Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The jig is up

I read a couple of incredible things today. One was a quote from Warren Buffet, addressing a business class. He was asked why he was a democrat, and the answer took the form of the Ovarian Lottery. Buffet turned the question around, and asked the students, "If you were given the ability to create the world in which you would live before you were born, but you have no idea what card you'll draw in it, how would you construct it?" He believes that most of us have already stumbled into some good luck. We're Americans, and we enjoy a lifestyle that is the envy of much of the world. And it's true that some of us are granted privilege by birth - being white and male sure was an advantage in the last century. But the question nails the framework for which we all should strive. If before you were born, you could lay out how the world would work, only you didn't know how you would be born it to, wouldn't you want the most free and equal world you could imagine? Whether you come out black, white, male, female, gay, smart, to a family of means or not - you would enjoy an opportunity to lead a happy and fulfilling life?
Of course you do. If one thing resonates through our national fabric, it's the concept of opportunity - that each of us should have the ability to make our lives as we see it. Inherit in that is fairness, and Republicans have talked a lot about economic fairness, but in a perverse way as stated by Buffet above. Warren credits government as the only body able to level the playing field, and it does so by regulation and taxation. When the disparities become out of whack, as in the Great Depression and again today, the system is at risk. Elevation of the few at the expense of the many is a losing proposition.
That leads me to the second article, which I found at Resilience.org. The evolution of the post carbon institute continues to find and deliver meaningful content. This column from Erik Lindberg is about how he became an ex-liberal. I enjoy his writing, and while I don't always agree with him, this is a great perspective of our predicament. His disillusion is based on reality - seeing and knowing that Powerdown is necessary now - it's hard to support liberal politicians who want the right things, but only can see getting there through more of the same, endless growth.
A lot of that resonates with me. You and I know that life can not continue as it has. The jig is up.We are exhausting all of our resources at the cost of our planet. Our economy is rigged to transfer riches to the top. All of the systems designed to help people are being starved and deconstructed. Politicians keep us divided, while empowering this disparity. Our society is sick - we are distracted with mindless consumerism, while Rome burns. We must change, and now. I must change.
What's interesting to me is how we move forward. It has to start small, but it must carry through to all levels. And we should consider along the way who the winners and losers are. Some will shout about fairness, but consider truly what that means. Imagine for a moment a world - where another family not of your choosing would adopt your child to raise. What kind of world would you want that to be?
It's not a world of greed.

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