An Old Fashioned Struggle For Civilisation Remains
As the world slowly comes out again in condemnation of Iran, and the beastly act of stoning to death those that break the moral and honourable codes, it is obvious to me that we have a long way to go before we are civilised. Indeed the very concept of a decent and progressive civilisation has been under threat for generations. The civilisation process itself has become something of an academic game at best. At worst a nihilistic game of relativity.
To bury, or half bury a person under the sand, and then to throw stones at the helpless upper body is cruel. It is also disgusting. Yet, at the same time, it shows a certain part of a possible human trait. This can also be a spectacle. I am sad to say that such spectacles of cruelty and gruesome macabre theatre are all too common outside of Iran. As we all know a human often enjoys the cruel spectacle.
I find myself in solidarity with those that protest against this stoning to death of Iranian people but at the same time I must reflect upon the other macabre theatres that all too often attract beastly spectators.
Who can forget the TV images that flashed upon our home-screens of reality as bombs dropped on Iraq? Just like this stoning to death – this spectacle of dropping bombs as a firework display deaden our humanity and civilisation. We all die. We all suffer even from our armchair safety in front of the TV screen. We suffer because we join in the sick spectacle. We get brain-dead and forget all firm critique. We wallow in wicked pleasure at the macabre theatre. We forget that we can say NO.
It is clear to me that some powerful aspects of an Islamist political-theology are uncivilised and brutal to the extreme. This I am ready to argue, as debate, with anyone in public. What I cannot argue towards is the innocence of my own Western world. I am condemned to be, here, a judge penitent. I have my own guilt.
I do not kill people by throwing stones at their heads. I do not drop bombs upon innocent people. I do not tie fireworks to the tails of cats. I do not operate upon the genitals of young kids. I will not bomb people. I could never be that valid doctor or backstreet butcher performing an abortion. I do not support the death penalty for anyone. Indeed I tried my best to prevent my own kids from growing up with play-guns or violent video games. But there is much more to the real civilisation process than that which I talk here.
Those that stone people to death are cowards. They are idle and brutal bigots. The same applies to bombers.
But how many times have I failed, in lazy and idle ways, to really act against all this bigoted brutality. I find it all too easy to avoid the real civilisation process when it all becomes a theatrical spectacle that is subtle and pays the money at the sales office. Oh yes I remain with a deep sense of guilt. I am not innocent.
The struggle for civilisation is also that struggle against lazy, idle and cowardly thoughts and actions. I have played my part in this lazy and idle and cowardly world of beastly things.
The struggle for civilisation remains as difficult as it ever was or might have been. At least for me.
Steve Bowles
