economicmultipliers_176

Economic Multipliers (176)

Do you know what these are?

They help CREATE wealth in systems.

Poverty is not an economic multiplier. (No. 6)

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I reiterate:

‘Elections are a great time for young people to ‘meet’ their leaders.

For that reason, I’m hoping young people will think about some things they observe in their world related to how their ‘leaders’ lead.’

I try not to take for granted the many things in my life that other people originally worked (and sometimes fought and died) for.

Perhaps that is why I care about the ‘leadership’ that the U.S. and other nations offer to the world.

When I see a peace march on television which most likely requires a permit,

  • I wonder what kind of training all the participants are required to have so they can ‘surround’ and peacefully resolve problems.

  • I wonder whether participants know the procedure for making a citizen’s arrest (as in, you don’t take ‘justice’ into your own hands lest you yourself become a person accused of committing a crime) if they see a crime being committed during the march (See P.S.). Would a person feel comfortable stopping a crime?

  • I ask myself whether it might be useful to have people register as ‘groups’ of 5-10 people who take on the responsibility of helping review and supervise their own behaviors while being watchful of how others behave.

In the U.S., it’s a lot easier to get people to register for an event than in many other parts of the world. We are VERY lucky in that regard.

It could possibly be quite difficult to get people interested in ‘group responsibility’ on a ‘peace’ walk – particularly if many individuals attend alone or just decide to spontaneously show up.

I have noticed that as a result of numerous ‘peace’ marches in the U.S., there has been a surge of interest in individuals going into police work.

It’s good to remember that there aren’t enough police officers in the world to police any nation where people do not feel a sense of responsibility toward others and the community and nation they live in.

It’s also good to remember that the more officers (or ‘soldiers’) that you think you need, the less likely it is that core community problems can ever be (re)solved – because ‘someone else’ always needs to show up to provide a solution.

SOLVE

SOLUTION

I’m usually in awe of all the events that people do register for and show up for that help create peaceful communities: fundraisers, health runs/walks, make-a-difference days, literacy programs, etc.

If you’re looking for peace, find ‘projects’ that need to be done that will collectively add wealth to your community. Let people be candid about whether they individually feel they are gaining anything from their time and effort. Listen.

You don’t need to call them ‘peace projects’ although that is exactly what they are.

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P.S. Most people don’t think about it but most cities have ordinances (fines) for simple things like littering. You’d never want to ‘citizen’s arrest’ someone who threw trash on the ground but you should have every expectation that if you said something, the trash would get picked up and you wouldn’t be ignored, berated and/or assaulted.

It’s almost impossible for communities to become wealthier and get sustainable value from ‘peace projects’ if the individuals living in those communities lack the self-control necessary to appropriately dispose of trash AND the ability to say ‘sorry about that’ if they end up picking something up after inappropriately disposing of it.

Know that there is a whole other side of this ‘trash’ issue tied to community wealth and that is: If there is trash to be disposed of, is there a place for it to go? And, even if there is, does the community see everything it throws away as some type of wealth that is leaving the community? Does the community assess different ways it might glean value from the trash?

If young people were continuously reminded that all sorts of waste are almost ‘free,’ could they themselves find ways to create community wealth? Would they take the time to ask their ‘had to be thrifty’ parents, grandparents and/or great grandparents for ideas? Would they …?

If you set a child on a worthy path – I think they would.

Keep in mind that just for a glass bottle, an older person might have in their head:

  • a vase or drinking glass or lamp base, etc.

  • a glass blowing factory or window pane factory

  • a brewery

  • food processing supplies

  • a fishing lure, some decorative material or art supplies

  • water storage or a piece of how to deal with global warming

  • a processing plant for construction materials

  • a raft / boat

  • the wall of a house

  • insulation

  • roofing

  • electrical and/or telecommunications equipment, etc.

They also might just simply see a reusable and/or recyclable glass bottle and that’s OK too.

Also keep in mind that ultraviolet light is a great ‘sanitizer’ if you can let things dry well first in sunlight (if they are damp/wet) and then finish rinsing/cleaning them.