Quality of Life Improvement RESPONSIBILITY

PART II - Political Responsibility

Finally, we have a political responsibility. There seems to be no way we can influence the world, unless we happen to be a very powerful socio-economic or political figure. Yet, there are many ways we can pool our resources and exercise political influence.

Leadership.
If you have leadership capabilities, you can use them to influence others, to bring people together that have the same interests at heart.
Organization.
Groups of people can have greater influence than individuals. Joining associations, societies, clubs, unions, helps strengthen them and to accomplish their goals.
Financial support.
Our few cents or dollars won't go very far. But when combined with those of many others, it can become an effective resource. Union war chests are a good example of the power of many contributions. Charities work this way. Even political parties would be nowhere without our financial support.
Voting.
No-one better than the 'suffragettes' of the early part of this century can explain the need and the power of voting. Before their action, women had no vote in western countries. Today, this is still an issue in many 'developing countries'. Unless you vote, you cannot influence government. Even if you don't like the candidates or what they stand for, your vote can make them aware that their life is dependent on your action.
Political Candidates.
Naturally, unless you get your own candidate or even better, you own political party in power, the effect of your vote will be marginal. You will find that few candidates are what you would like them to be. "Power corrupts" is often true for weak personalities. But work with what you have and exert yourself in getting your voice known throughout the system.
Letter writing.
While your letter to a politician may not seem significant. Many of those expressing the same thought provoking message is. Or he/she may just be touched by your idea. You never know.
Evolution not revolution.
Understand the consequences of your political actions. Freedom for the sake of freedom is Anarchy. This is what happened to the USSR when the Communist Regime collapsed. The whole infra structure went with it, leaving the whole country in chaos. That is 'revolution'. It made people yearn for the 'good old days' of Communism when the state controlled the resources. Don't let our quest for 'civil rights' destroy a dictatorship without respect for the country's infrastructure, the ensuing 'revolution' may kill thousands of people, if not leave them in a worse state than they were before, or even go back to dictatorship.
China is a case in point. If we were to let the revolutionary forces take over, the country would be in a worse state than the USSR. This could spill over the rest of the world in an even more devastating manner. Yes, China has to learn to treat it political prisoners in a 'civil' manner, but no, don't throw the country into an anarchistic chaos. At this point in time, it cannot afford to let a million of its people to roam around freely without destroying its food supply chain. And remember where it came from: Centuries of feudal imperial dictatorship from which Mao Tse Tung and his confreres had to liberate the country from. That revolution was bloody, and so were those in France, Russia, and South America.
Can bloody revolutions be avoided?. I would like to think they can. But it takes political will on both sides. If you are a dissident, be intelligent, don't become a target, but use all the political power you can muster. Learn more about history and the needs of your country and how its infrastructure can be sustained, while your goals are to be met. e.g. Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was not a revolutionary, he was a very compassionate doctor, who spent his life helping people. He was born in Argentina and educated in the USA. Because of his idealism, his leadership, and his sharp analysis of the local situation, he became a political target and a martyr, yet, totally unnecessarily. The Bolivian Army accused him of being the 'Mastermind of Latin America's Communist Guerillas' and hunted him down until they shot him on October 9th 1967. We don't need anymore dead heroes. We need smart but covert idealists.
Today, education and electronic communications can help us beat dictatorships and develop strong political bonds. Get to know it and use it. Remember, it kept the 'underground' alive in countries occupied by Germany during WWII. It kept Vietnam alive during its fateful war. It should have kept Korea alive - it didn't. Korea is still separated because it does not communicate. Isolationism always leads to problems.
Today, terrorism is passé. Governments know how to deal with it. It does not accomplish anything but gives governments an excuse to bomb any target and round up any suspect.
Compromise.
You don't have to compromise your principles to work with those that have the majority in power. You have to understand that as long as you have only a minority you cannot impose your will on the majority. However, you must fight for your place under the sun of the ruling party. Antagonism only results in an uncivil civil war. These wars are still going on, many are quiet but flare up every so often. And the only way they flare up again is because we can't tolerate each other. They are in any country at any time. Don't be lulled into complacency by the present peace. Keep working on your relationship like on a marriage.
Meanwhile work on exposure of the big multinationals who clear land they don't own and displace people from their ancestral territories, by bribing local governments. Get the news out to the world media. Just don't get caught.

Taking responsibility for our world is essential to improving our Quality of Life.

Given the inequality of the Quality of Life in various parts of the world, we must consider this 'inequality' the problem to be solved.

What are the forces at work that allow us to improve our Quality of Life and what are the constraints?

There are three forces that we can apply:

Technological change, sociological change and economical change. But any of these forces are totally controlled by the political environment and the market conditions it generates. If the market is not properly functioning then proper distribution of wealth becomes impossible. If the power is concentrated in high places of a dictatorial government, then their friends will end up with the benefits, while the masses keep starving. This means that before we can allow technological change and socioeconomic change to take place, we must improve the political system, without destroying the functional infrastructure. This is the lesson learned from the collapse of the USSR. China is not letting that happen, fortunately.

Even markets in the Western world are deficient. Massive layoffs and poverty are existing, without the Government doing anything about it. What could the Government do? Simply manipulating taxes. e.g. Sales taxes are the most unfair and counter productive taxes. Why? Because they cut directly into the disposable income of the poor. Income taxes do not. The excess income of the rich does not end up in the economy but often ends up in foreign and other investments. While any disposable income at the lower levels of the economy stimulates the economy because it comes back immediately and has the 'multiplier' effect until it reaches the rich investments and foreign spending.

Graft and bribery and skimming of foreign aid is another major problem when trying to help poor nations. Feeding people is necessary, but providing the means to feed themselves is more important. Where the local conditions do not allow the latter, employment must be assured to provide for trade can can yield food. These basic rules are often ignored when major project are introduced, such as hydrodams, which displace hundreds of thousands of people without helping them get back on their feet. Moreover, little attention is being paid to other solutions that are more suitable for the improvement of their quality of life. Why? Because of the monetary gain the people in power are getting from these big projects. This does not only happen in poor countries. It also happens in Canada, where major projects bulldoze over the rights of individuals, ecological concerns and the quality of life of those affected. Does that mean we should stop major projects? No. But our governments should do more to protect the 'little people', the individuals.

If our democracies are working, we should have some influence over what is done. That is if we take an active part in our government, by taking part in elections and in communicating with our representatives, as well as keeping a close eye on what they are actually doing.

Taking responsibility for our world is essential to improving our Quality of Life.

Back to where we left off in QOL, The Quality of Life

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