The 'green' elephant in the room.
Any discussion of The Way Forward (that is truly going to be a discussion of how to salvage our society and individual lives) must address the main problem in our society.
The fact remains that we as a culture have become so greedy and arrogant and self-absorbed that we just cannot function as a cohesive society anymore. When our internet and our media is inundated with messages about how 'your time is too important' to worry about this or that, when you are repeatedly told that you are someone if you have more than everyone else and nothing if you don't, when you are fed lies about just how integral to the future your presence in the world is, we get the arrogant dismissal of anyone who is not in that social 'caste'. Anyone who is not rich, or is not slowly dying making someone else rich, is seen as a waste of resources and not worth the effort. Of course, those who have no chance (or desire) to become the next Rockefeller can't just check out either, because if they fail they will be prosecuted for the attempt. (Let's look at this logic for a moment. Someone's life is so ruined that they want to leave it, they don't succeed, and then they are treated like dirt and put in jail because they dared to remove themselves from the equation and that constitutes a threat to the oligarchy. We can't have peons trying to take charge of their own lives, now can we?)
Face facts, we are so far down the 'greed' hole that we will probably never get out of it... unless we start seriously regulating business and making taxes progressive, meaning that if you have more, you pay more. Period. We need to make sure that those with more money can't influence anything other than their own house decor. We need to set up government alternatives to the privatization of essential services. (You know that most of the healthcare/insurance issues would be over with once there are options that don't further the capitalistic agenda. They know this as well, which is why there is such massive resistance to this concept.)
And why is this path so reviled? The programming worked. I know it, and you know it. We were programmed to worship the rich and to always believe that having money made you the equivalent of a saint. We do this even when reality show otherwise. That line from the first 'Men In Black' was so fucking prophetic and I am still amazed that it is not repeated more often.
As far as I am concerned, any ideas that would be able to 'correct' the issue of socioeconomic bias and imbalance will have to address the entire concept of 'unfettered capitalism' as a societal model. And, that is not going to happen as long as the wealthy control everything.
Which, they already do. So, if we won't face reality in regards to our situation, I doubt anything will change for more than a few years.
We could do this, but not until we stop with the money worship.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Did you notice that we are today playing re-runs of Twilight Zone and some Star Trek episodes? (especially the great Frank Gorshin one)
These two are "enemies" for being "opposites", while their planet has gone "poof" as they were fighting each other. (2)
Western (and now, world) culture operates on the principles of opposition, exploiting differences and selfishness. People project their fears and weaknesses onto others.
My TLDR is that "survival by competition" has moved to "survival by cooperation" and that
• We are all equally human, and our differences are complementary.
• All humans are dignified and equally entitled to happiness. Nobody is any "less" and that our gifts and wealth are magnified when shared, rather than hoarded. Hoarding itself brings unhappiness because someone else can always hoard more.
• The greatest wealth is "enough".
• For crying out loud, treat others as you would want to be treated.
You can probably guess where I'm coming from.
People mouth these words but don't put them into practice.
I am with a group of what might be called "street Buddhists", very focused on breaking the cycle of division and inequality, though ANYONE who practices these principles (given here in condensed form) will make the world a better, safer and happier place one person at a time. That's how it happens until a tipping point is reached when society (and societies) turn against nationalism, racism, misogyny and the like, because
• We are all equal as humans and we are all different.
• There is no "resting place" as long as others are in danger or need.
• The notions of happiness that society dumps on us fail by design (extreme wealth, glitter, power over others, trophy spouses ... you get the idea) so we can spend like crazy to catch an unattainable goal and by doing so contribute to some exploiter's extreme wealth, glitter, power over others, and trophy spouses (one or eight or however many) (1)
Peace 🪷
(1) Money, Sex, War, Karma. By David Loy. Free introduction (pd) from the author.
https://www.davidloy.org/downloads/Loy-Money_Sex_War_Karma_Introduction.pdf
Excerpt:
(2) https://collider.com/star-trek-the-original-series-let-that-be-your-last-battlefield-offensive/
(3) Twilight Zone the original series. We are living many of these episodes right now
