Phoenix Rising

I nose around a lot on social media and political websites and what I have seen is a world that has been thrown into chaos. This chaos, when boiled down, very much appears to be caused by the conflict between the old world and the new world.

The old world, the one represented in political terms by the right-wing, or Conservative ethos, supports things like the fossil fuel industry, unbridled industrial growth, mega-corporate industry domination, deregulation, worker exploitation, and a host of other nasty things that many in society have come to see as detrimental to the health of the planet and all the living things on it.

The new world is one represented by the Liberal ethos, which is equal opportunity, renewable energy, environmentally responsible business practices, worldwide free trade, support for the arts, individual empowerment, and a host of other things that many in the world can still only dream about, but would dearly desire.

In the country where I live (Canada), we see this clash of cultures within our own borders but also in our immediate neighbour to the south, the United States. I’m certain that, if I made it my business to find out, I would see this clash of cultures and ideologies is happening to some extent in most areas of the world. Many are suppressed by authoritarian governments that have made it a serious crime to even espouse Liberal thinking.

Here in Canada we currently have a Liberal government reliant to a great degree on an uneasy partnership with the NDP, our labour party. This partnership is actually a good thing because it means that, at least federally, the Conservatives, who are in as much disarray as the Republicans in the US, really do not have the ability to control legislation. If they did, there is a lot of stuff that would not get done, because of the corporate tax breaks, and privatization measures they would put in place.

So if you were to go riding in a balloon high above Canada and the US, you would see pretty much nothing but chaos, but with opportunity and hope growing up like beautiful flowers in the cracks that this chaos has caused. Add to this the Covid 19 crisis that has damaged the economies in both countries and you have even more chaos.

Chaos to this extent tends to do two things.

One, it becomes a breeding ground for societal revolution, which is probably a good thing, considering the changes that need to be made in order for the world to keep from choking to death on the noxious fumes of the fossil fuel-driven industries which drive most of the world’s economies.

And two, it generally produces, or at least shines a fresh spotlight, on various types of saviours, who would be the voices of sanity, and help the world shed its uncomfortable old skin and move forward in a new, more durable one.

These saviours are not necessarily politicians. They can come from just about anywhere.

Some have been around for a while others have yet to appear. Like Malcolm Gladwell, whose latest book, The Tipping Point talks a lot about the interconnectedness of things in the world. Like Elon Musk who genuinely appears to be on a mission to save the world from a slow suffocation by building huge renewable energy ideas. Like politicians Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who are championing the Green New Deal for the American economy.  Like investment firms like Black Rock and Fidelity who have told their clients and the business community that their investment ratings will be based on their ability to incorporate renewable technologies into their businesses

The change-makers are out there. And as their influence grows, so goes the direction of the world.

These people are the big thinkers. They do not necessarily think in terms of one country or one constituency, but how their ideas will show others how it is done, and create a whole new classes of industries that have, at their core, the belief that the world is their market, because, despite what any conservative or protectionist will tell you, the world is now one vast, interconnected organism.

The Internet has created the communication vehicle through which anyone anywhere can reach anyone anywhere else easily. And the thinkers and entrepreneurial doers are stepping up and making very good use of it.

Over time, this will only increase in terms of frequency and the development of new industries to either support or be supported by the cornerstone innovations. This is where the jobs of tomorrow will come from. These are the models upon which business and industrial education will be based.

This is our world moving forward as one world, and not some random collection of vested interests trying to make a quick buck. This is a sustainable big idea, that will grow and mature and produce, through open market competition and collaboration, the new business owners and managers, and initiatives that will keep our world moving forward.

This is the Phoenix that rises from the ashes of 20th-century thinking and brings us up to speed. Give it time. Support it any way you can. It’s the best investment we all can make.