A 'Knives Out' Moment

And we need to seize it

Make no mistake.

The ruling class of the western world is trying to corral us into accepting genocide, colonialism and white supremacy. These are the values that drive Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and now in the West Bank. There is no way of sugar coating this.

Reporters and demonstrators are being jailed for speaking out for Palestinians, we’re told that we’re anti-semitic when we oppose genocide, Israeli deaths make western news headlines, while Palestinian deaths usually don’t. The Democratic National Congress allowed no pro Palestinian voices.

Western governments, including Canada, continue to send weapons to Israel, despite its ongoing genocide and bombings of neighbouring countries. They say that Israel has a right to defend itself, and that our countries share common values. What values? They’re not mine, nor of most of the people I know.

Those values are on display on our social media feeds. And, although you wouldn’t know it from the mainstream media, people are protesting everywhere and in every way they can think of: demonstrations, wearing keffiyehs, celebrities speaking out. Fully one third of the world’s population is boycotting Israeli products. If that’s something you’d like to do, here’s a great list of products to boycott.

The west is losing its moral standing in the world.

As well, countries that have been tyrannized by the west for centuries are organizing, so that they can trade among each other instead of their usual western trading partners. This is what BRICS is all about.

And the west is feeling the economic pain.

All empires eventually decay and go down. And right now, it’s our time, as the global majority rises. Thankfully, what the majority of the world seems to want is a level playing field where all nations are treated fairly, and there are peaceful ways to work out our differences.

The global majority has a much different perspective on what the west is all about. My favourite explanation of this is Aamer Rahman’s short stand up routine, Reverse Racism. If you haven’t seen it before please don’t skip it. You’ll love it!

Traditionally, non western aligned and resource rich countries, are often vilified in our media — their leaders are made out to be terrible — so that the west can invade them and have access to the resources of these countries.

A recent example is the attempted coup in Venezuela, as explained by its leader Nicolas Maduro.

A good historical example is Muammar Gaddafi, the former Prime Minister of Libya, who was made out by the western media to be a mad man. This, even though he raised living standards in Libya. Many remember him as one of Africa’s finest leaders.

We who live in the west have to decide how we will respond to the weakening western world.

I once knew someone who lived through South Africa’s transition from an apartheid state to what it is now, and I asked what we should do in that situation. His advice: keep our relationships clean.

I like that. It’s something I try to do anyways.

We also need to think about food and shelter, and helping our neighbours as things fall apart. Gardens, making our own products, wildcrafting. All of these make sense.

We need to get our news from reliable sources and, when inevitably the economy gets worse, we’ll need to help each other, knowing that our economic system, designed to concentrate wealth, is the root of our problems.

Many blame minorities instead of the systems that have enabled the plundering of the planet and exploitation of all of us to make a very few rich.

Historically, the somewhat privileged tend to think our economic woes are caused by people who aren’t part of their crowd. As our privilege wanes, the tendency is to blame others: people with different religions or skin colour, immigrants, women, indigenous people, the working class and those with different gender identities.

None of them are the cause of our problems. These people probably have it much worse, and need support.

And we have to do all we can to create peace between nations. I worry that as the situation deteriorates here in the west, those who have done well in it will become increasingly desperate.

I’m scared of how the powerful of our nations will react as we inevitably lose the wars we’re involved in, and our economic might is weakened. They’ve been getting away with this kind of behaviour for hundreds of years.

It feels like a knives out moment.

We can’t afford more war, and we have to stop the genocide in Palestine, and wars everywhere.

So many of us are trying to bring about peace, and want to stop the ongoing killing, but these attempts are being blocked.

We have international law on our side, and our leaders are breaking it in their ongoing support of Israel.

I hope this will be humanity’s turning point that gets us to a better world.

I’m tired of the killing, the poverty, and the dishonesty that our systems now represent. I yearn to see everyone housed, well-fed and pursuing their dreams on a steadily rejuvenating planet.

We need to hold our heads high, and do the right thing. Even when hatred and fear are whipped up. Even as more of us are silenced and impoverished. We need to know where these things come from, and hang onto our decency.

We owe it to our kids and to everyone else’s kids. It will take all of us to do the right thing and bring about the kind of future we want. It’s within our grasp, and the alternative is unthinkable.

Here’s a new word I learned yesterday: bhav. As in ‘feel the bhav’. To me, it suggests being in tune with the greater good, or the divine however one perceives that.

I picture us walking into the future together, eyes open, calm and attentive and feeling the bhav. Deep down, don’t we all want what’s best for everyone? That’s how it seems to me.