UNWANTED PEOPLE

 

THE UNWANTED

 

Throughout human history we have struggled with expanding human populations and meeting their needs and we have failed consistently.  Slums, tenements, tent cities, people sleeping and living rough in deplorable conditions.  Systemic poverty, unsanitary conditions, hunger and starvation and a patchwork of humanitarian efforts to stave off the worst, but barely putting a dent in alleviating human suffering. 

Saturation is a phenomenon that sets in when a nation or society can no longer sustain its members adequately and with a sense of purpose, providing energy, growth and opportunity.  When it only affects a small portion of the population it is manageable, or barely noticeable; something we prefer.  As long as the unwanted, the undesirables, the poor and the destitute, the weak and the feeble, the elderly, sick and disabled, stay out of mind and sight, all is well.  Nobody wants to be reminded.  It becomes a different story when the unwanted become painfully visible and impactful, intruding on our sense of order and wellbeing, impacting on our desire for everything to be well and as it should be.

We’re struggling all around the world and we’re overwhelmed by the surge in unwanted people.  Refugees, migrants on the move, camps, homelessness and shelters filled to capacity and turning people away, people living rough and in makeshift encampments, begging on the streets, foodbanks not being able to cope with a massive influx of people faced with horrendous decisions: pay the rent or not eat, will it be food or skip medicine.  It has become a tidal wave of human misery.  Societal cracks are widening at a pace we haven’t witnessed before in recent times.  Too many people and we haven’t got a clue what to do with them.

Our progress the past one hundred years has been astounding and for a lot of people it has meant better incomes that have led to improved lifestyles and access to luxuries unheard of before.  Advances have come at a pace so fast that it has blinded us to the consequences and the price the world as a whole has paid.  Our rapid rise in human numbers has surpassed the benefits of success and advancements.  In both cases it has been an unchecked rise that is now coming home to roost with some nasty consequences.

Governments have attempted to keep up through heavy debt loads and constant borrowing which has led to inflation and out-of-control prices and living expenses.  Sooner or later you’ve got to pay the piper.

It is the human time bomb, ticking away, that is the accelerator behind societal and planetary failure, and when it explodes the impact will be felt by billions.  The reasons for failure have never changed.  All nations lack a system of checks and balances, of channeling growth and expansion in moderation.  Governments have become the big white elephant in the room: out-of-control in size and expenses and out of touch with what society realistically can bear.  At the root lies our penchant for power and greed; a few living well at the expense of the many.  It is a common trait that has never served us well.  Those at the very top of the food chain will justify their position with whatever excuses at their disposal and they have utter contempt for the masses.  The fact that those same masses have earned them their wealth through their labor is conveniently overlooked and only addressed when appropriate.

All nations and societies start out with the best intentions in mind, it is time that eventually corrupts every system of governance, time and our worst character flaws that inevitable come to the fore; entitlements, graft, corruption, bribery, tax exemptions, tax evasion and loopholes, nepotism and cronyism.  What once more emerges is a lopsided division of wealth that favors the greedy and which penalizes the poor and the most vulnerable people in society.

When the super wealthy call the shots society as a whole tends to turn a blind eye to their excesses and excuses and governments plod along stubbornly, plugging holes and refusing to acknowledge the mounting consequences of their follies and unsustainable practices.  Governments all around the world are beholden to deep pockets.

The unwanted are once more stuck in the middle, hated by everybody and most of all by those who have the most to lose or who are awfully close to joining the legions of the destitute and poor.  An avalanche is waiting with millions of people hanging on by thread and on the verge of joining the legions of dispossessed.  We’re laying blame, we’re pointing fingers, we openly start to hate and discriminate. 

Perverse logic and some uncomfortable truths.  1: A person not contributing to society is not a consumer but a cost factor.  2: Tax dollars diverted to sustain non-contributors are a tax burden.  3: When a nation reaches a tipping point where the non-productive segment drags down a nation’s ability to prosper, decline and societal failure are a given.

I purposely use the term—perverse logic—it is not nice, but it states the obvious.  Uncomfortable truths we consistently shy away from.  It is not that we’re blind to the obvious, but that stating it point blank is akin to committing political suicide.  Nobody wants to be reminded of the obvious.  When it comes to our human failings and sins we couch our omissions with some intriguing phrases and I love the following: We’re all guilty and therefore nobody is guilty.”  We share a passion for absolving ourselves from any wrongdoing and turning a blind eye is so typically human.

Consequences however have a nasty habit of eventually coming home to roost.

 

Will we ever create societies that are fair and equitable?

Depopulation!  Will we even consider it?

My novella Energy & Origin by W.M.A. Bes is available on Amazon.ca