Where to start? Well somewhere, anywhere for that matter. Issues never resolved that continue through time. Patterns repeated through human folly. Are the lessons of history ever to be learned? Wealth, power and sex always in any configuration. Can these things be transcended in a meaningful way? What are the considerations that may allow this to happen? Why do we cling to so many things which are clearly detrimental to ourselves and in particular to our home, planet earth. That is the challenge.

There are many overlapping considerations. Political, economic, social, environmental. At the core of all this is ourselves. We continue to ignore the dictates of human nature, somehow thinking the innate dictates of ourselves override every other consideration. How can this be? Are we that deluded? The lesser attributes of human nature have been allowed to flourish over millennia. Why, apart from the few that went against that, (those who were full of integrity, acting with a strong ethical sense) has happened? I suspect the marriage of church and state has had an enormous bearing. The chosen few who realised the possibilities. So simple. Most were ignorant, in awe of the constructs of the church. How could it have been otherwise? Such a deceit. One can only speculate on what might have been.

All things considered we can only work with what is. This is very important and suggests an underlying optimism. We must address the need to change the stories by which we live. This in itself is more than possible. In order to allow this as part of an evolutionary process is surely a matter of being conscious of the possibility. Essentially straightforward I would have concluded. Manipulation of minds becomes ever more subtle via AI. Most of us are none the wiser. Not good. We need inspiration (from the gods?) but do not seem to realise we are the gods. One of the many follies of ourselves.

The men in suits (as I call them) have really done well at the expense of everyone else. Their folly is not knowing when to rein things in, to give others an opportunity. They are still well off by any standard but apparently are none the wiser. What a pity. The current economic paradigm reigns supreme. Thank you ayn rand. You have really made an impression. How absurd! Divide and conquer, what a wonderful idea. Destroy time-honoured ways of life. What a wonderful idea. The more such things are considered the worse it gets.

Nothing lasts forever. All empires crumble. The damage this time around may prove to be irredeemable. It is almost beyond comprehension. We need a revolution of consciousness. I cannot see another possibility. It is more than possible. Schumacher was right, we need a people-based economics. Not too hard I would have thought. Meanwhile the world’s population gets ever larger. Perhaps that’s the big question no one really wants to address (there are exceptions). But you know it’s all good, a greater demand for goods and services; just what we want, yes? With regard to climate change who knows what the longer term implications are? I shudder to think.

Pull back. To what? To something that may allow the better functioning of communities everywhere. This model has worked really well for a very long time but has been eroded by business interests and the political groups that support them, all invariably acting out of self interest. Stories of an economy based on endless growth and profit reinforced by a powerful media perpetrates this model. We do need to do something to head in a more sustainable direction where business is responsible from raw material to end-of-product life. Less about profit, more about responsibility. So too with social responsibility.

Not everyone has equal opportunity in spite of what we are told (at least in the west). Time, circumstance, socio-economic-cultural background not to mention personal psychology have an enormous bearing. Everyone does not have the skill set or potential to create for themselves a worthwhile existence whatever that may entail. In so many cases our education may well be a hit and miss exercise in preparing us for the real world. Not everyone gets the time and attention they need and deserve. This could be addressed by including subject options which allow students to engage with themselves internally on an emotional level, creating better self understanding and awareness which in turn might lead to better decisions being available. The subject, ‘emotional intelligence’, would be a good start. Other starters could be philosophy, critical thinking and politics.

Another major consideration is the idea of a universal wage. Enough income to guarantee a basic standard of living for all. Public housing needs to be reintroduced. There is no reason why this cannot happen. Real estate prices are out of control. If this means running a substantial deficit then so be it. Many current governments are obsessed with running a surplus, again at everyone’s expense. None of this is returning to socialism. It is simply a question of fairness. If people feel more secure and have even a small amount of disposable income they tend to spend. The wheels keep turning regardless.

Why must we adhere to policies that put ever more capital in the hands of the few who then invest only to their own advantage? They already have more than enough. Why are so few ever satisfied? A return to a mixed economy, which seeks innovation, while at the same time providing a base of employment generated nationally for people to access readily without the provisions of economic rationalism and privatisation. We need to take care of our needs as we used to and specialise in what we excel at.

I am not suggesting this does not occur but the idea needs to be embraced, taken on board as a meaningful way forward to counter the slow but sure corporate takeover of everything which is wrecking economies everywhere and more importantly wrecking the planet which is home to each and everyone of us. When calamity comes as it surely will, there will be no escape for anyone.

Any meaningful change has to come from the ground up, not the other way around. The current economic story serves only the few. They will fight to the death of course because they are far past the point of no return; completely delusional. People power can and will save the day. We must not give up.

The words above were written some time ago. I don’t think much has changed. Then along came covid and turned everything upside down. We are still in its grip. Various vaccines are heralded as the solution but already new variations of the virus are apparent. Will it all disappear in time much like the spanish flu did long ago? I hope so. Meanwhile people’s lives have shifted in a profound way especially in areas with high population densities. I am sure everyone is doing their best but eventually there will be and already is a great deal of mental health issues which strain our already over stretched mental health services. This may well be the lasting legacy of covid.

We have always faced issues. At this time a factual, well reasoned and ethical dialogue is ever more necessary to provide a meaningful way forward. I hope we can find the courage to do so. I remain optimistic.

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