Forward to the Future

By Hendrik Sven Weiler

The COVID-19 pandemic has been destructive, and clearly laid bare the the dysfunctional and destructive political, economic, military and social systems that we have been living under. All these have failed – their ideologies bankrupt, their “solutions” backward, their supporters mindlessly trying to perpetuate what we can clearly see is not working.
Forward to the Future gives you a trenchant and clear analysis of the key issues ---- and what can practically be done for a far better future for humans ----- People, NOT Profits. The emphasis is on people, not money ---- and describes a new way of looking at the world ---- NOT capitalism, but COOPERATISM.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664136878

Hendrik Sven Weiler

Hendrik is a former refugee, stateless for decades, whose rich family lost everything during the war. Escaping by flimsy boats, not once, but twice, finding refuge in Sweden, then Canada, all in foreign languages for him. But poverty was not a deterrent – and university education to a doctorate in science was completed. A varied career followed--- public and private sectors, covering a mix of scientific research, computer services, investment, trade, marketing, diplomacy and funding Aboriginal businesses. Widely travelled (over 70 countries), lived in ten countries, multi-lingual --- Hendrik brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and insight into his analyses of key issues that face us today --- and solutions to them as well.

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Copyright © 2020 by Hendrik Sven Weiler.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 10/30/2020

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CONTENTS

China Speaks

The Author Speaks

The Crisis

Reality Check

The Gods That Failed

The Way Forward

A New World For Canada

A. International Political Issues

B. Canadian Political Issues

C. International Economic Issues

D. Canadian Economic Issues

E. International Military Issues

F. Canadian Military Issues

G. International Social Issues

H. Canadian Social Issues

The Way: - Forward? – Or - Status Quo? – Or – Backwards Into The Past?

The Crisis

The Danger

The Opportunity

CHINA SPEAKS

China has a written language composed of symbols. There is one, which has been used by management gurus for years ------- that is the one for

CRISIS

It is one word/symbol that is composed of two words/symbols:

DANGER + OPPORTUNITY

That is what the world, Canada, and in particular the Province of Ontario (my home), is faced with today. It is unprecedented. It is global. And it is immediate. And it is destructive, in human lives, in economics, in social damage, in politics, in daily living..

This CRISIS is the PANDEMIC of the CORONA-19 virus.

It started in China, centered in the city of Wuhan. In the first months of 2020 (as this book is being written), it has daily dominated the news, and at the time of writing, it is ongoing, global, and we are all trying to understand and deal with it practically. It has also awakened old, latent prejudices and hatreds, showed clearly all sorts of failures, especially in the realm of politics, economics, and human reactions to the crisis.

At the time of this writing (starting in 2020), the CORONA-19 CRISIS is ongoing, spreading aggressively in countries like the U. S. (largest number of cases and deaths by far) – but appears to be abating after stern state measures had been taken in countries in Asia (China, S. Korea, Singapore) and the Nordic States in Europe. In effect, the first glimmers of light may be seen at the end of the tunnel, as the old saying goes. But despite the claims of self-appointed leaders or experts, no one at this stage knows how all of this will play out. What is clear is that massive economic losses are occurring many ingrained ideas will be exposed as destructive and dangerous, and political reactions have been from the positive (WHO, Asia, Nordic countries, Canada, and some others), to highly negative and destructive (USA, Brazil, Australia). Waiting fearfully for the whole pandemic’s effects, are the classical underdeveloped countries in Africa, South and Central America, and elsewhere. This time the white West is not stepping strongly forward to help, and in the case of the U.S., is aggressively acting negatively with its growing anti-Chinese racism, cutting funds for the WHO, and having a confusing and destructive approach that has made the U.S. the epicenter of the pandemic, with the largest number of cases, deaths and hostile rhetoric towards others who do not share the American ideology and world view. That has come also to the fore as a massively noticeable negative factor in world affairs.

THE AUTHOR SPEAKS

This book is not a scholarly book, with footnotes, quotations, references and similar. What references there are identified in the text along the way. The opinions included are either identified, or else are the author’s own. The length of the book has been kept deliberately short for easy reading, and, as such, cannot be all-inclusive. So there may be holes and issues not treated, according to some readers’ own preferences. I make no apology for that. I have covered what I wished to be covered. Any additions, etc. I leave to the reader to supply mentally or in written form in whatever forum they wish.

I am a former war-time refugee whose wealthy family lost everything during the war. We fled for our lives under drastic and dangerous circumstances, where rapid action was needed, and external circumstances governed our safety and lives. We had no guarantees of our survival. And the flight was not once, but twice, where boats were targets for military warships, and storms could run you onto the rocks, as it did the second time. School started late in a foreign, totally unknown language, learned as I went along, only to be changed again as our family emigrated again to Canada. Being poor was a fact of life. Being frightened in my early war-time years was another – soldiers were a normal view outside. Not ours, but of the occupying armies.

But what I remember is that I was a happy boy, and lived an interesting life, loving school. Canada finally provided me with an education through to university (Toronto and UBC for a PhD), and a varied career. To cap it off, I went with my wife to live in the Middle East (2 countries) – and lived through more extensive military activity in the revolution in Egypt, where Mubarak, the absolutist ruler, was overthrown. Again, soldiers in the streets, lock-downs, stores with little food, having to be evacuated by Canadian government orders (at our expense) – and finally returning to Canada to live.

We have seen it all, experienced far worse than what we see today. Nothing new. And keep in mind, in many parts of the world, millions of people are suffering starvation, wars, violence, destruction, on a daily basis. Cooped up in ruins of buildings, living hungry in cellars, wondering where they can find food, let alone medical care, day after day. Here, in Canada, they would consider our lives as being easy.

At this point, I will leave you, the reader. Think deeply on what I have written next. For we are in the midst of the CRISIS=DANGER, the COVID-19 PANDEMIC. But there is the other half we need to start considering: CRISIS = OPPORTUNITY. That is the core of this book. That is what we must start thinking about actively – and acting on.

Let this be a part of the beginning.

THE CRISIS

A massive pandemic, the CORONAVIRUS – 19 virus pandemic, has spread over the globe, with no real end in sight at the end of 2020.

It appears to have its origin in the area around the Chinese city of Wuhan, around the end of December, 2019, and spread, almost inexorably, around the globe. In China there was initial confusion and denial, hardly surprising, considering the unique nature of the virus, but in January of 2020, China had taken drastic action with extensive lockdowns, shutdowns of travel and businesses, schools, and human activity in general. The virus, however, spread rapidly from there, despite actions taken by the Chinese state. By February, 2020, massive outbreaks began in such countries as Italy, Spain, the UK, where the two former ones also took drastic action, with the UK stumbling along with denial followed by confusion and inadequate response. Soon enough, North America was afflicted, with the US with President Donald Trump in the forefront of denial, then confusion (ongoing), blaming China, the WHO (which had sent out dire warnings already in early February), and others. Canada, however, took early and strong action with the recommended lockdowns, etc, being spared the massive loss of life south of the border.

By the end of April, there was hardly a country that was not afflicted with the COVID-19 virus, and those which took early and strong action were spared the massive infection and death rates of those like the UK, Brazil, and especially the confusing,