Togetherwerebetter

SDC Youth Prize / How the system eats up all the alternatives

We now slept on it as much as we could to become less subjective. We couldn’t sleep any longer. So here is the result.

Our concepts are artistic and rather confusing (we often hear). We are bulky and only partially adaptable (we conclude).

Moderately successful with our concepts at relevant institutions, we can at least use our projects as a means of exchange with experienced people of institutions and commitment. A big exchange of that kind took place on Friday 21st of June in Fribourg. There was a conference and as a marketing gag a prize for young people pursuing a world-improving project. We were still considered young and were allowed to present our project Garazh. This scene was unknown to both of us. We took a few musical instruments with us and were excited to meet all the other people there.

We are both quite antisocial. This gives us the pleasure of the outside view. The chance of reflection.

Situation: Beside ours there were about 40 projects. All with the hope of support from financially strong or experienced people of certain institutions. We almost drowned in the amount of passion that was invested. It was touching. And (- and that’s why you read this text, its motivation was originally enormous anger, now only a kind of despondency:) it was frustrating.

Why? This is an essay on a matter that we feel is needing a development aid. Version Mater first. Version Spirit follows.

M A T E R :

Support is only given to fights against symptoms.
No solution of causes.

Example: One of these projects – specially presented with video – liberates. Strengthens the voices. Encourages self-knowledge, self-determination. Exercises public speaking with its target audience. Somewhere (aim: manywhere) in Africa. It is among two others advertised for the audience award. Another one is elected and wins. One that wants to better recycle our garbage in India.

Why does this garbage project get so many votes? Is this the sluggishness of thinking? It triggers us, it is about my garbage. The poor Indians who are sitting there in my garbage. Is this really focusing on sustainability? Why should this job be more sympathetic? Desirable?

It stands for many other of these projects that focus on solving downstream problems with short-sightedness, but an incredible amount of effort. So there are only follow-up problems. Profit for a few.

Follow-up victims disappear into the solution gaps.

And it becomes even more absurd. In the course of the day, after a few speeches and statements by the organization, we become aware of the real reason for our invitation on site.

These people here at this conference, at this occasion, who are throwing themselves into the development and realization of their heartfelt projects and are so committed do not realize how they are being instrumentalized by this government agency. The projects promoted by this agency do not liberate. They just put us in chains as humanity. What really wants to liberate is not promoted by this organization.

And we stand there like trained puppies, well-behaved simulating the closeness of the organization to real deeds. A participation in such an event means the investment of time and energy. To stand there, to answer questions, to be questioned, to be smiled at, to be made fun of. The reward is a kind of catering during the whole day. And we are all there because we are lured by a prize, a possibility of support, encouragement, appreciation. An expense contribution would have been a testimony of respect. The absence of such is the testimony of disrespect.

I know what I’m saying here is radical and off the mark. They can be dismissed as the stinkers of those who don’t win. But please take a closer look.

The bad conscience of capitalism, which brings our material prosperity, is immense. For all those who cannot completely ignore their sense of justice. Because humanly we are very needy here.

So we “help”. Oh no, nowadays we call it as a “work together”. Very important. I must not admit the hierarchy in my head. But develop yourselves as we did. Become us. Because we are good. Wrap yourselves out of your shit. Uh, that’s our shit. We’ve been shitting on your heads for years. And to be honest … we don’t really want to change that. But I want justice … let’s just all get rich together! Evergrowing productivity and consumption! I just have to believe it firmly enough! Yes, that’s for sure!

I felt like I was in a church, doctrines were prayed down again and again. The listeners are happy not to disagree in order to feel like a community … We applause the constant! We have to stick together! Together we can make it!

Make what?

Of course, it is wonderful when a child no longer has to shit somewhere on the floor because there are now sanitary installations. Same same for its father or its dog. But these projects only produce new, follow-up problems. Hierarchies. They only reflect our guilty conscience. They are not a real renaturation of the overflow. They are a consolidation of unequal states. Of our prosperity. Of our exploitation of all these disadvantaged people, which we do not want to renounce AT ALL. It lingers. It lingers.

Greater upheavals would be needed. But they mean sacrifices. This is frightening. So let’s just put on some more patches … or should we start to think bigger and with love?

We can easily ignore all these silent victims of our constant but minimal improving methods. We are trained in it.

What is development work then? On a large scale?

Opening up new markets for even more “prosperity”.

But only in material terms. Spiritual prosperity … the capitalist vocabulary lacks this meaning of the term.

And how do we get people to participate? Also the do-gooders of the world, those who still believe they can make a difference; for those for whom the usual dampers don’t work?

We do with them a sale of indulgences. Thanks to the guilty conscience of their random prosperity. They become blind to the greater contexts. Happiness and immobilization through constant overload.

Courage for truth.

S P I R I T :

Everyone is in society, but society is not all individuals. The mass consists of individuals but does not function like individuals. I try to reach you, I try to speak to you. Not through society, but from me to you. There are two ways to you, through society (newspaper) or through your mobile phone (your personality/identity). If your mobile phone is lost or you don’t meet anyone, you will be searched for. These two channels to you are on a constant exploration because you allow it. Because you think you can’t do anything as an individual. And society can be manipulated like sand in a sandbox.

You feel like a part of society and want to remain a part of it. You don’t believe anyone who tells you you would feel better not being a part of it. Only if it were part of society not to be a part of it. You think, outside society means living in the forest and sleeping in a tent and having no contact with people. But you, considering yourself as a part of a society, are willing to accept others from other societies. This proves that it is possible to be outside. And I am an example of that as well. Furthermore: an example that is talking to you right now.

Believe me, you only believe to be a part of this society. Once you are amongst other people, you adapt your attitudes, mindsets and essence to the crowd. That’s why you don’t think for yourself. That is why you only read what is prechewed, why you do not contradict. That’s why you watch Netflix and that’s why you get drunk every weekend and cut randomly synaptic connections in your head … separating your brain halves to such an extent that you finally think you understand everything because your brain halves don’t work together properly. Wear glasses and don’t realize how your eyes are getting weaker and weaker like your brain. Listen to music too loud for too long and think the birds are annoying you because you were getting old.

If you don’t do the above, you start to become an outsider. But you do not want that. Otherwise you will become like me. You do not want to be like that. Nobody wants to be a poor artist. And not an outsider as well. That’s it from your point of view. From mine is it that you are poor and an outsider. That means: a stupid insider. Stupid, because in society you can only be when stupid. In your shift and in your box. To get out of there it takes a lot of diligence and work. But even that you’re only told so you don’t commit suicide. Because your situation is hopeless. But in society you’re at least not alone in this hopelessness. Of course this is not true. You can as well decide to donate, to do good deeds.

Now I am teasing you. The way out of this dilemma is quite simple. Consider yourself and your neighbours, but only if they are very important to you and do you good. Because as soon as you have my view, you have to explain yourself to your neighbor or lie to him. So they’d better be worth the effort.

Think carefully whether you don’t want to be alone.

Don’t do anything rash when you’re not alone. Reflect every text and every statement. Seldom something is as it seems. We assume the solar surface is hot because the sunlight generates heat on our skin. You believe science anyway. It’s just a religion that tries to win you over with magic.
You see, it’s very simple. Only you should do it all the time.

Every day.

Always like a little child.

But as one that grows up while it remains a child.

You got skills. Practice them and learn to write and also learn to express yourself differently. Because what you see and begin to understand as a small child in your adult body is frightening. Nature is as it is. You will begin to hate people. Therefore pay attention to radical ways that someone else wants to show you. You will radicalize yourself. You will shake your roots (Radix). Over and over again. But if you have good skills, they will help you to share your knowledge with others and develop it further for you. Your roots and your crown grow. And you connect.

You become more and more alienated from your society. But through your sharpened powers of observation and your developed skills you can again become a better part of society. This means, you learn to act and even become really successful in this society, because you have a lot of criticism and this is sold gladly. Probably not the way you mean it. But in the way, that you are the last one who can manage.

This way you are a rich artist.

Well and now? For CHF 1000 I will tell you much more! Promised! (IBAN: CH46 0839 0035 1026 1000 8 ABS Olten, Die Diebe, Baselstrasse 61, 6003 Luzern)

What is development aid? Or development cooperation?

This is development aid. But it is disguised even more perfidiously than my success model for you. When working together I offer you my personal advice. ;)

Isn’t development aid a way of dealing with the problems of our modern colonisation?

We have better weapons. But not better ideas. Differing customs and ways of life. A system of exploitation from which we do not seem to know the way out of. Instead of dealing with it, we seize to know it better for others. And sometimes we are even abandoned by any good spirits and exploit the hell out of it. If you do not give me the gold, then you are dead and your land belongs to me. That way I even have more power, more money and more weapons. You lose through time as well. I do not live where I exploit.

Younger ones with a lot of power and money, from the next generations, who are not abandoned by all good spirits, see the misery as it is shown on television. But they don’t see behind it, because they are blinded and can’t imagine such evil, especially not from their own mothers and fathers.

They want to help. The best help would be to just go and take away all those who don’t belong there.

There is no need for apologies, because it only sounds cynical. I ask you to do this. Leave other societies alone as you would like to be left alone. Charity is the cloak of the wolf.

Is one exploiting because one is afraid to be exploited?

Is even poverty exploited?

Poverty is invented. In the sense of a social achievement.

A film tip: Enjoy Poverty, by Renzo Martens. And book tip: European Universalism: the Discourse of Power, by Immanuel Wallerstein.
Development aid is invented as well. Actually, it is the new term for colonization. At the beginning that one sounded very nice, too.

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SPIRIT: Why are we doing this? Send this e-mail?

MATER: To push others and to spread and develop our knowledge. Why do we do anything at all? I do the Diebe stuff to survive. Otherwise I would be dead.