Changing Our Cultural Story AZP

The term "Cultural Story" is a reference to the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Though, one does not need to have read the book to understand the concept.

It is the background hum of society that instills our foundation for how we understand, approach, and interact in the world. Historically, this is not consciously chosen or even directly explored. Frequently it is dismissed. By some, it is dismissed because "it is the way of man." By others it is dismissed because "thats just how the world is."

But, do our individual decisions lead to the state of the world?

I believe they do.

One core concept that I have identified is the idea of "Greed over Need." In this, we place our personal satisfaction as more important than the needs of others. This manifests in a myriad of different ways. Everything from how we view competition to how banks have acquired so much power.

We certainly all know that basic needs are not met in many parts of the world. A question rarely asked is; "Does this even satisfy the greed to the greatest extent possible?"

Does the exploitation of others for personal profit lead to the highest quality of life for everyone involved? Does the exploitation of others needs for personal profit lead to the highest quality of life for everyone involved?

For both, I believe the answer is simply "No."

As some others have stated, we create systems to control instead of systems to enable. All we need to do to see the results of creating systems to control is look at the world around us. Even in the systems designed to meet basic needs (like welfare), are we creating independence or depedence?

What would happen if instead, we focused on creating systems to enable individuals? What would happen if we focused on systems designed to inspire independence and empowerment?

If it should happen, I see the strong possibility of a massive surge in everything from inventions, art, and scientific discoveries. Even for the greediest amongst us, this type of renaissance would create vast amounts of technologies and art that would improve the quality of life of everyone.

What is stopping us from pursuing this? Do you think that consciously choosing a foundation for the goals of our society would be more effective than simply letting things run their course? Do you feel the scientific method could be applied to how we operate as a society?

I have read the book and there are some references made there which I believe are just not right. But the rest of the book is quite a readful.
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