I love the optimistic tone of the article below and the hard truth about the sorry state of the world today. Unfortunately, this resonates with me as much as my mass communications and sociology class as a university student 20 years ago.
To be sure, my professors were excellent at highlighting the rising income inequality gap, how we were all damaging the environment, increasing healthcare and education costs, government debt and poverty levels not only in Canada but across the globe. In fact, they were absolutely awesome at pointing out exactly all the things that were wrong with the world.
So naturally, I asked one of my professors, now what? How do we fix this mess?
My clarity became complete when my professor admitted he had not answers for me. That it would be up to my generation to clean up the mess left behind by many, many generations before me.
Sound familiar? My professors may as well have been lecturing about today’s current events.
The governments and media do a wonderful job of masking the issues and sweeping the truth under the rug. But the truth is blatantly out there for anyone truly willing to look, as evidenced by the article below.
The problem today is the same as it was even 20 years ago, which by the way has only grown substantially worse since then, is not that we do not have sufficient clarity. Indeed, clarity hits people over the head like a sledge hammer these days.
I am certain that it is hard for them to ignore their very own personal daily struggles of trying to care for their families, to work at sometimes multiple thankless jobs for countless hours and still not being able to make ends meet. I am certain that they can clearly see that things continue to get worse not better.
I am not a cynic. Indeed instead of dwelling on these political, social and economic and geopolitical matters that neither I, or anyone else really, has any control over, I have decided to focus my attention on things that I can control in my life and on opportunities to make a better life for myself and my family.
Make no mistake, despite what you may think or what you hear in the news, there is still plenty of opportunities for anyone willing to look for them.
I am not saying that I disagree with the article’s call to action. I am just saying that actions speak louder than words. Unfortunately, most politicians around the world are great speakers but absolutely horrible action takers. So let’s get real here. Politicians are wonderful at making promises that they either cannot, will not or have no intention of keeping.
The real problem is that politicians have no balls to make the hard decisions necessary to do what needs to be done to change this world for the better. Period!
And why would they? After all, they are only looking after their own best interest, spewing only BS about change and anything else they truly feel will either get them elected or re-elected, and that is at their best. On the ugly end of the political spectrum we get glimpses from time to time about some rampant corruption, sex scandal, hiding money off shore, money laundering, or some out right lies and impeachments for those who get caught with their hands in the cookie jar red handed.
However, once those things no longer make the headlines it quickly gets back to “political business as usual”, whatever that is in the political world. Just don’t get caught!
Even politicians who start off with the highest levels of integrity recognize that elections are won with money and quickly come to realize the harsh truth.
Money for elections comes with strings attached, promises made that they never dreamed they would ever make, lobbyists and their money backers always looking to get their pound of flesh and political opponents with very different ideological beliefs categorically saying “no” to even the most meaningful and logical proposal to change, regardless of and even when it’s blatantly obvious the right thing to do.
In fact, I view the phrase “political action” an oxymoron, since the only time most politicians will move into necessary action is when it is generally already too late. One has only to look at the events of 9-11, the Great Recession, myriads of man made and natural disasters, wars, famine, slavery, terrorist attacks human genocide, etc. around the globe and throughout history.
Well, I guess better late than never, right? How has that worked out around the globe today? The problems we now face are no longer just national. They are now global. And if a few political parties cannot see eye to eye within their sovereign nation to do the right thing and what must be done, then what does that mean when the issues at hand are global in nature?
If governments cannot play nice with other political parties within their own borders, how can we honestly believe they can be in any way effective playing ball with other sovereign governments around the world, who find themselves in the same foul state? Indeed, the problem then grows to not just politicians but entire governments and nations looking after their own interests rather than the greater good for the world as a whole.
Ask yourself, when did politicians take necessary and decisive action throughout history? Before or after the fact? What, if anything, did they to do prevent any of these. Most importantly, what real difference have their collective actions made to the world at large today? Are we really in a better place now than in the past?
It is for these reasons that I rely on my own efforts and actions than any politicians promise. Don’t do what politicians do.
“Be decisive. Right or wrong make a decision. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn’t make a decision.” – Anonymous
We, each and every one of us, are the very tools necessary to change this world. To make our lives and the lives of our families better. To make this world a better place.
And if you are still looking to your political leader to do the right thing, I wish you the best of luck. I suspect you will continue to wait a long, long time. Just remember:
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” — FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF