We keep reacting in shock at these big events that seem to threaten our survival: the election of fascists to public office, the general resurgence of misplaced and dangerous nationalism, millions of desperate people fleeing conflict, the conflicts themselves, terrorist attacks from the right and left, and the geopolitical mistakes and environmental disasters that fuel the murderous acts of sociopathic individuals and warmongering governments.

We rightly react with horror but once the headlines disappear many of us who are lucky enough to live in relatively stable societies simply carry on with our lives of self enrichment. Low voter turnout (like the paltry 50% of people who voted in the latest US election) plays a role, but that’s only part of the story. The other — possibly more important — part is about the decisions we make and actions we take every single day. These are the building blocks of our broken system: where our discretionary spending goes; in which industries our savings gets invested; and how the nature and volume of what we consume affect others and impact the planet.

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