What an addition we made to ‘The Conversation’ archive the
other night!
Like I said I love those moments of mutual connection and
growth individuals can experience together, they are so wonder-full!
The thoughts and feelings didn’t stop flowing after the call
had ended so the other day I wrote some of them down. A few things ‘the conversation’ does for me
is challenge me, sometimes unsettle me but ultimately it helps clarify things -
for a while at least. There is growth
and development occurring for me so for that I am forever grateful to you my
friend.
So here are some of the things that have been ruminating:
I would like you to know that I am not anti-capitalist. I don’t think capitalism is the cause of all
of the world’s problems nor the solution to them. That is why I like that ‘two cheers for
capitalism’ quote from Irvin Kristol.
Neither do I think that all transnational corporations are innately
evil but I do believe that the way in which they exist can cause a lot of far
reaching problems and that is no small thing at all. As a starting point the
way they operate is very much adverse to the original ideals of capitalism: the
idea that the wealth and prosperity created will trickle down to the many. However, with these types of corporations the
trickle down effect is more of a torrent moving in the opposite direction.
To help explain
what I mean here is a little bit of info that you should check out for
yourself:
“With over 53% of the world's largest
economies today being Transnational Corporations (TNCs) their impact and
responsibilities are global and it is crucial that they be held accountable for
the numerous violations which are being perpetrated on a daily basis in the
name of maximising production and profits. In 2006 total sales of the top 200
transnational corporations were bigger than the combined GDP of 187 countries,
more than thirty percent of world GDP, while they employ less than a third of
the world population. TNCs on the other hand can also, if they so choose,
become agents of positive and wide-ranging change.” - David R. Loy, The Great Awakening
So you see on a global level TNCs are what Capitalism is
about in a major way and everything else is a diminishing side show. The obscene amounts of money they generate
benefit an infinitesimal amount of the 7 billion human beings on this planet
despite the power and global reach of such corporations. It is also the case that small local
business owners that often form part of a community are often squeezed out of
the market due to not being able to compete with such competition.
You asked me the question, what else is business supposed to
do other than increase profits? I think
that type of questioning and mentality is very much a part of the problem and
not the solution. To me, commerce,
business and money exist to create wealth for people and society; they are
not there for the creation of profit alone for a minority of individuals. The thinking has become skewed and turned on
its head. Simply put, money is for
people, people are not for money. However,
TNCs are more often than not driven purely by market forces, an unsustainable
philosophy of exponential growth, cold figures and dividends for
shareholders. The impersonality of such
corporations due to the lack of connection between the boardroom and the production
line, the pressure on Directors to perform well and increase profits, the
anonymity of shareholders spread around the globe watching numbers on a laptop
screen all create a complete lack of awareness for the need of corporate social
responsibility. Corporations due to their structuring are soulless entities driven
by profit margins first and foremost and for me that’s not what life is about
yet it can be made so for many by that structure.
Neither do I agree with the current banking model run by
private bankers which is based on debt and interest generated from loans
created out of thin air. Firstly due to deregulations
in recent times there is no guarantee that the business transactions that occur
within the banking industry serve the public interest and not just private
business interests. Secondly, high
street banks and investment banks should be split. Thirdly the creation of money (here I mean
digital money as only the Bank of England in the UK can print ‘real’ money,
nevertheless the private high street banks create digital money by way of loans which
makes up over 90% of the ‘money’ created per annum) within
the system should not be able to be arbitrarily created by any level of banker,
high or low rather the creation of money should be monitored by an independent
and transparent body.
Here
are some more thoughts on this: http://positivenews.org.uk/2011/economics_innovation/new_economics/5693/change-money-change-world/
International banks and TNCs are two
of the most influential entities on the face of the planet. To say that governments and influential
politicians around the world are indebted to them or partly own and/or are
owned by them is not conspiracy but an economical truth and a reality. Laws and regulations that have in the past
curtailed the power and influence of banks and corporations continue to be
changed or removed altogether by politicians.
When an economic crisis hits where do the politicians look? Up to those
who caused the problem or down to those who will be a victim to it? Why do you think that tax payers' money was used to
bail out the banks? Whose interests are the politicians serving? I don’t think it is entirely mine or yours my
friend. The Occupy movement might seem
like a bunch of people with a lot of emotion but no ideas, however
contrary to media reports their demands are extremely articulate. Although I am not even aware of or indeed understand all the laws they want to see changed (or put back in place)
their basic aim is to see Capitol Hill disentangled from those in Wall Street.
So I think a radical change in the culture of commerce, business
and money is what is needed here. There
might even be a change out of necessity otherwise the system could implode because
I don’t think it can be patched up forever or the problem solved with the same
kind of thinking that created it, to paraphrase Albert Einstein.
Corporate social responsibility is a fledgling field but
also rapidly growing with laws developing. When Corporations have a soul then they can positively transform the situations of a huge portion of humanity and many corporations
are doing just that. The
information age has made more people realise their connections with the wider
world and the influence and impact individual choices can make, furthermore this new knowledge has started to influence
consumerism in a way we have never seen before.
In short I believe that capitalism needs to reassess its values and evolve and start
serving people again instead of people serving capitalism.
We cannot talk about the current form of capitalism without
talking about the oil based economy that is integral to it and therefore the
geopolitical posturing that results.
Technology is an amazing thing, not just in its current capabilities but
also in its rate of progress. Basically
I believe that the technology exists to create enough alternative energy on this planet to
move us hugely away from an oil based economy.
However, I notice that this hasn’t happened and I wonder why. To me it is obvious that there is no
investment because too much is already invested in the oil based economy and not
just financially but also politically. It
would be a huge game changer if cheap sustainable energy was readily available
to all. I could go on but more can be read about this on the Club of Rome’s website
here:
Also, take a look at the general website for some excellent
solutions to current problems and progressive ideas:
Finally, you also asked me to draw you a picture of how
change could be brought about. I have
given you a few ideas here already but they are structural changes. To explain how I think longer lasting
authentic change could be established I will have to quote Tony Blair,
unfortunately for me, “Education, Education, Education!” I believe that our current education system
is antiquated as it is based on a production line factory model (bells and
all!) and it retards critical thinking by championing the regurgitation of
facts and figures to pass exams. Exams
that in the UK, up until recently, have shown a rise in achievement year on year due to the modulation of
facts that helps develop short-term memory recall and provides second and third
chances to make the grade but doesn’t encourage young people to think for
themselves. In order to improve
standards the business model has been introduced including league tables which
results in more exams and testing early on to create healthy competition
between schools. However, instead of
improving standards the quantity of outcomes in terms of ‘results’ take
precedence over the quality and value of what is being taught. Finally, what I think Tony Blair really meant
to say was, “Economy, Economy, Economy.” As the type of education system we
have helps serve an economy that requires a lot of low skilled, unspecialised
workers that can repeat what they are told and copy what they are shown.
Despite fringe subjects like Citizenship, Religious Studies
and Critical Thinking that are introduced very sparingly and often very late in
a child’s education here in the UK, if at all, the teaching of positive human values are
crowded out by the rest. How many times
have I heard the question in the classroom, “Why do I need to know that, it
wont get me a job?!”. The holistic view of
education in the mainstream has been completely skewed in my opinion in favour
of knowledge and qualifications that get a person a job and feed the
economy. That is important but it is not
the whole picture and encourages unhealthy competition, egotism and the worst
aspects of materialism to proliferate unchecked. Creative pursuits are equally sidelined and
seen to be unimportant as they are not linked to employability skills; how
short sighted this all is!
Therefore, if we are going to have State funded education
then I think it needs to be reformed to include the teaching of positive human
values, top to bottom, integrated into the fabric of the educational
experience. Natural human values that
can be cultivated like respect for others, forgiveness, justice, compassion and
the acknowledgement of our interdependence with others and our
environment. These human qualities are
equally if not more important than employability skills as they frame those
skills in a more constructive and sustainable perspective. Yes it is true that many of those qualities
are paid lip service in schools and the shadow of them overlays the structure
and systems in place but in actuality and practicality they are not given the
importance they deserve.
Here is a really informative and entertaining video from RSA
Animate explaining the need to change the current education paradigm and how it
can be done – HERE IS YOUR PICTURE, literally!:
Finally, I am
pessimistic about many of the current systems that are in place as I don’t
think they hold the solutions to the problems the world faces rather they have had
their time and are now holding progress back.
I am optimistic however, about the possibilities and the new ways of thinking
that are emerging in all fields across the board as much of it naturally suits
my constitution and proclivities. As we
were discussing the other day, the spiritual journey involves dying to the ego
self and living that death, it is the most challenging thing one can do but it
is also inevitable and cannot be avoided in the end. As you know, what happens on the microcosm
occurs on the macrocosm and it is my belief that these old systems need to die
a death and be transformed, not to usher in utopia but simply because that is
the choice we face at this time in the cycle.
What does it depend on? How many
people choose to make that personal journey within themselves, what else could
it depend on? The state of the economy, the
political situation around the world, the environment in which we live are all
reflections of our collective selves. We
are all part of that picture so it is up to us what we choose to see. Do not doubt your absolute importance in this
inner and outer process, it is the Law.
Sometimes I feel as if you harbour a doubt about this truth,
compartmentalising it whereas it needs to be fully integrated in all aspects of
your life without compromise even if that means more letting go of familiar
identities.
It feels good to
get this out!
Cheers Brother!
