[Buddha-l] Society

[jkirk]

People--

If I may reflect a little on the constitution of society, as it
shifted in China from collective solidarity of various sorts to
individualism (aka everyone for him or herself):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/19/love-china-freedom
 
Excerpt:
"Changing habits eroded the rules and led to their formal repeal.
But as China embraces personal freedoms, it sees the same
problems as the west, from the isolation of urban residents to
increasing mental illness. 

"Freedom and choice come hand in hand with responsibility and
risk," said Yunxiang Yan, author of the forthcoming book The
Individualisation of Chinese Society. "Individuals have to take
more responsibilities and work harder for personal interests with
much less protection and support from the collective."

I'd like to say that industrial society and culture causes mental
illness. Individualism taken to the extremes under capitalism,
leads to insanity. It already happened in the "west," and now
it's happening in China. This situation was well-understood by EU
artists back in the 19th c. I wish even to go so far as to say
that the shibboleth of "freedom" (misinterpreted as individual
freedom) is the rationalization for allowing industry and the
nation-state unregulated hegemony in favor of keeping profits in
the family.

Nevertheless, who cared about what artists think, except so far
as their works are valuable investments? Eh??? Did anyone pay
attention to this, except Karl Marx? or did he pay attention to
the effects of industrialism on human society???  He saw it as a
stage toward the future emancipation of labor--but did he see
where it was REALLY going? Marx--the eternal optimist? (This is
not a plea for installing a communist regime, so don't start
that!)

I bet there are a few list denizens who have some
answers.......Denizens!--please comment, from your more developed
knowledge of Marx and society than mine! Did he or didn't he
catch on to what capitlaism boded, in his day?

Meanwhile, in my admittedly personal view, industrial capitalist
society has led to mass insanity. Buddhism can make little
headway against this phenomenon, other than being a self-help
remedy of a few individuals. We are up against the tides. Very
few people understand what is really going on or how their minds
are being manipulated by the collaborative media. Circuses might
even replace bread...............

Joanna