6 November 2022: Tackling our difficult problems together

To successfully manage the difficult problems the world faces, humanity needs to be as unified as possible. 

Isaac Asimov, in his science fiction books Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, discussed the concepts of Gaia and Galaxia as necessary to deal with the threat of invasion from another galaxy. Everything on the planet Gaia, including humans, animals, plants and even nonliving matter, shares a common consciousness and united purpose. Of course, this is not today's reality, but a more unified humanity would help fight these global issues that threaten us:

* Climate change.

* The rise in authoritarianism.

* Cultism (extreme devotion to a charismatic leader) and related anti-science / irrational beliefs that prevent meaningful discussions of public policy.

* Prejudice and hate. In the US, this is typically directed toward anyone who is not White, Christian, male or heterosexual.

* Widespread lack of involvement or indifference towards political or governmental activities to improve society.

How can humanity become more unified in tackling these global issues? The goal is not for everyone to think and act the same but to recognize the importance of working together.

Here are some possible strategies, but I welcome your additional thoughts: 

* Each one of us should strive to become more politically active and involved. What we do is less important than deciding to do more, to make ourselves better individuals and to make the world a better place. When each one of us does this, it changes the dynamics of our lives and those we come in contact with and helps solve these problems.

* Work to lessen the influence of leaders of authoritarian or cult movements. This means shunning them, their businesses or institutions and their supporters. This may require small sacrifices on our part but will benefit us by avoiding future problems that are much more troublesome.

* Trying different types of activities to reduce polarization,  see https://tinyurl.com/yvby433u or https://tinyurl.com/vyrvnh6w. On the other hand, we must recognize that there is danger in being too close to "toxic" individuals, who may damage us directly or lure us toward their evil ways.

What do you think?

@NatPPolitics