Removing Our Colonialist Shackles

5D Chess is such a great term, isn’t it? But it’s been abused, and I’d like to rework it into something useful.

I figure the term is up for grabs. It was popularized by someone who lines his own pockets at public expense, breaks election promises, violates agreements, initiates unprovoked wars, supports genocide, and won’t release the Epstein files since he’s probably implicated in them.

I think it’s fair game. It’s a cool term, and should be put to better use.

So here’s my version. Here’s where I want my 5D Chess moves to take us: to a peaceful, restorative, and liveable future. I hope it will also help to remove our colonialist shackles.

And maybe finally give us some room to breathe. After all, don’t we just want a bit of down time after decades of too much austerity, war and other kinds of unwanted excitement? I’ve found it exhausting.

Let’s face it: these past many years have been bloody hell. How did everything become so hard, unaffordable and ugly? When did the stress level for all of us get ratcheted up to such a high level?

The pressures we’re under are like a vice grip. Not enough time or money, unexpected bills feeling like a catastrophe, worries about wildfires and other environmental disasters, and always more children being killed on our screens as we watch helplessly. Many of us are numbed out and nearing the breaking point.

It doesn’t have to be like this.

The stress we’re collectively experiencing is a policy choice made by western elites who profit from our misery. We’re seen by this group as a cheap labour pool for the rich, cannon fodder for endless wars, and not as people deserving of dignity and a decent quality of life.

We have to find a way out of this. And that will require removing our colonialist shackles with the help of a new and improved 5D Chess.

Here’s a definition of colonialism from the United Nations University:

“…colonialism doesn’t have to involve direct colonisation through occupation. The term neo-colonialism refers to forms of domination and exploitation that are not predicated upon direct occupation or control. This is done through political, economic and socio-cultural arrangements that institutionalise relationships of dependence or subservience and enable the extraction of wealth and resources.” Kwame Nkrumah

Holders of a colonialist attitude experience a sense of superiority based on nothing. We’ve been bombarded with ugly messaging designed to pit us against each other. It makes us able to exploit others and the world around us because we feel entitled. And this attitude is like an infection we need to resist, because it’s contagious and poisonous. Solidarity is our greatest strength and their worst nightmare.

Take Trump’s version of 5D Chess, an excellent example of a colonialist attitude in action.

He didn’t honestly lay out what he was going to achieve and how he was going to achieve it. What can you expect from a former realtor and reality TV personality who’s gone bankrupt six times? He made some promises, yes, but no workable strategy to reach them. And then, predictably, he broke those promises. Did he end the wars, release the Epstein files or make life more affordable? No.

His 5D Chess is based on trickery, thuggery and deceit, and lining his and his family’s pockets. Unfortunately, there are no standards for this most powerful of positions, except having enough money to fund an election campaign. I’d like to see some qualifications including relevant experience, past performance, ability to analyze complex situations, and moral clarity to name a few off the top of my head.

Does anyone believe in him anymore? If so, it’s because of vision clouded by colonialist shackles.

Here’s what I’d like to achieve with this borrowed term: an accurate sense of where we are, a plan for surviving hard times, knowledge of who our allies are and who they are not, and a chance to move humanity in a better direction.

So right now the man child in charge of the USA is telling people the Strait of Hormuz is open, even though it’s closed. He signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran and has broken all of the conditions, one of which was that Iran would have control of the Strait of Hormuz. The USA has tried to sneak around this term, but Iran is not giving that up. Which means a lot of fuel, fertilizer and other essentials the western world depends on won’t make it through the strait, and that will probably plunge us into a global depression.

Thanks for nothing, President Trump.

In many ways, Iran is the turning point for the removal of our colonialist shackles. It’s as though everything about the western elite and the system it runs is being revealed. It started with Palestine, and Israel’s genocide for all to see on our screens. Instead of opposing this, the western world told us that if we sided with Palestine we were antisemitic. What an insult to our intelligence and to the many Jewish people who object to what Israel is doing!

Then along came the Epstein files which showed us what many of those who hold power do in their spare time, and what kinds of values they have.

Those things and their support for Trump’s illegal war on Iran tell us all we need to know about those who have been controlling our systems.

It’s as though Palestine was the thread that started the unravelling, the Epstein files gave it a good yank, and Iran is pulling it hard. We’re now in full unravel mode.

The things this group of powerful people is trying to convince us of are beyond belief. At least if our brains aren’t mired in colonialism.

As an example, take the recent death of Lindsey Graham. We’re told that he died of a heart attack in his home. However, as Larry Johnson outlines, he was in Ukraine at the time of his death. Why the story? Could it be that he was killed by a Russian missile, but the American press doesn’t want us to know this? As Larry says, who called 911 for this single, childless man?

And I hear that many who listen to mainstream media believe that the war against Iran was caused by the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, and not the other way around. The strait was closed as a result of the American and Israeli unprovoked attack on Iran. Before that the strait was open. That illegal act of war by the USA and Israel is what brought this situation on.

For so long, we’ve been persuaded by western media and popular culture that we in the west are superior to people in other countries, and even to people who are lower on the social hierarchy than we are. We’re encouraged to think we’re temporarily embarrassed millionaires. But do we want to identify with people implicated in the Epstein files, or who support genocide and unprovoked wars, and who don’t care about the rest of us?

Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and do some soul searching. Aren’t we better than this? Do we really want to be like the people who are creating the economic, societal and environmental messes we’re experiencing?

Isn’t it time we started to look out for each other, and help each other through these times? And isn’t it time we replaced the people in control who are only in it for themselves?

On that note, here are the elements of my five dimensional strategy.

1. The first is decolonizing our minds. If we feel superior to anyone, if we feel that our country or culture is superior to others, we should ask ourselves why. How did we get to be this way? Why are some lives considered more important than others? Of course we care more for friends and family, but what about our communities or the rest of the world? Everyone values life as much as we do, and deserves good food, a roof over their head, and a decent standard of living, just like we do.

2. The next is closely related to the first, and that is getting accurate news so that we’re not being bombarded by misleading and destructive propaganda. As Malcolm X once said, “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” And if we’re not careful, that’s what will happen to us with the information we’re being bombarded with. You can find links to news sources I trust here and here.

3. We know that we’re on the brink of troubled times, and that we need to look out for ourselves and each other, and the best way to do that is through community building. We have to do that as though our lives depend on it, because they do.

4. The next is activism, and that can take many forms. Everything from not buying what they’re selling to letting our political representatives know what we want and don’t want, to taking to the streets. We can put our money into credit unions instead of banks to keep it out of the hands of the military. We can boycott and divest. We can buy local, second hand and from independent businesses. We can refuse AI, and they sneak it into all kinds of crazy places…more on that later. And we can make our views known through writing, conversations, art and any other effective ways we can think of.

5. The above actions feel like the blood, organs, sinews, and bones of resistance but the last element is putting them all together and breathing life into them. The more of us who do these things, the better our chances are of bringing this world to a place of peace, plenty and health for all. We have the people, know how and the tools we need to do this. It’s time we put them all together to create something powerfully beautiful.

We can share everyday things we learn.

For example, I learned the other day that AI has been added to our gmail accounts, including mine. To get rid of it, go to the wheel on the top right of the email screen (between the question mark and the upgrade button), choose ‘see all settings’ and then uncheck the box that says Smart features, then uncheck the box labeled Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet. And don’t forget to hit the save button at the bottom. Here are instructions for deleting AI from gmail on our phones.

We can look out for ways to help each other through this. A friend of mine told me about a pay what you can idea that’s taking off in parts of the USA. People grow food and offer it to people who pay what they can, so even if they don’t have much money they’re able to eat well. I’d like to add a big pot of soup where people can have a bowl by donation to an arrangement like this.

This is just one example. Sharing tools, housing, food and other things will make life so much better for all of us. The more we free our minds, get correct information about what’s going on, and do what we can to make the changes we need, the better our chances of getting to a more desirable place together.

And we need to know that in the rest of the world, we have a lot of allies. Many people in countries not favoured by the west have a pretty accurate picture of what they want and don’t want. Some of them are getting organized through groups such as BRICS. If countries are being demonized by the west, that’s often a good indicator that they’re bettering the lives of their citizens, and that they’re our allies. I just saw this article by Michael Feldman about weaponizing human rights. In a nutshell, violations by our allies are ignored while those by nations out of favour are played up, and even sometimes fabricated.

Sharing takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it life becomes easier and more affordable. And when we know what’s actually going on in the world, it gives us perspective. Activism and community engagement connect us with others and can bring about change. When these things merge to become a culture of resistance and renewal, there’s a kind synergy that can turn things around.

Also, if you have a union, please support it. If you don’t but can start one in your workplace, please do. And if someone is running for office who has a good track record on the issues that count and aren’t funded by the rich, I hope you’ll support them.

We have enough of everything for all of us to live a good life, but we need some big changes.

So I hope my version of 5D Chess gives us a bit of hope, and some ideas and breathing space.

We can make this a joyous journey, celebrating each other, ditching what no longer serves us, and getting to a better place. So many have made huge strides towards decolonizing our world, and we in the west need to do our part.

* * * * * * *

I love the BDS campaign and the effect it’s having on Israel’s economy.

Here’s an excellent list of products from Israel: https://boycott.thewitness.news/categories

Here are some factsheets about Israel: https://www.cjpme.org/factsheets

And here’s where you can support Palestine by buying a kufiya: https://www.kufiya.org/

Here are some tips for hard times that might come in handy.

And you can find links to news sources I trust here and here.

* * * * * * *

A big thank you to my paid subscribers. Your support really encourages me! I so appreciate you, and am glad you value my writing.