Reply #86: Well I have to go to sleep but I am 1/2 way through the essay. [View All]

[county worker]

I agree with most of what I have read so far, even though Emmanuel Kant is my guy! To me it seems to support what I said. Cooperation is needed if we are to survive on this planet.

Russia, China and the US were at each others throats most of my life time, I was born in 1946. The tension was over what type of system should dominate the world, Capitalism or Communism.

Though Russia and China had territorial conflicts. We created an arms race that was not sustainable and if we used our nuclear weapons, the other country would retaliate. MAD mutual assured destruction.

We learned that war was not worth to us what it would cost us. So now we cooperate. China exports to us and we consume and borrow from them. China has let some capitalism exist in the country. China is also taking all the water from the Mekong river, leaving the countries down river dry. Its capitalism is going to start wars for water if it does not compromise.

So countries can be at peace with each other because of needing each other to play the rolls they do. They do not compete. But this is in the short term. As the US continues to destroy it's middle class, China will lose it's consumers. As the US continues to borrow, China will gain a superior position over US. In the long term what we have now, peace because we need each other to further our capitalistic goals, it is not sustainable. Capitalism depends on using up resources. It consumes them, even people. In the end it will destroy itself because resources are limited. Capitalism feeds off itself, it consumes itself. Capitalism like desire can never be satisfied. Only by losing desire can a person stop the suffering it causes. Only by losing capitalism will the people of this planet live in peace.

So what I read so far I agree with. It supports my idea that cooperation is needed for survival. And capitalism can lead to peace but only for the short term.

I will read on. Thanks for pointing me to it.