Opinion by Natalia Aguilar

Sharing my perspective on a series of horrific omissions and their impact on us, along with more nonfiction stories about vain, pretentious and disagreeable people with no real power due to their chronic emptiness. 

 

My utter discontent with the national school of architecture where I was enrolled back in 1979 made me sick, their incapacity to see the ongoing devastation of our beautiful world, was more than I could bare. Forty-four years have passed since I started my quest on a sustainable path. Early on I leaped into the communication arena; a realm of simulation and high suggestibility, another story for another time. I learned about the technocracy movement, because my father was one of them. He like all the rest of his colleges, felt engineers were much better suited to control populations. He also despised politicians: with sentimental concerns (career wise), pampering bureaucrats with no regard to the bottom line, eager to leave a legacy of grandeur.

 

The probing of genetic clonation and secretly forging the digital cages, social engineers blindly proceeded to paint themselves out of the picture. While weapons of mass consumption took a life of its own, untaxed financialization clotted the intentions of so-called professionals in a world wide web of disinformation.

The tax revenue controllers allowed the notion of never ending growth to replicate, rows of unaffordable homes, thousands of cars sit idle in lots, surrounded by even more miles of pothole ridden roads and highways.  Mountain of electronic waste, accumulate alongside toys, clothing, refrigerators and cars. The folly of greed and low quality industrial wasteland.

That “instant gratification” made all their decisions unsustainable. Once they lured woman away from the home, to become a “career women”. We watch household roles revers. Women became just as ruthless and soulless as their counterpart. They were dangerously mean and deceitful, powerful at the office, aggressive towards fellow women too, but useless at home, where often their offspring rotted in front of a television or a “play-station”.

 

They couldn’t save their love ones from obesity, alcoholism, suicide or drug overdose, even those men who had work also became ill, from the endless pressure to succeed at all cost. The “burnout” was ignored brushed under the rug. Modern society was a compulsory purchasing spree gone insane. Conveniently a phone call way mental health pharmaceuticals became “mama’s little helper”.

 

The missing truth here is about women, who once stayed to raise their children. While also looking after family members afflicted by depression, physical disease, old age or disabilities. They evoked compassion, kindness and welcome appreciation, giving way to active participation in any capacity to keep up the place.

 

Charity started at home; it was always a refuge for the homeless, the single uncle or the unmarried woman, who pitch in washing and ironing for her family and sometimes for the neighbors’ who gladly payed for odd chores around their lot. Those extra pennies bought ice cream on a hot day. Life was spent at home not at the office or in traffic.

 

The purpose of a good “Samaritan” which was synonymous with “voluntary”. People made their home an extension to help or support others. A real home was a decent place, where the members helped with all the house up-keeping, cleaning, simple chores, sowing seeds, pruning orchards, harvesting the vegetable garden etc. Money wasn’t indispensable there was no property tax or forfeiture.

 

If you had extra fruit it would be preserved, they made their own clothing, furniture and other items. Collaborating together they could build an extra room or, build a road and so on. Yet we were forced into these ill-conceived cities, a feudal contraption, little more than a “high maintenance” unsustainable cage.

 

 Urban planners are still kidding themselves, another of those poor choices. But this too shall continue...