December 3, 2016
A small contribution to peace and understanding in the world today
It is trite to say the world has changed because it is always changing, but more correct to to say that change is faster now than ever before. Politics has reflected this change and the result is a shift generally to the right throughout the planet. My take on this is that firstly, people crave authority and security when they are scared and insecure, and secondly that social media allows us to express our views instantly, emotionally and impulsively. Politics is increasingly influenced genuinely by the public, rather than considered carefully and rationally by elders or representatives as in past times.The consequence of this is that the old certainties, values and protocols have gone, and can never return. It is important now that, together, we all try to be less impulsive and emotional and instead develop a more rational and considered way of expressing ourselves, and try to re establish an evidence based reality in what has been described as a “post factual world” where truth, if there is such a thing, has been thrown out of the bath with the dirty bath water like the proverbial baby. We are now all in our own little bubbles thanks to Google etc who make sure we only see the news and posts we most want to see, according to algorithms dictated by skewed data received. These divisions must be healed or the world will become more and more a collection of extreme factions, all of whom know that they, and they alone are right. Two maxims which have helped me are “Believe everything and believe nothing at the same time” and “If someone tells you they have the answer and can save you, run away fast!”
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