Each one of his books is an event. While the ecological, social and political crisis is becoming more and critical, the most sexy of essayists, Raphaël Glucksmann, offers us keys to take over our destiny in Les enfants du vide. Five reasons to read this brilliant book:
Because you also are a “child of the void”
So, what’s the story? If you are between zero and fifty-one years old, Raphaël Glucksmann considers you like a “child of the void”. Understand: an individual born in an era where the social link is undergoing a crisis and where the collective structures tend to disappear. For example, the syndicates and the political parties have fewer and fewer members, parents send their kids less and less to summer camps, and book shops are filled with books on personal development. To illustrate his purpose, the boyfriend or Léa Salamé compares us to Russell Crowe and his character Maximus in the film Gladiator: while the film Spartacus, produced 40 years earlier, tells the story of collective revolt of slaves against the Roman empire, Maximus, for his part, conducts his vengeance on his own— social struggle boils down to him alone. The result of this growing individualism? “Everything around us and inside us spreads out the immensity of a desert of sense.” Gasp...
To really understand what’s wrong with our society
While prevailing individualism and social solitude can be suitable for certain persons, who prefer to only depend on themselves in order never to be obliged to anyone, the son of philosopher André Glucksmann warns us: those who know how to say “us” today are not strong defenders of democracy or freedom (cf Donald Trump in the US, Salvini in Italy or Bolsonaro in Brazil). In short, the danger or withdrawing within oneself is that it leads to the triumph of extremisms.
To realize that democracy could (really) disappear
You don’t believe it? Look at your neighbours! The 39-year-old novelist and film director explains that as precursors, the Italians invented a Berlusconi that has spread throughout the Western world. They were also the ones who had a Macron before his time with Matteo Renzi, who was followed by the sovereigntist, populist and identity building Matteo Salvini three years later. It’s of course what risks to happen here if we don’t change our approach of democracy, if the social inequalities are not filled out, forming a harmonious population will be an untenable situation.
Because ecology wins you over!
If, through consumerism, production, pollution, our relationship with the world contributes to destroying it little by little, the ecological combat enjoys a double advantage: gathering the “children of the void” around a cause (and thus re-establishing a collectivity then a democracy) and... saving our planet no matter what.
To apply solutions he offers at your level
Hello politicians! Raphaël Glucksmann has something to say! Realizing that 70% of greenhouse gas effects are caused by 100 companies in the world, Glucksmann asks that governments take their responsibilities and tax more the polluters such as Total in France. The problem? Political decisions necessarily go along with social transformations that are not at the expense of the inhabitants.
For that, the civil society must emerge in collective decisions. An example? The mayor of a small town in the suburbs of Mulhouse, widely FN (right wing), implied citizens in the government of the city by creating participative counsels. The result: former Front National militants changed the outlook on politics by even... welcoming migrants !
Now it’s up to you to get involved in order to generalize collective initiatives and follow the movement launched by our national Raphaël Glucksmann.
Les enfants du vide, de l’impasse individualiste au réveil citoyen by Raphael Glucksmann, Allary, 18,90€
Also discover : In the intimate diary of Jane Birkin
