“Be the change you
want to see in the world.”
I want to look back on my life and be proud of myself and
those who I shared this time on earth with because we did something to make the
world a better place for those who will live on after us.
As a society we are on the cusp of the potential for great
change, because the way that things have been going are causing strife and chaos
in the world. War and violence and
oppression have become themes so common, so ingrained in the dialogue and
psyches of humanity that by and large, the majority of us have given up on the
belief that there can be a better way to live. Yet there is a better way a
live, but to get there will require a significant amount of effort and the
ability to believe that our neighbors and complete strangers are willing to do
good for themselves and for all of us.
I still believe that the American system of government as
laid out by the Founding Fathers and taught to us in the school systems is the
best form of government that has ever been provided to a people. I believe it is the best form of government
for individuals and groups to use to represent themselves and collectively
guide the entirety of society for its own greatest benefit. I also believe that this system has been
hijacked by a self appointed, elite minority that is hell bent on preserving
their power and control to the detriment of 99% of us. This minority is not just a group of
Americans, but who are a group of people spread around the globe who are
through industry, media and government are tirelessly working, directing,
organizing and perpetuating destructive policies and strategies for their own
enrichment.
I do not blame these people for doing what they are
genetically pre-disposed to do. We are
all blessed with one life on this planet, and it is natural for us to make the
most of it for ourselves, and for our children.
It is natural for us to show our children how to preserve what we have
worked to provide them with, so that they can make the most of their own
opportunities and to continue the cycle for their own loved ones.
I do blame them for being selfish, short sighted and for
lacking a sense of the collective conscious and the need to partner with all of
us, for the betterment of all of us. Not
just the betterment of Americans, but the betterment of humanity.
The good news is that we live in America, a place where an
immigrant can work hard and make a better life for themselves, a place where a
child can decide to go the moon, or a person can decide to become
President. We live in the land of
opportunity, and no opportunity is greater than the opportunity to contribute to our community
and to strive to create the kind of economic and political system that provides
the greatest benefit to the largest number of people.
The thing is that opportunity is just that, opportunity. It is the potential to do something, not a
guarantee that it will be done. It takes
a life time of dedication, a good heart, a wise mind and an enlightened spirit
to bring about positive, lasting change that will persist for generations to
come. Like a window, opportunity does
not stay open forever. A wise person
once said, “What some people call luck, I call being well prepared when
opportunity arises.”
I look at the Internet and I see the opportunity to enact
change in the way that America is governed.
I see the opportunity to create a better economy and to bring
transparency and accountability to the functions of military and government
that since the end of World War 2, have been turned upon the people not to
support them, but to keep them in line.
The Internet is a place where a person can make a silly video with Legos
about a preview for a science fiction movie and within a week, have that idea
viewed by over 40 million people and mentioned on broadcast television.
Think about that for a second. Someone can have an idea, have a vision that
they put some effort into sharing with their friends and complete
strangers. Those friends and strangers
can enjoy what they see and on some level, agree that it is worth sharing. They can leverage computers and smart phones
to spread the idea through a computer network, and that idea can eventually
reach millions of people.
If that can be done with a movie trailer or some humorous
content, why not with the idea that we have the ability to create a world where
war and violence are the exception to the rule because people have food, and
shelter and the opportunity to better themselves?
How about these ideas? (There are plenty more where these came from)
·
A President who dedicates four years to bringing
transparency and accountability on the workings of government to the American
people, in order to educate the people on how heavily corporations and special
interests exert control over their lives?
o
A President who is open with their itinerary
§
Who comes to talk to them?
§
What do they talk about?
§
What does that person / the people that person
represent, want?
·
A President who dedicates four years to removing
the obstacles Americans face to making healthcare decisions for themselves.
o
Intelligent marijuana policy that recognizes its
health benefits.
o
Intelligent food and drug policy that exposes
the dysfunction at the FDA and sets the organization on the path towards
enabling Americans to be healthy through nutrition and preventative care.
·
A President who dismantles the Drug War and
speaks truth to power about the schizophrenia between pharmaceutical drugs which are ‘good’ and street drugs which
are ‘bad’
o
Finding a better use for the ~$40 BILLION spent
every year on the drug war.
·
A President who embraces realistic energy
policies that strike the balance between renewable energy technologies like
solar, wind and hydro-electric combined with baseline nuclear generation to
replace American dependence on fossil fuels.
·
A President who champions a foreign policy that
seeks to export opportunity, not weapons and death.
All human beings essentially want
food, shelter, safety and opportunity.
Let’s focus America on delivering those things to our fellow citizens and
those citizens in other countries who want the same things. Let's give peace a chance.
