The last number of my blog posts the topics seems to relate to a dark side of human nature.
As I get older, I’m now aged 72, not that I feel physically my age. But when I look in the mirror and look at my earlier photos I thing gosh yes I can see the changes in my facial appearance. But change is all around us in the natural world, that change maybe very sudden or move more slowly over geological time. But change is a constant.
I realise also that human physical appearance is superficially skin deep. We place a lot of credence on physical beauty in western cultures. Go to any cosmetic store or airport duty free and you see perfumes and aftershave dedicated to large photographic advertisements of beautiful people in state of partial undress languishing about the place. In actuality how many of us look like these models in those photographs. Few if any!
However age can bring upon various ailments to one’s health and well being. I am lucky I am from a good genetic stock with good health and longevity! However, I seem to have become more philosophical as I age and it’s why I like my hobby of blogging; I can put my thoughts down on paper. I am an observer of life.
I like to try and make sense of humanity which can be difficult. For some reason I feel we humans are on a threshold. It’s like being on a plank a lever with a central fulcrum underneath. We’re precariously in state of equilibrium of sorts. But that equilibrium could topple either on positive or negative trajectory for mind kind .
Why now particularly? We have major forces at work or loads on my plank analogy. These forces at present are starting to weigh down the plank in a negative fashion? Or is it the fulcrum itself shifting?
We humans don’t always see reality as it really is. Many of my generation who I call the baby boomers have lived in a world after WW2 in an optimum situation for financial prosperity and well being.
I’m a Brit and the United Kingdom has seen its past ups and downs but overall it has been on an upward stable and peaceful economic trajectory. Unfortunately we can’t always say that for the rest of the world. Which most cases is riddled with financial crisis inequality and poor governance.
I love to travel mainly through my boating escapades. Now a few times recently I’ve gone into old soviet style counties; Poland, Kaliningrad and Ukraine. My visit to Ukraine to be fare has had a profound effect on me. Similar to a few years ago when I worked and lived in India and Africa.
Ukraine whilst staying in Zapronichzia. The urban living apartment blocks I found austere and uninviting. They’re kept clean and tidy inside but homogenous and utilitarian. No individuality or gardens other than a few small external vegetable plots.
In India I saw extreme wealth and extreme poverty. In Russia and Ukraine I saw the opposite mainly uniformity. In the uniformity there’s a dullness and drabness. Non existent individuality. Ukraine through its fledgling democracy you can see capitalism and individual enterprise starting to flower especially in the capital of kyiv.
My B&B landlady in Kyiv mentioned using Uber to get me to Kyiv main line railway station. It was a first for me using the Uber app I was impressed. Another American entrepreneurial enterprise similar to AirB&B.
In the western democracies through individual hard work and enterprise we see the financial rewards in the fabric of their societies. In Britain are wealth was generated over ages through our empire of natural resource plunder and mercantile exchange. Many of our U.K. great cities you see the grandeur in the buildings which project wealth and power. That said I was impressed by the grandeur of Kyiv as a city.
Within western democracies through our legal and entrepreneurial financial systems it’s created great wealth. But unfortunately it’s has a tendency to create bubbles of financial existence. This is causing western democracies to become decadent to the overall realities of the world. On planet Earth everything is connected. Be it natural or artificial.
Back to my equilibrium plank analogy. We have two forces at work. An insidious climatic crisis through are insatiable appetite for energy consumption. Without these fossil fuels we wouldn’t have our modern high tech world. The ultimate paradox! Fossil fuel gases are being exhausted each day into the atmosphere by manufacturing, farming, cement production, shipping, Aviation, home heating and the ubiquitous automobile. This slow burn catastrophe is slowly unfolding. But the other load on the equilibrium plank is totalitarianism.
The polarisation of social media causing fracturing to democratic norms. Totalitarianism is exploiting social media and spreading propaganda. Creating right wing populace leaders such as Trump, Oban, Erdogan, Modi. They are the outsiders and attack the prevailing establishment taking a wrecking ball to social norms. In reality they want to replicate the totalitarianism authoritarian playbook.
Being in Ukraine brought this into great focus for me. With the lethal conflict between a fledgling smaller democratic state against a totalitarianism super natural fossil fuel resourced state of Russia who are conducting an horrendous war on Ukraine.
The amount of death and Distruction is plan to see. With the number of young Ukrainian men who have died fighting for Ukrainians freedoms. There photographs are plastered all over the wall near Saint Michaels cathedral near independence square.
I found that moving and the burnt out Russian vehicles and pictures of the butchered Ukrainian citizens laying dead on the streets of Bucher.
Here we have two different problems for humanity to address. To try and bring things back into equilibrium again. Democratic norms against totalitarianism and climatic catastrophic breakdown. Modern social media is dividing us undermining truth with lies and half truths both on climatic issues politics and warfare.
What’s real and what’s unreal. How are we going to address these issues. We have been through difficult phases with mankind before. But the modern day difficulties are made more difficult to address with disinformation and the bubble living. A human disconnect from reality. Modern warfare with its technological advances is designed to cause maximum devastation to our fellow man.
I like to stand back and look at the big picture. Trying to make sense of the world around me. Not easy when you see constant warfare between us humans. Such as Israel and Palestine, Yemen. Many other recurring world conflicts over the ages. However, I feel the constant underlying problem is authoritarian right wing leaders. Who are good at rhetoric always espousing division and hatred. Never speaking about hope and brighter new world. They’re always want tear down the fabric of democratic societies. The authoritarian wants to usually self aggrandise himself to the detriment of his people.
There is an answer to these problems. We have to have a legal based operating system. Which must be backed up by international legal based police and military. The United Nations has to change has to have serious enforcement powers. With authoritarian leaders we have to prevent these types of societies being allowed to thrive in a modern day based legal based governing system. (I do think rogue fossil fuel states gives them the resources to fight wars). In strange way wasn’t that what underpinned the formation of European Union after world war 2. To bring countries together economically and politically to stop interstate warfare.
Climatic catastrophe and war both are driven by fossilised fuel economics of gas and oil. Wars cost serious money to conduct both are causing my plank to tilt in negative direction. Sooner we wean ourselves from them the quicker rogue states won’t have the financial where for all to conduct conflict and all out wars against their neighbours.
We must really start getting to grips with non fossilised economics and get real about underpinning the world on democratic norms. Free fair voting systems, independent judiciary, constant regular governmental change. Maximum 4 years. Leadership maximum of 8 years. Free independent press, trade union with governance powers of employers. To prevent greedy out control capitalism. Really beefed up United Nations with access to professional disciplined armies.
Who act as police forces to maintain the democratic norms. Programmes for teaching the young about citizenship and what are democracies and how they work. How we as citizens contribute to society. Giving something back maybe by volunteering or helping others to giving a deep sense of connection.