The Cost of Win-At-All-Cost means the planet and our grand-children pay

 

The strongman choices of our age simply means that the debt is paid in the future. Paid by those who do not have a voice or a seat at the table. Writing this down means I am going into time-debt. Not writing it down means I am letting my own mental health down. 

The cost of everything and the value of nothing is the tension within all my decisions. Including the invisible embryos not yet born.

The value of everything is built into my thinking too much. But that's okay because I only have so much time left to think, worry, write and read. So I've come to the conclusion that comparing my efforts with established power is worth a lot even if it never shows up on a chart somewhere.

It's very easy to believe that I must make a statement, force an issue, choose between the most effective or the least harmful.

Even though philosophers with much more education and clout are wrestling with big decisions, this doesn't give me the option to not engage.

I draw the line at force. When an action is forced it loses its moral credibility. There are times when force is necessary but I feel that ideas are worth sharing without force.

For example, if I believe that green is the best colour, I can wear it, but if I insist that green can only be the best colour therefore everyone should wear it, I am using my personal power to control others and the issue is no longer about colour but how to enforce it.

My habit is to preach but then my words lose their own power, Also my tone becomes threatening. Sadly, so many good ideas have been lost behind guns, bombs, rhetoric, domination and victimization -that our efforts lose the value of the original idea.

There are times when preaching is necessary, such as climate change, poverty, racism, sexism and crime. 

There is a time to be humble too.  Among billions of people living on this planet my attempts to make the world a better place is never going to be a fireworks display.

Winning awards is not the point. The ego must be vigilant especially when the leader is engaged.

Freedom, capitalism, socialism and all the other ideals, our species has focused on requires the discipline of not allowing the ego to eat up the good will of the masses. This is a constant tension for me -  knowing when my work and efforts are no longer helping the ideals of the group.