"YES WE KANT" SAYS YANIS VAROUFAKIS

The world is transitioning from the mainstream to alternative, from genetically modified to organic and from cognitive dissonance to awareness. The signs are there if you just open your eyes. Declining audiences for media outlets like CNN, the shift from GMO foods to organic, real food and not fast food and an build up of collaborative protest movements.

Though I am an Australian citizen, my wife is American and my children are dual citizens. I have lived in the USA for periods of between 3 and 6 months at scattered intervals over the last 10 years. My stays have been long enough to notice the differences and changes that are occurring but not long enough to get caught up in the slow transition of the changes which blur the line of normality.

I get an uneasy feeling now, I feel the strain from the pressure the average family is under, I see it on their faces, I see it in my surroundings. It is difficult to be living in a country which has dominated the world scene as it embarked on its journey to becoming a powerful empire after WWII and achieved empire status as the soviet union crumbled and communism was replaced with democracy and capitalism.

Free trade, capitalism, the American dream, freedom of speech backed by thriving industry and the most powerful military on the planet. The story really was one out of a blockbuster movie, good triumphs over evil, voices for the voiceless, the war on poverty was being waged and their actually was a middle class.

But is the American empire about to collapse? I think it is. I also believe that when it happens it will be monumental, I think there will be a major shift in consciousness and this will drive new systems as we search for a better way. I ponder if the collapse of the American empire will also see an overhaul on how we do economics, how we measure success, I wonder how the financial system will be restructured and ultimately how the world will handle this transition?

I have written in past posts on this blog about my concerns for war and since those posts the turmoil and tension has amplified. We cannot afford a world war with the modern weaponry available to the nuclear superpowers but I am now increasingly concerned that this is the path we are tracking down.

To avoid the unthinkable world war we need to embrace change and look at a global set of macro economic policies that focus on ethics and fairness. Policies that have a focus on morality without it turning into a debate of extremes. It should not be a libertarian or socialist debate because polarisation will lead to unnecessary friction when most people will identify with the middle ground.

I have been working with some great minds in the area of economic reform. My observation is that many academics struggle with the concept of politics. One must arrive at the understanding that to affect change you need to provide a united front, to lead by example. Yanis Varoufakis is a shining light in this department, once a marginalised voice that now commands the microphone and when he talks, people listen, the markets move on his every word, and his popularity is on the rise.

It would be great to see the other great minds I have had the privilege of talking to and listening to get a voice. Steve Keen, Ann Pettifor, Richard Werner are some of the big thinkers that should be given their own Varoufakis moment. They could and would help if they were given the same opportunity, they are compassionate and fair, two key ingredients to a strong sense of morality. Immanuel Kant the great German philosopher covered the importance of morality in formulating policy with a universalizability (acceptance).

Yanis will change the world if he remains true to himself and his commitments. If he does, his growing popularity will trigger awareness and provide a pivot point for the reform movement by restoring faith in politics at a time where faith is at an all time low. I think he  will hold and do the right thing, I am hopeful that this NY Times article from 2 weeks ago signals his intentions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/opinion/yanis-varoufakis-no-time-for-games-in-europe.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region&region=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region&_r=1

It is the way Yanis finishes his column that gives me hope. The most telling statement begins with the question How do we know that our modest policy agenda, which constitutes our red line, is right in Kant’s terms?
Then answers "We know by looking into the eyes of the hungry in the streets of our cities or contemplating our stressed middle class, or considering the interests of hard-working people in every European village and city within our monetary union. After all, Europe will only regain its soul when it regains the people’s trust by putting their interests center-stage"

In a world devoid of true leaders this message is powerful, it comes 5 years after a presidential hopeful proclaimed "yes we can" on the way to his presidency...but he didn't. It comes as a play on that slogan, ironically Yanis seems to be saying "yes we Kant" but he must, and if he does we will be a turning point on our way to real change and a better world.