It is interesting to read the drivel from political pundits, extolling the virtues of conservatism while denigrating with righteous indignation anything remotely progressive as left wing.

Barack Obama has come to the end of his presidency amid a flurry of criticism aimed at his economic model, deemed by some as socialist. Forgotten is the state of the economy he inherited and the 4.6 per cent unemployment rate he will hand over to the next administration. Instead of praise for, perhaps, saving the economy, the mantra is the economic recovery was too slow and healthcare is a burden on the economy.

The truth is there is no absolute economic or political philosophy, and life is more an ever-moving pendulum swinging between two extremes. No tablet came down from the sky to give the commandments for how an economy should work. Social evolution, beginning with the pre-history of humans, provides the real framework from which all our impulses and societal rhythms are derived.

We came from generations of hunters and gatherers, where there was no concept of ownership. The only thing we owned was the last meal or breath we took. We roamed in search of food, Earth was like our mother in that she owned us. The creation of stable society eventually brought the idea of ownership. Greed became a byproduct of ownership and society historically shows a tug-o-war of out-of-control greed followed by revolution as an exercise of levelling, as the innate sense of brotherhood and one world exerts its reality.

The modern form of this endless struggle for balance is played out in what is termed as left wing or right wing, socialist or conservative ideologies.

There are certain observations that have led to the conclusions of how mankind can optimise its performance. It is through that observation that principles such as freedom, pursuit of happiness and equality emerge. We then appreciate that mankind in his nature is anarchist and better ungoverned, and, therefore, government that governs the least governs the best because it allows mankind the opportunity to develop freely.

However, this freedom and principle of ownership creates inequality and leads to slavery or servitude, along with ostentation between those who have and have not.

Progressive thinking anticipates the pending, economic class struggle, which left alone leads to conflict and revolution. Progressive thinking tries to reset the inevitable result of class and privilege by mainstreaming items such as education, health and basic housing needs.

In reality, no society is spared the dynamics, whether it is a large nation such as the United States or a small jurisdiction such as Bermuda. We each need to observe the balance, taking in consideration freedom to develop and the need for equality and an egalitarian society.

The next four years will be a great test of philosophy as Obama hands a clean economy to a Donald Trump presidency, which will have the full backing of the House of Representatives and the Senate to support their agendas.

The Bermuda model is directed by the Premier and his selection of Cabinet. The direction of the Premier is a “tell-all” that displays the perception of the role it intends to play in the direction of the community. The scent of our administration, and its direction, is in the air, and how the chemistry of its motivation is interpreted for the most part is instinctual.