I think this country is on the verge of a new social revolution. All the elements are here. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. Nothing pisses people off like poverty. Makes people cranky. There are hypocritical leaders to point fingers at. There is a war going on that people don't understand. There is this feeling of superficial shallowness in our country - celebrity worship, blue yogurt, Hannah Montana..... MTV cribs. C'mon.
At the same time we have a whole new world to explore with the Internet, we have a president who I believe is a great man. We have people all over the country who are embracing a more "whole" life. We don't believe everything we hear anymore. And we don't have to because there are watch dog sites right here on the Internet that research the bullshit the politicians spew and actually fact check.
The Internet is also allowing people to express themselves with anonymity. I believe this is a good thing. Careful PC is being replaced by real honest to goodness truth. The creativity I see on the Internet these days is refreshing, a whole new medium for the artists palette. The way business is done has changed, the way we get our news has changed, the way we listen to the media has changed. The music industry has changed, for goodness sakes book publishing has changed. Kindle anyone? We now have access to more information, more goods, differing opinions. All the components are here. But which way will it go?
I believe that this country is in real trouble. The way we do things is ass backwards. Instead of having farms that grow and raise animals for their local consumers we have huge mega agra business. They grow or raise one thing. Spray them with pesticides shoot them up with hormones and ship the whole darn thing overseas. They treat these animals with drugs when they aren't even sick. Have any of you had the pleasure of driving by a feed lot? Well I live in the Midwest now and I have. That is not a healthy smell. How about a meat processing plant? The stench is not something you forget. Here in Sioux City we can't forget anyway cause we smell that plant everyday when the wind is right. Ugh.
Why can't I get good organic produce and products for a reasonable price? Isn't this something we should be demanding? Here in Sioux City a gallon of organic milk is $6. My family goes through 5 or 6 gallons of milk a week. We don't buy organic milk. But I would like to.
So what is going to happen? I think I'd like to see a come back of the commune idea. Groups of people living together in community raising healthy food for our children. Helping them not be programmed by consumerism foisted upon them from the time they are tiny children. Working together for the common good. That might be just the antidote we need for this troubled time. Maybe we need a little smallness back in our lives. Maybe we should start making stuff again. Maybe we should take back our options. Well giant food conglomerates and mega grocery stores. I reject your produce. I want good healthy, organic options, if you don't have them I will go elsewhere. Well huge federally funded public school system, I demand you teach my children in a respectful, thoughtful and effective manner. You can't do it? Then I will take my tax dollars and use them to home school my children. See where I am going with this? Sounds good on paper. In fact, many people are doing these things. I think they are on to something.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Revolution
Okay, i have jumped down from my soap box. But really, these times that we live in create opportunities to do something great. Can we wake up out of our stupor and change the world? It's been done before. They did it, and they didn't even have the Internet.
Posted by S.D.S at 5:06 AM
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2 comments:
I agree with your premise that we need to simplify and be more community oriented. Allow me to expand upon that in the sense of a global community.
As humans, being social animals, we need each other. We can only socialize with a certain number of people, but that shouldn't limit us in the size of our communties.
We tend to limit ourselves in many ways, one of which is through the use of boundaries. We draw lines to designate what's yours and what's mine. We draw lines to designate one village from the next. We use mountains, rivers, and lines on a map to divide, divide, divide...into countries, states, counties, and personal plots of land. This is so entrenched in who we are, that when we die, our family buys a plot of land for us to rest eternally.
I have to ask, what is the difference between a person born and raised in one country compared to another country on the other side of the world? Is there a difference? Besides phenotypical physical characteristics, no, there is no difference between one member of our species and another on a macro level. Yet, we seem to live our lives as if those imaginary boundaries on a map make a difference.
We need to move beyond thsoe boundaries. We need to realize that the planet is a community of similar people - not a collection of different countries. We all face the same problems: pollution, food shortages, the need for shelter, etc. Not realizing this, not undertanding this, and not living life in accord with this knowledge is not allowing us to reach our greatest potential - one that may not have even been recognized, but must be there.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I look forward to reading more in the future.
I agree with you on a philosophical level. But don't good fences make good neighbors? How would the dissolution of boundaries play out? Maybe on a social level? Dissolving boundaries in our minds, being more open to people of different cultures and different attitudes. Americans can be so closed without realizing it.
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