Recognizing the Worth of People
I’ve been daydreaming a lot lately. Wondering what a radical re-imagining of this country, global institutions, trade, and governance could look like thanks to the inspiring lectures of individuals like Angela Davis, Ruth Gilmore, Condoleeza Rice, and by listening to podcasts of the Brookings, Cato, Hoover and Hudson Institutes. I finally have some idea of how I might shape a nation. It’s a maturing concept of what the systems and institutions should look like. A playful, fanciful fantasy and is ever-evolving the more I learn. The one thing I know for certain is that adaptability, flexibility and mental agility are of paramount importance. As always, I fully acknowledge I could be wrong in my conclusions.
So let’s play the exciting game of ‘build a country’. Let’s call this lovely, balanced, peaceful homeland with a well trained standing army ‘Invictus’ for giggles. Bear in mind that just about all my ideas are based on a Gaussian distribution of behavior. Bell curves exist for greed, cruelty, misogyny, intelligence, moral strength, physical prowess, etc…Nature and normal distributions are so simple and elegant in this regard. If you are unfamiliar with this term you can read about it on Medium. This is what a normal distribution looks like:
What a Gaussian distribution means is that not everyone in Invictus will have the same abilities. It doesn’t mean they won’t have the same opportunities to succeed. Equity and Equality are subtly different. It just means we collectively acknowledge that even in a system of cooperative competition some individuals will outperform others in various fields in accordance with the aptitudes they were gifted with.
Invictus would have the elegant framework of a constitution and would be grounded in the democratic ideals of engaged citizenship. Participation in a democracy should bring pride, not in nationalism but evolving human consciousness and consensus. Real capitalism, not crony capitalism, still appeals to me. Not for the accumulation of wealth, but for the liberty and freedom it provides its citizens. Crony capitalism has bailed out banks, created monopolies, and brought us to this point. Just like communism has been implemented by flawed humans, crony capitalism without real transparency is what brought us here. Greed and self-interest dominate both political spectrums, which lend nicely to my Gaussian theory. A free, responsible, ethical press and freedom of information are a great check on democratic institutions and the people that govern them enforcing the rule of law.
Being an astute observer of mankind and history I do not favor the complete redistribution of wealth. Progressive, tiered taxes help limit the development of monopolies and foster genuine cooperative competition. I don’t believe in a command economy and entirely believe that well educated, healthy individuals should largely be left to their own devices. Government is good insofar as it allows the population to start at approximately the same footing, with very similar toolkits according to ability. Invictus would have an economic system largely free market with a small mixture of a command economy to allow for the ideals of cooperative competition to dominate. A level playing field is required for all children to grow into the citizens Invictus requires for a country to flourish. I know this may sound contrarian to current prevailing political philosophies about governance. Luckily, my husband has challenged my world view time and again playing devil’s advocate and has forced me to explain my thoughts more fully. I’ve never been a fan of herd mentality because herds easily become angry mobs.
As a side note, I should remind anyone reading this that Invictus fought to destroy the patriarchy because real democracy cannot be obtained without the full engagement of all of its citizens. Misogyny and democracy are mutually exclusive, racism and misogyny are mutually exclusive, discrimination and democracy just cannot coexist. In modeling true equality, Invictus helps spread these ideals around the globe. You cannot pretend to be what people desire, you have to be it.
Democratic ideals cannot take hold in cultures that are steeped in misogyny. That means the women of many countries have to admit their role and complicity in female misogyny. It is not so much an admonishment as it is a plea to the women globally. I am well aware of the Sisyphean endeavor of battling entrenched male power structures. Egalitarian societies are not built on the backs of others. Women need to start raising their sons and daughters equally by seeing them as having equal value. That is a main ingredient for democratic ideals to take hold.
As far as imperialism and capitalism go, Invictus doesn’t suffer from a white savior complex and understands that people govern their communities. Pushing agendas, manipulation, and policing the behavior of other nations has long term costs. Diplomacy and global institutions exist to settle disputes and ensure peace. Help is offered, ideas are exchanged the general welfare of people, the planet and future generations are always the priority. As anyone who has ever seen the folly of a circular argument knows at some point, far-right or far-left you become the same monster. Ethics should govern, not pride. There is a strong distinction between racial capitalism and ethical capitalism in theory and practice.
Given a steadfast reliance on the Gaussian theory of human behavior a full abolition of prisons and police in Invictus are highly improbable. Policies like large-scale divestment and an end to qualified immunity, take time but are very much the goal. With appropriate oversight, accountability, gun control, and investment in society, qualified immunity would no longer be required. While in America I agree that a good two-thirds, or perhaps more, of prisons shouldn’t exist it’s hard to conceive of a world where the punishment of child predators, serial rapists, mass murderers and perpetrators of war crimes is not punitive and justified. Anyone who has suffered at the hands of such individuals might have a hard time imagining a world based solely on restorative justice or rehabilitation.
Please don’t be naive in denying the utterly pervasive imperialism of consumerism, here and abroad. From sports teams to the music and film industry, just about every aspect of American life is tainted by imperialistic attitudes along with the platforms Americans use like Medium, Facebook, and Twitter to connect and share these ideas. Some of them are just more palatable than others. Innovation runs on freedom of thought. Government controls tend to have a strong historical tendency to restrict independent ideas because people just aren’t omniscient, benevolent leaders. Community consensus evolves nicely in capitalistic, free-thinking, egalitarian societies.
I’m willing to give up some of my liberty for cooperative competition. But I’m aware of the costs. The theft of intellectual property, human rights, enforced groupthink or intellectual conformity from the mob is entirely something very few people will tolerate. Nations are always walking the tightrope between the collective and the individual. I was born always putting the collective ahead of my own needs but have grown to fully appreciate my liberty, my skills and the results they can produce. In that same vein, I want to ensure that every individual can maximize his/her potential through freedom of thought.
The unbreakable spirit of human beings, not populism, nationalism, or any other ‘ism’, is what makes Invictus a place people want to model or live in. You cannot sell freedom, you have to offer and cultivate it in social contracts and it is ever-evolving. Sacrifices during massive upheavals, like war, famine, environmental collapse, and unrest are a testament to the resiliency of a people. Look within your borders and without. That shared camaraderie is found everywhere.
After writing this I came upon a discussion from the Hoover institute that reinforced several of my ideas. I encourage you to watch this panel discuss The Human Prosperity Project on Socialism and Free Market Capitalism. It clarifies several points that people may misunderstand.
P.S. A little note on revolutions, institutions, this historic moment and knowing your enemy: I’m well aware that in our instant gratification culture attention spans can be very short. Yet there are always those who are dedicated to playing the long game. Think of it as a game of chess taking decades. I know trauma fatigue and a diminished will when I see it. I understand the necessity to diversify tactics in political warfare. Strategic stupidity and weaponized ignorance are not the tools of freedom. Salvation will come with truth, education, and endurance. I’m well aware of my ability to endure. You need to decide what you as a nation are prepared to endure. These are just some guidelines to evolve a process, but as my contrarian mind always wonders, I might be wrong. That’s for each American to decide, how best to collectively build the unbreakable spirit of a nation.
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Go forth and break bread: Drink and be merry! Sangria on a beautiful day, even during all of this upheaval offers respite. Exhaustion of the soul is a bitch isn’t it?
