Events like the mass suicides of cult members in California recently are symptoms of an acute social sickness of extreme conditions of human alienation.
There are other, more "ordinary", examples of this alienation in our daily lives. These include increased abuse against women and children, racist violence and heightened levels of stress. People today are more uncertain and anxious about their future and the future of their children. A majority are more insecure economically and concerned about their jobs, education, health, retirement and living environment.
Today in the "free" market, all aspect of our lives seem to be vulnerable to its mysterious laws. As individual workers, we compete against other workers in the world market, which seems to be the ultimate arbiter of our lives. All this can lead to a feeling of helplessness based on a loss of control over our lives.
Many of the issues that we campaign for in the pages of Green Left Weekly jobs, the environment, women's rights and so on are also linked with people taking control of their lives. They pose the need for a majority taking control of the economy, society and political institutions.
Key to this is our collective strength based on human solidarity. This has the potential to free us individually as well.
Green Left Weekly stands and campaigns for greater human solidarity with the poor and underprivileged, oppressed women and people of colour, with young people, with all those downtrodden and exploited by the system.
If you share this outlook, you should be reading Green Left Weekly every week. To make sure you do, just call our subscription (free call) hotline on 1800 634 206. Green Left Weekly it's your paper.