Civil protection is a disaster

Civil protection is a disaster. How can you protect yourself?

In 1992, I spent a month in prison for refusing to perform civil defence duties For those who don't know, Protection Civile) is a quasi-military federal organisation created in the aftermath of the Second World War to protect the population against political or natural disasters. It includes an obligation to serve for those who do not complete the army, or who have completed the army but have not reached the age of fifty.

In 1989, I simply left the course, unable to put up with this kind of stupidity any longer. I then quickly sent a file to the Geneva management of this organisation, in which I explained my reasons for refusing to serve, and in which I proposed to fulfil my days of compulsory service by carrying out a study of the organisation and the improvements that could be made to it. Polite refusal, court case, thirty-day sentence and exclusion from the CP Since then, the organisation has gone through some major crises

Fundamentally, the health of a population is not decided in the offices of an administration, but in the conscience and heart of each and every one of us. But today,’ I wrote in 1989, ’our conscience is polluted by an impressive array of fears Judgements are distorted and intelligence, perverted, has become almost impervious to common sense.

This is why I refer in this document to human qualities that are apparently far removed from the concerns of our administrations. I wish to show that in its current conception and organisation - apart from its new Geneva formula - the CP is not only ineffective, but may well have perverse effects that weaken its organisation and raison d'être. In the following report, I assert a number of forgotten facts, point out the aberrations of the CP and suggest sensible and motivating alternatives. In fact, this reflection goes far beyond the framework of Civil Protection. I hope it will help to restore a little common sense...

Of course, this document is a summary of my thoughts on the subject. I am available for interviews or any other development.

Thank you for your interest. Alain-Yan Mohr, November 1991

This document was sent to the governing bodies of the CP and to the press.

Press clipping reporting the event at the end of the article.

File

Gravity is the happiness of fools Montesquie

I do not believe in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance T Carlyl

It takes an exceptional mind to analyse the obvious A.N. Whitehea

Orientation

We need civil protection Not only do the risks of disaster exist, but they are accentuated by technology and the changes that man is making to the environment. It is not only legitimate, but desirable for a population to be organised to deal with such events.

But this is not enough Protecting a population against disasters or invaders should only be a minor aspect of an overall concept of security. The organisation of the security of the Swiss people is based almost exclusively on the logic of reacting to circumstances.

Yet it seems obvious that a population cowering behind its fears is far more vulnerable than a population determined to create the conditions for harmony. The army and civil defence cost the community billions every year, but to date there is no proframme on the scale of the CP (or the army) to encourage individual responsibility and the creation of harmony.

But what reality are we encouraging?

In my opinion, the ignorance and almost general apathy of the population and the governing bodies with regard to the choices of reality represent a far greater danger than natural disasters or ethnic conflicts: they serve as a breeding ground for them.

Stopping the famine of hope

To flourish, the mind needs beauty, freedom and MEANING. Today, these qualities are becoming increasingly rare in our environment. So much so that crises are multiplying, like so many alarm bells. but it's impossible to cure the thirst for authenticity with anti-depressants. On the whole, our society seems blind to this obvious fact Most of our efforts are invested in denying and silencing the most natural of our needs: to live, to enjoy, to blossom freely, to die and be reborn to oneself, to express beauty...

I'm not being over-simplistic: billions of francs are spent every year in our country alone to compensate for this absence of meaning and beauty, the basic nourishment of the human being. Just look at the cost of illness (what perverse minds have called the ‘cost of health’), the army, the legal system, social programmes, etc. Everything is upside down, distorted and distorted. Everything is upside down, distorted and sick. In my opinion, no political, social or individual approach is coherent unless it attaches concrete and fundamental importance to these nourishments of being: meaning, beauty and freedom. The denial of these qualities leads to illness, fear, anaesthesia of the spirit and all the problems that ensue.

In this respect, our structures and institutions show a blindness, a stubbornness in the absurd and an ignorance that endangers the community. Civil Protection is a case in point Its spirit, its basic axioms, its organisation and its leaders are the embodiment of the elements needed to bring down a civilisation. If this sounds like an exaggeration, you've already been infected.

The current approach to Civil Protection: a disaster

The bureaucracy defends the satus quo long after the quo has lost its status L-Peter

As it is conceived, Civil Protection is an offshoot of the fears of 1939-45, and in that sense it represents a systematic affirmation of the fears of the latter war. CP actively promotes these fears It has far too much of a tendency to raise the spectre of disaster to justify its existence.

Civil Protection is necessary But it needs to complement it, to be the twin sister of another organisation whose mission is to encourage the creation of harmony. Otherwise, it lacks an essential element of coherence, which makes it unhealthy and unbalanced.

I would like to make it clear that I appreciate Geneva's reform of the Swiss Pension Fund. It is the work of a... pioneer I sincerely hope that the other cantons will learn from it. However, the criticisms that I have levelled at the Civil Protection system in general probably also apply in part to the Geneva organisation: the problem runs deep...

When it was set up, the Civil Protection organisation had charitable intentions. But from the outset, whatever their intentions, the designers of the CP built a vast organisation around their fears, superbly ignoring the fact that, at both individual and collective levels, hopes and fears have a natural tendency to come true, following the mechanisms of the mind.

Many criticisms have already been levelled at Civil Protection, and I don't want to make a complete list of them. I simply wish to give a few examples and emphasise the extent to which the lack of vision has devalued this organisation In its current form and organisation, CP has become an insult to human beings

It encourages fear and isolation, reinforces the vicious circle of fear and security and accentuates the latent selfishness of the citizen. It lacks the frame of reference to be constructive and life-oriented. It is an abyss of inertia: if it were a private company, it would have gone bankrupt a long time ago. It's a monument to inefficiency, run by people with no vision, all strapped into their roles and uniforms. The people in charge of CP take their jobs for granted They have forgotten that they serve the taxpayer. Worse still, they are scandalised if the public dares to question their activities. How could it be otherwise? They have no logic other than protection, and no exciting prospects.

Civil defence is a bastion of the civil servant mind. Its organisation smacks of the army Under the pretext of protecting a population, the administration forces citizens to serve, threatening them with imprisonment if necessary. Integrated into a creative policy, the CP would turn people away.

The administrative apparatus suffers from elephantiasis It is blind, rigid and mind-numbing. An obsession with logistical detail even overshadows the organisation's raison d'être. When you lose sight of your ideals (assuming you have any), you fall back on methods and processes. But without goals, they become useless Many people become cynical because they have found nothing to love.

There are few experiences as boring and demoralising as Civil Protection courses. By a curious coincidence, you're bored to death. There's no trace of the enthusiasm that should go hand in hand with the feeling of doing something useful. The teaching system is ineffective, null and void, demotivating as can be, and repulsive to the mind. This is a natural reaction, as the mind quickly dulls in the absence of prospects for a better life.

In short, Civil Protection is withering away for lack of a soul. Below, I suggest a few avenues for development that would enable this organisation and other federal departments to gain cohesion and finally acquire real credibility

To protect a population, we must first and foremost encourage life...

The trouble with our times is that there are so many signposts but no destination... L. Kronenberge

We have an army, a civil defence service, a federal administration, tax departments and insurance companies, but there is no institution of the same importance that encourages the population to create the conditions for harmony. To date, there is no programme on the scale of the CP (or the army) to encourage individual responsibility and the creation of harmony.

Citizens are obliged to serve in the army and in civil defence, they have to pay for health insurance, pension funds and gargantuan administrative systems. They pay the price for absurd policies. There is no alternative, and the administration breaks down individuals who refuse its dictates. Then we are surprised by the lack of meaning, the inner resignation and irresponsibility of the individual.

What kind of future are we investing in?

Civil protection, the army and federal institutions are incomplete They lack a parallel body, with a budget at least equivalent to that of the army, whose function would be to promote and encourage the creation of beauty, harmony, freedom and the fulfilment of inner values.

This is a pure and simple extension of the concept of prevention

‘Anyone who studies the flowering and fall of cultures cannot fail to be impressed by the role that images of the future play in history The rise and fall of images precedes the rise and fall of cultures As long as the image of a society is flourishing and positive, the flower of its culture is in full bloom. But when the image begins to wither and lose its vitality, the culture cannot survive much longer. Fred Polak, Rise and Fall of Civilization

As long as we ignore the human dimension of the ‘citizen’, no reform of Civil Protection - or of any other federal structure - is likely to result in a sensible, sustainable and constructive concept to which the individual can fully adhere.

In fact, the major problems faced by those charged with reforming Civil Protection - and other major national institutions - is that they are working from frames of reference that are too narrow, inanimate and inaccessible. The colour of overalls or the brand of gas mask is irrelevant. Once integrated into a wider context, CP would take on a new meaning and its reform would become quick and easy. Logistically speaking, the new Geneva formula for the CP is proof of this. All it needs now is a supplementary body...

What would be the main features of such a scheme? The mission of such an organisation could be articulated as follows

To encourage and foster the development of human beings, in their material, relational and spiritual reality, by promoting confidence, beauty, love, overall health and freedom...

And its action

Working towards the emergence of a high-synergy society.

In a little more detail, this would include, for example

Studying, planning and implementing systems to encourage individual responsibility and ethics. This is an area limited only by the imagination For example

Transforming the taxation system to encourage those whose activities are constructive for the community and taxing heavily those who essentially profit from the community.

Encouraging individual responsibility in the areas of health, job creation, autonomy and the creation of harmony in the environment.

Study and implement the reform of institutions so that they encourage freedom, individual responsibility, the creation of beauty and the fulfilment of ‘spiritual’ values. (It should be remembered that At present, our institutions encourage blind obedience, greed, dependence and irresponsibility on the part of the individual.

Educate for, promote and encourage awakened consciousness

Learn to use thought intelligently, to understand the mechanisms by which individual and collective reality are created, to develop individual responsibility, to highlight the interrelationships between all phenomena (the priority is to teach people to think harmoniously, not to stockpile gas masks).

Promote inner truth (also known as honesty) as an operating principle.

Encourage voluntary simplicity.

But also

Collaborate with other social sectors in an advisory capacity, always to encourage the above qualities.

Actively encourage research into and the introduction of non-polluting energy sources and free energy, both for industry and for individuals.

Develop preventive health programmes, both at work and for individuals, taking into account the psychological reality of the individual and his or her need for meaning.

Encourage a cleaner environment, research into new urban planning systems, etc.

Etc

There are peace institutes and proposals for an active peace policy have already been put forward. But in general, these bodies lack imagination. We need to create something radically new, something of a different dimension. According to the dictionary, peace is ‘the absence of war’. This illustrates our lack of references when it comes to talking about harmony. Most of our institutions - the army, the police, etc. - manage and organise the consequences of distorted human thinking. It's time to invest the resources and energy needed to put things right.

Of course, such a project would provoke resistance But in the medium term, it would generate a great deal of interest and enthusiasm. This approach could be an important catalyst A sufficiently broad and innovative project would make it possible to integrate into a single dynamic social trends that were previously isolated or in conflict. Marginal’ trends would see their specific features take on added value for the community and move from an anti-active or reactive mode to a proactive mode.

These proposals imply a considerable softening of institutions and the beginnings of a change in mentality Institutions must be open to life, serving individuals and not the other way round. The consciousness of leaders must change, or else we must change our leaders. We don't need Boy Scout leaders, we need visionary leaders. In any case, if they don't change on their own, sooner or later reality will dig them out.

today, events are happening fast Wherever you look, you can see that the system is no longer working. The survival of the economy depends on the timid faith of short-sighted technocrats with a primitive intelligence, the institutions are stubbornly defending the values responsible for our debacle, and so on and so forth.

The nightmare has lasted long enough We need to open our eyes The universe is a safe place, and the Earth offers us life, air, food and beauty. It's time to put in place a lifestyle policy that breaks with the prevailing reflex of imprisoning ourselves in obligations and fears. It's a call to common sense and to life.

These concepts that I have shared with you in these few pages are close to my heart. I sincerely hope that they will be widely shared. I hope I have interested you sufficiently for you to contribute to their dissemination.

Alain-Yan Mohr, November 1991

This dossier is available for download In French: Dossier PC