The Only Thing Left Is to Try Again
From the Paris Commune to Our Present Collapse
I feel allergic to life. Not long ago, I never even had a stuffy nose. Now I constantly feel like I have a cold, even though I don’t. I tested for COVID. Negative. What I’m dealing with is just the everyday misery of life, and I have to put on a happy face and stay cheerful so I don't bring others down. I believe the main issue is that I just turned seventy-one, and the world has gone to hell.
Early this month, I wrote about the Paris Commune of 1871, which made me happy, even though it ended terribly. For a short period of time, people got together to make society a better instrument for personal happiness and the ability for everyone to work together for the common good. After the French government shot that idea down, it seems we have witnessed one form of mediocre to horrific political landscapes, which did the opposite of alchemy—not turning lead into gold, but gold into shit. Our government seems devoted to misery. And with bad news running 24/7, the cycle weighs heavily on my shoulders.
The ills of the world are tragic because they are human-made. Not the fault of one individual or party, but of a system programmed to fail us. Somewhere along the line, society’s goals were short-changed—turned into rewards for capitalism—while many are left struggling to breathe under its weight. The callous, voyeuristic approach to suffering should have no place in any system. To ignore genocide as it happens before our eyes isn’t politics—it’s a refusal of basic humanity.
We have reached a point of no return, and there is no turning back or going to “normal” times, which in actuality never existed. Once the shot is fired, the act of violence never truly ends. It acts like a germ that keeps spreading. If the goal is only to cause more violence, then it succeeds. But violence, used like a period at the end of a sentence, doesn’t stop there.
We need to reconsider the entire purpose of what we stand for, find others who share our views, and feel a sense of community. I understand that many communes have failed in the past, but my question is, why not try again? As Samuel Beckett said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Thirty thousand died in the French Commune, but is it better to risk building a world that serves all of us? Or do we live in a system that does not have concerns for a large part of the population? If bold actions aren’t taken, we will always live under the power’s thumb. Is that the life we choose?
Thanks Tosh. It seems that we are only able, each of us to make a small difference by learning to love ourselves in a larger way than egotistically, which helps us to then love others but we can’t save others, “Can’t stop the wars, can’t make the old young again, keep going, keep going on. Call this going. Call this on.” It sounds bleak but it’s not, it’s why Beckett is so prescient. Like Zen Buddhism.
I am of two minds. On the one hand, as one who is soon turning 67, I can relate to your dismay and despair. The world looks ugly, and it's only getting worse. On the other hand, I remember the late 60s and early 70s when the level of daily violence makes this look like a walk in the park. I think of the 1930s when the entire world was gripped by unimaginable poverty. And the 40s when all of civilization was on fire. Maybe the problem isn't our shitty times, but that the 90s through 2016 gave us the illusion that it could be permanently improved. My solution has been to turn off the news. I know what's going on by keeping an eye on Blue Sky. But I don't let the despair-mongers wreck my happiness and hope. I also read great books every day. Right now, I am finishing up your beautiful memoir.