Is that my crunchie?

This mornings radio had it's usual series of bad news from around the world, including the credit crunch and the political fate of more than one national leader, but one thing struck me was that we (humans) seem to inflict these upon ourselves or our own with what seems like growing regularity.

For instance, take the green issue.. well the wonders of bio-fuel are as you probably know pushing up the price of our shopping (especially bread, cereal and anything that eats grain) and for some people making it impossible to afford the basics.  Huge areas of the planet are now growing food quality wheat to put in cars.  Riots in Asia have broken out because the cost of rice is rising well above what people can afford.

Personally, having to pay a few pence more for a loaf of bread is nothing but annoying for me.  However, for a huge slice of humanity it is life or death.  Instead of finding really clean, green ways to transport our ever growing backsides around the planet we are looking at an alternative which may have real consequences for the most vulnerable.

We, as a species, need to get smarter and find truly sustainable ways of developing the economy.  The solutions may not always be simple but the guiding principles should be, starting with respecting each other and helping the most at risk.  If our most vulnerable see those in control having very little regard for them, is it surprising that anti-social behavior which blights many towns in the UK continues to rise. 

The local elections will take place in the UK early next month and in this democracy the majority will not be voting.

Karl Roche

Comments

[Saumya Ganguly]

We do seem to be going through another point of inflexion in the graph of human existence. The New Year issue of a magazine here in India described 2007 as a year of conflicts in India. I guess the same can be said of other countries too. I guess it is high time we recognized that we are part of the animal kingdom of this planet and still have evolutionary constraints. The reptilian part of our brain challenges the altruism of man the wise.

On another note – more to do with your election theme – there was once a demand by a section of the electorate in India that there should be a “none of the above” option on the ballot paper / voting machine. If that option got the highest number of votes then the candidates would be disbarred for contesting elections again.

[Karl Roche]

Nice to see today that the UK Government is going to take another look at the use production of bio-fuels and its impact on food prices.

http://tiny.cc/xKHzz

[Debbe Kennedy]

Saumya and Karl...

What keeps coming to mind is that we need a resurrection of the art of THINKing. THINKing about our actions and behavior and the positive and negative implications of what we do as individuals and as organizations. Case in point, a grad student told me a few weeks ago with a very nearly apologetic tone that he was out for himself --- to get what he could. It was very sad --- obviously, he wasn't thinking about bio-fuels or changing the world.

Here in the U.S. we are seeing small signs of a new consciousness about the earth and humanity --- everyone seems to have an issue or a cause, but few signs show we are THINKing through the implications of our behavior every day or realizing how we impact others in big and small ways. Gandhi said this is a gradual process and by the reality we see in the world, we have a long way to go.

I'm not sure I agree that "none of the above" solves anything. It prolongs problems. It creates chaos. It bolsters negative emotions. The changes on all fronts seem to have to come from us, don't they? Maybe we all DO something different, but if we just reject without creating an alternative, what will change?

In a management school at IBM way too many years ago now :-), I remember one model, "The Main Event Principle" --- "Unless things change, they stay the same (...or get worse).

Karl, the article was an encouraging list of possibilities, but I did note each of the commitments began "We will"... I look forward to reading the update that says "We HAVE IMPLEMENTED a G8 international strategy with these results..." "We HAVE INCREASED support to the poorest with these differences made..." don't you?

May we be a little more thoughtful from this discussion with one another and take small postive actions every day in our spans of influence.

Debbe