when marx married to hegel

What build this century? Is it materialist aspect the way Marx and Frederick Engels said in The German Ideology (1846)? Or, is it ratio battle like Hegel said?

In Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1968), Marx writes that it is not the consciousness of men that determines their social being, but, the reverse, their social being that determines their consciousness.

While Hegel, years before, said that history is the result of “the battle of mind” between thesis and anti-thesis of thinking.

Which one is true? Well.. both are true. For society contains million of people. Some has their consiousness determined by social being, some other has their consciousness determine the social being.

I’ll take Alexander the Great and Cleopatra as the example. They’re people who have a simple concept, but greatly influence the social being surround them. They run for glory, the sister of respect. Is it a real thing? Yes, it’s symptom you can find the effect. But it's actually a concept.

This concept drove Alexander the Great conquered half of this world, and Cleopatra take a snake to bite her arms to die rather than being dragged to Rome as prisoner. And once again, what drove them is a concept. Just an abstraction, that some pragmatic thinker say, “absurd”.

Respect, and glory, is like love, a concept that will mean nothing than a bullshit if there is no concrete manifestation on this.

Now, I have a wild imagination. What if Marx married to Hegel. Will they can make it? :) Don't you think they will always argue about their love.. Marx said that their love occured from the producing process. Those who hold the producing process, will lead the partnership.

While Hegel, he will shout, saying that their love is the exploration of mind, the mind leads the love and the nature. Hehe... what could be worse than this, people?

***

Well, actually, personally I believe that they can make it, as long as they believe in one concept that is very meaningful for relationship; respect.

Erich Fromm in The Art of Loving concluded that the highest level act of loving is respecting. Respect, is the basic equity for relationship. Respect ourself first, so our partner respect us.. then, love goes..

without it... than love is nothing more than material problem and a debate forum, with reproductive action (sex) as the leisure time.

Especially for a person who read life analytically, reading every details, and giving a depth meaning to everything he/she touch, see, and smell, the act of respect is very important.

Cause this person value love from this very standpoint. How the partner respects his effort, how the partner show such abstractive thing like love become real as a concrete symptom.

This person thought that life is valuable, not as simple as Marx think as economic process.. a bargaining, buy 1.000 gain a feedback worth 1.000, with the gain and loss opportunity. Nor as simple as Hegel think that life is an argument, the winner takes all (the basic ideas of capitalism).

Sometimes, and for this person, life is simply a sharing which focus on aesthetical value than material value. Sharing means dedicating the best you can do to other. And if “this other” ignore the giving, then the only way out is plug out the cable, go away, and find another person who he/ she think thankful enough to be shared.

The key point of sharing is giving the best for the one who deserve it.

Why do they share? Because they believe that someone is worthy enough to be shared with. A tender “thank you” from “this someone” is meaningful enough, and a slight smile of happines is more than enough for them.

***

I imagine that the couple Hegel and Marx is about to be separated. Marx flew away to the airport, but Hegel is too rational that make him thinking that Marx is not that important to deal with, compared to the journey he is preparing for.

So he choose to preparing the journey, and neglecting Marx existence. Marx would think, “do I made something stupid? Do he think that I POTENTIALLY make something so embarassing at that moment that made him “rejected” my existence? Or did my existance destroy his position as the adored man by the ladies in the team?

And Hegel argue, “I can’t see you”.... which means; “do I need to know where you are at that moment? “ or “Do you valuable enough for me to know?” or... “the hectic situation destroyed my care to you.”

Yup... Marx tried to follow Hegel’s rule... killed his initiative just to obey that rule... Previously, he blindly believe in all the situation Hegel told him and so deterministically decided to follow.

And in fact, this is what Marx got; waiting like a fool, staring at Hegel--who's in a his journey team--like a dog’s stare to it’s master, following him to a corner, listen to his story that two girls crushed on him, and when Marx just opened his mouth to speak... the time is up, and he hopelessly walked behind Hegel.

And then Marx came back to his spot, waiting, and watching him go, just like a dog to it’s master. While, Hegel, give not a drop attention to Marx existence; as if Marx’s nothing, or—at least—He’s something but a dangerous thing that has to be ignored for the sake of the country.

Hegel didn’t even wave him goodbye, not even smiled at or looked at him. As if, what Marx had through to get to hegel is like a dog to the master. Nothing special from that action, not even the dog’s existence. Therefore no appreciaton should be made...

Then Marx remember a song, “I did my best, but I think my best was not good enough...”

Yup, no thanks... no appreaciation... but a negligance... and when Marx felt very tired of this, he begin to ask, “I should find another partner.. this one doesn’t worth enough cause he doesn’t think my existance’s worth no more.”

Hegel, should appreciate Marx's effort. Respect his existence, while cleverly still focusing and preparing his journey. Such a beautiful way to deal with life, isn't it?