What if Donald Trump did collude with the Russians and Hillary Clinton really did knowingly and willfully try to skirt the law with her email server? What if both political parties are beholden to big business and the financial sector, and they both have forgotten their primary obligation is to us the people? What if, we the people, actually acknowledge the facts demonstrated in a recent Pew research study that said 37% of Americans trust the Democratic Party and 30% of Americans trust the Republican Party?
Or that only 20% of Americans trust their elected leadership “Always” or “Most of the time.” What if we actually admitted to ourselves that currently two-thirds of America doesn’t trust their established political parties? What if we all admitted that none of us really still fit in the molds that are being pushed at us as being Democrats or Republicans? The bulk of people lean, but are not nearly as far slanted, as the parties make us think we have to be. What if we realized that we complain out there being term limits for politicians, yet there actually already is term limits in place? It’s called us... at the voting booth. What if we acknowledged that lawmakers are never going to pass a law setting term limits on themselves because that will eventually put them all out of a job. Term limits are controlled by the people and their willingness to continuously vote the same people in office. What if we realized that if we’re really sick and tired of lobbyist and billionaires controlling American policies, how about we quit voting the people who are being influenced by these groups into office time and time again? I’ve never got a dime for my vote so why should it matter if Politician X got so many odd millions of dollars donated to their campaign by business Y. What if we actually remembered what happens during the 4 years politicians are in office and not just basing our decisions on what they tell us when they campaign right before an election? You voted to end net neutrality, you’re done son. I’ve got nothing else to talk to you about a year or three years from now. We are the ones who are being affected financially by these decisions; when we are already living paycheck to paycheck. What if we realized that change means conservatives must hold Republicans accountable, and Liberals must hold Democrats accountable. That is the only way anything meaningful can happen. Conservative and Liberal American's taxes, healthcare cost, energy bills, and salaries are all the same. The incessant “whataboutism” of comparing each other is only hurting us all. What if we realized that’s the way the system is rigged to work?
What if we recognized, that whether it’s college tuition, the job market, or healthcare all Americans actually want the same thing? We all desire to feel like we can sustain ourselves, comfortably, and be able to actually enjoy life instead of worrying about our health or living paycheck to paycheck. What if we recognized that every media organization is clearly biased and intentionally slants information in order to simply increase response and viewership, de facto increasing advertisement revenues? What if we recognized that the reason so many people are willing to flee Mexico and risk living in America unlawfully is because the American demand for illegal drugs has wreaked havoc on the Mexican people who just with to live their lives in peace and raise their children without threats of violence? What if the solution to our immigration problems need to start with solving the problem of why so many Americans are in desperate need of finding synthetic happiness through illicit drugs.
What if we asked why is it that in a 100 years we have repeatedly developed pharmaceuticals that are highly addictive and deadly (over 60,000 Americans died from overdoses last year) yet not a single successful drug has ever been developed for curing addiction? What if we asked why is it that we cannot live in a world with a nuclear armed North Korea, but we can live in a world with a nuclear armed Russia, United Kingdom, France, Pakistan, India, China, and Israel; with shared nuclear weapons with Germany, Turkey, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands? What if we asked is the threat of North Korea possessing nuclear weapons so significant that it is worth significant loss of life and financial obligation fighting a war? What if we asked if the threat of North Korea possessing nuclear weapons so significant that it is worth WINNING a war over? Considering for almost the last 20 years we have left countries in worse shape than they were before we declared a war to “liberate” their citizens. What if we stopped arguing over fossil fuels and pipeline right-a-ways, and instead invested significantly into developing true sustainable renewable energy? What if we all realized that the cost of fossil fuels runs the entire economy as we all need electricity, and all workers and goods must be moved by use of fossil fuels? By developing renewable energy we could cut a huge chunk of the biggest financial impact on the economy.
What if we realized that the problem with American education isn’t getting kids in and keeping them in school. It’s with what goes on once they’re there? What if we realized we only teach about 1% of students to really think creatively, the way that leads to a society discovering new frontiers?
Right now our teachers cannot actually teach to their students. Instead, our teachers are forced to follow rigid universal standards developed by people nowhere close to a classroom. Then students are pigeonholed into simply being measured by how well they can regurgitate information for multiple choice and fill in the blank recall assessments. What if we realized that that 1% of kids we encourage to be creative are the ones that are considered “smart,” however that is based on a 100-year-old concept of intelligence testing that only measures conceptional intelligence.
It measures nothing on physical, emotional, or analytical intelligence. I spent almost my entire primary education with the “1% smart kids.” I graduated with a 4.0 GPA with a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics, however, I have no clue how to change the oil in my car, must less fix a single thing on it. Yet, my whole life I’ve watched mechanics diagnose and work on vehicles instinctively, almost like magic.
Last year we had hard wood floors installed in our home, I watched the flooring guy, very precisely and accurately, measuring and understanding complex geometric shapes and angels for the flooring; all in his head. When I talked to him about it, he told me he dropped out of high school because he was failing and getting in trouble. Why? Why is does that occur?
Mechanics, carpenters... blue collar workers are every bit as intelligent as me or anyone else. They are intelligent in ways that we aren’t measuring and giving them a chance to be successful in school. Additionally, “blue collar” workers are every bit as important to society as anyone else. Why doesn’t society make that designation? Why is it that “blue collar workers” aren’t paid as much as others? Let’s see a stock broker change the oil in his BMW on his own. Let’s see a doctor go back there and make his own Big Mac with cheese. People should be compensated for the work and effort they put into life to be successful, however, people should also be compensated commiserate to the fact they equally serve vital roles in society.
What if we all realized that all of us view each other superficially. We all judge each other by the clothes we wear or yes even the color of our skin. What if we acknowledged that we all view each other superficially and therefore instead of denying that racism doesn't exist, we acknowledge it can exist.
Then make the choice for yourself to view others past what is on the outside. Consider someone to be an asshole, criminal, or dangerous because they are. Not because they look like they are.
Realize that we all HAVE to care about all of these issues I’ve mentioned. We HAVE to love our neighbors as we do ourselves because every human being has a root in unity. To reject even the smallest part of unity is to reject it all. We have to care about these things and unity because none of us are afforded the right to be selfish. We all will one day leave this earth, and what we leave will be for our children. We cannot be selfish for our children’s sake. We cannot assume that any wealth in our life will transfer on to our children’s lives. That million dollar inheritance might only make could kindling for a fire if we get hit by a nuclear bomb or the financial systems collapse. None of us know that day we will die, but we all share in the obligation to leave our children with a better world.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t last a year before he was murdered after he said the things I’ve said here today. So who knows maybe I’ve cut my lifespan down dramatically. But you know what? Let’s be honest, i didn’t father five kids because I like to play things safe.
So let this serve as my final will and testament when my final day comes to arrive.
Don’t mourn me, don’t cry for me, don’t hold a funeral for me. In fact, just roll my body on down to the wildlife refuge in Savannah. The gators will take care of the rest. Don’t be sad for me... I’m good! Trust me, you all who are still here have far more to be sad about than me who's not there anymore. If you just must pay your respects to me, how about actually be respectful then. Don’t worry about me, rather worry about all of the things I said here. How about show some respect and make this world a better place for my kids, since I no longer can. Now, before anyone gets upset, trust me I have no intentions on going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, I plan on trying to have to update my last will here and change “kids” to “grandkids” or “great-grandkids.” So don’t worry, I plan on fighting this fight for a very long time.
At the end of the day, it would just be really cool if everyone else would jump on board and help fight it with me.