Revolutionary Musings-- Spring 04
The writings of Lao-tzu, Douglas, Marx, Machiavelli, and Rousseau each contain an emotional appeal to the heart which strikes a revolutionary chord in every reader who desires a better world. The appeal reaches across cultures as well as across time. Each of these writers is successful at planting an idea into the reader which is further fed by the ideas of others. Eventually these seeds blossom into beliefs shared by us all about change and equality in an American culture where the social gaps are widening quickly. Each of these writers is capable of appealing to the average American struggling to make ends meet in an ever-changing economic and social world. Taken together the ideas from each of these works are incredibly powerful. The root of these writings emphasizes the individual who is at the center of these ideas and the changes which result from them.
Lao-tzu initially invites us into a euphoric dream world. His appeals to the heart focus on a world of tranquility, peace, and prosperity. His dream takes the reader to a utopia where “people enjoy their food, / take pleasure in being with their families, / spend weekends working in their gardens” (Lao-tzu 80:60). This utopia seems to be an age-old dream which many envision but none have realized. Everyone wants to be happy yet feels that there is some invisible force which prevents us from getting there. That invisible force is the governing force which rules over the people. According to Lao-tzu there is “no greater misfortune than having an enemy” (46:31). Governments make enemies in today’s world, not the people under them.
Machiavelli describes and defends a warlike nation where fear and intimidation prevail. America should pay close attention to Machiavelli because we closely resemble the princes he is talking to. Many would question America’s true motives for attacking Iraq. Our leaders follow a Machiavellian philosophy (Machiavelli 38, par. 2) that being unarmed is to be weak.
Karl Marx continues to create a stirring in each of us by describing a state that somehow seems to portray America, thereby appealing to each of us. The bourgeois of America are the rich and powerful while the common man is the proletariat. This social gap is quickly increasing and the beginnings of social unrest are stirring once more. America’s constant capitalistic quest, and its result, is described well in paragraphs 20 and 21 where “Free Trade” (225) has indeed run the industries and companies out of America and into the global world. Marx’s appeals to the proletariat appeal to anyone beginning to see flaws in our own government. The idea of becoming “masters of the productive forces of society” (Marx 232) appeals along the same lines as Rousseau’s appeal to the “individual as forming an indivisible part of the whole” (Rousseau 66).
We all want to be able to feel like we are contributing and making a difference. More and more we feel like we don’t make a difference in the world and our government isn’t following our wishes. We feel like Rousseau’s political family is ostracizing its children more and more.
Douglas strikes some of the harshest chords in relation to America and its ideals. He talks about a time when people were considered property and the same capitalistic greed prevented them from seeing the true nature of a human being. Douglas’ arguments present another answer to the fight against the establishment: education. Even today the educated are the ones who begin to question the way things are. How often have we learned about something through reading or education which “opened my eyes to the horrible pit” (Douglas 132)? Like Douglas we want to know more but once we know more, the knowledge is more painful than not knowing (Douglas par. 10).
Each writer in his own way is able to invoke the reader who wants to question the government. Each piece should be a gateway to questions we should all be seeking and answering. Our own ideas become stronger with those of others who are able to answer things we couldn’t. Each of these writers is able to teach us something about ourselves.
Lao-tzu initially invites us into a euphoric dream world. His appeals to the heart focus on a world of tranquility, peace, and prosperity. His dream takes the reader to a utopia where “people enjoy their food, / take pleasure in being with their families, / spend weekends working in their gardens” (Lao-tzu 80:60). This utopia seems to be an age-old dream which many envision but none have realized. Everyone wants to be happy yet feels that there is some invisible force which prevents us from getting there. That invisible force is the governing force which rules over the people. According to Lao-tzu there is “no greater misfortune than having an enemy” (46:31). Governments make enemies in today’s world, not the people under them.
Machiavelli describes and defends a warlike nation where fear and intimidation prevail. America should pay close attention to Machiavelli because we closely resemble the princes he is talking to. Many would question America’s true motives for attacking Iraq. Our leaders follow a Machiavellian philosophy (Machiavelli 38, par. 2) that being unarmed is to be weak.
Karl Marx continues to create a stirring in each of us by describing a state that somehow seems to portray America, thereby appealing to each of us. The bourgeois of America are the rich and powerful while the common man is the proletariat. This social gap is quickly increasing and the beginnings of social unrest are stirring once more. America’s constant capitalistic quest, and its result, is described well in paragraphs 20 and 21 where “Free Trade” (225) has indeed run the industries and companies out of America and into the global world. Marx’s appeals to the proletariat appeal to anyone beginning to see flaws in our own government. The idea of becoming “masters of the productive forces of society” (Marx 232) appeals along the same lines as Rousseau’s appeal to the “individual as forming an indivisible part of the whole” (Rousseau 66).
We all want to be able to feel like we are contributing and making a difference. More and more we feel like we don’t make a difference in the world and our government isn’t following our wishes. We feel like Rousseau’s political family is ostracizing its children more and more.
Douglas strikes some of the harshest chords in relation to America and its ideals. He talks about a time when people were considered property and the same capitalistic greed prevented them from seeing the true nature of a human being. Douglas’ arguments present another answer to the fight against the establishment: education. Even today the educated are the ones who begin to question the way things are. How often have we learned about something through reading or education which “opened my eyes to the horrible pit” (Douglas 132)? Like Douglas we want to know more but once we know more, the knowledge is more painful than not knowing (Douglas par. 10).
Each writer in his own way is able to invoke the reader who wants to question the government. Each piece should be a gateway to questions we should all be seeking and answering. Our own ideas become stronger with those of others who are able to answer things we couldn’t. Each of these writers is able to teach us something about ourselves.
Comments
Post a Comment