Adapt now to survive later – Change or Die

HILLARY
This past weekend I got a big dose of reality from a college seminar. I heard from some of the best and the brightest professors in our country. The over-arcing feeling that I took away was that when looking at the environment, or peace in the Middle East, or business practices on Wall Street, we are engrained into a way of life that is killing us. Our new president seeks though political office to make “change” for the future, but this change cannot be merely political. It seems to me that we need a radical change in our culture.

JACK
You are just starting to touch the reality of our situation. When we deal in national or global politics, the problems are greatly magnified, but we must realize that it’s an extension of who we are. There’s a saying in alcoholics anonymous, that if we continue to do everything as we did it before, it is insanity to expect a different conclusion. In previous postings we have touched on the need for change, but I do not believe we gave it the emphasis that is needed. Greed, Wall Street gone wild, and an almost complete lack of oversight have precipitated the state of the economy. Engrained in our psyche is the quote ‘greed it good’.

Just when we think we understand a problem we are faced with headlines that the “bailed out” Citibank had ordered and was taking delivery on a $50M corporate jet, and paid millions of dollars in bonuses on the back of the taxpayer. At the same time the Republicans (the loyal opposition) are saying that they will never pass any bill without additional tax cuts. I’ve got the feeling that in real time I am watching another version of Groundhog Day, where the same events inevitably continue to occur.

I used to believe that government is a great deal of the problem. I am now discovering that the problem is inherent in all of us. So I agree with you that we must change our value systems, that we must regain our moral compass in order to avoid moving inevitably toward disaster.

HILLARY
What troubles me is that it will take some kind of external force to make the necessary changes. It’s a simple matter of consciousness, yet as a country we don’t seem remotely interested. Everyone seems to be looking to technology or government to save us, and we’ll just keep on consuming until scientists find a way to make our consumption good for the planet. Well, after listening to some of the smartest scientists in the country this weekend I can tell you that they don’t believe that any kind of silver bullet is imminent. We have to change in order to save our planet, and it’s no longer a vague concept. It’s whole towns to be lost from coastal sea rise, it’s whole industries lost because of interior drought and mineral concentration. It’s coming, and we can slow it down if we work together, but we have to make fundamental, cultural changes to our very way of living. And if we don’t do it soon the changes will be made for us by nature, and any likeness to our society now will be lost.

JACK
Before anything can happen, before changes are made, before we make the corrections, we ourselves have to change. We must believe that morality, honesty, and transparency are the overall key. Someone at Citibank had to “feel, ”I repeat the word, “feel”, that buying a $50M private jet on the taxpayers back is morally reprehensible.

HILLARY
But this is point that I’m trying to make. People know that they are not doing what is being asked of them, or what is right. They know that they are taking advantage of someone, or cutting a corner, or betting it all to further their goals.

JACK
I don’t understand how you can say that people feel that it’s wrong and act the same way, because they feel they can get away with it. My point is exactly the opposite. The fact that they “feel” that it’s wrong should stop them from doing it. This is the change that I am talking about. When we get to the point where we are our own policemen, then all these changes can happen because that’s what we want to do in our gut. All the cautionary statements about the disaster that will befall the planet today brings a nod, and a statement that you are right. But unless the multitude of people believes it in their gut, there aren’t enough police to protect us.

HILLARY
I think that people do believe in their guts that something is wrong, but they don’t believe that they, themselves, need to change anything to fix it. You and I have discussed that you believe that only a rationing of goods and services, under the penalty of fines or jail will cause people to alter their consumption. That is exactly the culture change that I’m talking about. How do we change our culture so that people do what they know is right without putting a gun to their heads?

JACK
This is the power question. It will take a lot of time and a lot of debate before it happens. The real solution is to create an educational program. I believe that it can only be accomplished by concentrating on the young people. As you’ve said previously, there is no magic bullet. There is a solution, but it’s not going to happen easily.

HILLARY
In the meantime, people are dying because two tribes are claiming the same dirt was given to them by god, and businesses are still grabbing as much capital as they can while people are getting tossed out of their homes, and in the next 50 years we will not recognize the face of the Earth. Business as usual is going to destroy us, and waiting for our kids to figure it out is downright obscene.

On the brightside, I met several students at this seminar who are working on these various ethical and scientific problems. If it is up to these kids to figure it out, we may be in better shape then I think. No matter what, however, we’re going to have a major change in how we live. The question is, will it be gradual or radical.

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