By Jim Poling Sr. 

 

If
John Steinbeck was alive today he might consider changing the title of
his 1961 Nobel prize-winning novel from The Winter of Our Discontent to
The Winter of World Discontent.

 

Our
current winter of discontent is not simply about the problems of one
family or one place. It is a winter of global discontent – or most
certainly a winter of western world chaos and unhappiness.

There
is hope, however. In the Steinbeck novel the main character reaches
into his pocket for a razor blade to slit his wrists. Instead he pulls
out a talisman placed by his daughter to remind him of his importance to
his family and community despite his moral lapses.

 

Similarly,
we see some hope in our current discontent. Last week, for instance,
the chief executive officer of BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest
investor, wrote to world business leaders telling them they must become
leaders in a divided world.

“Stakeholders
are pushing companies to wade into sensitive social and political
issues — especially as they see governments failing to do so
effectively,” Larry Fink wrote in his letter.

Bang
on, Larry. Business leaders should step forward and begin emptying the
septic tank of social problems that our governments have been unable, or
unwilling, to handle.

Business
leaders must focus beyond the bottom line. They have the experience,
the skills and the tools to start fixing our social breakdowns.

 

Many
of our political leaders do not have those tools, skills or drive. Or,
if they do, they too often are rendered useless by political expediency.

We
witness the damage every day. Britain, still controlled by a stiff
upper lip ruling class, is a whitewashed shadow of itself, economically
and in terms or global leadership. 

The
United States, weakened by cancerous degeneration of morality and
democracy, has become a comedy sketch. Except it’s not very funny that
tens of thousands of federal employees are hurting because of the
month-long government shutdown.

 

In
Canada we have a federal government unable to solve the dilemma of how
to get our oil to world markets while ensuring environmental safety. In
Ontario, we have provincial  politicians wrangling over whether the
provincial police force should be led by an unqualified buddy of the
premier.

Our
once vibrant western world democracies have descended to the level of
kakocracies – government by the least qualified people.

 

Authoritarians
are stepping into the vacuums created by complacent democracies.
Vladimir Putin of Russia and China’s Xi Jinping are centre stage as
world leaders now and are working to make authoritarian government look
good.

One strong hope for strengthening our ailing democracies is population turnover. 

Mr.
Fink’s letter to business executives notes that the largest transfer of
wealth in history is occurring now. Billions of dollars are starting to
move to Millennials and Post-Millennials as their grandparents and
parents pass on. 

 

As
these new generations gain wealth they also will gain power. And if you
think that 25-year-old sitting on the couch staring into a smartphone
doesn’t have any thoughts on wealth, power and change, you are dead
wrong.

The
seventh annual Deloitte Millennial Survey shows that Millennials and
Post-Millennials want to see dramatic changes. It found that only 19 per
cent of the young people surveyed believed that politicians are having a
positive impact.

By
comparison 44 per cent said business leaders are making a positive
impact and 75 per cent believed that multinational corporations have the
potential to help solve the world’s social, economic and environmental
challenges.

The
survey involved 10,455 Millennials in 36 countries and 1,850
Post-Millennial (also called Generation Z) respondents in six countries.

 

Young
people are inheriting not just money but the world and all its
problems. They are the future leaders and they will demand and make
changes. 

Yes,
there are dullards and airheads among them. (If you want to see some of
them look up the video of the Covington Kentucky Catholic High School
students, wearing red Trump hats, mocking a native American elder
singing during the Indigenous People’s March in Washington last
Friday.) 

However,
you have got to believe that intelligent Millennials and Generation
Zeds are the people with the abilities to turn our winters of discontent
into springs of joy.