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The articles on this website are by and large written by adults.  However, there are a number of children in Servants too.  Children whose parents have been raising them in slums and inner cities.  This article was written by the son of Servants workers who have spent the past eleven years living in a major Indian city.

Warning! This is an extremely controversial text. Moreover, it is probably not the best or the only way to solve problems. It is just my view. Often I do not see the other side of things. However, I still believe that it is important for people and countries to listen to me and my  perspective on these problems. So, in my human imperfections of anger and stupidity, but also in my human Godliness of love and care for this world, I write:-

The world's problems and  what to do about them

Environment:- Pollution, Energy, Deforestation and rubbish disposal are some of the monsters responsible for the world's environmental breakdown. Here is an explanation of what these terms mean, how these problems came into existence, what damage they cause, and how I think we can solve them.

Pollution:-  Pollution means dirtying of  natural resources such as land, air and water. Nowadays, air pollution is mainly caused by vehicles (usually cars) running on fossil fuels (diesel and petrol) and factories pouring black smoke into the air. Water pollution is almost entirely caused by factories dumping toxic waste in rivers, oil spills into the ocean, and human and animal sewage. Land pollution's main cause is that the government is burying non-biodegradable substances (like plastic) in huge landfills. The result of pollution is that we  (and our fellow plants and animals) will eventually be breathing smoke, drinking chemicals and eating nothing. Pretty bad, huh. The solution is closely linked with the solutions to problems like like energy and rubbish disposal. So ?    Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refine and Reinvent. What I mean is this:

To stop air pollution we basically need to reduce how much we travel (especially in cars and aeroplanes) and reinvent other non-polluting forms of energy to use (such as solar and hydro).

To stop water pollution we  need  to reuse and refine the waste coming out of factories and reinvent a new sewage system, preferably with the sewage going into the ground rather than into a river so that it can decompose.

To stop land  pollution we should reduce the number of items we simply buy, use and throw away, reuse objects again and again, and recycle old things into new objects to be used again.

Energy:- Energy refers to the ability to work. Humans get their energy from eating. However, machines don't eat. Not our food at least. Therefore they need a different form of energy to work.

In the past 150 years, that source has, almost entirely, been fossil fuels. The problem with fossil fuels is that they (a) cause pollution (see above) and (b) are running out. They are running out because we use more than the earth produces. An average US citizen uses an average of 10 litres of oil every day !

What's the solution?

We need to give up the stereotype and the feeling that you should own a car, as cars  use a large amount of fuel to transport a small number of people. Another problem with cars is that they take up too much road space , causing traffic jams.  Traffic jams and not being able to move quickly cause fuel inefficiency, meaning taking a lot of fuel to go not very far. Much better than cars are buses. Although they use more fuel and take up more space, they transport about 30 times as many people. If everybody travelled in buses, there would be no traffic jams, and much less pollution.

We also need alternative sources of energy (see paragraph on stopping air pollution). Solar energy will not run out (while the sun exists, which  it will for about a million years). Water will always be flowing down mountains and can easily be tapped in to. The earth's internal heat and external wind will stay till judgement day. Summary:- these forms of energy are almost eternal and don't cause pollution. Moreover, if scientists put their brains to it I am sure they can increase the efficiency and accessibility of such forms of energy.

Rubbish Disposal:- We produce large amounts of rubbish of all different kinds. A worldwide average of 23 kg  of household rubbish per week shows how serious this problem is. Currently we (and our governments) dispose of rubbish in three problematic ways:-

1.    We burn it, causing air pollution.

We dump it in water bodies, causing water pollution.

We dump it in land fills, causing land pollution.

The solution, I believe, is the same as the solution to land pollution, i.e.:-

1.    Reduce how much rubbish we produce, by simply 'buying and throwing' less.

Sort rubbish ourselves into recyclable and biodegradable.

When the government comes to dispose of it, it should recycle the paper, plastic, metal, glass etc. and make bio-gas and organic fertiliser from the biodegradable.

Deforestation:- Deforestation means the reduction of land covered in forests. In the decade 1990-2000, on average, the world has lost 285 m²of forest per second ! Trees are an immensely important part of the environment. They are the producers of oxygen, wood, fruit, medicines, rubber etc. We cannot survive without trees.

Many years ago, much of the world was covered in forests. These have been gradually but increasingly chopped down for wood or simply to make space for building houses and other human  infrastructure.

If we cut down too many more trees, it will not only be the end of many rare species of animals and birds which are already near extinction, but also the end of us.

What can we do to save our trees? We need to raise awareness about the danger we are in. We also need to change the culture  that it is a good idea to have many children, for a rising population means the need for more houses. Our cities are already expanding rapidly and forests are being cut down to give room  for them. But we also need to lower our living standards and share our space and resources with everybody. Another good idea is to plant another tree for every one cut down.

Economy and Politics:- Politics is about how countries run, how countries trade, what policies the government makes etc. Economics is about systems and policies about money and trade etc. In this section I will describe the problems with the economic and political status of the world, how they came into being, and my perspective on how we should solve them.

War:- War means two or more countries fighting. There have been many long, horrible wars in history, of which the worst was probably World War II, in which several million people died. The worldwide average for the last century (1900 to 2000) is 5500 people dying every day because of war or government sponsored oppression! I believe that War arises from the human nature of selfishness, disrespect for others, and revenge. To solve the problem of war we need to not only overcome our desire for revenge and our greed for money, but also give no reasons for war to arise, meaning give no reason for another country to be enemies with your country.

Terrorism:- Terrorism means a group of people intentionally harming the public for there own political purposes. Terrorism has been getting a lot of news space recently, and many people live in fear of terrorist attacks since terrorists have crashed planes into the twin towers in USA on September the 11th, 2001. Many nations have strict terrorist rules and policies. In India, where I live, people say things like 'we will either kill the terrorists or die trying', which, sadly, is what Gandhi feared when he said 'an eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind'. I also oppose these policies and rules, for though I certainly wish no harm to the general public, I do not think this is the best way to prevent it. Think. If the West does things that infuriate Muslims then it is likely that in the human nature of revenge, they will harm the West. If the West had then repented, apologised and mended the wrong they had done, perhaps that would have been the end of terrorism. However, instead they clamped down hard on terrorism and infuriated Muslims more, which leads to more terrorism, which leads to more revenge, and so on. Conclusion:- instead of killing terrorists, negotiate with them!

A global constitution and law making body:- A constitution means a set of principles by which a country runs. So, by a worldwide constitution I mean a set of principles and guidelines which the whole world runs by. By a law making body I mean an international organisation with voted  representatives from all over the world making specific laws regarding the whole world and which every country must follow.

Though many countries have a constitution currently, the world doesn't have a constitution or a law making body which makes laws and guidelines that every country obeys. The problems with the current system is that some issues are valid for the whole world. Example:- We all share the same atmosphere and therefore there should be an international emissions law, for it is extremely unfair for any country to not pollute but still have pollution drifting over to it from some other country. The closest we have to such an international body is the United Nations. A problem with it though, is it cannot force countries to obey it's laws. For example, if it passes a reduction of emissions law, the USA can still spit in their faces and say 'no way'. How then can the world face problems like pollution and war if all countries do not cooperate? I believe that if a country does not accept a law regarding the world which has been voted in by the majority of countries/ people, it should be punished. Not by war, but by a trade ban, meaning no countries trade with it, until it accepts the law. Indeed, an international body like the UN should be a great help in preventing war. There should also be some basic rights in this constitution such as:-

1.    Right to equality

Right to peace

Freedom of religion

Freedom of speech

Democracy and Communism:-  Communism is a way of running the country in which the government owns everything and the people live equally. Up until now, the world has had a bad experience of communism, due to three factors:-

1.    The idea of there being no God.

The fact that only one person or party is in charge.

People having communism enforced upon them.

The principles of communism appeal to me (apart from the one of there being no God). It is just the way it is being practised that I have a problem with. Therefore I suggest a knew type of Communism and running a country:-

I would like the city government to own the food, housing^*, roads, education, health, transport, water, electricity, rubbish disposal and sewage facilities. These are basic facilities that everybody needs and therefore should be cheap and  satisfactory. The government should run these at a loss, but use the tax money for it. The tax should be collected from the rich. The Government should be a democracy (meaning people vote for the government) taken to a new level. The people not only vote for who is in power, but also hear clearly what is happening and if they have any objection can go straight to the government officer in charge of that department and question him specifically. If there is still any argument, there should be a vote, in which everybody in the city is notified clearly of the options ahead and can vote for what they want.

The advantages of this system are:-

1.    The government owning the basic facilities. In this there is a blend of capitalism and communism. I believe in both. I think it is fair to allow private companies and individuals to own shops and houses and schools and hospitals, but I also think it is important for the government to own lots of the basic things. In my system the private companies and individuals can own and sell accessories like mobiles, cars, and TVs. They can buy and sell them for monumental prices. However, if this is done with the basic facilities which everybody needs, the poor will miss out. Example:- Imagine if a private company was in charge of the water in Delhi. They could demand high prices and the rich would buy it but the poor wouldn't be able to, and would face extreme hardship.

The government is democratic and transparent. The advantage of the government being voted in is that it his held accountable, i.e. if it does a bad job, it can be sacked. Also, it being  transparent means that people can find out information about the system. Then, if they don't  like it, they can ask for a vote.

The gap between the rich and the poor:- This is an extremely important problem, as while some people are  billionaires, others cannot even buy enough to eat. It is extremely shocking how low humanity has sunk. The top 1% of the world earns more than the bottom 50%! This also is an extremely old problem, but all through time  it has been increasing. However, if, like in the section above, the Government taxed the rich to provide the basic facilities to all satisfactorily and cheaply, the world would be a much more even place. Allow me to also introduce an idea from the Old Testament of the land and assets being given back to their original owner ( or their descendants ) after every 50 years. This is appealing to me because if our ancestors gambled or wasted their share of the wealth, in the current system it would mean we would be born poor even though it wasn't our fault. However, in this Old Testament system we would have the wealth handed back to us after 50 years, meaning that nobody would be born poor, and you would only become poor if it was your own fault.