So Far So Good or the Harder the Fall?
Few months ago, I was in a poor state of mind. I don’t know if it was the bad nights inflicted by my then 2-year old twin daughters or the fact that recent elections around the world confirmed the ugly state of our democracy…
Whatever it was, it led me to write the below text: in retrospect a good explanation for ‘why this blog, where I come from and my intention.’
Hi. I could be anyone. I could be you. I’m just a random guy working in an office, somewhere in Europe.
Every morning for the past few years I’ve been reading the news with a strange feeling. Is this also the case for you? Not really depressed but not very optimistic. A growing feeling of anxiety.
Two decades ago — I thought the generation of my parents got everything under control — we could just enjoy peace, freedom and wellbeing — the end of history… I know, it sounds naive and boring, but I kind of miss this feeling.
Slowly this warm sensation diminished and then vanished completely. More and more friends started to draw a parallel with darker periods of our history. I wanted to resist this view. “Too simplistic, not comparable. We have learned from history!” But have we?
One of the main reasons behind my resistance was that I saw no alternative to the current system. Churchill again and again…
Long ago, I studied philosophy. I remember lessons on demo-kratos, the arbitrary power of the people, on Montesquieu and the enlightened leaders, Rousseau, Tocqueville, Hanna Arendt, etc…
I saw no alternative to representative democracy.
That’s it.
The circus of elections where egocentric, self-righteous, politicians prostitute themselves to convince their ‘peers’ to follow their lead because they are different, they know better, they can do, etc…
But they are not different or better, and even if they were, the system is stronger than them — look at Obama. Many felt strong: “Yes, we can!”
But, “no, we cannot” because good will is not enough. The stubborn opposition of politicians for obscure reasons — for partisan views besides the common good — ruined hope.
And all of that on our back. They think that they represent us, so they can do whatever they want.
I am frustrated. I look at you, here, in the streets, in the cafés and on TV. We have zero impact on the way we are governed. You, me and everybody. I started climbing the ladder of an international organization, gaining a little bit of influence on some issues. But it is mostly an illusion. And it is besides the point: I have an opinion on many more issues. We all have.
But I saw no alternative.
I was blind. Blinded by my own arrogance.
“People are stupid, we cannot trust them” — a slight tendency towards misanthropy did not help. Am I the only one who thought like that?
Paradoxically, I do believe that we are all equal. I cannot stand the fact that we still have to work on women rights. I look at my wife and I don’t get it: Why she would be paid less or have less opportunities.
Mind boggling.
And that’s right now the main effect I can see with this system: it further tears us apart.
How did we come to this?
The information revolution did not bring us closer. It puts us in like-minded bubbles, in our narrow sphere of beliefs, unable to communicate across-lines. Because information is not knowledge. There is no knowledge if we are not connected together, if we are divided.
Representative democracy with its partisan politics, short sighted responses, will never solve our big problems: climate change, gender equality, poverty, populism or the fear of the other.
Politicians are powerless in reality and they are letting the crazy train run into the wall…
I have kids. I can no longer pretend I don’t care.
I am one of us.
But I thought there was no alternative. Asking the people? “Look how they vote: the rise of populism, Brexit, Trump,… Can we trust them?”
I was wrong. I was so wrong.
Because populism is precisely the (predictable) result of our system. A race to the bottom to grab voters who are increasingly frustrated by the lack of results and by the deplorable spectacle of our elites backstabbing values with their selfish attitude, their little scandals and their under-the-table deals.
They won’t save us. They can’t.
Furthermore: They should not. We should be the ones who decide, all of us together.
It’s our village, our city, our country, our world — each of us, because we are all equals and should have the same right to decide how we should live together and where we want to go.
So, there is a solution.
The solution is obvious. It has been there with us the whole time.
You will say Athens. Yes, it is. But truly democratic. Not only for the happy few who have the leisure to do so. That would be the same mistake.
But for all of us. The poor, the rich, men and women. With the power to decide on everything that matters to us.
It is not a dream.
I just want to be able to decide on issues one by one while understanding the tradeoffs, be consulted on all important aspects of my life, education for my kids, health and pension systems, and many more. I don’t want the loudest or richest to set the agenda to the detriment of a more silent or poor majority.
And yes we will make mistakes, it will not be perfect. But can it be worse than the situation we are in?
At least it will be our mistakes and no one else will be to blame.
But I trust us.
If we are empowered, we will take our responsibility seriously on energy transition or education reform, on regenerating our natural environment or creating a world in which the unstoppable movement of people, goods and capital benefits all of us, rather than a privileged few.
Collectively we are better than individually. We can embrace changes which are needed in a more secure way because we are in charge.
Such a system does not exist — yet. It is up to us, at the end of the day, to create it. You are doubtful?
This blog is meant to tease that out. Because there is an alternative…
I finally woke-up when Trump came to power. But the alarm has been ringing already for some time.
He is a product of our system. He capitalizes on our anger, our feeling of being irrelevant, he divides to rule, and he can bring us down, all of us.
That was my wake-up call. I was blind. I am no longer. I cannot accept passively that Trumplets will pop-up around the world and destroy what I believe in: respect your neighbors, respect life, respect other opinions, religions, differences,… all the things that make it interesting to be here and there, now.
In my view, this is the one word to summarize all that: respect.
- If those who have the power have a bit of respect for us: they should push for a new direction.
- If we have respect for other people: let’s trust each other and give each other the power to decide together.
- If we have a bit of respect for ourselves: let’s be responsible, let’s engage.
