Throughout the world, we face an absurd situation: In the sense of existential absurdity. As Umair Haque suggests, our "leaders" have failed to perform. They strut, and they strain.. And they produce very little.
This is a sad state of affairs - and I think behind the outbreak in social unrest, East and West. The Social Contract is fracturing. After all, highly qualified graduates and post-graduates cannot find jobs; entrepreneurs cannot obtain seed funding. In Australia, moreover, we are burdened by ever increasing regulation, cynicism and business malaise.
The electorate is force fed minimalist sound bites regarding peripheral issues like the Asylum seeker "problem": the problem is lagging productivity and a falling, ageing population in desperate need of diverse skill-holders with a regional outlook. [Tony Abbott's Churchillian appeal to the Anglosphere is quintessential farce].
Under any honest assessment, our political class would not be entitled to hold their jobs. They have reflected precious little in the way of value and integrity, and have delivered very little in terms of taking our societies in the direction they must now take to avoid stagnation. Properly differentiated, they would be branded as "dud" performers and removed from their posts. But, forgiveness extended, governed and governing have to reestablish the social bond.
We in the West, I contest, must reassert the primacy of service, our Western roots indeed being Judeo-Christian reciprocity and humility. For sure Cujus regio eius religio, or non religio as you please, but our governing bodies primarily owe an obligation to those they lead.
We can, and MUST do better...
No comments:
Post a Comment