This Book is a Damn Good Read
I solve all the world's biggest problems myself in one blog post, lol.
I've already read the chapters on Terrorism, Conflict, and Malnutrition, along with some of the Introduction. Damn. This book is incredible. If Barack doesn't own a copy already, I'll mail him mine.
Anyway, a book becomes more interesting if you think through what your personal ideas are on each subject before you read it, so as to compare/contrast. I did that for the terrorism solutions chapter, last night, in my head.
I'll use this blog post to say my own ideas and opinions on what needs to be done for each of the 23 problems in this book, judged to be the "world's biggest." I have some background; I was an International Relations major in college. But I admit I'm no expert.
Anyway, the problems are:
Financial instability, lack of intellectual property rights, money laundering, subsidies and trade barriers, air pollution, climate change, deforestation, land degradation, the economics of biodiversity loss, vulnerability to natural disasters, arms proliferation, conflicts, corruption, lack of education, terrorism, drugs, disease control, lack of people of working age, living conditions of children, living conditions of women, hunger and malnutrition, unsafe water and lack of sanitation, and population: migration. (phew)
That's a buttload of problems. We shouldn't be sitting on our asses. Conviction, passion, and above all, action, are required. Everyone should be striving to make a difference, make others happy, keep themselves busy, and feel good by doing good. Get 'r done! That's my first, and main, solution.
Solve the worst problems first, would be my instinct, if sequentiality is even necessary. For me, that's obviously Feed the hungry and stop the killing. Teach them to fish, as the saying goes...create the conditions for development, which is a bit more complicated, like legal systems and banking and roads and hospitals and sewage and clean water and ending conflict. Also, if you take a long term view, maybe you want some people to suffer now so that people in the future will be better off. I don't know how you would make that kind of calculation. I think we have a moral duty to act in the present, on present conditions.
But, for policy makers in the world of ideas like the professors and staff who advise them, this book provides a valuable service on spending priorities, and directions for law, policy, and structure. I think common sense might work, too, but that's just me. They say common sense isn't that common..
Everything is derivative from 3 basic needs: intake: nutritious food and clean water, protection from the elements: appropriate clothes and shelter, health: physical and mental (love and companionship and friendships, and maybe medications). Life should be fun. It shouldn't be consumed with survival and scratching a living in miserable and squalid conditions under conditions of slave labor, or worse. Humanity is better than that.
1) Financial instability: If around half the world lives under 2 bucks a day, then the inequality and, I would say, injustice of the global economic system is evident. Marx considered this exploitation and would prove unstable, leading to revolution, which didn't exactly happen. And, it seems, workers around the world are still willing to work for a pittance/mere survival. They feel it is fate, or their lot, or can't be changed, or the way of the world, or whatever.
But capitalism has proven supreme, and everybody is chasing the almighty dolla billz (or yuan, or whatever). Global development will happen, in fits and starts, inexorably leading to better quality of life, we'd like to believe. I believe it. Everybody wants it. We will communally will it into being, actualize our dreams of comfort. But life, like matter, tends toward chaos and decay, says physics. So life is a struggle. We fight and we battle and we work for every gain, every display of order or improvement in a world that tends toward dissolution. Every decision, every action, even every breath, while seeming to be a trifle, can prove to be a big thing, in its consequences. The butterfly effect shows us this. Life is mad. Anything could happen. The economy could tank from one anarchist's bullet, like in World War I. So we make it sane. We believe in God, and everything makes sense, somehow. From the other direction, religion serves as a vehicle for social control. Maybe I'm getting off track. Does God control the economy? Is there a moral dimension to poverty and wealth? Does karma, or justice, or whatever you want to call it, control things like decisions at the Fed or personal opportunities and mistakes? Maybe I do, lol. Satan means "to overcome." It's an allegory for gaining knowledge. We should make informed decisions about our money. ANyway, the economy has historically gone in cycles, and fluctuations between bear and bull are a natural result of the billions of economic interactions that form the national and international economies, from day to day, and across longer periods of time. The ideal is to have it go up, up, and away. My personal take on the economy (as someone that doesn't work..) is that some people believe in what they do, enjoy their jobs, work hard, and consequently probably earn alot, or else earn in happiness what they don't earn in money. Everyone else is doing something that they've just ended up doing, and halfheartedly go about keeping their reputation, or something. I don't know if most people are lazy, exactly, or shirk their duty, but I would say the bare minimum that needs to get done, or less, might be the actual state of affairs, with people obsessed with entertainment and personal pleasure at the expense of important priorities. I think a fair percentage of humanity procrastinates and avoids. So our financial house of cards is vulnerable. The economy is supported by psychological pillars, like getting everybody worked up about terrorist threats, to support the military-industrial complex, and the like. I admit I don't actually know, though.
The solution? Mandatory changing of jobs every (what, 3 years?) until people are really happy in their positions that they might not otherwise have been exposed to. I know, I'm crazy. It's just a thought. Productivity would increase as job satisfaction increases.
2) Lack of intellectual property rights: I admit I have copied alot of music in my day. In college, I spent a good chunk of time copying portions of other people's music collections (onto tape, lol). I think artists should be supported by the state at a just comfortable enough level to enjoy life, with the added option of going on tour or whatever to earn more, so that all music or video or whatever can be made available for free to the entire world. My mantra? Happiness!
3) Money laundering: I used to leave money in my pockets, before my mom washed my clothes. She told me she would keep whatever she found. Likewise, any illegal usage of banks should be penalized by confiscating the money for use in worthy causes.
4)Subsidies and trade barriers: I don't actually know what a subsidy is. Is that like when a farmer is paid to not grow on his land? That kind of thing sounds stupid (but maybe the land needs to recover..) I've heard of farm subsidies in Europe, which I think is the government paying farmers above what they get on the market (?) Food is a basic need, so maybe this kind of thing should depend on whether the product is essential or not. I would say tobacco, or even wine, might not be the best use of land, in a world undergoing a food crisis. My classical economic education has told me that more money is created when everybody specializes in what they do best, throughout the world, without artificially creating wealth through advertising, or bribes that create contracts for multinational corporations that rob third world countries of their resources and give the value-added to economic centers far away, where the fruits of their labor and land go unreaped, or protectionist policies that support dying industries, that are just artificially propped up to support a constituency that in all rationality should be looking for work elsewhere, so as not to rob both domestic taxpayers and the location of true expertise/ advantage of their rightfully earned due. Free trade of people, products, and services creates the most wealth, mathematically. But perhaps there are some cases of injustice, and poor distribution of that wealth, that should be addressed.
5) air pollution: that's easy, find the sources of the toxins and stink, and eliminate them. Replace them with better technologies. The past is sticky. It pervades, and endures, stubbornly. We have to be willing to shed outdated technologies for newer ones, which seem to be developed all the time, that are cleaner and better, by whatever criteria. If change were implemented across all segments of society, faster -progress toward what we all want- we'd be a happier world. Is it really the best of all possible worlds, already?
6)climate change: Well, Al Gore really put this one on the map. Worst case scenario: a sea level rise of up to 44 feet. Wow. That would happen gradually, though, and the result would probably be alot of crazy moving of structures and art to higher ground. I've seen houses on stilts, and trucks moving wide loads on the highway, and that could become a widespread reality. Invest in housemoving companies? Unfortunately, global warming also entails heat waves, hurricanes, floods, and species loss. It changes weather patterns, so some places might even get colder.
Solution? Stop burning so much damn fuel. Aircraft use ALOT, and I've heard the contrails they leave seed clouds and change the weather. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. But the weather can be controlled, somewhat. Changing the composition of the air, though, is a different matter. So large users of fossil fuels, like the military (which shouldn't even exist, in my opinion), should cease and desist, or stand down, soldier. People should make friends and carpool and take Greyhound across the country, meet people, see the land, slow down, relax, and do things like bicycle (good for your health, too) and plant trees and buy carbon offsets.
7) deforestation: protect the forests, and the life they support, to the extent we can, and plant new trees. I love trees. People who need fuel should be supplied with the best option. People who need farmland should be able to live off the forest, and buy food from the vast mechanized farms that don't clearcut valuable forest that gives us oxygen, acts as a carbon sink, and support wildlife and plants with medicinal purposes. I know, I'm an enviro-zombie.
8) land degradation: I barely even know what this is in reference to. Erosion? Depletion of nutrients in overfarmed soil, I think. Soil pollution is a big problem in America, with the Superfund sites, that used to have little stickers at gas stations saying something about it, like money went to the fund, or something. Groundwater gets polluted as water filters through polluted soil. The military, always the bad guys, have been responsible for a buttload of pollution. Solution? Dunno, criminals in hazmat suits keepin' themselves busy? More weekend projects done by community organizations to stop erosion, like I used to do for the Boy Scouts? Give the soil a rest, with each farm having free soil analysis, like how utility companies give free analyses of your home for energy conservation?
9)economics of biodiversity loss: we should have a lot more scientists classifying all the unclassified organisms on our planet. I think that's a pretty cool job. Wouldn't tromping around in a forest be more fun than slogging through paperwork in an office? Anyway, we're in the midst of a massive extinction event, and we'll be lucky to get out of it alive, ourselves, I think. They say we're all ecologically interdependent, is why I say this. So money aside, I think it would be sad to be the last beetle or whatever of your kind to be alive. I empathize. We should respect life, above and beyond seeing them as economic resources. But we need to eat, and fish should remain plentiful, I guess, although I'm sure they don't like getting eaten any more than we would. We don't even know the half of what we should, I imagine, about how the whole system of life on our planet sustains itself. It's biology and chemistry and economics and the whole shebang, I guess. This area is one for the really smart people, or computer models, or something. Biodiversity includes plants, too. Plants and animals both provide food and medicines and materials for human endeavor. In my opinion, the economics of it is far less important than the moral imperative to prevent entire species from dying. Extinctions happen, though, and always have. So, whatever. They should be limited as far as possible, in my opinion. Let's not be too fatalistic. Species preservation shouldn't just be in isolated little populations at zoos. The earth should be a thriving ecosystem, not a dying overheated ball of sadness.
10) vulnerability to natural disasters: better earthquake detection technology is in the works; I read the weather satellite we have is getting old, so we should send up a really good one; and all possible eventualities should be assessed, and the proper authorities notified of the estimated probabilities of any event happening in whatever time period -updated whenever new people come into office. Homeowners should be aware of whatever probability the volcano they live next to or whatever will go off during whatever time period they specify; and, communities, neighborhood associations, and the like, in addition to discussing the crime in their areas with a local police officer, should also relay important information about risks and insurance and preventive measures.
11)arms proliferation: well, to be clear, we're not talking about the appendages attached to your shoulders (although they can be lethal weapons, too). As I have said, I think every community should have a firing range where families can practice their marksmanship and learn safety. Every adult should have access to a gun, to protect themselves or their property. Crime would go down, surely. But, as a caveat, automatic weapons and weapons more obviously designed for combat, as opposed to self-defense, should be eliminated. We don't need sniper rifles in wide circulation, or mac-10's, or AK-47's, or M-16's, or sawed off shotguns. Maybe just semi-automatic handguns. People with hunter's permits could have rifles. As for lawless or ungoverned regions in the world, the less guns, the better. An environment with guns needs to be policed under the rule of law, to prevent abuse. All the military hardware floating around out there should be collected and melted down, with economic incentives for turning them in, and legal punishments for their use, worldwide. Guns should not be "cool." They should be scary, and an instrument of last resort, that one is comfortable with enough to use well and safely. If you're into fighting, take up martial arts. Martial arts should be widespread, for self-confidence, health, and mental discipline.
12)conflicts: war is a ridiculous and stupid activity. People should be proud of the evidence of their strength, as shown by NOT fighting. This value should be globally instilled in all cultures. If people need to fight, they should do so non-lethally. Boxing rinks at gyms and martial arts studios with periodic competitions should be our healthy outlet for aggression, along with video games and paintball and sports and such.
13) corruption: Kindness is my religion. I'm God. It should be yours, too. Play fair. Work for betterment, not just for money. Measure your value in values and achievements, not currency. Believe in karma. You should. It exists. I imagine the book will talk about providing financial incentives for achieving laudable goals, to offset the temptation to take bribes or whatever. That, too.
14) education: like I've already said, all the world's books should be available to everyone for free, through cheap computers linked to the internet. Or even cheaper devices, just for reading.
Of course, paper books work, too. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. And children should be allowed to follow their interests. Lifelong learning should be a universal value. People should keep lists of questions.
15) terrorism: inspire youth toward peaceful activity -adults, for that matter, too- and address the causes of anger in productive ways, so the impassioned feel good about causing improvement, and get to see the results of their actions, rather than taking action to make the world better through the tragic and traumatic action of suicide, which only causes damage -that they never see. Duh, right? Give someone 80 virgins
on earth, lol, if they actually achieve a currently desired goal, PEACEFULLY. That's what muslim suicide bombers are promised, I've heard. Plus, the whole concept of Paradise is kind of silly. No one has a soul that goes anywhere when you die. That's a story for children.
16) drugs: Schwarzenegger said in Pumping Iron that his exercise felt like cumming. It's a natural rush of energy. Runners have their runner's high. Reading a good book can make you feel good. Or a good movie. There are all kinds of healthy things to get addicted to, instead of things that carry the risk of killing you. People on drugs need to listen to Huey Lewis. Seriously, just say no. To be technical, food is a drug, though. You can have your occasional flamin' hot cheetos. If you say yes to drugs, be smart; be careful. Even just pot can trigger schizophrenia, if you're predisposed.
17) disease control: Life is our most valuable asset; money doesn't even matter, in regards to it. So, doctors and researchers are really doing an incredibly valuable service. If they need more people, they should get them. All hands on deck. Use prisoners. High school kids. I dunno, it's got to feel good to be a part of such an important project, the healing and curing of diseases. Obviously, people should be taught about germs, and brushing teeth, and how not to get aids, and safe sex, and first aid, and cpr, and the heimlich maneuver, or whatever else. I'm getting off topic, a bit. For malaria, which I know something about, bed nets should always be available, and used, just like we automatically put our seat belts on before going anywhere in our cars. There's a new promising treatment for malaria discovered by Australian scientists. And obviously, if there are threats like the H5N1 bird flu that could become worldwide epidemics, then we've gotta do what we've gotta do. Spare no expense.
18)lack of people of working age: this is really a problem? I thought the world demographic was young.. like young adults or in their 20's.. prime of life.. so this one, I don't know.
19)living conditions of women: In the 3W, they are known for carrying wood and water and being less educated and, in the case of the taleban, kept out of sight behind walls or burqa's. Solution: free their minds, if they can't get out of the home -provide books. Change the culture to one of equality, in schools and politics and business.
20)living conditions of children: they should learn and explore and play, not work. They should have loving parents, and go to school, or for the infants, get the care and attention they need.
21)hunger and malnutrition: ridiculous. I shouldn't even have to say anything. Duh. Everyone should eat good quality and quantity food. The world should absolutely guarantee no starvation for anybody. America has so much food. Obesity is a worldwide problem. All it takes is logistics. Peanut butter, and algae, are some malnutrition solutions.
22)unsafe water and lack of sanitation: God. This is another one. How lame are we? Every government should have this solved by now. How the hell could we spend so much on our defense budgets, without doing this for our fellow man?
23)population: migration: Personally, I think borders should ALL be open. The whole world should be humanity's playground. But my wife thinks the richer areas would become like the poorer ones. Couldn't tell you.. An interesting theory. I think, if we all could, there would be a huge amount of travel, because we're all curious people. People would work and live and visit much more than they do, now. I get the economist. I'm with the opinion that migration is good. It's good for the host country's economy -migrants are hard workers. I'm a bit fuzzy on the difference between immigration and emigration. Is that coming in and going out? Are they the same thing?
