Arquivo para a ‘Social Network’ Categoria
Affection and empathy heal wounds
13
Mar
Alberto Manguel is an Argentine writer well
known in university circles, both due to his relationship with Jorge Luis Borges, whom he met as a teenager and read books to him, as well as as the author of several anthologies and novels, including a book that I highlight as mandatory is A history of reading, in the original A History of Reading (1996).
A man of the world, in 1971 he lived in Paris and London, in 1972 he returned to Argentina but as foreign editor of the Italian publisher Franco Maria Ricci, in 1976 he moved to Tahiti, in 1982, Alberto moved to Toronto, Canada, where he lived until 2000.
He didn’t stop there, he moved to the Poitou-Charentes region, in France, where he bought and renovated a medieval monastery with his current partner Craig Stephenson, one of the renovations carried out was to accommodate his library of 40 thousand books.
In 2020 he donated the entire library to the future Center for the Study of the History of Reading (CEHL), and started living in Lisbon and is a columnist for the Canadian magazine Geist.
One of his famous phrases is “the banal belief that time heals wounds is a mistake: we get used to them, which is not the same thing”, but his phrase about reading seems to be a strong influence of Borges for whom the library was a paradise, it is about reading:
“The love of reading is something that can be learned but not taught.
In the same way that no one can force us to fall in love, no one can force us to love a book.
These are things that occur for mysterious reasons, but I am convinced that there is a book that awaits each of us.
Somewhere in the library there is a page that was written just for us.”
The phrase is also his: “Reading is always an act of power. And it is one of the reasons why the reader is feared in almost all societies”, there are others of course, but for this I invite my reader to read: “A history of reading”.
Manguel, A. (1996) History of Reading. New York : Viking.
End of history or return of powers
11
Mar
When Francis Fukuyama wrote about 
“The End of History” he was under the impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, three decades after Jim Sciutto said on CNN that when the war in Ukraine began, we were living in a “1939 moment”, in fact, there is a link between the first and second wars, the end of the second and the possibility of a third.
Jim Sciutto’s book “The Return of Great Powers” talks about this, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is part of that, but in reality, this power struggle impacts every corner of our world – from Helsinki to Beijing, from Australia to the North Pole. This is a battle with many fronts: in the Arctic, in the oceans and skies, in artificial islands and redesigned maps, and in technology and cyberspace.”
Firstly, we detected this secondary factor, but fundamental to see technology not from the perspective of the domination of minds, capital or socialism, but its negative use due to wars and the struggle for power.
The Return of the Great Powers analyzes this new historical condition, analyzes this new reality after the Cold War and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Russian and Chinese governments increasingly aligned and the critical point of a new global nuclear arms race, and in poses a question: considering uncertain, even terrifying results, will it be possible for the West, Russia and China to avoid a new World War?
The analysis made by Jim Sciutto is not as important as the facts and realities that bring to light new questions and concerns about the external results of this new world reality, a moment of strong turbulence in which the possibilities for peace are running out as the year passes. time and the increasing involvement of different nations.
Last week’s picture points to this, Russia not ruling out a confrontation with the West and the United States preparing for a scenario of nuclear confrontation, the return to common sense and the disarming of exalted spirits involves losses and damage to some nations , it is not about surrender, but acceptance of the current framework of “new balance” for peace.
As Edgar Morin states, a spirit of resistance is needed at this time to return to the path of universal fraternity and peace.
Lonely Voices for Peace
06
Mar
The Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano took
a stand against the war, famous for having written “The Open Veins of Latin America”, who was the author of more than 40 books, including The Book of Hugs, which has a recording that was once again published in the youtube for the impact it has.
He begins his speech by saying: “No war has the honesty to confess: I kill to steal” and then goes on to unmask the various false reasons why they try to justify their attitudes, “wars always invoke noble motives, they kill in the name of Peace, in the name of God, in the name of progress” and others, but if they can’t, the media can help, and it’s not just the new media, he said in his time about the mainstream press.
The toxic culture that someone has the solution to the world’s biggest problems, that there is some “enlightened” group, prevents openness to dialogue and finding paths to peace.
The ancient models proposed: the Pax Romana that subjects the people, the eternal peace that is the idealistic model, the peace that solves the problems of social justice, all of them invoke war in the last instance.
There was a time when it was possible for people to take to the streets and demand peace, and call out the authorities for the insanity of their provocative and war-inducing positions, even if disguised in promises of peace as Galeano said, and all of them hide theft, the greed for wealth and the mockery of the people and the poor.
Also of little value are the “elevated” spirits who make beautiful romantic and ideal phrases, which have nothing of reality or serenity, they are just conscious or unconscious alienation, they are voices that flee from the real problems that humanity faces: a civilizational crisis.
The Pope is one of these voices, there are also lone voices in the UN, small countries that despite being in spheres of influence, have the wisdom and discernment that will also suffer if the war prospers.
Eduardo Galeano draws attention in his video that the countries that make up the UN Security Council are precisely those that have the most weapons, and the arms industry is also an economic source for those who own it, but it generates wealth for isolated groups.
There is a lack of unequivocal voices for peace, voices that do not ignore the situation and real positions.
Serenity and peace
05
Mar
Heidegger’s book “Serenity” divides contemporary
thought between what calculates and what meditates, about what calculates he states:
“The thought that calculates (das rechnende Denken) makes calculations. It makes calculations with continually new possibilities, always with greater perspectives and simultaneously more economical. The thought that calculates goes from opportunity to opportunity. Thought that calculates never stops, never comes to meditate.” (p. 13).
The text reflects that there is no “elevated” meditation, every man thinks and thought can lead to meditation, but calculation does not threaten this innermost being:
Heidegger reminds us that to truly think we must all think about our roots, in a more contemporary way, not to deny our origins and their influence on our worldview, even if limited, he states: “the rootedness (die Bodentändigkeit) of modern Man is threatened in its most intimate essence. Furthermore: the loss of rooting is not caused only by external circumstances and fatalities of destiny, nor is it the effect of negligence and the superficial way of Men. The loss of rootedness comes from the spirit of the times into which we were all born” (p. 17).
The most surprising thing about this text, which is from 1995, is that the “most tormenting characteristic is the atomic bomb”, we cannot forget that we have 440 atomic plants plus 23 under construction (in the photo the Fukushima accident), he realizes that the thought that he calculates only sees the industrial possibilities and the need for the energies of nature, but he meditates on what this domain of nature actually means.
“The power hidden in contemporary technology determines Man’s relationship with that which exists. It dominates the entire Earth. Man is already beginning to leave Earth towards cosmic space…” (p. 19), which in addition to being incredibly current also had a foreboding about the future.
But he did not fail to see the danger of these “great atomic energies”, and thus: “he assures humanity that such colossal energies, suddenly, anywhere – even without warlike actions – do not escape our control, and “take the brakes on teeth” and annihilate everything?” (p.20).
In addition to Fukushima, there is the fateful Chernobyl accident, precisely in Ukraine and carried out with Russian collaboration, and the current war there are battles very close to the largest atomic plant in Zaporizhzhia, built between 1984 and 1995, it is the largest nuclear plant in Europe and the ninth largest in the world.
Russia’s threats must be taken seriously, a nuclear war puts the entire civilization process and perhaps humanity itself at risk, serenity and peace are needed.
Western thought has submitted to the cold and calculating mathematical and physical thought, which even it is in check.
Heidegger, M. (no date) Serenidade (Serenity). Transl. de Maria Madalena Andrade e Olga Santos. Lisboa: Instituto Piaget, s/d. (portuguese)
Russia cornered and Israel questioned
04
Mar
The panorama of the two main wars that 
worry world leaders continues to have sad moments and episodes in their development, in Russia the death of an activist in prison in Siberia and in Gaza the difficulties of humanitarian aid.
While they win on the battlefield, these two superpowers lose on the diplomatic field since for many authorities the situation is one of inhumanity and a threat to civilians.
In Russia, the death of Alexei Navalny in prison brought thousands of people to his funeral (photo), the lawyer, activist and blogger was intensely active and was respected by a large part of the population, according to Russian sources 67 people were arrested at the funeral, and Sweden’s entry into NATO also exposes the confrontation with war.
Putin threatens retaliation against Sweden while raising tone with the West stating that an entry of Western troops into the Ukraine war would lead to nuclear chaos, in response to President Macron of France who said he would not hesitate to send troops, but other countries refuted this threat stating that they would not do so.
The sending of humanitarian support to the Gaza strip creates controversy with Israel, which it says facilitates, but the international reaction calling for an end to hostilities, while demanding the release of hostages still under Hamas control, appears prominently in the world press.
The one who raised the tone with Israel was the President of Turkey, Erdogan, who stated that Israel was committing an “attempted genocide” with the military operation in the Gaza Strip.
Numerous countries have already spoken out for the end of the war, and the Pope has also recently spoken out, saying “I carry in my heart every day, with pain, the suffering of the population in Palestine and Israel, and asking for safe access to humanitarian aid.
The dangerous escalation of these two wars could lead to a civilizational tragedy and wisdom and serenity are needed from world leaders.
The next and the business
01
Mar
The polycrisis that involves humanity, in the
words of Edgar Morin, which was also adopted (from another perspective) by Adam Tooze, professor of History at Yale University.
In the book Terra Pátria the author has already painted a picture of a reborn nationalism, it is written in the preface of the Brazilian edition written by Juremir Machado da Silva:
“Terra-Pátria, in which Anne-Brigitte Kern collaborated, is the fundamental book for examining the nationalist phenomenon today. Everything is in it: homeland, nation, universalism, identity, ecology, politics, community, etc. The mechanisms for understanding the complex contemporary social network are provided with the clarity usual in Morin’s text” (MORIN, 2003, 14).
However, history has moved in the opposite direction, unable to take a step forward, now wars, ancient utopias and fundamentalist spiritual models (not to be confused with orthodoxy because it is the true foundation of religions and cultures).
The social relationship deteriorates, the blame would be on techniques, individualism or even a wave of demonic possessions, however what happens is simply a lack of an authentic model of solidarity and here utopias and religious cultures must be analyzed.
Utopias because they retroacted models from the beginning of the 20th century, Adam Smith’s nationalism and Lenin’s Bolshevism, religious cultures because they took refuge in fundamentalism.
There is little outside of these perspectives, but they exist, there is hope where each person is treated with dignity, empathy is a model of coexistence and life as a whole treats man as a whole and it is possible to reintegrate him into standards of solidarity and respect.
The relationship with a neighbor is not a business, nor can it dissolve into a “social friendship” which is just a surface of what is truly human, the relationship with the Other.
Not a few authors wrote about this, even Jürgen Habermas addressed the topic, but it concerns the effective relationship between two people and not the generic social or cultural relationship, which generally involve interests and relationships with thought bubbles.
Christian singer Aymeê from Pará went viral when she sang the song “Evangelho dos Phariseus” which talks about child exploitation on the island of Marajó, the fires and the fact that tithe matters more than hearts in many churches that have transformed the message of love into business.
MORIN, E. E KERN, A.B. (2003) Terra-Pátria (Earth-World). Transl. Paulo Azevedo Neves da Silva. Brazil, Porto Alegre : Sulina ed.
The partner and the next
29
Feb
The concrete relationship of social friendship is
only effective in each neighbor, the idea of generalizing social attitudes can be inserted into a culture, but it will only be effective if in the relationship with each person with whom we interact it becomes effective, otherwise it is discourse and ideology.
Paul Ricoeur’s text “The partner and the neighbor”, which is part of the book “History and Truth” not only modifies the concept of historical truth but also reveals that there is only a concrete social relationship to the extent that we are part of our various social circles and to each concrete personal relationship.
Continuous selfishness, prejudice opens the soul into abysses of separation with the Other, makes it a continuum of separation, exclusion leading to disbelief in love and social solidarity.
Changing our attitude, transforming selfishness into gestures of kindness and living in each specific relationship a love that is even superhuman that gives dignity and respect to each being that passes by us, is not altruism or a way of ignoring social conflicts, it is also raising the soul to a stage of happiness with others, and spreading hope.
While the partner relationship is only of personal interest, the partner relationship goes beyond these limits and increases the level of trust, inclusion and different approach to the partner:
When discussing the difference between these relationships, he discusses charity: “Charity does not need to be where it appears; Also hidden in the humble and abstract post office is social security; it is often the hidden part of the social”, Paul Ricoeur in Le socius et le Prochain (1954), and is translated in the 1968 book History and Truth.
The text reminds us that just as institutions can only have corporate relationships, they can also have interpersonal relationships, of affection and solidarity, which make them less cold and less bureaucratic, where we see not a customer or a service more, but a close one in which you may be interested.
I t is not by chance that it is a chapter on History and Truth, because truth is only established between true friends who are close, and if they are partners it will only be to be closer, while maintaining social appearance, even with a spirit of empathy, is not yet the true human relationship if the personal one is not realized in a concrete way.
Thus, social friendship must necessarily involve true love for each person who passes by our side.
Ricoeur, P. : História e Verdade, trans. F. A. Ribeiro. Companhia Editora Forense: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Perspective of war and intoxication of the spirit
19
Feb
The tone and actions of a non-stop war are
expanding, there are few nations and voices that are not under what the century-old philosopher Edgar Morin calls “collective intoxication”, and calls for there to be resistance capable of reacting to all the lies spread .
The commander of NATO forces, Chris Cavoli, announced an army of 90 thousand men, and an exercise called Steadfast Defender 2024, which should take place in May, with 50 ships, from aircraft carriers to destroyers, 80 fighters, helicopters and drones participating. and more than 1,100 combat vehicles, including 133 tanks and 533 infantry vehicles.
Russia misleads and says it would not invade Latvia and Poland, it took the city of Avdviika (photo) once and for all, one of the strategic fronts and where the war is most violent, Zelensky minimizes the loss by stating that he retreated to “save lives”, however the war remains bloody.
In an interview this Sunday (18/02) Putin says that Ukraine “is a matter of life and death” for the country, the death of opponent Navalny had repercussions throughout the world and will be a watershed for those who clearly support a regime warlike and authoritarian.
In the Gaza strip, the city of Rafah with millions of Palestinian refugees remains under Israeli threat, a hospital was invaded because there was news that “hostages were there”, but they were not found, only weapons and with the invasion patients in the ICU died.
There are international calls for Israel not to put civilians at risk, the majority of whom are taking refuge in Rafah, and Egypt has built a huge wall so that they cannot flee to Egypt and this puts thousands of women, children and other civilians at risk. who are there and have nowhere to escape.
Negotiations become more difficult with each Israeli action and the involvement of Iran and other Arab countries becomes more inevitable every day, it will be on this front that a possible 3rd. war will occur, the resistance of the spirit claimed by the century-old philosopher and educator Edgar Morin must fight against fanaticism and hatred that only spread death and war.
In a previous interview published in the Italian newspaper La Reppublica, Morin had said: “all war embodies Manichaeism, unilateral propaganda, war hysteria, espionage, lies, the preparation of increasingly deadly weapons, errors and illusions, unexpected events and surprises”, it takes a resistance of the Spirit for Peace.
Ethical and spiritual resistance
16
Feb
Ethical resistance, or the resistance of the spirit
that Edgar Morin speaks of, is the recognition “of a return to dogmatism and fanaticism, and a crisis of morals while hatred and idolatries spread,” said the philosopher.
It is not possible to establish ethics by breaking the most elementary rules of ethics than respect for the dignity of the Other, it is not possible to strengthen morality if we spread all types of immorality from politics to customs and it is not possible to speak of spirit if what exists is only pure idolatry, in many senses, from culture to religious.
It is no longer just about wars, which in themselves are already a catastrophe, but “the qualities of our civilization have deteriorated and needs have increased, particularly in the development of selfishness and the disappearance of traditional solidarities”, said Morin in an interview with Italian newspaper La Reppublica.
The appeal to political fanaticism has polarized society, those who defended democracy attack it with the most arbitrary forms of power, in the religious field those who defend religious practices and rites forget to do good to others and to respect different faiths, everyone is right in their own way, according to their own morals and the result is moral scandals.
Like that Pharisee who practices fasting and makes shady deals and mistreats his employees, or like those who, despite knowing the religious precepts, try to justify their faults with arguments or factual and non-contextual religious reading.
An asceticism that does not include changes in attitudes and behaviors, a resistance of the spirit to everything that seems justifiably immoral and spiritually dubious, must be a path to a true asceticism that involves a true resistance of the spirit.
The temptations of Jesus in the desert, in which he was offered honor, glory and power to give in to evil, more than an allegory is a path for achievements to be made in a modest, fair way and without offending those who are for some reason dependent on us for sustenance.
Appeals to wealth, power and luxury in the name of religiosity are the clearest idolatries and the reverse of any resistance of the spirit or moral resistance to civilizational decadence.
Wars are nothing more than the temptations of power and oppression for peoples, groups or cultures that will be subjugated by brute force, humiliation and even the death of innocents.
The hope for peace, morality and ethics lies in maintaining resistance of the spirit.
Morin, E. The resistance of the Spirit, Italy: La Reppublica, 01/24/2024.
Russian and Israeli strategy
12
Feb
On the one hand, a power on the left, which
does not negotiate with opponents and does not give up power, on the other, a Western power where war can help keep right-wing forces in coalition in power.
Wars are political and we cannot see them only from the perspective of dictators and genocides, even though any war is based on the illegitimate killing of civilians and even within the parameters of international agreements on war, they are exceeded.
Any narrative that exists hides hatred and revenge against opponents, anger and violence as a foundation, using discourses of virility, ideologies of single thinking and even humanistic appeals that are outdated after the first battle.
The critical analysis is that is there will be no setbacks, in a recent speech Putin declared that there is no possibility of defeat in Ukraine, that is, he would use catastrophic nuclear weapons or resources close to this, but mitigates this by saying that there is no interest in Poland and Latvia.
Despite having elections coming up, the only Russian opponent that Putin respects, others are already in prison or disappear in prison or dead, there is no possibility of any change in power.
In Israel, President Netanyahu threatens to send troops to Rafah, a refugee camp on the border with Egypt, which has had a peace treaty with Israel for 45 years. American President Biden also asked that no troops be sent there, but the proximity of the Israeli elections demands a nod to the more radical right in Israel.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russel said civilians in Rafah must be protected as they have nowhere to go: “Some 1.3 million civilians are trapped, living on the streets or in shelters. They need to be protected. They have no safe place to go,” he said according to the international press.
The logic of war is that it favors dictators and does not allow any more humane and democratic principle to be respected, it is the absence of serenity and tolerance towards opponents.
