In the Midst of Global Disorder
The paradox of populist authoritarianism demands action
Teódulo López Meléndez is a Venezuelan author. Based in Caracas, he has written numerous books and countless articles exploring universal themes of identity, communication, and possibility. I’m pleased to translate and share another sample…
Perhaps the first thing today’s society fails to do is question itself. We have become more of an appearance than a reality. We are, indeed, preoccupied with needs, with how to achieve more with greater ease, while sinking into a psychic void. We fight for what we believe to be our right and rise up demanding protection, but we become subject to the immediacy of the moment. The future leaves us hanging, and this is one of the causes of our current crisis.
The psychic void is filled with a false sense of well-being, one of momentary relief subject to pragmatic demands. This also makes this time one of transition, one where technological “communication” and superficial exchanges prevail. We think we are acting, but are devoid of thought, in a framework where dogmatists and “owners of the truth” emerge. A society constituted in this way either cannot change, or if it tries, it will be through traumatic means. The overwhelming information paradoxically leads to ignorance, as people come to think they only need others for utilitarian purposes.
Even so, we are dissatisfied. Deep down, we lack power, a power that is disputed by others, by potentates of technological instruments who own everyone’s privacy and have no qualms about selling them for various purposes, such as manipulating elections or a key decision. In this way, psychic passivity, devoid of principles, is turning into destructive violence. We are more than what seem today. To a large extent, today, we are like a vagrant without ideas who flaunts disbelief as a falsified demonstration of his supposed understanding of the environment.
One could speak of “liquid thought” to characterize this world where the most common approaches revolve around those involving sexuality, to the condemnation of political systems of freedom — not to change them but to destroy them, with the resulting crisis of democracy to which populist authoritarianism is opposed.
From this drift can only emerge unthinkable metamorphoses and historical repetitions. The society of this time, immobile internally although at times active externally, no longer seems to want the guidance of thought, but rather the sharp response of a powerful miracle worker.
Paradoxically, technological advancement could be bringing about new social inequalities. In the political arena, inefficiency and corruption will continue to produce violent shocks. Authoritarianism above the law is emphasized at every turn. Young people seem marked by anger and frustration. There is a fragmentation of power that contributes to unanswered questions.
It is impossible to paint portraits of the immediate future. We can only add that challenges deserve responses, and this time they must be initiatives, actions, and urgent, constructive decisions, even in the midst of global disorder.
Visit his blog for a compendium of his writing…
Browse more of his post translated here…
