Learning to drive a bus
The global system in which we are functioning is in crisis. Our economy, our financial system, the world’s ecosystem and our society are all having hard times. The facts are overwhelming and crystal clear. Here three of them as a reminder:
Some 3 million deaths a year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution. That is the complete population of Mongolia wiped a way completely, every year.
Climatic changes already are estimated to cause over 150,000 deaths annually. That is all people living in the Belgian cities Mechelen and Oostende.
Our society is peaking regarding suicide rates, burnouts and ADHD children. Close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. Many more attempt suicide.
Who has been already in Central or Southern America? Then you probably have seen or even taken one of these overcrowded public busses? You know what I mean: these beautiful, colourful, old American school busses. At the central market place they gather and then leave for a long trip often in the mountains. A lot (and with a lot, I mean a lot) of people sit, stand or hang half-outside the bus … and the chicken, sheep and vegetables are put on deck. Quite a lot of people get car sick when taking such a bus. That is no surprise with all this turning, in a bus that has often no suspension and is way too hot. By the way, what I admire is the way the locals can elegantly throw up in the middle of this crowd. While we are making a primal scream as if we are dying, they only do a very modest “bheuh”. Respect! Anyway, you always find two key figures on these busses. I call them the “Stuntman” and the “bus driver”. Two of them I remember really vividly. When I was in Guatemala for a couple of months for my thesis, these two were the regulars, driving the bus I had to take to get to my working area. The bus driver drove like mad: way too slow with his overloaded bus uphill, but he compensated this completed downhill. Now I know why the “Guatemaltecos” always make a cross when they enter the bus. But even more crazy was the other part of the duo: the ticketing man, performing one big stunt after the other. As the bus was often so overcrowded, he could not use the passageway to go and get the tickets at the other side of the bus. No problem: just take the back door, climbs the little stair to get on deck, crawl on the top of the roof to the front of the bus, and come in again through the other door (and all this while his companion is racing of the mountain).
For the moment our leaders even haven’t the finest clue of where the break could be and are pushing the gas pedal deeper as ever before … .
We can laugh about it, but all too often these busses go into the deep! But let’s imagine that you can prevent such an accident. Imagine, we are all in this bus together; You are the driver and I am the stuntman. Suddenly, someone in the back tells me he heard that there is a big problem due to a landslide in the next big curve? I, the stuntman, am in total panic and I have to just knock off one of my most spectacular stunts, by getting on deck, roll like a real action hero to the front of the buss in order to finally jump on the engine bonnet to urge you, the driver, to stop immediately! What will you do? Speed ahead or will you break?
Now let’s do the same thing but now change the beautiful, but overcrowded bus into our even more beautiful and overcrowded “earth” . The complete world population is in the bus and all the fauna and flora is stapled on the roof. Our driver is now a one-person mutant representing all our leaders. The ticketing man, in our case is the crème de la crème of the scientific world. The latter goes to our driver and explains him carefully all the facts including the ones I told you at the start of this speech. He makes him very clear: “if we take this curve we will go in the ravine”. What do you think our dear mutated politician will do? Will he slow down? No, he will not break immediately! For the moment our leaders even haven’t the finest clue of where the break could be and are pushing the gas pedal deeper as ever before … . Totally absurd, a very good basis for tons of movies and books in a few decades.
Effective change will only come when people understand what fascinating possibilities a sustainable future holds.
Okay, our politicians suck but probably you wander: what can I do about this? This all asks for big actions. That’s true. But I do not agree with the idea that we cannot change anything ourselves, because others would take all the decisions above our heads. Let’s take our example again. What could we, passengers in this bus, have done? Well, first of all we could have, by opening our eyes and raising our voice, shouted the message to the driver; as loud that even this ugly mutant would get scared! And if not, we could have voted for another creature behind the steering wheel! And secondly, we could have taken small actions ourselves. Maybe I could have tried to block the wheels. I don’t know: I could have thrown my “sandwich with salmon” in front of the wheels. Frruummph. Not a lot of success; but if all 7 billion of us would throw their “rice with Peking duck”, “manioc” and “french fries with ketchup” before the wheels it will definitely slow down.
By the way, did anyone of you already asked himself why the hell we are driving as hell in this bus? Wouldn’t it be much more relaxing and saver to lower our speed with a few kilometres per hour: less stress, we can enjoy the beautiful landscape, and the passengers, although they do it very serene, would become less sick. Effective change will only come when people understand what fascinating possibilities a sustainable future holds. It is not about a society of “cold showers” and “cars stopped in traffic jams or without fuel”, but a society in which our quality of life is improving!
We do not live in a period of changes, but in a change of time periods.
We are all awaiting a fascinating time. Maybe the bus will go in the deep; maybe we will be able to break just at the edge ; who knows?… Anyway, things will change drastically. We do not live in a period of changes, but in a change of time periods. In the coming 10 to 15 years probably more will happen than the last 50 or even 100 years all together. And what can we do?
First of all, BE AWARE — let us be aware of the beauty but also fragility of this bus called “Earth”! Won’t we reach our destiny by slowing down a few kilometres an hour.
Two, ACTIONS — not “them” but “we” can all make this happen, all of us together: many small changes make up a big one!
And three, ENTHUSIASM — although this transition causes inevitable problems, it is a positive story and a unique period of fascinating possibilities!
About Nicolas
Nicolas is a socially committed mapping expert and map enthusiast. He is convinced that map applications can play a positive role in this transitioning world. It is not by coincidence that the true opposite of “SPAM” is “MAPS”.
He is co-founder of nazka mapps. nazka is focused on maps that matter, adding value to society. Check for sure also aircheckr.
