Niki,
Thank you for your thought provoking article.

I have worked in companies where sometimes I was the facilitator of a group, and other times I was a member of a group, with someone else as the facilitator.

As the facilitator I had to go along with the decisions of the group, even if sheer experience told me that those decisions were going to lead to disaster (or a mini-disaster). Often I was right, but when that disaster or mini-disaster occurred, the group would then want to hold me responsible. I’m not sure whether this is an intrinsic part of human nature, or a learned response, but I think it is often seen in the wider scale with politicians and other society leaders.

We do not want our politicians or society leaders to be faceless and remote, but at the same time we do not want them to be dictatorial.

Niki, how did I miss this article. Great work.

We all need to take responsibility for the manner in which we live our lives. Maybe not much discussion because there is little to disagree with but what you have said is rarely spelt out so well.

Timkins, great comments.

R0bert

Excellent work, Niki. I agree about the conspicuous consumption: while we waste very little food in our household, and actually grow a bit ourselves, my wife is an avid cook who just has to have every gadget and widget imaginable. This leads to a crowded set of kitchen cupboards, with some devices being rarey used. There are three different types of blender, for heavens sake, and I think she has four juicers as well! This sort of buying is as a result of advertising (and lack of control over the wallet!).