When National Growth and Economic Development is Separate from Human Development

We are in this odd place in our society where we have seen extremism rise and protests occur at a time when our nation must rejuvenate and compete internationally (They are not gone, they are just more or less in the background and I think these issues will rise again because we haven't addressed them adequately at the root level. i.e. simple things like where complaints go and other tweaks have not been adjusted. Very simple but important things in the long run that create stronger feedback loops and adaptable performance. One could collect those and save lots of time and money into investigations because a running metric can be trusted by the public because it is not managed by those who may have a vested interest in not making such metrics valuable. Its just one solution. Someone could come up with another that is better and I might agree. Ask me tomorrow and if I learn something new I might adjust it). Often we like to focus on the financial metrics but then ignore the fundamentals of what makes those metrics possible. There appears to be a lopsided perspective on what makes a society strong and how to ensure long term national health.

 As a simple observation I have noticed that when I talk about Constitutional Justice my visitor count goes down but if I talk about economics it goes sky high (I guess some of my readers feel are more interested in the later). While I certainly I want to explore economics as avenue to development, I cannot just sweep under the carpet the fundamentals of human to human relations. (This is why I believe simply ignoring people and our central values is a bad overall choice. It sometimes takes people who have seen such systems breakdown to continue to push for healthier society even when it doesn't get votes and/or leads to an end result to a rewarding career of dishwashing. This is often the end result of those who feel we should have a level of integrity in the system. It happens here and it happens in other countries. If you have not been on the receiving end of unchecked self-enriching hate you probably don't understand the value of an inclusive and just society. Forget the destructive nature of our current political positioning when dealing with such important issues. Not much has happened on that front to deal with it so its the average person that sort of needs to voice their opinion.) 

Here is one potential explanation of why this occurs. First, as a person whose family has seen injustice and dishonesty within the system I cannot separate our future economic health from the way we treat people. If you looked around history and anthropology you will find that the way we treat people is central to any societal development. Our societies are a bunch of exchanges and limiting those and/or distorting those intentionally isn't a good thing.

We have failed to change when the need for change was/is obvious, because I believe we have emphasized primarily economics as our method of national growth and forgot about creating the environment where maximum human development leads to greater economic growth. Its like trying to build a wall by using flour instead of sand in the mortar. Looks good but breaks down quickly under pressure (i.e. social pressure)

To me, economics is the measurement of human behaviors in a quantitative form. If we focus on the hard numbers and not on the soft numbers such as innovation that comes through human development we may end up coming up short in competition. It is also why we may need to change how we treat people to reclaim our futures (Some are doing it right and some are doing it wrong. When its wrong our politicians, judges, and leaders sometimes allow it to be wrong. That is their values. I might disagree but I'm part of the second tier of societal members so what people like me say doesn't really matter much; even if we are more accurate historically.) 

If we go back in history we will find that renaissances occur when human development jumped forward in innovation. The environment allowed for a more fuller development of human capacity and capability. People are open to new ideas and new ways of doing thing. This is why I support our Constitution and moral conscious in our legal structures and social lives (I know, I know, its not that important and it isn't easily countable into one's bank account or political votes. However, I believe there are numbers that would directly show the relationship between accepting third world behaviors and poor economic GDP growth. There is research that shows positive environments lead to greater growth. Just ask yourself if you things are in an optimal state politically and socially. If you reflect for a while I think most of us could agree that improvement would be helpful and we are not in a utopian perfect state at the moment where we can breath freely and relax our efforts.)

Focusing on the hard numbers and not on the deeper meaning of what those surface metrics represent is a big mistake our administrators sometimes make. When we begin to live by our Constitution and ensure moral conscious in our justice system I think we will find people to be more responsive to engage the economy (i.e. quiet quitting). The same can be said about any of our other institutions and systems. i.e. business, education, social engagement, etc.

What is in it for me? I have seen people do horrendous things and get a free pass to do those things because they exploited racial and religious differences. The tools of hate allowed them to take advantage of the sick and elderly for money and manipulate a large group of people to intimidate others to help them in that cause (2X). Furthermore, their close connection and employment with some law enforcement allowed them to exploit those connections and default the local system through a carefully constructed and coordinated hate narrative (Freedom of speech doesn't include freedom to harm. What I'm doing here is using freedom of speech appropriately. I'm saying we can change, change is helpful, and change leads to growth. Usually when I say that, someone will do something creepy and violate those basic rights. Freedom of religion and freedom of speech take a backseat to social needs and somewhat extremist leading perspectives. ) 

Personally, I think we need to do a better job of working on our economic fundamentals but for most part those who should know better roll their eyes (Accountability doesn't necessarily mean jail. It means addressing these concerns so as to protect and serve the public. Its an opportunity to grow and change in a positive way. Some of our leaders are too short sighted to see the bigger picture. They won't check their assumptions. Furthermore, I do not have an assumption that it is all wrong or right, but I have knowledge that it isn't always right and it hasn't always been right for a long time. Few want to change but they love to talk about justice. Mostly its just talk for votes when its convenient. I believe if you want change we will make change happen. If we don't, we won't. Its simple with profoundly complex outcomes.). Yet I think that is short sighted and an inaccurate approach to human and economic development. You cannot separate the environment we create from our potential for long term economic development. That would be a short-sighted and often bigoted approach by these systems. 

I'm 100% for police, 110% for civil rights and a supporter of institutional integrity and an inclusive society. In other words, I support not only the surface numbers of economic growth but also the fundamentals of human development that leads to economic growth. While freedom of speech and freedom of religion are written on crusty old pieces of paper it is those who refuse to sell out some of our basic values that keep society going forward. Trust, and trust in shared values, builds better societies that have greater long term health (I will pull some studies another day. This is an opportunity to learn so if you feel really angry about an inclusive well developed society where trust in our institutions grows/improves then feel free to click off and enjoy your day.)

Do I expect justice. No not really. I think it sort of tries to do the right thing but it often falls short. There are just too many legal loop holes and protections for bad behaviors. Sometimes judges can make their way through all of those sort of false mirrors and sometimes they can't. At present we have no better system but I suspect if we continue to politely push for it to have moral conscious and enlightened viewpoints someday they will recognize its value (Many have but its a spotty system because of the leakage of other values into that system. i.e. social connections, racial-religious anchoring, etc. As a parent and as a learned person I want to do my part to ensure our children have a bright future. That has nothing to do with silencing positive voices that remind these systems of their loftier duties. Feel free to discard.)