Society makes choices. Collectively we move forward or we don’t. There is no inherent gurantee our future will be a better one. It is all based on the choices we make individually that role up
collectively to where, we, as humans on this magnificent planet, build the future we create based on our actions today.
Government is a collection of people — some elected, some appointed — who pay attention to where society is going. Government is not inherently bad. Though there is a common mindset that this is so.
Buzz words like “big government” and “socialism” sound the alarm. Yet we take the work for granted and miss the point: like our roads, police, public schools and universities, the public library, water and sewer, and on and on.
I liken government to parenthood and the society as a whole as the children. Some things need to be done for our own good. Unwieldy children don’t want rules, think they know everything and can do without the parent (government).
Hence, we have rules (i.e laws). If people could be entrusted to do what’s right for the greater good, then we’d need less laws. But that, unfortunately, is not the case. Teenage children are invincible and feel immortal. There level of maturity is questionable at times. Should a 16 year old be able to
stay out with friends till midnight or later? Should we condone teenage drinking?
We can all do a lot as individuals to make a difference in this world. Those of us that take the responsibility each of us have for our consumption and the fallout from that consumption. Basing your purchase decisions and lifestyle on the value of minimizing our impact on the ecosystem that sustains our existence. It matters for our kids. How we live today, the decision we make in the here and now effects the future more profoundly than most of us can comprehend.
As individuals we can do a lot, but only so much. Leadership can steer us in the right direction and bring society economies of scale by encouraging behaviors that enhance society and our ability to increase the chances of a resource plentiful future.
Our current trajectory is not guaranteeing a resource plentiful future for our children and those that will follow. Those that work to discredit the messengers and confuse the public and frame the debate in favor of do nothing when it comes to climate change are the unruly teenagers who prefer to not be parented.
The free-market economy — more like economic anarchy — does not inherently move the economy and culture toward the best interest of the people or culture. It moves blindly, driven by profit, not the interest of people or the planet, usually seeking the lowest commom denominator to maximize profit. With the right nudge from government, the market can shift to a desired direction, while maintaining the spirit of the free market.
Government, then has the moral obligation to make hard choices. To see the bigger picture and long term benefits for a better tomorrow. Just as parents make the hard choices in raising their children. The child might not like the discipline the parent envokes on their child — but it is in their best interest they do.
We cannot change the past, but we can know the past. We cannot know the future but our actions today shape the future we will have. Action to change how we move ourselves and the goods that make up our economy, how we build the buildings we live, work and play in and the consumption of resources to heat and cool these buildings, not to mention the food production systems are all needed for our collective best interest. Not for today, but for your kids and their kids, and on
and on, down the line of future human existence.
