How to Fix the World

In the abstract, we may have our opinions on the changes we would make to the world if given the chance. There is an incredible number of problems in the world, a number so large it remains unsurpassed but by the number of solutions.  

While we may wish for world peace, wish for an end to poverty, and wish for an increase of riches in our lives, the most discouraging aspect of this discussion is our willingness to consider these problems beyond the realm of our influence, be it by a lack of support, money, or feasibility. To reverse this tragedy of thought, we need a significant change. Not an addition, nor a revision, but an overhaul. For this I identified the two most common frustrations of our modern civilization, and they are politicians and bankers. 

Politicians rarely make action of their illustrious promises, while bankers manipulate and deceive the common people for their financial gain. Looking at the worst of them, it is an embarrassment to call them the beacons of our society, instead personifying the corruption of our values. And no matter the influence of the respectable politicians, it is the most corrupt and unintelligent of them that populate the airwaves and conversation. We cannot entrust them to solve the problems of the world, nor do they have the time, as they are attempting to fix the problems their predecessors have left. As for bankers, they believe in the theories of economics without understanding the limitations of reality. As Frederick Nietzche said, they are "theoretical men," failing to comprehend the suffering that results of their greed and selfishness. And so the problem remains, how do we ensure that we will be led by the best minds among us? Plato suggested that we make philosophers our rulers, as they are the ones who are closest to understanding the complexities of the world.   It isn't a terrible idea, we are exchanging the freedom of choosing our leaders for that of stability. Thomas Hobbes proposed a similar thesis, albeit a stricter one, and one may argue that it also has merit. In a modern setting, certain adjustments need to be made, but the idea remains concrete. I would suggest that each philosopher be elected by a council of academics and allowed to reign for a term lasting between 5-10 years, to maintain a freshness of ideas. These leaders would be beholden to no one, instead focusing on ideas and their realization. They would not worry about public perception or being "television friendly,"  nor would they be influenced by lobbyists or special interest groups. They would be independent and free to govern for the good of the populace. It is here that our goals, before so abstract, suddenly are thrust to the forefront of reality. Funds could be allocated yearly to eradicate poverty in Africa and Asia, and philosophers could themselves travel to these nations and promote intellectual revolutions of their own, sparked simply by the unleashing of ideas. This is the key. Unleashing ideas. There is no shortage of ideas, nor should we anticipate one. It is advocating the necessity of thinking that rids the mind of the superficial and allows us to see what was intended for us to see. We must never lose sight of this again. 

The Most Important Issue

When deciding which problem most urgently needs attention in our global community, education should be the priority upon which we act first. The education of young children and adults, with a concentration of effort placed in impoverished nations, will provide immediate relief to the region and individual communities, creating the desired domino effect that will transform their lives. Education leads to the eradication of poverty, followed by the improvement of women's rights and religious tolerance, which henceforth will cease the corruption of governments and armies. With this, the promise that genocide and terrorism will exist only as memories and remnants of our inactive past is declared. Such a plan is idealistic, but within it we find a frame of realism. It isn't much, but it's enough. It's enough for the initiation of a movement. One that begins in this generation and continues perpetually.

Many might insinuate that global warming is the most pressing issue, with its eventual terror culminating in the destruction of our resources, followed by our own. Starvation will cause the first wave of death. Our lives will be infested with poverty and disease, while the apocalypse of natural devastation ravages the remains of our civilization. This is what our future resembles, no? Quite frightening I suppose. It could make good campfire material, a spin on the traditional ghost story. I don't imagine the third world being as frightened though, seeing as this is their present, not their future. We tremble at the poverty and death of our descendants five-hundred years from now while ignoring those of our global brothers and sisters around the world living through this desolate hell this very day. Our efforts must be concrete; they must adamantly represent an initiative of morality. Our own suffer, our own die. The must be saved from the throes of poverty, terrorism, genocide, gender and religious persecution, and misrepresentation. This will be possible if we utilize education to the best of its capacities. This will end the fight, this will prepare us for the next battle ahead. Global warming will be tackled and it will be beaten, but not today.