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Right to question and decide

It’s an interesting question: what we have the right to ask. Are there some things we can’t draw into question? And, if so, does that mean they’re things that can no longer be questioned or things we’re not encouraged to understand? Maybe we’re supposed to take some things as given, a basic foundation laid out before our time that cannot be altered.

In trying to understand life, you’re obviously going to come up against the fundamental ideas of society: the conversations that happened at its inception, the people involved and the systems they put in place. That’s essentially where the ball started rolling; gathering with it the impacts it’s had over the years, and a broad sense of the validity of the initial intentions and how well they’ve worked out.

And, generally speaking, Western society’s often presented as this high point of progress where individuals are free to pursue their own interests without much interference over what they choose or believe about life. We’re free to think, to weigh up, to decide for ourselves. I suppose it’s the force behind all the modern marketplaces, and the reason information’s so important.

But then, as life within society gets so complex and interconnected with global systems of various natures, how are we to evaluate our choices and be sure of the right paths? It’s surely becoming a massive undertaking to unravel all the connections and see things for what they really are (see Notes One). And it’s something that affects all branches of life, as we’re swept along with the pace of changes (Notes Two).

Because, while we clearly have the capacity to understand, there may well be limits to how much we can process without damaging our ability to live productive and happy lives (Notes Three). If that’s the case, do we then decide to place some things outside the realm of our concern – to defer responsibility to others?

Maybe we do, maybe that’s the answer: that this is a collective project where we must trust others to operate by certain standards, along similar lines, and that our overarching systems of governance and regulation have it all suitably in hand. Trust itself is interesting though, especially given how many of the more moral or traditional constraints have been lifted off Western shoulders.

And all this is truly a genuine question, as many posts I’ve referenced have pondered the extent of our responsibility towards the systems we live within. The issue of how far we can be considered responsible for those things we sustain, allow, support, benefit from, or turn a blind eye to is pretty fascinating and also quite pertinent to our times (Notes Four).

If we’re intelligent beings – capable of understanding – and information is available to us, then are we expected to cut through all the white noise of advertising, media, modern culture, and the pace of life in order to get to grips with it? And, if we can, do our choices even have the power to shift things?

Notes and References:

Note 1: The philosopher stance
Note 1: What if it all means something?
Note 1: Complexity of life
Note 2: Meaning in culture
Note 2: Technology & the lack of constraint
Note 2: Ideas around education & responsibility
Note 2: Modern media and complex realities
Note 3: “Brave New World Revisited”
Note 3: “Paradox of Choice”
Note 4: Responsibility in shaping this reality
Note 4: Tell me why I should

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Fear or coercion as motivators

It seems there’s a fairly common assumption that we, as humans, need to be made to change our behaviour: that threats or promises are normal tools for enticing us to leave our habitual comfort zones and do what is expected of us. But surely this raises a great deal of questions, not least of which being ‘where does it lead?’

By my understanding, it’s a view of human nature that emphasises the power of psychological and social factors in driving changes: that we respond fairly ‘well’ to the carrot and the stick, as our desire to belong makes rejection or pain the perfect leverage. And it’s clearly pretty widespread thinking, with incentives and punishments forming core principles within education, taxation, social provision and so on.

My concern though is with how it seems to oversimplify and underplay our capacity for understanding, turning instead to our more sub-conscious tendencies. Are we creatures to be tricked behind our own backs, or beings that can be treated with respect and encouraged to think for ourselves? That, of course, may not be the easiest of questions to answer (see Notes One).

Having a sense of what keeps society together and serves us all best is obviously an incredibly important thing to hold in mind, but it certainly doesn’t seem straightforward (Notes Two). Yet these very direct attempts to motivate our behaviour in given directions surely imply a clear idea on where we’re headed, how, and why. Whether we’re talking about social or economic realities, there appear to be strategies at play.

And that’s not necessarily to judge, as all these things need to be organised somehow. It’s just that the lack of clarity and therefore freedom around some of the ‘choices’ we’re presented with also seems worth keeping in mind.

Because it’s certainly insightful to consider the weight such influences can have over our actions in life (Notes Three). I can see why governments, businesses and people in general would want to understand human psychology then use it for their own ends. After all, this knowledge is a tool at everyone’s disposal, and much of life can be seen as using our resources to meet genuine or manufactured needs.

But, in that, I would’ve thought responsibility, transparency and respect are paramount. If we are to use social or psychological means for influencing others to act in accordance with what we deem to be their (or our) best interests, surely we need to be quite careful? And if we are to entrust important aspects of our decisions in life to such guidance, it might be good to be clear on that too.

Personally, I’ve never been keen on being directed beyond my conscious awareness; although obviously it takes some weight off decision-making (Notes Four). As an alternative, educating people so they’re capable of handling complex realities and interrelationships, aware of the deeper significance of their roles and responsibilities, and freely able to shift course as their understanding broadens might be a brighter path to follow.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Laws and lawlessness
Note 1: Zimbardo & the problem of evil
Note 1: The human spirit
Note 2: People, rules & social cohesion
Note 2: Human nature and community life
Note 3: Tell me why I should
Note 3: The motivation of money
Note 3: Age, politics and human reasoning
Note 3: Need to suffer in order to change?
Note 4: “Paradox of Choice”
Note 4: “The Tipping Point”

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Technology & the lack of constraint

As a way of thinking, few things may have changed society as much, as quickly or as thoroughly as modern technology. The theme of Web has looked at ways it’s shifting our connections with reality, awareness of personal or environmental consequences, and understanding of collective systems we exist within.

Yet those things also serve social functions: our sense of what our choices mean, their impacts, and how they reshape the essential structures we’re thereby upholding. In many ways, we’re talking about patterns of behaviour, belief and shared values that actively sustain human society.

And, of course, such change isn’t completely unjustified as society wasn’t perfect before all this. Life was slower, processes more cumbersome, communities smaller, freedom to travel or connect quite constricted, and ideas often limiting and tightly controlled. By comparison, life now is much more open and dynamic; offering countless opportunities to take more in (see Notes One).

But I do wonder to what extent we’re running risks by allowing the tool to become the master, by letting this way of thinking define our lives and social existence. After all, technology exists to make things easier by doing some of the work for us. Shortcuts based upon a thorough understanding of life and the tasks in hand. Are we ‘helped’ if we take the shortcut but forget to fully grasp what we’re doing and why?

The right role for technology within human society is something many are grappling with, from everyday life all the way up to those few powerful people making some pretty influential decisions on our behalf. Within that, this question of what it means stand out to me as important.

We might get caught up with what’s on offer, chasing the tail of that endless wave of innovation and updates; but, taking a step back, is it something we need to engage with? I’m not saying the answer is No, but just because something’s there it doesn’t mean we have to use it or play its games.

Backtracking to the idea of social function – the sense of our engagement with life having meaning – it could be said the realities, the social or physical limitations we come up against have value in telling us what life’s about (Notes Two). This reciprocal relationship between the individual and a complex world, where we find our place within it then shape our response as part of the ongoing human conversation.

In removing limits, where are we left? How do we decide what (not) to do, or even what decisions to make? Figuring out our path, where we stand in society and our value to it wasn’t easy even in the simpler world we left behind (Notes Three). And tech now removes more boundaries that arguably once gave life definition, leaving us with boundless choice and this strong air of freedom (Notes Four).

Finding our place in that new world seems almost as challenging as formulating our response to it all, but I’m not sure where we’ll be without it.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Podcasts as models of transformation
Note 1: Blogs illustrating ways of being
Note 2: “Education’s End”
Note 2: “Response Ability” by Frank Fisher
Note 3: Modern media and complex realities
Note 3: The web and the wider world
Note 3: Complexity of life
Note 4: Pre-tech in film
Note 4: Using internet to construct community
Note 4: The potential of technology

Taking a bit of a sidestep, Thoughts on art & on life reflected on what it might mean to rediscover our bearings in modern life.

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Cultural shifts & taking a backseat

Cultural forms are interesting to consider, in the sense that surely what we engage with will inform our views on self, on life, and on the meaning held within society. Writing about it this last year (see Notes One), I’ve come to see culture as the ideas we tend that then shape our actions, attitudes, assumptions and conclusions about what matters and why (Notes Two).

That’s clearly an important function as the thoughts we hold will undoubtedly guide our behaviour, rippling out into the various worlds we inhabit throughout our lives (Note Three). How all that’s worked in different times and places – ways communities have sought to influence the ideas at their heart – having given us the wealth of characters, outlooks and beliefs we in modern society are able to draw upon so freely.

In the past, it seems there were often treasured stories and practices, alongside social rituals for sharing their meanings with a regularity that reminded each person of their place and the passing of time. These cycles providing a certain stability in reiterating the values needed within society, welcoming new members into its ways, and uniting its people with common sentiment or intention.

While it might be fascinating to dip into such histories – even look to them for inspiration within our own culture – and also tempting to dismiss their ways of thinking as limited or constrictive compared with our times, I do wonder if they had something we might have lost.

Glancing back, culture seems to have been this very active sense of recollection, participation and ownership: people would memorise entire bodies of work and perform them as a valued service; others would gather together to experience these moments and draw sustenance from what they offered; communities could be defined by their practices and ideas.

Maybe that’s not so entirely different from modern culture, in some ways: instead of memorising and performing, we have technology; cultural moments are flagged up on social media, dissected, then filed away somewhere; all serving as reference points for crafting an identity and signalling our sense of belonging. These days we just have far more on offer, much faster turnover, and a freer flow of ideas.

That said; it is different. Rather than uniting it tends to divide. Maybe because, itself the product of a competitive marketplace, it seeks a target audience? Pricing and exclusivity must inevitably alter the universality of what’s represented and how accessible it’s made to be (Note Four). And ways we now ‘consume’ are more passive and isolating; social participation mainly happening online along lines of polarised opinion (Note Five).

While we might complain and compare, pointing out what was lost then what’s been gained, I find myself wondering if it even helps. Times change, but what does seem important is to understand: to see what culture was and the functions it performed; to grasp the nature of the shifts within our times; and then ensure that nothing essential to our personal or social lives is irretrievably lost.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Culture, art & human activity
Note 1: Revisiting the question of culture
Note 1: Culture and the passing of time
Note 1: Meaning in culture
Note 2: How many aren’t well represented?
Note 2: Missing something with modern culture?
Note 2: The worth of each life
Note 3: What is real?
Note 4: Culture selling us meaning
Note 5: The potential of technology

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Community as an answer

Finding solutions to complex, ongoing, fast-moving problems isn’t going to be simple, but I often find myself wondering to what extent community might form a strong part of how people address such things.

I mean, society seems to be struggling on a fair few fronts to work through the challenges thrown up by modern ways of living (see Notes One). At times it seems that everything – the entire wealth of human knowledge, diversity and experience through all time and space – became animated, connected, widely available, and began self-reflexively evolving at an astonishing pace. Little wonder we struggle to keep up, let alone lead.

But my point, in that paragraph as much as the posts it referenced, is that surely all this is “here” to serve us as a human community. The path of civilisations, the development and application of understanding, all led to this point where we were able to think on this level and employ that knowledge in creating systems to assist us further.

Surely modern life is the product of our collective journey, our pooled insight. Systems we have today essentially arising out of our scrutiny of the past: how societies were organised; ways culture influenced communities, demonstrating and shaping beliefs; all the different forms and ideas that have served people in the past. We looked at that and made our choices.

We might get caught up in the turbulence of our times – the constant updates and innovations, the ever-shifting social or moral conventions, the juxtaposition of diverse ideas and cultures – but beneath it all there’s presumably still this bedrock of what human community is, needs and creates for us (Notes Two).

Within that, we can find the importance of social understanding: the regulation of our behaviour out of consideration for others; the care or concern we draw upon to communicate, impart meaning or give structure to our lives (Notes Three). An appreciation of how our personal choices impact others, feeding into shared systems and creating shared consequences (Notes Four).

The central point being that we are all connected. We may retreat into transactional relationships, hide behind the masks of corporate functions, shut down inconvenient ties or drift toward the empowering affirmation of those who see things as we do, but that doesn’t change the reality of our social situations.

There seems to be a truth to community, to the relationships between people, the struggles we all face, the passing of time and how all these things must work themselves out. There’s reality to all that. Problems can’t be hidden but must be faced, and you can often see where they’ve arisen from. Now, with our abstract and remote ways of working, living and relating, those things don’t seem so easy to pinpoint or resolve.

All of which, I suppose, is the reason I wonder if personal reinvestment in community may well be essential. Rather than split ourselves off into groupings that suit us, could we come to understand one another better and appreciate how it all fits together?

Notes and References:

Note 1: Modern media and complex realities
Note 1: Human nature and community life
Note 1: Economy & Humanity
Note 2: The challenge of community
Note 2: Community, needs & local solutions
Note 2: Reviving local community
Note 3: People, rules & social cohesion
Note 3: Mirrors we offer one another
Note 3: Laws and lawlessness
Note 4: Individual responsibility, collective standards
Note 4: Reality as a sense check

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The social metaphor of education

It could be said that education reflects the best understanding of a given society: what we consider most important; the attitudes, values and knowledge deemed essential for sustaining society and leading individuals towards a fulfilling life; how best to meet the challenges and uncertainties of our existence.

Clearly other times and cultures have approached that in different ways, effectively shaping the societies this process of instruction serves. The conversations we have, the ways we relate to one another, the value we place on ourselves and our actions in life – all this is surely informed by what we’re presented in youth and the way in which the body of human knowledge is treated, framed, and related to everyday living.

How well that project relates to society – to the concerns of parents, realities of community, demands of modern economics, priorities of government, or feelings of individuals – is interesting to consider, although possibly futile. So much is defined by ever-shifting political agendas, often acting in alignment with economic projections and promises. So much in society seems shaped by forces outside our control.

It seems at times that society is really at odds with itself, all these conflicting concerns struggling to find common ground. Yet education is truly this crucial function which strongly influences how young people will come to understand and stand within their social relationships and, more broadly, within the world and all its complex interconnections (see Notes One).

And it’s something that’s very much drifted into the realm of government; politics defining our collective priorities and attempting to address life’s challenges, inequalities and opportunities. Rather than heeding the voice of experience, the practical engagement with community or the more philosophical insight of some writers (Notes Two), we’re apparently micromanaging the profession based on quite different ways of thinking.

Maybe it’s a path society has to take: this distrust of others, questioning of authority, and regulation through a central body of ideas. As an attempt to redress inequality and ensure even standards, it has its merits. But as a system that removes independent judgement, creates volumes of unnecessary work in the name of accountability, and stiffens relationships to the point of degrading human worth it’s not without its problems.

It clearly matters, to me and to most people. Parents, young people and society at large are hugely invested in this process that affects us all in so many ways, now and for years to come. It essentially comes down to the meaning of life, the roles we all play, the ideas holding society together, and the value we place on our individual and collective existence (Notes Three).

Reflecting on why my writing here is more direct, more openly critical, I think it’s because it really matters (Note Four). Education may well reflect the understanding of society and the best ways we’ve developed so far for acting on that; but as a microcosm of that society it also seems to be shedding light on much wider problems we might well wish to avoid.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Complexity of life
Note 1: Education, society & the individual
Note 1: Economics and the task of education
Note 1: Education’s place within Society
Note 2: Writings on Education
Note 2: “Brave New World Revisited”
Note 2: “Education’s End”
Note 3: Learning to be human
Note 3: Education with the future in mind
Note 3: People, rules & social cohesion
Note 4: Ideas around education & responsibility

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What does art have to say about life?

Conversations about art can always circle back to the fundamental question of what it’s all about: why we’ve pursued this process of representing our perceptions of reality; what it means or adds to personal or collective existence; and how essential it might be to human society (see Note One). Some chart the paths of civilisations by their cultural ideas and conversations, asking what all this tells us about how people lived.

In many ways, art tends to reflect the forms and preoccupations of any given time, using the materials and techniques available to explore what’s meaningful within that society. It’s a conversation that can move culture forward by deconstructing its main concerns; contemplating different perspectives; focussing in on values, stories, and what seems to matter most (Notes Two).

That’s clearly a process that stands back from life, the artist being this slightly removed figure who sees life differently and offers their view of things to challenge or enrich the understanding of others. Maybe a ‘good artist’ is someone saying what others are ready to hear, someone grasping the most pertinent issues and tapping into the feeling of their age.

Yet it’s something we can all do: express our views, craft an image in response to modern life, draw to ourselves those forms and symbols we feel best represent how we want to be seen (Notes Three). We’re under such pressure to be intensely aware of image and highlight our alignment with certain causes, interests or agendas. Life becoming this finely honed mask we use to personal or social ends.

So the field of art is presumably now a little inundated with individual perspectives plus all those constantly shifting trends and updates that feed the industries they sustain (Notes Four). Within all that, does art stand out as different and can it still offer valuable insight into society?

For me, it comes back to this question of what lies within this process of reflecting on how we live: this detached exploration that seeks to influence society only through creating greater awareness of itself. Can art give answers; can it tell us what to think or what conclusions to reach? Or does it serve us better by simply showing reality in a new light, offering a fresh or timely perspective?

Our individual relationship to art and the artistry we employ in self-image may reflect more our personal concerns and priorities; beyond that, there’s surely this sense of where we are as a society and the conversation we’re having at that level. But, even there, can art ever do more than let us see things for what they are?

Often it seems we want artists to be activists; to give solutions alongside their perception of reality. Yet maybe, as with the Sphinx, that’s never quite been the role of cultural life? That said, hopefully art can still break through the seemingly endless chatter and distraction of life with something powerful enough to stop us in our tracks if that’s truly what society needs.

Notes and References:

Note 1: How well does art relate to life?
Note 2: Culture, art & human activity
Note 2: Aesthetic value of nature
Note 3: Thoughts on art & on life
Note 3: Fashion, self & environment
Note 4: Culture selling us meaning
Note 4: Missing something with modern culture?
Note 4: Art, collaboration & commodification
Note 4: How it is / Selling out

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Intrinsic value of nature

Do we value things only if they are limited in supply, if otherwise there’s some cost to us or a risk we might be held accountable? It seems we might be viewing everything as an asset, taking it as a given, until we realise the clock might be ticking.

The question of what motivates, incentivises or concerns us applies across the board in life, but here I’m mainly thinking of environment. I’ve heard it said that Western thinking is flawed in the sense that it takes natural capital out of its equations; not having made respect for nature a driving force in its initial plans, we now struggle to change track and factor it into our projections for the future (see Note One).

It seems quite an oversight, given how essential it surely is for our existence (Notes Two). But then, are we also limiting our perspective by only caring for our planet to the extent that it serves humanity?

We tend to talk along the lines of how everything relates to us: what benefits, threats or insights we’re offered by plants, animals and nature in its widest sense. We look to the design features, chemical formulations, physical compounds and complex relationships that sustain life, using them as starting points for scientific, commercial or cultural initiatives.

It’s essentially valuing life in the light of ourselves. Even appreciating the natural world for how it makes us feel – the joy, comfort, relief, beauty it affords – could arguably be viewed in that way (Notes Three). Of course any relationship is give and take, so looking solely at our side of the picture is bound to throw things out of balance.

From the other side, nature is what it is. A snowdrop is different from a rose or an oak. Turtles are different from pandas or whales. Who’s to say which matters most, which is better or more valuable? They all mean different things – culturally, socially, historically, personally, ecologically. Does something become more important to humanity because it’s the last one, or was it always significant but we never really noticed?

Maybe it’s natural that we look at life as we do: expanding our understanding, forming ideas of how best to organise society to meet our various needs. And, in doing that, we clearly need some way of evaluating and deciding what to do; money being this means of assessing opportunities and costs – be they environmental, social, systemic, psychological, or whatever other standard we choose to measure ourselves against (Note Four).

Within all that, I guess one option is look to our own ends: to personal or collective interests; to immediate gains, longer term implications or the legacy we leave in our wake. But then there’s this question of life itself, the meaning of it all (Notes Five). In that, we might well see everything as it stands relative to our own position within it all; or we might choose to look more to the absolute value of life itself, for its own sake.

Notes and References:

Note 1: “Small is Beautiful”
Note 2: Living the dream
Note 2: Nature tells a story, about the planet
Note 2: Culture and the passing of time
Note 3: Animals in human society
Note 3: Gardening as therapy, the light and the dark
Note 3: Aesthetic value of nature
Note 4: At what cost, for humans & for nature
Note 5: Nature speaks in many ways, do we listen?
Note 5: What if it all means something?

Looking further at the importance of how we think about things, there’s David Bohm, thoughts on life.

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“Wisdom” by Andrew Zuckerman

I once stumbled upon a book that is simply beautiful. In its intention, its words, its imagery. Maybe the more so because it’s a beauty so often downplayed within modern society: the value of age.

References to age now focus more on what’s been lost – youth, time, energy, independence, relevance – than what’s gained through the passage of a lifetime (see Notes One). This idea of people becoming social or familial burdens, entering a stage of life to be pitied and feared, bothers me. There seems to be a very narrowly approved of window of human existence; but, beyond that, what we’re talking about is people (Notes Two).

Presumably we could decide instead to listen to insights that come with time and from all ages; to recognise beauty in aging, as the deeper truth of who someone has become begins to shine through the limits of our physical form; to appreciate a person’s ongoing contributions. To have a society not valuing the reality of its constituents, not respecting or honouring the course of life, seems unnatural in a way.

And in the face of that, there’s “Wisdom”. Where photographer and film maker Andrew Zuckerman – inspired by the words of Desmond Tutu, that “One of the greatest gifts we can give to another generation is our experience, our wisdom” – has drawn together the reflections of “fifty of the world’s most prominent writers, artists, designers, actors, politicians, musicians, and religious and business leaders – all over sixty-five years old.”

It’s a book that takes the time and space to offer up ideas, life lessons, pearls of insight; to showcase the grace and strength of character revealed through portraits of a wide variety of fascinating and often remarkable individuals. In so doing, it seems to be making the statement that this content matters and should be treasured.

Because, to continue with the thoughts of Archbishop Tutu, “there used to be those who are called elders… no longer fit physically … they were looked up to because they were seen as the repositories of experience” and “so deeply passionately in love with life … with succeeding generations, that they want them to prosper, and so they say, we have learned over the many, many years that in fact generosity, compassion, gentleness, and caring are so much more powerful than their counterparts.”

In contrast with what’s holding sway for the moment in modern society and culture, all this comes across as pretty refreshing: rather than disparaging tones, there is reverence in the words and images, in the way the subject matter is treated (Notes Three). The idea that society might hold its members in greater respect – as has been the case in different times and places – seems so worthwhile.

Of course, these are people who have lived slightly unusual lives: leading their fields, changing the world, shaping the ideas and objects that have made up our collective existence. But surely the message here is universal; as that is the level on which many of them are speaking.

Notes and References:

“Wisdom” by Andrew Zuckerman, (PQ Blackwell NZ, Abrams NY), 2008

Note 1: Age, image & self worth
Note 1: Attitudes to elder members of society
Note 1: What do we see in beauty?
Note 1: Age, politics and human reasoning
Note 2: Complicity and cultural attitudes
Note 2: Intrinsic worth over social identity
Note 2: The worth of each life
Note 3: People, rules & social cohesion
Note 3: Tone in public dialogue
Note 3: Meaning in culture

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What if it all means something?

In life, there’s always the question of meaning. In little or large ways we can ask what our actions, choices, thoughts or attitudes might mean in relation to others or in a more absolute sense. Circling in this way towards ultimate questions about the reality of human existence and how best to live it – the concern of philosophers, religions, cultures, therapists and, often, of children.

I’ve touched upon this at times here, as it seems so important, but more often than not such essentially contentious and arguably unanswerable questions tend to give way to the more pressing concerns of modern life (see Notes One).

But, even practically speaking, it can be seen that every word, thought, feeling, gesture, assumption causes countless ripples in the world around us; affecting those to whom it’s directed and those who witness it, becoming a message carried into their lives, those around them, and the systems we’re all sustaining through our everyday habits or choices.

Maybe that’s what religion has sought to regulate over the years: how we act within our lives, the ideas we hold most firmly in our minds, and the collective realities that all effectively serves to create. And maybe in the modern day it’s simply true that belief is now a personal matter, freed from the constrictions of social obligation and seeking greater alignment with our knowledge of the material world.

Surely our thoughts and actions do carry meaning though. There’s a truth in everything; whether it’s personal or historical, intentional or possibly somewhat accidental. Ideas have shaped the lives of people through all the ages of humanity, becoming the systems that have guided civilisations for better or for worse.

Within that slightly overwhelming sense of reality as slow thought, where everything holds or once held meaning and intention, what if there is no carpet? No place to hide all those things we’d rather not acknowledge or deal with? What if everything we do finds a home somewhere, just as every discarded item from our lifetime likely still exists – each moment, day, year, decade adding to this reservoir of our choices and impacts?

Is it possible to live long term if we’re so careless of consequences? It’s a question as applicable to the environment as it is to technology: it may seem as if actions have no cost to us, but surely they hit home somewhere creating personal or systemic problems that have to be lived through by others (Notes Two). Can we really do as we please and take no responsibility for the fallout?

Belief might be personal, but that doesn’t mean it’s not powerful and a significant social reality. How we see things – ourselves, our worth, the value of human life, our place in the world, the meaning of all we do – must inevitably influence how we act and the extent we care about those realities (Notes Three). At the end of the day, I tend to think that it matters if it matters. And maybe it all does?

Notes and References:

Note 1: Spirituality since the 80s
Note 1: Spirit as the invisible
Note 1: The human spirit
Note 1: What is real?
Note 1: The philosopher stance
Note 2: Ways of living & those who suffer
Note 2: Empathy in a world that happily destroys
Note 2: Living in luxury, on what grounds?
Note 3: Responsibility in shaping this reality
Note 3: Complexity of life

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