Cannot Eat Money

I find myself at odds with the direction of my own country. It’s disturbing to note that we are substantially failing to prepare ourselves for the future and the challenges it holds. It makes me shiver to see that NZ is seemingly careering backwards on all fronts: economic, environmental and social.

This is not an endemic situation, the rest of the globe is gripped with the same levels of profound inaction, or counter action to building the resilience we need to ride  the waves of change that approach. But perhaps it seems more striking when it’s your own nation, or you find yourself getting older and wiser and better able to understand the issues….or perhaps the urgency to force changes in the way we live out lives on this planet seem just that bit more palpable. Whatever the case, it worries me….

I find myself coming back to first principles in considering the issues we face. My first principles are this:

1. Economic arguments are not the only dimension of a decision. Not all that can be counted counts, and not all that counts can be counted. Humans do themselves no favours by justifying actions with figures.

2. The economy is utterly dependant upon the environment….and in NZ our environment is so damaged that we must go beyond maintaining our biodiversity, and into large scale reconstruction of our ecosystems. This should be a national goal.

3. Beyond the necessities of life, money brings a great deal less happiness and wellbeing than it is purported to. Social constructs must be rebuilt because nebulous communities do not own their future.

4. Politicians and others in power have a role to lead us, even if it means some must be dragged. They will one day see the light….and the gravel rash will heal

Noting that the problems and solutions we see splayed across the press now, first came to light before I was born is frustrating. Peak oil and resource depletion on all fronts, resource wars, increased incidence of stochastic weather events, flooding and other effects associated with climate change, are no surprise. They have been long discussed, predicted, debated, dismissed and resurrected. They just have not been addressed. And I want more….I want decisive action from the top down and the bottom up….and I want my generation to do it. So, let’s go….

In this blog I will rant….but constructively. And anonymously because I feel so much less constrained that way. And do comment, and challenge me….let’s debate this but create change afterwards….instead of letting the sleeping dog go back to his cosy slumber. This blog is political, it’s environmental, and the writer is a twenty-something who thinks we could do the same things better, and better things sooner….