Dangers of
Stagnation
Alexander Liss
In a market-based society, there is a
considerable drive for predictability and stability of goods or services and
goods production or service providing processes. Such unification leads to mass
production, use of capital intensive tools and methods and, as a consequence,
to efficiency and growth of wealth of the society.
There is a special element in this process
– humans, who perform series of standardized operations during standardized
periods of time. They are called workers, service providers, etc.
Around this a special social structure
exists. It includes jobs and required skill-set. It includes special culture,
where a member of one group gets a job and gets paid for work, and a member of
another group takes care that the job does not deviate from set parameters in
spite on challenges of ever changing world.
Business owners and managers want to have a
pool of sufficiently skilled humans in a good shape, who want the jobs that the
business could churn goods or services.
Union leaders and politicians want the same
pool of sufficiently skilled humans in a good shape, who needs the jobs, that
they could be elected and protect needs of these humans.
In spite of famed work ethics, something
should force humans into this pool of individuals, who need jobs, because
working is not easy - no one is paying for fun activities.
Hence, the very fact that the society is
stable means that there is a force of necessity, which sweeps humans in such
pools. It is simple – humans in those pools cannot afford to be without a job
for a long time, they do not have a cushion to sustain themselves without a
job. While they have a job, they have all they need; shortly after they lose
the job, they are in a dire state.
Thus “having a job” became a basic concept
in their lives and when politicians want to get support from these people they
talk exclusively in terms of jobs - having, losing, paying well, etc.
In the same time, well-to-do in the society
never speak about themselves and never think about themselves in terms of jobs.
They are after opportunity, income - growth of personal wealth. This is a more
humane language, than the language of jobs.
Obviously, a large portion of population of
the society is in a disadvantaged position. People in this group have no
negotiation advantage; they are as commodity, as resources in market-based
society. This is why there is a “human resources” department; this is why
economists lump together materials and humans in their models – their analysis
fits the same pattern.
In such situation, a peculiar set of concepts
emerged. Humans seek not opportunity to advance, but instead seek equality that
they are paid the same way as others in this pool. Humans measure their
contribution to the society not in terms of results, but in terms of time
worked.
This set of concepts is shared by all players.
Business owners and managers stopped seeing humans as humans, but as
exchangeable modules in a business mechanism. Humans stopped seeing themselves
as perpetually expending, growing creatures, but as creatures happy, when they
are not suffering.
No wonder, that time and again demagogues emerge
ready to take advantage of this inhumane situation, ready to grab political
power and impose inhumane order on entire society.
Hence, a market-based society, which in its essence
is growth oriented, has a stagnant component, which threatens its very
existence.
One should not underestimate the resilience of this stagnant
component. It survived through various crises, and it exists in spite of
society’s experience with various other social forms, which could support
production of goods and providing of services.
The nostalgic idea of returning to craftsmanship and
small businesses cannot work – this form of social organization cannot support
large market. In addition, a social structure has to survive through various
crises inflicted by external circumstances or by dynamic inherent to the market
itself. Only large entities, with large reserves could survive through crises.
Obviously, existing economic and political
mechanisms do not support transition of this stagnant part of society into a
more dynamic one. This stagnant part is against human nature and many want to
change it, but so far all attempts to change it failed.
Socialism is no help. When a market-based society
flipped into a socialist society, the new society was inevitably more stagnant.
Instead of making the stagnant part more dynamic and growth oriented, socialism
turned the entire society into more stagnant. To provide at least some support
for growth, the socialist society inevitably turns to militarization and
aggression against its neighbors.
This was seen in the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and
This stagnant part in the body of market-based
societies is not only inhumane it is dangerous to the stability of a particular
society and to well-being of the global society as a whole. It is stable, and
hence, it will not go away on its own.
Smart and concerted efforts are needed to modify a
market-based society in the way that this stagnant part is reduced and
potentially eliminated.
The society should start with the system of concept
– the mind should be cured first.
Instead of jobs, people should think of opportunity
and income, of accumulation of wealth that one’s children have better start.
Instead of equality people should think of equal
opportunity, which inevitably leads to inequality, but to better life.
Instead of being paid for time worked, people should
think of compensation for skills and efforts, which an employee provides to an
employer in a timely manner.
Such healthy thinking should lead to change in
speech, relationships, and everyday feelings.
The next thing is to treat own skills, as a business
treats service, which it provides. Skills have to be perpetually updated and
marketed with aim to gain more income. This is a position of growth, of
personal expansion. In time, when it is difficult to find an employer, who
would pay for use of old skills, one should have new skills to offer.
This change in attitude will meet
resistance from some politicians, trade union bosses, some managers, some business
owners, and some “intellectuals”, but this has to be done.
The presence of stagnant part in the body of
the market-based society is not sustainable at this point. Rapid technological
innovation and expansion of global market makes this stagnant part dangerously
fragile and prone to social unrest. The society has to allocate perpetually
increasing share of its resources just to maintain stability of this stagnant
part, which is inhumane to begin with. No society, even a rich one, can afford
this for a long time.
This is the place, where perpetual
government intervention is needed. It is doubtful, that this transformation
could be done without it. Through tax policy and direct subsidies, the
government should support adult education, which helps in acquisition of new
marketable skills.
The result will be more dynamic and more
competitive society with fewer social tensions.
Most of all, this is a moral imperative to
transform the society into a more humane one.