This is an article I wrote in despair after Donald Trump became POTUS. Now, in March 2020 I updated it in view of current developments.
When Trump started his first (and hopefully last) term, lots of US citizens tried to emigrate to Canada. And many more feared that human rights and liberty would turn to ashes. And then it turned out we face a loopy egomaniac with no vision whatsoever besides paltry pathetic deals.
Did we miss the time to panic?
Although many voters may have wanted a break from nepotism, bribery, and veiling, Trump’s victory only gave them more of the same, but aggressively more of it and exponentially more extreme.
It was more than unfortunate that Donald Trump – in the felt absence of other perspectives – represented change, any change at all.
These elections demonstrated that a lot of people couldn’t stand it anymore and craved a radical shift – of attitude, in being heard and in the perception of their wishes and their circumstances. But previous experiences already showed that the existing setting didn’t allow for too much of a change for the better.
People seemed so desperate then that they couldn’t be bothered with the next logical step (although locic didn’t seem to have much impact anyhow): it felt like ‘now or never’ for change – any change all!
But the times they are a-changing
Many people didn’t trust in the so-called establishment of which Clinton was then part of. There was a lot of hope in Sanders as a symbol of a more altruistic, maybe even socialist approach. But – and this is the tipping-point – our social systems themselves seemed to be in doubt.
And as yet we have no consensus on which changes really do make sense in order to create a society we want to live in. Especially since we need to think globally in a globalized world…
Vut: there is no other way than to think and act globally and locally at the same time. And even if we don’t want to act globally, the virus already does.
Challenges of the 21st century
- As of now in March 2020 we face unprecedented challenges on a global scale: it turns out not only economics are connected, but we humans are as well. As covid-19 goes viral the digital net seems to be the only safe social interaction medium – as long as it works…
- Politicians of all countries turn to emergency mode – but in a cramped and strictly national mindset.
- Yes, we are confronted with a globalized economy where the working people are (were ?!) – more or less – reduced to robots with wages that hardly ensure survival, while the financial powers are concentrated in a small pool of too mighty people and companies.
- But money can’t buy health now. And the financial markets seem to be even more vulnerable to the virus than we people are.
- The existing – and now collapsing – system cherishes values, that no longer make sense: the still active remnants of colonialism, where people and resources are over-exploited without empathy or care for the future.
- Nobody has the right to possess the ground on which we live – and neither the resources the planet offers.
- Moreover the increasing nationalism and the separating tendencies of “divide et impera” segregate people from each other. And unfortunately the closing of the borders doesn’t really further global thinking.
- But as fear is spreaded all over the world people still can connect – at least as long as the technical infrastructure runs smoothly.
- And please allow me one daring mental leap: what if smartphones and digital communication were simple means to prepare us for something like telepathy? I surely do hope IT infrastructure continues to work fine! Apparently humankind is not (yet?) in a position to make something like telepathy work in a reliable way.
- Quantum physics open up new ways of understanding the workings of the universe.
- Close to this topic artifical intelligence also has potential to change everything dramatically.
- In the face of technical capabilities that strive for the unknown, hunger on earth no longer can be an issue to be neglected.
- The exploitation of the so-called ’emerging markets’ must stop right now. It makes absolutely no sense in an unworn world order that is defined by the people.
- And as we can see already the medical care must not be dependent on money…
- Air and water are gifts to the creatures of this planet. Nobody has the right to own or to pollute the elements that are the absolute basics for life on earth. We are so gifted with more energy than we are likely to ever need – if we’re smart enough to use it in harmony with the system that we don’t even begin to understand.
- At least there is a silver lining of hope for the climate since flights and production are massively reduced worldwide. This shows that we can reduce our CO2 emissions massively if we must – and that we must do so before the earth’s climatic system tilts.
- There surely are many more topics to address (like terrorism and wars, but maybe a part of their causes are covered by the topics above), so please take these few just as examples.
The most important changes are in our thoughts
We are the many, those who hold the power are few. As soon as we don’t accept to be divided (in order to be ruled), there is no power on earth that can stop us!
As we obviously cannot rely on politicians to make the world right, we have to do it by ourselves. This makes sense, because we’re all together on this spaceship called earth. So what can we do?
The guilt concept – that is to blame someone or something for the shit that sometimes just happens – must go away. We won’t be able to build a fair society if we still blame someone else for our own inadequacy. There is not even a problem with inadequacy, because we’re human!
This is the first step of empowerment which allows us to take responsibility for our lives and the world we live in.
Whatever the next president of the United States (or any other power in this world) will do: we are not doomed to inactivity!
- Think of wolf-pac who try to reverse the influence of money on politics by using US-laws,
- think of the Yes men, the culture-slamming activists,
- think of all the movements that have brought on change – by the sheer power of people connecting.
Today, with all the social platforms, instant messaging and worldwide live news we’re more empowered to connect than ever. Let’s take this chance and use it to the good of our planet and it’s inhabitants.