Tuesday 27 September 2011

Changing Views - Sept 5th

With time to think I have started to challenge my views. Does change come through moral commitment? I'm doubtful. Lifestyle change to reduce global warming, financial constraint to avoid debt and even out the social wealth. I just can't see it happening even though many good people work and hope for such an ethical fix. No, self interest is a more powerful, universal force.

So what may work? Educational change to empower those losing out rather than expecting benevolence from those who aren't. Incentivize change rather than exhortation or enforcement. Use the economic levers rather than the regulatory stick. I wish it wasn't so. That people all worked for the community benefit, the greater good but I just don't see it.

The other possibility is working at the local level. Keep control in the community's hands. It may lead to suboptimal results but at least they are your suboptimal results. Of course no-man-is-an-island so events elsewhere in the world will impact on you but by building a more resilient local structure you may be better place to weather any storm and seek local consensus on what to do about it. This gets my vote.

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