Tag: reflections on society

Of Needs and Independence

Posted on by Marko

There is a difference between what we want and what we need. Wants are often intellectual pursuits, many of which are prescribed to us through social norms, ideologies, expectations, and our own ego. Needs are different. Needs upwell from within. We discover them through a non-craving attraction that feels as natural as breathing. It is through needs that we uncover ourselves, that we feel purpose, and motivation. That we feel alive.

One of the needs that seems to be universal is the need to be independent but connected. Expressing our unique voice but listening to other voices as well, with equal respect. Understanding that we are one of many sharing the same space-time, trying to figure out how we fit in. Communication is a bi-directional exchange of idea, feelings, perspectives. It is not preaching or having it your way. Nor is it being passive or conforming, and having someone have it their way.  Communication is a connection that unites us, and us to an even greater whole.

Through this authentic connection we benefit as individuals as well as groups. Like molecules within a lattice, each unique but strengthening the other, building up a structure whose whole exceeds the sum of its individual parts. Living things are made of molecules but possess an awareness, a consciousness that cannot be understood or measured by examining molecules alone. Being a filament within this greater identity is what we deeply yearn for, what we need, but don’t know how to pursue.

Try taking without expecting, then giving without indebting. Or the reverse. Either way, you’re planting seeds of connection.  For independence and individuality without connection is loneliness, and that is one thing none of us want, but most of us have.

Democracy: Promise & Practice

Posted on by Marko

The concept of democracy is a noble one, but I don’t think we’ve evolved or matured enough to implement it within our society. Greed and self-interest still rule nations, from political parties to influential individuals alike. These privileged groups put their needs ahead of the people, try hard to coerce us to see their selfish plight, with the real objective of getting our votes. Oftentimes, they rely on the tried and tested methods of fear-mongering, which produces the desired effect of dependence. From religions to governments, they want us to see them as our salvation, and all they ask for is our voice. So choosing governance in many so-called democratic nations is less about what people want and more about what interest groups want, with the help of an indoctrinated population. This swings left and right depending on how successful indoctrination campaigns are. There have been monarchs who held a closer ear to people’s needs than many political parties nowadays, in part because they could not lose their power. The envisioned concept of democracy does not revolve around gaining and accumulating power, but sharing it. We’ve made strides towards that promise since the Age of Enlightenment, but perhaps we can accelerate it by removing ideological and purely intellectual labels that ultimately divide us. We are not just liberals, conservatives, libertarians – we are a bit of everything in different proportions. We are unique but complete individuals with innate common values. Values like independence, compassion, empathy, collaboration, and insatiable desire for strong, symbiotic social bonds. Values that seek to connect people, and not condition them into political fodder for the privileged few.