Primerus Foundation aims to speed process of solving pressing problems
“We Live in an Age of Destruction” was the title of a very compelling cover story in a recent issue of The New York Times Magazine, revisiting some of the horrors that fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes have unleashed around the globe.
The five-page piece was not all doom and gloom, however, coming with a subhead of “Which Means We Live in an Age of Rebuilding.”
It was more than a mere afterthought, telling of a series of phoenix-like risings from the ashes, offering modern-day examples of rebuilding projects that first appeared as far-fetched as stories from Greek mythology.
In today’s world, an air of optimism has been hard to find, given the tragic refugee crises that continue to unfold in Ukraine, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and South Sudan, virtually all of which were caused by war-driven policies of heavy-handed dictators.
The cost of those humanitarian tragedies is beyond calculation, fed by years of military conflict and economic uncertainty that can only be addressed by a global determination to end such suffering.
We, at Primerus, are committed to being part of that effort, recently unveiling ambitious plans to form a philanthropic foundation designed to be a unifying force in helping solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
The new Primerus Foundation is framed within the desire to promote global peace and understanding by embracing the fundamental concepts of freedom, liberty, justice, and equal opportunity for all.
The creation of the foundation comes at a time when conflict over culture, politics, land, religion, and race is flaring in countries around the world. The divisiveness has caused a political polarization that continues to stall any meaningful progress on addressing problems such as nuclear arms control, climate change, immigration reform, governmental corruption, economic inequality, and world hunger.
The likelihood of those problems being solved in the years ahead is dim in the current political climate unless we adopt a different approach, changing our way of thinking about some of the most complex issues of the day.
We can say with all certainty that there is no shortage of problems for the world to address. Regrettably, there has been a severe shortage of people with the character, qualifications, and commitment to solve those problems, a void that the Primerus Foundation is determined to fill with a sense of urgency.
Our efforts, which have been encouraged in recent years by a range of people within the Primerus community, will begin with the formation of a nonpartisan think tank that will bring together some of the finest minds in the world with the purpose of proposing workable and innovative solutions to a range of critical issues facing society. Their task will be to offer an unbiased examination of each problem and then to identify, prioritize, and select alternatives for a solution.
The think tank will dovetail neatly with the origins of Primerus, which highlighted the pivotal role that lawyers play as problem-solvers and peacemakers whenever disputes or conflicts arise. In metaphorical terms, the legal profession has rightly been viewed as the oil in the engine that drives civilized society.
Part two of our mission will be to raise the standards of the political profession, attracting and supporting candidates on a nonpartisan basis who possess the intelligence, character, and commitment to serve the public good. This, of course, will be a radical departure from the political norm, which has been plagued by greed and self-serving interests that have degraded and sullied a once proud profession.
Candidates we identify and support will embody a spirit of cooperation, as well as a desire to set aside their own interests and agendas for the much higher purpose of advancing common goals for the betterment of society. They will be women and men of honesty and integrity who believe in civility and the need for a sea change in the way we operate politically.
Our objective, in short, is to make the world a better place for current and future generations, to become a positive force that has the power to inspire, uplift, and heal us. It’s a challenge we fully embrace, and we welcome your support in helping us supply the courage, conviction, and means to tackle it in the years ahead.
Best regards,
Jack Buchanan, President