What Are Governments For?

This is a good question. 

When we do not see ourselves in each other we tend to live life for our own interests and we don’t care about others, Africa is a case in point.  Self interest at the expense of others is called selfish, one eyed or vested interests.  When we adopt the hat of community or best interests then our decisions and choices expand to include the greater good.  We find naturally when we feel loving bonds with community their needs are our needs. We would naturally work for the group good. In our world we have become separated, particularly in the West, even families have broken up. We become fully focussed on meeting our own needs without a strong sense of the big picture. Hence our consumption becomes the poverty of another (exploitation of resources) and the planet’s resources diminish at high rates. As individuals, we are believing the resources are infinite. Cities are prime examples of this mentality as we just go and shop without a conscious awareness of where those products came from and whether they are renewable. In most cases not.

The unrest we are seeing in the world today is linked to earth changes and limitations of resources. It is a result of self interest over best interest. This plays out as corporate objectives verses societal imperatives.  The impending environmental and corporate collapse is creating popular counter movements these are based on facts but also intuitive feeling, people feel they have to act.  People are learning about what is going on and they are not seeing moral leadership taking a stand. As a result they feel unheard and fear that change will not occur as situations worsen.   

Our civilisation is not advanced, I can imagine in advanced societies they would look upon the violence and environmental destruction of life supports as insane, they would be right.  An evolved society, in my mind, would be one that honours each other, that learns from mistakes and sees themselves as one with the planet they are on.  They would not project images of violence as entertainment, they would not solve issues through murder, they would not neglect or abuse children. An evolved society sees itself as one with each other and the planet. The modus operandi of such civilisations would be to educate the young in love, values, service and higher education that is not vocational but includes the arts, science, philosophy, permaculture, social interactions, healthy sexuality, values, the law of attraction, conflict resolution, nature and so on. If mistakes are made jail would not be considered, the process would be, not to punish, but to help the other learn from mistakes. They would be shown the error and then they would be guided to heal the problem so that everyone wins. The community could be involved listening to differences and helping to provide wise solutions. Teaching humanity by being love would be their approach. They would know violence teaches violence. They would create food forests in harmony with nature, provide sustainable living that does not deplete the planet’s resources and a mutual sense of love and respect would be instilled in all people.  Just imagine if we all worked for the highest good the type of world we would have.  Imagine a world living sustainably with free energy. Imagine only working because you choose to in areas you enjoy. Imagine all basic needs met free of charge, as nature meets our needs free of charge.  Human’s created costs we can create credits and debits as mediums of exchange. There would be no notions of welfare bludgers or losers, as we all win when we win. No competition to fight over resources or defeat so called enemies but cooperative attitudes understanding what we do to another is done to ourselves. Our real wealth is inherent in what we give not what we take. A universal law of cause and effect. Imagine if we would design our society in parallel to the natural systems which are abundant and interconnected. Perhaps it is not a dream. I guess we the people decide this.

It is not to fight against governments but to utilise this dissatisfaction and create the world you want. Transform all conflicts into the future of your dreams. That is my wish for you. You can do it.

Here is an article by David Suzuki questioning the purpose of Government.

Courtesy of David Suzuki.

When I heard about the student protests in Montreal, I swallowed the line that Quebec’s pampered youth pay lower fees than those in other parts of Canada but aren’t aware that education costs money. And then I went to Quebec. There, I heard a different story.

After weeks of demonstrations, clearly something more profound is going on. The protesters are forcing us to confront a crucial question: What is government for? Governing is about priorities. Students can’t help but notice they aren’t high on the list.

Governments all across Canada have no qualms about investing vast amounts of money to exploit “natural resources”, yet they all but ignore the most precious, our children. Young people will take charge long after current leaders are gone, and they’ll also be stuck with the ecological, social, and economic costs of the decisions we make today.

The increasing challenge of getting a postsecondary education isn’t the only issue motivating people to take to the streets of Montreal. On April 22, Earth Day, 300,000 went outside to celebrate nature. On May 22, tens of thousands spontaneously mobilized to oppose the draconian measures enacted to stop the student protests.

The Montreal protesters are drawing attention to a growing trend: governments often skew decisions in favour of short-term priorities, often for industrial interests. To promote those priorities, government, industry, and their supporters try to stifle discussion around the real issues and demonize those who press for change or question the status quo. So, because Al Gore lives in a big house (even though he’s worked at being “carbon-neutral”), he’s labelled a hypocrite, leading anti-environmentalists to make the illogical leap that we should therefore ignore or deny the science of climate change.

This advancement of logical fallacy reached new lows with a blunder by the Heartland Institute, a U.S. climate change denying organization. The Institute launched a billboard campaign implying that because the Unabomber, Fidel Castro, and Charles Manson believe in climate change, those who agree with the scientific evidence for global warming must also be tyrants, madmen, and murderers. One could as easily, and as wrongly, conclude the opposite on the basis that Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway on July 22, is a climate change denier who referenced Heartland Institute “experts” in his manifesto!

Heartland aborted its campaign because of massive public outrage and because funders and supporters tried to distance themselves from the organization. But the episode was another demonstration of attempts to deflect rational discussion of important issues such as global warming. And, if even tyrants, madmen, and murderers get it, why don’t our politicians?

The Occupy movement also questions priorities, especially those regarding the pro-corporate agendas of many governments. Corporations are not people but they have similar rights and generate vast amounts of money to invest in budding politicians and lobby groups that help sidetrack important discussions.

This sidetracking tactic also pops up with the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project, especially when it comes to First Nations’ concerns. Many coastal and northern communities are desperate for jobs and economic development. Enbridge is offering incentives, including employment, yet coastal First Nations realize that some things are more important than money. Why aren’t we all getting that?

We’re constantly bombarded with the message that jobs and economic growth are government’s highest priority, but the coastal First Nations, Occupy protesters, and Montreal students, among others, tell us the economy and growth are not the end but the means to a better society. A society that values its young people balances industrial and economic development in ways that don’t compromise their future, and makes higher education accessible to all.

Many of us have watched with interest the remarkable “Arab Spring” movement. Although protests and demonstrations here may be about “first world” problems as opposed to the more serious struggle for basic democratic rights in the Middle East, they remind us that we can’t be complacent.

As Canada’s government axes programs and organizations that inform us about the environment and climate change, guts environmental protection measures, and shovels money to promote fossil fuel interests while wilfully ignoring urgent calls from scientists, students, First Nations, and tens of thousands of citizens, it’s up to all of us to listen and join the conversation.

By David Suzuki.