A Path to Global Sanity

Listen to this page being read:

      A Path to Global Sanity - Ned B. Johnson

Very few people would look at our world and see no problems whatsoever: Nothing to complain about; no wish unfulfilled; nothing to fear. Never is this more obvious than when catastrophic events occur, whether natural or human in origin. Almost inevitably when these events occur, you hear the same question, or variations based on it, over and over again. That question is, “Why?”

In a blog post entitled, Who is John Galt, I discuss this phenomenon in depth. What I say is, in essence, that people ask “why” rhetorically. They neither expect, nor may even want, an answer. It is clear that they have already written it off as “just one of those things that I cannot comprehend. Maybe I’m not supposed to.” Some call them “acts of God,” or just another example of the worst in “human nature” being expressed—again.

Regardless of the particular worldview employed here, there is an underlying tacit assumption that the true causes that brought about this cataclysm, whether it is a school shooting, a terrorist attack, or a tsunami, are not only unknown, but are probably unknowable. But is this really true? Or is it just a red herring set out to send our reasoning minds off on a false trail, and, like the mother bird pretending to have a broken wing to lead predators away from her chicks, to lead us away from any valid answer to the original question? I believe it is at least some variation of the latter.

What this means is that the answers to “why” are not only knowable, but the means to preventing future repetitions of these problems is also quite possible. Of course, you have to give up the rhetorical “why,” and replace it with a far more determined, “No. Why really?!” And seek an answer to that question as if you truly believe it was there to be found, that having found it, you could make changes that would benefit everyone, and that your very life depends on doing so successfully, as in some cases it very well may.

To the best of my knowledge no one has ever done that with respect to the problems that seem to besiege our world, including, but not limited to: war, crime, terrorism, environmental disasters, human rights violations, addictions, greed, and all the other ills that fill our news media on a literally moment-by-moment basis.

What we see instead is a literally constant barrage of attacks on the symptoms of these ills without regard for the underlying primary sources. If there is war, seek a peace treaty. If there is an epidemic, get drugs to those who need them. If there is poverty, get food, water, and medicine to the poor. If there are not enough haves and too many have-nots, take from the rich and give to the poor. The list goes on.

It is an approach that is apparently very seductive, because so many people, great and small, are totally committed to it. It is also totally useless in eradicating the original source problem in anything short of a geological time frame, if at all.

The way to stop these things is to go directly to the root source and make changes that bring it to an end. However, in order to take this approach, we must first take off our blinders, and look for the real sources with a failure-is-not-an-option resolve.

This is the approach employed by anyone who genuinely, sincerely, and intelligently pursues the solution to any pressing problem. To do it any other way is to say, in effect, “I don’t really care if I solve the problem. In fact, I’m not at all sure I actually want to. Mostly, I just want to gain plausible deniability. I want to be able to say, ‘God knows I tried’ with a straight face.” Virtually every charity on Earth is in that position constantly.

To fully understand how this fits into the larger ecosystem that is human experience, read my blog post Who’s Pushing Everyone In?. In brief, it points out the difference between cleaning up the mess after the fact, versus going after the root source of the problem in the first place. It goes on to point out that we need both, Neither, by itself, offers an ideal solution.

So let the charities do what they do. But don’t let them pretend that they are solving anything at all on a permanent, or even long-term, basis! It simply is not true. It couldn’t be. They are categorically ignoring the real sources. If they stop putting their shoulder to the wheel, the problem will immediately begin to grow back. Whereas, if you really eradicate the problem’s source, when you walk away, it does not come back. Ever!

And that is what this document attempts to do: lay out a model of the problems we face as a race of beings, and a methodology that can, and I believe will, lead from where we are to a world in which the problems that vex us today are little more than a bittersweet memory.

Is it a bold undertaking? You bet your sweet life it is. But if it is credible, if it shows any reasonable sign that it could produce meaningful results, what choice do we have but to follow it long enough to see if it just might live up to its advertising. It is my hope that you will read far enough into this document to come to exactly that conclusion, enough so that you will feel compelled to act in some substantive way.

Or you can just step back and let others do it for you. You will still reap whatever benefits they can produce. But you will not have any claim to credit for having been part of the miracle. In simple terms, you will only be a passenger, but not a member of the crew. It’s your call. My job is to give you an explanation of what it’s all about that is good enough that you can make a decision that is right for you. I sincerely hope I do that, regardless of what choice you make in the end.

Go to the main page.

To join our mailing list and receive news and event scheduling, use the form below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *