What is wrong with the World?
This probably won't be the most positive of posts. I apologize for that. But, as I look at the world today I have to say that as I see it the outlook is not very encouraging for the future. But, maybe by looking at these issues will help me see a way to work our way out of it and back into a positive future.
Let it be said that there are a lot of great things going on in the world. I'm not here to say there aren't. However, the issues facing us are huge in comparison and I feel that because nobody wants to see it as being as dire as it is that nothing will be done to solve them.
So, let's get started.
First let's look at the environmental issues. Why? Because it is the global environment that unifies everyone on earth.
Water
The earth's surface and all of life for that matter including our own bodies is made up of about 75% water. Even the air we breathe has water in it. So besides the air we breathe water is the most important thing on earth that supports life, all life, our lives. Without it, everything dies, including us.
I was on a flight from Germany to Atlanta years ago and I sat next to a man who worked for a company that researches and finds solutions for water conservation. What he said was what I had been thinking about for years already. He said that in this century the number one crisis worldwide will be water, and that there is so little awareness about it that it is very unlikely the world will face this coming disaster before it is too late.
He continued that it wasn't just the already dry regions that will suffer but also regions where one would think could never run out of water will be affected. After all he was just returning from a trip to Germany about it.
Germany run out of water? How is that possible? It rains all the time in Germany doesn't it? Well, does it? Where is it all headed. Germany is just one example, but it is a good example.
When I first started flying to Europe back in 1982 and then later after 1987 I would look out the window and see Greenland and how much snow it had even in summer. Over the years that has obviously dwindled, even from my meager point of observation. Flying over the Alps you notice that the snow capped mountains aren't so snow capped anymore. The summers are hotter and the winters milder than they used to be compared to when I started living there.
Now, even I realize that there will be different levels of environmental change from the daily outlook, to the monthly, annual, and on to decades and centuries. We can't get caught up in the moment with the weather but must see the arc of time and look judiciously at the direction things are headed.
Having said that I am reminded by my trips into mountainous areas in the summer and wondering where all of the water falls would get their water. Water comes from mountains that is either stored up as snow and ice or is locked into the soil and vegetation. When warm temperatures comes it melts the snow and ice and it is pushed downwards by gravity creating the water falls, that stream into creeks, streams, rivers, lakes and so on. Ultimately, it is pushed into the ground making ground water from which wells and irrigation systems pump their water.
When this natural system runs out of water things start to decline. Water levels lower, lakes and streams empty, and areas that once were florid become desert. It becomes difficult to grow food, animals suffer, and ultimately people will have to move from the dryer areas to the wetter areas because of lack of water. This will cause a huge shift in populations over time and will put a lot of pressure on governments to organize water for their people. The desperation for oil is nothing like what is going to happen with water.
People will argue that some regions have too much water, such as Pakistan this year, or Bangladesh. Sometimes it floods too much in certain areas because of storms. But, these disasters don't create more drinking water that lasts and they aren't stored by any natural means. They are lowland areas that quickly get flushed into the oceans or mountain areas that funnel the rainfall so fast it creates huge amounts of water flowing through valleys at alarming rates, destroying everything in its path.
These disasters are also a function of the warming of global temperatures because it raises the amount of moisture in the atmosphere which creates more power for storms which turn into violent hurricanes and local storms. There is no defense against them.
IF we, the people of the world, don't wake up soon and start to work on this issue everywhere the calamity will surely follow. It may even be already too late. The good news is, since humans have had a large part to do with this problem then humans can do a lot to reverse it. But, it took 100 years to get here, it is going to take longer to return it to the way it was, and that is if we take drastic action now.
Politics
In 2000 one would have thought the world had finally become some sort of sane. There wasn't much conflict going on anywhere. Democracy seemed to be thriving, free trade and economic growth were helping former Iron Curtain states improve their quality of life and it seemed everyone was finally seeing that things can be solved better at a conference table than on the battle field.
This has changed.
Today, we have a world tainted by conspiracy theories, leaders who strive for authoritarian dictatorships, and people who are somehow being convinced that nationalism and fascism are a possible answer to their problems. It is like World War II never happened. People have learned nothing from it.
The thirst for conspiracy theories has reached an all time high. People are more willing to believe lies than in my memory and they don't have to be all that complex. These are blatant unprovable lies which can't be proven because the things they are saying doesn't actually exist. It is like people think there is some kind of underworld being sanctioned by the government. It is nuts.
Today is election day 2022. Many candidates who run on these lies will win. It is their only issue. They know they will win because the seemingly loud majority of the voting public is actually buying all of this BS. The powerful use these lies because it makes them powerful among their voters, the voters love these lies because it gives them a sense of outrage and it is funneled through a type of nationalism which is cloaked as patriotism and they feel empowered by this infusion of anger to the point of taking up guns and intimidating voters all in the name of country, all following one leader. It is textbook worthy use of the propaganda from 1930s Germany. That didn't end well. The idea that the United States of America could morph into such a thing is not only disturbing at the least it is downright dangerous. After all, the United States has the most powerful military on earth and it isn't even close.
The number of effective communicators on the side of prudence is alarmingly low. Former President Obama is the only clear voice I've heard this year. Don't get me wrong, I don't subscribe to everything Obama says or did as President, but as a communicator for prudence his ability is unrivaled today. Unfortunately he can't do it alone.
Likewise, I don't agree with Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger on many things, but I applaud them for standing up to their party's allegiance to the Thump and all of this ridiculous misinformation, downright propaganda, which lead to such violence on January 6. The disturbing thing about it is, Cheney lost her representative seat by a landslide. This demonstrates just how dire the situation is all over the country. People are buying into lies that are produced for one purpose only, political power for selfish reasons. These selfish reasons equal corruption and that is what leads to the destruction of entire societies.
Economic Changes
Stability in the economy depends on a lot of things. But mostly it depends on consistency, peace, and freedom. Unfortunately today there are many challenges facing the economy because there is a change in what people expect. Rising interest rates, inflations, fuel and power price increases for a variety of reasons and the insecurity of supply chains caused much by the Covid pandemic.
It is difficult to make progress when there are things bashing you on the head every time you pick up and start moving forward again, and again. Whether it is bombs falling from the sky, prices soaring due to political unrest and scandal, the pandemic, a large deficiency in the workforce, or simply the fear of losing what you have makes people less willing to spend and venture into business.
I am no economist, but it is obvious that high inflation is a huge problem for most people because there is no way that wages will be increased at the pace of inflation, which will send more and more people into default. Obviously, power and fuel are a huge problem for Europe going into this winter. Many people will be greatly challenged to make it through the winter solvent.
Wars and threats of Wars
This stupid war in Ukraine is causing massive problems just like the war in Syria did and does. It must stop and peace with freedom must be restored. If it doesn't, then we are back into the cold war again, which wasn't necessarily bad for the west, but was disastrous for the east. In addition it is costing the US and other countries literally billions of dollars which is an added burden on their citizens. Provided the Ukraine wins, and it must, how much will then be sent there to restore it? Again, billions. Probably none of it will come from the country that destroyed it.
Add to this the saber rattling by China and North Korea don't add to stability in the world economic markets. The rising of authoritarian leaders in several countries and the use of nationalism as a narrative for many countries who just came out of authoritarian regimes just a few years ago, is cause for alarm because it stifles freedom and peace. It creates anger and mobilizes people who would use this atmosphere to advance their small minded causes.
When important decisions are made based upon party ideologies and not upon real fact, data, proof, and a real discussion of the issues then those decisions are bound to be bad. Unfortunately, it seems that all decisions made these days are based along party lines.
Conclusion
I have no answers for these issues. They are huge issues and people seem to be acting as if it is business as usual. I don't think it is. All I know is that if we continue down these paths the world will become a very difficult place to live in and if escaping Earth by colonizing the Moon or Mars then that is a horrible solution to a problem we ourselves created on this paradise called "Earth". Then you can forget swimming in a clear mountain stream, breathing fresh air from a forest, and eating from your garden.
Arguing about petty issues isn't going to get us anywhere any more than killing each other in wars and destroying people's existences around the world. We've got to get our heads out of the toilet and start looking for solutions to the very real problems that face us.