[I shall be using the terms ‘soul’ and ‘divine’, which have a lot of baggage that I’d like to disown.  However, as words they are too convenient to avoid]

Capitalism is only one of many viable systems of human organisation.  These systems arise and evolve for many reasons, but the most fundamental factor within each is human nature – common to all.

Capitalism’s dominance of the world is a testament to its success.  Its success derives from its “laissez faire, laissez aller, laissez passer,” (let do, let go, let pass) doctrine, which allows far greater freedom for human nature than previous, more idealistically oriented systems e.g. socialist, democratic, religious, etc.  In allowing greater freedom from self-imposed and artificial restraints, capitalism has enabled people to exploit those characteristics foremost in their nature.  Capitalism is, therefore, a mirror reflecting the soul of humanity.  Predictably, not everything we see is pleasant.

The prime reason for this is that we are a dichotomy – our souls are divided between the divine and the bestial.  Currently the mirror (capitalism) shows us that the bestial-self is dominant.  This manifests itself in our behaviour: most people, most of the time, being concerned wholly with themselves; being reactive (motivated by immediate and short-term needs – like an animal); and disassociating themselves from the consequences of their actions (like an animal).  Short-sighted selfishness – the active conscious state of the animal mind.

Many people have suffered as a result but, overall, selfishness has allowed us to come further faster – it has allowed us to prosper as animals, but has not encouraged us to evolve beyond our animal selves.  Indeed, the primary function of advertising is to encourage animal traits and subdue mature reflection, which might otherwise limit consumption.

Fortunately, our world is finite whereas our selfishness is not.  Thus, whilst in our past limitless consumption has always been the goal and has only been inhibited by our ingenuity, we are fast approaching the point where the benefits of selfishness will start to diminish and we will be forced to a new awareness of the consequences of our actions.  However, being short-sighted and reactive and selfish we will only change our behaviour if we absolutely have to.

Observation and history have shown that Fear is the greatest motivational force for the majority of people; Love a poor second.  Thus, it is only when Pestilence, Famine, War and Death afflict us directly and insistently that we will change our ways.  The apocalypse is not nigh, but the days ahead have a very dark look about them.

Unmodified, our current behaviour will destroy us.  We in the developed world, we whose consumption and exploitation has brought our species and our planet to this juncture, will be able to use our wealth to insulate ourselves from the worst effects far longer than poorer populations, but our time will come.  The threats facing us respect no borders and neglecting the poor only exacerbates the likelihood of Pestilence/plague/pandemic and War/violence/terrorism.  Never before, in human history, have the four horsemen loomed so large and yet it is precisely for this reason that I am hopeful.

When the world quaked in fear of nuclear holocaust that fear was tempered by the knowledge that we had control.  Once again, we have suspended a sword over our own necks, only this time we do not have control.  As the awareness grows that we are all affected – that every action of every individual has had and, therefore, does and will make a difference – we are forced to a realisation that national divisions are illusory, that we are indeed our brother’s keeper; that the welfare of strangers on the opposite side of the world does actually have a direct impact on us; and that each of us does and can make a difference.

Left to ourselves, we would not modify our behaviour.  We would hope that technology would maintain our hegemony over nature and that those unable to afford the technology would suffer and die unobtrusively.  It is my sincere hope that this miserable attitude will fail, that a more fundamental change of behaviour will be forced upon us by the gravity of the threats as they gather momentum and that we, as a species, will emerge unified and with a true and profound respect for ourselves, each other, and our planet.

So, will we respond to the threat positively, or negatively?  I believe that we will respond positively, but only if we, as individuals realise and accept that the responsibility lies with us – not only because we are the cause, but because political and commercial leaders will not attempt to modify the system of which they are the masters and principle beneficiaries.

Humans are as successful as they are because they cooperate.  We are able to cooperate as well as we do because of our phenomenal powers of communication.  Thus, communication is the factor that limits any society.  With the evolution of the internet, humanity has removed the physical barriers to cooperation in a way that no previous medium has.  People all around the world can tell each other what is going on – cry out for, and offer, help.  People no longer have to apply to distant and disinterested politicians, submit to Machiavellian business interests, or take any kind of crap from anyone – people can take action themselves and, through the communicative power of the internet, involve vast numbers of people across the world.  The inspirational English and subsequent French, American and Russian revolutions can now have their modern equivalent on a global scale.

This would not mean armed struggle – being capitalist in nature, our society is far more susceptible to the application of economic leverage.  Despite the prominence of the elite, the balance of wealth actually lies with the ‘common people’.  Our disadvantage has always been the dispersal of this power, as opposed to the concentrated, focused and, therefore, more easily mobilised power of the elite.  For the first time in human history, this dispersed power can actually be marshalled quickly and at incredible scale via the global network that is the ‘web’.

Apathy, a sense of impotence, and the distractions of consumption are our foes – we are, in effect, our own worst enemies.  We need only wake up, and grasp the power already laid in our enervated fingers.  If we come together, spend together, boycott together – we can use our massed, daily and informed choices to dictate in which goods and services our economies (our societies) invest their resources and energies.