This morning I read more from Virilio’s book, Lost Dimension, published in 1984. I read a few pages and came upon this section. These words left me existentially numb. For now I can read no further. Basically, if the early sciences were sciences of the earth, of matter and of physical sciences, sciences of…
“global village”
now becomes disturbing.
Instantaneous military presence,
pure speed,
exhaustion of the world,
geocide.
The twilight of places…
What about the rhythms of daily life,
the cosmic rhythms?
Speed paralyzes us.
Go faster, but where?
Everything is moving,
but nothing is changing.
It still takes a child 20 years to develop,
and 3 hours to digest a meal,
—but there is no future.
Each time speed of movement increases,
control and traceability increase the same amount.
We are now submerged
by ubiquitous commerce,
the spectacle,
repetition and shock.
Public space crumbles,
is replaced by networks of communication.
The counterpoint of the worst,
of peril,
is the imperative of rescue,
the shelter that saves,
the church as a ark and refuge
It is not a question of denying progress
but dealing with it’s negativity.
There is no substance without accident
and no accident without substance.
(taken from LOST DIMENSION originally published in 1984)
If you have visited this blog to any extent you are aware that I am taken with the work of Paul Virilio. It seems to me that his work can be a lifeline of understanding, and perhaps a entre to applying CPR in the context of disintegration of institutions here in the West
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