Irritation, sadness and I suppose a lot of anger is the reaction of many people to what the media and Hollywood have to offer, but they are only providing the consumer with what the consumer buys. If we stopped buying tickets they would change what they offer. We vote with our money so complaining is hypocritical.
Is politics any different? Whether we rightfully complain about all the American jobs that have gone overseas or the elite and their outrageous bonuses, until something touches us personally we just don't get it. 'Not getting it' means we are not moved enough to change our own way of thinking. Someone said something to the effect of 'to keep doing the same thing and expecting change is the definition of being crazy.' We want change, but we are not willing to change ourselves.
There is no point going into all the reasons, health and otherwise, for why we need to make better choices in what we do with the time we complain we don't have. I grow weary of all the reasons so-called Christians give for not reading their Bibles. They are like the person who whines they don't have any money and next week they have a new car. We all know better, don't we?
We want change, but we are not willing to change ourselves. Just like I think we all know the things we indulge in will eventually take their toll; video games, cell phones, deforestation, carbon emissions, etc. Did I mention laziness, dishonesty, lack of respect and abuse of our own body, or worse, abusing someone else?
We want change, but we are not willing to change ourselves. Most of us don't read the Bible because we find it boring. Oh for heaven's sake, admit it. It is easier to listen and believe someone else than seek God for ourselves. Those who say it is an ancient book written by ancient people with no relevance for today have not read it. Those who claim to have read the Bible may have read snippets, but not the entire Bible. Do you know you can read the entire Bible in a year if you will spend just thirty minutes or less every day? Of course you might miss the News on television, you know, the same stories you will see five or six times before you go to bed. There is also the very real danger that reading your Bible for thirty minutes a day will change how you think.
Yeah, I'm peeved, mostly frustrated. I want to see a healthy, happy world and I truly believe that everyone else does too. It is not a matter of some small group paying the price; we all need to pay the price. Instead of wanting some politician, who is personally doing quite well with the status quo, thank you very much, we need pay the price to change ourselves.
At the beginning of the first Gulf War most of America came together, however briefly. On 9/11 we came together again. Why is a crisis necessary to bring people together? We certainly needed and will always need change. As we wrestle with the present we need to remember that today is only yesterday's tomorrow.
Does our President make me nervous? You bet, but jobs going overseas did not start with Obama. The elite and their unconscious bonuses did not start with Obama. Empire building and imperialism did not start with Obama. Corruption and oppression did not start with Obama, but my big question is will any of these decrease on our present course?
As for you and me, the blurred, indistinct faces of people wondering how we will pay the required health insurance when we are struggling to pay the rent, well, we're part of the reason why we are where we are. You and I are in a state of denial if we're expecting help paying our rent because of the bonus bail out for the few or the mortgage assistance for a slightly larger group. What were we watching on television yesterday that told us how to think and what to do? Did we examine the issues ourselves and come to our own conclusions and vote our conscious or did we let some smiling charismatic slap us on the back with one hand while the other hand was in our pocket? Those people are not exclusively Democrats or Republicans. Is either really any better than the other? If they are like us, as many of them claim, why don't they have the same Social Security we have? Why don't we have the health care they have? We are only the means to their end.
Yes, we need change in America, but that change needs to come from you and me. If we really love our grandchildren shouldn't we make the time to examine the issues and vote our conscience, not just what is good for us personally? We don't, but we know we should. It is easier to let someone else tell us how to think.
We cringe when we look at the raped and plundered people around us, the broken world that swoons in pain and the storm clouds we see in our future. It is not enough to cringe, indulge in a pity party or tell yourself there's nothing you can do. You and I can educate ourselves regarding what matters most to the future of our country for those who follow not so far behind.
We need a larger, broader perspective that extends beyond our own needs and we need to trust our own common sense. How does moving jobs overseas help the working people and the people who want to work in America? What esoteric nonsense made us think this was good for America? To be sure, it is very good for those who make a profit with cheap labor. Does that strengthen the future for America or line the pockets of the wheeler dealers?
Yes, we need change, but the change we need to make is within ourselves. It is not a matter of fighting force with force, becoming evil to fight evil and certainly not hurting someone else. It is not a matter of exchanging angry emails, caustic confrontations, or disrespecting those who believe or live differently from how you live. It is about staying home when there's nothing at the movies you want to see, turning off the television if the Blazers are not playing, saying no to that second helping of ice cream, learning to listen more than we speak and thinking through your decisions before you act.
Yes, we need change in America, but that change needs to come from you and me.
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