0.5.4 Limits of Personal and Political Perspectives

Version 1.6 March 2013                                      Previous Version

We use our theoretical and practical analyses to choose what actions to take.

At the personal level confusion reigns.  There is a glut of self help books, but most don't help much, or address a limited set of problems with a limited set of solutions.  

●  False myths promote selfishness, or that greed is good, supposedly because of the “natural lawsâ€� of science or economics. 

●  Some people are obsessed with their personal health, following fads of dubious merit, while others destroy their health by allowing themselves to become obese and abusing recreational drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, or other, legal or illegal drugs.

●  Personal sexual morality is a minefield.  

●  Parents lack confidence in how to discipline their children. 

●  Modern affluent societies focus too much on material goods and sexual titillation. 

●  Materialism is rife, but the wealthiest nations and people aren’t the happiest. 

●  Spiritualism – the sense of a connection with the sacred, rather than simply communing with god(s) or spirits – is in decline.

We need personal guidelines for daily life that are reasonable and apply globally!

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Politicians are generally practical, rather than forward thinking, acting within the power they have.  This power comes from the popular vote, or military might. 

●  Politicians act with limited insight, and usually they adopt short term, selfish, national or ethnic perspectives. 

●  Too many politicians are corrupt.  “Pork barrellingâ€�, legalised corruption and inefficiency, is widespread, especially in affluent countries. 

●  A lot of government and big business expenditure is wasted. 

●  Countries where freedom of expression and the rule of law is restricted are at even greater risk of corruption and waste.

●  Many people are alienated from the political process or vote for short term monetary gains or on whims, such as how attractive a politician looks. 

●  Too few are engaged in local, national and global politics, and many aren’t allowed to be.

●  Government agencies – the police, military and intelligence services – are acquiring better tools to monitor – and control – citizens, but controls on them are limited. 

●  These are a worry.

We need political policies and guidelines that are reasonable and globally applicable!

We propose to provide more detailed reviews of the related literature in future.  more