Copacabana Beach
My native country, Brazil, is in the process of electing a new head of state—and there is a possibility that the nation will choose to wobble from the Left to the Right. It is good to alternate like this, between the Left and the Right—just like people, when they walk, alternate between the left step and the right step. But we need to veer away from the wars between the Right and the Left and think more in terms of cooperation and harmony. In order to accomplish that, it is good to consider the natural alliances that are formed on the Right Wing and on the Left Wing of the political spectrum. This will clarify a lot of what took place in the 20th Century and will help us leave the 20th Century where it belongs—in the past—and move forward. Dealing with these issues is my goal in this article.
Karl Marx Advocated for the Stomach
The Left + Stomach (Workers)
Karl Marx’s great push for world revolution started out with his call, “Workers of the world, unite!” The workers represent the “stomach” of a nation.
But unity does not take place haphazardly. Unity requires a center. It was to the Left Hemisphere of the brain that Marx appealed, in order to find a “center” for his united proletarian world. Thus, he attempted to create a grand union between the Left Hemisphere of the brain and the Stomach, as a new source and center of political and economic power in the world (click here for a clarification of the metonymies “stomach,” “brain,” and “heart.”) Marx’s weapons? Resentment, control, equality! In Biblical symbology, this is the world of Cain.
The Alliance on the Right: Affirmation of the Heart
The Right Brain + Heart
In opposition to Marx’s revolutionary bloc of nations, there arose in the world a grand union of free nations. They declared Marxism evil and proposed a different view of the world, centered on the Right Hemisphere of the brain. This created a connection between the Right Hemisphere and the Heart. In Biblical symbology, this is the world of Abel. Weapons for the Right Wing? Freedom, Opportunity, Uniqueness!
Equality vs. Uniqueness
Equal, yet Unique
It is interesting to contrast the value of “equality,” with the value of “uniqueness.” The Left seeks equality; the Right seeks uniqueness. The Left, centering on the proletariat (the people; the workers), works by manipulating materials. The Right, centering on the culture (free press, finances, investments, management), works through creativity. Creative works do not seek equality but uniqueness. A work of art seeks to be unique. A management style wants to distinguish itself. A financial investment wants to find unique ways to obtain profits. Thus, while the Left seeks equality, the Right seeks distinction, or uniqueness.
Diffusion of the Left/Right Conflict: The Vietnam War
The Twentieth Century was a century of wars, but a war that especially scarred the population was the Vietnam War. It was perhaps the most controversial war of all times. The reason was that the world was separated into two centers of powers. Yet, the Vietnam War did something quite extraordinary: it diffused the left / Right conflict and brought down the Communist Empire.
The separation of the world into two centers of power—namely, the Communist Bloc and the Free World—plus the development of nuclear arms–created a situation in which the nations of the world could have destroyed one another. Because of foresight on the part of the US leadership—and very much against public opinion—the Free Nations created a huge alliance of military and political power to take a stand against Communism. The country chosen for that showdown was Vietnam, which became like a sacrificial victim of 20th Century madness.
The Demise of Communist Revolutions
The Left Favors the Stomach = Workers
The Vietnam War took the life away from Communist revolutions around the world. It was not possible to see that when the war first came to a conclusion–that is, when the US defeat of the Communist North in the Tet Offensive of 1968 and during the next five years that it took to transfer the military power to South Vietnam. It is only through the benefit of hindsight that we can see the real effects of the Vietnam War on the Communist effort to conquer the world. It is true that South Vietnam fell to the Communist North, but that was more the result of local conditions in Vietnam rather than a sign of victory for Communism. Thus, if we consider world events after the Vietnam War—especially the demise of the Soviet Union—it is fair to say that the Vietnam War was the “swan song” of world Communism.
Why Marxism Failed and the Way Forward
The Left Tramples the Heart
Marxism failed because it is a bad philosophy. In fact, the deficiencies of Marxism continue to plague Left-wing, revolutionary governments until today, such as Cuba and Venezuela. The biggest defect of Marxist philosophy is to attempt to destroy the “heart” of the country, that is, its culture. It attempts to bring the culture under the control of the government. Thus, they allow no free press, no free enterprise; and art must serve the purposes of the government, such as Soviet Realism.
The way forward, as I have proposed in a different article, is to harmonize the Left and the Right, without either trying to dominate the other. We need both. The Left resonates with the stomach (the people, workers, proletariat); the Right resonates with the heart (the culture, banks, entrepreneurs, free press). Hope for peace and prosperity comes from harmony—not from the destructive killing advocated by Marxism.
Thus, as Brazil enters a new era in politics, I hope they will find the important harmony between Right and Left. As long as the two tendencies continue to fight like Cain and Abel, Brazil will continue to suffer. Brazil is rich in natural resources, but if it continues on the path of struggle between the Right Wing and the Left Wing, Brazil will remain a “beggar atop a mountain of gold.”
I conclude with a quote:
He who administers the empire, esteems it as his own body, then he is worthy to be trusted with the empire.
— Excerpt From: Luke Chrisinger. Tao Te Ching. iBooks.
Paulo-Juarez Pereira
Ypilanti, Michigan, USA
October 22, 2014
Photo Credits:
Photo: Beach in Brazil; by Mauricio Lima; source: http://bit.ly/1tLbklf; Creative Commons license: Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Photo: Left Brain; by Linda Hartley; source: http://bit.ly/1rg1oJY; Creative Commons license: Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Photo: Right Brain; by Linda Hartley; source: http://bit.ly/1sPrpTk; Creative Commons license: Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Photo: Stomach Area; by Hey Paul Studios; source: http://bit.ly/1x9gEfe; Creative Commons license: Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Photo: Hear in Red Lines; by Derek Hatfield; source: http://bit.ly/1tfkLHE; Creative Commons license: Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Photo: World of Equality; by Purple Sherbet Photography; source: http://bit.ly/1wtIkgM; Creative Commons license: Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Photo: Unique Pearls; by Angela Marie Henriette; source: http://bit.ly/1rgaAhj; Creative Commons license: Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Paulo-Juarez Pereira 
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