Kuba: I remember when I was 18 and on a trip in Paris with my friends doing parkour. The best parkour spots were in the “roughest” parts of Paris and so we were hanging out at night time in ghettos
One night a man approached me and pointed a gun at me, and said “phone and wallet”. I always remember this because there was no fear and neither was there any theorising about any social/power dynamics happening. Rather there was a recognition that whatever ‘power’ he had was simply in the gun pointed at me, it made complete sense to calmy give over my belongings.
Hi Kuba,
I had to look up “doing parkour” and when I saw the picture I remember seeing several videos where a group of young people perform this amazing art/ sport. I am still in wonder about the skill and strength required to do it without getting badly hurt!
Kuba: I write this because as I see it now this system that has been in place is fundamentally of the same kind.
The fundamental fact of it all is that the peasant simply had no means to fight against that which was being forced onto them. In the same way seeing the big picture I realise that just as then I handed over my belongings (as that was the sensible course of action) now I simply operate within / pay lip service to this exploitative system without any feelings of disenfranchisement or rebellion.
It seems what happens in the world at large is that once this system solidifies people then forget the roots of it all, they can then kid themselves and come up with many fancy ideologies, to demand “my rights” etc, essentially to imagine that the situation is anything other than robbery at gunpoint haha.
I did not suffer back then when I was robbed and neither do I suffer now seeing the whole picture, rather I am freed to act sensibly. On the other hand I am not inspired by any ideology to act as if the situation is different to what it is. As always there is such a freedom in seeing the fact.
Thank you for this perspective, it explains why ‘Vineeto’ did not recognize the peasant mentality and even after becoming actually free I took some time after Richard talked about it to wrap my mind around it. One just accepts the situation one is born into because ‘it has always been like this’. But once seen and understood, as you say, “there is such an amazing freedom in seeing the fact”.
It also makes it even more amazing that Richard worked it all out while ‘he’ was still a feeling being.
Cheers Vineeto