From mind-deadness to mindedness, from collaboration to cooperation

Abstract

Looking at the October 7, 2023, events in Israel, this paper suggests a unique configuration of Bion's minus links, called "broken links." The broken links not only represent a negation of a connection—but also a negation of the object. When the link of Love is broken, it is replaced by a unique formation of Love without an object, in which the lack-of-object installs itself as the sole object, replacing the work of mourning with pseudo, blank mourning. When the link of Hate is broken, the result is a murderous version of hatred, one that exceeds any proportion or context. When the link of Knowledge is broken, what ensues is a language that functions as a sealing material: instead of signifying and making differences, it drives to overgeneralize, erase differences, and remove distinctions, losing its metaphorical qualities and reducing to its literal meaning. These broken links lead to another twisted link: the link of solidarity, turning positive solidarity, which is based on cooperation—into negative solidarity, based on collaboration. The discussion suggests the shift from the state of mind-deadness, characterizing broken links on both sides of the conflict, to the state of mindedness, in which the links are reclaimed and restored.