My comment below was deleted, along with a reply I put in the thread it started.
Environmentalists and concerned citizens have complained that we are allowing a new class of neuroactive pesticides to be widely used and it is causing collapse of bee populations in many parts of the world. The industry representatives point out that the bees have mites attacking them and point to this fact as evidence that their products are not to blame. In fact, bees have always had to contend with the stress of mite infestations. If they now have to deal with mites and the added stress of neonicotinoids, the combined effect may be more than they are able to deal with.
Human beings have various stressors. Several types were mentioned in this story. When we introduce unnatural stress into this mix, the combined effect may cause breakdown.
The fact that people have no ready access to a share of natural wealth is a source of stress. It means that, absent gainful employment, they can face the prospect of becoming destitute.
Whether people have access to a paying job can depend largely on macroeconomic conditions. Not something people have any control over. Having no control or autonomy is stressful.
Many people in the world live now in abject poverty. This is most certainly an unnatural condition. (There can be acute shortages in nature, depending on season, weather and localized disasters such as a flood or drought. But chronic debilitating poverty is something belonging to civilization. Most specifically, modern civilization. (In the past, as economies slowed or civilizations collapsed, people could move elsewhere to find opportunities, to seek out better living conditions. Now the systems are linked through global networks. When one area experiences a bust or collapse, other areas will be affected. And there is no wilderness that people can flee to as the system turns to chaos.)
If we were to share natural wealth equally, then the stress of unemployment would be substantially reduced, as would the stress of being in a relatively low-paying job. People would not face the prospect of becoming destitute if they lose their job. They would still have some spending power, no matter their employment status. And, since everyone would receive their natural wealth stipend without any need to demonstrate hardship, the stress that some people feel when they are put in a position of asking for a handout would not arise.
Equal sharing of natural wealth would transform society in ways we can only begin to imagine.
No comments:
Post a Comment