GROWING TROUBLE

 

GROWING TROUBLE

 

Not that long ago we were mere scavengers as we left the jungle behind for greener pastures, venturing out into a world that was pristine and undisturbed by a monkey that was about to turn into a hominid, our primitive offspring.  Evolution rewards ingenuity and opportunity.  Combine it with an insatiable curiosity and the sky is the limit.  Humans learn from each other and progress is measured by how much we learn from each other and by how much we share and teach.  Almost all living species benefit from group behavior and working together.  A greater degree of intelligence allows for a greater degree of organization that benefits the tribe as a whole.  It is not just about learning new skills that improve lives and lifestyles, but about efficiency.  Basically how to get the most out of anything with the least amount of effort and expense.  It has been a guiding principle of humanity and we continue to adhere to it.

Once more human behavior follows the principles of the primordial forces of energy and momentum, of needs and demands that impact all living species.  Growing as a slightly more intelligent species gave us an advantage over all other living species on our planet.  Our growth allowed us to leave behind a life of hunter-gatherers, of scavenging, living in caves and primitive huts.  Humans have experienced a kind of growth unprecedented in the history of the natural world.  The only species out of millions, even weeding out lesser humanoids and evolving into the species we are today.  We have never stopped growing.  Growth has never slowed down and growth is now killing us because its behavior, our behavior, is not benign or generous.  Growth is disparate and depends on where you live and how.  Competition and geographical happenstance now dictate how well you will do.

A disparate development.

When we emerged as tentative settlers in permanent dwellings it was a playing field that was fairly level.  And yet, even then, location mattered.  Access to fertile land, water, rivers, forests, hunting, shelter and protection from potential invaders.  Any advantage can be a benefit.

Arrested development.

To this day there are still places on our planet where a nomadic lifestyle persists because where they live the land is poor and the region isolated.  Not a biggie if all of us were exposed to the same thing.  The sad reality that has emerged and which continues to widen the gap between the haves and have-nots is that globally growth has been erratic and poorly shared.  Countries with a superior technological advantage, with a higher standard of living and a higher level of education are leaving poorer nations behind in the dust.  The number of people falling through the cracks and falling behind are running into the billions.  Technology and innovation are replacing workers and wealth generation takes place with fewer and fewer people employed.

"If I only knew then what I know now."

The consequences of growth are now coming home to roost and our horrific numbers, over 8 billion and counting, showcase our inability to provide for them in a fair and equitable manner.  Billions of people are living in abject poverty, in squalor-like conditions and without proper sanitation.  Economies in failing states are reducing many of its people to a subsistence level; lacking opportunities, jobs and a future.

A global existential crisis.

Empires have come and gone, victims of exceptional and quick growth, followed by an equally impressive demise.  British historian Trevor Roper compared the fortunes of empires to a flower; sprouting and budding in spring, coming into flower in summer and then dying down.  Almost all of them were done in by their success; rapidly increasing their numbers and then not being able to sustain growth and provide for their citizens.  We’re following a similar curve, but this time around it is global in nature.  In a previous article I mentioned that this time around it is an existential crisis.  It is not about who will live and who will die, but whether humanity can realistically survive as a species.

A greater degree of intelligence has given us superior science, but it has left us with inferior morals tied to the primordial forces of energy and momentum that continue to wreak havoc with our best intentions.  In other words, that greater intelligence of ours has not turned us into better people.  If anything, it has helped us inflict murder and mayhem on our fellow human beings with ever greater impact and lethality.  We have grown our ability to destroy and we do it with everything we develop.  The downside of all that intellectual wizardry and capabilities. 

The price we pay for being smart.

We absolutely love our gizmos, our wireless connectedness, as if all those technological marvels enhance our lives and turn us into better people.  Trust me, as a writer I love computers; to do research, a quick check on a word or phrase, on an event, or people involved.  All at my fingertips with a few keystrokes.  But the abuse has been equally horrific and with the advent of Artificial Intelligence the amount of cyber attacks and hacking has reached stupendous levels.  Not just in scams, but in accessing personal information and then using it to steal or extort money from the victims of cyber theft.  I liken it to nuclear power, it can either keep the power on or obliterate us.  We have become extremely vulnerable and at the same time, totally dependent on the systems and technologies that run almost every nation.  Can we still call it progress and shrug it off with that often repeated and abused phrase, “Well, that’s the price you pay for progress.”?

We absolutely excel at doing nothing, at throwing up our arms, flying by the seat of our pants, praying and hoping and when worst comes to worst we fall back on a phrase that reveals our true nature . . . let our kids deal with the fallout.  It showcases that we do live up to our animalistic, primordial instincts, when it comes to the impact of our plans and schemes.  We don’t behave much differently than the animals we once were, because all lifeforms live for today.  Today is the most important day of our lives because tomorrow could be our last. 

Disparity is all the people left behind.

The people that are not wanted or needed are paying the price.  That is how cruel our world has become.  Human resource managers are known to use this phrase on occasion when advertising for help; only those called can apply.  The job scene has changed dramatically.  It is no longer a university degree that will get you in.  Skills are in demand: can you fix, repair or build things?  Communication and social skills and then there are the jobs in healthcare that can’t be performed by machines.  Nursing.  Teaching.  The days of pushing a broom or inserting a bolt manually are over.  Simple jobs that require little or no training are gone.  Not only are machines and robots taking over, profit margins in many smaller industries, privately owned or owner operated, are shrinking to such an extent that they can’t afford to hire more people.  Mom and pop shops are hanging on by their fingernails.

The income gap between people who are working and those who are struggling to get by is only getting bigger and it causes a lot of friction.  Robots don’t buy anything, so where does all that generated wealth go?  What kind of world do marginalized people have to look forward to?

Sensory stimulation is the new pacifier.

The emptiness that many people feel and experience, the lack of opportunity and real growth, is increasingly masked by people immersing themselves in electronic entertainment, from baseless texting to watching bits and bytes supplied by clever gamers and social influencers, people who make a living concocting images and uploads to entertain the minds of people who are losing the ability of critical thinking and original thought at a rate that can only be described as horrendous.  An addiction that comes with a hefty price tag.

We are leaving billions of people behind.  Do away with opportunity, with meaningful work, with improving people’s lives through education and a shared prosperity and you take away the meaning of life.  It’s like filling up a kennel with dogs nobody wants.  Who wants to end up on the streets, in subsidized housing, on welfare and standing in line at foodbanks?  We’re filling up our jails with desperate people and the reasons for incarceration for the majority are ludicrous.  Petty crimes and repeat offenders who have nothing to look forward to.  Nobody wants them.

Stop painting rosy pictures.

For too many people their lives are turning into a cruel reality, of not fitting in, of not making ends meet and life passing them by.  There is only room for so many and that means that many will be left out.  Life’s realities are not turning us into better people.  What is emerging around the world are leaders who lack empathy and vision, respect and a desire to change things for the better.  The level of negativity that has emerged is heartbreaking and puts our humanity to shame.

"Even if you wanted to go back, you can't.  You have destroyed too much of my 

jungle."

We have painted ourselves into an awkward corner.  Our growing up has come at a horrendous cost and even politically we’re starting to realize that votes are costly and carry a hefty price.  Nations around the world are busy spending themselves into oblivion, digging financial holes so deep that they’ll never get out of them and all of it done to keep the masses pacified.  The true meaning, the essence of existentialism, has come knocking on our doors.  Who will live, who will die or are we witnessing the end of our species?  We are an unnatural fit in a natural world.  Fitting in has never been our main priority and perhaps it should have been.

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