Day 61 - For the Greater Good

Phew. I think I've finally caught up with blog posts. It has taken a huge amount of copying old ones and late night finishes but I'm there. One thing I've been trying to avoid with this blog is making it a chore to write (and read) so I'm quite proud of the fact that I'm nearly 9 weeks into my trip and (a) people are still reading it and (b) I'm still finding things to stay and do.

Unfortunately this coronavirus is putting a huge damper on my ability to show you the delights of Baton Rouge, Houston and beyond. And it is also rendering my dad's ongoing trip as nothing more than a glorified hotel stay without the swimming pool and the complimentary bar. He's even having to cook for himself (though voluntarily) most nights!

I'm never seen such a panic in the world in my life time. Added to the Doomsday Clock being at 100s to midnight (it has never been closer) and you'd be forgiven for thinking the world is a pretty shitty place to live in right now. That opinion isn't greatly contradicted by the constant stream of sensationalist drivel that the 24 hour news stations seem to be peddling in the ongoing war for ratings. 

You could also argue that it is typical of the current state of things that a global pandemic is being seen as a chance to make compelling TV and politically score points rather than as a worldwide crisis that needs to be solved together. 

And you'd have a point.

It seems to be a real problem with the (Western particularly) world that personal agendas and selfishness affect the way we try to deal with things. "For the greater good" is the Utilitarian doctrine that pushes the theory (very simplistically) that the correct course of action is the one that benefits the most people. For the record, it is also the words Grindelwald had engraved on the entrance to Nurmungard in the Harry Potter series - but I'm conveniently choosing to ignore that for now.

There is obviously plenty wrong with Utilitarianism, principally the logical "endgame" of the philosophy which will happily make a smaller number of people miserable if it benefits the whole. But the general theory behind it has some merit. It tries to encourage people to act in a way that removes selfish agendas and tries to benefit the greater population. You feel like, in these times, that the world could do with more of that.

Hopefully we'll see the needs of the many start to outweigh the desires of the few. As I've said before, I believe humanity has that capability. Is this the crisis that drives us to act?

Till tomorrow, Tom