Monthly Archives: March 2020

The Truth about Reality

There is only one reality, but many ways of looking at it. This post is about the economic reality of our society, and will focus on a “reality” created by the influence of monetary powers. By Wall Street. Several mentions will be done to David Korten’s work so a link to one of his books in included.

Agenda For a New Economy

 The Coronavirus pandemic affecting the world today (March, 2020) is making us think carefully about how the world is functioning, and how human activity is affecting the environment. The solution to the pandemic has exposed the different point of view, and the philosophical framework of these ideologies.

One is the point of view that the so-called free markets will provide the solution to any problem, this point of view is based on the philosophy that individuals are independent and free, auto-sustainable. Other point of view is that government should lead the way in the solution of the pandemic. This point of view is based on the idea that humans are members of a society with duties, obligations, benefits, and dividends. Wall Street is an example of how free markets are used to benefit a small group of influential people who in the short time make huge profits. A national health system (that is badly needed in the USA) is an example of the latter point of view.

Hearing right-wing pundits say today that we should sacrifice the lives of people in order to save “the economy” is perfectly understandable when we see that their point of view is based on the assumption that citizens are independent individuals who do not rely on others. Giving life, giving reality to “the economy” is a good example of phantom elements that so many people today believe are real. Believing in phantoms, ghosts, and so-called miracles, self-made billionaires, etc. is made possible by the point of view that we are independent individuals.

The reality is of course that we are not independent individuals. Since birth humans depend on other for their survival. Humans have advanced because of their ability to communicate (some times over very long distances) and to collaborate. Science and technology are the best example of human collaboration. Agriculture and comerse are also based on collaboration, even though is all cases collaboration implies some degree of competition, but competition is secondary to collaboration. (This point was made very clear to me during the time of my studies in England for my Ph. D. when there was an issue with the use of research nuclear reactors in G.B. and all the users came together to see how to solve the problem. At the time I witness how my advisor talked to others, including one of his most strongest competitor in the field, in order to find a solution for the problem. What a lesson I learned!)

Anyways, today we are here at the crossroad of the times. When we are stopping the economic life of countries but we are not stoping the life of countries. We continue to be alive, even if the economy is dead. So the questions is: Do we resuscitate the old failing economy, or do create a new vibrant economy that will be equitable and socially responsible?

Opportunities For A New Life

These are trying times, which is not new at all. Humanity has been changing and evolving all the time, but in occasions change seems to be a bit more radical. We have label these changes with names such as: The New Deal, etc.

Worldwide there is one recurrent theme today, the Coronavirus is in everyone’s mind. Here, there, everywhere people are talking, joking, planning, fearing, and thinking about the effects that the pandemic will have in our society. People with resources are using them to advance their own agenda. I am doing it now with the Internet, my website, and my network. These are some of my resources, not forgetting time, I have time. Time that we are using in different ways, some are panicking, hoarding TP, some are spreading conspiracy theories, and some are living a learning experience reading and writing.

Before continuing with this ranting, let me share how blessed I feel to be able to do this, to enjoy life in the midst of a terrible pandemic where many are dying, many are sick in danger of dying, and many are petrified, scared of contracting the virus. Also I am grateful for the opportunity to re-evaluate what we are doing as a society, and that is why I am writing this memo.

OK. For thousands of years society has evolved with ups and downs, peace times and wars. Flourishing and decadence, in what it seems a constant change that feels cyclical. Las century we witness two World Wars, pandemics like the 1918 Flu, and HIV. But as these events were happening a continuous improvement of living standards around the world was happening. In most areas the improvement was not even and some economic clases were better served than others. Accumulation of wealth became the norm. The gap between the 1% and the 99% became wider and wider, where now we have people living with less than two dollars a day and a few making millions a day/week/month or year. An example is AETNA’s CEO Bertolini making almost 19 million a year, more than $1.5 million a month! https://www1.salary.com/AETNA-INC-Executive-Salaries.html (Which is absolutely immoral, and obscene.) This is just an example of how insurance companies have been scamming society over the past few years. Of course Bertolini is not the highest paid CEO there are some like Michael Minogue from ABIOMED who is making more than $19 million.

Why are the republicans thinking about bailing out these corporations? Well they are the “donors” who bought them. These people are the ones that write the laws that benefit them with rents that are, in the long run, breaking the system. Just think about the oil and gas (fossil fuel) and other mining industries. They get huge tax giveaways, and rent from national owned lands. They use immense amount of national resources, like education, transportation, safety, and security that the state provides but do not pay the necessary taxes to sustain these services, so common citizens and small business are buried with the weight of sustaining them.

Now is the time to make more changes, let’s focus on these normal citizens, let’s find out what kind of help is necessary for the working class. Let’s see if strengthening education, health services, care for the environment, housing, security and wellbeing is good for society, for the whole of society not just for a few.

What do you think? Can we create a new society with better social justice?

Can we create a moral environment where we can live without fear of the “other”?

Where we can see each other as members of a family, the human family.