Sorry Naomi... This Changes Everything.
June 8, 2017
When I first picked up Naomi Klein's book "This Changes Everything", I was ecstatic! Finally a Canadian women talking about some of the deeper problems in our society and calling out what is holding us back from evolving. Upon further reflection, it is my opinion that she is only partially correct. I agree with her that collectively we need to understand the machinations of global finance and trade agreements. I would add that we also need to understand COINTELPRO and similar initiatives. Most Canadians are not aware of half of the horror that goes on behind the scenes. I certainly wasn't a year ago. Sorry Naomi.. understanding the depth of the problem doesn't change anything perhaps except perhaps the amount of alcohol and anti-depressants we consume.. Solutions change everything, especially breakthrough energy.
I see some magazine articles proclaiming capitalism is dead. Capitalism isn't dead... but it does need to morph into one with more empathy, compassion and less suppression. We don't need socialism because sadly it's doesn't work. Heaven forbid, we fall into the trap of thinking we need some global government. a cashless society, a growing number of people on guaranteed incomes that further reduces incentives to embrace our collective creativity. What we need is enlightened blinders-off collaborative capitalism.
It has been eighteen months since I started my self-funded sabbatical and left corporate Canada. It's been quite the education. It's been a dark time in some ways. Understanding how the debate is constrained by things like control files (aka blackmail often of a sexual nature) and greed are counter-intuitive to the Canadian boy scout outlook on the world. Taking a look at the language of trade agreements alone is enough to cause a psychotic incident. Deep inside these agreements include legal language that fiercely protects the existing paradigm of endless pursuit of profit without recognition that we are living on a finite planet, people are starving, and wars are created over oil. Democracy is a mere obstacle to be overcome in the existing model.
I have a confession .. I was a cheerleader in high school and I loved it! I was also school president and academically motivated ( I had to add that to not look flaky lol). I haven't been posting much here because I am an inherent optimist. I am not very comfortable spreading doom and gloom messages about the state of the world. Make no mistake.. the existing economic situation is very gloomy, extremely fragile, and apt to explode at any moment. For many months, I kept thinking I need to leave the city, start actively preparing for the economic collapse, learn how to grow food, acquire a firearms license and start building a new community capable of withstanding an event similar to the Great Depression in the 30's. Something within me resisted though, thinking I was running away and being yet another boomer handing off problems to the next generation.
I prefer spreading positive news and solutions adding to the existing fear mentality that runs rampant on th evening news. As a process improvement professional, I love working with others and coming up with creative solutions. I've decided to start interviewing people who know much more than I to both shine a light on the dark corners of some capitalistic components that most Canadians are not aware of or in denial about, and expand the conversation to include practical economic solutions that have been suppressed. There is hope for the future. Our species is not necessarily going to go extinct or turn into cyborgs, but there is a very real possibility if we don't start expanding the conversation pronto!!!
A challenge to Canadian universities ..... Start working on this! If you are a Physics student, challenge your physics professor, take a look at the work of Nassim Haramein and other non-traditional physicists. Start thinking of ways that energy devices could be made with of coefficient of performance greater than one! Stay tuned for news on my new venture!!
****Resource list
Here is a good introductory video on the breakthrough energy topic. https://youtu.be/yRMol8ROTAM Here are some more resources on the breakthrough energy movement. http://globalbem.com/
Here is a good place to start complementing the knowledge you are acquiring in university Physics programs.