Banning The Bomb, Outsiders And The Tortoise & The Hare -- GREEN EVENTS

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Date Posted: 01:13:19 05/11/03 Sun
Author: Sandra Claire Leslie
Subject: Banning The Bomb, Outsiders And The Tortoise & The Hare

Banning The Bomb, Outsiders And The Tortoise & The Hare.

I presume that most people are familiar with the fable of the
Tortoise & The Hare and of the proverb arising from it of: `more
haste less speed'. Also of the reggae song, which states `one step
forward, two steps backwards - down in de Babylon'. The author of
the Tortoise & The Hare, the classical Greek Zeno of Citium who was
both the first physicist and the first anarchist, seemed to know
precisely what it meant both in terms of physics as well as socio-
politically because he was holistic. Zeno only became a Greek
because he had been shipwrecked and therefore saw himself, as an
outsider whom he believed was freer than depending on the Athenian
polis. And this was what he based Zeno's Republic on as a critique
of Plato's Republic - of representation and professional altruism -
in favour of federal participation.

I came to agree with this philosophical position (and with anarchism)
since, although I was born in Plymouth, I have always felt like an
outsider here but also feel that this gives me more political
cohesion. Also my introduction to the political world, forty years
ago now, was with the issue of banning the bomb or nuclear
disarmament. Therefore, I have witnessed the analogy of the Tortoise
& The Hare more with this campaign than with anything else - although
I do see evidence of it everywhere all of the time and in
everything. As far as I am concerned I wish to ban the bomb and I
believe that if everybody involved agreed with this consistently then
it would be gone by now. Always people tell me that I am naive and
wish to rush things which I think is pretty ironic given the whole
picture. Also I am told that I do not see the whole picture and am
a `single issue person'. For a start, I can't have my finger in
every pie as it's impossible and those politicians who try to do so
are biting off more than they can chew.

How can anyone run the town, run the city, run the country and run
the world? It's nonsense and always has been nonsense. Those who
feel compelled to control and manipulate others can generate fear and
insecurity with adoring flunkies to groom their precarious egos but
they cannot organise a piss up in a brewery at the end of the day
which is why they are politicians. As for altruism -well it simply
does not exist and the sooner people come to terms with this then the
more altruism there will be in society. Then even society will begin
to exist also instead of it being a reflection of the state, which
really is a metaphysical construct that will, I believe, use these
weapons of mass destruction wholesale eventually. The Ultimate
Paradox from Xena Evil May 2003.

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