Posts Tagged ‘compassion’

The future of society and personal wellbeing

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Our society is characterized by work. We spend our time working, our life is our work. The measurement of merit is about being economic well to-do. Almost all achievement is measured in economic terms. Status in society follows the money. Society becomes divided into many levels and  some people are at the bottom or outside looking in.

Some people have left this trail, but for most it holds true.

Ideally people should also be rated according to human values like care, compassion, ethics, morals, creativity. People are hugely different in all matters, but this does not allow us to exclude some according to prevailing criteria.

Also all people should be respected for what they are independent of  terms like intelligence, character, attitudes, health, circumstances like suffering, pity, being homeless, jobless, elderly.

We no longer care – we provide welfare by paid people. Care is work, we become clients and this creates distance. Just do your work, there is no need to care. But who cares for you if you are just lonely, but not yet a client? How do we integrate the public and the private spheres – make it one?

This is a big matter as it is about making a society and integrating all people in it. Nobody should fall outside, and we should not place people in classes according to one or more criteria like job, money, power, health, age, creed, opinions and so on.

The present system creates fear in many people of loneliness and poverty, loss of job and income, exclusion, and reduction of egos.

Participation is the key – we must all be able and allowed to participate and use our abilities in one way or another. The strict work regime is not for everybody, like working in a big organization. Small scale activity should have a rebirth, so that people can use their creative and other abilities outside big companies or bureaucracies. Working should be more social in that we work for each other, requiring new methods of measurement and remuneration, like maybe not for profit only. Maybe compassion, love and care given are criteria for measurement of activity and standing in a new society?

Reducing time spent on traditional work should be called for, allowing other activity – not necessarily more leisure – to be part of our lives.

We should also make room for many kinds of society: a so-called primitive society with low material standards may be very satisfying in other respects. Western civilisation must not crush everything else.

The challenge is there to be taken – a good society for all – regardless. Everybody must have a place.