up massive lethal offensive capacity in spite of the fact that the history of mankind very clearly proves that violence begets counter-violence. Realistic weapons manufacturers overbid each other in producing enough nuclear capacity to make all the earth inhabitable in order to make it “safe” for a few nations. The Realist economists chase all of us to keep on producing ever increasing numbers of goods in order to have endless economic growth on a common globe whose resources most understand is limited. The Realist leaders spend billions of dollars to prepare for war and some pitiful millions on research for peaceful solutions of conflicts. The Realists have given us Hiroshima, Tchernobyl, Kalashnikov-rifles, Tomahawk cruise-missiles, Enron, Exxon, F 16:s, global warming, poisoned earth, docu-soaps, Pinochet, nuclear waste, garbage mountains and countless wars. They have convinced us that the bible´s seven deadly sins are in reality virtues and filled people with greed and anger and made them envious, gluttonous and lustful. They turned some of us into billionaires while millions around the world starve and 40.000 children die of diseases and starvation every day of every week and month and year. The Realists don´t see people and suffering but profits, balance sheets and power.

So, I guess I better get used to be clobbered over the head and go on being an Idealist. After all Mahatma Gandhi didn´t do so bad and one CAN survive without a fat bank account, Rolls Royces and a mansion with five Mexican servants to bring in the Veuve Cliquót.

A Very Happy New Year!!!

...............Jerre's Page
.......................Synergy Home