Folks,
Hi, how are you all?
According with James C. Scott, author of the book "The Moral
Economy of the Peasant", peasants in pre-colonial southeast Asia
expected their fellow villagers, relatives and/or patrons to help
them in times of necessity. So, if, in a particular year, you had a
disastrous harvest, you could always resort to them in order to
obtain the means necessary to stay above the subsistence line.
Naturally, you were also expected to help your fellow villagers and
relatives if that become necessary.
Researchers in the area argue that this sort of "moral system"
was predominant in pre-capitalistic, rural economies. It is
interesting to notice that Zen, as a established doctrine, was
created and developed in Imperial China and, later, in medieval Japan.
Curiously, according to the Zen Buddhist ideology, the idea of
self is delusional. Actually, we are all interconected and we all
belong to the same Existence. This concept of unity, naturally, can
be seen as an eco of the economic system that constituted the very
basis of those pre-capitalistic socities. In other words, the notion
of Unity was not an enigmatic and abstract concept inherited from
buddhist tradition. It was actually an ideological concept which main
goal was to legitimize and ensure the continuity of the moral system
that constituted the basis of the economic and political life of
those Eastern, pre-capitalistic socities.
Sometimes, I wonder whether this concept of unity, or
interdependence, could be reintroduced in contemporary society, in an
economic and political level. In a way, I believe, certain japanese
corporations managed to achieve that, within the certain limits (The
corporations offered life-long employment and benefits and, in
exchange, expected loyalty and dedication). The capitalistic system,
however, is based on temporary and flexible economic relationships,
which means that a labor contract can be terminated at any time. Not
by coincidence, our society is also dominated by individualism and
materialism. Curiously, the very flexibility that allowed the
bourgeois society to grow and dominate the world is also one of its
main shortcommings.
In this perspective, Zen Buddhism could constitute the
ideological basis of a new political and corporative elite. The idea
is not exactly original. However, I think it would be interesting to
contemplate this possibility.
Regards,
Francisco.
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