How we get things done

For one reason or another, system ideology has been a very hot topic in my life lately. System ideology is a term that defines steps to accomplish goals or methods to navigate through chaos, basically how we get from here to there. Every time such a discussion comes up I have to state that no system is greater than the people operating it. In my last article I made the analogy of a bad driver who has options to drive a luxury vehicle or a junker. The end result is that no matter what the vehicle is the driver will remain bad. In terms of politics, the same applies. If a leader is terrible the system could be democratic, autocratic, monarchy, communist or some hybrid of all them and still the leader would be terrible. As the debate rages on about what system is better it must be noted that every system has it valid points and its downfalls. To look at this topic in a personal basis, there is no family that would only use a democratic system with two, three, five and seven year old children. In this situation at some point an authoritarian system must be employed. In recent month this very analogy is being used in the international debate of system ideology. The past year has been a very interesting one in relation to this topic of systems. We have seen the United Kingdom deal with a separation referendum internally and externally. The European Union has to manage the exit of Britain as well as the Belgium vote on international trade deal. Poland is also looking at its system of politics. Then there is what the Republic of the United States is going through as well. Columbia just went through a difficult referendum of a peace agreement with the rebel group FARC which the people turn down. At the most brutal we can look at Syria with its battle of system ideology. For anyone that is interested in such topics, the past year has been a carnival of excitement. On the global stage both Russia and China have pointed to the failures of democracy. Of course the situation in the Republic of the United States is their main target. On the surface it does appear that democracy has not been a shining example of good governance. However, we must remember that a system is only as good as the people operating it. We also must remember that China is doing very well because of economics not politics. Further to that, when the economics begin to slow China will have a very difficult situation. Moreover we must also be aware that most corporations operate under authoritarian systems. Each of the above examples can be a rabbit hole of research and discussion. At the end of all the discussion will be a statement that an excellent leader will know what system is best for what situation. The difficulty rests with the ease of transitioning from one to another and ensuring the people know and understand why and what system is being used. That task is one of communication deserves its own article.

Doing what is right/just.

To put this simply as possible, you can drive a Ferrari, Cadillac or a beat up 1987 Ford F150 truck, if you are a bad driver the vehicle will be of no help. We often seek better things in hopes that it will improve the self. What actually takes place is the waste of good resources, harmful impact and the erosion of trust. This erosion is impacting our education, healthcare, governments, communities, friends and even our families. I am growing so tired of hearing the phrase – it all comes down to money. If that is true we are all dead or worse we are just walking zombies feeding and chasing a false idol. For example, we have had instant wireless communication since Marconi inventions in the late 1880’s. Since then we have seen two world wars and massive death tolls, but have we had better communication? We certainly have more communication but the quality is questionable. This is an exact example of our main struggles today. We have wonderful things yet are we utilizing them to improve ourselves? What we get on all media platforms is speeches of togetherness, freedom, family, security, excellence, peace of mind, caring community, beauty and even love. Yet the reality is we are being sold something for a price and the true cost is far greater in damage. After years of working in the most desperate situations this world can offer, our problem is not a lack of food, money, water, communication, education, healthcare, or opportunities. Our problem is the lack of interest to fair distribution, greed and poor use of these elements. The argument against what I am writing here is that we need to work, support our families, communities and we need to provide our children with the best possible life. I understand these arguments. Understand this though - you can raise a child in a castle or a shack, neither will matter to that child. The most important item is to know they are emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically secure, supported and loved. The irony of all this is that we have the intelligence to live without the stress of monetary limits and endless pursuit of material wealth. We have the intelligence to know that a child does not need a kings palace to realize dreams and achieve greatness. We have the intelligence to build such a society, we simply choose not to live in such a manner. We are judging ourselves and others using a monetary measuring stick. If you question that realize the quickest way to be viewed as an important person is to win millions of dollars. You can have the best things this world offers and still fail. We have to get back to doing what is right/just no matter what the dollar amount is. If you ever get the chance to live in such a society you will immediately know that money/material wealth do not even register on the list of worries.

Respecting voters, elections and peace.

Every day there is an election that takes place in the world. In every election there are a number of different tactics and philosophy debated. One such debate that has always been an issue is voter turnout. Should voting be mandatory? So now you have just went off about our charter of rights and freedoms. In all truthfulness, everyone in the world can do whatever they want. Go visit Syria for a week and you will witness the completed range of human freedoms. When you get back from that hell, you will want to control, manage or temper some things. Perhaps, it is understood that we must control some peoples actions and keep a semblance of order. I am with you on that because I have to keep my own mind in check every day. Now we understand there are a great many duties, obligations and responsibilities each of us must engage in for a peaceful society to flourish. Moving from the hell of Syria to a more peaceful setting we can scale back on the severity of life and death. On a less dramatic level of personal freedom try not paying taxes. Try building a water system that is fed by collected rain water to flow into your toilet in an urban neighbourhood. Want some real fun, try getting your personal information deleted from data banks collected and held by political parties or corporations? Furthermore would you trust them if they told you they did delete it? That answer is the crux of where society begins to unravel. Mandatory voting does have its down sides which is people just marking a ballot and have no clue what they voted for. I am sure that happens now anyway. The focus would be on ensuring a persons vote is an informed one not just getting your supporters out. Before, during and after each election we have discussions on voter turnout. Each time we talk about how to increase the turnout, we ask who shares this responsibility? First answer is always the individual. Well that solution is already known to be ineffective. Next we have the political parties and the independent candidates who take up the responsibility running for elected office. Here is where everything gets complicated beyond all sane rational. Every political party will be steadfast in its stance about increasing the voter turnout. However there is a supreme caveat to that stance which really means: Every political party is interested in getting out their own supporters. The overall voter turnout is not really in their interest. Case in point is the federal Conservative party efforts on turning out their core supporters. Let us not forget the many efforts put towards fake robo calls, giving out false information as to election stations and other tactics political parties have used. I understand completely why some people are disgusted with politics and why they do not vote. It comes down to trust. Going back to the issue of voter data banks. These lists and data banks of information on voters are necessary. Before I go on a huge rant all I am going to say is that I am not in support of these lists being given to anyone and never should a political party be allowed to collect and retain any voter information longer than the election time frame. I know how difficult that would make it for those seeking elected office but if you are scared of that then do not bother running. My experience has been that these list are more about convenience for politicians than they are about benefitting the voter. It is time we respect the voter, the electoral process and building a trusting society more than building a society of convenience.

Managing War

There is no worse situation we can dream of than the inner struggle/war a person has to deal with. Sometimes the inner battle spills over to the point where the person harms themselves and/or others. When it involves others, the blast radius can encircle the entire world. This is why every single war is started in the mind of a single person. In our efforts to mitigate the damage caused by a widening of inner struggles, we must care for that individual, each other and ourselves. Taking the international wars into consideration with the above paragraph, we can see how a single countries personality becomes so important. The events taking place inside any particular country is something that we must be aware of and care about. We also have to be honest when we answer the question of what our ultimate goals/reasons are for being alive. We all know that money is often the driving force behind most of our efforts. Yet what we often push aside is the honest answer of why we do anything. Those two factors of money and honesty can pull us in separate directions. Now with a global mind we have to ask why does China, Paraguay, Russia, Lesotho, Canada, Myanmar or Estonia act as they do?

Israel deals with Boycott, divest and shame

Once again the Palestine Israel situation has taken another twist. I have put many words towards this relationship and still I feel as though it would be more comforting to just smash my head against a brick wall. The fact of the matter is that human right violations are a reality and both sides have acted shamefully. There is no one side that is more guilty or less guilty. A crime is a crime is a crime no matter who has done the act. What needs to be done is for both sides to stand up and acknowledge the reality of their actions. It is time for both to show true leadership and be accountable for their actions. No more of this garbage of saying that there are far worse acts of criminality to focus on. That statement only supports the knowledge of your criminality and the continued use of such tactics. It is utter hypocrisy to use such a statement while calling for peace at the same time. Each of us knows that organizations are fraught with members that are regrettable. In the founding statements of the Boycott, Divest and Shame movement, the analogy of Apartheid is made. It was a great moment when the system of Apartheid was ended. It will be an even greater moment when we defeat the hatred that is stopping peace in the Middle East. However, we are in a situation where hypocrisy is rampant. The Boycott, Divest and Shame movement speaks of peace yet have members who are not peaceful. It is that simple. We are in a spiral of hatred that is growing due to hypocrisy. Speak against Israel and you are an anti-semite, speak against Palestine and you are a Zionist. Well for the record I am in favour of peace and will call out those that act with complete disregard for peace. In this case of Israel and Palestine neither one can stand up and say they have acted with honour. Each have used every tool at their disposal to destroy each other. Both have engaged in grand hypocrisy to the point where nothing is to be believed that is said or argued. In short – neither has a leg to stand on when it comes to justification of their actions. The only actions that needs to take place now is to put the entire region under international guardianship, completely disarm the entire region, and then let the talks begin. I am not interested in how long this will take because the time factor will be as long as it has to be. If you are serious about peace you will see the need for such a process.

What you want, need and have to do

Being at peace is understanding the differences of doing what you want, doing what you have to and doing what is needed. There are people such as those who fill the ranks of Daesh. These people will take every advantage to gain power over others. That is what they want to do. They do not need to and they certainly do not have to yet they are. The cost of these people wreaking havoc is bringing the entire world into fear. Again there are the option of wanting to fear, having to fear and needing to fear. We live with uncertainty every day and terrorism ads to the list of fears. However we also know that the best way to counter the actions of Daesh is to have a strong, supportive, loving and friendly community. It starts with saying hello to your neighbours, building relationships and allowing for unsettling times to be dealt with in a calm manner. In the world of politics we often get people who spit facts, history, rights, laws, morals and orders all to defend or justify their actions. Well this is the exact tactic being used by Daesh in their management of savagery guide book. There is no room for the other person in the plan, no diversity, no flexibility and certainly the end result is no peace. The war of power and influence is part of the experience we live in. At the moment we have pending wars in the South China Sea, A resurgence of the Cold War and it looks as though the Crusades have sparked up again. Why? What do we have to learn about killing each other that we have not already learned? We have proven that the best countries in the world to live are those that are the most peaceful. The most desired communities are those that have friendly, supportive, peaceful neighbours. Yet there are those that still want, need and have to wage war.

Solutions

Every time I write about an issue (when I complain) there is always the point of making sure there is a solution. There are three basic steps to every solution. First we explore what peace is, then we act in a peaceful manner and the third step is to support others peace. Here is an example of what I am writing about. http://www.peacedirect.org/us/the-power-of-one-peace-activist-in-pakistan-sails-story/