|
Home / Politics
Live 8 - will it work?
By:Simon Mitchell
Live Aid was one of the most important events in my life. Millions of people came together from all over the planet to put an end to poverty in Africa. It was one of the most positive, life affirming actions ever created by people of my generation. It created hope. It opened my heart.
But now, twenty years on we realise it was slightly naïve, with much of the money donated by genuine and well-meaning people 'disappearing' before it reached the people in need. Live 8 takes a very different track to raise awareness of poverty - but can we rely on governments behind the G8 to actually make that much difference?
How can we Make Poverty History when the forces causing economic devastation in our world are the same forces that provide our governments with their funding? As long as GDP (GNP in US) is deemed as the most valuable measure of our national 'worth' we are tied to money and its unfair systems - these will always cause poverty in places that don't have resources to exploit and even some that do.
There is enough to go round on this earth - enough for everyone's need but not enough for everyone's greed as the saying goes. Does the political will exist to make changes where the system is fair for all? It doesn't seem so. The global financial system and our method of deriving wealth by exploiting capital assets (the earth's resources) will never be equitable. Consumer capitalism relies on poverty as a major motivator. In order to 'have' we need 'have-nots'.
But already the pressure of Live 8 has caused a shift in the agenda of major governments - with both Blair and Bush keen to be doing something more than just wearing the band. But how much can they realistically give away to third world debt? It certainly won't be enough to actually solve the root causes of economic disadvantage experienced in many corners of the world. It certainly won't change the system that results in these economic disadvantages.
But this exciting event will be a paradigm shifter for many people who will look at the deeper causes of poverty, maybe for the first time. People will realise that there are important alternatives to economic globalisation, GDP slavery and 'celebrity' consumer capitalism. Even that many peoples we describe as economically poor may have happy and fulfilled lives.
People will see for themselves how to shift their energy away from earth exploiting activities into more wholesome and fairer ones. This is where the real power to change the situation lies, not just in donating our ill-gotten gains to the poor, or even in heckling governments to 'do something about it', but also in the choices we make every day as individuals.
Choices about how we earn and spend our money, our time, our energy, our resources. Choices about where we go, how we get there, what we look at, how we cope with change. Choices about how we invest in a sustainable future for our finite planet. At present we are using up the resources of this world at an alarming rate, leaving our ancestors-to-come with serious problems. At the moment our investment policies are based on stealing the future from our children.
By divesting 'the GDP economy' of our energy and putting it into non-exploitative practises we tackle the root causes of poverty. By increasing local self-reliance and enhancing 'community' there is much we can do to secure a future where we work for, rather than in competition with each other. Investing our energy in making self-reliant communities for the future may yet turn out to be a better bet than any amount of pension planning.
There are many alternatives to our present economic system. Different systems of shopping - where the people who do the actual work get rewarded, such as Fair Trade, local farmers' markets, vegetable box schemes and local trade systems.
There are different ways of working, earning and saving that do not invest in earth exploitation - such as LETS (Local Economic Trading System), co-operatives, ethical banking, credit unions and other group activity.
There are different value systems that value the hand-made craft item over the industrial, the mended over the built-in obsolescence, the home-made or found over the purchased, the grown over the bought.
There are ways of thinking that generate creative new solutions to old problems, helping us all to do more with less. There are improvements in communications that help us all with making these changes.
We can reclaim our power from the forces that create poverty with the choices we make every day.
Respect to Sir Geldof and all who are focusing on the problems of poverty. Bringing pressure to bear on the G8 for a fairer world is a grand move - but there is only so much that governments can and will do.
Read other articles on poverty and new economics at http://Simon-Mitchell.com
Thirty positive actions for a sustainable Earth:
There are many ways we can use our human energy to lighten the load on natural resources and tread lightly on our home planet. Check how many of these you do already:
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=49
Eyes down for the prize fight:
Present philosophy verses eco-philosophy. Henryk Skolimoski provides a startling model of two opposed value systems. This spider diagram reveals a mind map by a genius who was Philosopher in Residence at Dartington Hall.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=42
Economics verses Earth:
The laws of human economics are in conflict with the laws of the Earth. Where do you draw the line ? Guest article by Donella Meadows, author of Pulitzer Prize-nominated weekly column, 'The Global Citizen'.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=41
The Cruel Lords of Nature:
Around 10,000 years ago, after Earth had emerged from 90,000 years of the last ice age, when mammoths roamed and northern humans shivered in caves, the people who lived in the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, in modern day Iraq, invented agriculture. Guest article from author and broadcaster GuyDauncey.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=40
The End of Education?
Prince Charles is right on the ball concerning his comments on education. The development of human potential is a crucial issue on 21st century Earth.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=30
Get creativity?
Creativity is central to the management of our individual lives, but in modern times few people are able to access this as a resource. Globally at the moment there are many problems facing mankind. Diminishing natural resources and increasing populations mean that we are in a spiral of entropy.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=16
Paradigms of modern disease:
A paradigm is a sort of cultural, consensual pattern of thought or model of something. Paradigms change, like the impact of Galileo's work on disproving the flat-earth theory or Copernicus' heresy that the Earth moves round the Sun. These new ideas met a great deal of resistance from orthodox philosophy but eventually gave rise to a changed perception of the world we live in - a paradigm shift.
http://www.simon-mitchell.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Find Simon Mitchell is a member of the StarFields Network. Find us at:
http://simon-mitchell.com
|
|
| Top Politics Articles |
- 1). Apologize for what? By : Terry Dashner
Apologize for What…Terry Dashner………………………Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013Why should we apologize for being A
|
- 2). School Prayer, Right Or Wrong By : David G. Hallstrom, Sr.
In the Bill Of Rights, the First Amendment to the Constitution, titled "Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression" states the following: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
|
- 3). Six Thought Provoking Questions By : Steve Gillman
Thought provoking questions usually put forth a certain viewpoint, if only because they inherently challenge the accepted one. However, they don't require you to agree with that viewpoint, and a question is just a question. We'll each have different answers to the following, despite their provocative intent.
Thought Provoking Questions - Politics
1.
|
- 4). The problem with "Fad" diets By : Paul Duxbury
Fad diets are well known about their promise of bringing some instant weight loss. First of all you should pay your doctor a visit before starting an
|
- 5). The Rising Risk of a Terrorist Attack - Could It Happen Today? By : Paulo
You’ve read about it, you’ve seen it: terrorist attacks on trains, in nightclubs and the worst terrorist attack in U.S history on September 11th in New York City. But will the next terrorist attack strike even closer to home – your own hospital’s emergency room. Dr. Paulo J. Reyes, a First Responder in California, ER Doctor, and author of the fiction thriller, Sledgehammer fears there exists a clear and present danger today and has written a book on the possibilities of a biochemical attack with smallpox.
|
- 6). Is the Media Blocking the Message of American’s who Don’t Support Israel? By : Murad Ali
The strong U.S. support for Israel is daunting to most Muslims. A poll conducted by the LA Times indicates that in the recent assault of Israel against the Lebanese that 43% of Americans believe the attack was justified and not harsh in its treatment of the Lebanese people (Wallsten & Ghlert, 2006). Yet the study also showed that 44% of Americans feel that the war was either not justified or that the Israeli response was excessive.
|
- 7). Katrina and the Amazon Drought By : Eduardo Reisinho
The Katrina hurricane, the Central America tropical storms and their lethal effects, the intense drought in the Amazon basin with abnormal and not entirely known consequences... The gods of nature seem angry with the Americans. America is under pressure.
|
|
|
- 9). Obit. By : The Indy Voice
A popular political party that rose to tremendous power in the 20th century, the Republican party redefined the nation's political agenda and dramatic
|
|
|
| New Politics Articles |
- 1). Equal Rights Includes Homosexuals By : Tom Baker
Massachusets is considering a Contsitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage. This is another attempt to legalize discrimination under the thin guise of "democracy."
|
- 2). How to Master the Art of Influence – Washington Style By : Harrison Monarth
Copyright 2006 Harrison Monarth
Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Representative of the People of the 1st District of Rhode Island, proved his mastery of influence with the use of a powerful influence strategy just this weekend, after crashing his car into a guard rail near the Capitol building in the very early morning hours.
The influencing strategy Patrick Kennedy employed is called "Self-Disclosure".
|
- 3). Boots on the Moon - Lunacy Run Amuck By : John Woolf
Why would we spend an estimated $104 billion (that's billion with a 'B') to go back to a dead world when ours is dying? It seems no one can come up with a compelling reason for NASA to repeat the "been there- done that" Apollo project of the 60's and 70's that President Bush has envisioned. In fact, we have been told by NASA to think of this as "Apollo on steroids.
|
- 4). Neo-Containment for a Nuclear Iran By : Jason Vines
As anyone who has opened a newspaper or watched the news over the past few years knows, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been pursuing nuclear capability. Iran’s government insists its only goal is to develop nuclear power plants that would not threaten anyone. The United Nations, though, is concerned Iran might instead covet nuclear weapons. The United States is convinced that is the case.
|
- 5). The Sales Boom in Diesel Motorhomes Defies the Economic Forecasts By : David C Skul
Thor Industries Chief Executive Wade Thompson, whose business is the globe's largest allocator of diesel pusher motor coaches and travel trailers, is looking forward to the holiday ramble industry's overall product shipments to ascend in 2005 for the fourth straight yearly performance period.
Thompson and chief executives of three rivals pronounced they are projecting to quest after extra product delivery staff and originate industrial facilities to deal with rising demand.
|
- 6). Solving the Immigration Problem: By : Charles Read
Nothing President Bush said last night (5/15/06) will have any real impact on illegal immigration. I hate to criticize the President but that’s my professional opinion. I have several payroll companies that prepare payroll for businesses around the country.
Immigration, legal and illegal, is driven by the opportunities offered in this country. Those opportunities exist because we have the “Three Rules of Wealth” as I use to call them when I taught High School.
|
- 7). Intellectual Property - Engaging with China By : Paul Ward
China is well entrenched in the global marketplace, but with Chinese piracy reported at 90 percent, it's the third least friendly country for protecting intellectual property (IP).
China's accession into the World Trade Organization started four years ago. With this commitment to regulatory and economic restructuring, China has indeed been a country of economic opportunity for multinational corporations.
|
- 8). The Great Debate By : Triston Huntsmin
If you are anything like me, the smallest decisions can quickly become material for the greatest debates of your life. You can turn the tiniest molehill of an issue into a huge mountain of a decision just by sitting down and analyzing too much.
Sound familiar? Have you ever gotten weighed down in trying to make small decisions of little consequence and had trouble keeping perspective? I definitely have.
|
- 9). Iran Builds Support Among Muslim Nations By : Murad Ali
The U.S./Israel coalitions have been at odds with the Iranian government over Iran’s nuclear program. Diplomatic efforts have soured over the U.S. Israeli belief that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran contends that the nuclear program is to make energy and resents any interference from countries deemed hostile to their cause. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad states that he is willing to talk about the program to anyone except Israel who has keeps “bombs over our head”.
|
- 10). Simple Solutions to Global Problems? – Tai Chi & Qigong By : Bill Douglas
Copyright 2006 Bill Douglas
According to modern medical research between 70 and 85% of all illness leading people to doctors is caused by stress (Kaiser Permenente twenty year study). The United States annual health care costs exceed one-trillion dollars each year. This means that effective stress management techniques, if provided to people en masse through education, business, healthcare, etc.
|
|
|
