Opinion Sur
This chapter closes what has been published in the last six years by reaffirming that it is possible to change the course and the prevailing way of functioning based on greed, the disregard of others, and the destruction of the environment. It is up to societies to establish a new path of life and coexistence oriented to the wellbeing of humanity and the firm care of Mother Earth.
In various chapters, we reflect on how the present situation emerged with so much hatred and selfishness, how much it was hidden and sustained with deception and disinformation. Some salient features of the desirable and possible transformations were also pointed out.
We have gathered from many thinkers what are the engines that reproduce the appropriation of wealth and how they work. They are powerful and merciless mechanisms of submission. Knowing them makes explicit the relationship that exists between the aggressive concentrating peak and the harsh social and environmental course imposed on humanity.
We have been careful not to slip into unique proposals that do not respect the singularity of the times and cultures of the contemporary world. A heterogeneity that is a powerful asset when it is harnessed by integrating the diversity of ideas, interests, and perspectives.
We cover the different levels of the functioning of societies, although inverting the priorities that are usually imposed by enshrining the macro, then the rest, and finally as a residual theme, the popular base of society and the environment. We invert the importance not because of a whim or demagoguery, but because from that popular base and the environment emerges the imperative need to transform the perspective that has been imposed on us as hegemonic. We enunciate it, support it with reasons, and move forward by providing modalities on how to implement this challenging perspective.
A different perspective of priorities that faces as a guiding axis the heartbreaking inequalities of majorities that survive or die due to avoidable factors while few gloat in opulence. These minorities have taken the helm of the common destiny, control strategic decisions, give voice to their acolytes, and silence those who confront their power. This is a fundamental antagonism of the contemporary disaster that was consolidated in a few decades. The course imposed did not ensure social and environmental stability but generated tremendous tensions that have been cunningly dammed. It is very difficult for this situation to endure no matter how much power tries to sustain it. The serious thing is that the outcomes are uncertain. The forces at work are very diverse. If fair solutions to concentration-exclusion are not established, if firmness is not combined with sanity, whirlpools of fury, frustration, and retaliation can erupt.
It is critical, though not easy, to dismantle the economic and cultural scaffolding that sustains oppression. It requires geopolitical agreements that ensure justice, equity, and the peaceful resolution of disputes at the global level so as not to reproduce antagonisms and confrontations. This would encourage each country to make a sovereign choice about how to dismantle the problems that plague them.
Reality teaches more than anyone else if you observe it and live without blinders. That it is suicidal to attack the planet, that it is cursed and unsustainable to elevate a few at the expense of the general welfare.
It also teaches where the new paths of life should be oriented. Words are important and will be even more so if they induce actions that implement their meanings. The critical thing is to exalt the majority by dismantling everything that punishes them and to respectfully take care of Mother Earth.
To achieve this, there is plenty and diverse work to be done. Among other transformations, the following, in the order and depth that each society decides.
- Completely shut down the criminal drainage of resources.
- Establish tax justice by taxing the highest net worth individuals.
- Energize the popular economy with excellent assistance in promising sectors such as knowledge economy, food sovereignty, care, and others.
- Develop the energy sovereignty of each country as much as possible.
- Adapt the production matrix to avoid recurrent bottlenecks.
- Democratize value chains so that all members share the results equitably.
- Eliminate oligopolistic situations and actions by ensuring justice between workers, producers, consumers and public financing.
- Universal health care, education, and environmental sanitation.
- Decent housing for all.
- Understand the importance of the economy as an instrument and not as a ruler of the collective march.
- Transform the current captured democracies into full democracies.
- Continuously improving public governance
- Democratize the judiciary system and the media system.
- Give way to new leaderships by encouraging the interest of young people to be part of transformation processes.
We have focused on these aspects of social development. Of course, there are other areas of strategic importance regarding values, cultures, mass psychology, formation of subjectivities, social fragmentation and, in the central core, the critical aspect of Power. Power to do, power to subdue, power to liberate.
This chapter closes a six-year cycle. We will select and edit some articles to make up a new Development book of the Opinion Sur Collection. The previous ones were A Country for All (2006), Adjusting the Course, Getting Out of the Crisis towards Sustainable Development, this one also in English Adjusting the course (2009), Global Crisis, Adjustment or Transformation (2012) and Captured Democracies (2017)
We thank those who have accompanied us all these years and we hope they will continue to do so from 2024 onwards with the new proposals that we are developing.
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