Election times. The media are bombarding us with the candidates’ ideas on how to resolve most of our problems. They have great strategies to solve the credit crisis, to protect us from defaults and foreclosures, to eliminate social and economic differences, to make us healthy with first class health care, increase our income, stop the dollar debacle, and provide us with a great retirement.
Do you believe them? Who has the better chance of delivering what no politician could ever accomplish? It is the fault of my party. No, it is the fault of your party.
As I keep reading the worldly philosophers and digging into my personal experiences, I have to conclude that everything we talk about is futile unless we focus on one major issue.
The philosophers’ contribution is to propose an ideal system. Rousseau, Sartre, and Marx (among others) told us we are equal and we should live happily as a group.
The French revolution tried to institutionalize Rousseau’s ideas. But the tribal instinct of men took over and massacres ensued. Until Napoleon, the Emperor, took control and brought peace.
Workers should be treated with justice. Marx also had great ideas on how to achieve this feat. But Lenin and Stalin got into the picture and bastardized Marx’s ideas to extremes. You know the results -- human misery.
My point. Elegant and convincing social schemes, as for instance the French and the Russian revolutions, are debased by men because of their personal interests and drive to achieve power. Power, the ultimate goal.
The solution of this dilemma is provided by a small and great country: Switzerland. The solution: above average education. Educated citizens perform miracles as in Switzerland, a country with no resources. Yet, it is one of the wealthiest in the world!
Governments have to empower their citizens with the knowledge and decision process capabilities to be able to stand on their own feet. Give them the tools to accomplish. Not to receive handouts. Build their will to be and remain independent.
More, much more if you subscribe to The Peter Dag Portfolio on https://www.peterdag.com/.
George Dagnino, PhD
Editor, The Peter Dag Portfolio
Since 1977
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