"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the Day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky which could burn the land and boil the oceans."
A friend of mine was recently shaken by the realization that our world is out of balance. In The Technological Society, Jacques Ellul, some guy who taught philosophy in California from the 50's to 60's made the case that in the 21st century, the sole criteria for societal reform will be performance of systems. This he deemed was inevitable. Efficiency was the key and would be the driving force behind change in our world. It was the exact operation that was used by the Nazi's and has been the focus of an academic article called "McWorld vs. Jihad". Actually I think it's the other way around. I'll save you me shooting the crap explaining the ins and outs of it but it is very important for today's world.
Basically, if you ask someone who opposes the way globalization is affecting our world today, why it sucks, it is usually because we are losing our culture to a degree. Things are becoming standardized to the point that art and social practice no longer have the priority they once did. This is what is being exported by the US now. A lot of people think it is religion or capitalism, but it is more than that. If you actually go to places that are not in Western North America (the couple I've been to are South-East Asia, Northern Europe and Mexico) you notice that things are terribly inefficient, AND that this is not a bad thing.
When I started learning about this concept I was strikingly aware that although I was against more of consumer culture, the idea of efficiency and performance was infused to my very inner core. I wanted to be the hardest working damn activist/ volunteer/ artist/ friend in the world. I wanted to be organized, get things done and find my role in the movement and this is what the whole US domination theory is all about.
There are some people who generally feel that globalization is a good thing even though it has a bunch of nasty shit associated with it. What they like about globalization is the McWorld process. Everything will be standardized, everyone will be able to speak the same language, understand eachother, blend culture, fuck and be the same colour, have an efficient equal society. What a lot of upper level administrators in the US want, is not simply evil control. They actually believe in the doctrine of efficiency and technique. Everyone and every country should find its role. Everyone and every economy should operate at maximum efficiency. You should find out what you want to do whether own a business, work a dead end job or become an activist and do it at maximum efficiency. One of the reasons for going to Iraq? Weapons? Doubt it but maybe. Oil? Well they ain't getting rich off that for a while.
I think it was uncertainty. Iraq and a bunch of other nations are proposing not a threat to the US economy per sae (that's more the system itself) but more likely it�s a threat to US certainty. Iraq and Afghanistan, North Korea,areas of Africa etc. are not efficient. They are not consistent and operating at maximum efficiency.
This reminds me of the Borg. Is resistance futile?
The best example of this is a movie: KOYAANISQATSI.
In it the endless mechanization of our lives during the 80's is shown in crystal clear detail. Look at a computer chip vs. a city map. Speed up how cars and people operate a traffic lights in a city. It looks like you're staring at a factory floor. And look at the damage. Large scale damage being done everywhere on an unprecedented level. Is technique driving us into the ground? The director thinks so and makes the case that we are living in life out of balance.