Our civilization is a the throes of a conflict between two ideas as to how to go forward, Globalism or Economic Nationalism.
These ideologies have similarities. The problem lies with well meaning people on both sides advocating good ideas that turn out to be not so good, because of the way they are put into practice.
Those in power, attempting to gain support for the implementation of their policies, leverage the differences between these ideologies in a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy that pits one side against the other. The media, both main stream and independent, compound this problem. They exploit differences of opinion by polarizing and distorting them in order to gain ratings, traffic and monetization. The big money is made when there’s “Blood in the streets”. “If it bleed it leads”.
Somewhere there has to be a middle ground, the Middle Way spoken of in Buddhism, or the Golden Mean of Greek philosophy.
For example, Shareholder Capitalists have cherrypicked portions of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations to justify unbridled self interest, and to demonize Stakeholder Capitalism as communist propaganda. But Adam Smith, arguably the founder of Capitalism, “in his concern for the poor, and for the shepherding of institutions dealing with health, education & infrastructure, believed there must be a healthy, balancing public sector. He also emphasised the importance of thriving community structures, regulatory institutions, and the role that values must play in our lives.” HR’s moral mission – Danah Zohar
“From 1945-1982 the capitalism that created America as the dominant nation in the world, economically and militarily, was pure stakeholder capitalism. It also created the largest economic market in the world, which was America’s middle class.” Stakeholder Capitalism Works Because It Has A Conscience – Peter Georgescu
How can consensus be reached in a climate of vigorous censorship, in the demonizing or cancelling of another as an extremist? Wouldn’t that make the narrative that prevails little more than propaganda, and the adherents just as extreme? On the other hand, the dissemination of deceptive, misleading information – deliberately designed to misdirect people – leads to confusion, radicalism and possible violence.
Serious consideration begins by researching the arguments of both sides, and trying to reach a consensus. The more we default to an extreme position, at either end of the spectrum, the less likely we are to find a solution to world problems. Ignoring or automatically discounting another’s point of view is a step towards tyranny.
Politics has degenerated into the Art of War, an amoral striving for ideological supremacy and control of resources. Power is the horrible star by which many technocrats, oligarchs and political parties, mired in corruption, bribery and coercion, now guide their ship.
How do we get to a better State? What we need are fewer politicians and more statesmen. “What is the purpose of a statesman? It is to state, in the name of Man, the government that is in residence with the discovery of Truth!” – Change Your Standpoint, Change Your World: Kenneth G. Mills