The Purpose of This Blog

Ever since the collapse of Communism, consumer capitalism has had the run of the house so to speak and as a result we live in a world where markets reign supreme and are considered the beginning and end-point of all human aspirations and dreams. It is now accepted largely without question that free-markets are king, that they cannot be contained, they cannot be controlled, and that they are the only way to a better world for the impoverished. I have heard virtually no one, even the harshest critics of modern society, deny these basic assumptions and those who do deny them have continually proven themselves unable to come up with a viable alternative and thus they criticize and criticize while offering only a bare minimum of constructive new ideas.
It seems that increasingly we watch the bad news coming in from across the globe and at home but see no way out. We are trapped in an environment where everything is relative, where there is no higher meaning, and where few aspirations beyond becoming rich and famous exist. I believe we all want something more, but we do not know where to even begin looking and thus run around in circles chasing fads and gimmicks.
Jeremy Rifkin, an economist I have considerable respect for, once described culture as a “story” and said that if we ever were going to transcend the present situation, where economics have virtually taken over all aspects of life, than we need one extremely critical thing: “a better story.” Effectively we need a new ideology, a new way of looking at the world, and we need it now. The purpose of this blog is to present and to develop such an ideology.
In a world overrun by economic discourse it is clear that we must focus on something that is much more fundamental to human existence and happiness: the human essence and spirit itself – that which makes us who we are. Ultimately we must embrace the one thing that is universal besides economics: humanity itself. Only then can we live a life of dignity and feel true liberty that can only come through the actualization of the individual and the empowerment of the community. This is the essence of Universalism.