So, where are we at?
Socialism came in with a bang in Russia in 1917, and went out bust in 1991.
China’s dictatorial social experiement morphed into a quasi controlled market economy that allows a form of social freedom. As the boundaries between the state and human desires clash, the government will fail or morph further – there is a lot of wisdom in 5,000 years of contiguous society.
Capitalism’s slow burn grew into a raging furnace that is now fizzing and sputtering in all regions of the world.
Consumerism; sustainable growth; materialism: oxymoronic terms that deny simple truths like finite resources, the importance of biological diversity and the quality of living.
Governments – groups of people who volunteer to work together to do the low paying jobs, providing the services that society needs but doesn’t value – are buying into private institutions with funds intended for social infrastructure, not balance sheet support.
Argentina just “socialised” the largest pension funds of that country – some see it as a grab for cash to fund the next 2 years operations, their unions are celebrating the increase in “security”, private pension fund workers are protesting that 1,600 jobs are now at risk.
Corporations grew into mega-corporations and workers became more an more marginalised. Minimised. Thinking stopped, questioning stopped, waiting for the paycheck became the most important task of the working week.
What has happened?
We forgot that we’re human. We know we like to work in small groups. We know we like to talk, socialise, discuss ideas, share, laugh, dream. That’s what the web is all about. This blog. All the other blogs out there.
That’s what we forgot for, what 50, 60, 80, 100 years?
The two largest experiments in society coordination – socialism, and capitalism – both denied these basic human attributes. They both viewed a human as a part of a larger unit, an element to be adjusted, trained, indoctrinated, made to work hard, motivated and so on.
And one can say pretty convincingly, that both have failed.
So what will take their place? A combination of course. A new mix and mash of trial and error – what we’re all about.
Semco type companies, companies that manage people as people, forming an agreement that suits both the needs of the business and the needs of the people. These companies will emerge and continue into the future. It won’t be a big thing. It will just happen.
We learn to walk by falling over thousands of times; to speak by sounding like an imbecile for years.
When we are young we are forgiven these errors, and now and in the future we will again be patient while someone learns a new skill, understands a new idea, remembers a new phrase.
That’s where we are going.
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