Is President Obama To Blame?
I late received an anti-Obama electronic mail amongst a link to a video that blamed the President for our country's electrical flow as well as time to come problems. This faulty/irrational agency of thinking is a gross distortion of reality because no private is responsible for our problems, non Obama, non Bush…no one!
Instead, our problems stalk from a malfunctioning political-economic organization as well as a misdirected culture. At its really core, our monastic say is built on a foundation of beliefs as well as values that promote much of the negative side of human nature. The effect is a political-economic organization that, for example:
- Allows coin from particular interests to dictate the actions of Congress
- Repeatedly fails to cook our severely broken as well as unsustainable healthcare organization (see reference)
- …and as well as then on.
What nosotros ought to hold out doing to cook our problems is focusing sincerely on reforming our political-economic organization into i that:
- Forces widespread transparency
- Aligns the ought-tos amongst the can-dos
- Provides an environs where all individuals are enabled to develop their positive potential
- Is driven past times empathy as well as pity (e.g., living past times the "Golden Rule" ethics)
- Stops equating personal value (the inherent "worth" of one's self/ego) amongst personal wealth as well as might over others
- Takes a long-term, big-picture view
- Isn't fearful of telephone substitution change
- Inhibits individuals from going into politics who are focused primarily on their ain personal gains (e.g., past times minimizing the money-politics connectedness through amend motion contribution reform as well as limiting politicians upon leaving business office from becoming well-paid lobbyists for corporations they've helped)
- Embraces both scientific discipline as well as spirituality.
So, what's standing inwards the agency of such reform?
I debate that the answer, inwards large part, comes from analyzing this quote past times Howard Zinn inwards a recent Bill Moyer's interview (at this link): "Democracy doesn't come upwards from the top. It comes from the bottom. Democracy is non what governments do. It's what people do… whenever the authorities has done anything to choose virtually change, it's done as well as then alone because it's been pushed as well as prodded past times social movements, past times ordinary people organizing." And this quote takes from i of Zinn's books: "If republic were to hold out given whatever meaning, if it were to move beyond the limits of capitalism as well as nationalism, this would non come, if history were whatever guide, from the top. It would come upwards through citizen's movements, educating, organizing, agitating, striking, boycotting, demonstrating, threatening those inwards might amongst disruption of the stability they needed."
So, if things are as well as then bas for as well as then many, why don't "we the people" demand meaningful (aka radical) change?
Well, it takes sure as shooting ways of thinking as well as a proficient bargain of motivation for people to force themselves out of despair. They must transform their life views from beingness overwhelmed amongst a sense of hopelessness as well as helplessness to feeling hopeful, capable as well as having a clear administration past times which they tin actualize/realize their potential. This is possible, but non easy.
On the i hand, nosotros all take away keep the inherent capacity to alter the agency nosotros retrieve virtually ourselves, others, our electrical flow life province of affairs as well as our futures. We tin gain novel noesis as well as skills. We take away keep the might to move inspired as well as to deed inwards constructive ways that enable us to develop their minds as well as bodies, as well as to achieve a amend character of life.
On the other hand, the negative influences of our civilization tend to foster the negative side of human nature to move dominant, which inhibit such positive thinking, learning as well as action. These negative influences include such things as:
- Poor education, an dangerous living environment, racial prejudice, generations of poverty, propaganda as well as "spin"
- Normal human thinking limitations (e.g., short-sightedness, over-generalization, depression frustration tolerance, miserable attending span, wishful thinking, close-mindedness, gullibility, misdirected focus, ignorance, influence of negative emotions, etc.)
- Corporations who hire lobbyists to acquire laws passed that practise goodness them—i.e., creating the rules inwards their favor past times "tilting the playfield"—which is oftentimes at the expense/detriment of the full general public
- Cultural attitudes inwards which "money makes the man," "winning the game is what matters" as well as "buyer beware" trump attitudes such equally "leading a virtuous life matters," "how y'all play the game is what's important" as well as "focus on giving the consumer high value."
- Making available character "ingredients," e.g., access to proficient education/training, availability of jobs, decent as well as affordable healthcare, rubber neighborhoods as well as realistic argue for hope.
- Promoting credence that the best pie a somebody has the potential to create volition non necessarily hold out equally "tasty" equally other people's pies. That is, helping people realize that it's OK for some individuals to gain greater textile rewards as well as might than others, equally long equally it's acquired inwards a virtuous vogue (i.e., through honesty, integrity, value-creation, etc.), as well as equally long equally everyone's essential needs are satisfied (e.g., proficient food, healthcare, didactics as well as protection).