Political agreements

We aren’t being truthful with ourselves.  We’re blaming our government for the problems we perceive in the world – the wars, the warming, the lack of resources, the tension and hate – like Frankenstein blaming his monster for the destruction he caused.

A government is an agreement.  Idealistically, we are in an agreement with ‘officials’ or ‘politicians’ to run the show for us.  Please, we say, make decisions in the best interests of mankind and of Americans.  We will pay you to be experts – tax us, take our money and place it where it is needed most.  Help make policies to keep us healthy and safe.  And comfortable.

And we all know how that goes.  Power corrupts and those put in charge don’t act in the best interests of mankind.  Or so we think.

Actually, these politicians are doing exactly what we want them to do.  As evidenced by our massive, massive consumption and greed, we are not willing to change our lifestyles and change what we need.  We are not willing to live without electricity or easy food.  We are not willing to give up extensive travel, air conditioning, cars, cheap products – this is our heritage, is it not?  We are the Gods of the Earth and we cannot be contained!  Our lust cannot be contained!  We should not be contained as it is our right to travel freely, eat what we want and do what we please.  Just make sure I am comfortable – anything less is uncivilized!

So, why should we expect our politicians to be our moral compasses?  If we demand a lifestyle that, at the very least, requires so damn much of the Earth’s resources, why shouldn’t we go to war for that demand?  Why shouldn’t we have 1000+ military bases all over the world to ensure our domination?  Why shouldn’t we turn a blind eye to labour practices that ensure cheap consumer goods?  Why should we wait until we can create safe, non-destructive energy to have luxury?  Why should we wait to take our places as Earth-kings?  Why shouldn’t we demand that all resources (shale oil, arctic oil, water) be made available to satiate our immediate lust, to the point of our own destruction?

We don’t really care about the future or other people or the fact that we’re all dying and taking the world with us.  If we did care our actions would reflect it.  If we estimate the reasonable, tangible consequences of our individual actions, multiply that by 7 billion and the resulting figure still kills the world - why do we act so?  Because someone else in the schoolyard is doing it?  Has a bigger toy?  Makes us feel unimportant?

We don’t really care.  If we did, we’d spend some time considering real change, beyond (or in spite of) politicians and policies.  The world is dying and it’s our fault.