I would like to live in a world without royalties, without domestic disputes, without the insistence on locking your car, without divided cities, without foreign atm fees, without small illuminated screens and without so many important things left unsaid. We're all in the same boat. That same boat, in fact, has a hole punctured in the bottom of it, and we're sinking slowly. Does anyone else feel this too? Sorrow comes for certain pains, while other times it's just plain depressing because it feels like we're steadily getting worse. Like someone with lung cancer told they must stop smoking, but we continue to smoke and say "i'll live my own life". I'd like to think i've turned a new leaf on some of my previous harsh judgements and accusations. Now i'm legitimately concerned.
Some of this may come across as naive, and I apologize, for I still consider myself a child when it comes to this world. I'm stretching my arms out and wiping my eyes to adjust to each new light. Sometimes I can't always adjust though. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable. I get frustrated. Just because a certain system is in operation does not mean that it is "working", and the best way to do something isn't always just echoing what we've done previously. We work from what we know, fair enough, but we know very little. We hold extremely tight to our possessions...why? It's as if we all paid a visit to someone at the beginning of our lives that told us to "hold tight to our belongings, it's a matter or life and death". People do steal things, it's true. I lock my car, I lock my apartment, and I feel right in doing it. I spoke with a musician the other night who explained to me how vitally important it is to trademark and copyright your music so that someone doesn't grab it and claim it as their own. He said he learned the hard way and he has learned a lot ever since making music and sharing it. Why can't we simply create? Why can't we simply live?
The ole mighty dollar plays its part. It shouldn't have the control that we give it, but here we are, and the boat keeps sinking. Some people spend most of their days just perusing the web and various databases, searching for information or products or currency they can take as their own. There are hackers, tech, nerds, and so on that use codes and tricks to obtain other people's info to steal their identity. We withhold information and/or fabricate details for our own benefit all the time. We are eager to get the most out of everything, for our own pure gain, and often times at the expense of someone else. It's more than a shame, it's sickening. I commend a person that has worked extremely hard to get to the point that they have, but still, that doesn't negate the fact that the system is lopsided and in need of correction. The next time someone asks you if you can spare some change, think of them asking you if you want to see the world change. If so, then you have something to spare, if not, then I guess there's no problem with holding on to what we feel we've earned.
Keys and locks and passwords and safes aren't going to save us. We have become so protective to the point that we lock ourselves up into a number of beliefs and stereotypes that don't promote world growth. We judge poor people for taking the money given to them and spending it on liquor or weed, but how is it any better for someone that has excess to spend money on the exact same thing? What because they have money to get healthy food from the organic store and get a little high on the side, that's not a problem because they're balanced? Is that it? How messed up is that? Seriously. We scrutinize the wrong people far too often. I believe we could all be a little better off if we were taken down a peg, if we had a little less, maybe forced to re-evaluate how we live. Part of the separation comes when we make strong distinctions or call things black and white.
Family life isn't great for everyone. Some people deal with a world of pain every day they come home, walk through the door, and put up with more than they ever should have to. Sometimes it turns violent, either physically or verbally, and sometimes it's just emotional pain. There's rarely a rhyme or reason to it, just what they've had to deal with their entire lives, and others don't think much of it unless it interrupts their evening dinner. We are separated by our homes, our cubicles, our apartments, our cars, our lines, our first class, our phones and so on. Each thing plays a part in us taking one more step back from the rest of the world, which we believe in doing so will help keep us a little safer and maybe help us to live more efficient lives. The definition of efficient is "achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense". What is it would you say might be at the expense of having computer kiosks or electronic cashiers? Well, not only does it take away a certain number of jobs from the general public, but it also helps us to avoid human interaction, and in doing so removes one of the most precious things we have. I'm not joking, human interaction and connection is one of the most beautiful gifts we've been given. It doesn't appear to be that devastating to anyone. I honestly can't say such a blanket statement, but this is coming from a lot of built up frustration.
I'm afraid and angry at our current state, and after seeing our 'strides' for the future, it doesn't look like it's getting much better. But I do believe in growth, and unity, and I believe that through each small action on our part we can make a difference. Things are not as they should be but what a beautiful thing it would be to live in a way we truly believe is our purpose. Live in a way where we are not closed off from the world, where we confront issues at hand, where we take part in society, where we find joy beyond possessions, where we acknowledge the world around us and the responsibility we have in it. I believe we have been given so much potential. I hope and pray we will use it for good, because things have gotten out of hand.
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