Everything needs a beginning, and this it appears, is mine. As to what this beginning entails is far from being written, and as much your guess as it is mine. Regardless hopefully it will go somewhere.
This blog has been created in response to a book I just read: Confessions of an Economic Hitman. The reason this book has prompted me to write something isn’t so much the book itself, although it is very good and I do recommend that you read it at some point, it more of a germination of ideas and a feeling of general frustration.
I look at the state of the world today and like most people understand that, well… to be kind, it’s pretty fucked up. I think you would have a hard time finding someone who doesn’t think the world is fucked up. This then begins to create a series of problems for me. One, that someone, or a group of people would actually go out of their way to shape the world in this way (despite what you think of global warming it is difficult to argue that humanity has had NO effect on our environment). And two, that despite knowing this I do very little to change it. The second point is what particularly bothers me. I mean, I can’t change the past, what has happened is of course done, so all I can do is accept the state that the world was in when I was born. From that point onwards however, or at least from the point where I really started to come into a consciousness my actions, I have the ability to affect change.
So the question then becomes what do I do? Well… I do own a car, but I try and take the bus at least a good chunk of the time. I try not to leave the lights on when I leave the room, and turn the water off when I’m brushing my teeth. I recycle, don’t eat red meat, and try and buy organic when my budget will allow it. I hold the door open for people and offer help when someone looks lost. All of these little things help right? I mean, without them the situation wouldn’t be getting any better right?
Well, I’m sure without all of those little things it would indeed be getting worse it appears that in the grand scheme it really isn’t making it any better either. This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop them, but it means I need to find something else to do as well. I think I’m beginning to think our mindset is wrong. We’ve been told that by all doing our small part we will help, this allows us to sleep at night. The problem is we have forgotten to do our big part as well. We know that what our politicians are doing is wrong, we say it to each other all of the time, how then is it that they can keep doing it? Why do we have to pick between the better of two evils? How have we been lead to believe this makes sense? Yes, I’m sure leading a country is a difficult task, I’m sure many people couldn’t do it. In fact, I’ll be so bold as to say most people couldn’t, or wouldn’t want to do it. But that can’t, it simply can’t, mean that the only people who can do it have to make choices that are NOT in our best interest. Why then are these people in power? WHY? Ok, yes they have connections, they have money, but they are still voted in. We still have to say: yes we agree that you should do this job. We know you will serve our collective best interests. If we don’t think they are the best person for the job then we have to say so! We have to do something. There is no way for the government to turn on its own people. It cannot use our soldiers against us, they are part of us, they are our brothers, our sisters, our fathers our mothers.
I refuse to believe we can do nothing. I also think that the time before action happens is wearing thin. Someone will happen because it must. We have a chance to dictate what that action is if we are willing to take it.
I certainly don’t have all of the answers, and I have never been a fighter. But something tells me that one way or another, very soon we are not going to have any choice.
So, in hopes if inspiring others, and just as much to affair it in myself I have started this blog. I don’t know where it will end up. For now it is just my thoughts, hopefully it will turn into more.
JFP
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