Written by Craig Reid   

Have you ever asked yourself, “why do I need all these other people?” Why do we put up with the conflicts, the problems, the contradictions and all the rest of the difficulties of living together and dealing with so many other people?

To find the answer to these questions we have to look way back in time to when man first appeared on Earth. People had a very harsh environment to contend with and survival was not a given. There was harsh and unpredictable weather, predators, famine, disease and natural disasters and competition with other people for resources that were all part of everyday life. I wonder how long it took those early people to discover what is now an old adage - there is strength in numbers.

When people began to live together in small groups they probably discovered that it offered distinct advantages in terms of survival which eclipsed the attendant problems of living together with other people who all had their own agendas, needs, wants and desires. So people started to band together in clans and tribes, villages and eventually communities, states and nations. But as the groups got larger so did the problems. It didn’t take long for a few of these people to discover the fine art of manipulation - the art of controlling other people. They found out how to use fear and intimidation to get other people to serve THEIR needs, even at the risk of their own safety and health.

As time went by those who could skillfully manipulate others began to accumulate power and wealth. They could then use that power and wealth to their advantage in the manipulation game. The trouble was, that left the vast majority of people hurting and lacking in what they needed. At some point all those people again came to the same realization - that “strength in numbers” could work for them too. They discovered that by banding together against the rich and powerful and being willing to make sacrifices, even their very lives, they could stand up to those with wealth and power and create better lives for themselves.

Way down the road someone came up with the idea that people in groups could each sacrifice a little of what they had for the good of the group. Thus, societies were born anew with the idea of “the common good” as their goal. They found that when someone’s barn burned down it was much easier if everybody got together and helped build a new one. When someone’s herd died of some disease everyone contributed one or two head to restart that person’s herd. As the individuals thrived, so did the group. When Sam was prospering he could afford to buy things from Tom and Jim and Lew. Thus Tom, Jim and Lew began to prosper and then they were able to go out and purchase things from Fred, Harry Bill, Mark, Mike, Jerry, Matt, Hank and Richard and so on and so on and so on. So it became apparent that prosperity could only be brought to an entire society from the bottom up. As the lowest on the economic scale prospered it bubbled up and everyone in the society, even those on the top, did better. As the old saying goes, a high tide floats all boats. But don’t forget, the tide come in from underneath. If the water comes in from above it’s called a tidal wave and it destroys everything.

If the whole ‘survival of the fittest,’ thing worked so well there would never have been a need for tribes, clans, etc. Governments would never have been conceived of if there weren’t needs that they were able to fill. Certainly human beings have plenty of flaws but we are truly at our best when we are helping each other. That, I believe, is the best possible basis upon which to build a community, or a nation. But there are those whose vision is so narrow as to only include themselves. They lack the requisite empathy to care enough about other people to live in a mutually beneficial society. But back to the evolution of government.

This idea of bottom up prosperity seemed to work pretty well for everyone. The trouble was, those manipulators kept coming back. They were always in the shadows trying to figure out ways to get back their wealth and power so they could have it all again. After a long time people began to forget what it was like when the manipulators were in power and their own lives sucked. It wasn’t long until the manipulators were able to take advantage of the lapse in memory of the masses to, once again, use their skills to regain their former wealth and power. And as this cycle came around again and again, the manipulators gained more and more skill and found new and better ways to control the others without the others even realizing they were being controlled.

This is basically the predicament in which we find ourselves today. The large, ultra- powerful, mega-rich corporations have acquired so much power and so much control over the flow of information that they seem nearly invincible. This time it may take a lot longer before it dawns on people what has happened and why their lives suck so bad while they’re being told over and over again by smiling, friendly faces on the TV that they have the greatest life style in the world in all history. They tell us that the problems in our lives come from the other people - the blacks, the browns, the Jews, the middle-eastern people, any group they can use as a scape goat, to distract people from looking at the manipulators, the corporations as the source of their misery. And damned if it doesn’t work and work perfectly. People are so easily led astray, so quick to trust what they see on TV or read in the papers because they want to trust someone, to give someone the authority to decide for them so they don’t have to do the work necessary to decide for themselves. And it does require hard work and critical thinking. As well as requiring a willingness to look at things in a complex ways, seeing many sides of the issues and weighing carefully the possible options before deciding on a final course of action.

So what can we do about it? That is the trillion dollar question. It does seem hopeless at times, maybe even most of the time these days. One thing I have learned in life is that NOTHING in this world is permanent. Everything eventually changes. The trick is how to speed that change along a little faster. We seem to have discovered very well how to do that with our climate, but not in a very helpful way. Our task is to look at the situation now, look at our options, look at the tools we have hangin’ on our belt, the materials that lay before us and devise a plan to make the changes that need to be made. It may take a long time, we may not live to see the results but the time to get started is right now. We have power, we have resources, and, as always, there is great strength in numbers. Numbers is one thing we definitely have, even if we have little else. It is probably the most potent tool we have hangin’ on the old tool belt. It is a bit unwieldy and takes a while to get in motion but once it is there is nothing that can stopping it. We must find what action we can take with that tool that will give us the most bang for our buck. Where can we use it where it will strike right at the heart of the problem, where it will permanently disconnect the energy source that is feeding the corporate power structure. It will take a monumentous effort over a long period of time, without relenting, to create the changes that are needed so be prepared to hang on for the long run.

And how can we do this in a way that will lift the whole thing up to a new level, where people everywhere will really get it once and for all that we sink or rise together. No one, no group, no tribe, clan, state or nation can rise above the rest and stay there without damaging all the rest. We either work together for our mutual benefit or we parish in our mutual destruction. It’s just that simple and there is no way around it. Just look at history. How have all the great kingdoms and dictatorships ended? In total failure. They are always crushed under the weight of their own greed and corruption. They always tear themselves apart, eventually. Their way of living is ultimately toxic and destructive to the entire organism of society. The sooner we all learn this the sooner life on Earth will begin to resemble the paradise it can be.

There is not one example in all of history of a society dominated by the wealthy and powerful that thrived and that provided a healthy and happy life for everyone in it. Not one that has sustained it’s effectiveness and produced a society where everyone lives in a manner that can be considered more than just meeting basic needs. People need more than food, water, clothing and shelter. They need to grow and continually find better ways to do things. They need to have a sense of security and stability in their lives. They need to find mental, emotional and ultimately, spiritual fulfillment. They need to experience and create beauty around them and to share it with one another. It is part of the nature of human beings. They endlessly strive for betterment, for themselves, their families and loved ones and for their societies. When their basics are taken care of and they can think about more than just survival they begin to create beauty and joy around them. These are the highest attributes of man’s nature and it is only through the experience and expression of these higher attributes that man can aspire to his highest purpose.