I think that I have settled into routines and ways of living and being that are mostly predictable and unchanging. I can’t imagine what would happen if one or even several important factors were to change over a short period of time. People around the world experience tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and droughts. These things are all disruptive. Being without electricity for long periods of time, or cell phone service, or grocery stores, or potable water supply could all be devastating, although we may be able to survive quite well despite the temporary loss of these modern conveniences. During the various power outages I’ve experienced, it seemed that most of us can go into ‘camping’ mode and live okay albeit somewhat more primitively for days and even weeks.
I can’t imagine living with a real threat of bombs, or terrorists attacks, or of dealing with situations where my life is threatened at any turn. I enjoy a lot of predictability and stability because of the laws and law enforcement systems our ancestors instituted by establishing our governments. Governments place a high priority on my safety and security which that allows me to live with predictability and security. So, it is impossible to believe that government agencies like police and military would be anything but supported and respected, all the while being held to high standards.
I take for granted that my money is safe in banks and other financial institutions and pension plans. I’m not sure how we’d survive if that was all to disappear in a short period of time. Home ownership and ownership of all my possessions gives me predictability that I am far from going into a permanent ‘camping’ mode of homelessness or even statelessness, without any money or assets and possibly no way to earn any or otherwise survive. I am so used to the predictability I have enjoyed, I cannot even imagine being invaded by others who could take all of my stuff or my predictable life and ways of being. It is easy for me to accept that strong internal systems of law and order are necessary, but also for international law and order, relying on solid international relationships and alliances – globalization, it is sometimes called. I expect that a protective nationalist approach would lead to threatening, rather than supportive, external relationships, that would reduce any enjoyment of predictability.
As a Canadian, I have always experienced stability. Perhaps some would see it as boring existence, not having ever had to fight or even defend our lifestyle and existence. I’m okay with boring. I couldn’t imagine living in places like the middle east, for example. My view is that our Canadian democratic system of government has prioritized the lives of Canadians and the quality of those lives over many other things. Such priority has been mostly successful in keeping our country stable and away from much of the turmoil experienced in other parts of the world. Perhaps that’s why I am an advocate for strong government oversight, recognizing and accepting that we may give up some, not so important, freedoms. I also support an approach that focuses more on justice than freedom so that all (and at least the majority) can have lives of high quality and predictability.
Even my lifespan is predictable. I’ll likely live into my eighties, barring accident or disease. I have to thank science for what we have learned about improving our health, safety, and medicine. Many aspects of my life are much more predictable than they were for my ancestors – successful births, lifestyles, schooling, and careers, even retirement are all much more predictable. I believe that predictability is a good indication about how successful we’ve been. But I also predict that there is more that needs to be done…
Thanks, Jim.