Without power

Too little too late, critics say – they say it of almost anything. Well, you might think ‘too much too often’ of our blogs in May. I’m not sure why it happened but then denying responsibility is not a great stance for a responsible blog. So, what to do when the world continues to turn and humans wilfully persist in not solving major life-threatening issues. We mean the sort that require cooperation, subtlety and, above all, imagination. We are both struck, in our age and with our health problems, of the sheer force of being ‘without power.’ They are words often used historically, for example, of slavery or genocide. They are words fiercely applicable to the lives of so many people today. It is all well documented and well protested. What’s harder to come by is how to develop and support initiatives that are working in the opposite direction. Part of this is to do with the radical idea that: “Democracy, [is] essentially about compromise and negotiation, conflict resolution and pluralism, a system of checks and balances / [Elif Shafak ‘How to stay sane in an age of division’ 2020 page 31].”