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In my book Ishmael, I described the people of our culture as "prisoners of a civilizational system that is destroying the world." It isn't that we want to destroy the world; it's just that it's all but impossible for us to make a living without contributing to its destruction in some way. In Beyond Civilization, I tried to show people an escape route from our economic prison — not much more than a crack in the wall, but a crack that could be widened if people really wanted to get out. What people were asking me now was, in effect: Did I see anything hopeful in this attack? Did I see it as a sign that people are getting tired of being prisoners of a civilizational system that is destroying the world? Of course, my answer was absolutely not. The perpetrators of this crime were not telling us they're tired of being prisoners. They were just giving us a taste of their hatred. And hatred, unfortunately, will not break us out of the prison, because who are we going to hate? We built the prison ourselves. There's no one we can blame, because anyone we might blame is right there in the prison with us. Rich white folks have the top floors and the great views, and their cells are decked out in gold and marble, but they're in the same prison as the rest of us, and all their billions won't buy them out of it. Osama bin Laden's cell is right next to George W. Bush's. Saddam Hussein's is right next to Henry Kissinger's. Hatred and violence aren't going to give our children a world that will still be livable in fifty years (which is too bad, since hatred and violence are in such plentiful supply). In The Story of B, I said, "If the world is saved, it will not be by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all." To this I now add that, if the world is saved, it will not be by old hatreds with new weapons of mass destruction at their disposal. Changing minds is quiet work and unspectacular work— but anyone, anywhere, can do it. On the occasion of the publication of its 200th consecutive issue, I'd like to send my thanks and congratulations to The New Times for its contributions to this great and vitally important effort. Daniel Quinn has written several books besides those mentioned in this article, including The Man Who Grew Young and, with Tom Whalen, A Newcomer’s Guide to the Afterlife. See his site at <http://www.newtribalventures.com/> for more information. |
Soon after the World
Trade Center terrorist attack, people began asking for my reaction,
"looking," as one put it, "for the opinion of
someone I respect as opposed to newscasters and government officials."
Rather than feeling flattered, I felt puzzled. Why would my perspective
on the tragedy differ from that of newscasters and government
officials? As the letters continued to flow in, I began to understand:
I wasn't being asked the same questions that newscasters and
government officials were being asked.