There’s a lot that can be said for the failures of systems and institutions over the course of history. That moment when governments, corporations, churches, schools, and committees turn on the people they were designed to serve and begin serving themselves.
But there is another way to see this. Every system and institution is made up of people. People are the ones who codify the rules, set the cultural norms, and program the machines.
So when the system turns, it is actually a group of people turning on another group of people. Most often it is a small group of people who hold positions of perceived power that turn on a much larger group of people.
Today we often believe that if we fix “the system” everything will be better. At times rules need changing, cultural norms need shifting, and machines need reprogramming. But let us not forget that the people need attention too. We need people who take their responsibility seriously, who make choices with integrity, and who have a vision for both a better world AND and better way to get there.
If the people don’t change, all that will happen is a rebuilding of the same kind of system.