Your hands on the Controls?

One day they will say that the November 2024 US Presidential Election was the start of the collapse of civilisation. They will be wrong. Civilisation has been collapsing for a long time. Introduced by widespread education and religion, good civilisation has been undermined by on-demand communications. Why? Because humans have failed to teach morality at the same pace as they have taught technology. So the greed precipitated by competitive acquisition has not been matched by the discipline of self-control and the rationality of sense.

The leaders who got us to this point have come under inspection for good reason.? Their behaviour has changed over the past fifty years. In the 1970s it was not only material and financial but also somewhat ‘spiritual’. We respected leaders who behaved reasonably decently, at least in public. Each individual's moral fibre was considered a key to a successful society. Leaders were charged with setting an example. It wasn’t always a good one and there were bad leaders then as now. Their composure and rhetoric was nevertheless society’s model.

If today’s leaders don’t rant and rave they are considered weak. “More suitable for the Civil Service than the hustings” I heard said of an aspiring, polite politician. Leaders have been Trumped. What does that say about the Followers? Leadership only works if followership works too. Who teaches it? You and I, parents, teachers, everyone in authority. What does followership depend on? The balance between rights and responsibilities. That is what we have not taught. Our democracy has pushed us towards ‘rights’. It has neglected ‘responsibilities’.

The new era of governance is upon us. If we are scared it is probably for two reasons. First, we are worried that the handling of the rapid advance of AI will lead to even greater divisions between rich and poor. Those who are worried that they may end up poor are frightened of poverty, discomfort, deprivation, sickness and premature death. Those at the rich end fear attack, theft and disruption from leading a quiet life.

These fears are justified. Until now there has been somewhat of a balance between work to be done and people to do it for money. If we needed proof that the system is failing, Boeing provided it. Their fiasco was attributed to poor management, severe competition and greed. I don’t think so. I think it was about automation. AI is the ultimate automation of most work. In the end it will require us to pay people for breathing. To do that a society has to have clear views about the value of life.?

Does our impending political system suggest that we have them?

The new era of finance is also upon us. Epitomised by the jokey fine imposed by Russia on Google of more money than there is in the world, it heralds a new approach to mortgaging the future to enjoy the present. Borrowing money is now so debased that even quite humble and decent people think a loan is a gift and doesn’t need repaying. The fact that the world's debt is now totally irredeemable suggests that prudent financial behaviour is for idiots. Some banks even promote themselves on the idea.

Work and money are not the only things in life but they are pretty important. Major disruption to either of them would shake the foundations of our world society. Both are shaking at the same time. Added to which if we don’t find new sources of sustainable and non-polluting energy rather quickly we shall all boil to death.

I’ve described the stormy sea we are on, and the creaky craft we are sailing. How will you describe the quality of the hands on the controls?

And when you have done so, will you be content that we are well mastered?

Good morning

John Bittleston

The postscript is in the text today. The address to enlighten us is still [email protected] - please do so if you have a moment. Thank you