Power Depresses Me

Power Depresses Me

There is a saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I've always taken that as true (as a tendency) but never thought much more about it. However I feel that the full truth of that saying is now coming home to roost and that feeling depresses me. I feel that the world is becoming polarised, with only the extreme right and extreme left having any audible voices, and a yawning strange silence in between.

In the UK there can be little doubt that the Brexit vote has delighted right-wing extremists and increased their power to influence affairs. In the UK also there is the case of Sir Philip Green who has undoubtedly made himself rich at the expense of both the people who worked for his enterprise and the pension-fund dependents. Legal steps may reclaim some money for the latter but there is no doubt who will be the richer and undefended poorer as a result. It is an example of capitalism red in tooth and claw; and out of control.

Margaret Thatcher, in her long tenure as UK Prime Minister, made it socially OK (for everyone) to be rich. I personally have no quarrel with that (although many other quarrels with Thatcher's tenure). Unfortunately, as a side-effect, she seems to have made that a supremely desirable goal, without any clearly inferred corollaries on how riches are acquired. There is an unstated inference that riches should be acquired legally but within a legal system that is clearly inadequate to secure financial justice for those that need it. The overall impression is: get rich by any means that doesn't get caught by the legal system.

In Europe the Brexit vote has also delighted right-wing factions and added to their power. Moreover, apart from the attitude of Angela Merkel, it seems to have produced a reaction that can be summed up as: who cares, we'll carry on regardless. The high priests of the EU show no sign of recognising any need for reform. They, after all, have the power and intend to go on exercising it as they choose, without reference to unrest (and in some cases, indeed, very significant suffering) in EU countries as a result of their actions. The reaction of the EU Commission is analogous to Marie Antoinette's famous “so let them eat cake”, and you know what happened after that.

In the USA we have two unpopular Presidential candidates at least one of whom has shown willingness, indeed eagerness, to throw military might against any nation disapproved of.

The result seems to me to be an almost global polarisation in countries that have had large middle classes (it has long been apparent in Asia) between “haves” and “have nots” that are so far apart as to invite revolution, rioting in the streets, or worse, war, in and between nations who should know better. It's a combustible situation and I don't see any fire-fighters of stature. It's a depressing thought.

Chopsticks

The fact that the Chinese eat with chopsticks is well known. The Chinese, over many centuries, have also proven themselves to be a very inventive people. So why did they never invent forks? This remains for me one of the most challenging mysteries of the evolution of the world. The Chinese do have spoons; if you have ever attempted to eat soup (of which the Chinese have always had plenty) with chopsticks you will understand why. So why not forks? They are only a chopstick with three prongs after all and they greatly facilitate the ubiqitous action of scooping up food from some platter into the mouth. If you've ever seen someone eating rice with chopsticks (platter held close to the mouth, tossing rice in) it's immediately obvious how much easier that would be with a fork or even a spoon. So why do it that way? When I eat Chinese meals I always ask for a fork. I want to enjoy the meal, not go through contortions. I know some of my friends insist on chopsticks, to show their expertise in using them, a bravura show. That's OK but surely the Chinese wouldn't want to put on a bravura show every day of their lives. So why did an inventive people never come up with the simple idea of forks, a concept which many other peoples came up came with apparently quite easily?