Final Word from Thursday, December 31, 2015

"How do you sleep?" asked John Lennon of Paul McCartney after their breakup, and the same can be asked today of the elite of the Western world - the politicians, central bankers, CEOs, spiritual leaders and even activist actors. Our civilization is facing a crisis on at least five different fronts - unsustainable debt, unwinnable wars, a capitalistic system out of control, religions that have lost their moral compass, and a dilution of the importance of education. The result is an identity crisis that leaves the West questioning if it can survive. Parents aren't able to assure their children of a future that is brighter than their own, and individuals have no one to turn to for help. Our elite are failing us. True, they didn't get where they are by being nice people; they achieved success by being ruthless, greedy and selfish. Yet at some point they, too, must realize that their own well-being is at stake. They must realize that they are leading us down the wrong path. Instead of making things better, they are making things worse. And so the question to them at the end of 2015 is, "How do you sleep?" [Czech Republic Zen Magazín]