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October 17, 2008
Important Questions
Are we in the dire economic straits claimed by a majority of financial experts or is the problem simply being oversold? Is the ambitious bail-out now unfolding incrementally just another scam intended to enrich Wall Street at the expense of Main Street, or is it an essential last minute global rescue we delay at our peril? How can these questions remain unanswered with the most unusual and important Presidential Election in history less than three weeks away?In essence, there is a welter of conflicting opinion being voiced against a backdrop of deepening uncertainty. To the extent those humans with the biggest stake in the complex global economy are even able to focus on current events, they must be asking themselves: can this really be happening? If so, how did we get into this mess? What can be done about it?
Addressing these problems as succinctly as possible, it has now become clear to this observer that human behavior is the culprit. While the details remain to be worked out, the mechanism responsible is clearly the intrinsic conflict created by desires originating within our highly evolved, but developmentally older, emotional centers for the cascade of technology produced within the last few centuries by our more recently evolved rational centers.
In retrospect, that mismatch has been present throughout human history; the dimensions and acuity of the present problem are primarily functions of the enormous increase in wealth generated by unchecked exploitation of scientific technology in the service of the same decision making organizations that have controlled a majority of humans ever since the Industrial Evolution began.
So much for the diagnosis. The most difficult part will be therapy, which is, of necessity, uncertain and can’t even begin until the denial mechanisms now in place have been recognized and eliminated to the extent possible.
Doctor Tom
Posted by tjeffo at October 17, 2008 04:49 PM