The Short Statement
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{Margin notes in blue highlight are by
Barkin}
* * *
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000
From: barkIn karsLI
salut,
I could've read all you've written and as you will
recognize have been
in line with you most of the parts. I think the time to 'begin' (be and
in without begin' ) has come if not passing away. Hey Petros, egroups
kiss
you!! (and as you'd once cited, this time order me sth. to do and I
do!)
yours shoulderingly,
(bk). B
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Introduction
The text below is a rough "working text", to be used as a
springboard
for exploring more themes which need to be pursued in order to build
the
foundations for unity among our peoples on a more solid ground.
It is of necessity more focused on themes and items related to those
aspects of our being which are now being specifically excluded
from
the dialogues promoted by the establishment parties, governments and
mainstream
politicians. Those dialogue -contacts are currently being conducted
only
and exclusively in the framework of either "business needs" (the needs
of the profit system), or the within the artificial culture of
commercialism
and merchandise (ways to make profits), or within the context of
artificial
culture promoted by the instruments of the ruling classes for reasons
of
power, domination and control of our populations, for example fake
bicommunal
"folk dances" which no one really enjoys in our real lives, with "folk
dresses" which no one really wears in our real lives. These are
promoted
because they create a school-like atmosphere where the participants are
reduce to either being obedient "actors" or devout "audiences", in the
exactly same way as the system forces us to experience our real
political
lives.
In the framework of the bicommunal re-approachment, in the form it
is currently being directed, there is no place for the population to be
forming our alliances directly as autonomous, politically mature and
free
people by-passing the structures of authority, power and
profits.
There is a definite need to expand the dialogue to include the
following
themes, with the approaches roughly sketched below:
Spiritual Politics
Religion, Unity, Freedom, "tolerance" vs. "embrace".
Sexual Politics
Freedom, Authoritarianism, dis-empowerment, sexual
and political
maturity, Class- consciousness.
Social politics
Class, Property, Ownership and Control, Ecology,
Racism, sexism (male -chauvinism), homophobia.
Personal Politics
Lifestyle, appearance, symbols, mainstream culture
and alternative
/radical culture.
(Needless to say, all the elements identified above are inter-connected
and overlapping. There is no objective division between these aspects
of
the human experience, but we "divide" them this way in order to process
them and discuss them.)
|
I agree. all refer
to the question
"who am I?" and "who we are?.." (bk). |
Politics of the Spiritual realms
Spiritual practices, and especially the contents and
symbols
of religion and faith, have been used as weapons to divide our peoples
and lead us to cutting each others� throats.
Is there a sane way out of this?
The answer is a resounding "yes", and it lies in the core of the
spiritual
truths of both Islam and Christianity (and also in the "humanist"
content
of secular culture).
|
not forgetting the
kabbalists,
shamans, mayas, eskimos, aborigins, witches, zen buddhists,.. as well
as
che guevera and giordano bruno?(who all are mystics!) (bk). |
Persons who value those Spiritual truths, who are
able to navigate
outside of the "faith monopoly" currently exercised by the major
religious institutions in our cultures and countries, can help us to
re-discover
the spiritual principles common to All of the spiritual
practices
and religions in our broader region.
This can only be done by understanding the difference between
"tolerance"
of all faiths, as opposed to the "embrace" of all faiths. It is a vast
difference. Tolerance is a disinterested neutrality, at best.
But
only those who are able to embrace in practice the spiritual
truths
at the core of All religions will be able to help us cultivate a better
sense of Oneness and Unity among our people.
|
tolerate the
created in name
of the Creator - m.c.rumi (bk). |
Sexual politics
Will there be sexual freedom and happiness in the
"new arrangements"
among our peoples which are being pursued by the politicians?
The most dependable criteria to judge this, are the degree to which
there is (or will be) freedom for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and
transgendered
people, in addition of course, to the crucial need for a free sexuality
in the lives of teenagers, young adults, infants and children and
married individuals.
For example, even though in Cyprus after many years of struggle and
efforts we have succeeded in changing the legislation to de-criminalise
homosexuality, gay sexuality is still being persecuted in various ways,
and therefore driven underground. All the major political parties
participate
in this persecution, even while they participate in the bicommunal
dialogue
"in the name of equality and freedom".
Our dialogue needs to be rooted in the understanding of the role of
the suppression of a free sexuality in creating authoritarian
structures;
its role in anchoring the psychological structures of power and
authority
embedded in the reality of our cores as physical and emotional beings;
its role in destroying the ability for healthy rebellion and channeling
the enslaved life-force toward artificial forms of alienated religion
and
fascist ideologies (of all colors, especially red and black), and its
role
in destroying within our communities and populations the ability of
people
to relate to each other in daily life with a sense of equality and
respect.
|
I agree, nearly
mott-a-motto. (bk). |
Social politics
There is no way to by-pass the glaring realities of
property
ownership, class politics, forms of government, and the source
/exercise
of authority-power.
If we are to succeed in creating a community more tangibly built on
the foundations of radical Ecology and Feminism, we have no
option but to seek broad and deep changes in our social structures.
There
is the vast power in the hands (and wallets) of private capital, state
capital, and church capital. At all levels of our society, globally,
regionally,
locally, these are the forces served by the politicians, the parties,
the
machinery of state. It is the source of all misery, exploitation,
inequality,
racial, religious, and sexual prejudice, environmental and social
destruction.
What is our position toward the existence of these forms of capital?
How can the power of capital be abolished in our communities, without
us
have to look at abolishing its very existence? What will it mean to
restore
those resources and wealth back to the ownership and control of the
community?
Does radical ecology mean common ownership?
Only some of these changes can be legislated. The
most important
of them, can only be actualized by helping our populations mature
politically
and become capable for self-government. For example, after the victory
over the domination of capital, it will be simple to legislate against
private ownership of social resources and wealth. But in the here and
now,
how do we form mobilized communities within which we can practice
direct
democracy, equality and co-operation while disallowing (or minimizing)
the influence of the profit system among us?
Personal politics
It might seem like a deflating note to concern
ourselves with
Personal politics, after discussing the "grander" changes we seek in
our
communities. But the truth is that we cannot actualize the broad social
changes externally, unless we also seek to change our inner selves in a
process of politically and spiritually meaningful personal growth.
For example, is our sense of Feminism the same as that of the business
community?
Or for another example, it�s honorable to say "hey Petros, I feel
uncomfortable
when you speak of gay sexuality, it�s a whole experience that�s alien
to
me and a little scary, I don�t see what is has to do with world peace
or
even just peace among our communities here, regionally. Can we please
discuss
it?". But it would be misleading to say "hey, leave out that
sexual
stuff now, this just confuses people. This is just a question of
demilitarization
and of better economic planning".
The crux of it lies in how we deal with personal politics in our
communities,
and this is reflected in the degree to which our liberation movement in
each of our countries, has any roots or connection whatsoever to the existing
alternative and radical communities, which are living, breathing,
tangible
expressions of the future, sometimes covertly hidden away in the
in-between
spaces of our communities, or occasionally existing openly but
struggling
under oppression or threat of strangulation by the culture of
mainstream
lifestyles.
Alternative and radical lifestyles are ever-changing both externally
and internally, but often their external signs become known for
symbolizing
freedom and therefore make their bearers targeted by the system. Long
hair
in the 60s, mohawks in the early 80s, are examples of this on a global
level. In general, these symbols and activities are part of a personal
behavior, dress and appearance (clothing for example) and
lifestyle,
and often found connected to (disguised by) recreational culture.
"Ethnic",
and "World" music fans in Istanbul, Athens, Nicosia and New York
are more likely nowadays to be attracted to each other in shared
community -building, rather than "just plain" un-politicized
long-haired
men from each place.
The year 2000 has brought us many changes, and with
it, a multiplicity
of symbols. We can not be guided by symbols alone, as they get co-opted
by commercialism very quickly, but our attitude toward them, says
something
about who we are, what we do.
So, if our movements include support and embrace for single unwed moms,
support and embrace for teenage sexuality, support and embrace for the
religious, medicinal and recreational use of cannabis, support and
embrace
for people living in communal, co-op arrangements, support and embrace
for collective projects in our communities, we are more likely to be
building
for peace among our peoples than the sterile bicommunal "folk dances"
enforced
by the establishment so as to divide our people while essentially
keeping
us apart.
It is in this spirit that we can go forward.
It might be easier to re-think parts of the original "Letter
for Barkin", from the point of view of the radical Oikologia
group:
"We seek to unite with Turkish -Cypriots and people
from Turkey
who, like us, aim for the re-uniting of all of Humanity�s peoples, aim
for the destruction of all borders and the disarming of the
armies
guarding them, and for the final overthrow of the governments
arming
and training them for that purpose.
We aim for the overthrow of the system of profits and authoritarian
power, and for its replacement by the simple functions of ecological
Direct
Democracy: a system of self-administration and self-government within
all
of our communities, which are to be run by voluntary Peoples� Councils
at all levels, in the schools, the workplace, the neighbourhoods, the
villages
and towns.
We believe that once the influence of the system of profits and
of authoritarian power is removed from both our external and internal
(psychological)
world, people everywhere are capable of living as equals who can
respect
and honour each other, and who are capable and willing to make together
the major and minor decisions which affect our everyday lives as
neighbours,
co-workers, colleagues, friends, lovers, comrades."
And also to rethink this, from the letter
to the Youth for Peace group:
"...there are many radical Green-minded individuals
and organizations
in all the countries of our region (including Turkey, Greece, Cyprus)
and
abroad, active in the heartlands of the imperialist countries, who wish
to see our communities re-united again, on the basis of a unity founded
on the global efforts to *replace*
the socio -political system of
profits.
We believe that our people can be re-united meaningfully only on the
basis
of the shared efforts to replace the political system currently
exercised
by authoritarian power and capital, with a system of equality and
justice
for all, which is founded on co-operation (as opposed to capitalist
competition
and exploitation), and founded on self-government within our
communities,
instead of government by local neo-colonialist 'managerial
administration
teams' appointed by global and regional capital."
Our Dialogue, is burdened with the "unfortunate" historical mission
of finding ways to make all this happen.
Petros
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