Monday 8 August 2011

Facing up to the Real Questions

It's curious that the UK Government asserts authority over people's lives, deeming this or that to be the 'right' thing for citizens, without really looking at the fundamental conditions that are behind all those 'wrong' situations (alcohol consumption, social housing, employment, welfare benefits, 'foreigners').

In her blog on Research impact: thinking outside the tick box, Bridget Anderson looks below the surface of some of the trite even convenient proposals presented in the UKBA's consultation on Employment Related Settlement, Tier 5 and Overseas Domestic Workers and wonders why the real questions are not being asked. These are political and theoretical, she states, but in fact are "the questions that affect us all". I share these musings on the two cited by Ms Anderson:

Do we want a sustainable population strategy?

Britain faces a land, demographic and economic conundrum in which it appears we resort to crisis management according to political whim. Will our nanny state leaders look beyond restrictions and curtailments to the valuing, respectful governors they purport to be? They espouse "integrated, cohesive communities" but these are just words when there is no genuine buy-in from all concerned. 

Now HOW do we achieve that and keep focused on a thriving, successful UK, at the same time! In order to deliver a sustainable populaton (if we had a stragegy), our political leaders need to realise that a comprehensive, holistic and truly inclusive approach across human society and related systems may be challenging but may well work! Sadly, personal agenda will be the price to pay and that may be too high, not just for the politicians and government workers but also for individuals, communities and political parties everywhere. It is a tough call; perhaps altruism is too idealistic, too utopian. Take the handful of leaders who may be considered to have held 'altruistic' ideals: while Gandhi, King, Suu Kyi and Mandela may fit the label, the accumulated impact of their lives' work on humanity and world citizenry is barely recognisable to my cynical eye. 

Still, our difficulty in putting aside personal self-interest is not about to bring the world to its end. It is just a shame our progress as a 'human' species does not match our technological, scientific advances. 

Why is domestic labour not considered work?

That human species that we profess we belong to continues to be at a loss about valuing each other, the assets that we are and the potential that we have to shared coexistence on a tiny blue planet. We may not have come far enough on our evolutionary road as conscious beings to maintain the rational learnings of the 'liberation' and rights movements of the last century. I can only assume we have merely taken the earliest steps on that route, with a very long way to go yet. How else can one explain the arrogant ignorance of those who demean the work of fellow human beings with supporting roles as mothers, carers, cleaners, labourers etc? How can any contribution, however 'lowly', to the fullness of our human existence be considered insignificant, inessential, unworthy or invaluable? Surely every task, every effort impacts on our human endeavour as the sentient beings we believe we are.

Yes, these musings are more philosophical, moral and idealistic, not to mention individual. Nevertheless, they ask fundamental questions of ourselves as a civil, thinking society and should not be swept under any carpet of 'evidence'-led rhetoric based on power or political designs.

Sunday 7 August 2011

Freedom of expression vs Freedom to choose

Everywhere you turn, whether print, electronic or web media, someone is reporting or commenting on underperformance; in education, public sector, business, industry, finance, politics, in fact every sphere of our existence. Such thoughts and vox pop contributions are now the norm of 21st Century society and the 24/7 media age. They are imbued with an aura, an attitude of blame – it’s all the fault of some other person, community, system, authority, political party, government, custom, culture, even law.

Is this where democracy has taken us? Not just that we all have the right to views and to make them known (even as I’m doing here), which we do. But that in taking that right (of expression), we forego the capacity to see and acknowledge our complicity in the society we have created? Behind the blame and excuses lies an apparent belief that “I’m not able to do … whatever I’m supposed to… because you are doing something to obstruct me in doing it”.

What about my own autonomy, that other right of freedom to choose? To choose to do the best I can with my little patch of sky (or blue marble under that sky)? My own integrity to know therefore and to say that “I have a part in this and my part will help make the rest work”. As one tiny cog in the wheel, which if it sees itself as a wedge risks stalling the whole machinery.

Think of the various health, equality, education, employment, religious, responsibility (social/corporate/political) conundrums we are faced with. Then top them all with the ultimate social paradox that we have contrived – the power that we give (away) to those we believe to be of power, the politicians and leaders in our communities. What is it with humans that we think others may know us better than we know ourselves and therefore give them the right to choose for us?

It then proves stranger still when, having given away the right to choose, and politicians and leaders dictate our existence, we descend into that blame game and all collude to wallow in our ever-present human condition.

Irony of ironies, and this is why humankind is so wonderful, there exists even in that condition, the capacity to choose to be different.

Integrity hasn’t become obsolete but it has kept a low profile recently while selfish democracy, based on selfish rights, rights that have no cognition of their co-dependence with others’ rights, has had its day. A resurgence is set to happen, surely? The relentless dramas, whether natural or human-made, that are besieging us barely a decade into the new century, do threaten and paralyse us. They also hold the potential to release the humanity and integrity our race possesses by sheer dint of having a ‘superior’ intellect. So called.