If we wish to grow in the current system, we ought to give up many of our core principles and values in life. That is the cost we must bear, if we are to survive the current times. Victor Frankl famously expressed that, "If we cannot change someone, then it means we ought to change ourselves". In this case, we are being forced to change to adapt, which is how it has always been. But to be forced to change, when deep down there is clearly something wrong and unsettling about it all, means there is a resistance so strong that not even you can contain for too long. And so, we are forced to decide for ourselves, what ought to be done to keep moving on. And it is in such circumstances that we are obliged to think beyond ourselves and think of those around and beyond us. That thinking would propel us to get deeply involved within our imaginations and knowledge spans and look for novel ways to establish alternate scenarios that would ensure our feelings, desires, and consciousness is not cast away in vain for the sake of lesser and the more mundane and plain. We have to take matters into our own hands and find ways to stir up solutions that would help foster a more coherent and balanced system that would adhere to all, without casting out or overshadowing the views of those that wish to think outside the box or beyond the norm. Our current system that has capitalism, consumerism, democracy and globalization mashed up together, has left a lot of blanks and questions marks around integral notions such as meaning, purpose, fulfilment, a sense of one's true place, honour, integrity, empathy, and real ambition that actually provides for others rather than simply for one's self. These may seem outdated concepts, but they are integral for creating a system that is based on virtues and principles that keeps it steady and not simply a system run on incentives and goals to achieve particular matters that do not define or help establish a perception of who we are and where we are heading, such as the need for gaining profit. As Montesquieu made clear that, "the deterioration of a nation begins almost always by the decay of its principles". Our current system measures how much we can provide to corporations or how much we can fill up our bank accounts, in terms of money, and not on how much value or meaning we can provide to enhance our overall wellbeing. True, the word value is redundant in the business world, but that word is meaningless when it is sugar-coated for another underlying reason that is solely fixated on people generating means in any way to just become richer or to survive the world by getting by in servitude of the other one percent that get away with anything. Our intelligence is measured by how obedient and determined we can be to help strengthen this current system of unfair barter, where we give more than we ought to and are given incentives and rewards as compensation for instead of being truly free to think, say and do what we wish, which are very alluring but all too meaningless and not useful. And as Epictetus once said, "Intelligence cannot be measured by height or length, but only by our thoughts". And our thoughts are held captive against our will, as to reveal what we harbour inside is to expose ourselves in a world that has become superficial and far too mechanical for any real creativity or madness to unfold take shape and create beauty. But what has become more likely is, to survive in the world and in this particular system, we ought to give up on most of our values, principles and core beliefs and give way to a more colder and brutal side to our animalistic natures that serves such a system of digits and code and not flesh and blood. Therefore, a few important questions remain, such as how do we evolve or progress from here? What measures are ought to be taken to survive in a way that we find right and appropriate? If we are given a chance or opportunity to change the system at hand, how do we go about it and to what are we ultimately striving for?

There are many solutions to the world's infinite problems held by countless of minds. The question though is not what is the right solution to a particular problem. Rather, the issue revolves around what is deemed the best strategy for implementing such solutions. More so, what solutions can we afford? For every solution brings unfounded and unforeseen problems in its wake. Therefore, we must determine whether we are capable of handling the potential problems or risks that may come our way, once such solutions are grounded in the proper political foundation. All sound decisions comes from lengthy processes of astute observations of the problems at hand. Current global issues and challenges range from the pandemic, to economic stagnation, to uncontrollable technological influences, to stock market spirals, to societal shifts in behaviour and beliefs fuelled by religious fanaticism, populism and nationalism, to deterioration of democracy and governance. All these issues have exposed the fragility of our species to conduct themselves against disasters and catastrophes that are endangering our ability to grow and develop. We are in a stage, due to our lack of focus and determination to evolve and enhance our current scopes, where we are seeking methods to merely survive. We should not be in such a stage, which was something natural for our ancestors in the time of primates. We should be focused on reinvention or enhancement to what is considered or imagined as better, by revising and reassessing everything we have been taught and everything we have inherited, so we may give way to novelty. Voltaire once said, "Common sense is not so common". That was declared in the 18th century. Today, common sense has become extinct, as critical thinking has reached to a critical state. We no longer know what it is or how it looks and feels to have such mentality in our current state of affairs. Therefore, we are stuck with being dazed and confused about the many problems that are piling up on our desks, due to lack of leadership, knowledge and creativity to manoeuvre through these obstacles in the most practical ways possible. Changing our approach towards these matters, by thinking in sense of the long-term, by changing our principles and beliefs that would compliment our current needs and wants, and learning how to be resilient by facing problems head on rather than hiding from them and hoping that a magic wand or pill can eradicate the dangers lurking around, are all various ways to battle the dangers that are yet to come. If we cannot handle this pandemic with logic, decency, and focus on not just solving the matter at hand but on understanding what state we would be in once this passes on, then we shall never truly recover or even manage to evolve in the manner that would strengthen us as a civilized species. That all begins with understanding "why" we have reached to where we are and "why" we must change our ways for it not to impact us the way it did, in order for us to outlive future traumatic experiences. For, there will be more problems and greater threats, which are already lurking from the distance. Therefore, with the right knowledge harnessed for utilization, the right kind of leadership to guide us during the storm and the proper institutions with qualified and competent members of society to ensure stability and improvement during times of peace and conflict, are the surest ways of overcoming what is yet to come. As Nietzsche once expressed, "If you have a why to live, then you can bear with any how". What suggestions, insights or methods would you suggest to confront such dangers and debacles that we are facing, so we may improve our stance and arm ourselves well against what is yet to come?

Societies flourish when the proper conditions of growth are granted. That requires the right forms of leadership and the right types of institutions. To enable these two components to blossom and pave the way forwards, we must engage politically to discover new systems that would set the scene for us. The new form of systems that we should seek out are ones based on providing full grants to freedom of thought and freedom of speech for all to become fully engaged within their political environments. Decisions must be based on the wisest of us that possess no personal or direct interests in the matters they are engaging with but must have a deep or intricate understanding of what they're dealing with. In other words, "skin in the game" as dubbed by Nassim Taleb. Ideas must be able to roam freely back and forth between all members of society, and the two major divisions of society - informer and informed - must be equipped with the most appropriate information and not the most prized information that benefits only the accounts of a few. This is possible through a system of filtering and prioritization, which must be considered a vital component of such an enhanced system. The system itself must praise openness and toleration towards all the various differences of opinions, as everyone has opinions to share in the current times. And the facts that get broadcasted from media agencies, the scientific community or academic institutions, must never be taken for granted and always scrutinized for the sake of maintaining the status quo in regards to progress and development. As Nietzche eloquently phrased it, "There are no facts but only interpretations". We need a system that is functional and not simply based on the greatest happiness for the greatest number (Utilitarianism) or an environment that advocates a winner-takes all mentality (Neo-Liberal Capitalism) or conservative norms that abide to standards and traditions that have become outdated and no longer sensible for our current scopes of understanding (Secularism and Religious Nationalism). To ensure that our species progresses on a path of production and not of destruction, we must re-educate ourselves on the politics behind our decisions, interactions and attitudes with one another. As the Greek philosopher Epictetus believed, "Do not simply preach your philosophy but embody it". So, we ask you, what do you think are the major factors that are necessary for contributing to the formation of building modern societies and strong civilizations during the Information Era of the 21st century? What characteristics would be needed to help define and shape such societies? What cultural elements must be discarded and introduced, in order to help breed a new mentality? What sort of political structure or type of governance must be in place, for such societies to flourish? Answering such questions would help us in facing off the many challenges that lie ahead of us, for the sake of not only survival but for evolvement.

Covid-19 has become a major threat to our ways of life. How we interact, conduct our affairs, plan for our next endeavors, prioritize our thoughts and execute our choices, have all been drastically altered in the wake of such a pandemic. When trying to pinpoint the source of such a global problem, we may look towards many incidents or blame many individuals within various sectors pertaining to the scientific, environmental, technological, medical and even military establishments. However, the true culprits of this tragic tale are none other than politicians. And the main reason for that is because political members of society have forgotten their true objective and moral duty, when it comes to holding on to such titles that give them immense power yet are not mature enough to shoulder the responsibility. Most governments, institutions and leaders have failed in protecting the welfare and wellbeing of the people, especially within developed countries, as they focus more on future elections rather than on future generations. Their failures have cost societies significantly that such pandemic has begun to tear apart our very notion of social cohesion. The recklessness of politicians in the 21st century has also been our burden to bear, as citizens. For, our failure to engage within politics has led to increased oversights and a decrease in productivity and development. Only through engaging once again into the world of politics and contributing to the discussions that impact political choices and actions of those that represent us, can we help reduce the damage costing us by the lack of appropriate or effective response towards the pandemic. To speak plainly, all fingers point to the politics of the matter. So, I ask you, what appropriate responses or alternative methods of conduct should governments be using, apart from lockdowns for instance, to help prevent populations from being infected while allowing the economy to remain functioning?

Welcome to the Political Foundations Forum. Here we shall be opening the floor to all of you, based on the topics that we shall present, in order for you to share your views and insights and possibly cook up new scenarios, solutions, outcomes and possibilities for the sake of potential implementation. The world does not need us to simply analyse or criticize the many issues that linger within our societies and ways of life. The world is in need of real changes that may invoke a new surge for growth and development. Such changes can only start off by having free, open-ended, unbiased and professional discussions; discussions that may lead to revelations. In an age of Information that has grown highly sophisticated, yet quite accessible and easier for people to move around and apply what they imagine towards what they seek, comes a time where we must sit amongst ourselves and begin to observe intricately and scrutinize productively the current systems in place. Although we may have advanced substantially towards a new age that includes technologies unseen or unheard of before, pushing us forwards towards zones we never imagined we as a species may reach for, such as thinking of travelling to space or even settling on Mars, we still cling on to ideals and notions that are thousands of years old. To truly be able to progress towards a new zeitgeist that would unravel the potential many of us harbour deep within us, we must free ourselves from these old shackles to embrace new understandings and perceptions that may broaden our horizons. Capitalism has become an outdated system in may respects. Although it has enabled substantial growth to commence throughout societies, since the dawn of the first Industrial Age, it has also brought forth increased inequality, class tension, wars, less opportunities and even a decline in innovation and invention as the priorities and goals of such a system changed over time. The politics of today must focus on rehabilitating our drive, not towards simply seeking to make "profit" but to find "purpose" in what it is we wish to gain from the matters we are engaged in. We have to shift from the rent-seeking practice to that of wealth creation, through a process called the "creative destruction". Capitalism has poisoned our political relationships, actions and behaviours on many levels and throughout numerous crucial events that have been significant turning points for our world, today. We may not be able to right the wrong in many aspects of the past, or fix the damage that has been caused by such systems, but we do have the time, knowledge and skills to create more enhanced systems or models, especially within the economy, to better attain and cater to our needs and wants. Our discussion must first explore what may be done to help direct our societies into the right path and on the right course towards, not merely just development but, a whole different and improved understanding of our standards, norms and trends. The economy since the 2007-2008 Financial Crash, also known as "The Great Recession", has damaged the global economy significantly. The Covid-19 Pandemic has only accelerated the path towards capitalism's destruction, by exposing its fragility and how the politics of today has not been equipped to handle such chaos and madness that has ensued over the course of 2020. We need to discuss, share, provoke each other's minds and think outside the box of how to bring forth new models or systems that would adhere better to our current behaviours, expectations and day-to-day processes, in order to be able to overcome the many challenges we have to face in the years ahead.