To the editor:
There is good news and bad news. The bad news; civilization as we know it is about to end. The good news; civilization as we know it is about to end.
The values that created our ecological crisis and subvert social justice won’t provide the solution. Competition is the law of the jungle, cooperation the law of civilization.
Viewing nature as resources to exploit for personal gain, and a sewer for dumping waste is not sustainable. Continuous economic growth is not sustainable. Unregulated capitalism, marketed consumerism, corporate control of politicians via financing campaigns, writing laws, and controlling the regulatory process enable exploitation of both nature and workers.
Three people in the U.S. have as much wealth as the bottom 170 million people. The Supreme Court has determined that corporations have human rights and that buying politicians is legal. This allows wealthy elites and corporations to rig the system in their favor. This is obvious when they don’t pay their taxes and aren’t prosecuted for crimes. These are not the values we claim to embrace.
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So long as extreme inequality and discrimination exist, there will be unrest and violence as people struggle for a voice, and elites fear losing their privilege. Either we have equal opportunity and equal treatment under the law or we do not have a democracy.
The most effective way to control people, is to limit the spectrum of acceptable debate. For example; it costs too much, the Bible says, that’s socialism ways of negating debate. Free your mind from the messaging that benefits those in power.
Apathy regarding these unethical behaviors enables them to continue. We become complicit in undermining our own values.
If our society is to survive, we must quit focusing on our fears, desires and petty grievances and face our real threats. Live the values we profess.
Bryan Van Gorp
Alexandria, MN
The Trust Project
