Israel/Palestine
In reply to the discussion: The profitable occupation, and why it is never discussed [View all]Bradlad
(206 posts)I don't have much time this morning but I'll try to give you the simple answer. I don't think any state of mind - whether individual or national or cultural - is permanent. OTOH I'd say that some states of mind, in all those categories, can be extremely resilient. I also believe it is important to be very realistic about that when dealing with individual or national or cultural states-of-mind where matters of life and death are concerned.
I'd add: It's not a matter of "being cool". It's a matter of wanting to organize your society in a way that creates the most happiness and prosperity for its members. IMO that desire must be a shared positive value in the society for it to progress in that direction and it must be more important than other values that would compete with it. Since most of the societies we're talking about have many millions of members, good results in that direction can create a noticeable increase in the amount of happiness in the world - and a corresponding decrease in poverty and despair. I think that's a very good outcome that's worth pursuing.