By Robinder Nath Sachdev
Make no mistake, this is the first time ever in history of the modern, cognitive homo sapien when a single force has dangerously impacted the complete entirety of human race. Never before has humankind faced a common sweeping tsunami of the kind that has wrought death and uprooted consciousness all across the planet.
The impact and ripples of COVID-19 will be bigger than any World War so far, deeper than the French Revolution, and if the human spirit soars, as this column urges and hopes, then arguably this can even be as pivotal a turning point in history as the invention of the wheel. If the human spirit roars and builds a collective will then it can easily change some of the rules of the game that has been playing out since thousands of years.
The reader may well disagree that this crisis is not such an earth-shaking event, and that this column is making a mountain out of a molehill. To which your author submits that even if the present crisis is a mere blip, is a molehill, why not take the opportunity of this rarest of rare disruption and chaos to make a mountain out of a molehill? And, to push the world towards a future that is radically more human, humane, and happy-er, than the past normal that was?
#Manifesto20/20 is a moonshot that can be made possible by us the people, communities, and nations of today. This is the first opportunity ever since humans started walking on earth, when every being in every corner of the world is simultaneously undergoing a common challenge, and a common planetary conversation, reflection is happening. The more this conversation and public opinion turns towards defining, desiring, and demanding a new normal, the more our world will change.
What is #Manifesto20/20
#Manifesto20/20 is a call to urgent action and charter of suggestions for citizens and governments of the world. The manifesto builds upon the hindsight 20/20 of the past normal that was and calls to architect a future with a vision that is sharp, and 20/20.
#Manifesto20/20 comprises of two sections. The first 5 points draw upon principles of the degrowth movement, while rejecting few of its radical prescriptions. However, while the degrowth movement has some strong positives, yet it does not address the wholistic future of the world – for example, solving the problem of terrorism, peace of mind, and happiness, for all.
The second section of the manifesto therefore focuses on flattening the curve of extremism, and a newer happiness, defined as #Happiness20/20, which together with modified principles of degrowth, will help to build a world that is more human, humane, and happy-er.
#Manifesto20/20 and deGrowth
Talking first about deGrowth. A remarkable 5-point manifesto by over 170 Dutch academics is going viral in Europe. #Manifesto20/20 does not agree to the Dutch manifesto in its entirety, but vehemently supports their call for an urgent global dialogue, and implementation of some of its recommendations.
Below is a translated summary of this 5-point manifesto by Jason Hickel, a renowned economic anthropologist:
1) Shift from an economy focused on aggregate GDP growth to differentiate among sectors that can grow and need investment (critical public sectors, and clean energy, education, health) and sectors that need to radically degrow (arms and weapons, fossil fuels, air travel, etc).
2) Build an economic framework focused on redistribution, which establishes a universal basic income, a universal social policy system, a strong progressive taxation of income, profits and wealth, reduced working hours and job sharing, and recognizes care work.
3) Transform farming towards regenerative agriculture based on biodiversity conservation, sustainable and mostly local and vegetarian food production, as well as fair agricultural employment conditions and wages.
4) Reduce consumption and travel, with a drastic shift from luxury and wasteful consumption and travel to basic, necessary, sustainable and satisfying consumption and travel.
5) Debt cancellation, especially for workers and small business owners and for countries in the global south (both from richer countries and international financial institutions).
Maybe the Dutch are onto something? The world will do well to remember that the Dutch had significant influence on the founding principles that powered the United States into becoming a shining beacon upon a hill. Perhaps the degrowth list originating from the Netherlands can now trigger some of the newer founding principles of a post-COVID19 world?
#Manifesto20/20 and #Happiness20/20
While the degrowth manifesto addresses the conditions of political economy, and environment, it needs to be supplemented with reduction in hatred and violence for a peaceful co-existence among peoples of our planet. Now is an opportunity to strike hard and reshape the root cause of extremism.
The scourge of extremism and terrorism cannot be eliminated by technology or weapons alone. It is the ideas in mind, the programming of mind, that has to change in order for extremism to reduce. And, we will do well to remember that changing of minds of adults on even small matters is well-nigh impossible – just try changing your or a friend’s mind on anything.
As William Wordsworth wrote over 200 years ago, “The Child is father of the Man”, there is no doubt that man is a product of his habits and behaviour developed in childhood. Thus the only way to reduce extremist thinking and hatred in the long term is to teach values of empathy, kindness, compassion, mindfulness, tolerance, respect of diversity, peace of mind, and happiness to the children of today – right from age 5 to age 16, in all the schools, all over the world, as a compulsory course of study. World governments, and school boards, must adopt this creed with utmost urgency and rigour, with a stimulating and fun syllabus that is age-appropriate for all classes.
Children who undergo this education, all across the world, when they grow up as adults will be then less attracted to extremist thinking, and a lesser number will take to violence. This is the only way to mitigate the growth of terrorism in the long run. A concurrent benefit of this syllabus is that it will also reduce bullying in schools – which is in itself a major issue of mental and physical health of children.
The COVID-19 crisis has been a jolt to humankind, and there is a newer realization among adults about kindness and peace of mind. As an outcome of this crisis, it is now incumbent upon adults in the world of today to create mechanisms that will nourish minds of children with such similar values and beliefs so that they create and inherit a world for themselves that is devoid of extremism, terrorism and violence. This is the #Happiness20/20 clause in this manifesto.
#Manifesto20/20 calls for immediate consideration and implementation of clauses as listed above, to flatten the curves of hunger, growth inequities, climate change, and extremism. We can and must newly imagine a world and a future that is human, humane, and happy-er – for ourselves and for the children and adults of tomorrow.
(The writer is president, The Imagindia Institute, and Board Trustee, Children’s Book Trust)
–IANS
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