Leave Space

The way we experience the world is, at best, an overlay on reality. A tool to engage with something we don't have the tools to fully understand. The Yogis call this Maya, and the Enlightenment calls this a World View. If we have learnt anything from the unintended consequences of historic Civilising Missions and Revolutions, it is that "Burning things down" normally results in chaos, wars result in us putting basic emotional intelligence aside, and ideology results in spirals and loops of turmoil. If we are hooked on Drama and Rage, we won't see the links between our worlds. We won't be able to communicate. We need to rediscover tolerance. Have fewer opinions that don't leave space for those who disagree. As the speed of change increases, the quality of our breathing needs to improve.

"Maya - The Mirror of Illusions"

Davies (1910)

United States of America

Continental Colours

Thirteen Star Flag

The Thirteen Colonies which declared independence from Britain in 1776 were on the east coast. A small slice of what is today the USA. The population of roughly 2.4 million people were predominantly from the British Isles. The British and French had just fought a war in the 1750s where the Colonists would have felt like pawns (like the C20th Cold War). It was the North American mirror of the Seven Year War. The French and American Revolutions that are founders of Nationalism followed. The French Revolution overthrew the monarchy (bankrupted by Wars). The American Revolution argued for "no taxation without representation" - rebelling against rule from afar. I struggle with how the enlightenment led away from Empires but towards race-based Nations. To empower 'The People', artificial barriers like flags, anthems, languages, borders, and national institutions need to be created. A lesson in unintended consequences, even of noble ideals.

Thirteen Colonies

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has a population roughly the same size as Ireland. It was a peripheral Spanish colony before becoming part of the short-lived 1821-1823 Mexican Empire, and then part of the United Provinces of Central America, until it declared independence in 1847. It permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming one of about 15 Sovereign nations without armed forces. One argument given for Costa Rica as a colony remaining underdeveloped was the lack of sizable indigenous population to use for forced labour. This meant the settlers had to work their own land! They never had to fight Spain for independence. After the defeat of Spain in 1821 in the Mexican War of Independence, the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America. The Age of Enlightenment, French Revolutionary Wars, and economic crisis had led native-born Creole elites to a wave of new nation-building.

Americas Independence Map

Mexico

The American Revolution (1765-83), French Revolution (1789-99) and Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) shook up the old Monarchy based order, ushering in an age of Nationalism and 'Independence'. To be independent, you have to be able to define where you end and where something else begins. The elites of the old world wanted to rule everybody. If the body are ruling, that needs a separation from the every. 

As Spain's global power fell, Mexico declared independence in 1810. As with most places, independence led to years of internal conflict as sub-identities asserted themselves. Unable to convince many Tejano to move to Texas, soon they were outnumbered by immigrating Anglos. In 1836, the Republic of Texas declared independence. The government has actively encouraged the Mexican identity (a synthesis of European and Indigenous) over racial or ethnic groups not asking for information from 1921-2010. 22% of the population self-identifies as indigenous based on speaking one of 62 indigenous languages. 83% of the population give Roman Catholicism as their religion and 99% speak Spanish.

Evolution of Territorial Independence

Rising v Listening

Thomas Hobbes was a 17th century philosopher who lived through the English Civil War. Masses of people died on both sides in the fight of the King's men versus those supporting Parliament. The question he spent most of the latter part of his life looking at was how much we should obey rulers. If they are rubbish, should we start revolutions and depose them? See the Book of Life chapter on Hobbes. Once people stopped believing in the 'Divine Rights of Kings', the relationship with authority started to wobble. But the price of revolution is chaos and bloodshed.

I don't much about all the Civil Wars that have been going on (before and) since the end of World War II. I know that in going down the rabbit hole of trying to understand the relationship between Christianity & Islam, and the impact of Colonialism and Globalisation - most of the conflicts ended up being 'proxy wars'. Wars of ideology. Wars of religion. Wars of ethnicity.

I am eternally grateful to have never learned to kill. Never to have had to. South Africa avoided Civil War. Just. Take a look at the 'list of Civil Wars' on wikipedia. The length of the conflicts. The decrease in population because of people fleeing. The death tolls. Revolution is nuts. Oppression is nuts. 

Violence and poverty are being defeated. It isn't a case of rising up. It is a case of listening. We can and are doing better. We can build communities rather than looking to impose ourselves.