Helping the poor AND saving the planet

Dear Editor,

You just don't get it, do you? Not that you are exceptional in that. And in your defence, one can at least say that you mean well.

But meaning well is not enough. You also have to understand the problem. I'm referring to POVERTY and the way to tackle it, which is a major topic in today's Guardian ("Eight ways to change the world" and "The poor get poorer").

What is the point in helping the world's poor out of poverty, if as soon (or even before) we have done so, they are striving for the kind of unsustainable, materialistic lifestyles that we are currently "addicted " to? None whatsoever! On the contrary, we are merely hastening our own demise.

Contrary to popular - and most expert - opinion, the fact is that WE, the rich people of this planet, are the main problem - not the poor. We are in the process of plundering our planet (literally!), which will have dire consequences for everyone, rich and poor alike. Eventually there will be nowhere - not even for the super rich - to take refuge (unless they can envisage life in a Martian colony, perhaps - where the birth rate will have difficulty keeping up with the rate of suicide).

When the great and powerful get together to discuss what can be done to help the poor or save the planet, they are utterly doomed to failure, because they themselves (i.e. the lifestyles, values, attitudes and material aspirations they represent) ARE the problem: our planet couldn't support even a small a fraction of its present population if they all placed anything like the same drain and strain on its resources and carrying capacity as these gentlemen (and the odd lady) do, let alone the 7-9 billion people that will soon be here.

Can the poor be helped? Can we save the planet? Yes. But only if we come out of denial and face up to the real PROBLEM, which is a socio-economic order rooted (naturally enough, in view of what Darwin is supposed to have taught us about human origins) in our animal nature (which it thus depends on and exploits).

We have to transcend our animal nature enough to create an alternative, sustainable socio-economic order rooted in our more enlightened, human nature. Either that, or we perish . . . .

It is the biggest challenge that mankind has ever faced. Not just the world's poor, but our own children and coming generations depend on us rising to it

To: comment@guardian.co.uk Re: Helping the poor AND saving the planet Date: Thursday, 8 September 05


Dear Editor, You just don't get it, do you? Not that you are exceptional in that. And in your defence, one can at least say that you mean well. But meaning well is not enough. You also have to understand the problem. I'm referring to POVERTY and the way to tackle it, which is a major topic in today's Guardian ("Eight ways to change the world" and "The poor get poorer"). What is the point in helping the world's poor out of poverty, if as soon (or even before) we have done so, they are striving for the kind of unsustainable, materialistic lifestyles that we are currently "addicted " to? None whatsoever! On the contrary, we are merely hastening our own demise. Contrary to popular - and most expert - opinion, the fact is that WE, the rich people of this planet, are the main problem - not the poor. We are in the process of plundering our planet (literally!), which will have dire consequences for everyone, rich and poor alike. Eventually there will be nowhere - not even for the super rich - to take refuge (unless they can envisage life in a Martian colony, perhaps - where the birth rate will have difficulty keeping up with the rate of suicide). When the great and powerful get together to discuss what can be done to help the poor or save the planet, they are utterly doomed to failure, because they themselves (i.e. the lifestyles, values, attitudes and material aspirations they represent) ARE the problem: our planet couldn't support even a small a fraction of its present population if they all placed anything like the same drain and strain on its resources and carrying capacity as these gentlemen (and the odd lady) do, let alone the 7-9 billion people that will soon be here. Can the poor be helped? Can we save the planet? Yes. But only if we come out of denial and face up to the real PROBLEM, which is a socio-economic order rooted (naturally enough, in view of what Darwin is supposed to have taught us about human origins) in our animal nature (which it thus depends on and exploits). We have to transcend our animal nature enough to create an alternative, sustainable socio-economic order rooted in our more enlightened, human nature. Either that, or we perish . . . . It is the biggest challenge that mankind has ever faced. Not just the world's poor, but our own children and coming generations depend on us rising to it www.spaceship-earth.org