Change (or lack thereof)

After having a lengthy internet discussion with a good friend of mine concerning politics, the state of our nation, and the American love of artificially induced economical comfort, I am convinced that you can not change peoples minds of anything. You can only present the evidence so that when something happens, and they change themselves, it will be there for them to see. You could write it on a wall it big block letters, but until someone is ready to see it, they will forget how to read. I don't know what it is that opens peoples eyes, but I think it is different for everyone.

You can only change yourself. Do what you do because you know it to be the best you can possibly do. Do it for yourself. But don't waste time trying to convince people of something that they can not see. One day they will understand, or they won't. No matter how eloquent you are, if someone is not ready, they will find a reason to ignore what you have to say. Lead by example and one day, maybe someone will realize that there is a different way to be.

My friend is good man, he is truly one of the most caring people I have met. But he repeatedly turns his head away from the obvious, as do so many good people. I do not think less of him, but it saddens me. If his mind can't be changed, then no-one's can, because he is truly a receptive individual on most everything else.

I believe we are so concerned these days with "paying the mortgage" or watching out for our own backyard that we forget the rest of the world does not live this way. A teenager in the US whines about not getting a nice car for his 16th birthday, or graduation. That same teenager has no idea how good he has it. In Africa and all over the world, teenagers are fighting for their lives, dying for nothing. These children may never even see a car unless it is loaded to the gills with gun-toting militiamen, and even then only for a split second over a shoulder as the youth runs for his life.

The level of prosperity that we enjoy in this country is only because other nations live in poverty, and we take advantage of that. The US has been on an elevated platform for so long, that we forget how it is to be one of many. We forget how to walk in other (wo)mens shoes. Or that some people don't even have shoes.

I need a new pair of Nike's, made in Malaysia for fifteen cents, now only $99 at foot locker. Where does the profit go? Not to the country of origin. How much would those shoes cost if they were made by American hands? Could we afford them? Shouldn't Malaysians get paid the same for making the same shoes? What happens when every Chinese citizen that used to get paid a nickel to make outsourced plastic junk starts to get paid as much as Americans did before we "outsourced"? Who will we take advantage of then to maintain our false sense of economic superiority? No-one. Then we will be the ones getting the s***-end of the stick, because there will be no-one else to give it to.

If we truly have a better way of life, then it had better be available for everyone. But the truth is that the system wouldn't work if everyone played on the same level field.

Thanks again for reading, I know this one is a little farther to the left than some might want, but in the future I will try to keep it in check. Please comment, even if it is negative. Open dialog is one of the beauties of our country that many people from many nations don't enjoy.