A world in constant crisis

It is always the immediate dangers that we respond to quickest. It is so easy to put off until tomorrow the threat that does not rear its head until too late. We spend most of our lives hearing about crisis after crisis, how we are responding to the latest threat to our well-being, freedom or livelihood. Some of this can very easily be attributed to the drowning cacophony of media input we receive on a daily basis and the inevitable circus of sensationalism that must soon follow. The over-saturation of media has produced companies that must find ways to get our attention. Topping the other guys is just part of the job.

When the sensationalism is stripped bare, the viral stories put aside, the passionate whispers of the latest Hollywood scandal; we see this dramatic version of our lives may be based in some fact. We find that we are truly working on cleaning up one crisis after another. So intent are we to jump forward with every little invention we have without really investigating the long-term consequences that we truly do live in a state of some crisis.

The many faces of fear

Be it a war, global warming, economic depressions, failing infrastructure, etc., we do find ourselves cleaning up after our own ill-informed decisions. Yet we pride ourselves on our educations, on our low illiteracy rate, why then do we perpetuate an age of ignorance? We should be passed such a point, yet we still are mired in our past.

The specific reasons for our cycle of stupidity, for putting things into play that should be left in the lab until comprehensive knowledge is secured – namely greed – will be left for another discussion. Until a true realization that we can live

in a world of prevention rather than cure occurs, no desire to move in that direction is possible, nor then do we need look at motivation.

There are many examples of our ineptitude. Our current energy crisis demonstrates our willingness to put up with for decades a problem that we must address. Unfortunately, misinformation and intentional deception by those in power to profit from our ignorance play a large role in the continued complacency of the educated individuals of our planet, much to the detriment of the world, society, culture and the planet itself.

Tobacco is yet another example of our ability to fly ignorantly into the night. For decades we watched as this insidious and disgusting drug was intentionally marketed to our populace – and did nothing. No sane individual can say that we did not know tobacco was bad for us, no rational argument can contemplate laying the full blame on big tobacco. Our own initiative and investigation of the truth on an individual level is not only borne out of common sense, but foolishly ignored.

And now we face another crisis

Obesity is the next giant that has been killing us for the better part of 30 years. In this, as in all past crisis, we are misinformed and intentionally left in the dark. This is not to say that we understood the issues 30 years ago as clearly as we do now, nor did we have the viral flow of information around the globe then as we do today. We now know what we are up against, and we also know many ways in which to change it. Along with most problems of this magnitude we have faced in the past, the initiative for change will come from a grass-roots beginning, a personal stand.

But the overall issue isn’t necessarily Obesity or any singular crisis. The issue is really crisis itself. Our hindsight shows us clearly that we could have done many things to prevent or at least lessen the effects of this crisis. However, it is not possible to predict the future; we cannot say if all our actions could necessarily have averted any of the wars, global meltdowns, or economic downturns we have seen. We do know there were signs and that there were things we could have and should have done.

The next crisis?

Sociology would have the issue be the over-concentration of minorities in rural and urban centers that will lead to a serious shift in quality and cost of living for those minorities due to the disparities in pay and job availability, all the while the health of these minorities continues to deteriorate and become a serious drain on an already strained health care system.

Engineering would have the issue be a failing infrastructure causing catastrophic damage and cost to the economy as the infrastructure fails. These bridges, roads, tunnels and highways need serious maintenance since the majority of our economy depends heavily on this infrastructure. The now underfunded projects could be the next thing that could have been prevented but in the end might very well be another crisis we clean up.

The list goes on in politics, economy, education, etc.

The Issue

The issue may be that we have lived in a constant crisis cleanup mode that we no longer know how to live in a world of prevention. Or the issue could really be that we are constantly lied to, but to take that stance would mean shifting all blame. In effect we would be saying it is another persons problem. The issue might then be that we must take responsibility for our own actions and our own decisions.  The issue could be that we are in fact partially responsible for our own future and we must be the ones to act.

Waiting around for a government to do something to correct an issue that it might very well be complicit in could be a very long wait, and it could produce some more crisis in the meantime. Saying that the people must do all the work is also completely ludicrous. What is the point of government then? But we are not a people who need a babysitter. We chose a government by the people meaning we are responsible as well.

In the end it may be a collaborative effort between private companies, government and the people that ends our cycle of crisis management and begins a cycle of preventative prosperity.

Related articles

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• You: Power crisis made people’s lives a hell, says Nawaz (nation.com.pk)
• Govt has accepted challenge of resolving energy crisis: PM – DAWN Group (dawn.com)
• Planning Online Crisis Management Tactics (socialwebthing.com)
• UK short-term prospects ‘better’ (bbc.co.uk)
• Fed by Broken Food System, Health Plummets as Costs Soar (commondreams.org)