Ungovernable?

There are studies being done that project when our social order will become ungovernable. The estimate is by the year 2040. I hope the projection is wrong, but then I don’t have to personally worry about it. I will be long gone by that time.

There are times when I am glad, I will not live to see some dreaded happening. That seems so defeatist. It is, of course, but it is also a sign that patience is wearing thin. My patience.

Aging is one of those natural things that allows a person to understand what’s happening around him or her, because life experience teaches us what to look for, comparisons with previous experiences, and so forth, thus giving us a relative ability to ‘see’ what lies ahead. That is not always a pleasant contemplation.

It is that time when worrying about life for our grandchildren pop to mind. What we do today, or don’t do more likely, will have a long-term effect. Will it affect my life? Or someone else’s? As we become aware of these questions, we also become concerned about the cause and effect of our actions.

Planning for the future is one way to build future results in a more positive manner. We accept the responsibility that we are part of the governance equation. If we cooperate or collaborate with responsible parties, we are part of a happier future. We have helped shape our social order.

That social order struggles continually to survive the challenges that arise. Our social order forms opinions that become our collective value structure. It is not unanimous, of course, and that provides diversity of opinion and thinking. There is more than one way to live, and in a free society we are granted the freedom to pursue that which is best of our own personal preferences. Will there be clashes among these choices? Surely. But that is the core of the struggle, and it provides a way for us to test our values and build stronger ones.

Governing a complex social order, however, ought not be so difficult as to deny governance itself. Living together in a complex social order should still be governable. The opposite outcome is a denial of social order. We do live with one another; we get along. We are motivated to maintain order. We yearn to control for better outcomes. We do the homework and collaborate enough to make the social order viable. Not always comfortable. But doable.

I hold onto this point of view. It gives me hope that mankind will waken to positive outcomes that we can support and make happen. We are not powerless. But it does require cooperation and compromise.

Ignoring this makes governance more difficult. But impossible? I hope not. I pray not.

March 10, 2023

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more