Everything under control?
Everything under control?
The spotlights are directed at us. We, as individuals, have the freedom to evolve and develop ourselves in a world that is becoming ever more open and complex. Individual and societal development, as the engine behind our own development and that of society, is called upon. Luckily we have everything under control: we are pulling the strings, feeling responsible for the society and ourselves. We have found the right balance between the sense of freedom and control so we can just appeal to the development we seek.
Right?
In the free, open and complex society we are confronted with insecurities and vulnerabilities at the same time. The most obvious reaction to be able to deal with these insecurities and vulnerabilities is to built-in control mechanisms for our self, the market and the government. Evidently we cannot ignore the need for and use of control in ourselves and society.
What to think about the need for control? Which forms of control seem positive, which forms of control are esteemed negative? How far can and may these forms of control go?
New ways of control appear on stage. Are we in this play the leading actors with an enourmous individual freedom or will we become string puppets in a puppet theatre, perhaps without being aware of it? Do we allow our sense of responsibility to be overwhelmed by the desire for control and security?
The balance between freedom and control seems to be changing. More and more we, individuals, have been hedged in by each other, market and government. The challenge we should take up is clear:
How do we find the road to personal and societal development amidst the opposing forces of the absence of control on the one hand and that of control (or the illusion of control)on the other?