Living in the COVID World...and Beyond #73: Do We Have a Burning Platform?

Human societies have evolved over time.  Each evolution has allowed more people to survive and to lead more meaningful lives.  But all our past societies, and the current one, have an underlying current of exploitation.   And that exploitative quality has prevented past human societies from continuing and flourishing.

So now we are at this moment in history.    The exploitative nature of our current society, domestically in the United States and globally, is more visible than ever.   We can see how the rich are getting richer, and using their wealth to exercise control over governments.   We can see the increasing danger to the survival of our species, both in the climate crisis and in the number of armed conflicts going on throughout the world.   The recent climate conference of nations, COP30, produced no significant agreements towards reduction in the use of fossil fuels.   Those who count these things indicate that there were 61 state-based armed conflicts across 36 countries in 2024, with a notable rise in internal conflicts and overall violence.   Furthermore, the United Nations has become less able to create collective will to intervene and stop armed conflicts.

YIKES!

So where to from here? 

There are some theorists who postulate that things must get worse before they can get better.   One hears this at the individual level; e.g., the person who drinks too much needs to hit “rock bottom” before they face that they have an alcoholism problem and seek help and treatment.   We also hear this at the organizational level – people need to understand and feel an organizational crisis before there is sufficient motivation to make major organizational changes.  The phrase that we used to use in the corporate environment was that we needed to create “the burning platform” so that staff would support structural changes.

Have things gotten bad enough that we, as a society, have hit rock bottom and understand that the platform that we live on is burning?

How do we know whether things are that bad?   Many of us, especially in the United States and other Global North countries, still have relatively comfortable lives.  We might be against many of the current administration’s policies -- on climate, immigration, health care, tariffs, etc.   But how deeply, if at all, are we personally impacted by these policies?    

I think one critical challenge is how to help people “feel the pain” of the current situation even when they might believe that they are protected and going to be OK no matter what policies are implemented by any government.     How do we break down the barriers to let even those who are comfortable face the uncomfortable realities of the current moment? How do we do this without scaring people that could cause retreat and inertia?   Ultimately, how do we help people to connect with our inner humanness which cares about all people and not just ourselves?