The existence and use of nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants, fossil fuels, and genetically modified foods (GMOs) which threaten the survival of the human race. If governments would stop competing for peak oil, they could work together to create financial incentives for alternative fuels such as solar and wind. Financial incentives could also be provided for organic and composted, local food production. Although biofuels are not considered to be a solution to climate change, it is unfortunate that environmentally friendly hemp as a biomass fuel has not been more seriously considered.
On a related note, it is ironic but not surprising that what is arguably the most versatile plant on earth is still largely illegal--it is the plant called Cannabis sativa. Marijuana/hemp/cannabis was made illegal in the United States in 1937 through a conspiratorial disinformation campaign because it threatened the profits of certain corporations. Congress at that time was led to believe that jazz musicians and Mexican immigrants under the influence of pot became insane and violent, so the plant obviously had to be outlawed. Thus, deception and hypocrisy by corporate controlled-government is another factor that hinders the happiness of people in a nation.
Capitalism is the dominant economic system in the world. Wouldn't it be amazing to see more movies that challenge capitalism and its concomitant social problems? Mindless movies made in the United States are often watched around the world. They frequently have a larger-than-life superhero who really knows how to fight and kill people. Can you imagine seeing a film in which the collective action of several groups creates a sustainable, democratic communist society, instead of the usual horrifying dystopia?
If such a movie was really thought-provoking, the U.S. government would criticize it in the interests of "national security," and the corporate-owned, mainstream media would fear that such a film undermines the perception management it uses for public mind control. Of course, not all movies and TV programs are bad. With the exercise of discretion and moderation, they can provide some of the amusement and entertainment that people need.
How to Achieve Happiness?
Gross National Happiness is a philosophy which the small country of Bhutan, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas, has inspired the world. The fourth king of Bhutan popularized the idea in 1972 that gross national happiness is more important than gross national product. In 2009, the Prime Minister of Bhutan stated "We know that true abiding happiness cannot exist while others suffer, and comes from serving others, living in harmony with nature, and realizing our innate wisdom and the true and brilliant nature of our minds." This concept of Gross National Happiness can be traced back to Bhutan's legal code of 1629: "If the government cannot create happiness for its people, then there is no purpose for government to exist." See Bhutan 2010 GNH_Index_Part 1 PowerPoint Slides 3, 4, and 7
It is also interesting that according to an article on July 29, 2014 at AlterNet by April Short, "The people of Iceland are the happiest on Earth, according to an academic study supported by the Guardian in 2006. The UN's latest Human Development Index ranking showed Iceland topping the charts as far as its economic and social issues go (wealth, healthcare, and education). Last month Iceland won another top world ranking: most pot smoked per capita."
How to Achieve World Peace?
Think about it, how wise or fair is it when nations intervene in the affairs of other sovereign nations, without getting the approval of the United Nations? Of course, the United Nations should be changed as well. How fair is it to have five permanent members on the Security Council of the United Nations? Why not let all nations, all of the time, make Security Council decisions, either by giving each nation one vote or by giving proportionate influence to a nation according to its population?
Consumers in wealthy countries get cheaper prices at places like Walmart because many people in the impoverished countries are exploited to work as low as 17 cents an hour. Would Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, or Martin Luther King support that? It has been reported by globalissues.org that almost half of the world--over three billion people--lives on less than $2.50 a day! How does any religious person, or any spiritual person without a religion, live comfortably with that? According to a bbc.com article, the total value of world income is about $70 trillion per year, and there are 7 billion people in the world, so the average income is about $10,000 per person per year.
Arbitrarily redistributing the world's wealth is not the answer because there is much truth in the fish proverb that essentially says that it is better to teach people how to fish rather than to just give them fish. But if all the peoples of the world were considered part of our family, we would no doubt find some better solutions to the world's problems. But when our survival is based on making a profit and eliminating competitors, it makes it more difficult to think of others as part of the family.
The Western countries got a head start as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the Ages of Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism partly because their advanced technology and more powerful weapons allowed them to more easily invade and conquer Africa and Asia to extract resources and exploit people. For that reason, the wealthiest nations, and especially the world's wealthiest one percent, cannot rightfully make the claim that their relatively extreme wealth is deserved. Citizens of impoverished countries could be equally productive as citizens of wealthy countries if they had all of the same opportunities. If there were a progressive tax on incomes the world over, so that the highest wages could not be more than three times the lowest--that would drastically reduce many of world's social and economic problems. Some Leftists advocate a 10:1 wage ratio, but the 3:1 ratio is even better.
We know from the study of history that empires don't last permanently--although, alas, some of them lasted a long time. To prevent nations from aspiring to become empires, we must have the courage and foresight to at least attempt the creation of a democratic world government.
There could be a democratic world government made up of 500 legislators, with each country having at least one legislator; countries with larger populations could have proportionately more than one. The world legislature, created from democratic elections in each country, could vote on various models of a constitution. Creating a military more powerful than any one nation would be necessary. A world government such as this would be built from the bottom-up, based on the decisions of planetary citizens. What we have now is the ever-increasing influence of the world's wealthiest one percent, the plutocrats or oligarchs of the world. Unless we can reverse this trend, the outcome will be bleak.
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