New Year, New Content

Some thoughtful ideas to digest and ponder in 2022.

The new year can begin with self-reflection; a tough and honest look at where we are individually. On a macro level, we can contemplate where we are as a society.

Are we near the end of the road to serfdom? In his two-part essay, professor emeritus of economics and leadership Barry Brownstein begs the question, drawing inspiration from Frederick Hayek’s famous book the Road to Serfdom, published during the second world war. We discussed the nuances of the totalitarian tiptoe, both on an individual and collective level, and Hayeks warning and message of hope; it’s not too late to change the road your on, if you can recognize where you are.

As it’s becoming increasingly obvious that a top-down, technocratic model for forcing equity is being applied to humanity as a whole, we can ask ourselves, what would an egalitarian society look like? In Kurt Vonnegut Jr's short story "Harrison Bergeron", we see the dystopian results of this kind of regime.

"The story of Harrison Bergeron should remind Americans that individuals can never achieve equity if the state is powerful enough to enforce equality of outcomes. Like the pigs in Animal Farm, the enforcers will always remain “more equal” than the others. Instead of redistributing wealth, or reducing it as in Glampers’ case, Americans should seek to redistribute and reduce political power." - Robert E. Wright

Wishing you all a wonderful start to the new year, free of the shackles of government diktat living rent-free in your head. May you be inspired with some individual mindset shifts powerful enough to improve your own life, and those around you; creating the mental space for society to change routes.