Looking ahead
Making a difference to all of the challenges described below, lies ahead of us as we close 2018 and head into 2019. There are no silver bullets or simple solutions but doing more of the same is not the answer. Looking ahead, taking actions need to be guided by principles that include:
Close the gap between rich and poor by improving sharing of wealth for all
Reduce poverty, homelessness, and reliance on food banks
Improve our physical environment and reversing the negative impact on climate change
Improve well-being and build greater resilience in our community
Strengthen community cohesion through diversity
We should also expect those who hold positions of responsibility in public and private sectors, in doing the very best for us will do so with respect, dignity, tolerance, compassion, empathy and kindness. Our leaders need to have an abundance mind-set (that sees potentials, possibilities and opportunities) and take self-responsibility for actions rather than blaming others.
Challenges before us
The challenges below are not exhaustive but provide a window into what lies ahead that needs better responses than what have been achieved to-date.
Progress but….
Widening complex social challenges
There is no debate that billions are being lifted out of poverty in developing countries through better education, global trade, and economic activities. Science, technology, and inventions have contributed to much progress in making life easier for many. Yet concerns are legitimately being raised about the impact of increasing gap between the rich and poor, increasing violence, anxiety and stress in many of our communities, increasing poverty, homelessness and reliance on food bank aid even in developed countries.
Climate change and our physical environment
There are increasing number, frequency and severity of significant natural disasters including floods, fires, hurricanes/typhoons and extreme temperatures. Their impact and disruption to our communities are well documented and recovery process feels slow and inadequate. There is general consensus that more needs to be done to tackle climate change and improve the protection of our physical environment.
4th Industrial Revolution
Exponential advances in digital, physical and biological technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution are pushing hard against current systems and institutional arrangements. Issues such displacement of jobs, genetic engineering of humans, security, privacy and safety of personal data looms large in today’s discussions. Current regulatory institutions are racing against time to keep pace with exponential advances in technology and life sciences.
Population movements, growth and changes
Large population movements through events in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and in the Americas as a result of conflicts and economic deprivation presents unprecedented complex challenges to current national and international institutions and systems. Population movement of migrant workers from the Indian sub-continent, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam to developed countries presents different challenges to host nations as well as for the home countries. The urban drift in both developing and developed countries continues to "empty out" many rural communities with young people having to leave (with few ever making it back) villages and other rural communities for jobs in bigger towns and cities. In many of these places, it is not uncommon for children to be brought up by grandparents and only see their parents if they are lucky, once a year.
Challenges for the young and the old
Global population is projected to increase by over 2 billion by 2050 at a time when many developed countries are facing the double challenges of decreasing and rapidly aging society. Our seniors worry about who will look over them while our youth are concern and frustrated that they are still shut out of decision making that affects their future.
Uncertainty in global politics
There is heighten anxiety globally in 2018 with political uncertainty in the UK, Europe and the US. As the saying goes when elephants fight, ants gets trampled. Decisions made on Brexit, Europe and the trade tensions between the US and China will no doubt touch all our lives.
CLOSING WORDS
No matter how dishearten we may feel about these challenges, they are human made and therefore we can make decisions to rectify them. We expect our leaders to lead us well but as individuals we can embrace values and mind-set we expect from our leaders. We should all get into the arena, go high when others go low, and make decisions that are both legally and morally right. When we do, we will feel less helpless and take one BIG step forward to a better year. Happy New Year everyone.