THE CHALLENGE OF DISCIPLINE, FRUGALITY AND LONG-TERM PLANNING






A Study in Thought

sa051



by





Marius Heuff

Chapter 1

Content

Time is the problem.
How can many billions of people live on a small planet without discipline, frugality and long-term planning?
Do not take your fortunate circumstances for granted.
We behave like a spoiled child, not knowing what to play with, first.
Who is going to be "the audience"?
A look into the future.
The potential confusion, chaos and despair of future existence.
Welcome to the world of my thoughts.
I exist only in your mind.
The past has to have meaning for the living generations.
How I reacted to the past I was aware of.
I promise, that I will always do my best.

Time is the problem, because I do not know, what the situation is for you, my dear reader. If my contemporaries had bothered to read my work, it would have been easier to keep my audience in mind. I still have hope, that they will read me, because even the title suggests that this work is primarily intended for those, who live in my time, or shortly thereafter.

It may well be, that, for you, the reader of the future, the goals outlined in the title of this essay, have long since been fulfilled, and, you may ask yourselves with a slight sense of bewilderment, how anyone can think, that it could be possible for many billions of people to live on a small planet in equality and dignity, without adopting stringent attitudes of discipline, frugality and careful long-term planning.

I really hope, that this will be the case. I really hope, that, at some time in the future, a generation of human beings will look at this essay and say to itself; "Well, this is old hat. This is so self-evident, that we do not have to concern ourselves with the writings of this old fellow, way back in the turbulent history of the nuclear age".

I really hope, that this will happen, some day, but, if it does happen; if, indeed, at some time in the future, man has been able to straighten out his affairs, to control his appetites and instincts, to give all human beings an essential equality of existence and opportunity, if, indeed, the future of mankind does hold such a fortunate achievement in store, then, I would like to say to those fortunate generations, born at the pinnacle of man's accomplishments; "Please, do read on; at least, do not become complacent about man's achievements, and, do not take your fortunate circumstances of global peace and harmony for granted. If you do take these fortunate circumstances for granted, you will not survive, and, your children may again have to struggle to rebuild the remnants of civilisation, because you squandered them in ignorance and neglect. I hope, that you are deeply aware of the past, and, I hope, that you know, how easy it is to lose this status of privilege and well-being.

However, it is far more likely, that this utopia of global equality, frugality and justice, is as much a dream and a goal to be accomplished for your generation, as it was for mine. Actually, my generation still has no clear ideas into what direction we have to develop, in order to find long-term viability. My generation still believes, by and large, that happiness is an ever spiraling consumption of all sorts of goods, services and exciting stimuli.

My generation represents only an early stage of puberty in the development of the human psyche. We behave like a child that has been spoiled. We are like a child, who has so many toys and gadgets at its disposal, that it does not know what to play with, first. It runs from one to the other, quickly losing interest in all of them. In the mean time, this spoiled child is wasting resources at a gigantic rate, and, it is polluting the earth disastrously, but, you can not tell this child anything. It will not listen. It goes frantically on its merry ways, but, soon, it will have to learn its first painful lesson, when it discovers, at about the same time, the twin problems of diminishing resources and escalating pollution.

Perhaps, my dear reader, you represent a member of the society of man, a little further-on in its development. Perhaps, your generation has learned to see, clearly, that the rate of consumption has to be slowed-down for those who live in affluent societies, while the level of existence of the majority of the peoples on earth has to be brought-up to a level, where, at least, the minimum requirements for a healthy and dignified existence have been fulfilled.

It is likely, that your generation is much more aware of the awesome pollution problems than we are. After all, my generation started this gigantic accumulation of pollution and waste, but your generation may have inherited a long-standing and cumulative pollution problem from your forefathers.

Do not tell me what you think of us. I know, and, I am ashamed for all the problems we have caused you. However, you will have to face the reality as you find it, because we are nothing more than a shadow in history, and, the awareness of what we did in the past depends, entirely, on the way you see us. Only in your minds, (the awarenesses of the living generations), is the past still an existing reality, just as the past exists for us, only, in so far as we are aware of it and care to think about it.

We have discovered, only recently, the mechanisms of natural evolution, and, it has been my self-imposed task, done with a great deal of pleasure, to think about the nature of human existence and behaviour in the light of these concepts about natural evolution, including the general imagery that has become available to us from a variety of scientific disciplines. In this essay, I am trying to outline the ideas and concepts of my generation, at least, so far as they relate to my particular interpretation of reality. My primary concerns point, so clearly, to the need to halt this crazy rush towards ever-increasing consumption, waste and impoverishment.

Time is the problem, not so much in the sense, that I do not have sufficient time to write, because I am in the fortunate position that I am free to devote as much time as I want to thinking and writing. The problem is to visualise the time-span in which this essay may have become relevant to a number of people. I know, that, writing only for my contemporaries will be a waste of time, because I do not believe that they are going to take note, but, to visualise who may be interested in these writings in the future, is more difficult.

As I mentioned, it is highly unlikely, that the utopia of global equality and frugality has been reached by the time you are reading this, but, it is also highly unlikely, that the next few generations will have been able to continue this mad rush of escalating levels of consumption, which we are now experiencing. Therefore, I think, or guess, that, most of the generations who may be interested in this essay, will have learned from the lessons of disastrous pollution and dwindling resources, and, they will have come to the conclusion, that they have to move into a direction represented by the title of this essay.

Yet, it is also likely, that the confusion, chaos and despair of contemporary existence, the existence you find yourself in, my dear reader, is so intense, that it may be very helpful to spell-out in detail, and with great clarity, what, exactly, we visualise as a state of global justice and harmony; how we are going to get there, and, what is needed to preserve such an ultimate achievement.

We know, now, quite well, that the periods of harmony, justice and achievement are short-lived for any social environment. We have, now, a little more insight into the reasons, why this is the case, and, we have also some ideas about the way we can prevent, or, at least, delay the onset of decay for a successful social structure.

It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you to the world of my thoughts. You probably do not realise, how important you are for me. Actually, you are, together with the other people who are interested in my work, you are, collectively, the Creator of my spirit. You breathe life in me, because, as a living human being I have already passed-away a long time ago. I exist only in your minds. My thoughts are re-created by you, the living generations, and, my thoughts are only re-created by you, if I, or rather, my thoughts, are able to be of some assistance to you. Only, if I can be relevant for you, in one way or another, only, then, will you bother to think my thoughts, to contemplate and digest the numerous ideas that have been scattered in such a profusion all over my works. Only, if I, or my thoughts, mean something to you, only, then, will you resurrect me.

You see, now, how important you are for me. If you are not around, I just lie here, life-less, silent, utterly helpless, gathering dust as a shelved book. When you pick me up, and, when you are willing to read me carefully and thoughtfully, then, I will be able to find a spot of fertile soil in your mind, and, I will become part of you.

This may all sound a little strange and mystical, but, if you think about it, you will see that I am right. My past has been re-created in my mind and given existence by me, a still living member of humanity, but, for you, I am part of your past. I can only exist, just like anyone else who has lived, if you breathe life into me, and, I know, that you will only do this, if I mean something to you.

You are not going to resurrect me, if I do not mean anything to you, is it not? You have no obligations to me, and, if I am a bore to you, you will let me sit right here, on the shelf. I know, how you will react to me, because I react exactly the same way towards those, who have lived in my past. Do you think that I am going to read, think about, or listen to, anyone, if I do not care one iota about what this individual had to say? Of course not. I let him stay where he is, but, I look with a great deal of care and admiration towards those people whose works mean a great deal to me.

Even, then, I am far more interested in their works than in their existence as a human being. However, from time to time, I feel an urge to learn a little more about the past existence of the artist or scientific worker who has caught my fancy. But, if an individual does not fire my imagination, or, if he or she has not given me a moment of beauty and truth, I am completely indifferent towards this person.

Is it a deal? If I am irrelevant to you, it is completely justified to ignore me, but, if there is somewhere a vague feeling in your mind, that you should have a closer look at what I have to say, I beg you to give my works a try. I promise, that I will always do my best. I may not always succeed in holding your attention, but, you may be sure, that I am always honest.

I may be a bore, because I am not funny, and, I am not trying to entertain you. On the other hand, I do not try to deceive you, either. You will not be snowed-under with irrelevant quotations or an impressive list of "authorities". You will get my thoughts "straight from the mind", so to speak, perhaps, a little garbled, here and there; perhaps, somewhat repetitious and loquacious at times, because I love to talk. But, at all times, it will be me, and, it will be me, trying my best. If I do not have anything to say, I do not write. If I feel that things are going well, I may write at great length, and I am likely to repeat myself.

Is it a deal? I hope you will give it a try. It is not always going to be easy. Often, the thoughts will appear strange and difficult, in particular, if you have had no prior exposure to my work. To those of you who have come to love my work, I like to say; "Bless you, my dear people; you are my life and blood. Let us continue to search for a viable way of living together, as well as a useful way of looking at ourselves and the realities around us"

.......

Chapter 2

Content

Time is the essence of our existence.
Dialogue with a reader.
We are too tired to be furious at previous generations.
Doubts about the wonder and awe of existence.
The world; a cess-pool.
Across a gap of countless generations, man is still subjected to the same emotions.
A sense of nostalgia about the infancy of the technological era.
Becoming nostalgic, whenever "we are on top of the world".
Playing, happily, on a garbage dump.
We do not lose hope, as long as viability has not been lost.
The most significant human accomplishment ever; man contributed more to the earth than he took from it.
The tasks of cleaning up.
Preventing, rather than curing an illness; a number of questions.
What is the point in talking about prevention, after the disaster has taken place?
No-one listened.
Many historical events were cataclysmic in nature.
Let me try to be persuasive.
The crucial responsibility of being a parent and a guardian of our cultural heritage.
We reflect, because we want to understand, and, we want to understand, in order to avoid making the same mistakes and being swept-up in cataclysmic events that spiral beyond our control.

Time is the problem, and time is the essence of our existence. We exist only for such a short period of time, between our birth and our death, and during these few years, we think about the essence of this existence, only, for a few short moments.

"You are getting sentimental", you may tell me with a frown; "Our existence is rarely such an awareness of bliss and wonder, that we start to think with awe about the mystery of this existence. You are right about the problems we inherited from you and other generations, and, we often feel tired. We are tired of the struggle, the eternal problems of pollution and contamination. Large parts of the world have become cess-pools, where all kinds of dangerous chemicals and nuclear waste-products lay stock-piled, and, once in a while, a major leak occurs into the atmosphere or a water-system".

"While your generation could walk, nearly everywhere, without any special precautions, we have to be very careful, and, we have to monitor constantly the air we breathe, as well as the water and food we take. Often, we have to wear protective clothing and masks to guard against serious harm".

"We are often too tired to be furious at our ancestors. We consider ourselves lucky, so far, that we have the technology to keep most of the pollutants confined to these gigantic waste-disposal dumps, which successive generations have built-up. Actually, during the last four or five generations, we have learned not to add to the pollution problems, but, we really do not have the means, the energy, nor the organisation to clean-up those dumps".

"This task will have to be done, we know, and, it will probably be man's most formidable task, yet. Certainly, it is a task that will be much more difficult and much less glamorous than the exploration of space, but, we know, that it has to be done, if we want to give the next generations a chance"

I have listened in silence to this voice of the future, because I did not know, how bad the situation had become. In my time, we just talked about the problems of pollution, but, we were not really confronted with them on a large scale. Here and there, a small pollution problem existed, when a company or a government had been careless in its waste-disposal management, but, it was relatively easy to clean-up the mess and dump the dangerous garbage into more remote areas; deep into the ground, or, into the oceans. I guess, these disposal sites grew into the gigantic dumps your generations are now confronted with.

I appreciate, now, that you find our concerns about the wonder and awe of existence rather sentimental and infantile. The joy and innocence of the awareness of existence must have disappeared. You, people of the future, you all know the evolutionary facts of existence, and, you are all too clearly aware of the past generations, their ignorance and their mistakes.

Your natural environment is only a shadowy reminder of what it was during my life-time. The air, even, the breeze from the sea, has an odour, a smell, a repugnant reminder of the time, when nearly all the petro-chemical resources were burnt-up in a short period of time. The sulfur and the dust are still around, and, the seas still show signs of the catastrophic oil-spills and other industrial pollutants that were washed or dumped into them.

Nearly all of the larger sea-animals have died. None of the whales have survived, and very few of the other sea-mammals still exist. Here and there, a small herd clings tenaciously to a precarious existence, but most beaches are dead. Much of the sea-life has disappeared, and, huge areas are covered with slimy algae, while a great many species' of mammals and birds have become extinct.

You know from your studies in history, how, in the beginning of the evolution of pollution, it was relatively easy to revive the river-systems and lakes which had suffered badly. Simply, a marked reduction of the flow of pollutants into these systems was sufficient for the regenerative powers of nature to clean-up the pollutants and restore an ecologcial niche for many life-forms.

However, the point was reached, fairly soon afterwards, where the rate of pollution became so gigantic and so overwhelming, that it led to permanent changes in the atmosphere, the seas, as well as all the terrestial eco-systems. A very large number of species' became extinct almost overnight, and, the peoples of the world have lived, ever since, in constant fear for their lives. Certainly, their health and the quality of life have become a constant source of thought and concern.

No wonder, that the outlook of later generations became gloomy, and, I am not surprised, that you do not want to hear me meditate upon the wonders of human existence. Perhaps, your generation is becoming so tired of the constant struggle, that you are thinking about giving-up. Perhaps, your ideas about an ideal way of existence is to exist no more, and, to free the future generations from the drudgery of daily life; by letting the human species become extinct as well.

Time is a problem for you, too, then, as your generation wonders and debates, whether or not it is worthwhile to continue the struggle for survival. Across the gap of countless generations, man is still subjected to essentially the same emotions, and, if you look into your historical awarenesses of past events and personalities, I think, that you will agree, that man has, indeed, always been subjected to the moods of depression and euphoria.

We all are prone to a feeling of nostalgia, and, I agree with you, that your generation, as well as generations still to come, will have many good reasons to feel a sense of nostalgia, when reflecting upon the relative ease of existence with which man lived during the infancy of the "technological revolution".

Yet, we all have periods of nostalgia, mixed with a bitter-sweet reminiscence about things gone by, and, it is remarkable, that man has always experienced the mood-swings between depression and euphoria, regardless of the actual conditions of existence. We may be extremely elated and happy, if we see that help is in sight; that we are on the verge of being rescued from a difficult or life-threatening situation. Our strongest emotions of happiness and gratitude are reserved for the deliverance from a strongly stressful situation, because the sense of happiness and gratitude seems to be related to the rate of improvement, rather than the existence of a status-quo. Indeed, we may become nostalgic and depressed, when we are, so to speak, "on top of the world", just because of the fact, that we are missing the experience of a dramatic rate of improvement.

It is understandable, that a whole generation may feel tired after a ceaseless struggle against the deadly and ugly evil of pollution, but, look at your children, and you will see, that they can find happiness while playing on a garbage dump.

Only when we realise, how much better a situation could have been with a little foresight by us or our parental generations, only, then, are we subjected to a feeling of tiredness and despair. Our children take the situation "as is" for granted, and, it matters little, really, whether this situation "as is", is a highly favourable and privileged position, or a position of poverty, squalor and bleakness. As long as they receive the love and protection from their parents, and, as long as their most pressing needs for food and shelter are taken care of, they will be able to find happiness with their playmates, while, literally, playing on a garbage dump. I have seen this myself, and, I have experienced this personally, because I spend a part of my early childhood in a concentration camp.

Look at your children. All they care about is your affection and attention, and, if you do the best you can for them, they will be grateful to you. Would you really want to deny them the chance to live? Do you really want to make the decision for them, whether or not they should live?

I did not think so. You see, here again, you are sharing a sensation, a feeling, or an intuitive conclusion, with people throughout the ages, and, this feeling is a reflection of a mood of despair, but it is not really based on a sound and logical sequence of thoughts.

If you and your generation would experience an ever more threatening situation; if your children would be born with major birth-defects, or, if your life-expectancy would be constantly shorter and more miserable, then, it would be logical and justified to make a deliberate end to a situation, which, you know, and the generations before you knew, can never improve. Then, viability has already been irrevocably lost, and, you would know, with complete intellectual certainty, that the species of mankind is doomed to extinction within a few short and miserable generations. In this case, it would be logical to make a quick end to a doomed existence, but I believe that you are not in such a hopeless situation, as yet.

You mentioned, that the last few generations have been able to hold their own. Your generations, as well as the generations preceding you, have already achieved this gigantic accomplishment not to have left the earth in a worse condition than it was when they were born. Certainly, my generation never accomplished this. It never even thought about it.

Would it not be possible to improve the situation somewhat, if your generation really made a gigantic effort? Perhaps, the size of the pollution problem and the number of garbage dumps is so large, that you feel discouraged even thinking about them, but, think about your pride and achievement, if, after a life-time of hard work, you could tell your children and grand-children, that your generation left the earth in a slightly better condition than it was, when you were born. This would be a first; a monumental achievement, perhaps, not as glamorous as you would like it to be, but, I am sure, that, many generations later, the living members of mankind will remember, with great affection and admiration, your time-period, as well as your existence in the evolution of mankind, when, for the first time in history, a generation of the species of mankind contributed more to the earth than it took-away during the fulfilment of its needs and wants as a living species.

Perhaps, the accomplishment of your particular generation would be small. It may be so small, that it would appear to be insignificant. Perhaps, all you can point to, with a cautious pride after a life-time of hard work, is the fact, or the apparent fact, that the level of one pollutant or another, has dropped slightly, here and there; in the atmosphere, or in your water-systems. Perhaps, your generation will never be sure, whether it accomplished anything at all, and, the only fact you may be able to point to, is the fact, that you made an effort and worked as hard as you could.

Perhaps, you can begin to clean-up the large waste-disposal sites. If you search through your archives, you may get a clearer picture about their size, location and contents. Perhaps, your archives can inform you about the nature and origin of the main waste-products that have been stored, and, you may be able to find-out, how you can destroy or neutralise some of this waste safely. Perhaps, you can incinerate some of the more stable toxic and deadly chemical compounds, until they disintegrate into relatively harmless substances. Perhaps, you can even find a use for the less toxic waste. Maybe, there is, even, a way to build enough rockets to send the most dangerous toxic waste on its way to the sun.

The task will be gigantic, and the entire world population will have to make a concerted effort. Perhaps, as much as ninety percent of all your efforts over several generations will have to be spent in cleaning-up the earth and preventing further pollution. Such an effort would, indeed, be unparalleled in the history of mankind, and, it would require an enormous amount of self-discipline, coordination, frugality in living habits, as well as carefully thought-out, long-term planning. Yet, such a mundane goal may turn-out to be man's most significant undertaking during its entire evolutionary history.

Even, if a generation is not faced with the severity of problems as we have sketched above, it will be clear, that, such an effort does, indeed, require the utmost in hard work, a minimum of luxuries or pleasures, as well as a tenacious, long-term approach to overwhelming problems. The question is, still, at least, for the contemporary generations; do we have to let ourselves get into such a desperate situation? Would it not be so much simpler to avoid such a disaster; by preventing the pollution and contamination of the earth on such a scale?

Would it not be much simpler to curb our insatiable appetites for energy, now, in order to avoid the disastrous pollution of an uncontrollable nuclear waste in the future? Would it not be better to curb our use of petro-chemicals, so that we avoid burning these non-renewable resources for unnecessary energy needs? Would it not be much easier to slow-down the rate of consumption to the point, that we satisfy our basic requirements, regardless where we live or what position we occupy in society? Would it not be better to abandon this mad rush to live a life of ostentatious affluence and competitive rivalry, while forgetting about the glaring discrepancies between those, who suffocate in abundance, and, those, who starve to death?

As long as we are obsessed by our competitive passions and desire to show-off our success in an ostentatious life-style of abundance, we only sow the seeds of envy and hatred, and, we infect the lesser developed nations with a blind desire to emulate this mad consumptive rush of affluent existence.

Reader, you have noticed, that I started to talk to my contemporaries, and, you are shaking your head, because you know, that they did not listen. You know, that it took a very long time, before people finally began to realise, that mankind was indeed on the road to disaster. You know, how, finally, the momentum of mad consumerism came to an end, but, by this time, the damage had been done, and the damage was staggering, overwhelming and truly gigantic in scope.

"Stop talking to your contemporaries", you tell me. "What is the point in talking about prevention, after the disaster has already taken place? What use is it to know, how easy and effortlessly this tragedy could have been avoided with a little foresight? Why did your generation, and the next, and the next, refuse to listen to the voices of reason and common sense?"

You know the answer. We all know the answer, why no-one listened. Society was so riddled with hostilities, suspicions and corrupt attitudes, that the voice of reason was dumb. It was there, allright, in retrospect, and, many people, even before the collapse, heard the voice of reason and common-sense, but, they were powerless to change the momentum of these events. At least, everyone thought that they were powerless to do anything about the impending disasters, and, this is the reason, why everyone watched in silence, in a state of complete inertia, as the events escalated and became a gigantic catastrophe.

You know what happened, and, I do not have to elaborate any futher. It happened, and, we all have to live with the fact, that it did happen. Even the Christians, way back in history, have lamented that all their miseries could have been prevented, if Eve had not eaten from the apple, but, the point is, that it did happen. Eve did eat from the forbidden fruit and set into motion a course of events that could not be undone. Mankind had experienced the disaster of having fallen into Original Sin, at least, according to the Christian interpretation of reality.

As they lamented the incorrigeable sinful nature of man, people watched as the cataclysm took place. Why? We will always wonder, why it was not possible to avoid this catastrophic collapse, but, if we look through the history of mankind, we see, that most historical happenings were cataclysmic in nature.

Perhaps, later, something good came out of a dramatic shift in the circumstances, such as a conquest, a civil war, or the misery and suffering of one sort of upheaval or another, but, during each disaster, people must have thought that man could not recover from such a blow. Man always recovered, or, someone else took-over, while the participants in a disastrous event faded from the scene. Man may still be able to recover from the follies and events of the past, but, it would indeed be ironic, if man had finally developed the insight that all these cataclysmic events, as well as most of the suffering, could have been avoided with a little foresight, just at the time when the last and final cataclysmic event proved to be man's undoing.

Come on, my friend, give your children a chance. Give your children the gift which no generation has been able to give its younger generations, as yet. Give your youngsters a viable planet upon wich they can live; a planet that is in better shape than the planet you inherited from your parental generations. Think about this gift and its possibilities. It is the most monumental gift any generation can make. It is a greater gift than any scientific or artistic gift. It is a gift, that is even more important, and more relevant, than the gifts or promises made in the past, when the problems of mankind seemed to have been solved by the coming of a Saviour who promised Eternal Life.

Well, is it not remarkable? Here, I am, giving you a lecture, while I have just been revived by your willingness to read me. I should stop giving lectures, but, let me try to be persuasive. Let me try to show you, that we may, indeed, have moments, where we reflect with gratitude upon the fact that we are alive, and, let me show you, that such moments of gratitude are, in essence, independent from a position of well-being.

We may be relatively comfortable, with the good fortune of having been born in freedom and with a tendency to reflect, or, we may have become sensitive to an experience of beauty, as well as a sense of duty and responsibility, but, regardless of the specifics of our circumstances, at some time during our life we become the main link in the viability of the human species. Then, we are carrying, perhaps, only for a few short years, this crucial responsibility of being a parent to our offspring and a guardian for the cultural heritage we have to transmit to the younger generations.

For a few short years, an awful lot depends on our abilities and attitudes. While we are rarely aware of the crucial importance of this period when it is actually taking place, (we are too busy solving the practical problems we are confronted with), it is important that we take stock, from time to time, about what we are doing. We have to think about our position in life, our existence, purpose and tasks. Without a period of reflection, we will not be able to learn from past mistakes.

Reflection is like a process of molting. We discard, perhaps, not completely, but, in several major aspects, a well-worn and well-accepted mental framework of beliefs, notions and opinions, and, we put-together, slowly, a new structure of beliefs. We will use many of the old mental building-blocks, but, the new framework of our conceptual relationships is richer, more varied, more lucid and more comprehensive. It allows us to grasp realities with a broader point of view, and, it will make us more sensitive to the commonly shared factors of human existence.

This is the real function and purpose of reflection, and, it is not a sentimental pass-time. Unfortunately, many people are only able to utter rather incoherent feelings, whenever they experience a period of turmoil and confusion. Let us not confuse these fragmentary utterings of emotional turmoil with the ultimate meaning and purpose of a period of psychological renewal. We reflect, because we want to understand, and we want to understand, because we want to avoid a perpetuation of those useless, but seemingly inevitable catastrophic and cataclysmic events that represent the major features of human history.

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Chapter 3

Content

How much time will we have to learn?
"You have had your time".
The dialogue continues.
A look back at "our times".
The rotten fruits of unbridled affluence.
The Socialist societies.
In a broad historical perspective, events look nearly inevitable.
Dictatorships of the Right or the Left.
The evolutionary transformation of Marxism.
The problems associated with an abundance of justice and security.
Computer technology and the flowering of the "guided economies".
A lean, flexible and viable bureaucratic "nervous system".
The emergence of a globally acceptable philosophy of human existence.
A look back at the all-pervasive influence of commercial interests.
A reaction to the attitudes and practices of unbridled consumerism.
The problems of affluence made people introvert and insensitive to the plight of others.
An equalising trend in productive capabilities is being hampered by protectionist tendencies.
The terror of nuclear blackmail.
The fateful decades of nuclear terrorism.
Humanity had been slipping, for many years, into a continuously deteriorating terrestial environment.
The global society, and the gradually emerging awareness, that the standard of living had to be cut-back even more.
A period of cultural flowering.
We always begin to take our comforts and well-being for granted.
A built-in tolerance for a certain margin of error and disaster.
Before and after the "Nuclear Revolution".
We have to live very cautiously.
A description of the future, as seen by an imaginary future reader.
After the monologue, I laid-back and rested quietly.

The problem is time. How much time do we have to learn our lessons? Will we have enough time to avoid falling into disasters of our own making? Will there be enough time to learn about ourselves, and, to take the course of destiny in our own, rational hands?

"You have had your time", I hear you say; "You, as a member of a previous generation, had lots of time to learn, how to prevent the problems we have inherited. Our major problem, a problem which may yet cause our demise, as well as the extinction of the human species, is a problem we inherited, primarily, from your generation".

"Please, do not lecture us about understanding ourselves. We understand ourselves better than you understood yourself. We understand your generation quite well, and, we have come to the conclusion, that man's insights were extremely poor, in particular, during the early phases of the "technological revolution".

"Yet, you are right. In the generations that followed your's, it became gradually clear, that the outcome of man's destiny rested, primarily, in his own hands. The idea, that man could shape the course of his destiny with rational decisions became gradually accepted, and, our survival, in spite of these gigantic pollution problems, is due to the fact, that we have learned to work together to an extent that would have been unimaginable in your time".

"We had to work very hard, and, we learned to be very careful and prudent, before we reached the stage, where we did not add to the burdens of pollution. The level of discipline and frugality we have been living with for several generations, would have been beyond comprehension for the affluent societies of your time".

"Do you know what amazes me most, when I look back at the historical times you are writing in? It is this brazen confidence and unfounded faith your generations displayed towards the newly developed technologies. Certainly, I realise, that a few people had been warning their societies, quite vigorously, against the dangers of pollution, nuclear waste, oil-spills and other, man-made ecological disasters, but, it took a remarkable series of serious mishaps, before a majority of the people began to pay attention to these warnings. Because of this slow development of an adequate level of insight about the dangers of rapidly expanding technologies and economies, your politicians were too slow to react properly".

"A majority of political leaders of this period in history came to power by promising ever more prosperity and consumable wealth, and, it is logical, that they were reluctant to endorse a ban on nuclear power and call a halt to the exploration of ecologically vulnerable areas, such as the habitats of wild-life and other areas with unique ecological conditions, including the arctic and antarctic regions".

"In the beginning of the campaign to curb the building of nuclear power-plants, there was little insight by those, who were so fervently in favour of shutting-down all nuclear reactors, that the phasing-out of nuclear power would mean a very drastic reduction in the level of energy consumption, and, ultimately in the level of all consumption, or "affluence".

"During this time in history, (the era you were writing in), the idea that the "good life" was, necessarily, a life of affluence, was still nearly unchallenged. In a way, of course, they were right. A life of affluence and luxury is attractive, and, it will always be attractive, in particular, for those, who have been exposed to glaring discrepancies between the rich and the poor, but, who never actually tasted the rotten fruits of unbridled affluence".

"Because a relatively small segment of the world population was able to exhibit an ostentatious life-style of unbridled affluence, the desire for luxuries spread through the entire globe. Even societies that adopted a stringent social doctrine of essential equality for all its members, were not immune to the trappings and lure of a luxurious and affluent way of life".

"The Socialist societies went through a difficult period, especially, when they could not compete in affluence and technological development with societies that gave a much free-er reign to the forces of free-enterprise and personal initiative. As a result, most Socialist societies were tempted to compromise their Socialist ideals and introduced, again, the possibilities, and problems, of free-enterprise, and, especially, the problems of disparity and capital accumulation, class division and elitism".

"This was a sad and retrogressive development, because millions of people all over the world had endured great hardships and sacrificed their lives for the ideals of the democratic principles of essential equality and justice for all, and, now, for the sake of quick technological and economic progress, many Socialist leaderships were tempted to tamper with the ideals that had been handed-down to them by their pioneering generations".

"Yet, if we look at these developments in a broad perspective, we see, that they were logical, even, necessary. The peoples and leaders of the Socialist societies had no clear insight, nor did they want to acknowledge, that the doctrines, which they tried so faithfully to adhere to, were inadequate to deal with their problems".

"Socialist leaderships had to work with a somewhat archaic and out-moded philosophy, which had not been updated to deal with the consequences of success and victory. Dogmatic Socialism, or "Marxism", was still based, primarily, upon the "class-struggle", but, it did not give clear guidelines about the common features of human existence; after the struggle had been won and the trends towards divergence and dissent had reared their head".

"The central concern of the Marxist philosophy was to gain power by force and to eliminate a ruling and wealthy elite, but, the philosophy was not very clear about what to do, when this primary task had been accomplished. In their obsession with the struggle against their enemies within society, Dogmatic Socialism did not even come to grips, for a long time, with the principles of popular representation".

"After a successful uprising against a hated, exploitative, ruling elite, the Revolutionary Councils would automatically represent the people, at least, for a while, but, the absence of a clear-cut emphasis upon fair and open elections from a political spectrum of leadership candidates, led, all too often, to the replacement of one dictatorial regime, of the "right", with another dictatorial regime; this time of the "left".

"Only after Marxism underwent a thorough transformation and based itself solidly upon Constitutional Principles and regular democratic elections with a tolerance for diversity of political opinion, only, then, became it possible for the Socialist Doctrines to handle effectively the problems of leadership succession, as well as those of diversity of opinion and dissent."

"Eventually, Marxist societies agreed, under continuous international pressures, to set-up mechanisms for genuine elections from a spectrum of political candidates, as well as a popularly elected "Chief Executive". Only, when the Communist Party was willing to seek a renewed mandate from the people and dared to accept the possibility of an electoral defeat, only, then, did Socialist societies really begin to prosper and solved, finally, the problem, why these centrally guided economies performed so poorly compared to the free-enterprise societies."

"As always, the answers turned-out to be relatively simple, after a clear analysis had been made of the situation. In their zeal to organise the life of their members from the cradle to the grave, with the benefits of unlimited justice and security for all, the Socialist societies were naively unaware of two major obstacles. In the first place, they lacked the technical expertise to organise a lean and effective bureaucracy to carry-out such an ambitious task as regulating all social and economic activities".

"As long as the people and the bureaucrats were inspired by the ideals of justice and had faith in their work for the common good, such a complex bureaucracy worked remarkably well, in spite of the obvious lack of controls, checks and balances. However, as soon as disappointment and inertia set in, there were no mechanisms within such a bureaucracy to pin-point the problems and outline the proper corrective measures".

"Only after the introduction of computer technology and the philosophy of social transparence, became it possible to shape and maintain a truly efficient and lean bureaucracy that was able to perform its many and complex tasks with real expertise. Finally, the bureaucratic structures were up to the task expected from them".

"This was such a slow and gradual process, that its accomplishment went nearly unnoticed, but, in a broad, historical perspective, the immense importance is easy to see, because, for the first time in human history, the larger and complex societies had, finally, a bureaucratic nervous system that made these societies, open, fair, flexible, lean, and, above all, viable over a prolonged period of time".

"The other major development which had to take place, before the Socialist Doctrines acquired a solid and globally accepted foundation, was the emergence of a comprehensive and acceptable philosophy of man. Look at the time you were writing. The perceptions of reality were still confused. A number of major religious view-points were still popular and often dominant. They were often vigorously at odds with each other, as well as with the sciences".

"The sciences had begun to trace a more comprehensive picture of man, but it remained hidden, for a long time, by the fragmented organisation and appearance of the various scientific disciplines. Science reflected during this time the competitive, free-enterprise philosophy of mankind, and, for this reason, the scientific knowledge and insights of even the most gifted workers remained hidden under deeply encrusted layers of existential anxieties, egocentric jockeying for prestigious academic positions, as well as a haphazard and somewhat confused reporting by the press".

"The press and the public media, in particular, the far-reaching electronic media, had just been developed, but, in the free-enterprise societies, these media were completely dominated by the commercial interests and the motives for profit. For this reason, reporters and journalists had to "sell" their stories. They had to write "exciting" material, and, the titillation of curiosity and other sentiments was the primary goal of their work; not the honest and balanced reporting of complex topics and issues".

"These trends hampered the development of true expertise and a sense of beauty for a balanced and in-depth study. In the hectic atmosphere of profits and losses, people had no time to admire the quiet beauty of a well thought-out, broadly-viewed report on a particular subject or problem. As a result, the broad correlations of scientific and other insights suffered from a nearly complete lack of attention, while the spectacular tid-bits of information gained instantaneous publicity".

"It is not difficult to appreciate the fact, that such an approach to the reporting of scientific developments aggravated the appearance of confusion and contradiction in the world of science, as well as in the society as a whole".

"Yet, slowly, more and more people began to realise, that these trends could not continue indefinitely. Sometimes, there was, even, a sharp, but temporary reaction by a generation brought-up in affluence and luxury, which turned, naively and nostalgically, to a glorification of the past. Unfortunately, their attitudes and insights were generally irrealistic and did not prove to have an enduring influence".

"No, the change came not from those, who radically rejected everything within their society, but, from those, who realised, that they had to become much more selective about what they wanted to accept. These people had already become immune to the grotesque barrage of advertising, and, they had learned about the draw-backs and pit-falls of financial enslavement. While a majority of people still responded, frantically, to the multitude of conflicting stimuli and demands which came at them from all sides, the people, who became, eventually, a powerful and lasting voice for change, initially, just watched, observed and thought-about the events and phenomena that were taking place".

"Slowly, a more coherent way of thinking developed. This led to a more sensible way of life and co-incided with a halting of the processes of economic expansion. Rather suddenly, most societies came to the conclusion, that it was not possible, anymore, to keep expanding their economies and to keep promising the peoples ever-rising levels of affluence".

"The problems associated with an affluent way of life had made most people introvert. They began to pay less and less attention to the plight of the poor and oppresed. However, the lessening of affluent dominance over the poorer nations, meant, also, an end to colonial and neo-colonial exploitation, and, while the rich were stagnating and slowly weakened by internal strife and indecision, the developing nations started to improve their economies and, especially, their social structures".

"The ideals of popularly elected government spread, rapidly, all over the globe. Corruption and exploitation, as well as violations of human rights, were less and less tolerated. The tensions within the poorer nations eased considerably, as they got rid of their parasitic and exploitative elites, which had lost their support from the wealthier nations".

"The output in manufacturing rose dramatically, as the lesser developed nations, quickly, outstripped the more affluent societies in productivity, and, this momentum continued for a number of generations, in spite of the fact, that it was interrupted, from time to time, by sharp but short-lasting trade-wars, and, occasionally, by armed confrontations".

"Ironically, the more powerful but less flexible nations usually suffered a set-back in such conflicts, because they reacted less quickly, and, fortunately, they had the wisdom to avoid making use of their nuclear weaponry. A few nuclear explosions did occur, but, most of them were accidental detonations. A series of ruthless terrorist attacks, eventually, succeeded, through nuclear blackmail, to forge an equalisation in the standards of living".

"Few of the people who lived through the terror of nuclear blackmail, would have been able to see any benefit from these attacks, and thousands of innocent people lost their lives when a few cities were actually destroyed by nuclear detonations".

However, we have to conclude in a broad, historical perspective, that these nuclear attacks accomplished, indeed, what they set-out to do. They were, indeed, largely instrumental in bringing-about a social order of essential equality on a global scale; something, which generations of conferences had never accomplished and would never have accomplished. The governments and their representatives of the rich and the poor had been talking, for centuries, about a "new economic order", but, in the final analysis, we have to agree, that the privileged nations lost their positions of dominance, not by a generous act of good-will, but, by a combination of internal strife, lassitude and terrorist pressure".

"Many historians have studied, carefully, these fateful decades of nuclear terrorism, and, we have to agree, that they have had an overall beneficial effect, and that the objectives were logical and just. We do not easily condone violence or terrorism, but there was no other way to make the rich give-up their final vestiges of power and affluence. In a way, the power of nuclear terrorism was not around long enough to be abused as a means to dominate and terrorise the earth for the benefit of a very small elite".

"Ironically, the timing of this episode of nuclear terrorism was nearly perfect, but, of course, it was not perceived this way at the time. A group of dedicated people saw an opportunity to change the world order and they took their chance. It probably succeeded, because the motivations were fueled by the ideals of justice and essential equality, and not those of ruthless exploitation or egocentric gain. Therefore, the objectives were relatively easily supported, as many people throughout the affluent nations could sympathise with the objectives, if not with the methods. In the euphoria that followed its successful conclusion, the leaders of the nations on earth had, fortunately, the will, and the foresight, to destroy all remaining nuclear weaponry".

"While the technology of making nuclear weapons remained available, the construction of a nuclear device was made very difficult, if not impossible, by the rapid rise in social transparence and monitoring techniques. No group on earth could manufacture such a weapon without being detected. We live, therefore, in a world, that is from this point of view, much safer than the period you lived in".

"However, after the successful equalisation of living standards on a global scale, the overall level of consumption remained far too high for a large number of generations. In the euphoria of having established, for the first time in man's history, something approaching a just world-order for mankind, the people did not really concern themselves adequately with the need for a true ecological balance, until it was almost too late.

"During the last six or seven generations of mankind, we have gone through one of the most important crises of awareness. In retrospect, we can now see, clearly, that humanity had been slipping for many, many generations, before, finally, the realisation dawned with sufficient force, that the members of mankind were polluting the earth to the point, that life was becoming acutely endangered. The poor had now been relatively affluent for a long enough period of time to realise, that we all had to start tackling the problems of a major cut-back in the level of consumption".

"You have to realise, that, during this time of global equality, which was established after the period of nuclear terrorism, people lived a life-style that was quite frugal compared to the standard of living in your societies. Mankind had entered upon one of its most dramatic periods of development, and the global society of justice and essential equality was established in a relatively short period of time. Many ideas that had been fermenting for a long period, came together, and, an efficient and open society was established, regulating, carefully, all the forces and mechanisms within the global society".

"Free-enterprise had sung its swan song as a philosophy of economic development, because government bureaucracies became, finally, capable of planning, efficiently, long-term production requirements. The level of education and awareness rose sharply, and, the most important contribution which this phase in the existence of man brought to future generations, was, indeed, this world-wide framework of Constitutional Guidelines, with its global institutions and the gigantic computer networks, which are still the back-bone of our societies, today, many hundreds of years later".

"Mankind fused, indeed, into a global society, and, the reality perceptions of man became shared throughout the entire species. This did not mean, however, that the reality perceptions were captured in a rigid dogma. The biological interpretation of human existence and awareness gave rise to a flexible and pragmatic view about the relativity of man's truths, and, the globally enforced equality of human rights and dignity liberated the human being to an extent which had never been experienced before".

"Nearly all our most valuable cultural treasures date from these fortunate centuries, but, as always, we can trace most of these developments far back into the history of man. Even, during your life-time, many of these roots were beginning to form, but, nearly everyone ignored the yearning for a new world order".

"Conflicts have been relatively few since this great period of global equalisation, and, we resemble more one gigantic society with extensive bureaucratic and law-enforcement structures, than a federation of societies with marked differences in their culture and internal organisation. We tend to take these conditions and contributions to a world-order now more or less for granted, in spite of the fact, that we are continuously warned against complacency".

"But, you know how numan nature is. Concerned parents may warn their well-protected and well-educated children as much as they can, but, the wisdom of their words and the validity of their warnings do not get heeded, until these children can experience for themselves the disastrous consequences of complacent attitudes".

"Once in a while, we all are shaken out of our complacency by a major mishap, and, a lengthy inquiry shows, invariably, how contemporary societies had been ignoring warning signs that were present all along the prodromal stages of the disaster in evolution".

"The problem of "habituation"; of taking the present comforts and securities for granted, seems to be unavoidable, and our forefathers already recognised this fact. Therefore, the global systems of checks and controls have a built-in tolerance for a certain margin of error. The idea was, and still is, to allow a series of relatively minor mishaps to occur. These should be of sufficient magnitude to shake a complacent and inexperienced generation out of its comfortable slumber, but, these mishaps should not be so large that they seriously impair the viability of society as a whole. Each mishap may be fatal to hundreds, or, even thousands of people, but the overall effect upon society would not, and should not, be fatal".

"Yet, with all the best possible planning and foresight of our forefathers, we are still not certain, that this system will truly protect us from a globally threatening situation. As a matter of fact, we are slowly recognising the fact, that our forefathers did, indeed, make a serious, if small, miscalculation in their long-term plans and strategies. We are slowly realising, that they erred in their estimates about the ability of the earth to sustain a certain level of consumption".

"Our forefathers required prodigious amounts of energy; not, to produce the shallow luxuries of your time, but, to create this global society with all its instutitions and safeguards for justice and essential equality. The ideals of an equal standard of living, even, if it was just a comfortable but frugal existence in a condition of health, required a gigantic development of social institutions, but, also, an extensive power-grid and numerous production facilities for the many commodities that were needed".

"It was difficult to be sure, what level of consumption could be tolerated, indefinitely, by the terrestial eco-systems. It was, indeed, not easy to determine, with great accuracy, the precise balance-point between the consumption of renewable and non-renewable resources on the one hand, and a quality of life that could be maintained for everyone, for countless generations to come, on the other. It is clear, that such calculations would have to be based on a certain limit of the total world population. Our forefathers erred on the optimistic side, and, slowly, but surely, the terrestial niche has been deteriorating in a large number of very important parameters".

"Compared to the disastrous and precipitous depletion of resources and the pollution of terrestial eco-systems, before the "nuclear revolution", the situation was so much more balanced, that, no-one gave serious thought to a truly comprehensive study of the long-term consequences and extrapolations. In a way, our forefathers were unable to make accurate predictive calculations, because the number of people allowed to exist in a program of global population management had not been established with great precision, and, the number of people, which was, eventually, allowed to exist simultaneously, was several billions higher than had been foreseen".

"As I mentioned, the environmental deterioration was initially nearly imperceptible, just as a slow leak into a large ship may go-on for a long time without serious listing, but, because these processes were cumulative, the rate at which the reserves and buffering capabilities of the earth were being depleted, began to accelerate steadily. This led to the crisis of awareness we mentioned, several generations ago. After a gigantic effort of stringent belt-tightening, stepped-up pollution controls and improved monitoring facilities, as well as a dramatic increase in the efforts to protect all arable land, we seem to have reached the point where there is now "stability".

"We have to live very cautiously, continuously vigilant against even the slightest waste or over-consumption, but, we are all able to live without hunger and in a reasonable state of health. We also have our institutions and government bureaucracies. We have not been able to add to their capacity or capabilities, but, we have been able to harnass sufficient pollution-free energy to keep them in good repair and up-to-date."

"If you could have a look at the members of our societies, you would hardly recognise them. People are not as tall or large, anymore, as they used to be, and, their average height is now slightly under one and a half meter. Their weight is down to an average of about sixty kilogram, but, they are agile, athletic, well-formed, muscular, highly intelligent and much more open and trustful than during your life-time".

"Our children are children, as always, but, our youngsters learn quickly the rather complicated and sophisticated enviromental dangers that face them everywere. People are much less belligerent than they used to be, and, their awareness of problems and opportunities, their grasp over history and the sciences, their development in the arts, literature, speech and thought, is truly remarkable. Most people can discuss any major topic in a way, that would have been the privileged terrain of a philosophically inclined individual in your time".

"Of course, they also would appear to be rather naive to you, because they do not know commercial bias, and, they would be easily deceived, since they are inclined to accept what they hear and see, at face value; much more so than people in your affluent societies. Yet, people know from history, from their education and their own experiences, what deception is".

"You would be surprised to see them use the global computer network, like people in your time may have used a dictionary or encyclopedia. Actually, people are so used to consult a source of information, that, nearly every individual, engaged in a serious conversation, will make use of computerised knowledge, several times during a discussion".

"Most young people travel economically all over the world, but, not via those energy-consuming air-planes of your time. They are participating in a globally organised Task-Force during their "Civil Service". This period of Civil Service extends over a three to five year period, and all able-bodied adolescents give a significant part of their most vigorous period in life to the well-being of the global society. During this period they are engaged in work that is, physically strenuous and mentally demanding".

"After their Civil Service, the young adults will be given a chance to further study and specialisation, and, they will then be employed as specialists in one of the many government institutions, agencies or bureaucracies, or, they will return to a more settled life, usually in the community of their origin. There, they will participate in the local society. These have been organised as essentially rural communities. They are scattered all over the world and function as centers, where people make the best possible use of the locally available resources".

"The communities receive assistance in the form of energy, primarily, electrical power, resources and materials that are not available locally, as well as communication and information links. In return, the people of a particular area or region contribute to the global society, whatever is available and useful, somewhere else".

"Yet, an atmosphere of frugal self-sufficiency prevails, because people take a natural pride in making their area a pleasant place to live and work in. However, rivalries and pride are not allowed to escalate into a fierce and non-productive competitiveness, nor, is a harmful discrepancy in living standards or a break-down in cooperation and communication allowed to develop".

"However, let me not continue to sketch our living conditions, here. I just want to emphasise, as I told you in the beginning of our conversation, that our major problems are concerned with the poor state of environmental health. I think, that you are right, and, it is clear, that we have no other alternative, but to try to clean-up these problems. We have looked at a variety of alternatives. At the moment, it seems completely impossible to transport all the really dangerous and radioactive waste-products out of the earth's eco-systems into the nuclear furnace of the sun. We just do not have the energy to do this, and, if your generation and subsequent generations had faced these questions realistically during their lifetime, we would never have developed these gigantic accumulations of waste".

"We are looking into the possibility to inject the most dangerous waste-products into the molten magma of the earth's mantle. While this is an extremely risky and difficult project, if it is successful we could get rid of the most dangerous materials, slowly and diligently. Our calculations show, that, some of it may again come into the atmosphere with volcanic eruptions, but, a large part should, eventually, become distributed rather evenly throughout the liquid core of the earth. The most dangerous chemicals will be incinerated, this way, and our nuclear waste is, hopefully, diluted sufficiently to make it less of a threat"....He paused and fell silent.

Throughout this monologue I listened intently to the remarks made by my reader of the future, and, I too, was now absorbed in thought. It was fascinating to have seen a glimpse of this future, and, I was grateful to my reader for having given me again a moment of existence. However, my reader was now looking in front of him, and, I felt myself slipping again into an existence of frozen potentialities; back into the pages, where I now belong.

My reader had, indeed, stopped reading, and, he became more energetic. Hopefully, my text had helped him to formulate a few new ideas, and, I felt happy and not at all resentful for letting me slip back into a state of non-existence. I will have be patient and wait for another reader to come along and scan through my pages; to see, whether or not there is any relevance, here. Contently, I laid back and rested quietly.

.......

Chapter 4

Content

Time is running out.
There is work to do.
Topics that are out of favour with my contemporaries.
It is so difficult to convince people of the need for self-discipline and a frugal life-style.
The trap of spending more than we can afford.
The road towards cynicism and introversion.
As a nation, we believe, that the day of reckoning never comes.
Inflation; deceiving the wage-earner and money-lender, and undermining the attitudes of saving.
The consequences of inflationary policies.
We have to drop our prices in order to become competitive again.
An institutionalised fraud.
A dependence upon economic expansion.
Inflation widens the gap between the rich and the poor.
The mortgage.
What will be the results of an economic slow-down?
The meaning of bankruptcy.
A further discussion on the consequences of "over-spending".
The slide towards terrorism.

Yes, time was a problem, because it had run-out. All I could do was to wait and see, whether or not someone else would come-along and read me. Well, let us abandon, here, the literary device of the imaginary dialogue with a future reader. There is work to do, because we have not yet begun to discuss the topics that were promised in the title. It is time to look at the definition and the implications of the attitudes of "discipline", because time will run-out, again, if we do not begin to consider these topics, now.

Perhaps, the subconscious reason, why I hesitated to plunge into the icy waters of a discussion about the principles and practices of discipline and frugality, is the fact, that these concepts are very much out of favour with my contemporaries. Not only, is it considered old-fashioned to discuss, seriously, such restrictive attitudes as discipline and self-discipline, but, the whole idea of writing a discussion is so strange and so far removed from anything that is commercially saleable, that, I know, my contemporaries will ignore me.

Yet, I would like so much, that, at least, a few would take notice, because, I honestly believe, that these concerns are very important to us all. I would like, so much, that future generations will say about us; "Look, their foresight and long-term planning, their willingness to live a more frugal life-style and adopt an attitude of discipline and self-discipline have spared us so much grief and so many serious problems, that we owe our life and our existence to the collective wisdom of our forefathers".

I know, all too well, that people are not inclined to look at something that does not appeal to them, and, I know, that it will be nearly impossible to convince my contemporaries of the need to excercise self-discipline and live a frugal life-style. Such a philosophy is even stranger than some of the more eccentric opinions and attitudes people are exposed to, and, it certainly is not the accepted philosophy of social success.

How, then, can I convince you, the average, affluent, contemporary reader, that it is necessary to excercise self-discipline; that it is necessary to cut-back our habits of consuming and buying everything in sight; that we have to carry-out long-term planning, if we want to free ourselves from a harmful way of life and a hazardous legacy for our children?

How can I show you, that it is time for us to start thinking along these lines? Perhaps, there is a way to do it. There is a well-known experience in our affluent societies, which could convince us that it is time to live within our means. Most of us have borrowed money, at one time or another, and, many people have borrowed so much, that they are chronically in debt, paying on a mortgage, a car, and other items bought on credit.

When interest-charges are high, and, when the money does not come-in as easy as it used to, we start to feel the squeeze. We have committed a large part of our pay-cheque to fixed payments, and, anything that disrupts this constant influx of money leads, immediately, to the possibility, that, major items, such as our house or car, may be re-possesed or fore-closed by those who lend us the money.

Many of us have fallen into the trap, that we have spent more than we could afford; partly, because we were goaded to do so by continuous advertisements and enticements to buy and borrow, and, partly, because we did not want to appear less successful than our neighbours. Therefore, we adopted a life-style we could not really afford.

We have been under a constant tension and worry for a number of years, now. Our health has been undermined, because we frequently drink more than we should, in an effort to find a few hours of shallow euphoria. The tensions between the family members are high, too, as we all realise, vaguely, how fragile this appearance of affluence and luxury really is.

In spite of a good income, the best years of our life have slipped by without having been able to save much. The problems at our place of work are mounting, as we are besieged by the contrasting emotions of boredom and frustration with a dull and rather meaningless job, while, on the other hand, we are becoming increasingly anxious, as we realise, that our performance is lacking in vigour, and, that our job may be abolished or given to someone else.

We become cynical and almost totally introvert. We are concerned with our problems, including the problems of friends who are living a life-style that is similar to ours. We find a measure of security in associating with people who are trapped, just like we are, and, who complain, just like we do.

We even participate in some clubs and organisations doing something for the community, and, our lives have become a dull routine of chronic tensions and frustrations; not severe enough to make us collapse or seriously ill, but strong enough to prevent us from escaping from this web of tensions and financial obligations, which we have spun around ourselves.

We do not dare to calculate, how much money has flown away as interest-charges, taxes or mortgage-payments, but, we know, that we could easily have retired early in life, if we had been able, somehow, to avoid this staggering burden of financing debts.

Here, we reach a crucial insight, because, indeed, the financing of a debt is a burden, which has to come-out of our income or living standard. After we have borrowed money for a car, a house or other items, we do not only have to pay-back the borrowed amount, but, also, the interest-charges that keep accumulating as time goes by. Besides, these purchases nearly always increase the cost of living. We have to pay taxes, heating and repairs on a house, in spite of the fact, that we save the rent, and, we know, that our cars cost us plenty, in particular, if we have all the work done for us.

What looks like a good income is quickly spent, and, we lose mobility. We lose the ability to indicate to our employer, that we can go somewhere else, if we do not like the working conditions for one reason or another, and, as a result, the trap has been sprung. Very few people are able to get out of this trap, unless they make a concerted effort and the trap was not too deep.

As a community, we also get trapped by indebtedness, but, we understand even less about the obligations we have taken-upon ourselves to re-pay these debts and finance the interest-charges. Most of our politicians have been elected on the basis of spending promises, and, nearly every affluent society has decided, that it can afford a deficit in its budget. In other words, our nations have been spending, for many years, more than they take-in as revenues, and, the deficit is made-up by borrowing monies. It is borrowed in the form of government- or state-bonds, but, the deficit is also made-up by printing more money and increasing the supply of money.

As individuals, we have learned, at least, to some extent, that the day of reckoning will come, at some time in the near future, but, as a nation, we seem to believe, that this day of reckoning never really comes, because we can either borrow more money, print more money, or, attract more "investments", if we are lucky enough to have inherited vast natural resources.

When we attract "foreign investment", we are, in essence, selling-off more of our natural resources or industrial assets into foreign ownership, and, an ever larger part of the production within our nation, be it raw materials or partially processed goods, is used to pay-off the interest-charges on borrowed capital, be it government or private sector borrowing. In a way, we behave, then, like the lazy heirs of a rich land-owner. They can not bring-up the energy to do the work themselves, and, as a result, they give their neighbours more and more of the rights of ownership to their property, in return for "easy money".

The ability of nations and their governments to print money and to expand the money-supply, almost at will, has one momentous effect on the whole system; inflation. Inflation, means, that the value of money is gradually getting less and less, because governments do not guarantee anymore the value of their currencies. They can not guarantee the value, if they start printing more money than they can justify by the possession of a "back-up commodity", such as gold. A back-up commodity is supposed to back-up or guarantee the value of paper currencies by allowing the holder of a bank-note to exchange it for a certain amount of the standard or back-up commodity at any time. This, is not the same as being able to buy a product in society with this money; a product that varies in value and price.

The phenomenon of inflation has a dramatic effect upon the entire economic system, including the attitudes of peoples and their leaders. Once the people, the commercial enterprises, and, in particular, the political leaders of a country realise, that the actual value of the money they borrowed will be reduced by the effects of inflation, it began to make sense to borrow more and more.

Interest-charges became, then, the main vehicle to recover some of the losses due to inflation, but, often, inflation rates were as high or higher than interest rates, and, as a result, governments still profited from the policy to borrow heavily, print more money, and allow inflation to continue.

However, the small borrower, the consumer, is not so well-off. First of all, his borrowing is usually at nearly twice the rate at which governments can borrow, and, his interest-charges change quickly, as the prevailing interest rates change. Not so for government bonds, because these bonds can only be traded, at a discount, whenever the rate of inflation starts to soar.

Yet, the phenomenon of inflation made it sensible for people to borrow money for a house. In particular, when house values tended to reflect the devaluation of a currency, people were often reasonably well-off by taking-out a mortgage. In a five to ten year period, their house had often doubled in value, and, people could easily pay-off an outstanding mortgage, if they sold their house.

Governments profit in other ways from inflation. As people demand ever higher wages, trying to keep abreast of rising costs for everything, they pay more taxes, buy more, and stimulate the economy, pay sales-taxes and other taxes, while the manufacturers and retailers also make more money, and, supposedly, pay also more taxes.

From a short-sighted point of view, we have to agree, that a deficit budget, the expansion of the money-supply, as well as heavy public spending, have worked wonders for the politicians and their electoral promises, as well as for the sense of immediate gratification of the public. Over the long-term, however, the results are not so favourable.

Let us see, what the overall, long-term effects are of continued inflation, an increasing money-supply and a rising debt-load. We will first examine the consequences at a social level. The immediate and unavoidable effect of continued budget deficits, is the tendency for governments to keep borrowing more and more. Their debt-loads keep increasing, and the percentage of their revenues which has to be spent to "service" this debt, keeps rising as well.

These effects are partially off-set by rising revenues, coming in from an expanding economy, with higher personal and corporate earnings, but, at the same time, we see a rapidly developing dependence on a steadily accelerating economy. The other factor off-setting the debt-load, is the phenomenon of inflation, since inflation means, that the actual value of a debt is gradually being recuded. However, the rate of inflation is fueled all the time, and, the next time a government wants to borrow money, it will have to pay a higher rate of interest. In addition, any surplus money, traded or exchanged on the money-markets, tends to drive the value of a currency down even more.

While we have to pay more for imported goods, we tend to look with a measure of satisfaction on the fact, that a lower value of our currency makes our products more competitive on the international markets. This is indeed the case, but it is not any different from a "discount sale". It would be far more honest and more beneficial to the country and the people, if we would say; "Look, we can not sell our products, because they cost too much. We have to drop our prices in order to become competitive again". In stead, we drop our prices by letting the value of our currency slip, and, in the process, we rob every wage-earner, as well as those, who have their savings in a bank-account or some other, fixed monetary form, such as bonds or pensions.

The major, undesirable, long-term effect of inflation is the attitude of "inflationary expectations", because it transforms governments and individuals into wasteful, careless spenders. The objective to save and work with a balanced budget becomes obsolete and non-sensical as a result of the mechanisms of inflation. Even worse, is the fact, that we begin to accept as "normal" a systematic robbery of anyone, who has saved, or, who has a wage contract or has to live on a fixed income.

By not guaranteeing, anymore, the value of their currency, governments have abdicated one of their prime responsibilities and functions, and, as a result, they foster attitudes of egocentric concern and reckless spending habits throughout their societies.

I believe, that history will judge our times, primarily, on the disastrous psychological and economical effects resulting from these inflationary practices. The complete abandonment of guarantees for the value of a currency, make currencies essentially meaningless. If we review history and look at the basic principles behind the introduction of the monetary system, we see, quite clearly, that we have lost sight of the essential role of money. After all, it was a substitute for barter, and, the introduction of money was always based on the principle of a letter of credit. What good is a letter of credit if it does not guarantee a value?

Yet our economists and politicians seem to find it difficult to acknowledge this simple truth. Probably, most of them are quite well aware of these facts, but, the path taken by modern societies and their governments has made it so difficult to change direction. It has become nearly impossible to escape from the practice of postponing the acknowledgement of a rather upleasant reality, such as the fact, that we are living beyond our means. By postponing the day of acknowledgement, we hope that we are also postponing the day of reckoning, preferably, to a future generation!

The attitudes of affluent people have changed to the point, that no government can afford politically to administer the real cure for these economic ills. People just do not trust their governments and fellow citizens, and, they are not going to accept any restrictions on their spending habits, especially, if they think, that some-one else is going to benefit from their cut-backs.

The monetary policies that have been introduced over the past five or six decades by nearly all affluent societies, are the main reason for the phenomenon of increasing inflation, an increasing debt-load, a stagnating economic performance, as well as a growing sense of mistrust and unease amongst the population.

We can not really blame the people for what happened, because only a small fraction has any understanding of the mechanisms at work. We have to lay the blame squarely at the feet of politicians and their economic advisors. For the sake of easy re-election, politicians have resorted, for decades now, to making facile promises, and, the quality of leadership has been deteriorating ever since.

From time to time, a leadership comes to power that is more realistic and acknowledges the wisdom of a frugal life-style and a balanced budget, but, unfortunately, a "squeeze" on the spending habits of the public invariably hurts the poor and the financially entrapped the most. It increases the disparities between the poor and those, who are better-off, especially, those, who have managed to gather more assets and have escaped from the habit of spending all available monies as soon as they have been earned or become available.

Inflation is, therefore, one of the most important causes for a split or polarisation of society between the rich and the poor, since the rich are powerful and will resist, at all costs, to have their assets taken-away from them for re-distribution amongst a wasteful populace.

We can not realy blame the people for having fallen into the trap of credit buying and borrowing heavily. The government policies and commercial interests have made these attitudes, not only, respectable, but, they have forcefully promoted such a way of life. Then, if the politicians suddenly decide, that inflation is galloping ahead at too fast a pace, they make their own worthless monies extremely expensive for the borrowers. While it may be a deterrent against new and unnecessary borrowing, it is extremely unfair to mortgage holders, who have to re-negotiate their mortgage every few years.

People were encouraged by governments and commercial interests to buy a home and pay-off the capital over a prolonged period of time. The home-buyer trusted, that the interest-rates would remain approximately the same, and, since he had already committed a substantial portion of his earnings to fixed monthly payments, a dramatic rise in the rate of interest, means, that the charges are likely to be beyond his ability to pay.

The consequences of inflation and rapidly rising interest-rates are indeed devastating for the average individual. The average home-owner has alrady paid dearly for a mediocre house in a suburb, and, on top of that, he is now faced with bankruptcy as a result of sudden changes in monetary policy. All he has worked for in these years may be wiped-out, and he realises, finally, that he became unwillingly a slave to the system, ten or twenty years ago, when he embarked on a life-style of borrowing and high, fixed, monthly payments.

The average home-owner suddenly realises, that he has been a slave for a long time, and, that he has been tricked by all those commercial interests, which were so keen to lend him monies and claim a portion of his monthly pay-cheque. While the citizen has to assume responsibility for his decisions, he also knows, that, he, as well as countless others, were, and still are, being goaded to plunge into the slavery of an affluent life-style by a continuous barrage of advertisement and fashionable advise.

What we have been experiencing more and more clearly on a personal level, we are also beginning to experience on a collective level. As long as we could, indeed, exploit the natural resources of our own country, or, perhaps, another nation, we could keep this economic momentum going, but, now, we are faced, quite suddenly, with the fact, that continued economic expansion is going to be impossible.

What is this sudden halt in economic expansion going to do? It will wreak havoc with our outstanding debts, and, it will throw the value of many currencies into a volatile and chaotic series of fluctuations. Personal and corporate bankruptcies will increase, and the mood of many people will grow cynical and violent. Even the most affluent societies are vulnerable, and, many people will suddenly realise, how vulnerable they really are. Social tensions will mount, and, we will see quick and dramatic changes in the fortunes of countries and their citizens.

In the next few decades, most nations with a measure of affluence will experience upheavals and changes in life-style, but, we, the people, still have not come to grips with the far greater problems of inequality and disparity on a global scale, nor, have we grasped the problems of impoverishment and pollution of our terrestial resources and eco-systems.

We have little insight, as yet, into the consequences of over-spending and a wasteful life of affluence, or, a chronically accelerating inflation. We may have some ideas, now, what it means to have lived beyond our means. In economic terms, it only means, that my bankruptcy has robbed my creditors, and, most of them will not be seriously hurt by my financial demise. The chronic devaluation of our currencies, just means, that we are being robbed gradually by our governments, and, that we start spending an ever greater portion of tax-revenues paying for the interest-charges on past debts; debts, we can not even remember what the money was spent for, and, if we could remember, we probably would not be able to see any positive results from these expenditures.

So far, the consequences of over-spending, waste and inflation seem to affect only our assets; our way of life; the level of freedom or enslavement. Yet, in ecological terms, we do not have a chance to enlarge, artificially, the value of our resources. We can not print our way out of an "environmental deficit". The resources we consume now, are gone, and, many of them can not be renewed. Even those we can renew, require more intensive efforts to obtain again, and, it will require much more work to minimise the harmful effects of digging-up and consuming these resources.

This means, that, in the near future, we have to exert a far greater effort to obtain, even, the most essential commodities, and, it means, also, that we have to spend much more time and effort to prevent the earth and its ecological systems from being harmed or destroyed.

Yet, it is very likely, that we will be so pre-occupied with our faltering, inflationary economies, that we will continue to exploit, ruthlessly, over the next few decades, all the terrestial resources and eco-systems, greatly adding to the problems of resource depletion and environmental damage.

We will also ignore the plight of millions of depraved and starving peoples, and, we will let them smoulder in their ghettos of poverty, frustration and hostility, trapped under inadequate living conditions and unjust social relationships. We will remain obsessed with our own economic and moral decay, while we continue to pollute and deplete. We will be ignoring the rest of the world, until it is too late.

Suddenly, we will notice, that time has run-out, and, that our destiny lies in the hands of those rebellious poor, who, through a desperate act of nuclear blackmail bring a crashing halt to the era of economic affluence and ruthless consumerism.

.......

Chapter 5

Content

Time has not run-out, as yet.
Nuclear terrorism is not unavoidable, nor will it ever be justified.
A sequence of logical predictions.
Can we voluntarily throttle back our consumptive drive?
Can we voluntarily allow an equalisation of living standards on the basis of shifting patterns of production?
A hardening of attitudes, and the slide towards a trade-war.
entrapment, caused by many years of fiscal mis-management and over-spending is responsible for the apparent callousness of affluent people.
Wealth and prosperity have always accumulated into the hands of a small elite
We have to control and eliminate the phenomenon of disparity.
We shrink back from a permanent change in our affluent life-style.
Facile political promises for an ignorant electorate.
We have to really want long-term solutions from our political leaders.
The need for a realistic mood of confidence.
The momentum of consumerism is likely to continue.
Self-discipline; a difficult objective, but, a realistic possibility.
The reasons for an undisciplined approach to life.
Creating an ever greater dependency on hand-outs.
The roots of social decay.
A task for inspired leaders and a responsible electorate.
A life-style of frugality, self-discipline and near self-sufficiency.
The problem of unemployment.
There is plently of work for all of us.
Preaching to deaf ears.

Time has not run-out as yet, and I do not want to leave the impression, that a period of nuclear terrorism is unavoidable. Neither would I want to guarantee, that nuclear blackmail, if, and when, it comes, would, indeed, be an instrument for shaping a world-order with global justice. These are only possibilities that present themselves frequently to my mind, and, it seems to me a logical conclusion, that such a period of nuclear terrorism will come-about, as nuclear weapons remain available and the conditions of disparity continue.

Perhaps, the idea, that such a period of nuclear terrorism may usher-in, finally, a period of global justice, is an expression of my subconscious desire to see something beneficial in each and every event, regardless, how bleak and disastrous these events may appear to be at the time they are taking place.

It is logical to expect a period of ruthless blackmail or terrorism, because these mechanims have always played a role in power-struggles between unequal opponents. I do not condone such tactics, even, if it would, eventually, lead to a beneficial result. I am only following a logical train of thought, and, it leads me to the conclusion, that, eventually, any under-privileged but informed segment of the world population will use all methods at its disposal to fight against a persistent injustice. If nuclear weapons are available, they will be used.

Let us consider the question, whether or not the affluent pockets of mankind would be able to throttle back their consumptive habits, voluntarily, to the point, that sufficient progress is made by the poor and under-privileged to prevent them from using extreme weapons in their struggle with the affluent world. There is only a very small chance, that such a cut-back could be made voluntarily, on the basis of the lofty moral conviction, that, we, as affluent members of humanity, should reduce our consumption drastically for the sake of justice and essential equality.

This chance exists, but, it is, perhaps, more realistic to expect, that the affluent nations will have sufficient foresight to allow natural shifts in economic powers, together with the willingness to work hard and produce efficiently, to level-off the major discrepancies of today. So far, we have no evidence, that a natural shift in economic power would be acceptable to a majority of the people within the affluent nations. If there is a threat in economic competition from the "third world", or, anyone else, there is immediately a tendency to restrict imports, to raise tariff-barriers, and, to implement all sorts of measures to protect local industries and make it more difficult for foreign societies to compete on domestic markets.

We have every indication, at the present time, that a hardening of attitudes is taking place, and, that any drop in living-standards or level of consumption will be resisted and resented by the affluent societies. Ironically, the main reason for such a short-sighted and egocentric attitude is not an attitude of greed or unwillingness to let the poorer nations have a chance to achieve economic improvements, but, it is a direct result of the fact, that we all have become so entrapped into a life-style of continuous financial obligations and credit-buying, and, that we would face serious hardships, if we would let our incomes drop to any extent.

Even, if we are inclined to share some of our apparently extravagant luxuries with others who are less privileged, we can not afford to do so, because we need all the income and jobs we can get in order to keep this fragile consumerist empire from falling-apart.

It is our entrapment, then, caused by years of fiscal mismanagement and over-spending on a national, as well as a personal level, which is primarily responsible for the apparent callousness of the affluent societies about the plight of the rest of the world population. This is the main reason, but, we also have become more cynical, and, we tend to place the burden of responsibility on the leaderships of many poor and under-developed nations. The disparities between the peoples in poor and under-developed societies is a disgrace and makes, often, a mockery of any attempt to help these societies reach a better standard of living.

Wealth and prosperity have always had a tendency to accumulate into the hands of a small elite, and, it seems to be extra ordinarily difficult to get it to disperse itself over a larger number of people, and, to keep it dispersed, more or less evenly, over the population. In spite of many serious and well-meant efforts by a large number of governments and private agencies, we still see, that, wealth and prosperity are aggregating into the hands of a small elite, and the accumulation of such large sums of money and other assets into the hands of a small elite causes a great deal of financial instability, as well as social injustice. As long as this trend continues, we can be sure, that the disparities between peoples and nations will be increasing as well, and, with it, the tensions of frustration and injustice will be mounting, too.

Certainly, it is likely, that local up-risings will take-care of the most acute discrepancies and injustices, but the disparity between the affluent segments of humanity and those, who are poor, depraved, miserable and oppressed, is growing all the time. Unless we see, in the next few decades, a dramatic shift in these trends, we can be sure, that violent conflicts will eventually erupt between the wealthy and the poor in the form of a worldwide class-struggle.

Let us come back to the question, why it is so difficult to change this momentum of increasing disparity, and, why it is so difficult to generate acts of genuine understanding and compassion. There are probably many millions of people, who live a good and sensible life-style in these affluent societies, and, it is likely, that they would be genuinely willing to sacrifice a part of their standard of living, if they could help effectively and seriously those most in need. Time and again, we see, that people remain capable of genuine compassion and understanding, and, you may ask me, why, then, is it so difficult to translate these sentiments of good-will into an effective policy of equalisation between the rich and the poor.

Let us give a few moments of thought to this question, because it seems, indeed, frustrating, that we have to go-on our merry ways to chaos and decay, while so many people are, apparently, still able to relinquish a part of their privileged position. The problem may, indeed, be the fact, that our willingness to relinquish a part of our privileged position is more apparent than real, because, if we are really called-upon to do so, we experience hardships, and, we shrink back for the consequences of a truly permanent change in life-style, as well as a permanent reduction in our affluence. We are willing to help the poor, as long as it does not interfere with our own way of life.

Not many people give any thought to the requirements of the future. Few of us realise, what will be necessary to maintain viability and a measure of justice on a global scale. Few people think on such a large scale, and, as a result, we are unable to see the long-term consequences of this economic momentum we all subscribe to.

Can our politicians change the situation, if they wanted to? Could they effectively bring-about a new world-order with a sense of global justice and equality in human rights and dignity for all? Sure they could, but, it is very likely, that the people would vote them out of office, as soon as they were going to interfere with the affluent way of life of their electorate. It is a fact of life, that political leaderships in democratic societies gain access to power by making promises. As long as we want our political leaders to promise us more and more, before we vote for them, they are going to do just that. In the mean time, the economic momentum and the processes of inflation are going to continue.

Can our politicians, at least, solve the problems of inflation? Again, they could, but, as long as a majority of the electorate lives on credit and expects ever-rising wages to fuel their consumptive habits, our leaderships are not going to change this way of life. Only, if we come collectively to the conclusion, that we would all be better-off, in the long run, if we live within our means, if we avoid borrowing monies and do not ask for ever-higher wages in return for a firm guarantee that the value of money will remain stable, only, then, is it possible to halt the present trends of inflation and economic over-heating.

Only, if we want our politicians to give us truly long-term solutions, will we get these solutions from them. However, as long as we are suspicious of each other, and, as long as we do not trust the motives of our leaders and bureaucrats, or the value of our currencies, we will not change one iota, and, we will continue to drift towards a sudden collapse.

It is possible, that we will see a collective light of sanity, trust and long-term goals, but, at the present time, I am under the impression that our behaviour is too much coloured by suspicion, cynicism and distrust to make us susceptible to such illuminating attitudes. We seem to need, before everything else, an agreement to increase the openness and transparence of our societies, in particular, in financial matters. Such a transparence may raise the level of trust in each other sufficiently to make it possible to adopt, collectively, long-term plans.

You see, any attitude of saving or frugality, of self-discipline and voluntary cut-backs in the level of consumption, requires a remarkable degree of trust, before we can appreciate the reasonableness, or necessity, of such an attitude. If I want to save, I must be convinced, that my savings will not be taken-away from me or be eroded by inflation. Let our politicians not be surprised to find, that, inflation has been the principle cause for people to adopt a cynical and egocentric attitude; an attitude of; "let us take what we can get, because someone else will get it, if we leave something for tomorrow".

The idea, that it makes sense to "save for a rainy day", for our old age or retirement, for any long-term project, or, for our children and the future generations, such an idea makes only sense, if we can be sure, that we all contribute equally and fairly to these projects, and, that no-one else benefits secretly from our good-will and hard work.

I must also be reasonably sure, that the plans I am working for, and, we all are working for, are realistic plans that will come to fruition, barring completely unforeseen circumstances. We are not going to save, if we believe, that we are going to be robbed, as soon as we have accumulated a few assets. We are not going to sacrifice anything from a position of privilege, if we are afraid, that someone else is going to exploit our acts of good-will and take-away even more from us. We are not going to help the poor, if we believe, that our actions only fatten the pockets of corrupt and unscrupulous officials. We are not going to worry about the future of mankind, if we seriously believe, that man is going to destroy himself anyway.

You can appreciate, then, why it is so difficult to change the momentum into which we entrapped ourselves, because, there are many factors that block effective change, even, if a majority of the people would have a clear insight about the nature of these problems and wants something to be done about them. For these reasons, it is likely, that the present momentum of consumerism will continue, until it is halted by force.

It is unlikely, that this force will come from a collective change in attitude within the affluent societies, but, it is still possible. It would be a remarkable example of social rejuvenation, if the transformation of the affluent societies and the resulting increase in viability would, indeed, have come, primarily, from forces within these societies, rather than as a result of changes imposed on them from the outside.

The concept and practice of discipline, in particular self-discipline, is, in essence, the primary tool of the life-style of frugality and conservation. Actually, self-discipline is the underlying, basic mode of all necessary attitudes for a long-term viability, because the crux in the concept of self-discipine is a behavioural modification, where we forego the gratifications of an immediate desire or short-term objective in favour of a much longer-lasting and more important, but, also, more removed and distant objective.

It only makes sense to adopt an attitude of self-discipline, if we are able to see, clearly, the additional advantages associated with a focus upon a more distant goal. Before we are able to adopt an attitude of self-discipline successfully, we have to be able to become aware of the possibilities for long-term planning. We know, that our early training, education and experiences are very important factors, here, because we need careful guidance, over a fairly long period of time, in order to experience the actual benefits of long-term planning, and, it will take an equally long period of time, before the benefits associated with an attitude and practice of self-discipline, become apparent.

If we have not been taught the benefits of self-discipline and long-term planning, it becomes much less likely, that we will adopt such difficult attitudes at a later age on the basis of our own experiences. Certainly, it is possible, and, we see, occasionally, how exceptionally bright and thoughtful people come to the conclusion, that self-discipline and long-term planning are valuable aids to secure a state of stability and viability. These attitudes require an unusual level of insight and objective evaluation, and, we see, therefore, that most people, who practice a measure of self-discipline, do so, because they have been taught to behave this way. Yet, most of these people have also experienced the fact, that a persistent attitude of self-discipline and long-term planning will yield beneficial results, because such a difficult attitude would fade quickly from the behavioural repertoir, if it was not re-enforced by success, from time to time.

The requirements for a successful attitude and practice of self-discipline are complex, and, they include a fairly high level of confidence in oneself and the surrounding circumstances, as well as a high level of trust in the ability to control, or, at least, foresee future developments. If a society is riddled with mistrust; if the wages and savings of people are continuously eroded by inflation, and, if there is a general lack of confidence in the long-term outlook for the future, we can not expect, that the attitudes of self-discipline and long-term planning will be practiced or accepted as a valid philosophy.

Uncertainty, chaos and an inflationary erosion of wages and savings are, therefore, associated with an undisciplined approach to life. Our leaderships should not be surprised or puzzled about this. They are themselves largely to blame for the atmosphere that exists, but, unfortunately, few of our leaders have sufficient insight for a good grasp over the primary causes of social malaise.

In such an atmosphere, it is inevitable that social programs, designed to give security to those who need it most, are abused, whenever possible. In stead of liberating an anxious population from a chronic anxiety in the knowledge that their basic security is guaranteed, whenever they have the misfortune to fall ill, lose their job or get an accident at work, the social programs of social and unemployment insurance, sickness benefits, medicare programs, etc, as well as any other programs and financial aids to people or enterprises in distress, become a source for exploitation.

Rather than the liberation of a sense of enthousiasm, it creates, quickly, an even greater dependence on hand-outs. The reason lies entirely in the prevailing mood and outlook of the peoples. If the mood is basically positive and trustful, the introduction of social guarantees and aid programs would, indeed, liberate a wave of confidence and enthousiasm, but, if the people have already lost their confidence and have retreated into a shell of introvert, egocentric concerns, then, these aid programs become merely another easy way to prolong an essentially lazy, meaningless or parasitic existence.

We come to the conclusion, time and again, that the roots of social decay are formed by this all-pervasive attitude of mistrust, an egocentric bias in all our attitudes, as well as the corruption of public officials and their bureaucratic channels. As long as there is no improvement in the outlook or reality perceptions of the people, society will be refractory to meaningful change. As long as corruption, secrecy and injustice keep a firm hold on the attitudes of suspicion and mistrust, the society will stagnate.

If we come to the conclusion, that it is necessary for man to adopt an attitude of frugality and self-discipline, (if he is serious about maintaining his viability in the future), we have to give, first, a chance to the attitudes of self-confidence and mutual trust. Unless we believe that a future is again possible, and, that it may be meaningful to plan for this future, all exhortations about the need for a frugal and disciplined life-style will be meaningless and fruitless.

Let us first address ourselves to the problems of injustice, disparity, corruption and secrecy, and, we will come to the surprising discovery, that the attitudes of self-discipline, frugality, hard work and enthousiasm for the future, will follow naturally.

It is not an easy task to promote self-confidence and mutual trust, and, this is, primarily, a task for inspired leaders. When our leaders offer for public office, we should scrutinise their attitudes towards society, as well as the plans and solutions they have to offer. What possibilities do they see, and, what do they believe to be the most pressing problems? If they seem to have a sensible approach to these realities, and, if they have realistic ideas and plans, allright, let us give them our vote.

Let us be aware, however, for the facile talker; the candidate, who seems to promise something to everyone; who does not have a clear idea about our problems, or, who hides behind a facade of smiles and handshakes. If we vote for such people, we know, that we will get poor leadership, and, we should not be surprised to see that society will suffer.

Certainly, it is not easy to know, what constitutes good leadership, but, here, we touch upon a responsibility that weighs heavily upon each one of us who has the good fortune to live in a democratic society. As individuals of a democratic society, we have the responsibility to think for ourselves, in particular, when the times are confused. If we find it difficult to put a measure of trust in our leaders or fellow citizens, we should at least try to put faith in our own existence and performance. If we condemn our leaders or neighbours for falling into the traps of financial obligations, sloppy work performance, as well as other less desirable practices, let us, at least, have the courage not to fall into these same traps ourselves.

If our societies have lost the ability to show leadership and faith in the attitudes of self-discipline and long-term planning, let us, at least, try to form sound, long-term goals in our own lives. If we can not trust the relationships between people in society, let us try to avoid becoming dependent upon the social environment, and, let us avoid to load upon ourselves unnecessary financial obligations.

If we have lost faith in what we are doing for a living, let us then examine, seriously and honestly, all the options we have, and, let us not hesitate to live a life-style we believe in, even, if our neighbours and friends think, that we have finally "cracked-up". If we see a chance to live soberly and frugally, let us give this life-style a chance, because, we know, that we will gain in self-confidence and self-respect, even, if others may think us to be somewhat "soft in the head".

Actually, I believe, that few people in our affluent societies will look-down upon anyone, who manages to escape the financial entrapments of affluence. Many people will recognise with a somewhat grudging, if scornful, respect, how sound such an individualistic way of life is, and, if most people can not do anything else, but look at us from their cages in the suburbs, let us, then, become an example for the younger generations, before they have entrapped themselves completely in this same financial web.

A life-style of frugality and near self-sufficiency does not do "the economy" any harm. It is a fallacy to think, that we would cause a disastrous level of unemployment, if everyone would stop spending more than is necessary. Certainly, the industrial and commercial world would find itself suddenly with a lot of unnecessary and unwanted items, but would this not be a step in the right direction? How can you argue, that it is beneficial to society, to us, to anyone, to the future generations, the poor or the unemployed, to continue to waste energies, resources, time and attention upon the manufacture or supply of unnecessary goods and services?

How can you justify a policy of full employment, if it means a continuation of senseless consumerist attitudes and a wasteful economic growth? Do you really believe, that it is beneficial to make things, or, to sell products and services that are redundant? We are deceiving ourselves, if we think this way, and, we are only continuing this fatal momentum towards a catastrophic collapse, if we keep thinking and arguing along these lines.

There is plenty of work for all of us, but, the jobs will not be highly paid or glamorous. Cleaning up a mess has never appealed to anyone, but we are better-off, if we start cleaning up a mess when its size is still manageable, and, we are acting irresponsibly, if we close our eyes to the growing problems of pollution, depletion and disparity, hoping that future generations will find the answers, which we do not want to look for or acknowledge ourselves.

However, I know, that I am preaching to deaf ears. I know, that nothing is really going to change, until we are forced to change. I know, that my generation will not go-down in history as the first generation of mankind to take its destiny out of blind fate, and place it into its own rational, decision-making hands.

.......

Chapter 6

Content

Timing is a problem, is it not?
The Rational Period of Homo Sapiens.
We are bginning to get a few ideas about the life-style of the future.
The real importance of our lives lies not in the income we can generate, but, in the ability to enjoy a life of well-being.
The joys of re-discovering a measure of versatility.
Breaking-out of our suburban cages.
The amount of energy and labour needed to raise a small, yearly sustenance of food is phenomenal, especially, without sophisticated tools.
The benefits of mechanisation.
The differences between poverty and frugality.
We should be aware of the hard work that is necessary to obtain the basic necessities.
Collectively and privately worked lands.
The rural communities of the future.
A network of transportation links, communications and electrical power-lines.
Re-discovering natural pathways of transportation.
Examining, carefully, all the scientific and technological possibilities for a state of collective well-being, and, choosing wisely for the sake of an informed, frugal way of life.
Near self-sufficiency, frugality, and a balance with our terrestial environment.
We will still be very dependent upon each other.
Instantaneous access to the world of knowledge and information.
A high level of education and insight.
It will be a privilege to "serve".
The Civil Task-Force.
The rewards of a position of leadership and responsibility.
No-one goes into a career "to make money".
Time to keep abreast of what is going-on in the world.
Avoiding the attitudes of a self-righteous elitism.
Knowing what we are for or against.
Part of the solution of a chronic energy-shortage is found by cutting-back on the level of consumption.
Be aware of superficial opinions and simplistic solutions
Let us not destroy our possibilities to exist.
The frugal way of life; a pass-port to long-term viability.
Let us be clear, honest, persuasive and thorough in all our discussions and plans for action.

Timing is a problem, is it not, because, at a certain moment in the evolution of human behaviour, these ideas will find a willing ear. They will start to make sense, and, then, the time will have come for Homo Sapiens to enter the rational period of its existence. The previous history of mankind will, then, look like a vague, prodromal stage, where we see, here and there, a hint of the promise still to come; only to be swept-away, again, by the more comforting and familiar sentiments or emotions; before this break-through of collective rationality took place, finally.

Indeed, a truly wide-spread collective attitude of rational behaviour may be many generations off, but, individually, we have, in many instances, a chance to live a life of frugal rationality. In many ways, we can live, now, a life-style that will be adopted, by necessity, and, hopefully, also, by choice, by many more people in the future. In retrospect, we will, probably, be able to find, in every generation, and, in every period of man's development, people, who lived their lives in a style that fore-shadowed the life-style of man's rational period, in spite of the fact, that few people would have recognised the significance of their sober life-style at the time.

Now, we are beginning to formulate a few ideas that let us see what this life-style of the future has to be. Only a few short decades ago, we still lived in the totally irrealistic expectation, that a rapid expansion in technology and affluence could continue exponentially. Now, we know, that this spurt of technological developments and rapid increases in the level of consumption, is responsible for many of the major problems we face, and, in particular, for the generations that are still to come. Now, we realise, how important a life-style of rational frugality and near self-sufficiency really is, because it shows us, not only, the possibility to be content when consuming little more than is needed, but, it makes us realise, once again, the direct relationship between our own efforts and the quality of our existence.

We learn, once again, that the real importance of our lives does not lie in the income we can generate, but, in the way we are able to exist. We learn, that we can do a lot more for ourselves than we thought, and, that we do not always have to rely upon other people to look after our house, appliances, cars and other tools. We also know, that it all takes time, as well as a serious, genuine effort, to repair what has broken, worn-out or gone wrong, in particular, when we do something for the first time.

We are re-discovering the joy of experimenting and finding-out, how something works in areas that fall beyond what we have been trained for. While we can, obviously, not become an expert in all fields of knowledge and technology we are confronted with, when trying to live a life-style of near self-sufficiency, it is nevertheless remarkable, how much and how fast we can master the basic knowledge of nearly every field. This gives us an enhanced appreciation for the range of human endeavour and mastery, as we become more familiar with our environment and the objects we use. This is in stark contrast with the life-style of narrow specialisation we live in our sub-urban cages.

In a life-style of near self-sufficiency, we develop a respect for many different fields of expertise and topics of knowledge, while, on the other hand, a sound, basic knowledge of many fields makes it possible to distinguish, quickly, between those, who do a good job, and those, who are merely giving the impression that they know their business.

Our confidence grows, and, we are able to reduce, significantly, the amount of money we need to live, in particular, after we have said fare-well to our sub-urban homes and have found or constructed a modest dwelling, somewhere in the country site.

Suddenly, we have to become familiar with a variety of fundamentals, such as the foundation for a house, the installation of a septic-tank system, heating with wood or solar energy, basic wiring and plumbing techniques, etc. We become familiar with the many ways to make use of, and preserve, the produce of a vegetable garden or a few domesticated animals, but, we also realise, how much time and effort is needed to provide ourselves with the basic necessities, in particular, if one tries to work without any other income and without sophisticated machinery.

The amount of energy and labour needed to raise, even, a small yearly sustenance of food is phenomenal. Quickly, it dawns on us, how necessary mechanisation and external energy-sources are, especially, when tilling the soil, cutting wood, moving earth, or hauling stores, etc. Here, man reaped indeed the greatest benefits from the techniques of mechanisation and industrialisation, and, these techniques freed him from a great deal of back-breaking labour.

Yet, most of us take it completely for granted, that we can buy all the food we need at the super-market or grocery-store. We hardly give it any thought, that most of us have to spend less than one hour a day, often at an easy job, to provide ourselves and our families with enough food for a whole day.

We have lost sight of proportions, and, it is only driven home to us, whenever we try to grow our own food. If we remain rational and objective, we realise, that we need the help of power, machinery and other sources of energy, if we want to avoid falling back into slavery, where we have to work from dawn to dusk, just to secure the basic necessities. This is the essence of poverty, because it does not leave us any time to think or to enjoy ourselves. It does not leave us any time to study, talk to each other, and learn what is going-on in the world.

Then, we are trapped into poverty, because such a situation forces us into a life-style that may easily become unhealthy and oppressive, if the drudgery of hard, daily work makes us physically prematurely old and stunts our enthousiasm and interests into a sullen attitude of dogged perserverance, necessary to survive and prevent an attitude of despair and hopelessness.

We all should experience, however, how much hard work there is in farming or fishing, as well as other activities, such as mining, harvesting trees and other back-breaking chores. In particular farming is crucial, because without adequate food-production, we are going to starve, and with a large world-population and a tendency towards basic equality in rights and living standards for everyone, we will have to give a great deal of attention to well-organised, expert farming techniques, which are going to make it possible for everyone on earth to be free from hunger.

We will not elaborate, here, to what extent such an apparently simple objective is going to change the order within and between societies. We have done so before, and, we want to come back, here, upon the idea, that a life-style of near self-sufficiency is, not only, a reflection of the life-style of the future, but, that it is a valuable, even indispensible experience for us all. We learn, how easy it is to become enslaved, and, this experience drives home the simple truth, that we can not revert back to a truly individualistic life of complete self-sufficiency. We need mechanised tools, as well as a great deal of help and expertise in order to survive in a decent manner.

In the future, we will live largely spread-out over the globe, in particular, where the earth is fertile and the climate congenial, and, we could live in communities, varying from a few hundred to a few thousand people. Here, we would have a combination of collectively worked land, where the bulk of the crop suitable for a particular locality will be grown, but, in addition, we visualise, that most homes in the community will also have small gardens or vegetable patches, because we will have to conserve and cultivate all arable land very carefully, in order to feed ourselves properly.

These communities will be served by larger centers, because the large Regions will have complex but competent infra-structures to service all the peoples under their jurisdiction. Each square meter of land will be tended carefully and will yield some sort of useful product, and, we will have to own collectively the larger pieces of machinery needed to work the lands and harvest the crops.

Even so, communities will live in a nearly self-sufficient manner, but, people can never live completely isolated from each other. Many specialised tools, staple commodities and other specialised items will have to be supplied from somewhere else, just as each community will contribute a certain product or produce to the larger distribution and manufacturing centers of the Region, to be distributed, perhaps, to many different parts of the world.

Energy will be supplied to the numerous rural commnities, primarily, by the way of electrical power-lines, because this form of energy is so suitable for distribution over large distances. Yet, there will also be a need for other forms of energy, as well as an extensive network of communication and information links.

The world will have been divided into, perhaps, fifty or sixty very large Regions, each with hundreds of millions of people, and these Regions are connected into a world federation. We will not go into details, here, how we visualise such a society to be organised, but, let us come back to the distribution of power, goods and information, as well as the travel-links for people.

All communities are linked to each other by a grid of power-lines along wich we see a parallel grid of communication links as well as a network of motor-ways and rail-roads. These corridors link the communities together and provide all the services of information and knowledge, the supply of energy and products, as well as the support-functions that are within the domain of government services. These corridors of travel and communication will also gather the contributions to society, which each community and individual is required to make; each according to abilities, opportunities and circumstances of the moment.

In addition to land communications and road-ways for travel, there will, probably, be a limited need for travel by air, but, we visualise the water-ways to play again an important role in the form of coastal shipping and the transport of goods and people on the natural communication links of navigable rivers.

Just as in the past, many communities will be close to, or border on, a water-way, and, we will see a return of small sailing ships with auxiliary diesel power to provide for an efficient, ecologically sound way of transporting the necessary goods and passengers.

The ideas of self-sufficiency imply a marked reduction in this gigantic level of commercial traffic that is taking place, now. If people rely, to a large extent, on their own skills and resourcefulness, they will require less goods and assistance from the outside world, and, we visualise, therefore, that the per capita traffic of goods will be much reduced compared to our affluent times. Still, the sheer size of the world population and the incredible number of communities all over the globe, means, that there is a formidable traffic of goods and information, but the traffic will, primarily, consist of essential goods and services that can not be provided or produced locally.

People, who are experimenting with a life-style of near self-sufficiency, know, that they can save an incredible amount of work, if they can hire a tractor or a plow, even, if it is only for a day, and, it does not make sense to do without electrical power and heavy equipment, without telephone, computers, communications, books or other sources of knowledge and information.

In a modern life-style of self-sufficiency, we examine, carefully, all the technological advances of the past and the present, and, we use or modify those innovations that help us to obtain our needs efficiently, with little or no damage to the environment. This is the reason, why we are very much interested in all technological developments that will help us to collect energy-sources locally, such as those of the sun, the wind, the waves, or the streams and rapids.

In order to harnass these sources of energy, we are going to need sophisticated components, which we can not make ourselves, but, often, we do not require a completely pre-fabricated package. Most of the time, we can put-together the instruments and tools we need, if we are being supplied with a number of basic components, and, of course, adequate instructions to allow us to adapt, or modify, a particular set of components to suit our specific needs.

Near self-sufficiency means just that. We will be able to do many things for ourselves, within the possibilities given to a small community. We can do nearly all the maintenance work on our equipment. We can build our homes and other dwellings. We can till our gardens, look after the animals, do most of the repairs, and construct many tools from basic kits, but, there will always be a need for some goods and machinery, help, assistance, knowledge and expertise from the outside. Therefore, the ability to consult others for special problems is a crucial part of the life-style of the future.

Seen in this light, contemporary experiments with a life-style of frugal self-sufficiency give us a good idea, what we can and what we can not do for ourselves. We see, clearly, that, even the most ardent disciples of a life-style of frugal self-sufficiency need, occasionally, a doctor or a hospital, or, they need to buy a few essential commodities, which they can not make or produce themselves.

In order to enjoy a life-style of frugal self-sufficiency, we need to have some income, as well as some means to acquire the help, the information and expertise, or the additional products we need. It will be the same in the societies of the future. Regardless, how self-relient we are, we will also be very dependent upon each other, and, probably, we will be dependent upon each other on a global scale.

The concepts and practices of specialisation and inter-dependence will remain essential features of the future societies, and, these mechanisms are, after all, the corner-stones of social cohesion. We are encouraging a return to a broad range of activities, so that we do not develop unnecessary dependencies. If we learn, again, to do those things for ourselves which we can do, we will gain in self-confidence; we will gain a much better insight into the work of other people, and, we will again develop a sense of appreciation for what is needed to sustain ourselves, individually and collectively, in a basic but healthy way of life.

We will rely upon each other whenever it makes sense to do so, and, we will rely upon each other, as equals, in a conscious contract of essential equality, where we spend a certain part of our time producing something of value, or some sort of specialised function, which we will be able to offer to the community at large in exchange for the assistance and products we need from the community, for the maintenance and enjoyment of our own existence.

We restore, thereby, a sense of balance, as well as the original meaning of the function of inter-dependence, where the processes of specialisation and inter-dependence developed, slowly, because of the subconscious experience or realisation, that our life was maintained so much easier by dividing the tasks and chores of survival and living together over a number of people.

We have discussed, here, some of the material advantages associated with a life-style of near self-sufficiency, but, let us now look at the psychological effects, as well as the attitudes that will be cultivated by a life-style of frugal self-sufficiency. When we know more about repairing the things we use, we will cut-out a large amount of waste. Gone will be the days, that we have to throw an item away just because we did not know how to repair it. Gone will be the days of the mass-production of junk-items, which were designed to be thrown-away after only a limited period of time.

Sure, there will still be mass-production, but, we will only mass-produce things we really need, and, we will do everything we can to make these items as durable as possible. The attitude of built-in obsolescence or deliberately inferior quality in order to ensure a high turn-over, will be gone, and, these attitudes and practices will rightly be considered deceptive in nature and criminal in intent.

Within our modest homes in the rural villages of the future, we will have access to the world at an instant, because there will be a very extensive and comprehensive network of communications, ensuring, above all, that governments are aware of the needs and problems of the people, but, at the same time, it will ensure a great transparence in society, so that we know we can trust each other.

People, who are living this life-style of the future, will be well-educated and informed, to a degree we can hardly imagine at this time. Since all relevant information is computerised, classified, well-organised and easily retrieved and displayed, it will be as easy to consult the global library of information and past human experiences, as it is to look-up a topic in an encyclopedia.

We, ordinary citizens, will be consulted far more often by our leaderships than is the case, now, and, we will be far more informed about all issues of public concern and interest. Work will be considered, largely, a matter of privilege. Certainly, it will be a privilege to serve in any official capacity, or, as an organisor or administrator in any one of the numerous governmental agencies.

We have outlined, before, how we visualise the life periods of the human being to be reflected in the organisation of the future societies. We have seen, that, after an extensive period of education, (which will maintain, at all times, a firm grip over the realities of existence), the young adolescents will start their three to five year tour of duty in the Civil Task-Force.

This will give most young people an opportunity to work hard in many different areas of the globe, and, they will be exposed to a very large variety of major problems, often, with a global significance. They will earn their main merits during this period of active Civil Service.

Those, who are interested and qualified to train for a specialised career, will receive a further five or six year training after their service in the Civial Task-Force has been completed. This training will, probably, take place in a number of major regional centers. Others will return to settle in the region or village of their birth and up-bringing, and, they will begin to play a role in the organisation of their local communities.

The basic security and rights given to all citizens of the world will open a variety and scope of possibilities for learning, development and specialisation, which are unheard of today, but, at the same time, each and every citizen will have to realise, that these rights carry with them an unavoidable set of obligations, and, that each and every citizen may be called-upon, at some time during his or her life-time, to contribute to society.

The contribution asked-for, will take into account a near-equality of the burden or stress-load imposed upon people, and those, who are privileged to occupy a responsible position or have acquired a special expertise and knowledge, will be called-upon most often.

No-one goes into a career "to make money", because the rewards of a job well-done are not measured in money or assets, but, in respect and prestige, and the invitation to assume even greater responsibilities.

The production processes will not be driven, anymore, by the motives for profit or the competition for a share of the market, but, they will be carried by the knowledge and experience, that, every product, and every service, regardless how mundane and anonymous, is just as important as those that are glamorous and in the center of attention.

Central planning will not lead, anymore, to bureaucratic foul-ups, because the accessibility of knowledge, as well as the ability to scrutinise all bureaucratic and decision-making processes, make the channels of government hum with the precision and efficiency of a finely tuned and well-programmed computer.

Each one of us will have plenty of time to keep abreast of what is going-on in the world, as well as in our particular area or community. Most of us will pursue a particular study or interest, be it sports, arts, history or a craft. We will be aware of the arts of the past and the achievements of human beings who died a long time ago, to an extent we can hardly visualise today. Many artists and their achievements, who now lay forgotten, somewhere, in an archive, will, then, be available at the touch of a computer program, and, the people of the future will have a grasp over the realities of their present and past to a degree that is beyond our comprehension.

This is the reason, why it is reasonable to expect future generations to understand us much better than we understand ourselves. While they will be far more rational and much less wasteful than we are now, they will understand better the reasons for the way our generations behaved. Yet, this does not mean, that they will have no regrets about our behaviour, or, the way we squandered resources and caused those gigantic pollution problems! The fact, that they will understand us better than we can understand ourselves, does not mean, that we are absolved from the responsibility to behave in the most rational way possible!

Here, we see the true value emerge of a life-style of frugality and near self-sufficiency, because, by adopting such a life-style, we contribute in a small but significant way to the quality of life in the future. By throttling back unnecessary consumption during our life-time, we do, at least, our little bit for the preservation of the environment and the conservation of resources.

A life-style of frugality will bring-back a realistic perspective in the relationships between effort and consumption, and, it will make us lean, versatile, resourceful and self-confident people, because we know that we are not entrapped, anymore, in the slavery of the credit-card or the bank-loan.

If we remain realistic and avoid becoming slaves to the work that is necessary to acquire the basic necessities, we may have a full and rewarding life, and, we may discover, once again, the joys of working together with people, who are efficient, independent, and yet, aware of the need to remain open and trustful of each other.

We will be so much more aware of the beauty of the land, the refreshing simplicity of a life-style that is not obsessed with profit margins or ostentatious displays, yet, if we become irrealistic and naive, we will soon sink into poverty and ignorance. A simple, frugal life-style is no guarantee to wisdom and happiness. It is always possible, that the dream begins to sour, as we become discouraged with the never-ending chores and burdens of doing simple things the hard way.

We may become embittered and depressed, or, we may adopt a clannish and elitist attitude, developing a secret scorn for those who do not live as "purely" as we do. In stead of being a beacon for an enlightened attitude, we may become a nuissance and an embarrassment. Let us think through, very carefully and realistically, everything we do; every opinion we endorse; every attitude we adopt. Let us not throw-out, blindly, the fruits of technology without making a distinction between a cautious and clever use of those technologies that will benefit us and leave the environment clean and preserved, and, the abuse of techniques and economic developments that become merely an instrument for greed or a quick way to amass a fortune.

If we are against nuclear power, we should know, exactly, why we are against it, and, we should not just endorse a fashionable way of thinking, just because our friends and social environment thinks this way. We are against nuclear power, because we do not have a satisfactory way to dispose of nuclear waste. This is by far the most important reason. If there would be no accumulation of dangerous or long-term radio-active waste, which we have no facilities for to store safely, then, the major objection against nuclear power would fall-away.

Certainly, there still would be an occasional serious accident, which will cost lives and may cause widespread contamination, but, it is unlikely, that the number of nuclear accidents would be so large, that the problems of nuclear contamination would become unmanageable.

We are against nuclear power, because the solutions of today are non-solutions. They are facile postponements of major problems to the following generations, and, this is an extremely cowardly and short-sighted attitude. If we continue this policy, future generations will rightly loathe our generation as one of the worst in the long history of man. We will become known as the epitomy of foolish greed and ruinous carelessness, for which the following generations have to pay and suffer.

They will not hold it against us, if we explore, cautiously and honestly, the possibilities of a dangerous and difficult technology, but, they will have contempt for us, if we do not want to face the questions of waste-disposal, honestly and realistically. They will loathe us, then, for our short-sighted and wasteful habits, but, they will admire us, if we explore the possibilities and problems of a new energy-source, carefully and thoroughly.

A major part of the solution to energy problems has to be found by cutting-back the use of energy, and, we have to define, clearly, the minimal energy needs of man on a global scale, in order to feed everyone and give every human being, at least, a minimum standard of dignity and well-being.

The energy and food crisis is going to be one of the main reasons for rapid and drastic changes in the near future. It is going to be, either a spur to a much more rapid development towards global equalisation in standards of living and conditions of justice, or, it is going to be the background to a series of fierce and disastrous wars, leading to a great impoverishment of mankind, as well as an exhaustion of the terrestial eco-systems. Ironically, the devastation caused by war will be one way to cut-back energy consumption. But what a way to cut-back energy and food needs! What a way to obtain a short respite from competitive pressures! What kind of a life will it be for the survivors of these disastrous conflicts?

While the fulness and richness of a life in a globally just society may be beyond our present imagination, human life, after a nuclear holocaust or a series of intense wars on a slightly less than global scale, may impoverish human existence to a point that is also beyond our imagination.

As informed and concerned practitioners of the frugal way of life, we may be a help and an inspiration to many others, provided, that we remain sympathetic to those, who have not been willing or able to join us. If we can avoid a scornful attitude for those, who are still trapped in the old ways, we may be able to get a lot of people to think along similar lines. We are not going to get many converts, if we try to shame them into our way of life. Do you think that many people are able or willing to give-up smoking, if they are constantly being nagged about it?

Let us be careful about simplistic solutions and superficial opinions or conclusions. It is impossible to live on earth and not change or tax the ecological environment to some extent. All living species' use, and, sometimes, abuse their ecological niche, in particular, if they happen to be very successful and become numerous. This has also happened to mankind. We have become an extremely successful species, and, we have reproduced prodigiously.

However, unlike other species' that do not have the ability to perceive realities consciously, as human beings we are able to foresee the long-term consequences of an unbridled consumption and exploitation of our ecological niche. Nature is full of examples, where a successful ecological niche allowed a temporary population explosion, only to be followed by a dramatic collapse in the number of organisms, after the ecological niche had been ruined.

The same is likely to happen to the human species on a global scale, because, in contrast with the ability of conscious foresight of an occasional human individual, collectively, we have shown, so far, discouragingly little evidence that we can plan successfully far into the future. However, the potential is there, and, each one of us, individually, has a chance, during our life-time, to learn something about the conditions and measures that are necessary to prolong our viability, and avoid this disastrous collapse, which occurs inevitably after an ecological niche has been destroyed.

Let us behave wisely, and, let us always be willing to learn more, and understand more, about the frugal way of life we have chosen on rather intuitive or emotional grounds. The frugal way of life is, indeed, emotionally satisfying for those who feel a vague aversion for the excesses of affluence, and, who understand, in general terms, the need to avoid further pollution and resource depletion.

While it is tempting to preach our newly found way of life, it would be wiser to become rational realists. Our life-style will be far more convincing and appealing to others, if we mix an intuitive love for things natural, with a clear grasp of the need, as well as the beauty, of a frugal way of life.

We would live a far more stable and viable way of life, if we avoid, at all costs, to throw knowledge and rationality out the window, in the mistaken belief, that knowledge, science, thought and rational behaviour are, somehow, the source of all affluent evils and consumerist excesses.

Certainly, knowledge is often used, and abused, as a tool by the greedy and the clever, but, this does not mean, that rationality and objectivity are features or capabilities we can dispense with. As a matter of fact, if we look upon the attitudes of rationality and objectivity with an emotion of suspicion and mistrust, we still have not understood anything at all about the evolution of human existence.

If we are still caught in a zealous mood of protests, demonstrations and rallies, we are in danger of losing the ability to see a problem from all sides. I am not condemning protests and mass-demonstrations, nor any collective manifestations of a definite mood or opinion, but, I think, that we should be very careful not to enhance a process of polarisation by committing ourselves so irrevocably to a Cause.

If we want to commit ourselves to a Cause, let it be the Cause of understanding ourselves and our fellow human beings in a truly broad and convincing perspective, and, let us then work hard and diligently to master this perspective to such a level of perfection, that we may be clear, honest, persuasive, and, above all, thorough in each and every quiet discussion with our fellow members in society.

.......

Summary

1. Time is the problem.
   How can many billions of people live on a small planet without discipline, frugality and long-term planning?
   Do not take your fortunate circumstances for granted.
   We behave like a spoiled child, not knowing what to play with, first.
   Who is going to be "the audience"?
   A look into the future.
   The potential confusion, chaos and despair of future existence.
   Welcome to the world of my thoughts.
   I exist only in your mind.
   The past has to have meaning for the living generations.
   How I reacted to the past I was aware of.
   I promise, that I will always do my best.
   
   
   
2. Time is the essence of our existence.
   Dialogue with a reader.
   We are too tired to be furious at previous generations.
   Doubts about the wonder and awe of existence.
   The world; a cess-pool.
   Across a gap of countless generations, man is still subjected to the same emotions.
   A sense of nostalgia about the infancy of the technological era.
   Becoming nostalgic, whenever "we are on top of the world".
   Playing, happily, on a garbage dump.
   We do not lose hope, as long as viability has not been lost.
   The most significant human accomplishment ever; man contributed more to the earth than he took from it.
   The tasks of cleaning up.
   Preventing, rather than curing an illness; a number of questions.
   What is the point in talking about prevention, after the disaster has taken place?
   No-one listened.
   Many historical events were cataclysmic in nature.
   Let me try to be persuasive.
   The crucial responsibility of being a parent and a guardian of our cultural heritage.
   We reflect, because we want to understand, and, we want to understand, in order to avoid making the same mistakes and being swept-up in cataclysmic events that spiral beyond our control.
   
   
   
3. How much time will we have to learn?
   "You have had your time".
   The dialogue continues.
   A look back at "our times".
   The rotten fruits of unbridled affluence.
   The Socialist societies.
   In a broad historical perspective, events look nearly inevitable.
   Dictatorships of the Right or the Left.
   The evolutionary transformation of Marxism.
   The problems associated with an abundance of justice and security.
   Computer technology and the flowering of the "guided economies".
   A lean, flexible and viable bureaucratic "nervous system".
   The emergence of a globally acceptable philosophy of human existence.
   A look back at the all-pervasive influence of commercial interests.
   A reaction to the attitudes and practices of unbridled consumerism.
   The problems of affluence made people introvert and insensitive to the plight of others.
   An equalising trend in productive capabilities is being hampered by protectionist tendencies.
   The terror of nuclear blackmail.
   The fateful decades of nuclear terrorism.
   Humanity had been slipping, for many years, into a continuously deteriorating terrestial environment.
   The global society, and the gradually emerging awareness, that the standard of living had to be cut-back even more.
   A period of cultural flowering.
   We always begin to take our comforts and well-being for granted.
   A built-in tolerance for a certain margin of error and disaster.
   Before and after the "Nuclear Revolution".
   We have to live very cautiously.
   A description of the future, as seen by an imaginary future reader.
   After the monologue, I laid-back and rested quietly.
   
   
   
4. Time is running out.
   There is work to do.
   Topics that are out of favour with my contemporaries.
   It is so difficult to convince people of the need for self-discipline and a frugal life-style.
   The trap of spending more than we can afford.
   The road towards cynicism and introversion.
   As a nation, we believe, that the day of reckoning never comes.
   Inflation; deceiving the wage-earner and money-lender, and undermining the attitudes of saving.
   The consequences of inflationary policies.
   We have to drop our prices in order to become competitive again.
   An institutionalised fraud.
   A dependence upon economic expansion.
   Inflation widens the gap between the rich and the poor.
   The mortgage.
   What will be the results of an economic slow-down?
   The meaning of bankruptcy.
   A further discussion on the consequences of "over-spending".
   The slide towards terrorism.
   
   
   
5. Time has not run-out, as yet.
   Nuclear terrorism is not unavoidable, nor will it ever be justified.
   A sequence of logical predictions.
   Can we voluntarily throttle back our consumptive drive?
   Can we voluntarily allow an equalisation of living standards on the basis of shifting patterns of production?
   A hardening of attitudes, and the slide towards a trade-war.
   Entrapment, caused by many years of fiscal mis-management and over-spending is responsible for the apparent callousness of affluent people.
   Wealth and prosperity have always accumulated into the hands of a small elite
   We have to control and eliminate the phenomenon of disparity.
   We shrink back from a permanent change in our affluent life-style.
   Facile political promises for an ignorant electorate.
   We have to really want long-term solutions from our political leaders.
   The need for a realistic mood of confidence.
   The momentum of consumerism is likely to continue.
   Self-discipline; a difficult objective, but, a realistic possibility.
   The reasons for an undisciplined approach to life.
   Creating an ever greater dependency on hand-outs.
   The roots of social decay.
   A task for inspired leaders and a responsible electorate.
   A life-style of frugality, self-discipline and near self-sufficiency.
   The problem of unemployment.
   There is plently of work for all of us.
   Preaching to deaf ears.
   
   
   
6. Timing is a problem, is it not?
   The Rational Period of Homo Sapiens.
   We are bginning to get a few ideas about the life-style of the future.
   The real importance of our lives lies not in the income we can generate, but, in the ability to enjoy a life of well-being.
   The joys of re-discovering a measure of versatility.
   Breaking-out of our suburban cages.
   The amount of energy and labour needed to raise a small, yearly sustenance of food is phenomenal, especially, without sophisticated tools.
   The benefits of mechanisation.
   The differences between poverty and frugality.
   We should be aware of the hard work that is necessary to obtain the basic necessities.
   Collectively and privately worked lands.
   The rural communities of the future.
   A network of transportation links, communications and electrical power-lines.
   Re-discovering natural pathways of transportation.
   Examining, carefully, all the scientific and technological possibilities for a state of collective well-being, and, choosing wisely for the sake of an informed, frugal way of life.
   Near self-sufficiency, frugality, and a balance with our terrestial environment.
   We will still be very dependent upon each other.
   Instantaneous access to the world of knowledge and information.
   A high level of education and insight.
   It will be a privilege to "serve".
   The Civil Task-Force.
   The rewards of a position of leadership and responsibility.
   No-one goes into a career "to make money".
   Time to keep abreast of what is going-on in the world.
   Avoiding the attitudes of a self-righteous elitism.
   Knowing what we are for or against.
   Part of the solution of a chronic energy-shortage is found by cutting-back on the level of consumption.
   Be aware of superficial opinions and simplistic solutions
   Let us not destroy our possibilities to exist.
   The frugal way of life; a pass-port to long-term viability.
   Let us be clear, honest, persuasive and thorough in all our discussions and plans for action.

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