8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
1/13
TIME IMMEMORIAL OR
UNREMEMBERED?
"It's a question of economics," began Sanor in his
most powerful oratorial voice. He looked around at
his audience, he could see they were enraptured by
his power but he felt a little unsure of their
reception of his subject matter.
He continued. "You mentioned the situation inAfrica, or in the other parts of the Third World, but,
and I emphasise this," and he did with an
expansive movement of his arm that would have
swept all and sundry within a metre, "it is not to do
with ignorant savages, tribal divisions or Third
World propensities for growing their own dictators".
He paused, reflecting on the quality of hismetaphor in view of the importance of agriculture
in these countries.
"No it is not these which constitute the African
problem. In fact," he paused again for melodramatic
effect "it is not Africans who are the problem",
except for the few traitorous dictators who had beenbought off, "it is their economic masters."
He looked around as he hesitated. A good orator
judges the mood of his audience, and he felt there
was chance of success. He tried to gauge the
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
2/13
imagined light bulbs, those instruments of
enlightenment that almost became tangibles to the
more successful of speakers. Yes he could almost
feel the power begin to surge in one or two places.The restlessness that often accompanied the start
of his speeches was beginning to be replaced in part
by a reflective silence.
In some cases there was an almost electric desire
for knowledge - personified by the woman in the
second row who was almost on the edge of her seat.Still, he mused to himself, she had looked at him
with interest before he had begun to speak.
Prescience, his oratorical arrogance told him, but
he did look to his lower body as other parts gave
him a different message. He shuffled
embarrassedly as he returned his mind to the
speech. He looked pointedly at the young woman."These countries have never been given their
independence. After the second World War these
countries with their war-trained armies began
striving for independence. But there was conflict,
counter this with the war economies of the colonists
who had developed a more entrenched andexploitative control. Ah!!," he looked around again
"many people forget this in their analysis." There
were some nods of acceptance. He continued, things
seemed to be going his way today. "So these
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
3/13
colonists were demanding continuance of their
economic superiority whilst the armies wanted to
ally their war-gained personal independence with
that of their country. Now in different countries thedifferent empires dealt with it in their own way. In
some cases they created all out armed conflict
which meant the need for armed oppression. In
other cases they tried to lessen the differences by
employing the war-heroes and buying them off in
that way. Hence the lower echelons of many civil
services were autochthonous - African to you and
me!"
He laughed with his audience, he made a point of
using the technical words. By demystifying the
language used by the system he felt that he was
taking away one of the weapons they used for
maintaining ignorance - it was obvious that some inthe audience had heard him before. He smiled at
the girl who had laughed after he had.
She was very attractive, he thought. "One thing
that the colonial b...," he paused and thought better
of the word, "these colonial rulers knew that they
couldn't maintain control as they had been doing.Firstly their armies were depleted by the war and
secondly the peoples were beginnning to demand
independence. They didn't really want to remain as
colonial oppressors anyway."
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
4/13
"Why you ask?" he saw the half-formed questions "
economic reasons again, it was cheaper to have
others do their dirty work if, and it's a big IF, they
get what they wanted. And that is cheap naturalresources and cheap labour."
He was now beginning to make his links, they were
now beginning to recognise the economic content.
"So gradually the European empires allowed a
minor shift within the power bases of their colonies.
Instead of being the oppressors themselves withinthese countries, and being white they were easily
singled out as such, they paid off local chiefs to do
their dirty work. In fact the French used to allow
some to join their parliament, not enough to have
any great effect. But by the time they had retired
from dictatorial megalomania they simply wanted
their villas and servants in the South of Franceanyway."
"This question of race was strange. In South Africa
subsidiaries of European and American companies
exploited and murdered many African workers. But
then these same people attacked the Dutch
colonials who didn't really have any power. But theyattacked them because they were white. So there
was much publicity about apartheid but the
hypocritical ignorance of these middle-class twits
who sit at soirees or evening meals condemning the
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
5/13
Dutch in South Africa whilst they live off the
profits of their own subsidiaries."
"Of course the government never bothered because
although they feigned ignorance and stupidity theyknew which side their bread was buttered.
Particularly the Tories they spend a few years of
unpopular power and then when they're out of
office they get directorships in the companies they
have won contracts for. This is where the real battle
for Africa lies in the consumer societies in the West.And this battle is hard for it is fought on many
strange fronts. Despite the fact that this society
claims to be rational, it is fought on the most
irrational of fronts - a total aim at discrediting
anyone who claims to tell the full truth. Partial
truths are fine they appeal to the consciences of the
academics while they are being bought off, theseacademics stand up and pretend they are fighting
for socialism. And the people from their cocktail
parties and suburban parties with their suburban
political screwing techniques and political chat-up
lines:- "Oh Norman I had never thought of that" as
her slightly inebriated breath gasps heavily as her
thighs rub next to his under the dinner table, his
hand supposedly adjusting his napkin moving
slowly up and down the inside of her leg through
the gap in her exquisite cocktail dress. Politics,
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
6/13
these people know nothing of politics, they simply
play the parlour games that they are allowed by the
system. These people who control the system they
know the best way to control people that is to allowthem to believe they are doing it for ultimate good."
"Ultimate good!" he repeated with heavy sarcasm,
"Ultimate good, for King and country or the coffers
of the war machine, it is a matter of sovereignty or
is it a matter of billions in the defence industry.
Britain like America cannot do without itsindustrial-military complex, the economy would fall
apart. As would the economy of the nuclear
industry."
"And here's another part of the economic question.
Everyone knows nuclear bombs are pointless, who
needs them? It was very early on that USA and
USSR had enough of the bloody things to kill usmany times over. So why did they build them?
Quite simple, to maintain the economy. "
He noticed someone get up, he hated that. It was
obvious they were going to the toilet but couldn't
they see this was really important, couldn't they see
that if they really understood all this there wouldbe no problem? Oh he despaired sometimes but he
had to remain detached, ah detachment that was
the way - superior control of the mind, by the spirit.
Unity, that meant that whatever he did was true.
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
7/13
He felt refreshed with that reminder of spiritual
succour.
"You see all these things come from the economy
but it is not simply barter, it's exchange severaltimes over. The more you use your money the better
it creates your economy. But here's the crux of the
whole issue, " he noticed a yawn. Yes, learning is a
hard job, it makes you tired. Yes yawning was often
a good sign. To his right a hand moved "Please if
you don't mind I will take questions at the end, it'simportant that I explain these things in a logical
order, or otherwise newer members might not
understand too well." He enjoyed this club and was
always pleased when they asked him back, they
often did.
The man did not ask the question. "Ah the crux.
These economies are not based on money they arebased on trust and confidence. Yes I know you won't
believe it but they are. If we stopped all the credit
and loans and so on, and said that everyone had to
pay their debts now, it would all collapse. Take the
old Westerns they showed on the TV, you know
when they had runs on the banks. Someone wouldlose confidence in the bank and then word would
pass from stetson to stetson, and soon everyone
would draw out their money until the bank ran out.
They'd start shooting each other and then the bank
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
8/13
manager and so on. Well that could happen now. No
not the shooting but there could be a run. In fact
there was a run. The Japanese one day decided that
they would not transfer their funds across the worldto an American bank. One of the banks subsidiaries
had had some trouble with oil and had gone bust so
everyone was troubled about this big American
bank so they all drew out their money. More and
more people drew out their money until the bank
almost went bust. It was only saved by the other
banks pooling together and backing all their loans.
"But confidence is even more important than this.
The money they deal with on their exchanges
doesn't exist. Bankers know that only $1 in 8 is
likely to be drawn out at any one time so they lend
the rest. All the dealings on the stock markets are
based on non-existent money which is supposedlyincreased by speculation. But it all doesn't exist.
The way in which these people control the world
with their supposed vast stores of capital and yet it
doesn't exist. Can you believe it? It doesn't exist!"
He looked round, they didn't seem to believe it. But
who could blame them, it was incredulous! It'sfiction, he thought. "To return to my theme. If these
banks can get together to support each other why, if
they were caring, can't they get together and
support banks in Africa or South America? Simple
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
9/13
because they would lose control of their economy
and all the profits would not go to the big multi-
nationals but maybe to the people who actually do
the work."You see those multi-nationals they control the One
Economy - the title of my lecture." He thought that
he had made the connection well but no-one seemed
to have got it. "Didn't you listen?" he asked "that is
really important. Everyone blames governments
this and governments that but it's not true. Evenhere the governments are just puppets, paid
puppets to take the f lack to take the blame, buffers
for the capitalist. Don't you see they are not that
stupid, they know what they're doing can't work.
It's not meant to, don't you see?" he saw a man
standing at the back - he must have just walked in.
Was he government? Still he must continue hecouldn't let his audience down even if they didn't
fully understand.
"The reason you don't believe all this is because
they won't allow you to be told. They control
everything you hear. I know it sounds paranoid but
they do. In schools if a teacher talks about this,they are told that what they are teaching is biased
and political and it must not be taught. But if they
teach about oppressive African dictators or the
wonderful British people for all their aid or all the
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
10/13
work that governments do for inner cities then they
are not being political, they are being fair. Don't you
see this is true?"
He felt his voice beginning to crack, he tried to calmdown but this was so important. "And then the
media they're the same. Who employs the editors,
who runs the publishers, who pays the TV bosses?
They aren't going to allow the truth to be told, they
don't want people to know what bastards they are,
how they kill babies in Africa, how their callousnessallows millions to die in the Third World while they
hoard their millions in rich castles in Palm Springs.
Palm Springs where millions is spent to maintain a
moneyed arrogance that they can defeat nature."
By now he was banging on the table, he knew he
was a bit loud and he was getting a bit carried away
but after all this was really important. If thesepeople could really see this if they could pass it on,
then maybe more and more would get to know the
truth. The latecomer had moved nearer the front,
did he recognise him? And the girl now wore a
pained expression didn't she not now understand
him?"And they always prevent you from telling! Oh yes
they let you say it. Oh yes there is nothing to stop
you from saying it to one or two people but on the
media - no! And if you were having any effect, oh
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
11/13
they'd stop you they'd put you in prison or they'd
lock you away. I know friends of mine, all they did
was say what I've been telling you and they were
locked away. They were causing a public nuisanceor whatever, and the judges they just locked them
away. Oh our legal system that is supposed to be
unbiased but they obey the law, whose law? The law
of the One Economy. There is only one law. Let us
kill as many people as we like so we can gain untold
wealth and kill off anybody who disagrees with us.
Don't you realise this?"
He looked around again and he recognised the
latecomer in the white coat. He moved over towards
his friends in the audience. "It's not only the law
that's not fair. Doctors and psychiatrist they are
their tools. Madness what is madness? They don't
know, madness? You aren't mad! They are, they letthese people do it, they let them get away with all
their killing and all their exploitation just for bits of
paper. Just so they can say I've got more bits of
paper or I've got more bits of rock. Don't you see?"
He began shaking Napeon in the audience "Don't
you see? We aren't mad, they are. Their rules putus here, not natural rules, not rules that are right
and true. They call us mad but we're not, they are.
They are told to put us here and they do it."
He continued to shake Napeon whose face became
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
12/13
redder and redder until the attendant came up and
forcibly grabbed him by the arm. Sanor tried
struggling but these police were big - they were the
same as police - he continued to struggle but thenanother one came along and stuck the syringe in
him. He shouted "It's One Economy, don't you see?
Won't you listen to me?"
But his words were not heard, as his brain numbed
by the drug, couldn't control his lips enough to form
them. As he was being taken to his room the nurseasked "Do you ever listen to him?"
"I never listen to any of them otherwise you become
mental like them." She looked at him and nodded.
The girl looked on as the three walked off. She still
loved him but she couldn't tell him. If he knew he'd
only tell them, and she would be certified sane and
thrown out. And he so needed her - maybe he'd playtheir game one day.
The two time-watchers clicked off their screen.
They never failed to be amazed at the depths and
depravity of the twentieth century - and the
gullibility of its people.
The next two time-watchers examined their screen,they were continually amazed at the arrogance of
the so-called advanced.
The last time-watchers were ashamed to look
8/12/2019 Time Immemorial
13/13
back!!!
Wai Zarendhara (1982)