The title, This House of Cards, refers to the modern civilization WE (yes – you and I together) are building on this Earth. And, it seems to me, like a house of cards, our civilization’s economic and social structures provide a shaky foundation to sustain all 6.5 billion of us in an equitable manner that doesn’t harm our environment.
One of the premises of this Blog is that for many around the world the United States provides a model if not a template for development. While we’ve achieved amazing things, many of these achievements are based on a purview of unlimited resources and are ultimately unsustainable on a global scale. Even if the world population was limited, our achievements are based on great waste and inefficiency which in most belief systems comes under the category of “sin.” And, to see such systems replicated around the world fuels my sense of urgency to speak out and respectfully suggest that we re-think what we’re doing before we invest even more in this paradigm.
To be honest, if we Americans were the happiest people on the planet, I probably wouldn’t be questioning our methods so much. But, my experience and observations tell me otherwise. While our cultural self-portrait may be one of a fun, happy, welcoming people, I see many lonely people and a society living in more and more distrust and fear. While we may consider ourselves a melting pot, I see segregation and quiet discrimination. And, the only tangible solution society offers is by achieving wealth and prosperity. But mindless consumption does not yield happiness – it only contributes to the heap of problems we face both individually and socially.
My hunch is that most people hope for a better world – a world without poverty, where work is not a chore, but an extension of our creativity and interests and where there is truly equal opportunity, respect and peace – all accomplished without taxing the environment we live in. But these ideals will not come about through hopes and dreams alone. They will come through change. And, that change is the focus of this bi-weekly blog – to discover what we can do better at the fundamental structural and systemic levels of our society.
This House of Cards is the sister blog of The Sustainability Puzzle whose focus is to find sustainable solutions. This Blog will focus on the big-picture issues that touch our everyday lives such as tax policy, education, transportation, the religion called “America”, urban planning, the architecture of homes, the roles of government and corporations, as well as societal fears of cooperation. Just like a therapist will tell you, in order to find solutions we have to first understand the problems. So, let the healing begin! ;-)
