Coming Changes and Cultural Collides
Virtually every institution is in a state of rapid transition. Governments and economies are greatly in debt, some of it intractable. In every major economy, cuts in services and benefits are going to be phenomenal in scope. No one is immune, it will affect us all. Local and state governments are in the same boat as national governments; layoffs, cuts in basic services are inevitable. These cuts won’t be temporary, but permanent. It will redefine life for many.
Transitioning alongside these economic shifts are the ways societies will be governed, note the Middle East. These changes will reflect more fundamentalisms of faith and nationalism. But the quest for liberty and freedom seems unstoppable. How will these movements synchronize?
Scarcity of resources like water, oil, food and minerals are already upon us and will continue to set off calamitous searches for needed resources and energy. The strong will more often dominate the weak; yet fragile governments and societies cannot withstand the anarchy that is bred from deprived populations.
These transitions of life will bring out our differences with starker contrasts. Our political, religious and ethnic cultures will collide with immense force and the loud, vexatious and excitable will come to the forefront. Some will become violent and extreme and we must resist them.
Lest I seem Orwellian and a pessimist; I am simply opining today about what I truly see happening all over the planet. It is better for all of us to understand what is happening to us in this world and be prepared to face it, rather than become guffawed and paralyzed with fear.
We need real leaders and rational people to step forward in every town and institution to bridge this widening chasm. This means we all have to give a little and learn to see the world and life in multiple dimensions. The world’s interdependence is greater than at any time in history, and solving the problems of the world more resembles a Rubik’s cube than a crossword puzzle.
The first reality we all must face is the notion of shared sacrifice. No one will be exempt from working our way out of our troubles. There is less to go around and we will have to share and make critical choices. We all must rethink what we can and cannot live without both as individuals and as collective societies. We must allow for and facilitate more honest debate and exhibit more intellectual honesty. We must become less strident and learn to share power as well as responsibility for success and failure.
In the inevitable cultural collides that will take place; we must not allow them to digress to the point where we make certain people, parties or groups scapegoats to assuage our discontent. This action is what historically allows despots to gain control of the thoughts of the panicked masses and lets rulers govern with impunity.
We must never lose respect for others and must never succumb to losing our sense of common humanity. While clinging more closely than ever to our faith; we must always cloak our actions with love and charity all while never surrendering our beliefs.
Learning about and anticipating coming changes and cultural collides are essential to our future wellbeing and success. Prepare yourselves by getting leaner, smarter and seeing the opportunity in the changes. Listen more closely to those with whom you disagree and make allowance for their opinion. We need each other more than ever in these dynamic days ahead.