ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ARISING FROM THE ESSAY.
Question 4
HOW IS THE COMBINTION OF PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL TO BE EFFECTED.
First of all, who are people of good will? In my opinion these are people from any background who have not become completely cynical about humanity and are still interested in a meaningful future for themselves and their children on this Earth.
People with enough common sense left to see the madness of the present situation, who still have an open mind and a sincere desire to discuss and find a practical solution. People who would be prepared to become active if only they were not so confused and they knew what to do.
These are the people of good will, and this description would include most people on this Earth, if it was not for the factors of confusion and cynicism which has infected and immobilized a great number of honest human beings.
But cynicism and confusion cannot be overcome by words alone. Consequently it is up to that minority who has not been infected to show to the rest that change is possible, by a unity of thought and action.
If these people, who are the yeast of humanity, will be successful in demonstrating in practice that there is an alternative to present insecurity and future chaos, then the rest will be awakened and will become active too.
They will be moved not so much because of an ideal, but because they will see in practice a better chance for their own survival.
It is obvious that at present the majority of progressive people are divided in many groups. Some are exclusively concerned with very important social or ecological problems, but they seem to be ignoring the causes of these problems. They are advocating 'band-aid' cures; consequently their success can only be limited and temporary. If some of their energy is not directed towards the original causes, this will eventually create frustration and cynicism in all but a small minority.
Some groups are still wasting their energies in disputations over a backlog of arguments and sophisms from the distant past which can never be fully resolved. These people can never be constructive. Then there are those who believe that only through their own particular doctrine we can obtain salvation, and they are pulling in different directions. There are also many people who have acquired a vested interest in their particular movements and have become instinctively more interested in preserving the present situation rather than solving it completely.
Because of these divisions, the movement for progress has been weakened and has lost credibility; the result is wide spread demoralization.
Fortunately many people are becoming aware of this paralyzing situation and they are searching for a solution. Not just a new sect or a new faction, but a catalyst philosophy and movement which could unite all people of good will, spark their imagination and focus the main part of their energy and enthusiasm towards eliminating the original causes rather than just the effects of our present problems.
This last statement begs the question about what this philosophy could be. The times when one individual could devise a philosophy are gone forever; today this can only be done by the corporate intelligence and effort of many. Therefore, all that I, as an individual, can do is to explain, without pretence and presumption, my personal point of view within a wider discussion towards a new philosophy. I will try to do this in the future.
How is the combination of these people of good will to be effected?
If we are sincere in our search, we do not have to worry about this Question: it is a natural process that cannot be stopped.
People always search for solutions to the problems which affect their lives. If many people have similar problems, produced by similar original causes, in their search for solutions they are bound, sooner or later, to come in contact with each other. Eventually they will realize that by joining in their efforts they will have a greater chance of success.
Unfortunately, no matter how intelligent or educated we may be, we are all, more or less, ignorant and biased. Therefore, we all have different perceptions of objective reality. We are bound to come to a variety of conclusions about our problems, about their causes and also about the way to solve them.
No matter how different our ideas may be, there can be only one objective reality and, consequently, some ideas must be closer than others to this reality.
In this search for a solution to their problems, people with similar perceptions and aspirations will tend to join their forces and form various groupings.
In the meantime, our society and economy are continually evolving; some of the groups will become obsolete and will lose their meaningfulness; new ideas will be formed and new movements will appear. This natural process goes on all the time. When the social economic situation becomes ripe for a change, the movement that has the more accurate perception of the situation and what can be done, will become the medium through which change will be effected; it will become more successful and it will attract a greater number of activists and followers, many defecting from the other groups.
This is a continuous natural process because the social economic environment continually evolves, and continually creates new situations that require new analysis and solutions. As long as there are people working towards change, we can be sure that, at the right moments, there will be changes.
There are many people today who are frustrated and impatient about the degeneration of the progressive forces; they are searching for alternatives that may infuse new life to the movement. At this moment more and more people, many of them young and many with families to support, are continually being discarded by an obsolete contracting economic system. They are being persuaded to assume the blame for the failures of an economy on which they have no say or control. They are forced to sacrifice even the basic necessities, while those in command disclaim responsibility, get richer and even cover themselves with titles.
Soon the people who are being discarded will have to awaken from their stupor and think hard about their survival. When their life becomes impossible or not worth living, they will look for a solution. If there is not an honest movement, with a meaningful and practical program already started, ready to answer their call, we all may fall victims to the regressive solutions of extreme right wing conservatism.
In conclusion, I believe that many 'people of good will' are searching for each other at present, and many more are just waiting to be found.
For what it is worth, this is my brief answer to the question about 'people of good will'.
I must stop, for now, step down from my 'soap box' and come back to earth.