Never in human history has it been so urgent for us to think.
If we do, the future we command will be reasonable. That is the best we can hope for. The world scene today says we have some way still to go. A tiresome paradox of life is that power demands reason but facilitates licence. Licence is unreasonable. We have forgotten the ‘reason’ constraint and think we can use any method, immoral or destructive, to achieve a possibly desirable end. The end rarely justifies the means.
“Reason? Hell, there is no reason. It’s just Company Policy.” So said the recently appointed marketing manager of a major Chicago company in the early 1950s. He was the just-out-of-university son of the founder. Daddy forgave him. Many in the commercial world adopted his philosophy which is why we have pronouncements of pathetic policy littering the road to common sense today.
Why must we think better? Because if human progress is only economic and material we shall lose two unique gifts we have – reason and appreciation. Without them we will be automats. Development of life is a compromise. No animals or plants have achieved it as well as we have. Chimps and elephants have made some progress. Humans are already highly developed. But not fully.
Evidence that more progress is being made with modified and manipulated stem cells has just emerged. Ten years has been added to our liveable life expectancy in the last few weeks. In five years time immortality may be possible. The present purposes of life – to survive, to enjoy, to breed, to perpetuate – will have to develop or we shall compete to death. Can we leave such development to our present leaders?
Collective management – the law – is necessary in a universal world. Law has to be process, hence the phrase ‘due process’. Reason is a sensible step above the law but only if it is truly reasonable. How do we know what is reasonable? Logical thinking and agreement by compromise are the only ways to find out. They require a different education to that needed to stock our minds with facts and systems.
To achieve this we must modify our present life success model. And we will only do that if we educate ourselves to a style of living that seeks happiness over possession. Happiness is more a function of our minds than of our bodies. If we learn to let our minds appreciate this, our human relationships will become as comfortable as we hope for.
Each individual contributes to the development of humanity. However small that contribution may seem it is a critical one.The ocean is a collection of drops.
Think or sink.
Good morning
John Bittleston
Please feel free to comment whatever your views are.
At [email protected] please.
Thank you.
17 October 2025
