A Better Future Requires Recognizing the Interdependence of the World

If there is one lesson that the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing global economic recession have taught us, it is that we live in a world that is so interconnected and inextricably interdependent that it has effectively become a single organism. This is a reality that no amount of denial will change. On the contrary, such denial will only cause us to suffer more intensely. We will be better off if we fully recognize and embrace this reality.  

It is worth pondering what acceptance of this reality means. Two thoughts come to mind. The first is that if the world is so interconnected that it is truly akin to a single body, it is futile for any single organ or member to claim that it can go it alone without the support and aid of the rest of the body. Just as it would be nonsensical for the liver to tell the kidneys that it does not care if the kidneys are diseased because it is only concerned with its own health, it is similarly untenable for any nation to tell another nation that its problems are its own and are of no interest to others.  

The growing litany of challenges that have been plaguing the world for years — ranging from climate change to the current pandemic — are demonstrating with increasing clarity that in today’s world the advantage of one nation can only be guaranteed by assuring the advantage of the whole world, just as the well-being of any one organ of the body is dependent on the systemic health of the body as a whole. Once we have deeply understood this truth, the next logical step for humanity is to put aside the childish fetish of nationalism and develop new capacities such as consultation, collaboration, and cooperation, worthy of its growing maturity toward unity and the capacity to meet its current needs as a single organism.  

The second thought that comes to mind is that while many of our most intractable challenges are global in nature — including climate change, the threat of nuclear war, COVID-19 and other pandemics, global economic recessions, and terrorism, to name a few — and therefore demand global solutions, we find ourselves entirely lacking the collective decision-making and enforcement institutions we so desperately need to effectively tackle these global challenges.  

Now, more than ever, we need to have an infrastructure of global governance that includes a world legislature that has democratic legitimacy, allowing for the voices of people of all nations to be properly heard in the context of frank and respectful consultation and a fair and transparent system of decision-making that leads to effective results. Imagine how much better off we would all be during this pandemic if such a system of global governance existed today.  

Equally important, however, we need to develop the skill of electing worthy leaders who possess the skills and qualities of character necessary to make service to humanity’s collective interest a prime consideration in all their decisions. This skill is vital to ensure that any new global institutions we create are not subject to abuse.  

We can begin to hone this skill of picking fit leaders who are aware of the interconnectedness of our world and our oneness by practicing it in our elections at home. Every time we think about electing a public servant, whether at the local, state, or national level, we should mindfully seek out a person who recognizes that their job is to guarantee the well-being of the people who elect them while also taking into account the collective interests of the community of nations.

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This article was written as an Op-Ed piece.  It was picked up and published by the following papers at the end of October 2020:

Columbia County Observer, October 27, 2020:

https://www.columbiacountyobserver.com/master_files/Letters-Op-Ed/20201027_shaping-a-better-future-by-recognizing-the-interdependence-of-the-world.html

LA Progressive, Oct. 28, 2020: https://www.laprogressive.com/global-connection/

Westside Gazette, October 28, 2020:

https://thewestsidegazette.com/once-we-recognize-the-interdependence-of-the-world-we-can-shape-a-better-future/

Sierra County Prospect, October 28, 2020

http://www.sierracountyprospect.org/2020/10/26/accepting-reality-10-28-20/

Cheney Free Press, October 29, 2020:

https://www.cheneyfreepress.com/story/2020/10/29/opinion/better-future-requires-recognizing-worlds-interdependence/27350.html

COVID-19 and the Global Economic Crisis: Stumbling Blocks or Stepping-Stones Toward an Effective System of Global Governance?

We humans are strange creatures. We often tend to put off making important decisions and taking vital action until we hit a crisis point. We do this in both our individual and collective lives. The problem is that in today's world some of the decisions we have steadfastly refused to make can spell the difference between life and death. We are learning this the hard way with the coronavirus pandemic and its twin, the growing global economic crisis. 

And yet, there are still constructive choices we can make. Rather than stumbling blocks, we can choose to treat these crises as stepping-stones helping us build an effective system of global governance fit to respond to our collective needs in the 21st century and beyond. We have known for a long time that climate change poses a dire threat to life on earth in many different ways. We have also known that the continuing proliferation of nuclear weapons increases the threat of a nuclear war, which, whether deliberate or accidental, will have horrific consequences. Yet, we have been content to stick our heads in the sand and abdicate responsibility for making collective, global decisions that will ensure that these nightmares are mitigated or never come to pass. 

We have made the same mistake with respect to the looming threat of pandemics. For years, we have talked about the possibility of such an event, and yet we have failed to take the necessary steps to ensure that we were prepared to tackle such a crisis swiftly and effectively. While some voices have for many years been calling for the creation of a limited form of global government, most of our leaders have been unwilling to countenance such an idea. Yet, finally, in the face of the enormous physical, economic, and mental suffering we have begun enduring in the wake of the coronavirus, we are starting to hear voices among the world's leaders calling for the creation of some kind of system of global governance that is capable of responding to the needs of the 21st century. Such voices should be encouraged and applauded.

Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, expressed her view in a piece published by The Washington Post today that it is "time to be bold and envision new ways forward for our international institutions." She clearly articulated the goal: "to find ways to reinforce the institutions that work, replace those that do not, create those that are missing and, overall, promote simplicity, effectiveness, coherence and cohesion." 

What an incredible call to action! This is precisely the kind of leadership we need — one that is willing to acknowledge and dispense with systems that are not working and no longer ensure the well-being of those they were created to serve. And one that recognizes the need for collective consultation in order to conceive of new global structures: capable of managing collective problems that impact humanity as a whole.

Also today, the views of Gordon Brown, the former prime minister of Britain were clearly laid out in an article published by The Guardian.  He cut straight to the chase, urging world leaders "to create a temporary form of global government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic." 

He highlighted the obvious yet often unacknowledged fact that "this is not something that can be dealt with in one country," rather it is something that requires "a coordinated global response," starting with "some sort of working executive." 

This kind of call confirms world historian Arnold Toynbee's predictions in the last century that — despite our strenuous resistance to any notion of a world government — once we faced an existential threat, we would rapidly,though reluctantly, abandon our resistance in favor of a world government, albeit limited in scope to what is absolutely necessary to effect the global management of global challenges.

We, the people of the world, have a choice to mitigate our global suffering and to ensure that our hardships have not been in vain. It is up to us, one and all, to demand of our leaders that they seize this opportunity to demonstrate the statesmanship, vision, and courage required to build those global decision-making and enforcement institutions we so desperately need to meet the urgent needs of an inextricably interconnected world.