It's Saturday morning. It's been a long and busy week, in which we had 1 million views on YouTube, and I will be taking some time off over the weekend, but where are we now? That seems to be the right question to ask this morning.
If I drop the analysis for the moment and speak not as someone trying to analyse the current political-economic situation, but simply as a person seeking to make their way through life at this moment, it's fair to say that I am incredibly worried about where we are at this point in time.
The sentiments I've been expressing in my YouTube videos this week reflect exactly how I feel. I think we are living in a world where a few mad men, driven by greed and hate, which, when combined with their utter indifference to the well-being of most of the people on this planet, have taken us to the edge of a cliff over which they appear more than willing to push us off because they believe that they will not feel the consequences of our pain.
In making that statement, I stress that I chose the words mad men with care, because the people driving this process do appear to be men, and I do think they are mad. Let's leave the gender issue aside, having noted it, and deal with the madness. If madness, or insanity if you wish to put it that way, means an inability to understand reality, or to relate to the world as others see it, then I think my suggestion is justified. Donald Trump, many in his administration, and Benjamin Netanyahu and his henchmen all seem to meet these criteria.
Their desires are detached from reality. Their motives for war and their actions in imposing death, harm, destruction and other consequences that will last for the lifetime of millions, and maybe beyond, all suggest that they cannot comprehend the reality of the power that they are using to wreak havoc on the world. And all of this is for the dual vain purpose of securing their own freedom from jail, in the case of both Netanyahu and Trump, and of advancing their own already grossly excessive personal power and wealth, in the case of all those who appear to be abusing this situation for that purpose.
Their indifference to others is what pains me most of all. As Adam Smith noted in his Theory of Moral Sentiments, published in 1759, no one, not even the wealthiest person, can truly be indifferent to the suffering of others. I agree with that, but I would add a caveat. That is, unless the thinking of the wealthiest and most powerful has been so corrupted by ideology, dogma, and the detachment from reality I have already noted, this outcome should not be possible.
What we have done over the last 45 or more years is let a situation that has made this outcome possible.
Too many by then were greedy, selfish and indifferent when Margaret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the USA began to dismantle the post-war consensus that put at its heart freedom from the fear that Franklin D. Roosevelt described in 1941. They had forgotten what a previous generation that grew up with the consequences of the 1939–45 World War knew, which was that care mattered more than greed. They knew that peace mattered more than war. They knew that a society that left some behind could not prosper. They had seen the gross consequences of inequality and swore not to suffer them again. They believed a better world was possible. And they were right, because they moved in that direction.
And then greed, indifference, vanity, and avarice returned, and were worshipped. The consequence is that we have got to the point where we are now, where some who are so far removed from the suffering of others that they cannot comprehend what that suffering might be are in power and abuse that situation, quite deliberately, for personal gain, as if it is their right to do so.
So what is my fear based on all this? It is that I do not know where, how, or when all this might end.
Can we imagine a world in which such indifference, especially on the part of those with the means to capture power, can have a positive outcome? I cannot.
Can I imagine a situation where an alternative can be created? I have to cling to that hope. Equally, I have to admit that there are occasions when it seems hard. The current crisis is increasing that fear.
But what I also know is that change comes from the stories we tell. Those are the stories we tell about who we are, what we dream to be, and how we wish to live. There we have the power.
When I look at the lives of those corrupt individuals who are seeking to control the world at present, I see no joy, no vision, no hope, and nothing that frankly provides evidence within their apparent well-being that justifies any gain they might secure from what they are doing. And, ultimately, it is in the failure of their own ability to thrive that I see the prospect for change. Hate and indifference are not a basis for well-being. Caring is.
I care. I rather suspect that you do. It is for that reason alone that we might ultimately change this world for the better.
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And yet the madmen claim they are doing God’s work. This has been the claim of such people down the ages, and millions of people have swallowed their story.
You are, of course, correct in saying that caring people have to have a better story to tell each time these madmen appear. I firmly believe there is something in the human spirit which is beyond any religiosity and that this humanity is forever more prevalent in societies than the madness you identify. It finds expression in widespread deeds of kindness, art and literature, which most caring people readily identify.
At the moment, the good people are winning, yet I can see why many are worried about the state of the world. We know the barbarians are at the gate.
Thank you all for another really relevant article.
Might other contributory factors in this time of potential/actual crisis also include the following:
!) The dominance of “quarterly capitalism”/short termism?
2) The American policy of controlling the world by controlling the distribution of oil?
3) The lack of an objective, effectively critical, main stream media?
4) The increasing power of finance to the cost of resources?
5) The increasing power of finance over government/democracy
6) Extremes of wealth
https://www.moonofalabama.org/
A curious publication. I read a bit about 6 Jan 2021 and read that Trump had not incited violence. The graph of Trump’s wealth does illustrate your point.
Yes, it’s so disconcerting and upsetting to live in a world of such madness and wanton cruelty on a global scale and yet see around us all the evidence and possibilities of human kindness and compassion . It’s a very hard psychological balancing act to maintain sanity, and so many of us struggle with this…. but many do care, and you are right, we must, and we must have hope.
Last week I attended the State of the Nation lecture at the Cambridge Literary Festival given by Rachel Clarke, a pallitive care doctor who also writes for the Guardian. It was an absolutely brilliant lecture; devastatingly critical, hugely hopeful and profoundly moving, beautifully illustrated with stories of great humanity. In essense it was a heatfelt and eloquent plea for a “Politics of Care” and resonated closely with the work that you are doing in this area.
I suspect that this lecture will be made available soon on ths Festival’s CLF player – well worth a listen if it is.
Thanks
I will look for it.
It was said that the British Ruling Classes had been scared to death by the French Revolution and as a result had modified their behaviour to make sure it didnt happen to them. By the time that lesson started to fade then came the Russian Revolution with the same effect .
That lesson has also faded so we no longer have a Political Class looking over their shoulder for the pitchforks.
Clearly if we did the world would be less worse or even better
I fear that there may be food riots if things get to a worst case scenario. This might provide a timely warning to the ruling classes.
What you say is absolutely true.
I had a discussion with someone this week about immigration. Whilst not denying the sentiment, I took on the causal aspects and I started to discuss austerity and how the CBRA on the other hand acts as a welfare blanket for casino banking. Our discussion ended on friendly terms, and then just as we were to part company, I was asked again what the CBRA was which I took to mean that there was genuine interest in understanding what was actually going on. It’s little moments like that I suppose that one can be part of.
Agreed
Scratching my head over CBRA I searched and found items about cables…. Is there anywhere I can look up these terms which are not everyday to me despite reading this blog daily?
Central bank reserve accounts
See the glossary
Sorry Anne – I will try to avoid that in the future – depending on the word count of course.
Thanks PSR and RJM – I cannot find CBRA in glossary or in Govt jargon bit, and I am sorry to ask for more, but going forward, is it possible to put both the initials and long form in glossary so either can be searched for?
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/glossary-items/central-bank-reserve-account/
Anne you need to send another letter to your MP
Yes Richard – ‘Hate and indifference are not a basis for well-being. Caring is.'<p>
Many of your ‘mad men’ them probably think they are indeed well meaning and caring. But they also probably genuinely believe that ‘there is no money’ for public services – so Emma Barnett and Nick Robinson can put their killer question to any politician who dares to suggest a bit more social care – ‘so you cant say where the money is coming from’. And leave that hanging in the air.
The sad thing is, that question is so easy to answer
Hello Richard,
Many of your blog posts don’t seem to be appearing on your Bluesky feed which is where I normally pick them up. Your YouTube links always seem to be posted, but sometimes that’s the only thing on your Bluesky feed each day.
Angus
I only post some on Blueskey. I get little feedback there. Should I do them all?
I guess it depends how much effort it takes. You seem to have 42k+ followers on Bluesky. Maybe check how many clicks you get on links to your blog posts to see how worthwhile it is?
I agree
It just all takes time
Richard, I share your concerns. I would add that these few old men spoiling everything are there because millions of people have chosen to put them there, or not paid attention and let them take power. So my fears also include the state of humanity, in which too many people (especially in democratic countries) are ignorant, indifferent, careless and making the wrong choices. Therefore, I think we also need attention on the question of what’s going wrong with humanity and how people can be encouraged to make better choices and seek a different future. I realise it’s a big question and needs much debate, but it strikes me that there are 9 billion people on this beautiful planet and we are allowing a handful of evil old men to lead us to destruction.
I agree with you
It’s quite obvious that the meek shall not inherit the Earth anytime soon.
I have said before that democracy is the process of selecting the least-worst candidate at election time, which leads to the question where are the caring candidates? How do we find them and support them on their journey to actually appearing on the ballot paper?
They are alienated by our political system at present.
You are right to be afraid. There are two things I hope will help us out of this mess.
One is that the internet, for all its faults, is providing connections across the world for those of us who care and want positive change. See naked capitalism for example, where many sane voices are grappling with the same issues you raise (https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/). Michael Hudson, Yanis Varoufakis, Zack Polanski, Zohram Mamdani, and many many more, who understand the problem and are speaking out.
Two, my sporadic interactions with the younger generation, those in their twenties and thirties, lead me to believe they understand the problems we are facing, and are joining the fight against complacency and greed.
What is clear is that we have to find common cause with others, compromise on our differences, and try to combat the influence of greed and insanity that may cause us to despair.
You are doing your best, and we appreciate it.
Thank you
I too am fearful of what is happening and what will happen but do have some hope.
I do think that the Trump regime will fall but just don’t know when and what sort of state the USA and the world will be in when it does.
As I mentioned earlier in the week, I don’t think it is a fait accompli that Ref**k will win the next general election and retain hope that the next government will an improvement on the shitshow of the Tories’ 14 years in power and also the current encumbents who could be doing so much more.
Craig
“The ferocity of the rightwing push that we’ve seen over the last 10 years. I can’t really attribute that to anything other than a desperate sense that they and their politics have no part in the future.”
Alan Moore
“ I care. I rather suspect that you do”. Yes I do. Very much so. Not to get religious about it but is not darkness just the absence of light? Is not confusion the absence of clarity? And is not indifference the absence of caring? I think so, and in the same way darkness cannot exist where there is light, indifference cannot exist where there is care. We just need to keep on keeping on, as us old hippies used to say
Much to agree with
Richard, your raw honesty about the disconnect between the current decision-makers and global reality hits hard; it is indeed terrifying when greed overrides the well-being of the many for the few. This Saturday reflection is a necessary pause, reminding us that while the ‘madness’ feels overwhelming, grounded care remains our most potent tool for change.