"There's a very prescient book by Karl Polyani, called the Great Transformation, written in 1944. It's a study of unfettered capitalism. And he argues that when a society loses the capacity for the sacred, when nothing has an intrinsic value, when everything is judged solely on its monetary value, then that society cannibalizes itself until it dies. And we can see than cannibalization when 40% of the Summer Arctic sea ice melts, and the response of the corporate state is to mine the last vestiges of fish, gas, oil and minerals."
Chris Hedges
Our second half draws heavily from ChazK's "Being of Earth". To mark the 30th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, we hear how "Jude Finisterra" announced the liquidation of Dow Chemical. Derrick Jensen notes the danger of confusing an ability to control matter and energy with a deep understanding of it, and suggests that we should instead of focusing on control seek healthy relationships with the world around us. A range of speakers suggest that we should be wary of the "normal" human consciousness, which is highly detached from other species, and pooh pooh serious efforts to communicate with non-humans. "Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough". Music and speech offer a range of deeper insights that recommend a Gaian consciousness which treats everything as alive, or at least potentially so.
We conclude with a special appeal on behalf of John Taylor Gatto, who is gradually recovering from his stroke, but whose recovery is impeded by lack of funds. If you are looking for a good cause to which to donate funds, I recommend John Taylor Gatto, who is steadily recovering from his stroke, but remains paralyzed in one side.
Music: Jesus Christians, Capitol Steps, Roy Zimmerman, Sicknote, Compassionate Conservatives, Grails and many others
Big thanks to the Chazk for Ponderings From Within Leviathan Redux and to Martin from Kaputt Radio and many other contributors whose raw material gave a lot of inspiration and material for this audiocollage possible.