"I came
to the understanding that most of those men believed they were doing the right
thing" (John Perkin, 2004)
Over the
past couple of weeks I have been reading John Perkin's book Confessions of an Economic Hitman and I am
surprise to find a brutal transparency about the manoeuvrs of the system that
isn't so out there. I was not totally amazed with the reality of the
international system when I read the paragraphs on the motivations behind aid
but I noticed within me a sense of relief
based on "it is OK to tell the truth", and "it is OK to
question the system", and
"there is something fishy in all of this", and "I don't have to
agree with that which is against the principles of equality and justice",
and that "there must exist another way for countries and people to coexist
on this planet".
According to
John's conclusion, at some point in his career his economic projections were
being taken seriously by people in/with power, not so much due to his expertise
but thanks to his confidence, his title and successes in the game. Is it not
scary to know that our world is being led by individuals that trust more in a
title rather than the common-sensical analysis of the consequences of a
decision? Is it not ridiculous that we come to the conclusion that we are
always and constantly desiring to trust in someone who seems to be more
knowledgeable and experienced than us? And finally, have we ever really
considered that people in power and the people that advise those in power DO
LIE.
His
confession was clear: "In truth, my expertise was extremely limited, but
what I lacked in training and knowledge I made up for in audacity". By
definition, audacity is boldness or daring, especially with confident or
arrogant disregard for personal safety, and I can relate to my own idea of the
type of people I would trust, which often fits the image of external
confidence, courage and apparent fearlessness. It is not a coincidence that
many heads of government and CEOs represent such personality, because those are
the people that we tend to look out for answers - once again, we trust in
certain people out of complete brainwashing, perception of our own
powerlessness and self-irresponsibility. In the end, the consequence of
allowing a very few minority to decide for the rest is faced by all of us,
individually and collectively, manifested in our dysfunctional lives and world.
The mental
control exists to avoid seeing that which is just in front of our eyes. I speak
for myself, who used to believe that things were alright because my immediate
reality was as good as it could be and I was too busy dealing with
self-judgments and wanting to fit in. By the time this book was published I was
on my third year of International Relations and I was far from even being
curious about the harsh reality behind the UN Millennium Development Goals - I
was more enthusiastic about the personal reward of "doing the right
thing" rather than asking myself "why such
goals need to exist in first place?" - "how disillusioned must the system be that
postpones the basic human needs for a period of 10 years, while at the same
time the corporatism manages to reach yearly profits that all together could
well eradicate world poverty completely?". This book unveils some of the reasons why the money gets accumulated in one side of the world and how aid is just another business that keeps the system running as it is.
It is a
matter of changing our priorities and see what is here, as within so without. The same with this blog: it took me almost one year to
embrace my process of becoming a diplomat and correcting myself as a diplomat,
inside and in my actions/decisions.
For those
that have read this book already, I wonder which points opened up within you
and what is that you are doing in your own process to deal with it, both at a
personal and professional levels. Also, how can we change the definition of
trust and audacity in this world in order to manifest an agreement among the
Humanity for us to do the "right thing", this time being that which
is the best for All.
Illustration: Global Research, Predatory Capitalism and the Rise of the “Global Corporatocracy”. The Lifestyles of an “Economic Hit Man”
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