‘Society' has all the power. It tells us what we need to be aiming for and why as well as how. As exemplified in Dr Seuss's The Lorax, we need to be "biggering and biggering" productivity in order to expand and increase wealth. So when the pandemic hit, that was the focus of our leaders.
But why do we need biggering?
The argument goes along the lines of job creation and wage increases in order to keep people fed and happy. But the reality appears to be more aligned with lining the pockets of the rich and powerful so they can add more billions to their bank accounts. How else can such wealth be in the hands of so few with concurrent poverty and lack of access to basic needs?
The Halls of Power are exploiting our greed to keep everyone in their place. I recently read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a (filli in the blank) by Mark Manson. It made some interesting points, one of which related to the need to gain a sale in a democratic society. The focus on profit and gain permits superficiality to prevail at the cost of honesty and true connection. By promising bigger and bigger lifestyle improvements we buy into the idea that we need it. This is echoed in the Dr Seuss children’s tale of The Lorax who challenges The Oncler when he makes a Thneed; the thing that everyone needs. The Lorax wisely cautions us to ’think of the trees’.
We as a collective make up society, though. The point of a democracy is to have the people’s voice heard. If that is true, how can a bungling lack of leadership still be in power? Because people want to believe that there is the ability to make it big someday; too escape the eternal humdrum reality and be special and rich.
What we have not accepted is that the system is not set up for the people or to look after the place we live in. The Lorax tried to warn us that biggering and biggering only pollutes our backyard and leads to a more desolate humdrum life.
What if we focus on efficiency instead?
Can we reuse, recycle and improve productivity with a similar enthusiasm to achieve higher employment, full bellies and happier people?
Surely such a radical approach needs a radical change of leadership. If we are to reflect values we try to instil in our children such as vulnerability, harmony and resilience, we can try to emulate these in The Halls of Power. Now more than ever we need an overhaul of the white, male-dominated, private school club, privileged arena that permits and actively pursues bullying.
We have seen recent revelations of independent thinkers in parliament, men and women who dare to challenge the status quo or are not career politicians.They are pushed out of the arena because they didn’t align with the force of the well established Power of Profit and this happens on both sides of the political coin.
Instead of the usual rhetoric of devaluing traditionally female attributes such as emotional sensitivity, we could harness the opportunity to help improve society. We have seen recent politicians who lack empathy make poor decisions. It is time to celebrate qualities other than profit and expansion and shift the focus to efficacy to see the ultimate benefit in our lives and our environment.
If the pandemic can bring us an opportunity to really address the way we currently live, let’s harness it before it is lost.
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