Mad Max World

Cover of Mad Max (Special Edition)

We have been taught to accept whatever choices people make, as long as they are lawful. Within an essentially unquestioned framework called "The Law", we believe, people (I mean citizens) can live out their valuable freedom, and choose anything they want and cannot do in-justice.

Of course, "The Law" is a power structure only cosmetically separated from the state, which is only cosmetically separated from the Corporatist Elite. And these corporate entities (with more "personhood" under the law than most primates have) make the choices that matter to our planet. They choose to "develop the resources", that is to rape and kill mountains, forests, rivers, oceans.

We have choices too. I'm not talking about the allegedly all-important consumer choices (will come to that in another post), but about the choice to fight back. To do something about "it". If we can for once indoctrinate ourselves, and find other sources to base our emotions on than our flat-screen TV sets, we might have a chance. We might be able to associate the feeling of wealth with healthy forests and rivers teeming with life. And to associate the feeling of poverty with encroaching concrete, industrial production and consumption.

October 5. Last week of preparations.

The ultimate goal could not possibly be something else than our own happiness, because it is through our sensory systems, our nervous systems, our backbones, and our brains that we experience it. If we are denying this and proclaim out loud how we could, oh, live off the mere view of a smiling child at his mother's breast,- then we are parasites on their happiness, distorting reality to suit our ideologist needs.

"Great power comes with great responsibility". There you have a quote from Spiderman. Spiderman! And what about money! Great wealth is nothing but great power. Money buys everything from almond chocolate to Siamese whores, the Opel imperium and goose liver. Nobody is saying that wealth comes with responsibility for the world. And the wealthy don't seem to feel responsible for anything but their own capital. Such a virtuosos they are how they manage to depict this alleged "responsibility" as a real burden! How they must suffer if the bathroom marble of their second villa turns out to be not tax-deductible. And how responsible they are to buy life insurance so that their financial independence of the rest of the world takes on messianic proportions. We can only look up baffled to those great minds, as their divine responsibility rains down on the land like spring drizzle.

June 20. Serendipity.

An early flight to Seoul. I am so careful not to miss it that I spend the night in the airport. Twenty box for my taxi driver it's a long way from downtown Taipei to the international airport. I arrive there at 2am and try to lay down on the chairs (why don't they have benches or double seats where you can fold yourself so nicely) but I stay awake. Waiting for a flight is not waiting for Godot of course, the flight will come with certainty and if not the cancellation announcement will come with even greater certainty. And if that doesn't happen, that means there is a general system failure and waiting is useless anyway. The floor is cleaned, the sun rises, taxis arrive, passengers talking waiting in line. The check-in counter opens baggage goes through the röntgen beams we are asked to wait until our bag has come through, just in case. Is there also a coffee at the other side of the security check? Yes, of course. A very long corridor connects the terminals, it's fun to run here. Yes, let's run here like a child. See all the businessmen in their suits do they ever smile or go crazy? I don't think so. Their well-fed bellies need the seriousness for their justification. It's fun to run, run and make fun passing the business bellies. Many people have taken out their computers and put them on their laps. Their laps are kept warm by the heat of their calculators. So, I run and look at them and through the windows and at the carpet - how much work it is to vacuum here - hello! hello! There is something I want to tell you. O, is that so? Yes, and it's, it's... can't you see it, it's that thing... that... you are so bloody serious aren't you? Your loins are warm aren't they? You are connected, wired in an intricate lacework of connections: your well-fed belly, your wife whom you promised to take care of at the altar, your boss who has filed off the rough edges of your responsibility to the smooth object of mere accountability, your childs your boundless love to them nobody will ever question. It's interesting to see... they are all connected... to justify perfectly, seamlessly your obscenely rich existence. What are you talking about? I am not obscenely rich. My neighbor is. No YOU are compared to the child in Afr... I have a child their, in Somalia, my wife takes care of it. They do send beautiful pictures of it. It goes to school now, and it gets medical attention. We support it through an organization. So the child-in-Africa thing is a node in your web too. What are you talking about? About how your mind works. It's all about yourself and the justification of your material well-being. I don't like this conversation. I do more good to the world than you. But you can never be shaken up thoroughly, you can never be, caught by surprise, your web is woven. Does it matter? Of course, it is... important... You have to be open to things beyond your web. They, deserve, it. I don't think I really get you. Open, like ruled by all the possible tasks out there, instead of by the same web of prejudicial attitudes. Open, like... your gate? My gate? Your gate is closed. You missed your plane. Think about it. You can't argue your way into being more suitably connected to reality.

I did not miss my plane of course, and arrived in Seoul after a safe flight. One hour time difference. A comfortable shuttlebus takes me to the city and I start recognizing buildings like the nyuk-ship-sam (63-story) building on the island Yeouido. It is raining. I walk into a shopping mall (this city boast with shopping malls and miles). Unfortunately, I miscommunicate with my couchsurfer and let her wait (sorry!) - I meet Kathryn Dresdenfae at her hostel first. Our hearts are completely filled up with this serendipity thing. She just bought her flight here because she had to temporarily get out of China due to visa issues. By total coincides she is in Seoul on the day I arrive here. And since we both keep our travelblogs, you could compare her June 20th entry, wouldn't that be fun?! Anyway, we have a great afternoon. In the evening I meet Yeon, my couchsurfing host, at a subway station and we hop on a bus to take me to her studio on the green Namsan mountain. She is as friendly - and cute - as a person can possibly be.