The second of our editorials, written by yours truly, is more of a call-to-arms...
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The start of the twenty-first century is likely to be viewed as predominately an age of individualism and self-gratification. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that our passionate need to satisfy our self-interest whilst ignoring the plight of others is leading to catastrophic and possibly irreversible damage to other individuals, less fortunate communities, and the global environment as a whole.
We are in the midst of a global economic crisis that is highlighting the need for a reassessment towards how we view our lives and the role that we play in the world. There is a growing feeling in many sectors that we are on the brink of a new era of society. An era that must revisit the ways in which the very core structures of our worldview must adapt quickly to overcome the problems at hand and ensure that they do not occur again in the future.
So, what can we point to in the global economy that needs to be fixed? Is this crisis a fault of capitalism as a whole, or is there a far deeper and more pervasive issue at hand? What must be kept in mind when answering questions such as this is that we must not merely place blame on others, scapegoating individuals or institutions and creating more division and conflict in a world that has already seen far too much of both.
Is capitalism itself inherently to blame or is it the way that many of us ruthlessly and without much consideration for others charge forwards towards our own profit at all costs? It is within this question that we can all begin to try and understand the massive shift in paradigm that must occur in order to emerge out the otherside a happier, more secure and more honourable society.
There is a distinct and imminent need to return the global economy to a bedrock of morality and remove it from the vestiges of selfish endeavour. To ignore this issue, to continue the way we have been, is to watch everything that we have gained over the last few centuries fade away into obscurity and obsolescence.
Capitalism and morality have at their very core a similar basis – which is that they both rely and depend on the idea that we are all capable of exercising free will. True morality can only emerge from actions conducted freely and consciously by, perhaps paradoxically, individuals. Each of us alone has the ability to choose whether we will make that sacrifice – whether we will forgoe some small aspect of our search for self-gratification in order to serve the greater good of the community and individuals around us. The difference now that distinguishes the time we live in from all others that have come before it, is that we are all intricately linked together in ways that were never before imagined. The interconnected nature of the modern world means that each of us – as individuals – must stand up and bear the responsibility that such freedom brings and use it for the greater good not just of ourselves but for the entire global community.
Moral capitalism means that we must not ignore those in desperate need for aid and assistant. Even during times of personal, and even national, difficulty we must rise above our own plights and help those around us who are in even more need. We must ensure collectively that we do not allow ourselves to ignore the plight of those less fortunate. This is something that is certainly not easy to do; particularly when so many are losing their jobs, sturggling to pay mortgages, or even to put food on the table – but we must remember to do it nonetheless. It has to be part of our individual and social moral fabric to be aware of all those who share this world with us.
Beyond the responsibility that we have for those who share this world with us, it is vital that we continue to persevere with our efforts to heal the environmental damage that our presence has caused. We must cease our ruthless exploitation of nature's gifts for personal and corporate gain. It is a moral imperative that we find a way of conducting our global society in such a way that allows for those who come after it to appreciate the great and varied landscapes that the planet has to offer.
It is very easy in these difficult times to sink even deeper into selfishness. But it is exactly during such times of upheaval that it is often most damaging to do so. We have before us an opportunity to right this virtue of selfishness that has been created. We have a chance to make sure that society in the future is run according to a sense of moral necessity that looks after all rather than some. All of us – whether we be individuals, organisations, or nations – need to works towards the greater good that shines brightly at the centre of the human condition. Otherwise our selfishness will consume us and ensure that everything we ever hoped to achieve will slip through our grasp. For it is now that each of us can make a decision to be part of something bigger than any individual, bigger even than all of us combined.
In the period of history that is about to be created, we have before us an opportunity to lift this world so that it may see its true glory, and bask in the radiance that the human spirit has to offer. It is an opportunity that we cannot afford to let pass by. This is not something that others can make happen for us, it is something that all of us must strive to achieve in unity.
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