Different Ways, Part 1

There is a difference between the world we wish we lived in and the reality of life. We all see it. We all recognize it. There is also a difference between the ways in which we believe we can move from the world in which we currently live, and the world that we want.

Legislation - some of us believe that we can legislate our way to the world we desire. Create enough laws and people will behave the way we want them to.

Social pressure - some of us believe that we can pressure our friends into the world we desire. If we make it so socially unacceptable to act a certain way, people will behave the way we want them to.

Both of these boil down to coercion or manipulation. Both leverage judgment and punishment (fines, prison, or becoming a social outcast) as pressure to conform. We all know how kids respond to coercion and manipulation. They lash out, their heart breaks on account of the lie, they feel less human. Why should we feel any different?

It may be said that both legislation and social pressure have been used to varying degrees of success in the course of human history. But I think we are now seeing the limits of these methods to get us to where we really want to be. We are feeling the oppressive nature of each, especially when used for a purpose not aligned with our particular world view. I wonder if there is a different way?