Issues will continue to plague us forever
By Cazzy Lewchuk, Opinions Editor
Society has many, many problems and issues to solve. Some of them are newer and caused by technology or development, while others have remained for hundreds of years, or more.
Many will argue that the solutions are obvious, and that everything could be fixed if only they would try such and such a thing. Perhaps you’ve said it yourself, or heard a friend ask “Why don’t they just…?” We criticize politicians for not instantly making our country great again (regardless of their party) and for failing to improve the community to our own very specific expectations.
It goes all the way back to the Bible, and there is nothing new under the sun. Pretty much every idea has been thought of before, and has failed for some reason or another. If something seems like too good an idea to work, that’s because it is.
The world’s problems seem daunting and nearly impossible to face. We are dealing with protecting a very badly-damaged environment, global poverty, terrorism, war, and disease, all in the face of political tensions and a divided world.
International geopolitics and diplomacy make tackling these matters sensitive, at the very least. Organizations like the UN encourage all nations to come together and find mutual understanding, but divisions still run deep. The question of what ideology and political system works varies, depending on region and country. There is no single method of governing that works in every area. Different populations have different histories and prominence, leading to their having a unique place in the world today.
Academics, politicians, and peers continue heavy debates on many issues. There’s no one-size-fits-all method or universally agreed solution, and that’s why these things continue to be debated. If there truly was an obvious solution to fix problems that have dozens of root causes based on modern history and society, it would’ve been implemented long ago.
Good politicians acknowledge complexities in society and seek to find common ground with their opponents to make progress. The most dangerous and incompetent are the ones who think they have all the answers, with a “my way or the highway” approach. Politicians strategize, experiment, and listen to the people around them when tackling the big issues. However, it takes a lot more than one new government to revolutionize an issue that has been plaguing all societies for hundreds of years. The struggle only continues.
