Filed under: Politics
I have homework to do. but my brain is buzzing with so many thoughts and no space for debrief. for outlet. so I’m going to just let it all out here. warning: don’t expect me to be coherent!
lately I’ve been thinking about government prompted by a doco called “the trap“, a comment in the facebook discussion board of the group “Forum for a 1000 year plan” which (said to be quoting gandhi) talked about government spending heaps of time devising plans to make things easy for people so that we don’t have to be good, and a conversation with Jaree about the inefficiency of govenment, oh and of course my constant existential internal dialogue about how I will best make change in the world (ie what the hell I’m going to do when I graduate). hmmm. that as a preface.
the discussions today were a disappointment. it was a gathering of people from govenment, research institutes, foundations and some of the most respected leaders of civil movements from across the world (4 alternative nobel prize winners). I was (naively) expecting to be told the answers. this wasn’t some open forum. it was supposed to be experts getting together and nutting out the details. and yet here I stand, confused.
Issue 1. indigenous knowledge and culture vs technology.
if saving the world (energy, resources, peace…. that just about sums it up) could be done though innovation the DBU has got the shit. one speaker was the director of the worlds largest wind turbine producer, given his start by the DBU. and there were many other speakers talking about a technocratic solution. then Dr raul Montenegro from argentina pipes up telling us we’re crazy if we think we’re going to save the world with more machines. we need to learn from indigenous people! I really liked that! the experts didn’t so much… damn pragmatists. and denis Goldberg from south africa really didn’t like it. he wants his country to have the right to development that we have been afforded and fuck the climate(!) (my words) we made the mess and we should clean it up! I can’t agree more.
what kind of world forces development on those that don’t want it (the argentinien case) and denies it those that do (s. Africa). and we sit around talking about technology that will “solve the problem” without voters having to lift a finger. becasue that is what it’s all about governments sit around their whole term thinking about how they’re going to be re-elected thinking about how they can look like they’re doing something about, for example, climate change without having to tell their constituents that they are just going to have to change their way of life, and drastically. I must admit sitting in that hall today I questioned the legitimacy of democracy… any comments, or direction from out there (that’s you!) on alternatives, critics, that sort of thing would be appreciated. direct democracy, participatory democracy, anarchy as examples. what does a flexible, transparent, strong “government” or let’s say “system of governance” look like? oh man I could get into so much here (eg bioregionalism - but I love cities!)
hmmm. there was more but I think that branch of the complex tree in my mind was the most dominant for now. and I feel like I’ve let off some steam. thanks for reading. I’d love your comments.
love
Ellie