Not a Force of Nature

Our political and economic systems can be changed; our natural systems can't

We who live in western nations have an important choice to make.

Let’s face it. Our planet is on the brink of collapse, we have useless endless wars, including a horrific genocide going on, life is becoming much less affordable for everyone, and our western economies, governments and cultures exacerbate these problems.

We can’t afford to do this anymore, and we have to figure out how to remake our systems in ways that align with peace, justice, environmental restoration and the natural world generally.

War is profitable, and there’s so much wrong with this. It’s our systems that make it profitable, and they need to be changed. Peace is what would bring up prosperity in a sane world.

Housing is now an investment opportunity and not a human right. How on earth did that happen?

After a decade of land acknowledgements, after so many of us read Hospicing Modernity, after learning about colonialism and imperialism, how is it that our leaders support genocide, attempt to overthrow democratically elected governments, and engage in endless wars?

How do we get our governments off this path that has us playing nuclear roulette?

The system that is driving this is not a force of nature, and it can and must be changed.

The world watches in horror as Israel bombs Gaza, the West Bank and the countries around it while our leaders send them money and weapons. We see the huge divide between the rich and the rest of us, and their outsized contribution to climate change and environmental destruction. The western ruling class is losing credibility in everyone’s eyes with its support for Israel and Ukraine, as it continually sidelines peace talks for both.

We shake our heads as the west tries to topple democratically elected governments and replace them with right wing puppets that are willing to sell resources at bargain prices, instead of nationalizing them.

Reporters, demonstrators and people who speak out about genocide are being arrested and jailed. Is this the ‘democracy’ we're so keen to impose on other nations? More and more, it looks like a naked power, money and resource grab.

All of this is colonialism, imperialism and white supremacy on display. And many of us are appalled.

Genocide is a red line for anyone with a beating heart, and we don’t want our support for this to be our contribution to the world.

We can’t afford this anymore.

And there are some fundamental philosophical questions that are screaming for our attention.

To my mind, the most important one is how do we get people in power to understand that the systems that are enriching them at the expense of everyone and everything else need to change?

Genocide is not acceptable, and the colonialist attitude that tells us that some people are superior to others, and are therefore entitled to exploit those others no longer flies.

Most of the people I know are questioning their colonialist attitudes. It doesn’t look like that questioning has trickled up to those who profit from it.

It’s too bad, because if the super wealthy were to take this to heart, it could help them save face in this desperate situation, and become legendary heroes in the process.

There are options to increasing military measures, and to tightening the screws of austerity on citizens of the western world.

If the power brokers of the west could take a wider view of their actions, it might occur to them that the values behind those actions are outmoded.

Wealth is concentrated more highly than ever before. I can’t imagine how anyone needs a billion dollars or more. Or why anyone needs numerous mansions, private jets and the other absurd excesses of the rich.

Do these people ever see themselves as the cause of the problems we have? Their wars, the emissions caused by their lifestyles, their attitudes of superiority — is it so hard to grasp? They have the power to save the world, and they’re not using it.

Don’t they want to have a future for their children? Don’t they want a world where we can all live in peace and harmony and reach our fullest potentials? Imagine the art, music, and discoveries that go unrealized because they lie in the wreckage of the lives of quiet desperation for so many.

These people would benefit, as we all would.

What if the powerful lobbied politicians to change the tax laws to make them pay their fair share? What if they worked together to put housing, health care, transit and all services that we rely on back into the public ownership, and stopped using them as money making machines?

Hoarding is considered a mental illness, and is the embodiment of greed. It might bring a lot of things, but I don’t think happiness or meaning are among them.

Do these people ever wonder what they’re missing as their cultures deplete the world and the lives that depend upon it?

Imagine how rewarding it would be to use that power to turn things around, to achieve a just peace, to meaningfully address environmental issues, and to help heal our ailing societies and planet.

Are there any visionaries among this class of people?

For inspiration, I highly recommend they check out ways to do that in Paddy LeFlufy’s book, Building Tomorrow. And that’s just a start. There’s so much that needs to be done.

We can’t go on this way. Social media is showing us the depravities of our systems up close and personal, and people are seeing with their own eyes how bad things have become.

Instead of taking increasingly draconian measures to cover this up, why not take some time to reflect on what the world now sees? There’s a noble choice to be made, and I hope that some of the western elite decide to use their power in a good way.

Our systems are not a force of nature. Our ecosystems are, and we need to learn to live in ways that support them, and allows all to lead lives of health, safety and dignity.

So as the drums of war pound in our ears, as we become mesmerized by increasing nuclear brinkmanship, as we struggle to make ends meet, please know that there has to be a better way. Many of us are working tirelessly to bring about a better future. Let’s hope a few decent power brokers step up. We could use their support about now.