Deconstructing the Paradigm of Slavery

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​​It all begins with an idea, but as we know, if ideas fall short of perseverance, and will to ride out the many tides that sways one towards giving up, ideas in isolation of perspired action, remain meaningless. 
 
The very formation of ideas is what sets us apart from other species. It is our ideas formed through spectrum of emotions that give us, humans, our competitive, and creative edge. 
Our modern world, and its foundational structures are rooted upon historical ideas, formed by great minds. But perhaps in the 21stcentury, many of the existing societal structures, based on very ancient ideas, may no longer apply. 
 
For instance, once upon a time, in the ancient world, owning slaves was very much accepted by society. Owning slaves as assets, were the norm for the ancient civilisations, and ruling empires across all nations. This was also accepted by individuals who were trafficked, and sold in to slavery, and by the slave masters who purchased them. There was hardly a question of morality imposed, even though, it was these ancient civilisations who also created the discourse on morality, and ethics. The irony here is astounding.
 
Sir Isaac Newton is quoted as saying “we stand on the shoulder of giants who walked before us”, which requires some reflection given where we are as a global community today. As our human consciousness evolves, so too does our sense of wisdom, morality, and ethics. Slavery may have been legally abolished in the 19th century, but the conditions that led to human exploitation, and slavery, remains very much intact. 
 
It is no wonder that today, more than 40million people across the globe are reported by ILO to live in modern forms of slavery, and economic coercion. According to the UN, as of 2018, 10% of the world’s workers, and their families live on less than $1.90 (USD) per person. This percentage has undoubtedly increased since the world pandemic that has crushed the global economies. 
 
We stand upon the edge of a new dawning cycle. A new decade under development seems to be emerging with the tides of 2020. A destined revamp towards consciously evaluating, assessing, and reconstructing our societal, and economic structures, is now inevitable. The call to this re-evaluation is a global phenomenon, calling upon intellectuals, corporate, and political actors to come together, in a united effort to ideate upon the reformation of these outdated structures that no longer hold value, nor any sense with their continuation. 
 
The structures that maintain human exploitation, and enslavement are rooted within old patriarchal paradigms of divide, and control. The division of society with the means of polarised ideologies, including social, class, gender, and racial cast systems, ensures that exploitation thrives as a means of control and dominance.
 
It is the will of all partisans to form new ideations, and instigate the execution of ideas on how we may recreate a society that is no longer based on division, rather functioning as a wheel of collaboration to form, and deliver against new ideas, upon new. 
 
The future of dreaming our new world in to being depends upon the deconstruction of the old, and the execution of new ideas, to determine systems that ride upon different principles, over that of divide, and control. We must however be very conscious of the seduction that remains in the ideology of divide, and control. From the micro, to the macro, maintaining a sense of control satiates human entities on a deep psychic level. It is with this level of awareness, that we begin to deconstruct what lies within the micro, so that we may lead a path to revolutionise the macro. 
 
What we have been offered by the 2020 pandemic, is an opportunity to witness how truly global, and interconnected we are. Every life, in every country, across all continents, have been impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. Everyone across all nations, classes, and races have felt the impact of this pandemic, regardless of the degree of impact imposed, this experience has brought forward, a new wave of possibility, and has instilled a renewed sense of passion in us all. 
 
For some, this passion remains as raw anger, denial, or depression -  awaiting its sublimation towards momentum for change. For others, the virus has illuminated their awareness upon the defective societal, and economic structures that require major reform. Stirring in us all, new ideas, visions, and movement towards instigating greater change.
 
From a higher perspective, perhaps the world needed this virus in order to awaken to the truth of how broken, and defective, our governing structures really are. And it is now, with this awareness, that we each, have the responsibility to question, and assess the longevity of the societal, and economic structures that determine our human evolution. 
 
We may be ever so connected since the age of industrial revolution, and age of digitalisation, however, beneath the veneer of connection, and productivity, the vast majority of the world’s resources, and human capacity to freely network, is guarded by restrictive forces, through stringent, and even corrupt border controls, applied tariffs, balance of trade, economic and immigrational controls, divisive policies, and sanctions – have all but created devastating paradigms in human displacement, exploitation, and suffering. 
 
The urbanisation, and migration in to concentrated spaces for means of production, may have created prosperity, but have equally created devastation through competition, and separation. Capitalism has been revered, and shunned by all great philosophers across time. From Marxist ideologies towards a socialist, and communist society, to Adam Smith’s philosophy of specialisation for greater sense of purpose and meaning -  the great minds have sought, and will continue to seek, and develop, new ideas as to how the economic, and societal systems, may be reformed for greater benefit of people, and nations. However, since we exist in a dualistic world of polar extremes, it is only sensical that capitalism, too is a subject to polar extremes. 
 
The high road of capitalism remains as the generator of prosperity, and wealth, whilst the low road of capitalism rides upon the exertion of greed, control, dominance - leading to human exploitation, riding upon the value of generating profits at the expense of people. It is easy to wag a judgemental figure at the global corporate entities, political leaders, and the banking giants over the dystopic reality of human exploitation, and abuses of power. In essence, these fundamental patriarchal principles also govern individuals, and small independent businesses lower down the profit chains. 
 
Wealth is generated in a network, this is the fundamental premise of prosperity. No one is able to generate wealth from a standalone position. A network of relations, and exchanges, rides upon the premise of wealth generation. With this notion intact, how has humanity continued its loyalty to expressing the lower dimension of capitalism? And how may we instigate the high road of capitalism without falling short of desires for control, and domination, which inevitably leads to human exploitation, and enslavement?  
 
Our basic desire, and drive, for control, and dominance stems from our sense of loyalty to these primitive forces, but in essence, control remains a lucid factor, for no entity truly has control, unless of course, one lives in a permanent state of delusion. Which could be a very real phenomena in our modern world. This delusion may in fact be far deadlier than the pandemic we are collectively facing. 
 
Our world has lived through many great conquests again, and again. Many great nations have risen, and fallen alike. A simple history text book will attest to how many times this has taken place across timelines. Our individual, and collective, rise to success will too, inevitably be met with a fall, whether we submit to this, or not. The governing rule of gravity tells us, that which goes up, must too come down. And right now, the great fall is under way. For centuries, the bourgeoisie's have ridden upon the tides of success, based on the premise of greed, manipulation, divide, and control. This impending fall will not be comfortable to witness, nor experience. We will all be impacted to various degrees from this crash, and burn. 2020 therefore hurls in a powerful opportunity for introspection upon the self, and upon our societal structures, and the reconstruction of values we have influence over. We are called towards ideating a new world, based upon new values, that don’t ride on the pretext of exploitation and human slavery. 
 
Freedom from enslavement begins from a mental realm of ideas. From here, we cultivate the courage to step forward, and severe the illusions, and forces that holds us all enslaved. We have to remain committed to the deconstruction of all structures, that ride upon a sense of exploitation arising from greed, division, and manipulation. We have to challenge, and hold accountable authority figures who embark on senseless strategy at the expense of others, whether at a production level, political policy, or at the level of consumer choice. The conditions that leads to manipulation, exploitation, and enslavement, must be called in to assessment by the world community. By this I am referring to you, as the leader, and change instigator in your field, to step up with your ideas, and make a meaningful difference in your field, and within your network of influence. 

Despite the sense of anxiety, and mental anguish that such a deconstruction demands, I believe there remains little, to no choice, but to step in to embracing our individual, and collective anxieties, and regardless of the fear that rises with change, set forth on instigating the deconstructions, and transformations we are seeking; in our personal values, professional conducts, political ideologies, and in how we set out to serve and impact the communities, and networks we have influence, and power in. 
 
The path to transformation, collaboration, and a new sense of creative vision for humanity resides over the horizon. Our choice to contribute to the unfoldment of this path remains upon our individual, and collective free will.      

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