NM's blog

 After genociding between 70,000 and 100,000 Palestinians, genociding reality and history is essential .

What does normative Buddhism have to say about capitalism, obscene inequality, commodification of everything, exploitation…? Normative Buddhism—the core, scriptural teachings found in early texts like the  Pali Canon —does not directly use 19th- or 20th-century political terms like "capitalism". However, it contains a clear, systematic critique of the exact psychological and social mechanisms that drive global capitalism:  insatiable greed ( lobha ), institutionalized craving ( tanha ), and the exploitation of living beings .  [1, 2, 3]  Normative texts address these systemic issues through a distinct ethical framework: 💡 1. The Core Critique: Institutionalised Craving ( Tanha ) Modern economic systems rely on advertising and culture to fuel an ever-growing desire for consumption, a dynamic that normative Buddhism directly diagnoses as the root cause of human suffering ( dukkha ).  [2, 3]  The Delusion of "More":  The  Mahanidana Sutta  outl...

Berlin has long been a hotbed for working-class organizing and radical left-wing politics .

In the two recent local elections in Germany there was a clear 10 percentage point gender gap, with men more likely to vote for the AfD and women more likely to vote for left and centre-left options. Any comparison with other elections in Europe? Yes, the "modern gender gap"—where men lean toward the far-right and women support left or center-left parties—is a well-documented phenomenon across Europe.  This division is particularly acute among younger generations (Millennials and Generation Z). Data from the  European Election Studies (EES)  reveals that across the EU,  21% of men under 30 supported a far-right or right-wing populist party, compared to only 14% of young women .  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]  The table below illustrates how the gender gap manifests in specific European countries: Cross-European Gender Gap Comparison Country Far-Right Trends (Men) Left / Centre-Left Trends (Women) Context & Dynamics Sweden Strong support for the far-right  Sweden...