Pondering The Question, "If You Were In A Position of Power What Would You Do?"
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Author's Note
This Hub was written in reply to the title question, which I ran into as I perused HubPages' "Answers" section. Since I had nothing better to do, and since I do enjoy a challenged, I thought I'd try to answer it. Believe me, I know there's a big difference between what I'd try to do and what would be realistic; but it was nice just to imagine for a little while...
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Assuming my power included, also, enough magical power to get people to do what I said... I'd first pick "King of the World" as my position of power. Hold on! Don't hate me yet! I mean well and only have the best motivation at heart..
In any case, I'd first decree that all physical and violence was to stop. Nothing constructive gets done in the heat of violence. I'd then ask everyone to empty out their minds of all preconceived ideas about other people, and also of any guesses/assumptions about why anyone else does anything - or what they're thinking other than what they expressly state they're thinking.
In fact, I'd tell everyone we all need a couple of weeks of talking about nothing but neutral stuff - just to take a rest. In the meantime, I'd set up a system of categories for all the world's problems, large and small; and I'd request each and every person submit (through e.mail, because it's quick; but it's also easy to sort things into files/categories electronically) descriptions of their problems and any problems they think the world has.
I'd recruit a team of people for each category of problem, and recruit other people (as needed) to work under their supervision. Ideally, I'd aim to have people working for nothing (because world peace could be at stake, but if necessary I'd aim to have one team working on getting the funding for all this).
If things were properly categorized it should take only about two weeks to get all the problems in, categorized, and assigned.
Step 2 for the teams, under the leadership of the team leaders, to figure out who and what was needed to fix the problems in respective categories.
Step 3 would be for each team to send their input to the funding people (and, of course, there would have to be enough "funding people" for to keep category-per-funding-person manageable).
Step 4 would be to find suitable people to manage and work on the funded problem-solving projects. Once this whole endeavor was under way I would send out the message that everyone could resume talking about things other than neutral things, but that if they wanted all these efforts to work they had better remain civil and reasonable in their conversations.
Again, nothing constructive ever happens in the heat of violence and lack of reason. I'd then step down from the position of power, asking everyone to please not let all that work go to waste - and live out the rest of my life as (once again) a nice, comfortable, nobody (knowing I'd done a pretty good job). :) :) (Ah.... It's fun to step out of reality and imagine, isn't it....)
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Steve Orion, thanks for offering your own ideas. :) The Hub, of course, is not intended to be taken seriously (for the most part, and although I do take the world's problem very seriously); but in view of the limited power any one human being (or even group of people) can/will ever have in this world, I figured I may as imagine "out to the ridiculous" and indulge in my own ideas about what I'd do if I could be "king of the world". :)
In seriousness, though, I do think there's a certain amount of constructive (although limited) thinking if any of us "imagines out" and considers what our approach might be if reality weren't what it is.
I'm going to answer your question...
I'd heavily tax ALL corporations that make useless stuff and give huge tax breaks to corporations that produce food, educational & health care products instead. I'd create incentives for companies to change over their facilities from creating useless material goods that are repeats of unnecessary products that fill garbage dumps and do not contribute to the betterment of the world.
Further more I'd make sure that food, water, shelter and education and were where the public's tax dollars were spent, and the tax dollars from corporations, which would be taxed appropriately so the heads of these companies could not be paid salaries that could sustain entire countries.
I would also put a cap on the amount of money any one individual could make in a year (corporate managers, athletes, movie stars, politicians etc) and ensure that service industries that contribute to the betterment of the population and the world were the best paid members and workers in our societies (hospitals, schools, care facilities, farmers, etc).
The number one priority would be to make sure that the world population has water, food, education, health care and support from the majority of the population instead of the minority, and to create sustainable communities everywhere that respect the environment, people and animals of this world.
I'd also stop the spending of space exploration, contributions to war efforts and useless committees that are constantly being created to try to change decisions already voted on by the public...
Good hub...
I'd say you'd make a great benevolent dictator should a position open up!
eye say, thank you for taking time to contribute your own approach/thoughts on the question and contributing thoughts on ways power can be used with good aims. :)
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Paradise7, thanks. :) (although "dictator" does conjure up such bad images (even when accompanied by "benevolent") LOL.
Well, you have my vote. I like your ideas. We are all tired of the violence.
I want to thank you for your response on "what were the first words your baby said?". It was so beautiful to read.
Best Wishes.
Lady_E, thank you. (It was fun to be reminded of those memories. I'm smiling just to think about thinking about them. :) )
LOL. Who would have thought about this, Lisa?
Sometime ago, I read that writers create a world in which they live alone. I know you are one of us because you just created one perfect world for us.
I wish it was like this though.
Regards,
Royalmark.
Royalmark, thank you. (LOL) (Doesn't everybody think about being King of the World? :) )
I find this idea to be interesting. However, not every "problem" is actually one. I have a gay brother, and a majority of conservative Christians would see it as a "problem" if he were allowed to marry, especially in the state where I live (OK). It's hard to see how your system would deal with situations like that.
After Bush got elected twice (maybe, since the first time is questionable), I lost faith in Democracy. The fact that a man like him would get elected twice just made me utterly depressed. Then Obama got elected. But people vote based on current political winds, so I am not going to become overly excited, especially since Obama has been Bush lite in some respects.
I do LOVE your call to non-violence. I'm afraid that the draft may be soon approaching, due to the fact that Iran may be getting a nuclear weapon. This sounds all too familiar.
Anyway, off my soapbox. Voted up and interesting!
Sooner28, I'd agree there could be some holes in my "Master Plan" when it comes to who views what as a problem. :)
Steve Orion Level 5 Commenter 4 months ago
Interesting Hub, here, lishahwarren. It seems a bit out of touch with reality, like you said =), but some good intentions. I would much more prefer to be a silent and hidden influence if I had a position of power. The most influential people are probably the most obscure, in reality.
I would work primarily in developing nations and help them with adequate and sustainable methods of agriculture and environmental aspects of things. Voted up for making me think, this morning!