Plague Journal, Reading, Dialog
Today June 4th is the anniversary of the uprising of students in Tiananmen Square, China. The resistance to authoritarian incompetency, suppression of freedom took place April 15 – June 4th, 1989. Everyone remembers the image of the solitary individual standing, one man obstructing a column of tanks.
Did the uprising matter? Did it make a difference? I am convinced that it did. The image is burned into the memory of multitudes in every nation, one man’s witness to human dignity. Is it possible to specify clearly, precisely what the difference has been? It is not. In the nature of the case when dealing with politics, we analyze a movement that is similar to a living organism. Influences, the vectors of cause and effect are interlaced, demanding inordinate mental effort to clarify.
The evolution of the management of Chinese society, by the communist party has been influenced by those months of protest. Because everything matters, every act, every utterance has an effect upon everything else — therefore the rule of Beijing is more humane that it otherwise would be, had the ’89 Democracy Movement never taken place. That is how it seems to me. To read the story for yourself CLICK HERE.
What am I reading? I am at the second chapter of Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard. I just received from Amazon Baudrillard’s work entitled America which I look forward to reading next. Baudrillard’s writings are not easy reads, but worth the effort. I am confident that his analysis of society affords tools/weapons which I need personally, and socially, insights to be exchanged with friends, and those I happen to meet who are interested to share ideas and concerns about the state of our country.
Dialog is essential, the lynch pin for personal growth, and for forging bonds of friendship/collaboration for the work that must be done to build a society that is humane and resilient. Last night I participated via internet connection with six or seven friends in a Socrates Café discussion on the range of emotions all have felt during the weeks of quarantine and particularly over the last few days of social unrest. The discussion mediated by video link, was valuable. Relationships are the cornerstone for development of ideas pointing to courses of action. I eagerly wait the coming day when we again can meet in the corner of the café at Barnes & Noble for face to face discussion.
