The International Movement for Interdisciplinary Study of Estrangement isnot affiliated to any religious, political or financial
organization. Adherence solely involves the sharing of an interest in humanbeings' cultural values and drives. Founded in
1985through Lo Straniero, it keeps urging intellectuals to re-consider Hamlet'sprophetic message: <There is nothing either good or
bad, butthinking makes it so.> Once this message is deciphered by psychoanalysis,uncovering the unconscious aggressive
drive in humannature, it turns into: <There is no Party, no Philosophy, no Church eithergood or bad, but human behaviour makes it
so.>; revealingthat no politician of any Party, no philosopher of any Philosophy and nopriest of any Church would ever easily
admit theseShakespearian conclusions, each wanting to show that his/her ownorganization is the best and infallible.
We live in the age of estrangement. Every neighbour is a potentialantagonist, every community can harm its members.
Estrangementarises from an infinite variety of conflicts caused by divergence of sex,culture, religion, politics, etc., making us
strangers to otherpeople and to ourselves. The only relief we can find is to detach ourselvesfrom the jugglers of political parties,
the sacred cowsattached to conservative totems, the bullies of revolutionary coteries, andthe wizards who rule religious
pantheons.
Some negative aspects of estrangement are: selfishness, self-destruction,disassociation from human environment for
the exploitationof it, inclination to self-assertion. Some positive aspects are:detachment that minimizes emotional factors and
appeases peerpressure, independence that enlarges horizons and increases awareness,mental therapy that discharges inner
frustration and revolt,self-defence against other people's physical or psychological aggression,detachment from the domineering instinct.
Interviewed by Oxford BBC during the "8th IMISE Event 1991" in UK, LoStraniero's Editor said: <The mediocre are tied to
their nativeland, while the open minded consider themselves citizens of the world, butonly the wise feel a stranger everywhere.
Inner rebellion is anever ending process that remains pure, whereas the dirty flag of revolutionfights one corruption in order to
enforce another. Historyshows that any kind of human cruelty can also be equalled by the intoleranceof the Northerner, the
wickedness of the Southerner, thecorruption of the Westerner and the hypocrisy of the Easterner. All thesecalamities might find
a remedy in a convinced and convincingeducation based on estrangement from will to power, fanaticism, selfishnessand whatever
causes suffering.>
Therefore, before trying to attain happiness, it is wise to abstain fromwhat leads to unhappiness, using estrangement as a shield toprotect oneself from humanity's aggressiveness, and remembering that theword <Truth> is often used as a catch-word.