Building Something Fresh From Scratch
People ask me what I like to do for fun. About my job. My race. My religion. They ask me where I live, whether I have children, what kind of music I like, and what I eat for dinner.
These are all important questions. It is good to know the people around us. But each answer boxes me in.
If I tell someone I like listening to rap music or that my favorite movie is Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, then a stereotype forms. I’m the rap guy. I like dumb movies. My intelligence is questioned (as it should be, if that’s my favorite movie). I am placed in a box in someone’s mind.
This happens with political discussions, too. People want us to put an answer in a box, choosing from imperfect solutions. I don’t want an imperfect solution; I want something better.
Recently, the Libertarian candidate for president of the United States, Gary Johnson, was asked the following question: If someone placed a gun to your head and made you choose between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, which one would you choose?
Johnson said he’d rather someone just pull the trigger. That’s a poor answer; it would have been better to grab the gun and turn it on the idiot asking the questions. Even better, turn away from violence: throw away the gun and tell the questioner to wake up. But at least Johnson thought “outside of the box” by refusing to choose Tweedle-dee or Tweedle-dummer.
We should focus on that question, not his answer. Because THAT KIND OF QUESTION is exactly what is wrong with the world today.
The world is imperfect. To address its problems, we are asked to choose between two flawed solutions. We are asked to check one box representing our view. Not only do we not have other choices, but we are forced to choose from only one system that perpetuates this crap.
Unfortunately, boxes do not solve problems.
When the government and private economy are not capable of producing positive solutions to real problems, then it’s time to face reality. The current system is ineffective because its design or behavior is flawed.
Real solutions must come from the ground up.
I want someone to ask me: “Richard, what kind of world do you want to live in?” Because when that happens, it will mean that people understand it’s time to look beyond the box. If we are going to solve the real world’s real problems, those solutions must come from the ground up, not the top down.
It begins with trust, respect, and shared values. We must trust our neighbors and the people around us. We must respect their views and allow their voices to be heard. We must search for common ground and recognize that all of us share many of the same values.
Using those values as a basis, we can begin to build consensus around ideas that make our society better. And from there, the work begins of carrying out positive change.
So the next time someone asks me what kind of world I want to live in, I will mention a few things I would like to see.
1.) No violence.
2.) Trust between individuals and trust between groups.
3.) A diversity of people involved and participating actively in solving society’s problems.
4.) A governance system that focuses on making the world better. And keeps itself out of the way the rest of the time.
5.) A real economy, based on goods and services which add tangible, practical value. No sketchy derivatives or monetary instruments that add nothing.
6.) A widespread focus on helping everybody win, providing opportunities for progress and success.
7.) Fun. Keep It Fun!
When we recognize how much we all have in common, that creates trust. Trust and common interests will foster a consensus on many of the problems we share. Together, we can discuss these issues and create meaningful solutions. It will work if we respect one another and build from the ground up.
No, wait! Not “ground up” like grinding up coffee beans. I wrote, “from the ground up”. That means…
…planting or building something from the ground up. But it’s all the same; it’s all good. It turns out that coffee grounds make a terrific garden fertilizer, too. From the remnants of the old, we can build something fresh and new.
References:
Gary Johnson story: http://www.businessinsider.com/gary-johnson-view-aleppo-2016-9
Image 1: Creative Commons, @ jgbarah via Flickr.
Image 2: A logo of the Transition Network, which has some wonderful ideas for helping society and farms rebuild: https://transitionnetwork.org
Photos 3 and 4: Public Domain