As Americans, the virtues we are encouraged to use as guideposts for success impede our personal fulfillment because they are at odds with how we exist each day.
Nothing in nature lives independently. By design, we all are interdependent on each other and the natural environment that provides for us.
When the cells in our body compete we call the condition cancer. Humanity is functioning like cancer to the ecology that sustains us.
We can’t experience the luxuries of our modern lives based only on what our family, friends, and people like us produce. Self interest at the expense of the common interest is self defeating.
Once we remember we survive daily based on the contributions of many people we will never know, the well being of all of us becomes as important as our own well being.
Why must we remember now?
We face global challenges beyond the capacity of self interest to mitigate:
1. Climate crisis – we are within 15 years of exceeding average global surface temperature increase since 1850 of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
2. Income & wealth inequality is destroying democratic institutions and destabilizing national governments, which is leading to severe polarization and mass migration of under resourced populations.
3. Nuclear weapons proliferation – Iran will be the next nation to obtain nuclear weapons because their most powerful enemies (Israel and U.S.A) have nuclear weapons. This is not new. India responded similarly to Pakistan obtaining nuclear weapons.
4. Technological disruption due to automation and artificial intelligence is displacing low skilled labor and ultimately highly skilled labor. Since technology is owned by the wealthy elites through control of multi-national corporations, income & wealth inequality is exacerbated because income from automated productivity goes to the owners of technology. Masses of people are becoming economically irrelevant.
While our Earth is abundant, self-interest has rendered humanity impotent in the face of extinction level challenges.
Yet we still have a choice, if only we remember who we are.