The loss of trust between banks themselves and the public at large over the last six months has yet to be quantified, but we are seeing a financial crisis of unprecedented proportions. It was the late Robert Maxwell who declared (with an element of possible déjà vu) that trust is like virginity - once lost it can never be retrieved.
Globally the levels of personal debt worry even the most cavalier of bankers, as they try to grapple with something they have created which operates completely against the human condition. As a species we are designed to strive for reward, and credit works against this by providing the reward first and the striving to pay for it second.
The scale of the financial problem facing us now reflects the scale of operation in a global market, and reflects our inability to police and manage responsibly the technology and human emotions that operate in this new climate.
Over the last 50 years power has shifted from the religious to the corporate sector, with politics remaining constant as the voice and instrument of interpretation and delivery. This shift in emphasis, to an increasingly monetary and corporate philosophy, has dramatically narrowed our perspective on life, working against our best interests as a species.
Profit is a financial measurement, and as such incapable of providing us with the means to live a full and fulfilled life. This narrow definition of success continually fails to motivate and stretch us in every direction to find the limits of our personal ability – the core essence of what our lives are all about. We have substituted “Love” of our fellow man/woman with “Political Correctness” in an endeavour to interact in this new climate – and what a mess we have got into.
What we identify, when we narrow success to just profit, are those few members of our species who can operate within this sphere. We are all different and to apply just one criterion to success is neither rational nor effective to mankind as a whole. Succumbing to the power instinct within us is the only means by which this imbalance can be maintained by the few, with the resultant knock on effect to other areas of life.
Political activity – We are seeing a time of social unrest around the globe that has an unprecedented uniformity of purpose – to address the abuse and corruption by the political elite within the “democratic” process. From Eastern European states to Africa, Pakistan and Latin America the unrest stems from a sense of injustice – that the “democracy” on offer controls the people rather than empowering them.
The realisation of this common experience, irrespective of race colour or creed, has been ignited by the increasing ability to travel and the advent of modern communication. For the first time in our history people around the globe are able to communicate directly with each other in a manner never before possible in our history.
This new personal freedom reduces the ability of politicians to influence voters with their particular agenda. Politicians now have to communicate more effectively with more people which entails far larger resources than have previously been available to them. The solution to their problem has been to forge closer links with the corporate sector, who have the necessary resources - particularly financial.
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