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There’s preparedness and there’s tempting fate. We could reach such a level of anticipation that what we’re preparing for becomes inevitable. Economies, for instance, become dependent upon the production of ‘things’ for that eventuality which, ironically, we may have actually been trying to avoid all along! Economic momentum is a tricky beast to do business with as it tends to create powerful elements within our societies that strengthen their positions through exercising their raision d’être. These elements buy more and more power and influence resulting in development trajectories heading in one direction only with little chance of a u-turn. That is, until there’s a (often generational) sea change, a paradigm shift, especially leading societies away from self-destructive patterns of behaviour and towards those deemed more in-keeping with incoming ideologies. That begs the question of natural cycles generally observable throughout aspects of our realities. Those ‘things’ come and go in much the same way that forest fires cull older trees to allow the undergrowth to flourish. But, until (or in case ?) the fires begin to rage be careful what you wish for!

‘Natural resources’ are largely taken for granted by many members, institutions and enterprises in our societies. They’re usually viewed as a means of achieving our ends through processes of extraction. We may nurture them to help with these goals but ultimately seldom are they truly appreciated for their utility beyond production. That’s unfortunate given that if a deeper appreciation could be adopted perhaps we would be less extractive and more additive? That is, through an engagement with nature we can widen our understanding not only of our physical, outer world but also our spiritual, inner world. Through that kind of worldview we could begin to find peace with each other as nature finds peace – co-existence – with itself.

We don’t need to further the idea of this or that. We can instead accept both by looking for commonality and focussing on similarities not differences. By accepting ‘left’ or ‘right’ we are celebrating division. Division leads to hostilities. Hostilities, as mentioned, lead to war, suffering and ultimately self-destruction. There are many ideologies in the world that all too often are at odds with each other. Imagine an overarching theme that straddles all? Could we begin to work towards a true peace?

Power, in both senses of the word, is fascinating. Often political considerations stymie challenges to the status quo by anything vaguely reminiscent of so-called ‘progressive’ ideals. That’s unfortunate yet understandable from a societal perspective. Too much rocking of the boat leads to it capsizing. Similarly, energy production and use is politicised to ensure that the status quo maintains it’s grip upon it’s raison d’être. Power for power. So, imagine trying to usurp the underlying structural basis of the construction of our societies to help work towards more just social outcomes by highlighting that a sea change in power is required to prevent the boat not only capsizing but completely sinking with all onboard. Yes, it’s almost impossible! 😁

There may be little time left to begin to ensure we’re on a more sustainable development pathway. Furthermore, security is a bedrock of sustainable development. Without security all our efforts are undermined. Put simply, we either need to stop fighting now or throw in the towel on all our common futures on this planet and beyond.