The best terms to succinctly describe the state of civilization today might be "unraveling," "decaying," and "disintegrating." This is neither breaking news nor a newly-emerging trend. This is the predictable product of prolonged indolence, indifference, ignorance, instant gratification (without regard for the future consequences) and neoplastic cupidity. Based upon one of Sir Issac Newton's fundamental laws, the more we slide down this slope, the more we accelerate -- until it is too late for the brakes to hold.
We've established some dangerous momentum in the wrong direction, and the further we go, to harder it is to get back on a survivable, sustainable course. Is it possible that things can change significantly in time to save ourselves from becoming a myth for some future civilization to debate about? It is not.
But the timing is not the issue. The issue is one of getting enough force pushing in the right direction, in full cooperation and coordination so that we can change our trajectory. This requires the fundamental organizational skills of leadership, team-building, discipline (negative reinforcement), rewards (positive reinforcement) and a clear vision of a newer, better objective to serve as a gratifying, magnet and a beacon.
We are here (at a precipice overlooking a drop which appears bottomless) because of being a badly-managed society. Many otherwise decent, responsible people have become so disillusioned with what they have learned about some of the excesses and foolishness of the people and the institutions which they trusted in to safeguard and protect their interests that they are reeling about from too many rounds in the ring. They feel outnumbered. They feel endangered. They feel isolated and completely helpless.
Civilization is a business. If we insist on wasting assets, accumulating liabilities, rewarding thievery and discouraging innovation, we generate growing losses. We are living in our own waste. And we are too engorged and atrophied to clean it up. We need energy and initiative. We need new, capable leaders -- leaders who believe that improving our future is a noble and great thing, and that civilization in this world is worth saving. These new leaders have to be activists who will not so easily tolerate compromise when it comes to the future of our investment in our own species. They must be able to distinguish between ambition and greed. And they must be able to work on a deferred compensation plan.
Yes. Civilization is a job for turnaround experts and indefatigable optimists.
Civilization, whether it prospers or perishes, is the same as any other large international business conglomerate with a large number of employees, divisions, operating redundancies, and a desperate need for improved communications and better responsiveness. If our civilization is worth saving, we cannot continue on our present course.
There is no more creative accounting to cover staggering losses. It's time for transparency, responsibility and collaboration across all borders, political, geographical and cultural. And by my watch (a Movado), the time is now.
This is not academic -- this is real world, in real time. There is so much at stake, but there is much more to gain. We are, each and all of us, investors, shareholders, consumers, vendors and employees in this big business of civilization. If you look around, you'll notice that all we have is each other.
Let's salvage what we can and replace what we cannot salvage. There is a chill in the air and I think we are dangerously close to an iceberg.
In Friendship,
Douglas E Castle, Internationalist and Global Futurist
http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com
In words of a sermon by John Donne, "No man is an island, entire unto itself..."
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