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Part 4.  The virus is the pin that deflated the bubble of everything

“  In less than three decades, a mere blink of the eye in historical terms, the United States has gone from the world’s sole superpower to a massive foundering wreck that is helpless before the coronavirus and intent on blaming the rest of the world for its own shortcomings.  … But how and why did this pitiable condition come about? Is it all Donald Trump’s fault as so many now assume? Or did the process begin earlier?

The answer for any serious student of imperial politics is the latter. ... two things are clear. One is that the process did not start under Trump, while the other is that it will undoubtedly continue regardless of who wins in November. Once collapse sets in, it’s impossible to stop.”  (1)

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Part 3. an unquestionable qualitative difference

By way of introduction let me first observe that, for the first time since the emergence of High-Modernity, Western governments have answered a pandemic by privileging peoples’ lives over the profits of capital. What is it that motivated such a political turning point ?

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Part 2.  Timeline of the Chinese answers to the outbreak of ‘Covid-19’

The fact that the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in Wuhan does not imply that the virus originated in Wuhan. In matter of fact the origin of COVID-19 is still unknown. Calling it “China virus” or “Wuhan virus” is thus dishonest to say the least. It reflects a will, by those who use such terms, to manipulate peoples’ minds and glue in the collective unconscious a narrative that satisfies their ideological interests.

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Part 1.  Western propaganda distorts reality 

Late-Modernity, humanity’s present historical era, is being swept by two waves of worldwide changes that impact one another and announce a new historical era in the forming:

• the Late-Modern governance-world is undergoing a shift of its center of gravity from the West to the East (1)

• the side-effects of Modernity are increasingly becoming a threat to life on earth

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I wrote the following in the introduction of “What is going on ? ” and it describes perfectly well what the present CoronaVirus episode, in the History of Late-Modernity, is unleashing on human societies the world over :

The spectacle of a Western break-down

I had written a comment as a response on an article titled "It’s Time for Conscious Uncoupling With China" that was written by Dan Harris and published on "The China law blog" this April 11, 2020.

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I now share this response on my blog because "The China Law Blog" censured it while in no way does it peddle fake-news, nor does it attack individuals, nor does it use foul language. It conveys an analytical sketch of the present moment in history. In other words refusing to publish it was a blatant act of censuring free speech. A screenshot of freedom made in the USA...

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First devastating societal blow in Late-Modernity (1)

I have been busy these last 4 months making one thousand and twelve digital transformations of painting 2-02 of my 'grand project' series. 

The CoronaVirus outbreak that occurred in China in the beginning of January soon locked me down in Beijing and this eliminated the brouhaha of society that helped me to focus on the technicalities of digital imaging. 

But the extraordinary nature of the epidemic, and the even more extraordinary nature of the language that was accompanying it, kept me coming back to the web. What impressed me most is that while the epidemic transformed in a pandemic the language in use in the West morphed into virulent propaganda; a sign that the pandemic is somehow radically altering the geo-political balance of power. 

My intellectual curiosity was aroused and to get a better grip on the reality I decided that after finishing this series of digital transformations I would restart to write about the societal and geo-political transformations that are taking place under our very eyes. 

What follows is a new series of posts that will form, the first draft material of, a 3rd book about our contemporary circumstances.

Book 1 :  "A growing disconnect between East and West".  Published in October 2018

Book 2 :  "What is going on ? ".  Published on the 06th of December 2019.

Book 3 :  "A first devastating blow in Late-Modernity".

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The 4th batch of 256 paintings of wall 202 are online

Pushing the envelope to 19.2 x 28.8 meters ...  (continuum of 1024 digital paintings). 

This 4th batch represents the 4th quarter of the wall (D) and represents 256 paintings...  

The print size of each digital painting is 60 x 90 cm and the complete gallery of this 4th quarter of wall 2-02 is now online (Gallery D = 256 paintings).

Here under are a few samples from this collection of 256 digital paintings.

The 3rd batch of 256 paintings of wall 202 are online

Pushing the envelope to 19.2 x 28.8 meters ...  (continuum of 1024 digital paintings). 

The third batch represents the 3rd quarter of the wall and represents 256 paintings...  The print size of each digital painting is 60 x 90 cm.

The complete gallery of this second quarter of wall 2-02 is online (Gallery C = 256 paintings).

Here under are a few samples from this collection of 256 digital paintings.

The 2nd batch of 256 paintings of wall 202 are online

Pushing the envelope to 19.2 x 28.8 meters ...  (continuum of 1024 digital paintings). 

This second batch represents the second quarter of 256 paintings...  The print size of each digital painting is 60 x 90 cm.

The complete gallery of this second quarter of wall 2-02 is online (Gallery B = 256 paintings).

Here under are a few samples from this collection of 256 digital paintings.

The first 256 paintings of wall 202 are online

Since Beijing is still at a standstill, due to the coronavirus spreading from Wuhan, I initiated a new series of digital variations from painting 2-02 of the grand project.

Once terminated this new wall will total 1024 digital paintings that will be available as limited edition prints sized each at 60 x 90 cm.

The complete gallery of the first quarter (A = 256 paintings) of wall 2-02 is online.

Here under are a few samples from this collection of 256 digital paintings.

Wall 201 is online

I took the opportunity of Beijing's standstill, due to the coronavirus spreading from Wuhan, to terminate a new series of digital variations,

The complete gallery of wall 2-01 is online.

Here under are a few samples from this collection of 256 digital paintings.

The seven trends that will define China in the 2020s

This is a summary and a commentary on a very interesting article by Andrew Leung titled "The seven trends that will define China in the 2020s " that was published today 2020-01-04 in the South China Morning Post.

We are rapidly sliding into a new era

The 20ths of the 21st century are going to be remembered as a turning point in world History. Vital trends have been accelerating for years and are now reaching a tipping point. The overriding factor at work here is the shift of the center of gravity of the economy-world from the West (with Washington-NewYork at its core) to the East (with Beijing-Shanghai at its core.

Wall 105 is online

Wall 105. 9.6 x 14.4 meters.

The complete gallery, of all 256 digital variations of painting 1-05 from "the grand project"  is online.


Check some of these here under

Wall 104 is online

Oil painting 1-04. Size 60 x 90 cm.

The complete gallery, of all 256 digital variations of painting 1-04 from "the grand project"  is finally online.

Digital transformations wall 104. (02).

Some new transformations of original painting 1-04 from the Grand Project.

Digital transformations wall 104

Some new digital transformations

1. First some links to necessary technical information:

• what is the "Grand Project" ?
• differences between digital transformations and algorithmic painting
• how does organic art measure up in artistic evoluttion
• galleries to Digital Transformations Walls 101, 102, 103

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First 2 paintings from the 104 series

I started the digital transformations of painting 1-04 of the "grand project". This series will total 256 digital paintings and they are forming a continuum as you can see on Digital transformations 1 +  2. When this series is terminated the wall of 256 paintings will have a size of  9.6 x 14.4 meters. The original oil painting as well as the prints of each digital transformation have a size of 60 x 90 cm.

Click on images to blow up to your screen width.

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What is going on ? The book.

 

 

1. Book

 

 

I just published "What is going on ?" in book form (302 pages). Click here for a free download.

This is a first version customization in book form of my series of 14 posts going by the same title.  

After letting the book settle for a while I'll eventually further edit the text.

In the meantime I would be grateful to anyone for any suggestions or critiques. Please use the comment section or the mail-form.

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7.5. finding meaning in life

Everyone can find meaning in life by concentrating on perfection in the execution of one’s activities or in sharing the love of a family or of a community of friends. But does this appease our existential questions ? Does it help us find solace in our societal arrangement ? Or more generally is this satisfying all the demands of the mind ?

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7.4. knowledge formation and societal evolution

Two ideas, stand out in “7.2. About the mind and thinking“, that have fundamental implications for the societal process of knowledge formation :

1. “ the total power of the ‘body’s processing machine’¹ is bound to remain hidden forever from our thinking mind “
   
   
2. “ the difficulty to master the process of conscious reconciliation of the subconscious experience is an intrinsic limitation to the formation of knowledge “

This post addresses the following:

7.4.1. The role of the mind

7.4.2. Limitations to the societal formation of knowledge  

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What’s going on here? (12)

7. Finding meaning in life

 

This post addresses the following:

7.1.  on the emergence of societal evolution and art

7.2.   about the mind and thinking

7.3.   about truthfulness: the mind and society

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What’s going on here ? (11)

6. societal collapse


Over their thousands of years of observation, of nature and of human activities in nature, the ancient tribal wo(men) of knowledge concluded that humans have a nefarious tendency to damage their habitat. To counter this tendency they devised what is called “the precautionary principle” or in the words of Black Elk “the 7th Generation principle”.1 Both of these principles teach that it is imperative to make certain every, personal or societal, decision will not negatively impact the life of future generations. These principles are part of a worldview that was elaborated over the long time span of tens of thousands of years.


With Modernity ‘the reason that is at work within capital’ concerns itself with one thing only and that is to generate profits. Those who venerate the reason get rich and enjoy an abundance of material possessions. All other citizens envy their richness and the abundance of their possessions. This worldview was elaborated over the relatively short time span of 6-8 centuries.
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What’s going on here ? (10)

5. art in the societal maelstrom

 
“ The situation we are in –in terms of what receives attention and prominence– is post-art. At this time, and in social space, art is basically an adjunct of the entertainment business. … The issue is how to snap art out of its death trance –living its own death, so to speak– and make it once again a living and lived experience.” ¹.

“How to snap art out of its death trance and make it once again a living and lived experience” ?    Hum… assumptions will not revive the function of art Mr. Kuspit !

The reality is that, over 99.9% of the historical span of societal evolution, art was first and foremost a societal matter while the individual genius was at best an accessory. In that sense snapping art out of its death trance, if it ever happens, will be a societal feat and not the heroic act of individual geniuses. And the probability, that such a societal feat will be instigated by human will, does not register high on the scale of realism.

But how did art enter its death trance in the first place ?

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