Skin in the game.
For most people this concept is a no-brainer - whatever we do in life, we perform best if we have a stake in it. This is when we care most about what we do and how we do it. We put our souls into it, and every little thing matters. I believe the best definition of success is to live an honorable life. To achieve this one needs to care deeply. In life, micro works better then macro. It could be that, as a society, we’re slowly zeroing in on a next stage of how humans will function – and it will be a massive decentralization. Let me put this into perspective. We had libertarianism in the 19th century, where upholding liberty of an individual was a core principle. Then, communist thought placed the importance of a class, specifically the working class, above that of an individual. Or, as it is taught at many universities still - it is an emphasis on cohesiveness among individuals and prioritization of the group over one’s self. And if your b.s. detector just acted up, you’re not alone. The most vulgar definition of society is national socialism – that it has to be dominated by race. So now, given the good human nature, unchanged since the beginning of civilization, the craziest ideas had to go first to the garbage can of history. And so it was – Nazi Germany lasted only 12 years really. With horrific damage inflicted, human nature spit them out with distaste like a spoiled schnitzel. The communist regime lasted longer, about seventy years, depending which final events are considered. So the natural question is – what will come next? We have pretty much killed libertarianism, with regulations and the governments being the biggest business there is. So really – what’s next for us? It is my strong belief that what is coming is a decentralization of sorts. A focus on community, on the people you know, and the locality of business. The big box stores will eventually go away and nobody will miss them. Life will become focused again – just like we are designed to live it. We will have skin in the game being a part of society – not bothering to do something that may affect people half way across the world, of whom we don’t know much more than an e-mail address. Let alone how they think and what is important to them. Local interaction brings the best in people. Globalization, in contrast, is a train wreck. But hey – we gave it a try, and now everyone has a strange taste in their mouth, “like the father or the dog just died”, to quote the great Leonard Cohen. It’s time to go back to basics.
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AuthorTom Kubiak is the author of The Traveler Archives
February 2021
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