Here we are in the
middle of 2016. Ten thousand years
or so of recorded history of man, plus thousands more years through which man
reputedly evolved, and here we stand today, empty-headed. Save a discouraging lot of unrepentant
troglodytes who see nothing wrong with the world that a humvee and some more
greed can’t fix, the rest of us struggle to make sense of a civilization that
seems to be unravelling before our eyes.
It gets harder by the hour to find something to pin our hopes to and
every day’s newsfront details yet another example of things that don’t work,
things that are running out, things that can kill us, and things that, to our
detriment, we abused.
Arguably, the last
100 years has been a relentless exercise to discover just how mysterious and
miraculous this thing called life is. With mixed results. We marvel and scratch our heads
and smile ruefully. How did
we get this far and know so
little? Have we asked the wrong
questions? Listened to the wrong
answers?
Consider the sum
total of human communication and history, written and verbal, proud and
profane, that has washed up on the shores of our collective ears and brains
over the ten millennia. If we
really are sapient creatures, as we would like to believe, how could so much
thought and perceived brilliance produce so little results? Certainly, we can point with some pride
(I guess that’s the appropriate emotion, but I am by no means certain) at our
technological advances even if they ring somewhat hollow when placed in the
context of how we live with this small planet. It’s as if we think our production of
things can replace our home in this universe.
The middle of
2016. . . . . And, we
know nothing.
IF we are the
default custodians of this planet (insects, bacteria, and certain marine life
might argue this), and IF the time has come for us to begin to take
responsibility for living with each other within our means, then a sea change
in something/everything? might be something we need to look at. Maybe we could pin down
some absolutes about our existence on this earth? Or are we doomed to sit forever in this chattering classroom
where it’s too often impossible to glean value from opinion, whimsy, and
malicious intent?
Is it possible to
build a consensus based upon what we do
know? We’re alive. Life on this little planet is nothing
if not precarious. Species have
come and gone with alarming regularity and there is no reason for us to suppose
we might be any different. Recent
discoveries tell us we know little about the world of the very small and even
less of the world of the very large. We consistently overlook the complex interconnectedness
of things. We’re trapped at
present in a very narrow world that we have arrogantly considered the ‘real’
world, only because that’s all our eyes and minds can tell us.
How do we balance
life on this planet? Get past the
idea that bigger is better? Learn
to feed everyone? Try to figure
out if our competitive natures are learned or innate? Maintain a world succeeding generations can live in? Realize that war is bad for
everyone? Limit population
growth? Recognize that our
respective heritages have little redeeming value but our shared future could be
exciting?
Are we doomed to
forever ‘nibble’ at these questions?
I have a
suggestion. A long shot, I know
but sometimes life moves ahead with long shots. And we must forge on, mustn’t we?
Without going into
the undeniable abuses of wealth, it is also true that many of our most
illustrious achievements came as a result of the actions of the rich – from the
de Medici’s to the Carnegie’s, great things can happen when those that ‘have’
turn their attention to loftier aims.
One commodity we
do have in abundance is the wealthy.
The past thirty years have seen an explosion in the concentrations of
great wealth. There is much to
decry about the evils of wealth at the expense of a living standard for the
rest, but the sad fact is it’s been a hallmark of every civilization we’ve ever
been able to study.
Try as we might, sharing the wealth has never enjoyed anything more than
sporadic success. So if we can’t
beat them, maybe we can enjoin them.
The frightening
book, “Dark Money”, tells us how the Koch’s, the Coors, the Mellons and their greedy ilk,
successfully lavished hundreds of millions of dollars to influence politics,
universities, schools, and the courts.
They dressed up their politics to have it appear as if they were
appealing to the need for smaller government and more self-reliance, but the
ugly fact was – and is – they craved only that they a) pay little or no taxes
and b) operate without any oversight by any government. If they wanted, say, to let a liquid
butane leak fester without dealing with it, well, that’s just business.
Too bad about those people it blew to bits. What they did was put some
lipstick on the pig of greed and America is still buying into it. As one opponent put it, “their
political theory is nothing more than a rationalization for self-interest.” Their success has been
unqualified. Their efforts to
stymie government, influence legislation calling for reduced oversight, and achieve tax breaks for the rich has
paid huge dividends for them. If
you’re wondering how the Republican party could be represented in Congress by
so many nitwits who openly thumb their noses at anything designed to benefit
the average American, simply remember the Koch’s and the mayhem they sow just
to dodge taxes and oversight.
So, if these
mentally-deranged billionaires (the vast majority of whom inherited their money) can influence life on our
planet so easily and so malignly,
why couldn’t the sane billionaires (and there are many) achieve even greater
results by applying themselves to
saving this planet and our democratic institutions?
For instance, as
laudable as Bill and Melissa Gates’ altruistic efforts have been, they could
aim higher. As could their
comrades in wealth. Why not try
something REALLY big? Why not do
what the Koch’s are doing, only this time for the good of all? Instead of buying sports franchises and
grotesque toys, why not become a patron of thought? The super rich are literally beholden to no one (not even
the IRS, it seems) and they can/could do what governments cannot/will not. They could foster yeasty environments
in which answers/solutions/new questions could be generated. Instead of buying a flight on the
space shuttle, build a school - next door to Harvard if that’s what is called
for - and buy some flights of intellectual fancy that might lead to a safer, more
secure future?
Suggestions? Keeping in mind my bias is
perfecting a society in which all can live comfortably and peaceably and
recognizing many people don’t buy into that bias, I will nonetheless offer
these ideas: a) Find a way to make
democracy work without undue influence from money; b) Reduce bureaucracy and
red tape (every additional administrative overlay simply lessens program
delivery); c) Revamp the education
system so instead of semi-literate consumers, we graduate independent thinkers
who can adapt; d) Reduce the influence of Wall Street in American life (their
original role as a source of funds for new ventures has long since disappeared,
replaced by a skittish repository for insiders and, alas, pension funds; e)
Population control without genocide, nuclear weapons, or plagues; f) Providing
enough food, water, and clean air to enable our species (and the others) to
survive, and g) Help build a society that cares. Being rich and successful, I’m sure my prospective patrons have their own ideas – keeping in mind
we’re talking about spending money for good, not to preserve wealth at all
costs. The Koch’s have cornered
that market anyway.
So, all you people
who now, through hard work, brains, and luck, truly have more money than you
know what to do with, I’m asking you to wake up to new possibilities for your
strength and commitment. Plan a garden of thought and set up a
market for ideas. Make things
better.
Let’s stop
wallowing in the dismal realization of how little we have advanced.
Let’s take our
planet back from those greedy shitheads for whom corporate profit trumps
EVERYTHING else Let’s begin
the process of becoming what the science fiction writers call an ‘advanced’
civilization. Go, “Good Moneybags”,
go.
And, by the way,
when you do come up with some answers, don’t hire a team of spin doctors to
pass the news on. Please. Too much of that has put us into this
mess. Just tell it to us straight.
And, finally, don’t expect an outpouring of gratitude for any good that you
do. My experience has been people
are rarely thankful for getting something that benefits them. Maybe they just see it as their
due. You have to look for those
precious few who are thankful and know, from that, that all things are
possible. Maybe we could help out
by complaining less about higher taxes and voting responsibly.
Robert Alan Davidson
June 2016
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