With it now increasingly clear - to those willing to see -
that capitalism is incapable of providing the kind of society that can afford
its members any kind of secure and stable future, and with the political elite
seemingly currently incapable of providing an alternative vision that can
motivate the youth and the vast majority of the adult population, it is perhaps
time to start examining what structures could be worked towards that might lead
towards a more cohesive and progressive future for all.
The current situation (leaving aside global warming, which
needs to be tacked differently) is as follows:
- An army of unemployed youth with little chance of
worthwhile, viable job prospects leading to the kind of life style currently
envisioned as “acceptable and socially desirable”.
- High unemployment, with little likelihood of
there being enough adequately paid jobs in the future.
- An existing infrastructure that requires significant
renewal.
- A range of existing problems requiring urgent
solutions, among which:
o
Moving excess water from some areas to areas of
water shortage.
o
Energy resource and waste recycling problems.
o
Travel and transport problems that just won’t be
solvable by the conversion to electric cars, however desirable. Such could be
auto-drive, underground-cable-driven, circulating vehicles.
o
The alienation of people from the political
process.
o
The depopulation of and loss of facilities and
transport links from rural villages in many regions.
o
The shortage of accommodation in areas where
work is available, while considerable existing and potential housing stock
remains empty and decaying.
o
The insulation of houses of many elderly and less-advantaged
people’s accommodation.
o
The need for confidence-building and appropriate
skills development and education for the young.
o
The increasing need for facilities and support
for the elderly and infirm.
o
Increasing racial and group tensions.
o
There are many others
The failure of the current political elite to offer
solutions or any vision of an alternative direction other than more of the same
bankrupt policies will undoubtedly result in an increase in the indebtedness of
the populace at large, in an ever-growing gap between the rich and poor, and will
certainly act as a catalyst for more riots, a growth in prison numbers, etc.
All these will put growing strains on the already
dramatically-deficit-hit national budgets, and whether or not all this leads us
towards more wars (real, imaginary, trade or Cold) we shall just have to wait
and see.
No wonder that many young people feel estranged from a
society that they haven’t helped create and for whose ills they are paying and
are going to continue to pay, perhaps for the rest of their lives? Nor is it
strange that all too many people consider that having virtual friends (and avatars
and apparent real activity) is more fruitful than voting for all-to-often false
promises and more of the same. This is all the sadder when one considers the
energy and enthusiasm that the young can manifest when suitably motivated.
However, perhaps an alternative more optimistic approach can
be advanced – one that brings the power and imagination of the youth to bear in
the creation of the society that they are going to live in.
The power of IT and video games, media programmes, etc.,
together with the lowering of the voting age to 16 – all these and other
mechanisms could be used as means for gaining the acceptance, over time, for
the creation of a two-year youth social service aimed at all young people, no
matter from what social class, religion, gender, etc., nor at what age they
leave school. Such a service would provide the human power and imagination to
tackle these social challenges, as well as helping individuals develop to their
full potential and strengthening inter-group relations.
It is fundamental that such a scheme be aimed at tackling
some of the major problems facing us all, while simultaneously developing those
skills required for living in the kind of progressive society that is urgently needed
for the health of our and other species. It must NOT be a means of massaging
the unemployment figures, of providing cheap labour for employers nor as a
social control mechanism. Participation should involve individual training and development
plans; choice of and joint elaboration of project activities; motivational and
support programmes, etc. It could also help break the pernicious unemployment cultural
cycle in families or areas in which work has not featured for generations.
The scheme could also open up possibilities for those over
50 or other skilled and experienced persons for whom the current job market no
longer seems to offer opportunities, as well as creating a “working window” of
two years – a “breathing space” - opening up jobs that would normally be picked
up by graduates and school leavers.
It is clear that certain aspects of these ideas will hardly
meet with universal, if any, approval; the cost might appear prohibitive, but would
be amortised in all sorts of ways. However, money seems always to be found when
necessary and the magnitude of the challenges ahead need extraordinary
investment and that the members of society become increasingly involved in creating
a society of their own. Such a society will not come about spontaneously. There
needs to be a strategic approach and the political will. The degree of wastage
of people’s potential is nothing short of a scandal, and works against the
creation of the kind of decent society that most people would wish to live in.
There must be another way forward – a socialised solution to
problems that face us all. This kind of thinking will need much further
elaboration, but should not just be rejected out of hand. What other credible
alternatives have surfaced? None, I would suggest.
Steve Lytton,
Arcy sur Cure,
France
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