I probably shouldn't watch the news.  Or read it on the internet or in the papers.  Or read books.  Or read anything, for that matter.

Because what we see everyday is enough to make a sane person just absolutely go out of their mind.  I just have to wonder if the current state of the world, that state belonging to a stark dichotomy between oppressors and oppressed, is really going to be able to be overcome.  It's such a well balanced system of propaganda, lies, and widespread indoctrination that it's difficult to imagine it being overcome by any of the forces that are able to muster up any sort of common identity or purpose.  This system is now international, whereas it used to be confined to individual states and governments.  Oppression has become a worldwide empire, and the culprits are the familiar ones.  The United States, Great Britain, France, Israel... the list goes on, but it's important not to go too far with this list, because we need to recognize that most countries are not like this.  Most are forced to buy into the various methods of murder used by the global empire, subjugating their people to a wide range of mental, emotional and physical torture and repression.  The World Bank and International Monetary Fund contribute greatly to the crisis; even NATO and the United Nations, institutions that are supposed to maintain some semblance of a fragile peace are part of the problem rather than instruments of the eventual solution.  Technology has allowed the world powers to work together to maintain their seats at the top.  Even if most of the nations in the international ruling elite are just client states of the US superpower, they actively work with the master to beat down their peoples and to prevent any sort of democratic controls from being established.

On the other hand, though, these same technologies that allow the ruling elites of the world to do what they do can also be used by the victims, by the oppressed and commoditized.  I can see the news in Beirut or Caracas or Belgrade in "real time."  I can take an active role in sympathizing with people across the globe upon reading of the attacks that they endure, and I can even take an active role in resisting.  That, to me, is amazing.  I can become emotionally involved in someone's struggle to survive, someone I don't know and likely never will.  I can live and resist in solidarity with them.  I can even communicate my support to them. 

Beyond these sorts of oneness, we can work together on a more active level, discussing logistics, strategies of resistance, and methods of insurgence.  I have to believe that the majority of people on the planet who don't agree with the policies of world governments will  eventually be fed up and look for ways to resist and defy.  An international movement is sorely needed, and it's inspiring to see the infant stages of one take shape in the form of the World Social Forum openly declaring that another world is possible.

I always end up coming back to the thought that capitalism and empire are not sustainable, and that the oppressors will do themselves in through their rhetoric of freedom and democracy.  Because at some point, people will realize that freedom and democracy are very dangerous ideas to the ruling elites, ideas that threaten the status quo (which incidentally, does not really include freedom or democracy in any meaningful way).  The rulers talk about them so much that true freedom and democracy will strike a chord with people, like seeing the ice cream truck driving down the street makes one think, "Wow, I'd love some ice cream."

Well, I'd love some democracy, some freedom.  And I'm sure you would too. 

The first step in healing is to admit that there is a problem, and it's becoming clearer everyday, to more and more people, that there is a serious problem.