Click above to watch interview of Lawrence Freeman by Rasheed Muhammad on August 9, 2024
In this interview, I detail the failure of Western policy towards Africa. The U.S. led “rules-based international order” has not delivered any tangible results to Africa nations. Their insistence on imposing their structures of democracy has not led to an improvement in the material standard of living of Africans. In fact, coups and protests against poverty, and hunger are spreading across the continent as a result of decades of failed Western policies. The removal of the U. S. from Niger is but one example. The protest by Kenya’s youth against the IMF dictated austerity policies is another. Violent extremist organizations, who recruit from desperate youths, are growing, and used to weaken the sovereignty of African nations.
China, who has an entirely different approach, one of economic development, has been maligned by the West. Lies about debt- trap diplomacy have been proven false, while Chinese investment in infrastructure has led to tangible economic results. The fulcrum of United States policy towards Africa is; to counter China, despite all the public claims to the contrary. I know this for a fact.
From watching this discussion, you will learn the fundamental tenets of the diseased ideology of the rules-based order.
Make sure you watch the last ten minutes of this discussion on how the United States is becoming the new Roman Empire as a result of its declining culture and abysmal education of its youth.
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for 35 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and consultant on Africa. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com, and also publishing on: lawrencefreeman.substack.com, “Freeman’s Africa and the World.”
The absolute number of Africans living in poverty is increasing. Image courtesy of blogs.worldbank.org
July 19, 2024
I am frequently asked, why is US-Africa policy deficient in addressing the needs of Africans? On the African landmass over four hundred million people live in extreme poverty, making it the poorest continent in the world. Its total population is projected to expand to approximately two and a half billion people in the next quarter of a century. This portends global instability if the standard of living for hundreds of millions of Africans is not radically improved. The refusal of the United States to design policies to assist in the reduction of poverty in Africa may well turn out to be one of the biggest strategic blunders in U.S. foreign policy in the 21st century. To be honest, it is not just Africa, the U.S. is dangerously failing in its foreign policy throughout the globe.
The answer to the question cited above is clear and obvious to me, but I recognize that it may not be easy for others to grasp. It is the decline of American culture that is the cause of the current and impending disasters of U.S. foreign policy. As an American, who has been astutely politically engaged in the affairs of my country for over half a century, I can state with authority and certainty, American society has become decadent.
For conclusive proof, look no further than the June 27th U.S. Presidential debate between the presumptive nominees of the Republican and Democratic parties. Ignore the incompetent chatter from the media and pundits with their superficial analysis, and the “hot button” rhetoric that each candidate spewed out on a fixed number of topics. There were no presentations to the public with idea content. Both candidates failed the debate. What is glaringly absent from both candidates is a vision for America and more importantly, a vision for America’s leadership in a developing multi-polar world.
Throughout this campaign cycle, neither of the candidates, or anyone else in the Congress, has articulated anything resembling President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Grand Design” or President John Kennedy’s “New Frontier” and his initiative for humankind to explore space. Neither candidate has shown himself capable of articulating a new paradigm that would be transformative in improving conditions of life for Americans and all citizens living on our planet.
It is clear that since the deaths of Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy, America has not produced a leader, who is also a statesmen with a true vision for the future of humankind. A reasonable question to ask is, why hasn’t America created such a leader? The answer may be difficult for some to digest. Americans have been dumbed down by our culture for over five decades. The beginning of our demise dates back to the second half of the 1960s, with the introduction of the “rock-sex-drug counterculture” following the assassination of President Kennedy and the decline of his space program.
No new ideas for the future of the human race. Image courtesy of Facebook.com
Citizens As President
The people who lead our nation emerge from citizens who compose our society. A degenerate culture will not generate qualified visionary leaders, much less statesmen. Hence, the U.S. is bereft of leaders capable of responding in this turbulent time of multiple crises.
In the better periods of Athenian culture, there was a belief that each citizen should be actively involved in contributing to the governing of their nation. They were expected to participate through reason and dialogue in determining the best policies for creating a better future for generations born and unborn. Some of our Founding Fathers, who studied Greek history were intent on founding a Republic, free from the domination of Empire, where individual citizens, not an unelected Oligarchy, would determine their future. The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution eloquently articulates the most essential principles to guide our newly created Republic. The creators of our Republic, emulating the best of Greek philosophy and culture, envisioned a population of citizen-leaders. It was intended that our citizens, though representing diverse sections and interests of our country, would nevertheless, through debate and discussion, guided by reason, decide the most propitious strategies for the development of our nation-state. However, for this to be accomplished our Founding Fathers knew the future of our Republic depended on, required, an educated citizenry. is Ideally, each citizen should be capable of strategic thinking, as if they were leading our Republic, as if they were in fact president.
The great Benjamin Franklin, upon leaving a session of the Constitutional Convention expressed this fundamental concern, in his pithy response to a question about the future of our country: “we have created a Republic, if you can keep it.” In other words, the only way the nation could survive was if the majority of its citizens were educated and informed, which is not the condition of Americans today.
The present threat to the very existence of the U.S., and the world, is in large part the absence of an educated American citizenry. Exactly as Franklin warned.
Development VS Poverty
For the last sixty years there has been no president with a commitment to partner with African nations to develop their economies. Worse, the very concept of development has all but vanished from our lexicon. Eliminating poverty and ending hunger in Africa is in the strategic interest of the U.S., and any qualified leader would know this, if their brain were functioning. The crisis facing us today, which we must address now, is the increase in poverty as the population of the African continent grows. Poverty is a major contributing cause to conflict, terrorism, alienation, rebellion, and coups. The greatest threat to civilization in this century, only second to nuclear war, is the spread of poverty across Africa.
Economic Development, including the right to electricity is a human right, which all human rights gr organizations and related NGOs fail to understand
Economic development is a fundamental human right. All the categories of hard and soft infrastructure, which are essential components for economic growth, should also be understood as essential human rights. The failure of the various mis-named human right organizations and NGOs to understand this elementary principle is scandalous. The perverted ideology of the “rules-based international order” that would like to impose its flawed constructs of democracy on the rest of the world will never achieve its purported aims. There will be no democracy when mothers are desperately searching for food to feed their children, and fathers are hustling each day to muster enough money for their families to survive. A productive, dignified, well-paying job is a human right. As is electricity, railroads, healthcare, and a home of adequate size to raise a family.
No one in the U.S. thinks like this. Why not? Because we no longer actually think, not in terms of profound idea-concepts.
As a result of the dumbing down of our citizens we have lost respect for human life; we no longer appreciate why human life is precious. The lack of understanding of the sacredness of human life, significantly contributes to the high rate of violence, murders, and mass shootings in the U.S.
We Are Humans, Not Yahoos
The crucial concept for understanding economic development, and for formulating fruitful foreign and domestic policy is knowing why human beings are noble. Let me briefly elucidate.
We human beings are unique and do not resemble any other animal species, because we are endowed with the spark of creativity. We humans, and only us humans, are born with the potential of creative thought. No animal has a creative imagination nor does any machine, computer, and nor does AI. As demonstrated by Socrates in Plato’s thought-provoking dialogues, the human mind’s ability to hypothesize new thoughts has no similarity with deductive or inductive logic. Human beings discover, hypothesizes new principles of the physical universe, perfecting our knowledge, but never reaching a final state of perfection. Through this constant but always improving process of perfection-knowledge, humankind acts on the universe for the advancement of the human species.
Socrates and Plato in front of the Academy of Athens, Greece. Image courtesy of reddit.com
This is the “secret” to the expansion of the human race over millions of years in harmony with the universe. Technological advancements derived from new human discoveries lead to transformations in society‘s economic mode of production, which creates the wealth necessary for sustaining more people and at a higher standard of living. This is a universal principle embedded in the physical universe, otherwise known as continual progress, resulting from human intervention. The great Ukrainian-Russian scientist, Vladimir Vernadsky, brilliantly discusses how the universe was transformed with emergence of homo sapiens-sapiens. This new “phase-space” of the universe, which incorporates human noetic activity, he called the noosphere. *
Society Got Dumbed Down
Let us now proceed to highlight several markers of the decline of American culture.
After reviewing the material below, it would not be unfair to suggest that America is on the pathway to becoming the new Roman Empire. This is not an academic observation. Our decaying culture directly affects how our foreign policy is conceived and implemented. This poses life and death questions for all nations, since the U.S. is still the dominant power in the world and possesses the largest nuclear arsenal.
At the risk of upsetting some of my friends, I am obligated to examine the most glaring elements contributing to our depraved culture, if we are going to understand the root cause for the tragedy of U.S. policy.
Following our successful American revolution from the most powerful oligarchy on the planet, the British Empire, the framers of our Republic wisely outlawed all forms of nobility or aristocracy. Yet today, in America, the fixation and idolization of Hollywood and sports celebrities has seeped in and corrupted our society. We have produced a new form of royalty. Every day, thousands of words are written, reporting on the latest gossip on the lives and lifestyle of celebrities. Who is breaking up with whom, who is dating whom, what house or car, or yacht they bought or sold, what clothes they wear or do not wear, saturates all media platforms. And what these people say, or who they support has become all important, not due to any superior intelligence, but simply because of who they are, their wealth, and their glitzy lifestyle. It has become almost as obscene as the obsession that British subjects have in their fawning over the extended Royal Family.
The phenomenal rise of spectator sports is also having a debilitating effect on our society. In the growth of children through adolescence, sports have a positive function. Team sports help youth to work together for a common goal, share a camaraderie, as well as learning to accept defeat. Sports in general helps develop hand-eye coordination and contribute to the healthy physical growth of men and women. Physical activity also helps us to be active and slow down the aging process as we live longer productive lives.
Fans erupting at an earlier Superbowl. Courtesy of bleacherreport.com
Not so with spectator sports, where grown men and women, spend hundreds of millions of hours watching others perform, either in front of a television or in person at a stadium. For example, each Sunday, over 21 million people watch football games, sometimes for the entire day. That does not include games played during the work week. Another 18 million attended in person at 256 football games played during the regular season. Close to 124 million watched the last Super Bowl. Almost as pitiful, is the day following a football game, when men, and women, young and old, spend hours zealously discussing the best and worst performances from the day before.
Instead of assuming responsibility for the future of our nation, deliberating on the profound issues confronting civilization, many, if not the majority of our citizens, respond to politics as rowdy spectators in a sports stadium, or worse, the Roman Colosseum.
Legalized gambling has become a key feature of our decadent society and has also expanded in recent years. In 2024, 68 million Americans bet a total of $23 billion on the Super Bowl. Almost a 50% increase from the year before. Americans wagered just short of $120 billion on sports in 2023, more than a 25% increase over what was waged in 2022. This is due to the expansion of organized betting via the internet, which became legal in 2018. In casinos, existing in 44 states, total revenues generated from slot machines, sports betting, and IGaming was more than $66 billion in 2023.
Winning big gambling in America, 2023. Courtesy of linkedin.com
Lotteries, legalized in the 1970s, became popular for people who thought they could win “big” to supplement their inadequate incomes. Essentially taxing themselves for the dream of becoming rich. Today, 45 states and our nation’s capital have lotteries, where over $113 billion is wagered, producing $37 billion in revenues for local governments.
Lotteries in 25 states directly fund K-12 public education. Maryland lotteries have been a source of revenue for public education for decades and are a line item in the state’s budget for anticipated income. Maryland, where I live, helps fund its Pre-K-12 school budget of $9.2 billion, with $622.7 million in revenue from the state’s casinos and $714 million from the lottery.
Funding the education of children, arguably the most vital task of society, depends on gambling! Are we not the modern-day replica of the Roman Empire, and behaving in a manner that will lead us to suffer the same fate?
This brings me to the subject of education.
Crisis in Education
It is hard to think of any other feature of American society that more categorically demonstrates the decline of our culture than the failure to educate our youth. The very existence of our Republic depends on quality public education from early childhood through high school and should include at least two years of community college. Is there a more important task of society than to guarantee that our youth, who will be our leaders of tomorrow, will be mature thinking adults? Our elementary school children, who in one generation, will be, or should be, in positions of leadership, guiding our nation for future generations. There is a growing body of evidence that indicates that they will not be prepared.
A report released earlier this year analyzed the reading levels of third graders. It found that only one third of the students had basic reading skills. This is especially worrisome because the operating theory is that from kindergarten through second grade, students learn to read, and from third grade forward, they read to learn. Without rudimentary reading skills, the child’s intellectual growth will be seriously impeded and will suffer from a lack of development of their creative imagination.
A study in 2011 found 91% of children ages 2-17, palyed video games-64 million youth. And that was over a decade ago. Image courtesy of yahoo.com
Educating America’s youth has become more challenging with the rampant watching of videos and playing video games, readily available on smart phones and tablets. As a substitute elementary school teacher for four years, I was shocked to learn the excessive number of hours each day that students spent on their devices. i.e., screen time. It often exceeded five hours per day, compared to one hour or less of reading a book. The video culture and an obscene amount of time spent playing games on a screen is rotting out the brains of our youth. I discovered that thoughtful concerned parents not only limited screen time to a fixed number of hours per day/week, and in some cases even refused to allow their child to have a tablet until they graduated middle school.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no screentime for children under two years of age, and a limit of one hour per day of high quality programming for children ages two to five years.
According to UNICEF, too much screen time can have negative effects on babies and toddlers including a shorter attention span, lower empathy, reduced ability to control impulses, and hindering their imagination and motivation
The Enemy Within
One cannot ignore the effects on society of the violence prevalent in today’s music, video games, and television. The rise of the video culture, the legalizing of drugs, and the de-emphasis of classical music, art, and literature, whose intent is to nurture creativity, is producing a population that is far short of the educated citizenry envisioned by the founders of our Republic. One hopes that the extreme severity of our current political-cultural crisis will produce the potential for new leadership committed to a cultural Renaissance. My recent visit to Italy and Greece, renews my faith that such a human inspired miracle is possible.
The author is at the Agora in Athens sanding between statue of Socrates, left (470-399 bce) and a statue of Confucius, right ( 551-479 bce ). Both philosophers, who influenced cultural and politics for humankind for over two millennium into the present.
The extremists of the “rules-based international order” attempt to whip up the population (somewhat successfully) that our way of life is threatened to be overcome by the rise of Russia and China. The truth of the matter is, we are destroying ourselves from within. We are committing acts of menticide against ourselves, especially our youth, willingly, if not out of ignorance.
We are living in unsettling times fraught with the potential of new and dangerous crises. Between now and the end of this year, civilization will be tested. Let us hope that we possess enough wisdom to survive, and eventually flourish in a paradigm based on global economic development.
*Much more can be discussed on this subject.
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for 35 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and consultant on Africa. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com, and also publishing on: lawrencefreeman.substack.com, “Freeman’s Africa and the World.”
Ambassador Xie Feng speaking at the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC. September 27, 2023
September 29. 2023
On Wednesday night, September 27th, I had the pleasure of attending China’s 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, at the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC. Officials of the US government, policymakers, and think tank analysts should carefully read the presentation-Remarks by Amb Xie Feng-by the new ambassador of China to the United States, Xie Feng.
The most salient portions of his comments are obvious to me and should be understood by all rational people. China desires Win-Win cooperation with the United States. The ambassador is correct in emphasizing that when China’s economy is expanding, it not only helps 1.4 billion Chinese people, but it actually also advances the world economy and benefits all people on our planet. Therefore, those in Washington and elsewhere, who foolishly gloat over the difficulties or temporary declines in the Chinese economy are really not acting in the interest of the United States. Ambassador Feng also emphasized that it is dangerous for the two largest economies armed with nuclear weapons to be involved in a Cold War much less a Hot War, and this has to be avoided at all costs for the sake of humanity.
In fact, there is no objective inherent contradiction between the development of China and the development of the United States. I know this as an expert on African political economy. The needs of the African nations in terms of basic infrastructure; railroads, electricity, roads, hospitals, and schools is so massive that all nations could collaborate together in addressing this serious infrastructure deficit. China and the United States actually share a common interest in the development of humankind. China and the United States could take up jointly the mission of eliminating poverty in Africa.
What is preventing this type of global economic progress, is the dominant U.S. geopolitical mindset that views hegemony in the world as a zero-sum game of winners and losers. This perverted geopolitical outlook prevents the type of superpower cooperation between the U.S. and China, which Ambassador Feng alluded to in his remarks.
Following the presentation by Ambassador Feng there was a 45 minute delightful musical presentation by young musicians from the Juilliard School in New York City. They performed classical Western music and classical Chinese music. This was not only a joy to listen to, but actually made clear to me something very important about Chinese culture. Classical music is the most rigorous form of music that stimulates the human mind and is actually composed for the purpose of nurturing human creative thinking.
The mini-concert began with a composition from Johannes Brahms that was performed with precision and passion. It was also very interesting for me to sit there and observe an audience of several hundred people quietly, and thoughtfully listening to classical music in the Chinese Embassy. Most people don’t understand that classical music is not meant just for Western audiences. Classical music is intended for all human beings. Every great form of music, drama, and poetry, if they qualify as classical, share the same quality: developing the human mind. Therefore, having this performance following the presentation by Ambassador Feng confirms to me the desire by China to have a working relationship with the United States and the West. In this instance, classical music was chosen as a universal medium to build a friendship between China and the U.S.
Thus, to my mind, the two events are connected as if from a single piece of cloth: An insightful presentation by Ambassador Feng, followed by an excellent classical music performance by a talented trio (cello, violin, piano). This is an eloquent method to educate the audience on the inseparability of politics and culture, when conducted at the highest level.
As a result, I had an informative and enjoyable evening. I presume others did as well.
Young students from the Juilliard School, NYC, performing at the Chinese Embassy. There is a sister Juilliard School in Tianjin, China
Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Xie Feng At the Reception Marking the 74th Anniversary of The Founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Welcome to the first in-person National Day reception at our embassy after the pandemic!
It is a great pleasure to get together with you face to face to celebrate the 74th birthday of the People’s Republic of China. Let me extend my heartfelt thanks to friends from various communities for your longstanding support for China and China-U.S. relations, and also warmest festival greetings to our fellow compatriots in China and the United States!
Over the past 74 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, billions of Chinese people have forged ahead with fortitude, and embarked on a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have created a miracle of rapid economic growth with hard work, a miracle of lasting social stability with unity, a miracle of poverty reduction with perseverance, and a miracle of peaceful rise with a great sense of responsibility.
Today, 74 years on, we are advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. While Chinese modernization is conceived in China, it will bring opportunities to the whole world.
— It is the modernization of a huge population. Achieving modernization for more than 1.4 billion people is an unprecedented task, and requires arduous efforts. Pursuing high-quality development is our top priority, and reform and opening-up remains our fundamental national policy. Our focus is to be a better self. We have no intention to challenge, outcompete or displace anyone else.
— It is the modernization of common prosperity for all. We will both make the pie bigger and divide it more fairly. China’s middle-income group will exceed 800 million by 2035. Its market for health services is estimated to reach around 2.2 trillion dollars by 2030. And Chinese airlines will need 8,700 new aircraft by 2040…
It is also the modernization of peaceful development. We have put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, offering China’s solution for addressing the deficit in development, overcoming security challenges and enhancing mutual learning between civilizations, and calling on countries to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.
This year, amid the tortuous global economic recovery, every country has its own problems to tackle. While facing some difficulties and challenges, the Chinese economy has been on an upward trajectory generally. Our GDP grew 5.5% in the first half of the year, outpacing most major economies. In the first eight months, investment in high-tech industries grew 11% year over year, and retail sales in accommodation, catering and other services increased 19%. Over 500 million Chinese went to the movies this summer alone. In recent months, China has rolled out new policies to reinvigorate consumption, boost the private sector and attract more foreign investment, which are gradually paying off.
Things are best appreciated when one takes a long-term view. The fundamentals sustaining China’s growth in the long run have not and will not change. Choosing China is to embrace opportunities and secure the future. In a globalized era, everyone is interconnected. All countries are in the same boat. The notion that other countries could economically collapse while one still thrives is utter fantasy. Pulling together is our only choice.
Over the months, I have engaged extensively with friends old and new from various sectors. Here is my impression: while a lot has changed in China-U.S. relations, the fact that we are interdependent has not changed. We still share extensive common interests and important common responsibilities. The Earth is big enough for China and the United States to develop respectively and prosper together.
Nor has the international community’s expectation for a generally stable China-U.S. relationship changed. China and the United States are the two largest economies and nuclear-weapon states. Any conflict or confrontation between us would produce no winner, and would be the last thing the world wants to see. A “new Cold War” would only be a tragedy for the entire humanity.
To our encouragement, under the guidance of our leaders and with our joint efforts, the China-U.S. relationship has seen some positive signs of stabilizing. Progress has been made in enhancing dialogue and cooperation. In particular, the two sides have agreed to return to the Bali agenda, and implement the important common understanding reached between President Xi Jinping and President Biden…
Of course, we still face serious difficulties and grave challenges in the bilateral relationship, and there is still a long way to go to stabilize and improve our relations. The key is to find the right way for China and the United States to get along in the new era. The three principles outlined by President Xi Jinping, namely, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, have pointed us in the right direction.
— Mutual respect is the prerequisite for our interactions. China does not interfere in U.S. domestic affairs and does not bet against the United States. In the same vein, we hope the United States will also respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity, properly handle important, sensitive issues such as the Taiwan question in line with the principles of the three joint communiques, and respect the Chinese people’s choice of development path and political system and right to a better life.
— Peaceful coexistence is the red line we must keep to. Any war, cold or hot, trade or technological, should be avoided. Sanctions on Chinese entities and individuals should be stopped.
— Win-win cooperation is the goal we should aim at. Let’s both take positive actions from now, starting with concrete, small steps that will benefit our peoples and help bring our relationship back to the right track… (all emphasis added)
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for over 30 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and consultant on Africa. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is also the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com.
Lawrence Freeman with a grain seller at the Alamata market in Amhara, Ethiopia on December 17, 2022
December 31, 2023 My New Year Message
It is well past the time that civilization should establish a higher scientific-cultural existence based on reason and love of humankind. It is unacceptable for large sections of humanity to live in abject poverty, threatened by starvation. The physical universe and the planet upon which we live is organized on a creative principle that coheres with human willful creativity. If we apply the full potential of our creativity, there is no limit to growth of the human population, both qualitatively and quantitively. The foreign policy of every nation should be precisely the same: the materialenrichment of its citizens and the nurturing of the creative process of every child born. Thus, all nations and all peoples have the same shared common interest, motivating all nations to work together for the prosperity and peace of their citizens and future generations.
Ten Principles of a New International Security and Development Architecture
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, president of the Schiller Institute, presented the following summary comments on a new paradigm of security and development, which I share in large part. Reprinted with editing from EIR magazine.
The new paradigm which will be characteristic of the new epoch, and towards which the new global security and development architecture must be directed, therefore, must eliminate the concept of oligarchism for good, and proceed to organize the political order in such a way, that the true character of humanity as the creative species can be realized.
These ideas are meant to be food for thought and a dialogue among all people concerned to find a basis for a world order guaranteeing the durable existence of the human species.
First: The new International Security and Development Architecture must be a partnership of perfectly sovereign nation states, which is based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the UN Charter.
Second: The absolute priority must be to alleviate poverty in every nation on the planet, which is easily possible, if the existing technologies are being used for the benefit of the common good.
Third: The life expectancy of all people living must be prolonged to the fullest potential by creating modern health systems in every country on the planet. This is also the only way how the present and future potential pandemics can be overcome or be prevented.
Fourth: Since mankind is the only creative species known so far in the universe, and given the fact that human creativity is the only source of wealth through the potentially limitless discovery of new universal principles, one of the main aims of the new International Security and Development Architecture must be providing access to universal education for every child and adult person living. The true nature of man is to become a beautiful soul, as Friedrich Schiller discusses this, and the only person who can fulfill that condition is the genius.
Fifth: The international financial system must be reorganized, so that it can provide productive credits to accomplish these aims. A reference point can be the original Bretton Woods system, as Franklin D. Roosevelt intended it, but was never implemented due to his untimely death…The primary aim of such a new credit system must be to increase dramatically the living standard of especially the nations of the Global South and of the poor in the Global North.
Touring the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a grand infrastructure project that will generate energy for the Horn of Africa, December19, 2022
Sixth: The new economic order must be focused on creating the conditions for modern industries and agriculture, starting with the infrastructural development of all continents to eventually be connected by tunnels and bridges to become a World Land-Bridge.
Seventh: The new global security architecture must eliminate the concept of geopolitics by ending the division of the world into blocs. The security concerns of every sovereign nation must be taken into account. Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction must be immediately banned. Through international cooperation, the means must be developed to make nuclear weapons technologically obsolete, as it was originally intended by the proposal which became known as the SDI.
Eighth: In former times, one civilization at one corner of the world could go under, and the rest of the world would only find out years later, due to the length of distances and the time needed for travel. Now, for the first time, because of nuclear weapons, pandemics, the internet, and other global effects, mankind is sitting in one boat.
Ninth: In order to overcome the conflicts arising out of quarreling opinions, which is how empires have maintained control over the underlings, the economic, social and political order has to be brought into cohesion with the lawfulness of the physical universe. In European philosophy this was discussed as the being in character with natural law, in Indian philosophy as cosmology, and in other cultures appropriate notions can be found. Modern sciences like space science, biophysics or thermonuclear fusion science will increase the knowledge of mankind about this lawfulness continuously. A similar cohesion can be found in the great works of classical art in different cultures.
Tenth: The basic assumption for the new paradigm is, that man is fundamentally good and capable to infinitely perfect the creativity of his mind and the beauty of his soul, and being the most advanced geological force in the universe, which proves that the lawfulness of the mind and that of the physical universe are in correspondence and cohesion, and that all evil is the result of a lack of development, and therefore can be overcome.
A new world economic order is emerging, involving the vast majority of the countries of the Global South. The European nations and the U.S. must not fight this effort, but by joining hands with the developing countries, cooperate to shape the next epoch of the development of the human species to become a renaissance of the highest and most noble expressions of creativity!
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for over 30 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and consultant on Africa. He is also the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com. Mr. Freeman’s stated personal mission is; to eliminate poverty and hunger in Africa by applying the scientific economic principles of Alexander Hamilton
Cambridge University Press, 2018. Hardback, Softback 330 pages, and Kindle
June 26, 2020
Creativity Is the True Source of Economic Wealth
Lawrence Freeman
(I promised Patrick Kabanda over a year ago I would write a review of his book, “The Creative Wealth of Nations: Can the Arts Advance Development?” and I always keep my word.)
With his book, Patrick Kabanda makes a significant contribution to examining the subject of economics with a new and refreshing approach. Rather than being stuck in a maze measuring monetary values, he looks beyond the financial structure of prices and export-import figures, to the relationship of the human mind to economics. While I do not agree with everything in this book, its principal value to me is that it elevates the discussion of the importance of creativity in economics. The title of Mr. Kabanda’s book caught my eye, because it provocatively alters the title of Adam Smith’s well known, wicked book, “The Wealth of Nations.” Contrary to what is commonly accepted by the majority of my fellow citizens, and what is taught in our institutions of learning, the United States was not founded on the tenets of Adam Smith. In fact, no economy ever was, or ever could be successful by following Smith’s canons. President George Washington and his brilliant Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, rejected Smith’s doctrines, as did every follower of the American System of Political Economy, including many American Presidents and foreign leaders. (Read Alexander Hamilton’s Credit System Is Necessary for Africa’s Development)
While it is useful that Kabanda calls attention to the function of culture (art, music, drama) in contributing to economic progress, he errs in properly pinpointing the relationship. It is not culture per se that contributes to economic progress, but rather only a culture that fosters and nourishes human creativity. More precisely, it is those compositions of art, music, and drama, which stimulate creative thinking, an aptitude uniquely bequeathed to the human species, that we should revere. It is this potential for creative thought that makes us truly human, which society’s culture should cherish and nourish.
Creativity in Economics
Machinists set up and operate a variety of computer-controlled and mechanically-controlled machine tools to produce precision metal parts, instruments, and tools.
Before proceeding with my review, it is necessary to discuss the genuine role of creativity in the science of economics. Improving the conditions of life for an expanding population is not based on money. To understand real economic growth, it is important to comprehend that it is physical (not monetary) inputs injected into an economy that yield improvements in the productive powers of society, which causes an increase in aggregate of wealth. It should be evident that the augmented capacity of a nation to ensure a prosperous future for those living and their posterity is not the result of the silly creeds of Adam Smith’s “invisible hand.”
Putting aside cult like beliefs in monetarism, let us focus on crucial aspect of physical economy. In the broadest yet most accurate terms, economics is humankind’s relationship to the physical universe. Humans act creatively to transform nature lawfully for the perpetuation of our noble species. Natural resources are not the ultimate source of value. It is true that human labor adds value to resources in the production process. Thoughtful economists recognize that the productivity of farmers and workers depends on the quality and quantity of infrastructure available to society. However, the crucial concept for our purpose here is the following. Discovery and utilization of resources, productivity of human labor power, and the level of infrastructure for any given economy, are all delimited by the level of existing scientific and technological culture accessible by the population. Improved productivity emanates from the invention of new designs for machines that enable work to be performed more efficiently. The application of advanced technologies is derived from discoveries of new scientific principles by the noetic process of the human mind.
Let us examine energy from a higher conceptual standpoint. On the simplest level, oil has existed for millions of years. However, it only became a valuable resource to humans when a technology was invented to utilize oil for energy, which became the dominant fuel to power the twentieth century. The attainment of electricity was made possible by a human scientific discovery of electromagnetism. It was the scientist, William Gilbert, whose publication of the “de Magnete” in 1600 that began the process of understanding the correlation of electromagnetism and earth’s magnetic field.
All energy is not equal. Energy is measured by energy-flux density, that is the ability of that energy source to achieve higher concentrations of heat available to perform work. With that criteria in mind, we can assert with scientific certainty that nuclear fission is the most powerful form of energy we have today. Africa would be well served, if there were hundreds of 1,000 megawatt or modulars of two to four 200 megawatt nuclear power plants dotting its landscape. To achieve nuclear fusion, whose energy flux-density would far exceed fission, requires additional scientific breakthroughs to fuse hydrogen isotopes at temperatures hotter than the Sun. In tragic comparison, large parts of Africa still rely on burning wood and biomass. Not only is this practice primitive, environmentally unsound, but it utilizes energy at the lowest flux density.
Nuclear fission, which has the greatest energy flux density, making it the most powerful energy source, until nuclear fusion energy is developed.
All machines and integrated infrastructure platforms incorporate in their design, principles of scientific knowledge of the universe relative to that historical period. The greater the density of machine-infrastructure capital in an economy engenders a more productive and educated labor force. The effects of manufacturing, and railroads on the productivity, and level of knowledge in society are brilliantly discussed by Alexander Hamilton in his “Report on Manufacturers” (1791), and Friedrich List in his “The National System of Political Economy” (1841). Both authors, who identify humankind’s mental powers as a source of economic wealth, should be studied by every competent economists and statesman.
Without going beyond the scope of this article, the history of civilization’s progress can be measured by the increase of total energy throughput and energy flux-density, which is made possible by technologies that encompass new scientific principles. It is the profound ability of the human mind to continuously discover higher principles embedded in the physical universe, which lifts humankind from one plateau of economic activity to the next superior one. Civilizational progress emanates from the human mind, not nature per se. Even from the few paragraphs above, it is discernible that the source of economic wealth is the metaphysical, non-material creative imagination, not some corporeal “thing” that you can see, smell or touch. These apparently intangible ideas that spring from the brow of our “mind-soul” have greater force than bodily-physical objects. This conception has profound epistemological implications in economic theory. More can be said about physical economics and how societies develop, but that will have to wait for another time.
Culture and Imagination
Returning to our review, Mr. Kabanda’s book highlights the role of the contribution of culture and creativity to economic development, and contains many useful insights. In his opening chapter entitled, “Overture,” he discusses “the arts ability to emancipate and foster human imagination.” (p. 3) In chapter two, “Arts in Education,” he writes: “…since the arts embody creativity and innovation, they have a major role to play in fostering knowledge for development.” (p. 44) Quoting Theodore Schultz, “advances in knowledge are a decisive factor in economic progress. The increases in the quality of both physical and human capital originate primarily out of the advances in knowledge.” (p. 48) Kabanda quotes cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who advocates changing the curriculum of science, technology engineering and math-STEM to STEAM by adding the arts. (p. 53) Renaissance-man, Leonardo De Vinci is also mentioned for his search “to know what we don’t know” originally espoused by Socrates 2,000 years earlier. (p. 26)
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma said he’s often asked how he keeps his repertoire fresh, even after playing a piece hundreds of times. “I play as if it were the last time I will play that piece,” he said. Photo by Eric Bronson, Michigan Photography.
He includes the creative hypotheses by the towering scientist-astronomer, Johannes Kepler, who unknown to the majority of our society, hypothesized that the ordering of the solar system was derived from musical harmonies. (p. 53) Kepler’s great astronomical discovery of gravity and the spacing of the orbits of the planets is presented in his book, “The Harmony of the World” (1619).
In the book’s final chapter “Imagination and Choice,” Kabanda underscores an essential conception to understanding economic progress.
“Now when the people began to search for the wisdom behind progress, in the end it was not whether development came first and then the arts followed. Or some sort of miraculous statistical formula. Much of it was imagination in thought and deed. Imagination was the future, and the future was imagination. It was [and is] the cradle of civilization…this finale is a call to imagine the future we need.”(p. 221 emphasis added)
Kabanda points to the personality of Albert Einstein to demonstrate the unity of science and imagination. Einstein was known to resort to taking up his violin to kindle his imagination to explore scientific hypothesis. He quotes Einstein: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” (p. 223).
All great art and scientific discoveries first emerge in the creative imagination. A true leader, a statesman, also relies on his or her creative-imagination. When he or she implements policies in the present they ought to be derived from a vision of what the future should look like seen through the mind’s eye.
Axiomatic Flaws
Despite many useful and challenging ideas presented in “The Creative Wealth of Nations” there are flaws in sections of Kabanda’s thesis. However, to be fair, these shortcomings are unfortunately endemic to our corroded culture.
Not all cultures i.e. music and art are good for society. Applying the criteria, which we developed above, we should rightly ask; does a particular culture nurture the creative powers of the mind? For example, the rock-drug counterculture ushered into the West in the 1960s was destructive, and its damaging effects still linger in today’s baby-boomer generation. Music is not good because it is music, or art because it is art. Todays’ music is in large part debasing and degrading to the human mind. Profits made from the music industry do not add value to the economy if their music assaults our soul-mind and undermines our creative capacity.
On a deeper level, Kabanda errs in Chapter 3, “The Arts and Environmental Stewardship,” when he writes: “The arts have long had a sense of stewardship towards protecting the environment and mitigating climatic change.” (p. 72) Contrary to present day popular culture, mankind’s relationship to the physical universe is much more than being a steward or custodian. Human beings lawfully transform the physical environment. Consider the injunction given to mankind in Genesis 27: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Humankind is not meant to be a just a caretaker, but has dominion and the power to subdue. The universe is organized to respond to willful human cognition, transforming the biosphere into the nooespshere, according to Russian scientist, Vladimir Vernadsky. Humankind with the unique power of creative mentation, was not put on this planet to act as a glorified groundskeeper. When we exercise our creative potential, we humans are the most powerful living force in the universe.
Scientist Albert Einstein with his violin
Accepting the axioms of Adams Smith’s notions about economy and society leads us down the wrong path. Kabanda alludes to Smith’s “Theory of Moral Sentiments” favorably as he does with his “Wealth of Nations” (p. 49) It is in the “Theory of Moral Sentiments” that Smith presents his most hedonistic description of human nature, reducing humankind to being governed by animalistic instincts, rather than human creativity. Quoting Smith:
“The administration of the great system of the universe … the care of the universal happiness of rational and sensible beings, is the business of God and not of man. To man is allotted a much humbler department, but one much more suitable to the weakness of his powers, and to the narrowness of his comprehension, they are of his own happiness, of that of his family, his friends, his country…. Nature has directed us to the greater part of these by original and immediate instincts. Hunger, thirst, the passion which unites the sexes, the love of pleasure, and the dread of pain, prompt us to apply those means for their own sakes, and without any considerations of their tendency to those beneficent ends which the great Director of nature intended to produce by them.”
Smith’s economic assumptions flow from his degraded, amoral conception of human beings as mere creatures of pleasure and pain. For that reason alone, we know his dogma could never be a successful prescription for how an economy develops. At its core, Smith’s doctrine is antithetical to the lawful relationship between humankind and the physical universe.
Let the Discussion Begin
Kabanda deserves a great deal of praise and credit for focusing our attention on the relationship of culture, and creativity to economics. His endeavor is far more relevant to our economic well-being than the trillions of dollars gambled on the gyrations of the stock market. For civilizations to continue to exist, society’s culture must unceasingly produce creative individuals. If we want a more prosperous and stable world for our children and their children, then we need citizens from all nations to engage in a robust debate of the role of culture in our society. If this book helps spark such a discussion, then Kabanda’s contribution has served an invaluable function.
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in the economic development policy of Africa for 30 years. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com
Brunelleschi’s Dome-1436, sits on top of Cathedral of Sainta Maria del Flore, in Florence Italy.
January 23, 2020
The excerpted portions below of President Trump’s address to the otherwise useless World Economic Forum in Davos, touch upon profound principles of culture, science, and political economy. The extremists in the mis-named environmentalist movement adhere to the Malthusian ideology; that an expanding human population would overwhelm the fixed resources of the planet. This false axiom of belief has been extended to the fraudulent notion that the growth of civilization itself will cause the destruction of our world. These extremists believe human beings are inherently evil, because of human nature’s inexorable devotion to progress.
President Trump’s reference to the construction of Brunelleschi’s Dome, that embodies the great Italian Renaissance, directly counters the pessimism that has infected large portions of Western culture. Our civilization has always progressed by realizing the fruits of creative labor. Through unique contributions by scientists and artists, society leaps forward and upward to new levels of evolution. The true underlying wellsprings of real-physical (non-monetary) economic growth are new scientific discoveries, and the capacity of society to apply them through advanced technologies. Our culture, if properly nurtured, should be a never ending font of discovery. Great creative artists stimulate our minds and souls, propelling society to new peaks of optimism and imagination.
One does not know, if President Trump is fully conscious of the implications of this exceptional portion of his presentation. However, we do know, that with his historical optimism, he challenged the prevailing anti-growth ideology espoused by the “green-billionaire” movement to halt the industrial development of our planet.
I will be writing more on this subject-follow my blog.
Excerpts from the concluding section of President Trump’s speech in Davos Switzerland, January 21, 2020
This is not a time for pessimism; this is a time for optimism. Fear and doubt is not a good thought process because this is a time for tremendous hope and joy and optimism and action.
But to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow, we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse. They are the heirs of yesterday’s foolish fortune-tellers — and I have them and you have them, and we all have them, and they want to see us do badly, but we don’t let that happen. They predicted an overpopulation crisis in the 1960s, mass starvation in the ’70s, and an end of oil in the 1990s. These alarmists always demand the same thing: absolute power to dominate, transform, and control every aspect of our lives…
The great scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century — from penicillin, to high-yield wheat, to modern transportation, and breakthrough vaccines — have lifted living standards and saved billions of lives around the world. And we’re continuing to work on things that you’ll be hearing about in the near future that, even today, sitting here right now, you wouldn’t believe it’s possible that we have found the answers. You’ll be hearing about it. But we have found answers to things that people said would not be possible — certainly not in a very short period of time.
But the wonders of the last century will pale in comparison to what today’s young innovators will achieve because they are doing things that nobody thought even feasible to begin. We continue to embrace technology, not to shun it. When people are free to innovate, millions will live longer, happier, healthier lives.
For three years now, America has shown the world that the path to a prosperous future begins with putting workers first, choosing growth, and freeing entrepreneurs to bring their dreams to life.
For anyone who doubts what is possible in the future, we need only look at the towering achievements of the past. Only a few hundred miles from here are some of the great cities of Europe — teeming centers of commerce and culture. Each of them is full of reminders of what human drive and imagination can achieve.
Centuries ago, at the time of the Renaissance, skilled craftsmen and laborers looked upwards and built the structures that still touch the human heart. To this day, some of the greatest structures in the world have been built hundreds of years ago.
In Italy, the citizens once started construction on what would be a 140-year project, the Duomo of Florence. An incredible, incredible place. While the technology did not yet exist to complete their design, city fathers forged ahead anyway, certain that they would figure it out someday. These citizens of Florence did not accept limits to their high aspirations and so the Great Dome was finally built.
In France, another century-long project continues to hold such a grip on our hearts and our souls that, even 800 years after its construction, when the Cathedral of Notre Dame was engulfed in flames last year — such a sad sight to watch; unbelievable site, especially for those of us that considered it one of the great, great monuments and representing so many different things — the whole world grieved.
Though her sanctuary now stands scorched and charred — and a sight that’s hard to believe; when you got used to it, to look at it now, hard to believe. But we know that Notre Dame will be restored — will be restored magnificently. The great bells will once again ring out for all to hear, giving glory to God and filling millions with wonder and awe.
The Cathedrals of Europe teach us to pursue big dreams, daring adventures, and unbridled ambitions. They urge us to consider not only what we build today, but what we will endure long after we are gone. They testify to the power of ordinary people to realize extraordinary achievements when united by a grand and noble purpose. (emphasis added)
On August 5-6, I had the opportunity to participate in the “Third International Conference on the Lake Chad Basin Region: SDG Implementation-UN System and Non-State Actors Exploring New ways of Cooperation.” The two-day conference at the United Nations Headquarters was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, under the guidance of Dr. Ibrahim Umar. The assemblage was first addressed by ambassadors from three of the nations of the Lake Chad Basin; Permanent Representatives from the UN Missions of Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
Lawrence Freeman with Dr. Ibrahim Umar, Nigerian Mission to the United Nations
The convening of this UN session is in response to the worsening living conditions for approximately 30 million Africans living in the Lake Chad Basin, whose livelihood is centered around the shrinking Lake Chad. Today the estimated area of Lake Chad varies from 1200-1300 square kilometers to upwards of 2,000; a 90% contraction from its 1963 level of 25,000 square kilometers. During the afternoon panel of the first day, the conditions of Lake Chad were addressed by Charles Ichoku, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Howard University, and this author, who is Vice Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
Transforming is Superior to Managing
Dominating the conference were speakers representing NGOs and international organizations, who accurately depicted the extent of the horrific humanitarian, refugee, and food crises prevailing in the region in detail. Regrettably, there were those who accepted the diminutive size of Lake Chad as unalterable. Some of the participants offered short term solutions and others believed that the recharging of the lake is not an easy or viable option. However, they miss the point; that to comprehensively address the issue of the Lake Chad Basin will require nothing less than the full recharging of Lake Chad. It is only in this way that the humanitarian issues, poverty and underdevelopment can be tackled in the long run. In my presentation I challenged some of the pessimistic thinking in the conference by stating unequivocally: “None of the solutions that have been discussed will work, unless the lake is recharged.” It should be noted that United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has pledged to collaborate with President Buhari of Nigeria, to raise the $50 billion necessary for the recharging of the lake.
Lawrence Freeman addressing the United Nations Conference on the Lake Chad Basin on the first day
My slide presentation demonstrated how the lake can be recharged to its previous level through Transaqua, an inter-basin water transfer project. Transaqua, designed in 1980 by Dr. Vichi of the Italian engineering firm, Bonifica, proposed to build a 2,400-kilometer canal created from 5-8% of the water in the Congo River Basin. The navigable gravity-driven canal would connect to the Chari River, in the Central Africa Republic, which releases its flow into Lake Chad. This bold innovative project is a “win-win” for the twelve nations of the Lake Chad and Congo River Basins, and for all of Africa. Responding to the necessity of recharging the shrinking Lake Chad, the project provides a unique opportunity to create a super economic “development zone” amongst the nations of the two basins. Trade, and commerce would increase by orders of magnitudes, hydroelectric power would be produced, millions of additional hectares would be irrigated, new roads created, new fisheries and manufacturing centers would be built. This author also presented to the audience the conclusions from the three-day International Conference to Save Lake Chad, held in Abuja Nigeria-February 26-28, 2018, at which the Heads of State from the nations of the Lake Chad Basin, endorsed Transaqua as the preferred method to expand the lake.
Both before and after my presentation numerous presenters spoke out against “big projects” and “diverting water” as if the Africans suffering in the region want the lake to remain at 10% of its previous level. International intervention and technology to alleviate the conditions in the basin were also eschewed in favor of local projects and listening to the so called “voice of the people.” Manage! Manage the existing deplorable conditions; don’t even dare think of changing-improving was echoed repeatedly.
On the second day, this author was compelled to speak out against the condescending attitude that assumes Africans do not want to enjoy the same standard of living as all the speakers from the US and Europe. I asked, if they thought that those people struggling for daily survival within the Lake Chad Basin wouldn’t desire clean running water, and having access to 1,500 watts of electricity 24 hours a day all year?
A slide presented by Mr. Freeman at the UN conference displaying the Transaqua inter-basin water transfer project
Underlying Cultural Beliefs About Mankind
Approximately five to six thousand years ago Lake Chad was a mega lake comprising 1,000,000 square kilometers. There are reports that several hundred years ago, Lake Chad almost disappeared. The lake sits on top of three aquifers and are adjacent to the gigantic Nubian Sandstone Aquifer. Clearly the growth and shrinkage of the lake over millennia predates so called anthropomorphic caused climate change. Lake Chad is fed by river systems from Nigeria and Cameroon, the most significant contributor being the Chari River from the Central African Republic. With the southern movement of the Tropical Conversion Zone there is less rainfall thus reducing the flow of water into the lake. The closest source of water to refill and maintain Lake Chad is the super moist Congo River Basin, hundreds of kilometers south. A feasibility study should confirm the Transaqua hypothesis for the potential of a continuous flow of water into Lake Chad, resulting in transforming the entire region.
The failure to test and analyze the Transaqua proposal for almost four decades, even though many people were concerned about the worsening conditions resulting from the shrinking lake, leads us to examine a deeper cultural problem.
Over the last half century, Western societies have become victims of cultural pessimism. Our cultural paradigm has shifted away from one of optimism and confidence in human’s ability to discover new scientific principles that lead to technological revolutions for the betterment of humanity. In the years following the historic 1969 landing of humans on the Moon, inspired by the leadership of President John Kennedy, our culture has been dramatically altered for the worse. The previously discredited Malthusian dogma reasserted itself, with false assertions that if population growth was not stopped the planet would run out of resources. This was accompanied with hysterical calls for population reduction. Over time, as our culture became more decadent, the very progress of our society was assailed with attacks on science, technology, and industrialization. In this new perverted ideology humankind, (made in the image of the Creator) became the devil-the source of evil itself in the world.
Ambassador Tijjani Muhammad Bande speaking at a reception hosted by the UN Nigerian Mission for the Lake Chad Basin conference
Contrary to declarations that humans are destroying the environment, there is no such adversarial relationship. The physical universe is organized on the principle of continuous development and is predisposed to respond positively to the intervention of human creativity. Humankind is not just a caretaker or a steward. Humanity was created to interact with the universe for unending growth. Reflect on the biblical injunction in Genesis 1:28: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Yes, we can and must transform the Lake Chad Basin. We can end suffering, hunger, and poverty in that region, and across the African continent. That is what humankind was created to accomplish. Let us not reject our fundamental human essence: to willfully transform our planet (the universe) for the perpetuation of our uniquely creative species.
