ETHICAL SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL CRISIS

TOWARDS AN ECONOMY OF KINDNESS.   

By ANNIE LAWLER.   

Ethical Human Solutions to the Global Crisis

It is clear to many people across the world that the current systems are not serving the majority of the people as well as they could. There are of course, solutions but we need to look at ways of breaking out of patterns which are at the root of the current global crisis.

The economic situation, in which we find ourselves, is not something that has been caused in the last few years, but goes back centuries and the ‘experts’ we’ve relied upon to build and maintain a stable economy where everybody has a chance to live well, happily and comfortably, have failed to do so.

We are led to believe that we live in a democracy, which is defined in sources, including the Oxford English Dictionary, as follows:

Democracy – a. Government by the people; that form of government in which the sovereign power resides in the people as a whole, and is exercised either directly by them (as in the small republics of antiquity) or by officers elected by them under a free electoral system. In mod. use often more vaguely denoting a social state in which all have equal rights, without hereditary or arbitrary differences of rank or privilege. b. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges. c. the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

I find this description eye-opening to say the least. It seems we have strayed significantly off course in some crucial ways, but it is retrievable if ‘the people’ are willing to make their voices heard and those in positions of power and influence are willing to co-operate to create a true democracy.

Many politicians, rather than following the wishes of the people who elected them, are behaving like directors of large corporations, telling us what to do. They are allowing big business, rather than the people’s needs, to dictate government policy.

Some of those in positions of power have much to gain from this imbalanced state and are so entrenched in current thinking that they cannot conceive another viable way of living. Others are ready and willing to make a shift in consciousness that create a sustainable, fairer and balanced system.

At the heart of the issue is the fact that we have based our society in the West purely on material gain, greed and division, rather than one based on responsible and ethical growth, where everyone has the opportunity to play their fair part in maintaining a happy balance. This is true democracy.

After millennia, we’re still spending the majority of the public’s money on using brute force to gain power, land and resources.

We cannot get things back into balance by using the same understanding that got us here in the first place. To create equilibrium there needs to be a shift of consciousness – a re-evaluation of our social, political and economic systems.

Many of us feel powerless to change things. But is this really the case? If we don’t take the opportunity to voice our opinions, we allow ourselves to be powerless. That’s why this paper and others like it are coming to the fore.

I realise this is somewhat controversial, so it requires an open mind, where previous conditioning and prejudices are put aside and new ways of organising ourselves can be considered. It is only because the great inventors chose to challenge the status quo in this manner, that we have seen extraordinary technological progress. If we wish to avoid even greater human suffering and ecological disaster, it is time for us too, to think ‘outside the box’.

The choice is down to each of us individually. We have a choice between continuing to be driven by the fear, division, manipulation and greed of the current system or to join together to turn our society round to a more harmonious state.

Each of us must ask ourselves how we want to live and what kind of legacy we want to leave for future generations. Do we even care? Are we here to better the lives of a small wealthy minority or to improve the lot of the greater majority? Do we choose to do things because we can or because we truly feel it’s the ethical and moral thing to do?

If we work collectively and with enthusiasm, love and compassion, I for one am willing to give it a try and it is my dearest hope that the majority of people, including those in positions of power and influence, will want to do the same.

A longer document containing some potential solutions is available. Email annie@breathingspacetherapies.com. You can also post your views and join the debate on Facebook.

About the Author:
Annie Lawler is Author of “Super Humanity” (to be published in 2012) (In collaboration with Paul Taylor). For further information contact: Annie Lawler on 0772 581 8884 or annie@breathingspacetherapies.com