I was struck by a Eugene Robinson commentary in today's Washington Post about the electorate as a group of spoiled brats. He says, "In the punditry business, it's considered bad form to question the essential wisdom of the American people. But at this point, it's impossible to ignore the obvious: The American people are acting like a bunch of spoiled brats."
He then goes on to explain that politicians must promise easy and quick fixes to problems, yet once elected they will not be able to provide the same. Our problems (local, national, international) are complex and interlinked. I want to point out that what Robinson is saying means he is either already an integral thinker, or rapidly becoming one.
To the integralist, fixing one "problem," like illegal immigration for example, with the desire "simple solution" only produces problems elsewhere. Real solutions depend upon looking at problems from all sides, taking incremental actions over time, and changing course when we discover that our unintended consequences are worse than the problem.
Historical examples of this would include the "eradication" of malaria in the US through DDT spraying of mosquito breeding areas. The unintended consequences were devastation to the bird population. The resulting change was to use smaller amounts of less toxic (to avians) pesticides. Similarly, proposals to "get tough" with illegal immigration do not realize the negative results to the US as well as to the home countries of the immigrants. Returning large numbers of unemployed people to countries with no jobs for them is a recipe for violent change.
May we grow in integral understanding as individuals and as a society!
See Eugene Robinson's entire article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/02/AR2010090203992.html?nav%3Dhcmoduletmv
Lalia
