September was wondrous. A blur adventure in Ibiza for three weeks with Sultana. Talk about impact. A day by day rundown of all the action is beyond the scope of this update but a few seeds were planted that have been significant. The main one being to consider the value of social, civic and political engagement. Rarely have I spent that much time with someone that thinks so deeply about global issues, passionately advocating for approaches they believe in, open to alternatives. This fervour is rooted in the belief that entrenched incumbent systems, ideologies, and philosophies can be directed - changed perhaps - through discourse, greater awareness, and critical thinking.
I am blessed with a family that seeks to make a difference charitably. Vehicles for this legacy have included social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and community oriented organization. In part this is a reflection of the reality that faith in a political approach can be fragile; easily damaged by corruption, avarice, moral and ethical shortcomings as well as irreconcilable differences in values. Perhaps there’s a cultural aspect to consider too, whereby spaces or civilizations with a history and heritage of aspiring towards communal ideals, are effectively able to collectively parse political and social dissonance in favour of progress.
There is this brilliant conversation between Stephen Fry and Jordan Peterson where Stephen presents a defence of the British monarchy which perhaps offers a glimpse at a possible, seemingly accidental, structural solution. Criticism of the royal family typically references unaccountability, the undemocratic heredity principle, unfairness and elitism with costs that might otherwise confer significant benefit to wider society. However there is this unassailable public sentiment, ensconced in the social consciousness, that the position embodies potent symbolism of the values and ideals of the union - of the people. Any politician that takes office is made deeply aware that they are not sovereign, rather a custodian, an administrator, still required to pay homage to the people: quite literally bowing to the monarch. Imagine Uncle Sam in the flesh, which a US president was required to pay homage to in recognition of the highest priority of that station: being of service to all citizens, and committing to realising a common understanding of collective ideals. Perhaps this effect, for which there is no causal evidence (and it at this point just conjecture), is a contributive factor underpinning the fact that some of the happiest societies in the world have monarchical governments e.g. Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, etc. Suffice to say it is a complex issue & I’m grappling with the extent to which civic, social and political engagement is a useful, productive and/or fruitful use of limited energy/ resources.
There’s a B.F. skinner experiment, cited in the same conversation, whereby a load of mice are put on a tray. That tray is placed in the middle of a body of water to float. Because the mice are unaware of the risk/danger that they're in, they move around randomly. This balances the tray and makes it even - they stay floating. Scale it up and put humans on a similar tray, they sink within seconds! Reason - they think oh we're tipping over, we must move to the other end and so they all run to that end, and the tray tips over. Attempting to deal with the existential crisis, being aware of it, is our downfall. It’s a fascinating quandary, well explored in the matrix: blue pill or red pill. Is knowledge of who we are, what we are capable of, how others live; a curse or a blessing. This is a personal, subjective, decision that is coloured by experience, education, cultural nuance and myriad other drivers.
Only a partial list for this month from the wider team, life seems to be getting in the way. Need to find an easier way to fill the sheet for people + do write ups. More September Love: Simon (Tennis). Rachel/Reuben (no wedding, gorgeous gathering with speeches + 1st dance, small group). Amazing Sunday lunch hosted by Wallace.
