Lent words - Day 11 ~ Authority

I've been waiting for this one...

This could be quite long post. I am not sure how Authority relates in a religious lent context, except perhaps the promotion of the idea that Jesus had been given the authority of God to do his bidding here on earth? ... but I am going to press on with my thoughts on the subject of authority.

I guess I've never really been good with authority.

I have a bit of a 'rules are there to be broken' thing about me. I guess it all started at quite a young age when I figured, who were these people making up the rules? ...and why is it they got to decide what I could or couldn't do. I even break my own rules. That's because we learn all the time and what might have made sense then, doesn't anymore. Don't get strapped into your own dogma... that's even worse!

Now before we get confused... I'm not suggesting a lawless society where everyone can do as they please, but as far as authority is concerned I think our gradual rather sinister journey towards a nanny state is highly toxic.

So deeply conditioned in our psyche is the strength of belief that those in power (authority) will look after us and are making decisions in our best interest that we are almost automatons. Selecting from the range of options put before us to choose from, rarely rising above it to question whether there is any other way.

I think this is the place we're in now. The thinking that has got us where we are today is a broken political system, with a broken financial system, with a health service going in the wrong direction, with an education system that slowly leeches all creativity and innovation from our young... and where instead of courtrooms and solicitors we ought to have mediation and conversation in the community.

To turn this around we need innovation and creation. To sort the mess out we're going to need to have some inspired new thinking that we won't find in the halls of whitehall or in parliament... those people are far too long in the tooth and conditioned by a system that will do all it can to hang on as the noose tightens.

We need a new kind of Authority... I hear a lot of rhetoric from those in far more exalted places than I, preaching about how what we have isn't working. But I see precious little in the way of solutions. Of course solutions on this scale will not come from one source, they must come from many and diverse... a blend of a huge mix of variety that 'allows', 'empowers', 'co-creates', and 'co-operates' without ego, fear, of loss, or competition. It is going to take a whole new look at this...

That is where the biggest change is needed... 

that the solutions aren't going to come from one source... to have that is to say this way is the right way... and your way isn't... that creates division and a desire to prove the other wrong and show that you are right... this is ego... that was last century... that's why we're in this mess.

If we can imagine people and communities taking much greater levels of responsibility at a local level... and communities evolving to be much more resilient and self sustaining... and then these ideas being cross fertilised across spatial distances.

We can start to see the beginnings of a new 'real' democracy. Local people voting for those who they believe in and who make great decisions for the good of the people living in the community. That's who I would want to represent me... not some self serving civil servant more interested in feathering their own nest and working themselves up the political ladder. We still need a great many people doing things to enable community to function, it is just at the upper echelons, some people believe we exist to give them power and control... whereas in reality they exist to Serve us. Very importantly... we are complicit in this arrangement... that's why it is time for change...

Perhaps then as people and communities find their own way and share what they are doing some will adopt those strategies whilst others adapt... different places have different needs and that's all ok.

This will be a period of great innovation. It is already happening there are some amazing things going on in the world. On the other hand it we are looking at some very dark clouds on the horizon. The solutions as always will have to come from us. We have to take back our power now. We have to start innovating new ways of doing things, alternatives.

The young people are already doing this. Why?

... because they can already see that the world that is being presented to them... the one we have created (us baby boomers) is not for them. It is broken... they can't afford a house, a car, they don't want to travel to do a days work, why would they? ... we have technology that pretty much avoids the need for that... and whereas it took us 40 or 50 years to work out we were working to make someone else rich... they are saying it at 18 years old... no thanks... your world sucks!

... and still I see initiatives to try and force these round pegs into square holes and they don't fit folks. That's because the universe is telling us this world is coming to an end... have Brexit... have Trump.... lets move this along a bit quicker now... you folks were more asleep than I thought!!

Concluding on Authority

I have been a bit one track centric on this post... I could have talked about other types of Authority, but actually this one I am passionate about. We need to question why we are doing things, what we are being asked to do and work out the best, most resource effective way of doing it... Money is one way of getting something done... one of about six... time to focus on people... relationships and working together to get things done... stop asking for money (another blog post here on that).