Learning from Machiavelli: about foreseeing and forestalling future problems

”[...] The Romans were simply doing what all wise rulers must: not restricting themselves to dealing with present threats but using every means at their disposal to foresee and forestall future problems as well. Seen in advance, trouble is easily dealt with; wait until it’s on top of you and your reaction will come too late, the malaise is already irreversible. 

”Remember what doctors tell us about tuberculosis: in its early stages it’s easy to cure and difficult to diagnose, but if you don’t spot it and treat it, as the time goes by it gets easy to diagnose and hard to cure. So it is with affairs of state. See the trouble in advance (but you have to be shrewd) and you can clear it up quickly. Miss it, and by the time it’s big enough for everyone to see it will be too late to do anything about it.”

(Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince)

considering environmental change and COVID-19, just to mention a few examples, best damn words to live by for any (and all) political leaders. Wouldn’t be a bad thing if the people would also keep this in mind after the pandemic crisis has been dealt with and populist/opportunistic politicians begin to demand that money must be taken away from scientific research, social support, medical services and generally speaking from various preparations that would strengthen the nation against the next inevitable (maybe unknown) crisis for the benefit of some short term, politically convenient low hanging fruit -project.

Case in point: Trump disbanded the White House’s pandemic response task force in 2018 and cut funding for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (among other similar organisations).

Sweden had robust infrastructure, plans and storage facilities to handle nation wide crisis situations, but after Soviet Union collapsed all this was severely reduced (along with their army, which also turned out to be a bit of a mistake) because surely no harm could come to them now that Soviet Union is no more? Right?

Fortunately, for example, Finland had not forgotten the many old, hard learned lessons and maintained national emergency reserves (even when there were voices claiming it all to be a waste of national resources), which has now been opened and medical resources are being redistributed to where they are needed, the first time since the Second World War.

See the problems from afar and they can be dealt with. Take the easy way to political glory and suffer the consequences - along with the rest of the nation. Now, knowing this and with lessons learned from the pandemic, what are we going to do with the impending environmental catastrophe?

Politics: You, the people, expect more from your representatives

As Finland's Municipal Elections are just few months away I find myself  being involved with it..

In the spirit of Stoic philosophy I do not concern myself with my paltry chances of actually becoming elected; in the end I have very little control over the matter. However, as an official candidate for a political party I am granted a voice and an opportunity to use it to appeal to the people: expect more from those who would become your representatives!

Demand your representatives to rise above partisan politics and to work for the common good of the whole society and not just for their personal gratification, party politics and various interest groups.

Demand your representatives to stand for the matters that unite us as a society instead of taking the low road by riding on issues of bigotry and hate, fear and suspicion, greed and envy, and all those other matters that would divide us and drive us all apart.

You, the people, must demand that those who ask for the power to influence your lives prove themselves to be worthy of your trust and respect. Demand that the people of influence and power within the society are to be held against higher standard!

Never let them forget that a government, be it local or national, serves at the pleasure of the people. Be not afraid to rise up and challenge all those who would argue that transparency, personal integrity, professionalism and careful consideration of all matters before decision should not be expected at all times in politics.

Challenge your canditates! Let them know that you expect them to be and to know better.  The people have a voice and when it is focused it is powerful and it will be heard.

Stoicism: Only the educated are free

"What is the fruit of these teachings? Only the most beautiful and proper harvest of the truly educated - tranquility, fearlessness, and freedom. We should not trust the masses who say only the free can be educated, but rather the lovers of wisdom who say only the educated are free."

Epictetus: Discourses, 2.1.21-23a

About two millennia ago Epictetus was born a slave and received education only because his master allowed it for him. Only because of the education he received was Epictetus enabled to gain appreciation and eventually his freedom, and to become a teacher who's words would still be heard after two thousand years after his death.

Modern Western world has no slaves (at least, not in the traditional sense of the word), but one only needs to change the words "the free" to "the wealthy" and suddenly the words of Epictetus address a very real and concrete issue in most parts of the world: whereas education should be viewed as human right it is too often regarded as something only the wealthy are entitled to. In too many countries those born to poverty (if not to slavery) will never have an opportunity to receive education needed to become free - I mean, to rise above poverty.

Out of over six billion people living in this world I received a rare privilege to be raised in a small nation where education is free: my elementary school was free, my second degree education was (mostly) free, and my studies in Polytechnic University were also free. Because of this I was enabled to rise above the social status of my working class parents - and I say this not only with gratitude, but also with appreciation of the life my single parent mother was able to provide to me and my sister.

However, most of the people in the world do not have these kinds of opportunities for education. Instead they are forced to start the race of life with severe and debilitating handicaps. Even here in Finland many neoliberal politicians, who believe education should not be free but individuals should earn their right for it by paying for it, have managed to find their way into power by feeding on common feelings of resentment and envy followed by a decade of difficult economics. To this end education budgets and student support mechanisms have been severely crippled by the current and previous governments. The commonly used justification for these actions is that "our society cannot afford these kinds of social benefits", and "we must get the young people into working life sooner instead of having them spend years in schools", but these people are terribly and undeniably wrong.

No country can afford not to empower its citizens from utilising their full potential by limiting their opportunities for education and personal development. Least of all small countries such as Finland, where our only true national resource is the mental ability for innovations, and research and development. Politicians and businesses are calling for new goods and services to be exported, but without educated and motivated people working on research and development that cannot happen.

Additionally the national economy will never be improved by forcing the young people to begin their adult lives with huge debts that they are forced to pay for a decade if not longer instead of using their earnings to consume goods and services, and starting families. The only ones that will benefit from forcing students to take large loans are the banks and loan shark lenders, and there are business people who believe that their personal ability to make profit would be improved by creating a class of low income people with limited education and who are vulnerable for exploitation.

Again, they are all horribly wrong. While some individuals and private parties may benefit from a society that is crippled in this way, the nations must not be allowed to follow the will of these people as the only thing that is good for all the people and the society as whole is to enable all people to have the education they need and want to have, and to support cross-scientific research instead of limiting the educational options to those determined by the short-term corporate needs.

Remember Epictetus' words: only the educated are free!