Abstract
Mukta stresses the need for transnational movements to hold governments and international organizations such as the World Bank to account. Mukta writes an essay ‘who or what do we care about in the twenty-first century?’ She stresses that instead of the ‘gift of life’ we are cannibalizing the planet through our greed. Her plea to value life and relationships echoes the plea made by Ramphela to end corruption and greed.
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Notes
- 1.
Wilson, L. 2012, ‘Merchant ships bring salvation for lucky few as boat and friends disappear into sea’, Weekend Australian, p. 1 ‘Most of the 109 survivors, including a 13 year old boy, were last night recovering on Christmas Island after being plucked from the sea by two navy vessels and commercial ships, including JPO Vulpecula. Three were evacuated to a Perth Hospital for urgent treatment with suspected spinal injuries. Others were believed to be suffering from hypothermia and dehydration and at least 10 were transported to the islands small hospital. The latest tragedy has brought renewed calls for an end to the bitter political standoff on asylum seekers and a genuine effort by politicians to find a workable solution that will stop the deaths at sea….’
- 2.
‘The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea is the convention that would be the prime driver in the decision making of the commanding officer’, Stewart, C. 2012 Law of the sea versus the dictates of Canberra: there are daunting obstacles to a policy of turning back asylum seeker boats. Weekend Australian March, 11–12, 19.
- 3.
See Global citizenship and social movements—creating transcultural webs of meaning (2000) and ‘User Centric Policy Design to Address Complex needs (2010)’, for example, in which I discuss democratic engagement with marginalized groups—first nations, young people, the unemployed and the homeless, angry people who do not want to hear anything but with the need to implement laws to manage greed.
- 4.
This involves reframing the state to address a new role. We have exported the notion of the state as we have colonised and globalised. ‘What is a state if it is not sovereign?’ is the question posed by Clifford Geertz (2003).
Independence has been fiercely fought for by past colonies, or subsections of marginalised groups who wish to splinter away from dominant centralised control of authoritarian governments. The powerful economies of the world have been built upon exploitation and the lack of representation.
- 5.
Wilson, P. 2011, Moments of madness amid calculated rage. The Weekend Australian August 13–14, p. 21.
- 6.
The disjunct between weak cosmopolitanism and strong cosmopolitanism is no longer feasible (given that we need to protect the basis of life). This has conceptual, spatial and temporal implications for the design of governance and a new form of democracy that rests on a scaled up form of subsidiarity that enshrines the rights of global citizens to secure stocks for the future protected by local and international governance. This section addresses the issue of whether it is possible to scale up democracy and governance and whether it is advisable to do so—in order to ensure a sustainable and socially just future.
- 7.
According to Abbot (2007, p. 66), lyrical sociology is different from narrative sociology: ‘I oppose to narrative sociology, by which I mean standard quantitative inquiry with its “narratives” of variables as well as those parts of qualitative sociology that take a narrative and explanatory approach to social life. Lyrical sociology is characterized by an engaged, non-ironic stance toward its object of analysis, by specific location of both its subject and its object in social space, and by a momentaneous conception of social time. Lyrical sociology typically uses strong figuration and personification, and aims to communicate its author’s emotional stance toward his or her object of study, rather than to “explain” that object.’ I continue to draw on West Churchman because he makes a plea for questioning those taken for granted through considering logic, empiricism, idealism, dialectic and pragmatism. But he also stresses the importance of values and emotions which enables us to think about the lyrical meanings. Balancing individual needs and the common good—without resorting to closed systems which deny the right to question—this is the challenge we face: ‘In the realm of totalitarian kitsch, all answers are given in advance and preclude any questions. It follows, then, that the true opponent of totalitarian kitsch is the person who asks questions. A question is like a knife that slices through the stage backdrop and gives us a look at what lies hidden behind it…’ (Kundera 1984, p. 254). ‘Kitsch causes two teas to flow in quick succession. The first ear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass! The brotherhood of man (sic) on earth will be possible only on a base of kitsch’ (Kundera 1984, p. 251).
- 8.
Wilson, P. 2011. Moments of madness amid calculated rage, The Weekend Australian August 13–14, p. 21.
- 9.
But the digital is more limited than being the change from moment to moment in the way we choose to live our lives. Perhaps we are part of the transition; we are just looking at a very short time in human history.
- 10.
This is why learning communities although important need to be sustained by new learning organizations that foster the capability and confidence to work in groups with people who share the same concerns, but have different cultural frames of reference.
- 11.
Wayne Swann (2012, pp. 3–4) discusses the gap between the rich and poor in Australia and America. The so-called rise of the 0.01 % of the wealthy has led to protests: ‘ Today the gap between the rich and the rest in the US is around twice the size of outs: in 2008, the top 1 % in the US received around 17.7 % of all income, while the figures is just (!) 8.6 % in Australia…. The catch cry of Wall Street’s Zuccotti Park and the Occupy Movement “We are the 99 %” has shone a spotlight on the top 1 %. Between 1979 and 2007 in the US, the top 1 % saw their after-tax incomes rise 275 %, while the middle two thirds saw their after-tax incomes increase by less than 40 %.’
- 12.
It is possible for measures of average to disguise the fact that a high income does not enable exhausted workers to enjoy the same kind of leisure that a lower income family enjoys that has access to the safety net of capital, a home that is not mortgaged to the hilt and the security that loss of income will not lead to a loss of their home or their social networks.
Conservative economists argue that consumption can be modified by those with an income to build up wealth. The difference in this report is that consumption refers to stocks that are usually not included in economic measures. The most important point made is that by contributing to the public good, individual households could enhance their wellbeing.
- 13.
http://www.apsc.gov.au/publications-Accessed 8/01/2013 Rittel, H. and Webber, M. 1984, Planning problems are wicked problems Developments in Design Methodology. New York: Wiley.Wei-Ning Xiang 2012, Editorial: ‘Working with wicked problems in socio-ecological systems: Awareness, acceptance, and adaptation’, Landscape and Urban Planning 110, pp. 1–4. Wellbeing and existential risk: engagement to address the policy and governance challenges of mitigation and accountability, McIntyre, J. (School of Social and Policy Studies, Flinders University, janet.mcintyre@flinders.edu.au presenting author, De Vries, D. (Computer Science, Engineering and informatics, Flinders University, denise.devries@flinders.edu.au, paper delivered at CASS Research Conference Sustainable Environmental Policy and Global Governance, Beijing, China, 18–19 September 2012 and submitted to the journal of convergence, China.
- 14.
We are human animals and have both rights and responsibility to the voiceless as caretakers and advocates. The emphasis on anthropocentricism could be said to be killing us, because we cannot see that in modifying the food chain, using pesticides widely has affected the bee population (Mathews, 2010) which affects food production and killing top predators leads to the proliferation of other species that can place pressure on the ecology which leads to further degradation of the land on which we depend for food. This is arguably unravelling the fabric of the planet. Just as the telescope helped us to see in the distance and the microscope helped us see in detail that which was beyond our comprehension with the naked eye, the use of external digital software could enable us to hold in mind many variables and to find agreed pathways towards a sustainable future. According to De Grasse, it is thought that the universe is 14 billion light years. The light from 15 billion years ago has not yet reached us. We are unaware of it. We do not know if the entire universe is finite or not. This is just one example of our lack of understanding—limited to our intelligence at the moment. Human beings cannot fly and they cannot smell as well as many animals. But the microscope has helped them to see in depth and the telescope has extended their vision. But this is not enough. We all evolved on the plains of Africa to escape lions. Brains were shaped by natural selection. Those who collaborated and competed survived. The ability to think in terms of the big picture and the long term and to support those beyond our immediate family needs to be developed. We need to understand that the zero sum or us–them approach is not the answer to survival. Meat is no longer killed and shared just with the immediate kin and those with whom we want an alliance. Now, we may need to think in terms of how to support large numbers of people in cities. According to De Grasse, as we develop tools, so we evolve to the next level.
- 15.
The neuroscientist Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield (2000) stresses that consciousness is a result of making connections. When we are out of our mind, as a result of rage, joy or drugs, we are less likely to make rational decisions. Emotions will rule our decisions or at least our behaviour—as we may act without even knowing what we are doing. I could list many examples of this sort of behaviour by those in power: traders, bankers and political leaders who are in the thrall of their own will to power based on the emotions of greed and desire for the trappings of a powerful and so-called successful life.
- 16.
Personal, interpersonal and public transformation: Systemic governance in terms of this argument refers to working across: conceptual boundaries of professional, discipline-based and lived experience, networks, interest groups and organizations, cultures and identities and socio-geographic arenas locally, nationally and internationally, in order to achieve sustainable social, economic and environmental futures. The massive and unsustainable administrative minutiae required by bureaucracies leave little room in existing public, private and many mainstream non-government organizations for doing things differently. This is why learning organizations although important need to be sustained by new learning communities, projects that prefigure change and social movements that foster the capability and confidence to work separately and with people who share the same concerns or who have different cultural frames of reference.
- 17.
According to Wei-Ning Xiang (2013, p. 3), ‘…is also noteworthy that the tone in which people describe their relationship with wicked problems has become progressively softer, from “tame,” “deal with,” “handle,” “tackle,” to even “work with” (Australian Public Service Commission 2007, p. 11, 17, 35),“live with” (Norton 2012, p. 460), and “embracing” (Raisio 2010), reflecting a greater degree of acceptance of wicked problems as sustained social reality that human society has to live with.’
- 18.
Why do voters think in the short-to-medium term and not the long-term impact of their decisions on vital issues such as food and energy security? This is arguably a result of the way human beings have evolved. It is as much a product of nature as it is a product of nurture. Thinking about strategies for the survival of this generation makes evolutionary sense. But survival and liveability do not have to be achieved at the expense of long-term resilience. Rational arguments have not been able to convince people. Emotions play a vital role in the way people think about themselves, others and the environment (Hoggett 2011). Linked with the current way of life in democracies is an expectation that rights need to be preserved in social and economic terms. These are achieved at the expense of the environment. Why do politicians pitch their policies to respond to the short and medium term? The answer is surely to ensure re-election every 3 years. This is a function of the short-term design of democracy and governance. Democracy and governance need to balance rights and responsibilities to the environment. The notion that governments are the agents of the people should be reframed. Instead, governments are the elected stewards of resources for future generations.
- 19.
We have created visions of lifestyle through the media that represent how life ought to be lived and now we confuse these visions with reality. News is edited and presented to us as reality. Governments make decisions that simulate taking responsible caretaking decisions. The spin then becomes a form of hyperreality.
- 20.
I am trying to develop a response to this alienation by applying an approach to research that decentres the researcher and empowers participants to address wellbeing and the implications it has for our identity and ‘being in the world’ and the way we are consuming resources. By drawing a line or ‘mastering’ disciplines, we are fragmenting ourselves and denying that ‘we are the land’ (Getano Lui 1993; Nazarea 2006) and that we return to the elements of life when we die. In turn, we become the ancestors and nurture the land from which new life grows.
- 21.
Mabo v Queensland (No 2) [1992] HCA 23; (1992) 175 CLR 1 (3 June 1992) HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA MABO ‘AND OTHERS v. QUEENSLAND (No. 2) [1992] HCA 23; (1992) 175 CLR 1 F.C. 92/014: “The groups of houses were and are organised in named villages. It is far from obvious to the uninitiated, but is patent to an islander, that one is moving from one village to another. The area occupied by an individual village is, even having regard to the confined area on a fairly small island which is in any event available for ‘village land’, quite small. Garden land is identified by reference to a named locality coupled with the name of relevant individuals if further differentiation is necessary. The Islands are not surveyed and boundaries are in terms of known land marks such as specific trees or mounds of rocks. Gardening was of the most profound importance to the inhabitants of Murray Island at and prior to European contact. Its importance seems to have transcended that of fishing… Gardening was important not only from the point of view of subsistence but to provide produce for consumption or exchange during the various rituals associated with different aspects of community life. Marriage and adoption involved the provision or exchange of considerable quantity of produce. Surplus produce was also required for the rituals associated with the various cults at least to sustain those who engaged in them and in connection with the various activities associated with death. Prestige depended on gardening prowess both in terms of the production of a sufficient surplus for the social purposes such as those to which I have referred and to be manifest in the show gardens and the cultivation of yams to a huge size. Considerable ritual was associated with gardening and gardening techniques were passed on and preserved by these rituals. Boys in particular worked with their fathers and by observations and imitations reinforced by the rituals and other aspects of the social fabric gardening practices were passed on.’ ‘It seems that before European contact social cohesion was sought by the combined operation of a number of factors. Children were inculcated from a very early age with knowledge of their relationships in terms of social groupings and what was expected of them by a constant pattern of example, imitation and repetition with reinforcing behaviour. It was part of their environment—the way in which they lived….’ The findings show that Meriam society was regulated more by custom than by law.”
- 22.
Historically, religion has always provided a ‘way to make the unbearable, bearable’. ‘It is the opium of the people’ (Marx 1843; Spivak 1998; Eyerman 1981). Religion along with ‘morality, politics and aesthetics’ can be seen as human values which filter our understanding the world (West Churchman 1979,1982)—these values (and linked emotions) are vital to cultural transformation.
- 23.
People spend less and less time exploring complex ideas. Reading books and thinking about concepts—imagining the symbols and thinking through complex narratives—is lost when children give up reading (Greenfield 2008). Hyperreality is encouraged through computer games; the game becomes more real than the real. New kinds of media engagement need to build the capability of local people to think about complexity.
- 24.
US team creates synthetic life By North America correspondent Craig McMurtrie Updated Fri May 21, 2010 9:37am AEST A bio-technician demonstrates the beginning of the sequencing procedure (Reuters: Larry Downing, file photo). Scientists in the United States have announced they have developed the world’s first synthetic living cell…the Maryland-based research team says it is the first time synthetic DNA has been in complete control of a cell…. His research team inserted watermarks in the synthetic DNA to be decoded, including a James Joyce quotation: ‘To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to recreate life out of life.’ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/21/2905396.htm?site=news.
- 25.
- 26.
Summary of the SEEA accounts relevant to local government. Cited by Heycox et al. 1997: p. 3 cite United Nations (1993) Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting: Handbook of National Accounting: Studies in Methods, Series F. No 61, Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistical Division, United Nations, New York.
- 27.
According to Heycox et al. 1997, p. 4: ‘Data published by the ABS on the environmental protection expenditures by the public sector, including local government, is derived from the public sector finance collection which is based on an international Classification of the Functions of Government (COFOG). The problem arises due to the structure of COFOG was designed long before collecting data on public sector transactions does not enable the environmental component of transactions…to be separately identified”. But separation or disaggregation is quite the wrong way to approach the problem. This is why a systemic approach is vital and why the research supports the promotion of well-being as an integrated measure for a sustainable future.
- 28.
Clearly, America’s fiscal debt is such that it too should realise the implications of business as usual. In Obama’s accession speech, he stresses the importance of a cultural change. He stressed the respect for diversity and the need to acknowledge the unions of gays as having equal merit. He also stressed the importance of moving towards a green economy. But the rhetoric was expressed in terms of American leadership. The cost of the so-called democratic election in America was US$ 2 billion. One has to ask, is this necessary? Apparently, in a single month the Obama campaign garnered US$ 114 million. Conrad (2013, p. 14) asks if this is indeed the way forward.
- 29.
Van Onselen, P. 2013 Beware the dangers of fawning on untamed China Weekend Australia, April 13–14, p. 20.
- 30.
The regional disasters within nations range from tsunamis and storm surges in Japan as well as regular seismic instability to regular flooding in Australia and fires, earthquakes and landslides in China. In Indonesia, all these disasters pose a challenge. According to the head of the Torrens Resilience Centre, Professor Paul Hare, ‘Indonesian officials claim that for those concerned about disaster, Indonesia provides all the examples…it is a supermarket of disasters….’
- 31.
24th August 2012. Malcolm Cook reports on Australian Broadcasting.
- 32.
Rudd, K. 2013. Asia’s own Balkans a tinderbox; China’s tensions with Japan and Vietnam should urgently be defused. Inquirer Feb 2–3, 19.
- 33.
Davidson, N. Dead pigs threaten Shanghai’s water. Guardian Weekly 05/04.13.
- 34.
Upton (2013, pers.comm) stressed the importance of the China reform proposal paper: Zhou, Tianyong, Wang Changjiang and Wang Anling, 2007. In English: ‘Storming the Fortress–China Political System Reform Research Report after 17th National Congress’. See http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/02/elite-china-think-tank-issues-political-reform-blueprint/ ‘But the 366-page report give a strikingly detailed blueprint of how some elite advisers see political relaxation unfolding, with three phases of reform in the next 12 years, including restricting the party’s powers and expanding the rights of citizens, reporters, religious believers and lawmakers.’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/19/china.pressandpublishing.
According to Upton: Professor Kerry Brown has several references to the report in his book Ballot Box China. 2011, Zed Books London and New York.
- 35.
Lee, G. and Scurrah, N. 2009. Power and responsibility: the Mekong River Commission and Lower Mekong mainstream dams. A joint report of the Australian Mekong Resource Centre, University of Sydney and Oxfam Australia.
- 36.
Abel Tasman has been banned from fishing in Australian waters by federal Environment Minister Tony Burke. See: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/burke-rejects-second-bid-to-use-super-trawler-20130213-2ebvw.html#ixzz2NYkL2raw, http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/burke-rejects-second-bid-to-use-super-trawler-20130213−2ebvw.html.
- 37.
Black, R, 12 July 2011 Japan ‘to continue’ Antarctic whaling http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14132320 Australia-Japan talks: development, regional security, and whaling. Media release 13 January 2013 Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida today held talks on regional security, development and whaling, in Sydney. The talks come less than a month after the election of the Abe Government in Japan on December 16, 2012 and are part of Minister Kishida’s first overseas visits as Foreign Minister. Security: On security matters, Ministers agreed on the need for the UN Security Council to deliver an effective response to North Korea’s rocket launch in December 2012. Security discussions also included Afghanistan, Syria, the Middle East peace process, Iran and conflicts in Africa including piracy off the Somalia coastline. It was agreed that Australia and Japan would further strengthen their cooperation in United Nations activity related to peacekeeping, nuclear non-proliferation and the advancement of an Arms Trade Treaty to reduce the flow of illicit weapons to rogue states and terrorist groups. Australia and Japan also agreed to continue cooperation on the need for Security Council reform. Australia reaffirmed its support for Japan’s permanent membership of the UNSC. Minister Carr reiterated Australia’s strong position against so-called scientific whaling by Japan. Australia is pursuing action in the International Court of Justice on the issue and considers Japanese whaling to be contrary to its international obligations.
- 38.
September is the time of year when wind is most likely to blow away pollution. Pollution was also limited by the decision to ban all large trucks from travelling into town as attempts were made to clean up the city prior to the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall. Recently, the levels of pollution have reached alarming levels that have led to people questioning whether growth at the cost of the environment is a worthwhile economic agenda. See http://www.smh.com.au/environment/beijing-barely-suitable-for-life-as-heavy-pollution-shrouds-chinas-capital-20140226-33ghq.html.
- 39.
In Japan, 340,000 have been displaced by the Fukushima disaster. The reaction of the electorate was to vote the incumbent government out of office. But ironically, they elected Prime Minister Abe who is keen to rely on nuclear energy and to change the Japanese constitution to allow it to take a more active role in its defence. According to Malcolm Cook, the world looks a fairly dangerous place from Tokyo, with less than amicable relationships with its neighbors. It faces a debt burden that ranks the third highest in the world in 2013.
- 40.
24th August 2012. Malcolm Cook reports on Australian Broadcasting.
- 41.
Rudd, K. 2013. Asia’s own Balkans a tinderbox; China’s tensions with Japan and Vietnam should urgently be defused. Inquirer Feb 2–3, 19.
- 42.
Whilst Rudd quickly stresses that he believes ‘a pan-Asian war extremely unlikely. Nonetheless for those of us who live in this region, facing escalating confrontations in the East China and South China seas, Europe is a cautionary take very much worthy of reflection…’, it is not by chance that the Weekend Australian has been running articles about the educational aspirations of Chinese parents who make great sacrifices to give their children the best possible education and who require their children to excel. Lewis, L. 2013 Born to be dragons, but not free: Chinese families pay tutors to teach children before they’re even a year old. Should Australian parents worry? The Weekend Australian January 26–27, 11 ‘…the boy will have more responsibility to shoulder. We may only let him have 60 min free time every day….’ This highly competitive mother (a successful entrepreneur) stressed the importance of being competitive locally and internationally:
“…. Western parents should feel concern at the single mindedness of their Chinese counterparts….”
- 43.
Black, R, 12 July 2011 Japan ‘to continue’ Antarctic whaling
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14132320 ‘Australia-Japan talks: development, regional security, whaling’ Media release 13 January 2013 Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida today held talks on regional security, development and whaling, in Sydney. The talks come less than a month after the election of the Abe Government in Japan on December 16, 2012 and are part of Minister Kishida’s first overseas visits as Foreign Minister. Security. On security matters, Ministers agreed on the need for the UN Security Council to deliver an effective response to North Korea’s rocket launch in December 2012. Security discussions also included Afghanistan, Syria, the Middle East peace process, Iran and conflicts in Africa including piracy off the Somalia coastline. It was agreed that Australia and Japan would further strengthen their cooperation in United Nations activity related to peacekeeping, nuclear non-proliferation and the advancement of an Arms trade Treaty to reduce the flow of illicit weapons to rogue states and terrorist groups. Australia and Japan also agreed to continue cooperation on the need for Security Council reform. Australia reaffirmed its support for Japan’s permanent membership of the UNSC…. Australia is pursuing action in the International Court of Justice on the issue and considers Japanese whaling to be contrary to its international obligations. Both Australia and Japan have filed detailed written arguments in the Court, which will set the case for oral hearing in The Hague. The case is likely to be listed for hearing in the latter half of 2013. Regionalist approaches within the nation state are becoming more prevalent to address risk. According to Wear (2012, p. 469), ‘The establishment of regional Management forums was an experiment in collaborative governance. Similar governance structures were also established in other jurisdictions.’
- 44.
24th August 2012. Malcolm Cook reports on Australian Broadcasting.
Le Monde cited by The China urged to ‘reconsider Japanese rile of Okinawa?’ Cited by Guardian Weekly International News. 17.05.13, p. 10.
- 45.
Hilary Clinton made the comment as she stepped down from office that she thought that the many tensions internationally were cause for concern. But as a counterpoint to the concerns about competition and the zero sum approach, others are moving towards a more compassionate way of life.
- 46.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v = UOfM7QD7-kk.
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McIntyre-Mills, J. (2014). Greed and Complicity. In: Transformation from Wall Street to Wellbeing. Contemporary Systems Thinking. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7466-2_5
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