The Masters of Mammon

This morning I read that the Australian Treasurer, Peter Costello, stated that Australia is now debt-free. And the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were giving him a nice pat on the back.
Wonderful. We were a good little country and did what the moguls wanted us to do.

I then wondered, who is the International Monetary Fund, and for that matter, the World Bank, and the OECD and the ISO and all the rest of the vaunted international bodies that are making -- or more often -- breaking, nations, people, and populations. Who gave these people such power?

It's all well and good to have some sort of international standards -- lord knows we need them in lots of areas, like nuclear energy, environmental pollution, fair distribution of food and water, referees for religious and boundary disputes and many others.

But when it comes to money, it seems like we have a rigged game. Like Monopoly, with the bankers making up the rules to suit themselves. And then -- if we know the game is rigged -- why do we insist on playing? Why does Australia, or other nations of moderate wealth and capacity, bow and scrape before international financial bodies? Who are these guys?

Ditto corporations. Interestingly, it was in the 19th century in the USA that a Supreme Court justice ruled that corporations have the same legal rights as a human being. Whoopee. Look what that's done. Faceless capitalist bureaucracies in charge of the planet? Is this the same sort of game for nations now? I'm sure that most of the people in the IMF and the other acronyms all come from corporations, and thus have that corporate worldview, without any understanding at all of what it's like for those who aren't in that milieu.

I am still wondering if I'll ever get an answer to my question here; who are these guys and why do we have to pay heed to them?

If anyone can help, please reply to this blog, or email me on pbwhite1@optusnet.com.au.

Footnote:
Remember folks, May Day in Oz. For those who are concerned, join the May Day marches. Industrial deform is striking with a vengeance.

Peace to all
PB White

Easter greetings

Pope Benedict has given me the inspiration to write an Easter message to the world; after all, if he can do it, why can't I?

And further, Benedict's Easter message was passionate and well argued from a devout and highly intelligent man; after all he was John Paul's 'hit man' for many years in charge of what was formerly called the Holy Inquisition.

But -- I think he argues from an ossified and doctrinaire approach to human sexuality and to how human families work in the real world. So, with these thoughts in mind, here is my Easter message.

What matters most is Jesus' (the Founder) two commandments: love God and love your neighbour as yourself. And as a rider, the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Now -- when we take these as the base-line for living, we then can begin to understand, perhaps, that the current ecclesiastical phobia on things physical and particularly things sexual, take a much more diminished role. Who goes out with whom and who inserts what into which orifice is rather overblown in the current orthodoxy. What is far, far more important is how we relate to each other as people, friends, lovers, communities and to the earth on which we stand.

Our actions as well as our thoughts need to be based on the understanding of love as the Founder has suggested. We know that whatever negative stuff we put out, we will get back. And vice versa, others' negativity will affect us. That's bad enough, but if we consider that our non-loving thoughts and actions have a far more damaging effect right on down the time-line. And of course, the converse: our positive actions and thoughts lead to more positive actions and thoughts and so on.

If we want a peaceful world and happiness, or at least a respite from long suffering, we need to consider how we can live better in a more loving kind of way. If we exploit other people for our own self-directed reasons, be it for sex, finance, power, or revenge or whatever, we are not acting in a loving manner.

To get a handle on this, and away from stultified dogma of whatever persuasion, try reading Eckhart Tolle's books. There are two main ones: The Power of Now, and A New Earth. They give great guidance.

Look after one another, care for one another. Think of now, not the future, nor the past. Many of us are slaves to the past, or worried about the future and forget where we are right now. Maybe we can all do better.

So, have a good Easter everyone.

Peace to all

PB White