One of the unexpected consequences of flaneuring the historic streets and buildings of London for three weeks was how they made me reflect on what the future holds for Calgary, Canada and the world. I think the omnipresence of historic buildings and museums with centuries of human stories, made me realize that while the world we share is always changing, in many ways it is still the same.

One of the great things about travelling to other places is that it makes you think, reflect and wonder about the world we share.

Homeless

We are still struggling to solve poverty and homelessness in our cities. We are still dealing with issues associated with human migration and religious strife. We are still adapting to economic changes. Human slavery and acts of barbarism have always existed. And our cities have struggled with affordable housing and transportation since the they were first created. And yes, there have been corrupt political leaders since the beginning of time.

In London, within a few blocks you can be wandering Roman ruins in the basement of Guildhall, exploring nearly 1,000 years of London’s history at the Museum of London (including more Roman ruins) and be amazed by the history and architecture of St. Paul’s Cathedral (built between 1675 and 1710), get caught-up in the hustle and bustle of Liverpool Train Station (1874) or walk through St. John’s Gate built in 1504. You can explore St. Bartholomew’s Hospital founding 1123 by Augustinian nuns to look after the poor, or you can explore the Smithfield Market which has been London’s livestock market for over 1,000 years.

Subliminally, you are constantly reminded humans have been conquering, constructing, exploring, migrating, fighting, helping, converting, torturing, oppressing and enslaving for centuries.

You can’t help but be fascinated by what does the future hold for humans. While humans have been evolving - supposedly becoming more civilized - has anything really changed.

One of several homeless tents set up near the Angel Station.

There were constant reminders of London’s homeless issue as we wandered the streets of London.

Yes there is even a charity shop in London that identifies homelessness as a crisis and the need to work together to end homelessness.

Poverty

One has to wonder poverty and homelessness are systemic to the modern economy and urban living. Unfortunately all of our efforts to eradicate them seem to have been a waste of time.

After centuries of trying to take better care of the poor, London has 170,000 homeless.

It was not unusually to see people sleeping and panhandling in the streets.

While we saw nothing to compare to the tragedy that is East Hasting in Vancouver, it was a reminder that even in wealthy cities like London poverty is rampant.

While in London, I reread George Orwell’s “Down and out in Paris and London” for the third time and was amazed at how the 1933 book could easily be about the homeless crisis in most major cities around the world today.

Unfortunately poverty and homelessness is not something that can be eliminated and I am not even sure it can be better managed, given all the time and money that has been spend attempting to do so.

Religion

As you wander the streets of London, you can’t help but notice how religion once dominated our lives and still does for some. In London’s City Centre, it seems there is a church on every other block and often they are still the dominate building in the neighbourhood.

Wander London’s museums and you are quickly reminded how religion once dominated the lives of most humans. You are also reminded of the history of religious discrimination, intolerance, persecution and injustices that have been happening around the world for centuries.

St. Paul’s Cathedral a reminder of how religion once dominated the economic and political climate of the world.

Reminder of the role of the church played and still plays in caring for those in need.

I couldn’t help but wonder what role plagues have as natures way of controlling over population by a species? Should human be intervening.

The interior of the churches are a reminder of the history of the wealth of religions while the worshipers suffered in poverty.

How is that any different from the wealth of some corporations today who then pay their workers barely a minimum wage. Or the wealth of athletes, actors, actresses and musicians while many of their fans make minimum wage.

Wars

In London, you are constantly reminded of how war has shaped our lives for centuries. There are monuments of military heroes everywhere, as well as small plaque acknowledging the local soldiers who died in battle. It is very sobering. Wander any museum and you can’t help but read the horror stories of war, not just the World Wars, but wars you have never heard of.

This reminders are everywhere in the community of Clerkenwell.

Indeed, humans have been at war with each other since the beginning of time.

The atrocities committed by ISIS in the name of an 8th Century religious fundamentalism – mass killings, public executions and crucifixions – is a continuation of the barbaric acts committed by religious zealots for centuries.

World War III is happening we just don’t see it. There are currently four ongoing wars with over 100,000 deaths – Afghanistan, Mexican Drug Wars, Yemen Crisis and Syrian Civil War. Wikipedia also lists 30+ wars with less than 10,000 deaths per year - the cumulative killings add up to another one million. To date, WW III has resulted in over two million deaths involving 25 different countries.

The rebellions in Hong Kong are just the tip of the iceberg of the injustices that Chinese people face today and have faced for centuries, from Tiananmen Square Massacre (in 1989) to barbaric practices like organ harvesting.

Humans are always at war. There is a current theory this is because men are predisposed to fight rather than negotiate and that wars would end if women were our political leaders.

It will be interesting to see what happens over the next century as women become more prevalent in politics.

Is war a part of the human condition?

Anti-war activist are also celebrated in the streets of London.

Reminder of the increase in violence in our cities and towns.

What role do wars have in controlling over population?

Migration

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You know you are in a global city when hear multiple languages being spoken on the street and on transit. It is a constant reminder humans have been migrating for centuries. Some moving because of the “thrill of adventure,” some looking for a better life and many because of strife and persecution. Indeed, it was only a little over a hundred years ago that North America was populated by pioneers looking to build a better life for their families. And they did!

Next Crisis

While recycling is helping, the amount of garbage that is generated everyday in cities like London is astronomical.

After a few days in London, with the constant bombardment of the past I couldn’t help but think what does the future hold for humans and cities. I questioned if “climate change” really our biggest issue, when I experienced the vast quantities of garbage generated every day in a city like London. While new cities like Calgary hide their garbage out of sight, in older cities like London and New York, the sidewalks are constantly littered with bags of garbage. You quickly realize how much garbage we generate every day, by every human. How long can this continue?

When you see all of the restaurants and outdoor markets and the amount of food being consumed and thrown out you wonder can the earth continue to support population growth forever. When you get on the trains, plans and buses packed with people or experience the crowded London streets you begin to wonder is “over population” the biggest challenge for our future? Recent studies have documented that “carbon legacy” of just one child in North America can produce 20 time more greenhouse gas than a person will save by changes in lifestyle.” As long as the world’s overall population continues to grow, GHG emission will continue to increase.

Concerns re “over population” have been raised since 1798 when Thomas Malthus wrote “humans would exhaust global food supply within a matter of decades.” At that time there we only about one billion people living on the planet, today there are about 7.8 billion and still growing. To feed all these people we have improved agriculture through technological and scientific practices, including extensive use of chemical (herbicides and pesticides) and genetic modification breeding with all of their unintended consequences. One has to wonder, “Is food production infinite?” or “Is there a food disaster waiting to happen?”

Technology Change

You also see how technology is rapidly changing the world. I don’t know that I could have negotiated London’s maze of streets without Google Maps. It will soon be impossible to travel without a smart phone and phone plan - if it isn’t already. What happens when artificial intelligence become smarter than humans. “Singularity” is the hypothetical point in the future when technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization.

Some are even predicting it will cause human extinction!

Last Word

After wandering the streets of London and reflecting on the world we share, I am of the mind the present is just a continuation of the past with all of its ugly scars, as well as it joys! And the future will be like the present, just in a different manifestation. Say we manage to solve the climate change crisis, there will be another crisis waiting in the wings – water shortages, hunger, garbage, pollution, plastics, war…. etc. etc. etc.
Indeed, one of the great things about travelling to other places is that it makes you think, reflect on how little we know about the the world we share.

London Musing: Homeless, Poverty, War, Religion, Migration & Future!