IllusoryReverb

Anecdote from third world country here. Friend works in 'IT security company', told me banks are the worst here.

One bank had guys in the IT department work for a couple of months then quit, one after the other, apparetly after having stolen 'enough' money (whatever that means to a thief). Rinse and repeat, till their company got called in. That bank's systems were apparently that bad.

I always wondered whether it was that the bank had no proof of the theft or an image thing where they could not afford to go after them because customers would lose confidence in them.

Thanks for the link to the essay. It captures the struggle I alluded to in my comment rather well.

I find like my mind is resistant to actually going ahead and helping, the aforementioned excuses rear their head and the justifications come hard and fast and anything else seems like I am being an idealistic, wide eyed naive hippy.

On some level I can recognize the need the writer points to, and what is being said. I feel there is a flaw in my thinking and in how I am approaching the world and living my life. Then the selfishness (is there a better word for it?) stares right back at me. There is safety in its coldness. I recognize it. I know it. I hate it too, but I know it. It is familiar. Leaving its cold embrace is too scary.

I will be sharing the essay with like minded people when I can.

I have had the sense that guilt plays a part in dissatisfaction with wealth, whether consciously or subconsciously. The way the economic system is set up, a person can only have money, wealth at the expense of others. I only have what I have because someone else has been deprived of it. Its difficult to enjoy something when at the back of ones mind, it is earned off the suffering (real or imagined) of others.

I came to this conclusion one night whilst walking along the street some time back. I wanted to buy myself a packet of fries. Not far from the door of chips shop, there was a woman there with three children, laying down cardboard preparing to sleep for the night. The sense of what turned out to be guilt and shame that came upon me was palpable. It actually hit me that I could casually walk in and buy myself something I didn't really need whilst here was a woman with three kids sleeping on the street with nothing.

Investigating my feelings further brought about I had so much compared to them. And what I had was not enough to make a real difference in their lives. Further investigation and thought brought about the idea that this might be the same not just for me, but for all people, getting progressively worse the higher up the wealth steps you go. The basic idea being that as currently set up, economics means that it is a zero sum game. In terms of money, either I have the 100 dollars or you have 100 dollars, we cannot both have the same 100 dollars.

This means, (and I am open to being corrected) that what I have is at the expense of another - my boss, my brother who is having a hard time making ends meet, or all the others who have to walk kilometres to get to work to save on money used in public transport.

My take away and current struggle is that at some point, in order to just live, we have to find a way to deal with this feeling of guilt - which in my case, took on the form of first denying responsibility and assigning blame on others (government & other institutions, parenting, poor decision making, lack of intelligence etc), or just ignoring it because 'there is nothing I can do' about it because 'I also have problems and I dont have enough to make a meaningful difference'. I still don’t have a good answer to this.

Thats my 2 cents.

I am not certain the author of the article has identified the true cause/root of the problem. To me, the need to be needed is certainly important, but, I do not think that that need is the true cause of the anxiety described in the article. The way the western world has reacted to immigration and socio-political landscape currently obtaining is not well explained by the need to be needed as explained in the article.

To me, the need to be needed/fear of being unneeded takes a back seat to the idea of 'other'. The otherness of the migrants, of the new persons, the lack of 'connection' with them certinly is a better explanation than the feeling of being superflous.

My view is that if we, as humanity in general, could only see each other first as individuals and secondly as persons with intrinsic worth - basically treat each other as we would a treasured member of our family, their troubles with the same sense urgency with which we would treat our close friend, brother, sister in the exact same circumstances, then the world would be a better place for all.

But, it feels like this is naïve, not 'realistic' or 'practical' there is too much standing in the way, at least thats what it looks like to me when I attempt to do so. It gets overwhelming, emotionally anyway. To me, behind our anxiety, as humans, is the fear of what would happen if we truly saw others as though they were ourselves. Really and truly. I am not sure we can do so, because we would realize just how fucked up the world was. I for one would rather not, the shame, fear is too much. I would rather build a wall and tell myself there is not much I can do, I do not have enough to help, I would be disregarding my responsibilities. But I know the truth. I am just scared.

If these allegations are true, then I find it hard to imagine a fair and just society arising in these countries.

It would appear to me that autocratic governments are being given additional tools to retain power and more control over young democracies which have not yet developed the institutions necessary to 'self-correct' or reverse/prevent the abuse of such tools.

In my view, it is those who are most likely to agitate for a more democratic society and create institutions that demand for accountability who will be targeted and silenced.

This will deny those countries of the very people who are needed to create the kind of country that their citizens dream of.

Imagine such tools in the hands of the British during the time of the birth of the United States.

I am left with a bitter taste in my mouth. I am not quick to see a dystopian future, but it will make it harder for needed change to come. I welcome any alternative viewpoints that can shed a kinder light on this situation.

Making an anecdotal contribution. Kenyan here. I have observed that white people are given preferential treatment and have (strangely) experienced racism against black people in my own country. I have, more than once heard people, mostly uneducated people, saying how much better things would be if we were still colonized.

Examples of preferential treatment/racism include, faster service for white people at restaurants and clubs, being denied entry to a club because 'it is full' and seconds later a couple of white people walk right in, and in one memorable instance a security guard had the gall to try and deny me an open parking spot so that a white person could have it instead. The latter got a stern talking to by me.

All is not positive for the white man though. There is the 'white tax' where prices are instantly increased when a white person is the one shopping and people are always hitting them up for money because white people are perceived to be wealthy.