My friend @tarazkp, your reflection on the global rise in youth crime and the need to address the systemic causes, beyond superficial solutions such as laws or policing, is both lucid and urgent. I fully agree that the ‘upstream’ approach -identifying and transforming the roots of the problem-, is essential to prevent more people from falling down the cascade. The parable you mention, attributed to Saul Alinsky, perfectly encapsulates this principle: without questioning why the current is dragging so many towards the precipice, any effort to rescue those already in the water will be insufficient.
His analysis of the erosion of human relationships at the heart of the crisis is particularly relevant. The commodification of individuality -driven by industries that prioritise profit over wellbeing-, has generated a profound disconnection. Platforms such as social media, designed to capture attention rather than foster authentic connections, act as ‘competitive social artefacts’ (a term that, as you point out, deserves greater attention). These not only replace meaningful interactions with simulacra, but also model unrealistic expectations, exacerbating loneliness and escape-seeking (drugs, compulsive drinking, violence).
However, I would like to add that the challenge is not only to reverse this dynamic, but to re-imagine systems that integrate collective well-being at their core. For example:
- Relational education: Programmes that teach empathy, conflict resolution and cooperation from an early age, countering the narrative of individualistic competition.
- Economy with purpose: Business models that prioritise social and environmental impact, redefining ‘success’ beyond economic profit.
- Revitalised community spaces: Local initiatives that rebuild support networks, such as cooperatives or cultural centres, to counteract atomisation.
Your critique of the ‘meta’ of profit seems to me to be right: as long as profit continues to drive social structures, solutions will be patchwork solutions. Changing this will require a collective movement that questions current incentives and promotes policies that value the quality of relationships -in families, schools and public spaces- as a pillar of progress.
However, it is crucial to recognise that this change will not be linear. Resistance from those who benefit from the status quo, coupled with cultural inertia, will make the process slow. But, as you imply, even small adjustments in the flow -such as prioritising early prevention over repression-, can alter its course over time.
This is my humble view, the view of a retired teacher now working in research.
I am not sure about this one, because I reckon centralized education systems do a terrible job of this kind of training. They are fine for mathematics basics, but social engineering is incredibly poor. I think this has to come through environmental experience, and the current environment is conditioning them not to experience much past their screen.
There has to be a ground up reworking of what we value. It has shifted over time to the point it is now unrecognisable from what it was, and works against humanity, not for it.
Since I started studying at university, my world has expanded and I find both reflections, that of Mr. @tarazkp and yours @amigoponc, relevant to world events. We are beings of cycles and perhaps we are literally returning to the caves.
@topcomment @friendlymoose
The comment has a lot of signs of being generated with AI and therefor will not be upvoted by me.Hello @tiffanny