We swing wildly between states of utter-selfishness and over-enthusiastic concern for our fellows. We do so because we cannot help ourselves, our background programmed us with a sense of self preservation, but our intellect forces us to realize on how much we actually depend on others.
In exploiting our selfishness, some political parties weasel their way into our baser natures, offering us a chance at a better life by allowing us to be more inwardly focused. Less tax, less interference, and more luxuries. They sell to us, what was embedded deep in our consciousness so long ago. They're tapping into an old and dangerous meme, a set if ideas that are gradually dying out.
Of course, every time we succumb, the world enters into another of these depressing periods, where hunger and strive seem to rule. Mankind retreats into their corners, allowing great works of evil to wash over the planet. In the interlude, quietly, many toil away at subverting, or gaining positions. This pattern repeats itself over and over again, as each new age of selfishness starts promising enough, but turns on its own inherent ugliness. Given the focus, who would expect anything else?
The other extreme has its problems as well. Too small a group of people making choices for too large a group always ends in tragedy. Fools think they know what is best for the rest of us, and so many of us are total fools. What starts innocently enough, usually ends in disgust.
And so, we ping-pong, back and forth, between individualism and the good of the group, forever passing that sweet spot in the middle where we are not forced into regretting our actions. Mankind toggles endlessly, each extreme offsetting the failures of the past, without realizing that we can never seem to get off this crazy roller coaster ride.
The world has been so cold and horrible of late, possibly dipping to a new low point. In light of that, we do have some tremendous successes, like the fact that most of us came together for a sporting event recently, that was not derailed by all of the various non-related causes. Out of control marketing campaigns have come to represent one of our greatest dangers, disrupting our abilities to trust one another, and achieve some progress. Marketing is a tool, usably by anyone.
We're back to one of those periods where we might be able to reach a new high, a time that could be admired by generations to come, but only if more people come to understand that their happiness is dependent on others. Our failures, or even our most successful are not the true indicators of our prosperity. It's the size and health of the middle class that define the quality of a country. While it is continuing to grow, there is some chance; when it starts to disappear, we know things are changing for the worse.
The world has been bubbling and seething lately, but that energy is stirred up by a relativity small group of hateful people. Neither side is innocent, both are driven by rich people twisting their intent to fill their own selfish baskets. Both have shown no moral or ethical restrictions, no reason to trust either. Both should go, it is time.
In the middle, we need to realize that our health depends on everyone else's heath. That we are all the same, yet entirely different. We can help each other, but we cannot force each other into any behavior, no matter how much we think we are right. The world is so much smaller now; the only way it will survive is if we choose to work together to keep it intact. If we bend towards our overly selfish natures again, we run the risk of ruining what little progress we've already made. We can bring back a period of grace and happiness, but only if we're not driven with a gollum-like obsession to hord our miserable goods from each other. Is more battery-operated beeping plastic really worth living in fear? Do we need high protective walls to keep people from stealing our worn cloths and cheap jewelry? Does protecting our pollution belching, fuel sucking personal transportation really provide deep meaning? Don't we just get less and less, each time they leave us with more money to buy more crap?
We all choose the future, by allowing them to walk all over us. By standing idle, and letting them take what they want. By choosing not to turn and fight, or even to flee. If we want to redeem ourselves, our world, our societies, we have to start making better choices; ones that aren't based on our needs alone. In accepting less, we will get more; way more.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Fair?
I just read the following news excerpt:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080806/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_bin_laden_s_driver
The driver? Really? How insane is that?
So, if I understand the facts correctly: they invaded his country, caught him driving some one around as a job, shipped him to an illegal prison, violated every international prisoner of war agreement ever made, and now they think that by his doing his job in a foreign country that constitutes supporting terrorism, but not conspiracy? Does he at least get a pension?
Hmmm, next they'll charge him with supporting terrorism for not breaking out of their illegal, immoral and despicable prisoner of war camp.
History shows that things have crossed the line when you can't even bother making up good excuses for your evil deeds anymore. At least plant some evidence that he flew into the states and did something notable. Then it might at least seem plausible. Come on, put some effort into this sham. Nothing is worse than evil, and lazy!
One small backward step for the US, one giant leap backwards for mankind.
When you can no longer distinguish the differences between the "bad" guys and the "good" guys, you finally come to understand that they were never there in the first place. If it ain't good then what is it?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080806/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_bin_laden_s_driver
The driver? Really? How insane is that?
So, if I understand the facts correctly: they invaded his country, caught him driving some one around as a job, shipped him to an illegal prison, violated every international prisoner of war agreement ever made, and now they think that by his doing his job in a foreign country that constitutes supporting terrorism, but not conspiracy? Does he at least get a pension?
Hmmm, next they'll charge him with supporting terrorism for not breaking out of their illegal, immoral and despicable prisoner of war camp.
History shows that things have crossed the line when you can't even bother making up good excuses for your evil deeds anymore. At least plant some evidence that he flew into the states and did something notable. Then it might at least seem plausible. Come on, put some effort into this sham. Nothing is worse than evil, and lazy!
One small backward step for the US, one giant leap backwards for mankind.
When you can no longer distinguish the differences between the "bad" guys and the "good" guys, you finally come to understand that they were never there in the first place. If it ain't good then what is it?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
So, What's Your Excuse?
The woman rolled towards me at full power. It was one of those electric chairs, often implying that they can walk, it just might be difficult. There was room for her to curve a bit to the left, a foot based pedestrian would have done so, but for whatever reason she choose the quickest, shortest route. I don't care to know why, I just know she rudely pinned me against the concrete planter, forcing me to dodge so quickly I just barely got out of the way. Afterwards I was a little short on empathy.
With one hand on the wheel, the guy continued his screaming match over the cell phone while nearly running me and my dog over with his car. That little point about us having right of way, or being pedestrians, or something, was clearly not more important than his multi-tasking between an immediate rush to get somewhere and an argument. You could tell he was a real mover and shaker. You could just tell.
If it's unobstructed, perhaps one and a half people could get through the doors of the older subway cars. Getting off one, as it enters the underground platform, is more complex when one of the riders chooses to stand blocking the doorway. When it's a couple of people standing under the "do not block the doorway" signs, you generally have to push your way through or miss your stop. Sadly, there is nearly always space enough to stand just a few measly feet away, they just don't seem to be able to bring themselves there.
It is not that I am always acutely aware of the people around me. Sometimes I am not. No one can be that perceptive and wide awake all of the time. There is always something you'll need or want that will comes to odds with at least someone around you. Living in a city, in close quarters means accepting this. No, my expectations for most people are no different than they are for myself. If I'm not always perfect, than how can I expect them to be. Clearly, I can't.
That however, does not in any way, let some of these people off the hook. A city, this one in particular, can be filled with many self-obsessed souls. So intently focused on their own pathetic existence, that they can not, even in the smallest way, acknowledge ours. There is a huge difference between accidentally getting in someone's way, and not caring. And its those non-caring ones that leave me so frustrated and sadden. Just a tiny little bit of recognition that they aren't entirely alone in a city filled with millions of people is all I ask. Just a tiny bit. One less rude act per day, would be nice.
Why, you find yourself asking, should I go out of my way to respect humanity, when quite clearly those that don't are getting bigger shares of the pie? Money belongs to those that grab it. But, you need to understand, all those mass spoils of selfish behavior are no comfort, when the people around you quietly despise you. If you're one of those people, who made their wealth in one of those ways, you're pretty certain that most of the people that know you or your history are not really wishing you the best of luck any more. You're probably right. That was the cost to getting your gold, wasn't it? Nothing comes for free, and a huge pile of non-nothing is pretty expensive.
For the rest of us, since we clearly won't ever amount to anything more than just who we are, we need to find something good that we can hold on to. Good for goodness sake is one of the truly great things that we can achieve.
It may sound trite, particularly if it means giving up your dreams for an over-sized fuel-inefficient, impossible-to-park Hummer, but with our limited time on this planet, if we've done nothing other than just being a continually good and decent person it is a major accomplishment. Let those horrible people bend towards their tainted spoils, swimming pools, and huge cold mansions. Rising above all of that, the really difficult road, is the real challenge worth mastering. Selfishness is easy, particularly in this day and age. Not succumbing to it, while still managing to follow our dreams is the rare feat.
So many people ply themselves with so many excuses. Poor excuses. Hollow, meaningless, silly, shallow excuses. As if that will somehow change the past, or fix the future. The destruction we leave behind is the direct consequence of our actions, there is no avoiding that. It is not what we do that counts, it is all of those little things that make our actions contribute or negate to our presence. And, it is in those little things that we are so frequently judged.
Happiness, that elusive feeling that comes from deep within, is driven by our self image; that in turn is fed by how we live up to our own expectations. Those, unless you are pathological, come from good behavior. Ultimately we all just want to be liked and respected, even if its on our own terms. It's not that complicated. Doing good for other people, including strangers, does good for ourselves. That, all by itself, is a strong enough reason for trying to respect humanity whenever possible; we needn't look any deeper into complex beliefs or philosophies. A little bit of politeness, space, understanding or a good deed of the day, is the type of nourishment for the soul that we frequently need to keep us happy.
With one hand on the wheel, the guy continued his screaming match over the cell phone while nearly running me and my dog over with his car. That little point about us having right of way, or being pedestrians, or something, was clearly not more important than his multi-tasking between an immediate rush to get somewhere and an argument. You could tell he was a real mover and shaker. You could just tell.
If it's unobstructed, perhaps one and a half people could get through the doors of the older subway cars. Getting off one, as it enters the underground platform, is more complex when one of the riders chooses to stand blocking the doorway. When it's a couple of people standing under the "do not block the doorway" signs, you generally have to push your way through or miss your stop. Sadly, there is nearly always space enough to stand just a few measly feet away, they just don't seem to be able to bring themselves there.
It is not that I am always acutely aware of the people around me. Sometimes I am not. No one can be that perceptive and wide awake all of the time. There is always something you'll need or want that will comes to odds with at least someone around you. Living in a city, in close quarters means accepting this. No, my expectations for most people are no different than they are for myself. If I'm not always perfect, than how can I expect them to be. Clearly, I can't.
That however, does not in any way, let some of these people off the hook. A city, this one in particular, can be filled with many self-obsessed souls. So intently focused on their own pathetic existence, that they can not, even in the smallest way, acknowledge ours. There is a huge difference between accidentally getting in someone's way, and not caring. And its those non-caring ones that leave me so frustrated and sadden. Just a tiny little bit of recognition that they aren't entirely alone in a city filled with millions of people is all I ask. Just a tiny bit. One less rude act per day, would be nice.
Why, you find yourself asking, should I go out of my way to respect humanity, when quite clearly those that don't are getting bigger shares of the pie? Money belongs to those that grab it. But, you need to understand, all those mass spoils of selfish behavior are no comfort, when the people around you quietly despise you. If you're one of those people, who made their wealth in one of those ways, you're pretty certain that most of the people that know you or your history are not really wishing you the best of luck any more. You're probably right. That was the cost to getting your gold, wasn't it? Nothing comes for free, and a huge pile of non-nothing is pretty expensive.
For the rest of us, since we clearly won't ever amount to anything more than just who we are, we need to find something good that we can hold on to. Good for goodness sake is one of the truly great things that we can achieve.
It may sound trite, particularly if it means giving up your dreams for an over-sized fuel-inefficient, impossible-to-park Hummer, but with our limited time on this planet, if we've done nothing other than just being a continually good and decent person it is a major accomplishment. Let those horrible people bend towards their tainted spoils, swimming pools, and huge cold mansions. Rising above all of that, the really difficult road, is the real challenge worth mastering. Selfishness is easy, particularly in this day and age. Not succumbing to it, while still managing to follow our dreams is the rare feat.
So many people ply themselves with so many excuses. Poor excuses. Hollow, meaningless, silly, shallow excuses. As if that will somehow change the past, or fix the future. The destruction we leave behind is the direct consequence of our actions, there is no avoiding that. It is not what we do that counts, it is all of those little things that make our actions contribute or negate to our presence. And, it is in those little things that we are so frequently judged.
Happiness, that elusive feeling that comes from deep within, is driven by our self image; that in turn is fed by how we live up to our own expectations. Those, unless you are pathological, come from good behavior. Ultimately we all just want to be liked and respected, even if its on our own terms. It's not that complicated. Doing good for other people, including strangers, does good for ourselves. That, all by itself, is a strong enough reason for trying to respect humanity whenever possible; we needn't look any deeper into complex beliefs or philosophies. A little bit of politeness, space, understanding or a good deed of the day, is the type of nourishment for the soul that we frequently need to keep us happy.
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