Manhattan

It has been a long time since I have posted here.  I had an agenda of philosophical topics I wanted to explore, but my approach has changed.  I stopped writing while I pondered how to continue.  I have now decided just to write whatever ideas I want to express at the time and not worry about whether this relates to what I have written before or attempt to incorporate it in any writing plan.

I have been in the USA the last three weeks.  It is such a contrast with East Africa, and is always thought stimulating.  People sell so hard there and push so hard because they have to.  If you don’t market aggressively you get nowhere.

People have stopped talking so much about Bush.  Some are just waiting for this Presidency to end, and other Republicans are disappointed with Iraq, various scandals (such as the phone tapping one), and the budget deficit and are bewildered.  Some are still avid supporters.  When it is a question of belief no amount of looking at facts can change someone’s view.  There is some talk of the increasing price of oil, but not as much as I would have expected.  No-one seems to think that it could become scarce enough and the demand high enough to revolutionize the world economy.  The fact China’s requirements have surpassed the USA’s and is increasing is a sign of change ahead.  Big change.  It seems funny how the Republican plan is to open up Alaska more, with no serious regard to alternative energy sources yet.  It is baffling that they should follow this policy when they also consider one of the biggest problems is insecurity in the Middle East, where they are involved and interdependent because of the thirst for oil.  It actually smells of corruption and some other commercial reason centred on self-interest as otherwise it makes no sense.

Sometimes I think I am mad because things I consider important do not seem to concern others.  That is probably the reason for this blog.   The West  (and the World) is so enmeshed in this insane consumptive and wasteful economy of ours. It keeps everything going.  Walking in the streets of Manhattan watching people in the street, I wondered what most people did as employment.  I imagined so many jobs to be pointless.  I might be wrong, but I imagined it this way.  Whole gangs of people employed on design and packaging of products, that having fulfilled its purpose of attracting the customer is soon discarded into the huge piles of trash that accumulate there. Of course informing others of a product or idea can be important, but I think there are two angles to this.  The receiver and the supplier.  The West seems supplier based, focusing on supplying information in as easy and packaged a way as possible.  “You will be happy if you have this”, “the girls will like you if you have that” supplied in “sound bites”.  An information world more based on the receiver end would focus on educating people better, so that they are more judgmental, and not so gullible.  I suppose that is a bit idealistic.

I thought of how little time most people have to socialize and chitchat.  Of course they do this at work, but people seem so pre-occupied.  They don’t have the time to chat, sit on a bench, relax.  People seem so busy and stressed, and yet they don’t seem to achieve a lot except feed the economic powerhouse.  That is being a bit cynical and judgmental.  Of course lots of people are doing wonderful things with their time, but this was my perception while walking the streets of Manhattan.

I probably think too much.  Anyway I am now in the air on my way back home, so no doubt a lot of these thoughts will seem far away soon.