In today’s world, society is facing a lot of challenges. Crime, poverty, unemployment are only a few examples. In order to provide help to the individuals to lead a happy and healthy life, it is necessary for the society to find the challenges as listed above and make efforts to eliminate them.
The task of improving the society is not an easy one, as the society itself is composed of a large number of individuals, each facing different situations, different desires and needs and various issues which affect some and have nothing to do with others. These situations could perhaps be avoided, if the general social situation were improved.
In order to effectively improve the society we must determine the need of the people, an attempt to satisfy these, beginning with the basic and then coming to the complex ones. Not only just identifying these needs would work but we must set the priorities and target the important ones first as it is said, “Start by doing what is necessary than what is possible, suddenly you are doing impossible.” The method of overall perfecting the society is to take country’s schemes into accounts and extract the most important features and procedures that can help. Here are top ten ways in which our society can be improved.
1. Retaining national pride
Unfortunately, today most folks tend to focus on their self and not the whole. We see these problems as affecting “them” and not “me/us”. There was a time when every child would begin the school day by standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. They were taught the significance of national anthem and songs. These practices are long gone and so is the sense of common destiny. With so many diverse nationalities, races, and ethnic groups that comprise a country, the one common bond all have with one another is nationalism. So one must feel proud of his/her national identity and telling the youth specifically about the nation’s history and achievement can help to stop the erosion of national pride.
2. Ban drugs
There was a time in cinematic history where virtually every actor/actress was portrayed on screen with a cigarette in hand. Smoking, it was implied, was cool. As a result everyone was doing it. As awareness to the danger of smoking increased, “cool” images of smoking disappeared. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about drugs and alcohol. The numbers bear the tale. 21% of high school seniors say they get high and 41% of the same group report drinking alcohol. Youth literally is moving around in an intoxicated daze. Immature behaviour is then amplified due to being under the influence. Drunk driving, anti-social and violent behaviour are some of its consequences and the list goes on. The government must ban these things completely and should not be provided to the majors even.
3. Removing the problems of economic integration
One of the direct results of globalization and the international market is the flow of labour around the world as people migrate to find work. This is accompanied by problems of labour exploitation and difficulties arising from the integration of guest workers into foreign lands. Also friction can emerge from the competition for jobs and resources such as housing, between local populations and the migrants. There are many other problems relating to this like unfair trade practices, tariffs, quotas and government subsidies. While a single specific solution may not be able to appropriately tackle all the problems, we can however suggest a meta-solution or a single seed solution that has the potential to stimulate in people the motivation to generate solutions which would be a template which can create model that fully incorporates notions such as Justice, Fairness and Equality.
4. Save endangered species
Today human activities are causing a massive extinction of species, the full implications of which are barely understood. Rising ocean temperatures reduce the ability of plankton to reproduce, thereby undermining the entire oceanic ecosystem. Commercial fishing’s increasing size and scope threaten to empty of the ocean of fish within several decades. Modern agricultural practices strip the Earth of its thin layer of topsoil through water and wind erosion, destroying this precious micro ecosystem that takes centuries to form and supports all life on land. We must keep check on the activities that harms the habitat of different species for their preservation and the government should allocate areas for national parks and sanctuaries.
5. Fight terrorism and war
Terrorist attacks have led to destabilization of modern civilization carried out upon civilian populations. This modern day problem is an assault upon the ideals and expression of freedom, and has the potential to convert free societies into police states. Civil wars in small, poor countries have caused untold suffering, and half of them are renewed flare-ups of recent conflicts. A single conflict can cost $250 billion or more, takes many years to recover from and can block all other humanitarian interventions. A large scale war in current times has the potential to destroy modern civilization as we know it.
6. Control population
The world is currently growing at a rate of 79,000,000 people per year – more than ever before – and as more time passes that number will rapidly increase. The world population is predicted to be over 10 billion in 40 years, and will become greater and greater as the ever-growing human species continues to breed. This has led to more people no food, no shelter and this problem has a big hand in degrading the quality of life. Spreading awareness among the masses is a solution for this problem.
7. Eliminate poverty
The federal poverty level is $22,050 for a family of four. This equates to 21% of families are considered in poverty. Just to cover basic expenses for a family of four you would need to have a salary of $45,000. This means that nearly 50% of people are living in poverty. Half of them receive no government assistance. Poverty is a big obstruction in learning and has contributed to social and behavioural problems. Providing free education up to some age can be a solution for this.
8. Exclude social exclusion
Social exclusion refers to discriminating people on the basis of gender, religion, age, financial status etc. It is a sin for our society as it is creating disparity among the masses. Discrimination on the basis of religion has led to riots in various countries. Gender discrimination has lowered the morale of suppressed ones and made them weaker to achieve anything in their lives. So, discrimination on any basis should be banned and everyone should work hand in hand to remove this sin.
9. Recycling reduces pollution
Pollution is one of the greatest problems which in turn is affecting our nature leading to global warming, ozone layer depletion etc. The Austrian government made a commendable effort by stressing the importance of recycling by collecting garbage and handing it over to the city council. The penalty of not respecting this scheme is a high fine. So, it is every individual’s duty to work for this cause to save Mother Nature.
10. Enhance the education system
It is said, “what sculptor is to marble, education is to soul.” Education is the foremost need for an individual because it teaches a person the way to lead a good life. It is a kind of means through which a person earns his/her bread and butter. It makes them aware about every sphere of life, what is happening around the world and gives them the sense of right or wrong.
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