We used to believe in a social contract. But the ‘leaders’ in every field, whether banking, religion, education, or the military are unilaterally reneging on their side of the contract, and have for 50 years. Bankers cheat on the numbers and steal homes, while govt authorities look on. The major religions each hide a global child trafficking ring, near as anyone can tell, and who knows what else they do if they are capable of that in the depth of their cynicism? Our educators have managed to double the real cost of a college education in living memory, and yet whether you ask students, parents, teachers, or bosses, they are preparing people LESS well for life, the job market, or anything else. The US military countenances commanders who rape the soldiers they are given to train and lead. AND after failing in Vietnam, the US Military decided across ALL services that it was never going to do counterinsurgency again, and so there was no need to learn from the failures of Vietnam, (besides it made the brass uncomfortable.) This was a CHOICE made by the US Military Brass that cost thousands of lives and has done untold damage to the national stature, the two things they are supposed to care about most, other than upholding the Constitution, which they choose to do the Opposite out of Expediency, cynicism, fear, and Complicity.
So none of THEM are keeping up THEIR end of the social contract. All our institutions decided to throw us under the bus at the same time, almost like they had it planned, but you know you have to be a conspiracy person to believe our leadership ever plans anything that works. So let’s say not planned, but more like they all went into an End Game Mentality triggered by the same clock, which nobody is supposed to let us see.
So what to do while the cat is away, eh? How can we form our own social contract in the absence of the official ones?
1) Let’s agree we would like if possible to get along with one another and reach an understanding where everyone feels like a winner if at all possible, even if that compromises our self-interest in the short term.
2) Let’s agree that every person has a right to some way to meet his or her basic human needs without doing themselves damage. It may not be possible to make this a reality all the time, (as with any of these agreements) but it is always the goal.
3) Let’s agree that the contract we make shall never be an excuse for deadly violence. Violence of any sort brings dishonor on the participants, but in the course of Politics, violence can happen as Wars, Assassinations, Bombings, etc, but in OUR politics based on OUR contract, WE will agree to only beat the hell out of each other, but then let each other live. No Killing, and No Weapons, unless opponents are seriously unevenly matched. If we agree up front never to be moved by threats or violence, nor to use them, except in defense, we should not get too much trouble from anyone.
4) Let’s agree there is power in agreeing, and that if we do all the things we agree about, we may not even have time to argue about any of the other things.
5) Let’s agree we will only argue over What To Do, and not about what happened in the past if at all possible, or about the rightness or wrongness of different thinkers, though our perspectives will show in the actions we espouse. If we only couch it in terms of Real Actions, maybe we will reach agreement faster with less damage to each other, and our agreements will carry us forward instead of being static policies.
