The World is plagued by crisis creation. We create crisis after crisis, each based on incomplete information, causing us to focus on the wrong issues, in the opinion of Dr. Tim Ball, international environmental consultant.
Tim Ball makes a point in his
"Current Events" talkSpeaking on Current World Events at Creative Retirement’s Annual Luncheon at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, Ball said that many a crisis today is the result of too many specialists who reach conclusions without enough information. This distracts us from the real problems. “We have to focus on the right issues. The rush from crisis to crisis makes it difficult for leaders to do this. They can’t get priorities right. We need more generalists, and we need to use the experience of seniors more.”
Ball gave the example of the Y2K flap. There was rampant speculation of potential disaster because computers generally were thought to lack the programming to handle the changeover from 20th Century to 21st Century dating. He estimated industry and governments spent $5 billion on Y2K and didn’t find any problem.
“So the bureaucrats said that was because of the money spent on it. But China, which had older computers, spent nothing on Y2K and had no problems.”
Seniors are better able to handle each crisis as it bursts onto the scene because of their experience-earned wisdom, but unfortunately their advice is more and more being ignored, Ball said. The young tend to think the government will take care of their problems, he added, advising that the glorification of specialists be replaced by the use of more generalists. More an explosion of ideas than a theme speech, Ball flung out some interesting thoughts to focus on: Trial juries should be made up mainly of retired people. “Why take people off their jobs, when there are so many retired people who could handle it so well?”
High-speed passenger trains across the Prairies. “You could get to Regina faster than Air Canada.” Fifty-four per cent of the world is in pristine condition, “but you don’t hear about that.” He noted a “mistaken crisis of deformed frogs,” which turned out to be naturally occurring organisms attacking the eggs. “A 35-year study shows the world in better shape, with people living longer and in better health.” Major assets, the old and the young, are too often considered to be problems for society. One of the most important investments we can make is in education, fair-funded continuing education for the retired and adequate-funded education for the young. “Brains don’t stop working when we retire. And graduates shouldn’t be stuck with the crippling debt of student loans to pay off.”
Income tax deduction for volunteer hours worked. Any lost tax revenue would be more than offset by the benefits of the volunteer work.
Seniors are more interested in the future than young people. Struck complacent by an era of super abundance in the more developed nations, the young concentrate on the present. Farmers are leading generalists; they have to be with so many areas to put together to produce crops and survive in a super-competitive world market.
Ball, a former University of Winnipeg professor who now does consulting work out of Victoria, said he was thrilled by the establishment of Creative Retirement here 23 years ago. He saw CRM providing a bigger pool of elders dedicated to lifelong learning which society could draw on in so many positive ways. And that makes the CRM annual fund raiser luncheon an important event, not only for retired people, but for society generally.
Luncheon co-chair Helen Norrie called the third annual CRM luncheon “a success in every way,” with a good lunch and accommodations and a good boost to funding of lifelong learning programs. She praised luncheon ticket buyers for a sold-out event and local companies for generous corporate donations. Norrie also thanked members and friends for suggestions and comments on the evaluation sheets, all helpful in planning next year’s luncheon.
2003 Luncheon ||| Ageless Heroes ||| Special Events
