The following letter was written on behalf of the ARI Institute and sent to hundreds of influencers in politics, economics, business and other fields with the aim of adding to the dialog toward bringing solutions to the crises humanity faces.
Dear Sirs,
The ramifications of the escalating global financial crisis undermine the economic and social stability, and even question the sustainability of the government in many countries. Many who have lost their jobs and/or their life savings are beginning to lose faith in your ability as leaders to provide them with financial security or even viable solutions for the future. In the midst of global uncertainty, the bonding exemplified by the various protest movements temporarily consoles the dissatisfied. At the same time, it creates a perilous dynamic which unabated will lead to expanding and intensifying unrest.
Moreover, the global interdependence and decades of economic excess has rendered conventional fiscal and monetary solutions ineffective. As a result, the national debt is relentlessly inflating, hampering your ability to continually offer meaningful solutions to the social and economic challenges we face.
In such a reality, unemployment rates will rise drastically, leading to more social unrest and protests, which will in turn present a real threat to the stability of countries, and of the entire international social, economic, and political systems.
To maintain the government’s stability, we believe that unemployment should be treated as an issue that requires immediate and specific attention. We respectively suggest that bold action is now required to stem the cycle of decline in which we find ourselves. To achieve this, we propose that a national emergency mechanism be established, with the following goals:
- Integrating unemployed people in an ongoing study framework (to be detailed below), which will be regarded as “employment”;
- Preventing publicly displayed idleness, bitterness, and mass demonstrations and protests;
- Providing unemployed individuals with tools for rejoining the workforce;
- Providing scholarships that cover basic needs and a dignified life, subject to participation in the study framework;
- Repairing the dignity of the unemployed by “upgrading” the social status of the unemployed from that of “outcasts” to that of persons pursuing “enhancement” of their social and professional skills;
- Enhancing empathy with the state and social cohesion, especially now in times of crisis.
The contents in the study framework for the unemployed will include, among other topics:
- Personal finance. This will allow for dignified subsistence under the possibilities that the scholarship for the unemployed permits.
- Learning to live in conditions of uncertainty. This will include maintaining the solidity of the family unit, with a special emphasis on parenthood, enhancing and maintaining mental and emotional soundness, and the development and improvement of social skills.
- Educating people about the consequences of the tightening connections among individuals, firms, and countries, how they affect people’s basic needs, and our daily reality on the national and international levels. Each person will be expected to realize that in the global era, all of us—ordinary citizens, the wealthy and powerful, and policy makers—are in the same boat.
- Providing the necessary social skills for a sustainable existence in an interconnected world: social solidarity, consideration of others and of the environment, and balanced and reasonable consumption.
Such a crisis-borne education mechanism will ease people’s minds, thus providing the government with the necessary timeframe for coping with the global challenges, and will secure national and international stability.
As an educational organization that cooperates with organizations at the highest level, we would welcome an opportunity to consult with you and to provide the required tools and expertise to implement our plan.
Sincerely,
The ARI Institute
www.ariresearch.org