The problem of education
The problem of education in the “north” where several generations of students have been taught a lot about how to do advanced business and economic analysis without much of an ethical foundation, and have little idea of the impact globalization and profit maximization has had on the “south” and people at the “bottom of the pyramid”.
So much intolerance
Religious intolerance, holy war and terror seem to be on the rise, but taking a long view of history, this is more the norm than a special problem for these times. Because religion has been a critical cause of instability and violence in the past it should be considered a potential flash point today, but it can also be a path to peace and reconciliation and prosperity.
The extent of war and violence reflects a failure of too many of the religious community to choose the path of peace.
Wealth creation
There has been a creation of wealth in the modern world that is, by any standard quite amazing. But beside great wealth there is great poverty. People with all the material goods that can be imagined are sharing space with people who have next to nothing. This is happening in North and South America, in Europe, in South Asia, in East Asia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. And arguably this is increasingly happening also in the “north”.
This is a symptom of something that is not right. Nothing wrong with the wealth, but a lot wrong with poverty.
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