Is a little chaos actually good for us?

Every person has a little bit of chaos in their lives. We certainly cannot control everything in the world. We all confront problems which compel us to be resourceful in finding solutions. However, when chaos arises because of bedlam, a hyper-individualistic competition of every person for themselves, then that is harmful for ourselves and our communities.

Problem solving is one of the best life skills we can learn. Devising solutions to the problems and crises we confront helps us to build character. In the IT industry, the overwhelming majority of software development companies – no offence to anyone – are the epitome of organised chaos. Internal company procedures are either flimsy or nonexistent.

During most of my working life as a technical writer and software test analyst, I have had to implement procedures for getting people organised. Friction abounds between software developers, test analysts, project managers and stakeholders. Half of the battle in getting the job done is implementing a procedure to get everyone communicating, arriving at a common understanding in the software development life cycle (SDLC).

Bringing order into a chaotic situation is a skill I have had to learn over the years.

A query does arise when speaking about chaos in our lives. We have all heard the expression ‘a new world order.’ This term has a long history of conspiracy theories behind it. Everyone from the Freemasons, to the Illuminati, to the Rothschilds, to the secretive Jewish cabal, to the Bloomberg group, to the Communists, to George Soros – every era has a favourite bogeyman onto whom we project our fears and conspiratorial thinking.

Whenever I hear the phrase ‘new world order’, I have to ask – what new world order? All I can see is new world disorder, indeed, new world chaos. International laws and treaties, in place since the end of World War 2, are being disregarded and flagrantly violated by the big imperial powers, leading to chaos, disorder and disruption for the rest of us.

Recovering from the new world disorder is a task which requires international cooperation. Reducing the chaotic impact of lawless invasions, population displacement, immiseration caused by economic sanctions – these are urgent tasks for anyone seeking to reduce chaos and confront the dog-eat-dog mentality that pervades the ruling circles of the richer nations.

It would be fantastic to get a pay increase. Greater financial security would certainly help reduce the chaos in my life. But a question arises here. How can I enjoy my pay increase if the society in which I live is breaking down into chaotic bedlam?

If the health care system on which I depend is defunded and overwhelmed, the transport sector is weakening, the education sector is shrinking, the climate is becoming harsher with more frequent extreme weather events, what good will a few extra consumables achieve?

Earlier in this article, I mentioned the end of World War 2. That was a seminal event in modern history, because it brought to a close the predatory ambitions of Nazi Germany and its associated fascist collaborators. International treaties were signed, war crimes were defined and perpetrators prosecuted, and the message was clear. Organising and conducting aggressive war was a crime to be condemned.

States were bound by lawful treaties to resolve disputes in a peaceful manner. Civilian deaths, displacement of people, the persecution of ethnic groups, the outlawing of discrimination based on race, gender identity, creed, religion – these measures helped to reduce the devastating chaos and harmful consequences of world war.

In this connection, let’s talk about Uncle Klaus. Good old Uncle K, full name Klaus Barbie (1913 – 1991) was a German officer, a captain in the SS, who earned the reputation as ‘the butcher of Lyon.’ Torturing and killing partisans of the French Resistance, he was responsible for the deportation and deaths of thousands of French Jews. He also worked with the mobile death squads on the Soviet front, responsible for thousands of deaths.

As the Wehrmacht was defeated and France liberated, Uncle Klaus faced the chaos and displacement of World War 2. What was our Uncle K to do? As an officer of the SS, he faced prosecution for his crimes. He lived a life of violence and torture. Surely all that chaos was bound to be returned in double?

Well, I am happy to report that he surrendered to the Americans – and the US military gave him a job. Employed by US Army Counterintelligence, Uncle K began a new life out of the chaos. He was a recipient of good fortune. The Cold War was on, and the US wanted people with skill sets in torture and criminality. Barbie’s record as an SS officer, wanted for war crimes, was conveniently ignored.

Deployed to the US-backed dictatorship of Bolivia, he put his skills as a torturer and murderer to good use, killing Bolivian peasants and opponents of the Stroessner dictatorship. Working with the CIA, Barbie’s experience in counterinsurgency was used to violently suppress labour movements not just in Bolivia, but across South American nations. Oh, and as a side income, he developed a thriving business as a narcotics trafficker.

Uncle Klaus emerged from the chaos of World War 2 with a new career. His example serves to remind us that international laws are supposed to be applicable to everyone.

What the United States did, by giving sanctuary and employment to a Nazi murderer, is send the message that gaining advantage out of lawlessness and chaos is acceptable, even if it means breaking the law. When chaos descends into banditry, it is time to reduce that chaos and apply laws and rules.