MatriTalks 19
ECONOMIC
SURVIVAL
Questions
& Answers
with
Han Marie Stiekema Sermes
Q. You often start a new essay
with the words "in these desperate of times". In this expressing only your
spiritual concerns or your concerns about material survival as well?
A. The concern is
about the system we live in, one that is based on the compulsive mechanism of
overproduction, profit, "progress" and expansion, leading to overconsumption on
the one hand and exploitation e.g. poverty on the other. Considering the fact, that
"greed" always has been considered the ultimate evil by every religion, then our
culture has indeed reached rock bottom.
Q. So, it is overproduction and
consumption, that threatens our survival?
A. According to recent studies
the affluent societies, in order to survive, have to go down to approximately 10% of their
current level of wealth. The ugly thing about it all is, that at the same time, needs are
still ruthlessly driven up. It doesn't correspond with the real needs of the people. And
everything to the benefit of a very limited group of compulsive money and power addicts*.
* This is the personal drive behind the
system. Obviously, the impersonal ones: the compulsive dynamism of multi-national
corporations is another one.
Q. Some will accuse you of
backwardness e.g. cherishing "reactionary" views. Are you rejecting progress?
A. The idea of progress is
related to the compulsive complex of science, technology and capitalism. Ultimately it is
based on "archaic" mechanisms like existential anxiety, fear of nature, greed
(fear of shortage) and power (fear of loosing control). Because its development is
uncontrolled by society, it poses a threat to the integrity of existence. It is a cancer
growth destroying the body of life. Growth on the one hand causes decay on the other.
Unlimited progress is thus an illusion. The limits of growth are set by the devastating
effects it has caused in the last fifty years: loss of biodiversity, water shortage,
climate change, exhaustion of resources, pollution, mass refugees, hunger, disease,
burn-out and disintegration on all levels of society.
Q. How would you look at this
from the perspective of the Mother?
A. From the perspective of the
Mother, there is abundance everywhere. The irony of course is, that people are constantly
concerned about shortage, while living in the middle of the too much. Which means, that
people are not able to receive...Once you start developing your ability of receiving, then
you may realize, how many riches are surrounding you. The first step would be to discover
the importance of acknowledgement and receiving, resulting in joy and gratitude about what
you have.
Q. Is that a matter of becoming
aware?
A. "To have is the
inability to Be". You may compare it with falling in love. If you are in love with
somebody, then you are absorbed by a "higher spirit". Something, that is more
fulfilling than your daily activities, has taken possession of you. Once a
"higher" satisfaction has taken over, the "lower" needs are not felt
anymore. Your needs are considerably less, compared to the time you were not in love. The
same is true in situation of great artistic performance or in war, for instance. What I
want to say is this. Because of the lack of Being - awareness, inclusiveness, joy - we
compensate our needs through having. Because having can never satisfy Being, our behavior
becomes an addiction.
Q. Spirituality as THE only
force that can curb materialism?
A. Unfortunately, spirituality
as we know it, has been lethally corrupted recently. Like many other emancipation
movements, it has been totally absorbed by the system. Its original inspiration turned
into its opposite. Nowadays "spirituality" is a tool in the hands of those, who
want to extend their ambitions, those who want to make money through it and those who even
seek to support the profit making business sector. Even Zen-centers are promoting Zen as a
tool for (corporate) "effectiveness and flexibility"....
Q. So this looks really
hopeless?
A. You,
"non-believer" (laughter), have you forgotten about the Great Mother? Don't you
remember, why She has returned? Obviously, it is not for nothing, that the Mother, Who,
realizing that the limits of suffering were exceeded, decided to intervene. She must have
had damned good reasons for that.
Q. Thus, with the Mother
everything changes?
A. Everything changes, when you
start taking refuge in the Mother. Realizing the abundance, the Mother is bestowing upon
you - spiritually and materially - you start living out of gratitude, rather than greed.
It will be a joy to you, to accept the Mothers invitation to live according to Her Law of
the Universe, thus restoring the balance of life. You will thank Her for Her guideline, as
being revealed by Her Vision of the Grail. This will give you such a degree of inner
fulfillment, that the level of material needs can be spontaneously brought down. You have
fallen in love with the Mother, after all.
Q. Could you elaborate?
A. Obviously, the way everybody
will head the call of the Mother is very personal. However, a few ideas could be helpful
in this regard. Community building around the Mother seems to be of central importance.
Let She be your Savior. United by the Mother, you will be able to do things, you otherwise
only can dream of. Why not try and pray to Her? Why not starting a Home Meeting in your neighborhood, inviting people to join?
Why not developing all kinds of mutual assistance? Why not simplifying your life?
Discovering that giving, rather than getting proves to be far more fulfilling? In the area
of healing "the Mother" is offering a number of important opportunities*.
Besides, Her Compassion goes especially to those, who are burn-out, whose life have become
meaningless, the poor, the lonely and all the others who have been marginalized by the
system**. It appears to be people from every sector of society. Trust the Mother and
"the last will be the first!"
* See "Mother Healing", "Personal
Health Plan", "Mother Stone Therapy"
and "Emotional self-integration".
** In fact, the Aussteiger
(German for people who stepped out of the system), the unemployed, the chronically ill,
large parts of the youth, the elderly...who is not affected by the current decay?
Q. Last but not least, I would
be curious to know, if you would favor a different economic model for the near future?
A. Mankind should be welcoming
every fundamental change in the current socio-economic system. The sooner the better!
However, this will only have a chance, if the people themselves are taking control of
their own situation. Which means, that only after re-establishing the community as a
self-governing body, changes will have a chance to become implemented. As you will
remember, the new system is an organic one, in which several Self-sovereign layers, like
the family, the street, the district, the commune etc. are cooperating with each other,
everything structured bottom-up. Once this framework is installed, people will be taking
care of their economic activities as well. The purpose is to increase the subsistence of
life in their own habitat in the first place, everything according to the principle of
"subsidiarity". This includes: "What can be produced locally, will be
produced locally; nobody is allowed to interfere. What cannot be produced locally, will be
produced "nationally"; nobody is allowed to interfere. What cannot be produced
"nationally" will be produced internationally".
Without the Mother nothing
goes.
She truly Loves you.
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