transcendence

oblem with violnce, as i see it, is it is an action which is deeply animalistic, and thus our regression is immediatly satisfying in some way. like our anscestors, animal and otherwise, we feel as though we have some form of control, and seek to rationalize our decision to act on violence only after the decision has already been made. what makes us different is our ability to transcend our animalistic urges. we have created culture, granted much of which involves violence, but this is why violence persists. how can anything founded on violence not encourage its own violent demise? i think jefferson was perhaps recognizing this more than anything when he made his famous remarks on revolution. most people seemingly feel powerless, in many ways. so much of our lives have become beauracritized, politicized, economized.... often we just tell ourselves we are powerless, but really, we consent. somethings are worth more than our own life. our life is not all we have. those who think that indeed have far less. i'm reminded of a short passage from hegel's phenomenology. it is when we risk death that we first begin to assert ourself; when we recognize that it is in risking death that we become free, that we posit our lives with meaning at all. when we back down, when we fear death, is when we become slave. most of us are slaves. i though, culturally, we had gone far passed this stage in the development of our collective consciousness, but perhaps we've done some backpeddaling.

what are you so afraid of?