Life   of   Tara 

  Democracy and Capitalist economy (7)

    12/07/2013

（世界中に蔓延する企業の低価格競争が多くの労働者を緊張を伴う際限のない労働と将来のない不安な生活に追いやっています。そのことで経営者達は当面大きな利益を上げてきました。しかし普通の人々が生きていく社会としては、そのような社会はいつか崩壊に向かっていかざるを得ません。）

 I watched a documentary of NHK about low price competition produced in France on TV recently. A French producer stressed distressful circumstances of workers in the low price competition. He also predicted that every human being itself would become a kind of low price thing all over the world in the future. I agree with him.

 He explained the actual condition of workers who are suffering from low wages while a business manager gets more profits by low price service. He shows such an actual condition by introducing some companies. For example, a discount airline in Ireland has brought huge profits to the business manager. However the result has owed to low wages and hard work of workers. Pilots and other workers have struggled with a heavy feeling physically and mentally. As a result, the entire company itself has been impoverished.

 In a French major discount store, a store manager has to work at the register by himself and to carry no less than 5-tons of goods a day because of workforce cut.

 In Romania, an American pork producer constructed a lot of huge plants in order to sell low price pork. However local workers are mere four people and these plants pollute groundwater widely with pig manure. As a result, local people came to be unable to use their well water which they have used for many years. 　

 In this way, the low price competition is associated with low wages, hard work and environmental destruction. Now, low wages and hard work are necessary for business manager to win out in this globalized world. However when we see this situation in worker's position, it is hopeless. In a discount company, workers are obliged to lead a life supervised by manager so as to do more effective work. They have to continue prolonged stressful work with low wages. They don't have the future.

 Now, unemployment rate of youth has been increasing all over the world. That is, young people have no future whether they work or not. In Japan, 'Black company'(Sweat shop) is in the news recently. Such a company drives workers hard on the outskirts of law-breaking. Workers in such companies are given severe norm and are forced to work unpaid overtime. They have no choice but to achieve hard schedule given by business manager. They have no time for themselves and they can't afford to do what they want to do truly for self-actualization on their own way.

 We still had a choice as to how to find a job when we were young. And we had labor union which we were able to rely on. On the other hand, present young people are pitiful. They don't know even existence of labor union which helps them. They can't get married. Thus, low price competition increases poverty.　

 At the same time, almost young people lose hope and modern society begins to stagnate. What should we do? Low price competition is originally the last pattern for capitalism. As long as capitalist society exists, almost worker's lives are always threatened. Labor union has not been able to accomplish its original goal.

 What should we do under such a situation? Should we accuse the darker side of capitalism? How? How do wise men in the world try to answer about that problem? Where did wealth which was accumulated by historical development of production power in the world go? Did it change into private company's internal reserve? Did it change into profits of hedge funds?

 How do Nobel economics prize winners think about that problem? Why were they able to win Nobel Prize without solution about that problem? If so, for what purpose does Nobel Prize exist? Don't they think that economics is the study about distribution of wealth for ordinary people's lives? Don't they think about how to distribute wealth of the world to poor people in the world efficiently? Or why cannot wealth made by worker's hard work be brought to workers reasonably? They won't try to answer these question because they think that capitalist society where rich people and famous scholars enjoy brings wide gap between rich and poor by necessity.Therefore, they are able to attend Nobel Prize award ceremony with great joy though poor people have increased more and more all over the world.

 Isn't something wrong? Does capitalist society have the better future? Or is human society which has evolved historically such a thing as ever? Is it correct that we take the present capitalist society for granted?

 On the contrary, is it no meaningful that we strive to dream a better future? For example, is it meaningless to visualize the world where we have the same wage level everywhere? It means that companies stop seeking for cheap wages in the world with the aim of making cheap goods. That is, capital has accumulated wealth in the world, but capital should return to the direction in which to be satisfied in its own country someday. For that purpose, construction of economic zone that is self-sufficient in the area as much as possible is absolutely necessary for the time being. Will it be possible to make international rule for that and to monitor all over the world? Of course, we cannot expect such a thing from the United Nations.

 Communities that is self-sufficient as much as possible as for the lives of the people who live there, are considered ethnic communities or same language communities for the time being. But such communities would have to continue to be formed in a way that they dismantle the state which is the base of the present monopolistic capitalism and get over it.

  Democracy and Capitalist economy (6)

    13/06/2013

（企業や国家的資本にとって最後の市場と言われるアフリカの将来を見通しながら資本主義に立脚した民主主義社会の向こうにある社会を思い描くこと。民主主義社会が強固であると認識しながらも、新たな社会を思い描くことは決して無意味なことではありません。）

 It's about time that we should think about the future of human society beyond capitalist economy society. It is said that Africa is the last market for developed countries. If so, what kind of world will come into being after losing the last market? Will young intellectuals in Africa bring a life style of developed countries to their countries? Is it good for human being's future? A life style of people all over the world will be homogenized. Characteristic features of people in each country might be lost. Instead, will the human race be able to find a new society system beyond modern democratic human society?
 I am not able to be sure that African original culture from ancient times never loses despite of penetration of capitalist economy. Then, what is African original culture? Maybe, it stems from the origin of all mankind in Africa. At that time, mankind didn't have language. But they were able to communicate with others by using their whole body. And they were able to accept information around their environment by using their whole sense.
 On the other hand, people in developed countries live their life depending on words and images given by mass communication mainly. So their receptors to their environment may have become more weak than that of African people.
 Maybe, the same things as developed countries did in other developing countries before now will happen in Africa. That is, capitalists in developed countries construct factories in developing countries because of cheap labor cost. But sometime, the labor cost will increase with developing country's economic growth. And a part of people in developing countries will become rich than in the past. On the other hand, the gap between rich and poor in developing countries will be widening more and more. And developing country's constructive contradiction will get near that of developed country. In this way, the same pattern will be repeated in this globalised capitalist economic world.
 Then, what happens to such a world from now? People's life style around the world will be homogenized more and more. And a part of people will rule homogenized public people by using mass communication. Most of people will lose a chance to actualize their original self. No matter how hard decent people around the world work to get rid of such situation, a social where most people can realize true themselves is never constructed under the present democratic world. Why? Because commercialized mass media sustained by capitalist economy runs around the world and makes people's mind homogenized as fast as information technology develops. People's minds are drawn to the media which intends to capture common people's mind by commercialized intention.

 Therefore people around the world are influenced by the flood of homogenized and commercialized information. So they never come to feel the fulfillment that they have felt original themselves by their own sense and thought, any more. They can never feel whispering of nature though they can feel whispering of mass media. They adore TV or PC world. They esteem not the world of unknown people but the world of celebrity. They try not to know the truth of daily life close to their neighbors but to know the consciously-fabricated world.

 So the original communication of their daily lives is lost and people around the world enjoy the entertainment given by mass media. Is it good for future human race? Is it suitable for future African people? Do democratic capitalist countries extend such situations all over the world from now on? Can they lead people around the present world to the world where all people can live sufficiently as physical and mental situation? Or will all human beings on the earth plunge into avalanche within a century? I don't know which is true. However if a lot of African people also plunge into the same life as developed countries, such a prediction as the latter might hit.

 That is not my intentional thought but my true feeling. I have come to feel disgusted by mass media such as newspaper, TV and official site of Internet recently. I have come to feel nostalgic about natural communication with neighborhood in old days. Of course, the world of mass media and celebrity also existed then and there. And people of old days also had a romantic notion about such a world. But people who lived a simple and common life also existed more than those of the present world. And each person of old days seemed to realize true himself on his own way. Therefore, if the present human world led by developed countries continues as it is, I cannot but think that human world in the future has never welcome prospect.
 So, future human world have to be constructed by people who are free from the idea about present nations or present democratic world. Especially I would like to expect young people who live in developing countries such as Africa, India, Southeast Asia and South America.
 Will the world become good for us to live in the future truly? Or will the world fall into a bottomless abyss if we won't do something meaningful? Once, I watched documentary about a south island on TV. Motorization penetrated into the island. And the flood of cars attacked this small island. An old man was crying on the road where a lot of cars run. That scene was very impressive for me.

 Chronic condition of unemployed people, especially young people, continues from now on. Even if they could get job, they have to work hard from early in the morning until late at night. On the other hand, rich people in developed countries are immersed with medicines and supplements despite living in their clean house. And they lose their power of resistance to disease.
 How do we have to live under such a situation? We should aim at a local community as a self-supported economic region. That is not a nation but an ethnic community where people share in language and culture. People have self-sufficient economy there. They can get luxurious goods from another community each other. But most daily necessities are acquired inside own community each other. Therefore, expansion of money which is far from real economy never occurrs. People work suitably there and save wealth for the disadvantaged. So, the gap between rich and poor is not seen much there. Most people live simple life there and try to aim at self-realization in their own way.
 We should aim at such a community at least. In fact, a capitalist economic society or a nation which is based on capitalism are quite robust. Their system won't easily cease to exist. However, aiming at such a community beyond capitalist economic society is our conscience for future generation. That is our relative struggle. Therefore, that is our absolute struggle.

  Over the world of Esperanto

    05/05/2013

（世界中のエスペランティストとの交流を通じて、日本のテレビや新聞などでは本当に知り得ないことも徐々に分かってきました。特にアフリカの一般の人々の暮らしは、未だ出口の見いだせない状況が続いています。）

 Last time, I wrote about ' Democracy and Capitalist economy (4)'. And I promised I was going to write about "What kind of society is the society where each person can make the best use of each original nature enough?" next time.

 However, before continuing that problem, I would like to write a few about Esperanto. Esperanto is not unrelated to that problem, either. It is two years ago that I began to exchange e-mail with Esperantists in earnest. I have become friend with a lot of Esperantists so far. Those of developed countries like Germany, Russia and USA seem to be enjoying their lives in the modern wealthy life style. On the other hand, those of Eastern European countries and African countries like Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Tanzania and Congo seem to live modest. Especially those of African countries seem to lead a severe life in which they cannot find a exit to a better life. The common idea of those Esperantists with whom I exchange e-mail is as follows. that is, it is unfair that English language rules the whole world as world common language. I think so too.

 The world common language which respects each country's culture and language is required even now. The world common language which even people who live in English speaking countries must learn for world peace is required even now. That language is Esperanto, I think. I think that only a part of countries like developed countries are enjoying peace and happy life by economic prosperity in the present world. On the contrary, in undeveloped countries like Africa, Asia and South America, almost people are obliged to lead a poor life as ever.

 A Tanzanian woman who exchanges e-mail with me in Esperanto grieves over her miserable life as follows. That is, she works hard as a nurse at the hospital early in the morning till late at night every day but she cannot get enough salaries for her family to buy one-month food and clothing. She has a husband and two children. Her husband was working for excavation of searching mineral but now he lost his work because companies of foreign countries came to rule almost mineral veins in Tanzania. They bring laborers from their countries. As a result, a lot of people in Tanzania lost their work. Especially jobless young people are full in the town and some of them commit a theft. So public security has deteriorated more and more. Government of Tanzania constructs roads, bridges and buildings by foreign capital but does nothing for the life of local residents. And the aid of United Nations or developed countries never reaches to local residents. Their aid only multiplies the wealth of the government official and the well-to-do people. Almost people are obliged to engage in poor agriculture such as cultivation of cassava, corn and potato etc. Once drought hits, their lives deteriorate more and more. They cannot afford to buy even daily necessities, such as foods, cloths and medicine, and to have their children go to school. She told me by e-mail in this way.

 Knowing such a situation of aid, my wife donates to 'Doctors without borders' rather than to United Nations such as UNICEF. And I contribute to Tanzanian people through Western Union. Nevertheless, we never know whether our donations really reach to people who are suffering truly. This is the difficulty of true aid. This is the difficulty of solution of present world contradiction.

 Therefore, as one of the trial for the solution, we might have to make an effort more for spread of Esperant.

   Democracy and Capitalist economy (5)

    30/03/2013

（経済学とは何でしょうか。それは経営学や財政学とは違います。人々がそれぞれの資質にあった仕事を見いだし、心豊かに暮らすには、未来に向かって社会経済の仕組みをどう変えていくべきなのかを考える学問です。）

 What is economics? Economics differs from business administration and financial study. It is the learning which studies how people who live there work and lead a meaningful life. A meaningful life is to become rich about the heart rather than to become rich about money.

 When I graduated from a university, I seriously worried about where I should be employed. I had already abandoned becoming a professor of university because I had found a false world of professors through the university dispute at that time. However I had no qualification to gain money by myself. Therefore, I had to search for a workplace in order to earn a salary. But I didn't have confidence about whether I was able to lead a substantial life by working in a private enterprise. I was obliged to stand at the crossroad in my life at that time. Why I hesitate to work in a private enterprise? Almost people are working in a private enterprise. And the labor of them sustains Japanese economy. Why I hesitate to work there? Of course, I have to prepare myself for various confliction in social activity of working in a private enterprise. But is such confliction normal as a human activity all through the ages? Or aren't I an ordinary man? Am I a special man? Not only I but also everybody has a shade of anxiety about working in a private enterprise. In spite of that, a person must make his effort to work somewhere. Therefore, aren't I only escaping from reality?

 After all, I received informal job offer from a certain private company. But also after that, I was worried whether I should work there. I have to work for that company at the sacrifice of my creative time from early in the morning till late at night. Am I all right by that?

 At last, I refused that informal job offer and became a prefectural government officer who may have more freedom than a worker of a private company.

 In this way, I told about my experience at length. However an important problem about economy exists here. That is, for a human being, is it happy to work at a private company which pursues only profit in every respect? Can he get his own substantial time there? Can he get a real human community there?

 Not a few workers in private company suffer from relationship with others. Some of them are not able to communicate with their family, their relative and their neighborhood peacefully. That is, they have no normative ethics to obey at ease. Some people are able to free from social norm and to stick at home. They rely only on mass media such as TV and magazine. They are no other than the public. They don't have their idea except that of ordinary people. Are they able to realize true self-actualization in their company?

 If they don't realize self-actualization, what kind of economy system should we aim at? Is democracy which is based on private companies better world where human beings have built for a long time although it is not the best for human beings? What kind of society replaces the democratic society?

 I think that true economics must not take no notice of such problems. A university economics professor never experience that to work in this society is very hard. He creates his theory on the premise that people except him are workers like ants. I think that he doesn't have a qualification to tell about true economics.　 　

 Of course, there are a variety of people in the world. There are people who are fit for scholars. There are people who are adequate to physical work. There are people who are capable of doing business well. What kind of society is the society where each person can make the best use of each original nature enough? Is such society possible in the present democratic society?

 I would like to consider this problem next time.

   Democracy and Capitalist economy (4)

    26/02/2013

（巷では、大学教授や評論家達が経済不況を脱却するための様々な方策を論じて います。疑問に思うのは、彼らは現在日本の経済を支えている多くのサラリーマンの悲哀を本当に実感として感じ取っているのかということです。そうした実感とは縁のないところで、マスコミや学会に守られた世界があるようです。）

 I have described about democracy and capitalist economy three times. That is, capitalist society and also democratic society which is coupled with it are an obvious fact at which human beings arrived. At the same time, these societies cannot but change toward the future while holding various contradictions. Getting over such a society is very difficult task and is accompanied by far longer road. But fighting now for it is never wasteful task. And a personality who takes a central role in such a fight will appear in the future. On the other hand, we have to search for the framework of international economic method instead of the framework of capitalist economy. But in order to realize such a framework, we have to prepare ourselves for a far longer and severe road.
　
 Why is it difficult to realize a framework which is alternative to capitalist economy? Some person thinks as follows. That is, marketing economy is based on the free competitive society. The free competitive society is premised on the existence of the human beings who are going to pursue more profits no matter what. Among them, some people are good moral characters who can compete with other capitalists while considering about peace of the whole economic society. But some people are bad characters who think of only their own profits regardless of peace of the whole economic society.
 Thus the freedom of free market is premised on the existence of such various characters. Corruption, deception and conspiracy occur there naturally. That is free market economy. That generates metabolism which brings huge social wealth mixing good and bad factors. That is human society. That is original power which moves our society. Human society has never been constructed by only good moral characters. That is human society. That is the real world. 　

 I also cannot deny that cold fact. Nevertheless, I hate such a thought because only scholars and commentators who are hailed as objective analysis by mass media create such a thought.
 Rather I think that the problem exists in another aspect. That is, almost workers in a company have no choice but to work early in the morning till late at night the whole life for gaining more profits for the company. Is this a typical form for human beings from ancient times? Or did capitalist economy plunge our lives into such a form? Do scholars and commentators who speak about capitalist economy ostentatiously know about the real salaried employee’s grief in a company? That is just a problem in our society. Our social prosperity is sustained by the grief of almost workers in the company. Furthermore, this prosperity expands all over the world and drives people of developing countries to the miserable life to which the exit can never be found. The gap between rich country and poor country is increasing even now.
 What should we do now? What should we think now?

      　Back                                                                    Next