Ideology holds us all captive.
That, of course, is neither good nor bad, rather simply a
consequence of being human with a large and contemplative brain
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| Robert Jensen. |
Further, the ideology to which we are enslaved with was not
present at birth rather it arose from our culture, family environment and the
influences of our peer group.
Again, whatever myths, values and beliefs become the
software of our lives are of themselves neither good nor bad either rather, it’s
how we intimately experience them, apply them to our lives and relate to others
through those ideas.
Beyond all that, the accident of our place of birth brings
with it a host of ideologies, some that are simply about survival and others that
reflect the essence of the society in which we are raised.
Australia’s recent federal election was a subjective
struggle between ideologies; ideologies distorted invariably by the personality
cult and played out before an audience frequently unable to distil individual
emotions and wants from the broader and critical public needs of Australian
society.
Ideologies are, of course, not fixed, although their
permanence is such that to rise above or beyond them can be a task beyond the
capacity of most and so although a prevailing ideology may spell doom, rarely
can we escape it.
Our ideologies have changed because of major revolutions
with the popular view suggesting that those of most significance are the
America, French and Russian, but the better answer is really the agricultural,
industrial and delusional revolutions.
The first gave us what is considered civilisation, but that
robbed us of the egalitarianism of tribal living, the industrial revolution
accelerated our extractive behaviour and now we live in delusory times.
Writing in “Arguing for Our Lives”, Robert Jensen says:
“Perhaps the most stunning example of this is that during the 2000s, as the
evidence for human-caused climate disruption became more compelling, the
percentage of the population that rejects or ignores that science has
increased.”
“Why would people who, in most every other aspect of life
accept without question the results of peer reviewed science, dispute the
overwhelming consensus of climate scientists in this case, he asks?
It is here that ideology intrudes, overriding good sense and
leaving people marooned on what was once an isthmus, which science having
sliced though leaving it remote from the mainland.
Our extractive behaviours take no account of earth’s
finitude and nor do our pre-conceptions, our ideologies or our willingness to
discount the future expand our chance of escaping from this delusory age.
Again, ideologies are neither good nor bad rather, it is how
we respond and apply them to the lives of others and, of course, understanding
how pursuit or ignorance of them can impact on the planet.
