Solving Problems, Thinking Outside the Box

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 105) January 20, 2016

“Thinking outside the box” is more than just a business cliché used by advertising teams and promoters to sell more product, products like grease-cutting dish soap or sporty, ego enhancing automobiles.  Thinking outside the box is an innovative, creative process that is unhampered by natural and man-made restrictions – it is used to find solutions to problems and issues that cannot be found by those who are “thinking within the box”.  Possibly the most “in the box thinkers” of today are those who lead governments – the politician.  With the political world in such turmoil, one would think that creative, innovative thought would come into play when dealing with major issues like climate change, terrorism and globalization.  After all, the wannabe leaders advocate change over status-quo – until they are put into office.       

The Climate Change Peril                                                                                For political leaders, the climate change issue was resolved in Paris with 195 countries signing on to the so-called COP21 Agreement.  While the United Nations has to be congratulated on seeing the process through and establishing a limiting 1.5 degree global warming target, there are some disturbing loose ends.  Most disturbing, the commitments, actions plans and results (if there are any) will not be seen for years and there are too many escape opportunities for the most polluting nations – it reminds me of a John Maynard Keynes quote:  “In the long run we are all dead."

  The Terrorism Reality: a 21^stCenturyCrusade?                                                                                            Terrorism activity has become a menacing reality for most western democracies and the situation appears to be spreading into Africa and Asia as well.  Expert observers are now suggesting that terrorism activity has become a franchise organization (somewhat like McDonalds or Walmart) with the financing for recruiting wannabe terrorists coming from wealthy sympathisers in the Middle East, and fronted by groups like ISIS, al Qaeda and Boko Haram.  The response to the terrorism activity in the west has varied but there is little doubt  the responses are less thought out and more intense.  Most disturbing are Donald Trump’s remarks and promises, should he become president of the United States next November.  His “out of box thinking” has gained considerable traction with a significant, growing population segment in the US – and that’s fearful.                                        Stopping Unbridled Globalization                                                                                                      For some fifty years now, globalization has developed into a major threat for politicians and nationhood.  In the last twenty five years, global corporations (and the like) have redrawn the economic map of the world and are fast becoming the rulers with elected politicians being the tools of change.  As to re-directing this unbridled globalization, there are options that can be realized, if one thinks about it.  Again, I recommend a major thinker on globalization who is thinking outside the box, David C. Korten and his book, “When Corporations Rule the World”.