Solving the World's Problems

Solving the problem problem

First, we need to define the problems. That means make a list, and make clear how they interrelate.

Second, we need to define the solutions, i.e. what needs to be done. Collect them all. (One of the solutions might be ranking the problems).

Third, we need to determine which way to decide which solutions, or sets of solutions, are best for each problem (unless all the problems are just one big interdependent problem).

Fourth, having ranked/grouped the solutions, then we need to emphasize those, and act.

Basically, we need to decide what we realistically can do. That may be everything; i.e. all the problems can be solved -they may even interrelate to such an extent that they need to all be solved together, holistically (sp? wholistically?), at once. The world has 6.7B people and 48T dollars. I think we could, if we wanted, solve all our problems, with a concerted effort. I think all it would take is for everyone to focus on solving everyone's problems, and not just their own, with a sense of global community, and not a selfish personal, familial, national, religious, ethnic, or otherwise exclusive identity. We have to realize other people's problems ARE our problem. Other's happiness affects our own. Many of us intuitively understand this already in the realm of ecology. We need bees to pollinate our crops, which need... If we don't decide to solve all our problems at once, we need to prioritize the problems, and run down the list until everybody's happy. If we're using money, we have to decide how much money it will take, and how we will get the money. Perhaps you might think not all problems can be solved with money. I would say they can. They meet the basic needs so other problems can be addressed afterwards, at the very least.

Aside: Ideas are like currency, and you can be rich in brilliance. Happiness has an economic component. Having lots of money (or more than someone else) makes people happy. But I think being truly happy means having your needs met, which doesn't necessarily require money. People think they are only worth what's in their bank account, and this is a false consciousness. People are valued for who they are, not just what they do, or what they have.

If everybody is working to survive and be happy, shouldn't we all get that? The vampire mentality of our each being happy at another's expense has got to stop. We should be happy making others happy, and I'm not talking just about comedy. I'm talking about effective service where it matters most, to alleviate suffering, whether that be comedy or feeding the poor or researching cures or visiting prisoners or exercising or being a big brother/sister or taking someone to a ballgame or distributing malaria nets or giving gifts (not necessarily just on a birthday or Christmas) or going to the zoo or forest, teaching someone to surf or ski, or go rock climbing, or to go fly a kite, or go to a concert, or make a battlebot, or race a remote controlled toy, or teach someone to swim, or about astronomy, or small boat sailing, or make a homemade movie, or joining Dr's without Borders, or contributing to any number of worthy causes, in time or money.

First, and to be more systematic than the above paragraph's rant, what are the problems:
Basic needs are survival and happiness.

This means, at a minimum, for survival: food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, clean water, and sanitation. For happiness, I would say we all basically need love and safety. The Beatles sang 'all you need is love,' but they seem to have forgotten about nutritious food, clean water, cool threads, warm shelter in the winter or cool shade in the sun, preventive maintenance of health (a good diet and exercise), sanitation, and medical facilities. Exercise is a dry, passionless word. Being in shape and having endorphins flowing through your blood stream keeps you happy. So take a walk, ride a bike, play sports, go for a swim, lift weights, have sex. More than just simply loving yourself, which I believe is necessary, I think everyone needs companionship. And an appropriate level of intimacy: people need to be touched.

I would also add education and entertainment. I don't know that they're basic needs, exactly, but I sure like them. They make me happy. People need education on basic things like HIV/Aids prevention, or germ theory, or the need to brush your teeth, or... My solution to this is to somehow get everyone a (solid, secure, fast and functioning) laptop with access to all of the world's books and video and music, all for free. By solid, I mean it should be the best. None of this depressingly slow crap, with viruses or what-have-you. For an investment in all of humanity like this, we should pull out all the stops. It should be ecological. We should make it a global Manhattan Project. Of course, I could learn to be happy with other things. It's just an idea.

All of this is predicated on money, in our current system. Madonna, the Material Girl, sang "nothing really matters, love is all we need" and money can't buy me love, they say. That may be true, but we all need to have food, for love, which most of us need to purchase. You can go to a Catholic Mass and get a free wafer, of course. Anyway, if you're not growing or raising food, you're working for it, or depending on someone to give it to you, like a charity or the government or a dumpster. Money is a mess. For example, people across the world work for 10 hours a day for 60 dollars a month, while people in America can order a "Lazy Cash Money Income System," for $37 that guarantees, for sitting at your computer at home, a hundred dollars an hour.. The poorest people are beyond homeless and penniless; they're in hell, maybe being raped while their children are killed or recruited into forced military service or slavery. Meanwhile, Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world, is happily, I assume, enjoying his 48B dollars. It's truly insane.