The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything

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At least that's the answer Douglas Adams came up with in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".  I've come up with a different answer.  It might even make sense, although I wouldn't count on that.

If you were to find three words to explain humanity, what words would you choose?  My opinion is that all of human history can be summed up in three simple words:  Denial, Greed and Overreaction.  Everywhere you look, these three words seem to apply.  Let's try some examples.

What is the one word parents say the most often to their young children?  The answer is "no".  Every time the child is about to do something wrong, or dangerous, a resounding "no" is heard.  Usually the denial is a response to greed, the child wants something that is off limits.  When denied their greed, overreaction sets in, often in the form of a tantrum.  Check Genesis for the story of Adam and Eve:  Denial, Greed and Overreaction.  "You can't have this", "I really want this", "You are banished" (instead of just putting a fence around the off-limit fruit).  That theme is repeated throughout the Old and New Testament.

Our history is also riddled with examples of the big three.  Every war can be summed up by these three words and every major event as well.  From prohibition to the civil rights movement, slavery to the cold war, it all revolves around denial, greed and overreaction.  Take a look and see if I'm right.

In my opinion, the road to lasting peace and universal prosperity requires the ability to moderate and reduce the power of these three things.  If the first two can be addressed, the third ceases to be an issue.  Ecology and our environment are one place we might start.  For years, (at least 50) scientists have been warning us about the potential harm of global warming (or mankind induced climate change, if you want to be technical about it).  For years, there has been a very powerful lobby denying any possibility of such a problem.  Even in light of significant evidence, the denial rages on, unchecked.  Why?  Very simple, greed.  Combating and overcoming the damage that is being done to the environment will require drastic changes, changes resulting in lost or decreased revenue to many industries.  The overreaction is to try and get as much now, before they are forced to curtail their indiscriminate raping and pillaging of the planet.  When the changes finally come, they will most likely also involve an overreaction.

The problem with addressing these issues, is with the denial itself.  The entities that stand to gain, will naturally deny any problem exists.  That is to be expected.  However, through propaganda and marketing, they are able to convince a significant segment of the population that no problem exists,  thus, the problem itself can not be addressed until the will of the public is turned.  Whether the issue is gun control or government spending, until the public accepts the existence of a problem, no solution can be sought.

Unfortunately, the only way I see to prevent the widespread public denial is to force the companies who gain from such denial, to disclose the truth about their operations and their knowledge of potential problems, and I see no way to do that.  Congress could do it, but there is no way that they will.  All we can try to do is to get people to look at the truth, look at the facts and understand the industries do not operate for our benefit.  They operate solely for their own profit.