Equality, Liberty, Fraternity

These are the words that defined arguably the most important event in the history of society, the French Revolution of 1789. I bring them up now because our modern society could use alot more of all three, as a cure for what ails us and as a guide for getting to where we should be by now in the course of the human narrative.
Equality for starters. Specifically I am thinking of the increasing gap between the rich and the poor in America, and also the gap between the wealthy nations of the West and the poor countries of the developing world. From what I read the wealth gap is the greatest now since the 1920's, and of course we all know what happened following that decade. The pending recession will be the topic of another post, so I'll leave that alone for now.
I'll start with the premise that none of us really deserve anything, no matter how smart we think we are, or how many hours we put in at our jobs, or how much education we have, and on and on. We are fortunate to have whatever we have, although it's easy to forget that as we often get caught up in the constant and ever elusive search for the next best thing, that one more purchase that will give us a better life, whether it be a bigger house, a car that drives itself while you sit in the backseat and watch movies, or the latest status symbol or gadget that promises to make life easier and more fullfilling. Whatever we have in terms of material resources is a blessing, and pales in comparison to the true blessings in life, our health, our ability to love, and most of all the people in our lives.
So since we don't really deserve anything that we have, would it be so bad if we had to give some, or even most of it up so that more people could share in the wealth? Would it kill our society if we all paid more taxes in order that people could live a quality life, even if they had the audacity to be less educated, motivated, or intelligent than we like to think we are? Would it stifle ingenuity and creativity if people actually worked jobs for the sake of the work itself, and not so they could collect a paycheck to pay for a bunch of stuff that's not really needed to begin with? The answer to these questions, in my view of the world, is no. We would all survive and get along just find. Heck, we might even find that life is simpler without all the trappings of modern, post-industrial, consumeristic society.
There are plenty of isms that ail us, racism, sexism, conservatism, (sorry I couldn't help myself) but classism is perhaps the biggest threat of all. It seems to cross racial, gender, and party lines, and serves to divide us even more than whether we live in a blue or red state, or whether we are pro or anti this or the other, or whether the shade of our skin color is light, dark, or somewhere in between. I envision a world in which more equality could lead to greater fraternity, and ultimately, more liberty for all of us to live our lives as we truly desire, not in accordance with how Madison Avenue, Wall Street, or the owners of the Westcor shopping malls would have us live.
To quote one of the great poets of our time, and since I always enjoy pop music references, you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. How many of us would be truly happier if we shared more and spent less. If we spent more time at play than at work? If we paid more attention to our personal health and well-being than to our bank statements? If we focused more on what unites us than on what divides us. I know that there are those who will refuse to give up the habits and ways of thinking that have become an accepted way of life in the modern world, but I believe there are many more that would welcome a new paradigm, a new way to look at and interact with the world. I hope someday, you'll join us, and the world will live as one. It's worth considering at least.

Putting the Daily Back in the Grind

Allright, I figured that if it worked for the Sopranos, maybe I could generate some excitement by taking a month or few off in between ramblings and rants. Or maybe life just happened and one day it's Memorial Day and the next thing you know it's Christmas. Funny how that tends to happen, more so as you get older it seems. I am planning on getting active in my writing once again, I've got a few ideas for starters and will take it from there. I just wanted to post something for today in hopes that it will be the kick start I need to get going again. I hope that all of you are having a wonderful Christmas holiday, that you are enjoying what makes this holiday great, family, friends, and food. And the Lakers on the tube isn't such a bad deal either. I look forward to writing again and especially to reading your comments, and to getting the dialouge up and running. Talk to you all very soon. But for now, it's time for family, friends, and feasting, and hopefully a Lakers victory to top it all off.