Laughter of Despair

Why is talk between two self-actualized people punctuated with so many chuckles, smiles, and perhaps guffaws?

Because Maslow sucks. Significant numbers of those who are truly self-actualized look like a gang of drunks. They gather in bars as though their only goal in life is to become intoxicated.

They laugh, ridiculing the ignorance of a “basic” society, but they also know well how serious things are. Theirs is the laughter of despair. They who rise above easily arrive at agreement about why the current situation doesn’t work, and why even a phantasmagoric, seemingly “off-the-wall” solution would work out far better. Their sad conclusion goes unsaid, but it is mutually understood: The current “system,” if you’re going to call it that, doesn’t work. We need a revolutionary approach, but it cannot be driven by the corrupt “values” of an entrenched wealthy class. And sadly, that corrupt class, blind to their own errors, currently holds most of the power in this country.

When it becomes obvious that a willy-nilly distribution of cash among the poor would stimulate the economy far more effectively than plans implemented over the past decade, it is clear that we need drastic change in this country, nothing short of a revolution, not a violent one, no, but a dramatic change, not by Democratic leaders, no, they’re too rich; not by Republican leaders, no, they’re much too rich; not by Liberals, no, they’re Liberal because they’re rich; not by Conservatives, no, they’re rich because they’re Conservative; not by rich people, but not necessarily by the poor either.

The self-actualized provide truth and proofs, but Democrats will only accept the parts that reinforce the Democratic mindset; Republicans will only accept the parts that reinforce the Republican mindset; Liberals will …

You get the idea. And all members of all groups, religious, civic, political, or anything else, will grab onto what they can use and they will return to their groups, where they can gather sound bites and talking points to reinforce one another’s fears so that they can reject the other, more uncomfortable truths offered by the transcendent individuals.

What is to be done?