Reset anyone?

Working with Eiji Toyoda, Taiichi Ohno helped establish the Toyota Production System laying the groundwork for today’s Just-in-Time methodology. He was reportedly asked what the system was called, yet he was reluctant to give it a name as he believed that once a system was given a name it would become codified and bastardised into something it was never intended to be. He was right. His system is often referred to as Lean and the world is full of experts and detractors.

You may wonder where I am going with this but I have been reading about The Great Reset, an idea that first emerged officially in 2020 though it has been on many people’s minds for a lot longer. By being given a name it has become a fixed thing and set of multiple conspiracy theories suggesting that its is yet another scheme to take over the world by an  elite global cabal.

This time, if you believe the stories, those in charge want to create a global socialist superstate, perhaps even communist, yet somehow lead by capitalist ideologues. By their own admittance they want to reset global capitalism to provide a more equitable and sustainable world economy and see the COVID pandemic as an opportunity to do just that. All countries and all peoples would need to be involved. It is a grand and ambitious plan but by giving it a name it has become tainted with suspicion and conspiracy.

The truth is that the world needs to be reset. Capitalism has been both a success and a failure. It has allowed enormous growth in the world population with all the stresses and strains this has caused. It has allowed billions of people to live affluent lives yet billions are still in abject poverty. It has fueled climate change through global warming and it is unclear that it will be able to provide solutions quickly enough. It has allowed people to have so much money that it is impossible for them to spend it while others in the richest of countries have to rely on foodbanks to get by.

Global warming and inequality are the engines that will continue to drive human conflict. The world needs to be reset to make it a fairer and sustainable place.

By calling it The Great Reset however, it may already be doomed.