Dante’s Inferno (no, scrap that one) . . . Pass me a drink and long live hedonism!

[Note: This is one of several emails that I sent to my friends, just after getting back home to Australia, from visiting Shanghai, China in 2005.]

from: jerry@[email address removed]
date: Fri, Oct 21, 2005 at 11:48 AM
subject: Dante’s Inferno (no, scrap that one)…Pass me a drink and long live hedonism!

I am back home in Australia. Not only am I back home, but I have been having a beautiful bottle of red and listening to one of my favourite CDs, so I am in an incredibly good mood and the suffering of the third world seems a universe away. Thank goodness for hedonism! I have that wonderful feeling that comes with the first half a bottle of wine – feeling all warm inside and feeling a sense of love for everyone on the planet. I remember trying to radiate compassion for others when I was meditating before Jack was born and I had far less success then than I am having now with a bit of South Australian red flowing through my veins. This feeling is augmented by the love songs of my youth that are vibrating through my head, thanks to my friends at Sony…

Enough good will – none of you will believe this email is from me!

I started this email to tell everyone about my last week in Shanghai, but I am now in too good a mood to go into such. Suffice it to say that there are a hell of a lot of people suffering on this planet. As I bounce from Australia, to New Zealand to the USA, it is easy to forget that most people on this planet are living in the most unimaginable conditions possible. It is sickening to know parents break their children’s limbs (and worse) and use a needle and thread to sew their children’s eyes shut so they can beg (I saw a hell of a job of this on the subway in Shanghai – reminds me of my first experience darning my socks in university). Perhaps having one child (and the extra attention parents provide such children) will mean that dear little Jack will grow up unaware of such suffering, but I couldn’t be the one to put him in such an environment. Hell, I wish I wasn’t aware of such myself! There will be enough for Jack to see when he is grown, if we can give him a happy childhood, he will be one of a lucky few.

If China is the civilisation of the 21st Century, I am so glad that I was a child of the 20th. Westerners seem shocked at the torture of animals in the Middle Kingdom (such as keeping animals alive and in misery for their bile and such), but this is completely consistent with the Chinese view of the suffering of all life, including human beings. Perhaps when you have 1.2 billion people, you couldn’t give a shit about the suffering of a few (or the masses in general). Ancient China was able to build the Great Wall by the exploitation of millions and they are now developing the greatest commercial society ever seen by continuing such exploitation. Most societies are afraid of those outside (e.g. the “Reds” in 20th Century America or the “Asian Hordes” in Australia), but the Chinese are singular in their greatest fear being themselves. Forget being afraid of others when you have a billion people – fear the potential of your own people. Work the shit out of them, give them distractions like alcohol and Nintendo and if nothing else works – threaten them and kill some for effect. Of course, this exploitation is further encouraged by the appetite of those of us in the West for cheap goods. We can talk about “human rights”, but will eagerly disregard such for a few bucks off of our consumer goods (or for real or imagined T*E*R*R*O*R*I*S*T threats). Democracy is dead! Long live Democracy!

Shit! I am half drunk and still I am rambling on about this. I missed my calling – I should have been a politician. Perhaps this email doesn’t make much sense, but I am too much under the influence of my friend Bacchus to know or care.

Well, I am going to finish this sexy bottle of red off and settle for the evening.

Happy to be back in Terra Australis!

Cogito ergo sum.

Cheers,

Jer