Games Without Frontiers

One of the most frustrating double-edged swords we have is that of borders - they protect and suffocate all at once. Societal issues which we face as a result will remain entrenched whilst the usual ritual ego of combative rather than cooperative nature is allowed to continue unabated (which can be traced back to our failure to account for the lack of proper ethics and hypocrisy with education, again), and I think it’s high time we looked at those lines in the sand with a lot of truth, en route to their dissolution – a path we should be embracing instead of resisting. Please don't say it's impossible. From our systems to our very selves, we can choose at any time to change our minds and circumstances if we really care to. 

I suspect that dropping borders and relegating notions of countries to matters of mere orientation would send shockwaves of horror through many political parties and corridors of power irrespective of creed were it seriously tabled. One might only imagine the smear throughout our current mainstream media outlets if such a thing were so brazenly proposed. However, as with the truth of emotive judgment so often pointing more to the mind of the attacker than their victim, the stark reality is that such reactions are likely more a telling sign of our manipulative habits and tantrums, the true problems we have earned through social neglect and abuse. It would mean a lot of work for which we are probably quite unprepared - a reordering of how we function, a change in practices of cooperation on multiple levels, what we actually choose to do, shifts in our habits of coexistence, all manner of strife which up to now has mostly been held at bay by obfuscating political presumptions of control. To my mind the burden of guilt in much of this rests upon those, who with the upper hand, choose to wield that political power with a sense of impunity, all the time faced down by the perennial anger and frustrations of those being abused, to say nothing of the compound effect of language difficulties and cultural misunderstandings - you'd think we'd make it easier on ourselves. This is why I tend to believe in a revolution in education principles and practices, and more pertinently our structures of social media as a broader means of exposing and defusing such tensions, even if the latter is caught up in those same selfish and manipulative motivations. Life will not be so pleasant as those threads are dealt with, and yet to ignore them will perpetuate our pain and anxiety. With proper right minded use we can communicate and learn about one another underneath all the noise, and I believe this is happening. We are beginning to see the truth of our shared root problems; fears for family and friends, stability, peace and matters of daily survival. It’s easy to say that these (and the latter in particular) are more of a third world problem - in the grand scheme of things theirs are more urgent, but remove first world privileges for more than a couple of days you'll realise that our problems are really more shared than admitted.

Social media is dizzyingly busy with news and events, which even if not clear in motivation can no longer be as easily hidden or skewed by the mainstream channels as before the advent of the internet. For every act which is an insult to right-mindedness there is someone in the middle of it ready to set the record straight. These little acts should not be taken for granted, nor their momentum squandered. We all have a common responsibility to be mindful against ego, which both in the benign and not so benign members of society is really our common enemy. This is why it's always been important to me to hold sympathy and compassion as much for those who are painted as the political enemy as those who are painted as political friend. In truth there is no such differentiation in context, only perspectives in mutual survival. I take this stance not because of that most insulting and unnecessary of concepts - political correctness (an ironically divisive myth, again concocted by manipulative ego), but because it's an ethical and calming position to take. Lashing out at someone already hurting serves neither side. We would be so much better served if we dropped pretence. To look at the polarising, oversimplified and outright misleading headlines shouted out by the mainstream media you'd think it were a bloody playground argument, rallying for people to take sides. It's lazy to attribute the failings or unfettered, blatant abuse of a single leader (or group of leaders) upon an entire nation. These seem to be the buttons the mainstream like to press, but it really doesn't hold much water if you have friends in those nations. These days I'd argue that the capacity to make and maintain friendships, and explore common ground comes very much into play when trying to decipher truth from exaggeration or lie. At the end of the day it's about building trust. If those with power are determined to try and play games then I say it's up to us all to usurp their efforts and find our own way. That may be the most peaceful beginning we can make - to embrace a way of acting which renders the troublemakers inert and irrelevant - until they come around to the realisation that they stand to gain more from cooperation than conflict.