Q – Can a Society Run on Linear Thinking?

We’re taught from an early age to think in linear/polar terms. And kids think that way anyways, so if ever there was a time, that should be it. Right?

But life is more complex than black & while terms can cover. People are more complex.

Yet we learn that if we don’t follow this type of thinking then we’re unethical. Situational ethics is a bad thing.

And what a person in power does for the group(s)’ interests can often leave people behind. Yet if they’re acting responsibly, following their guidelines and well, trying…. Aren’t they doing everything they can to minimize risk & harm? Should they face consequences for the few who get harmed or neglected if the many are ok? Or is that politicking?

Do we build forgiveness into society’s power structures? Do we have ways to reconcile the harmed people back into the systems that haven’t served them well? How do we buffer them in the future? When they (quite rightly) don’t trust power now?

And what about the people who are less trusting of power? How do we reassure them and encourage them to cooperate as needed?

I think this discussion is at the heart of so many issues we’re facing in society. And ignoring it means that dissent and distrust are growing.

And in that growth, we have a power response of becoming more oppressive, rather than tolerating differences. Which solves nothing. For eg, when the pandemic has been at the forefront of society, there should have been:

• more education of citizens in media
• more spending on clinics and frontline health care/testing and support.
• more spending on research on the virus and it’s post viral conditions as compared to others we do know of
• and frankly on compliance and misinformation.

But instead, the govt response has been to increase policing budgets (again!). Is their aim really to have automatons? And batter those who refuse to be robots?

And what risk is acceptable? What loss of life is tolerable? WHOSE loss of life is tolerable? Are men really more valuable when most of nursing and teaching are done by women? Are white people more valuable when most of the service, nursing, and lower grade teaching is done by BIPOC? Yet we have govt refusing them safety and increased sick time and increased wages….

How will we survive as a society in the future if we continue to risk these workers till they no longer will take those jobs?

And in the choice of policing and military over services, we may value these fit young people (still mostly men) but we place them at higher risk of injury, stress reactions and loss of life.

Also media and those in power spend a lot of time and effort distracting us (slight of hand tactics) with things like music, theatre, and sports. But put entire industries of gifted people at higher risk as a result. Is that ok?

And perhaps worst of all, disinformation by so called professionals is encouraged, or at least tolerated.

It’s gotten really pathetic on social media. Not that it wasn’t an issue before. But it’s worse now. Even into year three, citizens still don’t seem to be getting educated appropriately.

Is there some way of dealing with this all so that we can do better in the future? Do we even want things to improve? Because it seems like far too many people are stuck inside the matrix of deception and oppression.