AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY
57Something to hit
AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY
or, Why Bother?
or, What's the Point?
or, Who Gives a Rat's Ass?
or, You Made Your Bed Now Sleep In It.
I have forty; count them, forty essays sitting in my "work in progress" folder on my hard drive. I could probably finish them all in a couple of days if I thought there was any reason to do so.
I spend an inordinate amount of time reading on the Internet. Over recent months I have spent much less time looking at the articles on sites such as Common Dreams, Digg, Mixx, Dissident Voice and many others. Instead I have focused on the comments and discussions of the readers. What I see is nothing more than the continued success of the demons ruling America, who are hell-bent on destroying everything of beauty and meaning in the world and within the human soul. I see divisiveness, argument, derision, contempt, name calling, obscene expletives, mindless parroting of slogans and memes. There is endless, non-productive, pointless, time and effort-wasting conflict while the United States crashes and burns probably destroying most Life on Earth in the process.
Here is a new rule I whish everyone would follow: The word Life must always be capitalized. We all seem to think this is appropriate for such inconsequential words as God, American, Arab, African, Christian, Catholic, Muslim, French, British, ad nauseam. All the things that make us "different" must be emphasized and elevated to levels of great import while the one most significant thing, Life, is deemed just another word to which we really should not pay too much attention.
Instead of using the Internet, this last bastion of free and open communication, to organize and build a resistance against their common foe, people waste hours, days, weeks and months ranting, disputing and berating each other. We have been well trained to waste our passion at each others throats rather than uniting in our common cause against a monstrous enemy that will see us all enslaved and our children and grandchildren starving in a barren, sterile landscape and choking on a poisoned atmosphere. The Internet, like all things once having potential to bring positive change, has been co-opted by the very machine it could have brought under control. It has increasingly become something thought of solely as yet another means of generating revenue to feed the ravenous, insatiable, fascist capitalist machine. We have been duped into doing it here on HubPages. As I post this Hub I will be taking down ALL advertising from ALL my earlier posts and cancelling my accounts with adsense and any other programs designed to make a few people obscenely rich while attempting to delude millions of others into believing that they too can share equally in the wealth.
It seems to me now that I have squandered these last several years foolishly hoping I would somehow connect with and become part of, a community of caring and committed revolutionaries who could bring about the awareness and awaken the urgency needed to stop this insanity. Instead I have found that the Indoctri-Nation has become self-sustaining and reaches absolutely everywhere. The wedges of poisonous, petty ideologies are driven so deeply into the trunk of our family tree that it has been split asunder. It lies dying on the bloodied ground, its branches scattered and withering, writhing in the final paroxysms of avarice, racism, fundamentalism, ignorance and hatred.
The profound being of life, a fire that once burned brightly in the human spirit, is reduced to a mound of putrid ashes stinking of greed, treachery and malice.
The aura of transcendent beauty that once radiated from great works of art is defiled and turned to plastic trinkets and gaudy, identically worthless bits of junk.
The joyous voices that once sang out like choirs of angels from magnificent music are cheapened and made discordant for mindless mass consumption.
The monuments that were raised, from passion and often willing sacrifice, like tributes to the rock, stone and mountains of Earth are scoffed at, ogled like a circus sideshow, destroyed and replaced by hideous, suffocating concrete daggers stabbing the sky with poisoned blades.
Words that made and changed history, tomes of wisdom, enlightenment and brilliance are hidden, forgotten, ignored or wantonly destroyed for the sake of revisionism, deception, control and insipid distraction.
The tools of life once lovingly created by those dedicated to their crafting and treasured by their users as vital, almost living extensions of their own working bodies have been mutated into destructive, controlling and consuming monstrosities of commerce to further enrich supremacist monsters bent on the ruin of Life.
In desperation I tried to create something I naively hoped could be a rallying point, a jolt of reality, something to light a fire of rebellion. Most of you have seen my petition to the United Nations. It is a plea for help from the rest of the world in stopping the monstrosity our country has become. It still has less than three hundred signatures. I am very seriously contemplating sending links to the embassies of Iran, Venezuela, China and Russia. I suppose all that would do is land me in Guantanamo.
Meanwhile I see petitions on such burning issues as:
"Bring Misty back to Pokemon Advanced" 28,086 signatures.
"The Gilmore Girls Season 8 Petition" 14,001 signatures.
"Duffey Family Extreme Makeover - Home Edition Nomination" 31,651 signatures
"Save The OC From Cancellation!" 9,090 signatures
"Get Britney Nominated For 2005 VMAs" 4,218 signatures
"Mr. Boston from I Love NY. Should Have His Own Show" 3,389 signatures
"Save Arrested Development (#3)" 45,987 signatures
What could have I been thinking? How could I expect anyone to be concerned with such a trifling subject as the survival of the human race when these other, urgent, much more significant problems go unaddressed?
I spent much of this morning surfing the few channels we get with our antenna just to see what I've been missing these last few years. Nowhere, not even on PBS, is there any mention of the fact that the United States Constitution has been used as toilet paper by George W. Bush and company. Nothing is said about the fact that this country is utterly bankrupt and that a total collapse of the banking system is imminent. There is no discussion of the fact that, unless we take immediate and very drastic action, our grandchildren will be faced with starvation, abject poverty, pestilence, and enslavement. No one mentions that Ford and General motors, probably the two greatest icons of western fascist capitalism, are on the verge of bankruptcy and that tens of thousands, perhaps a million, more American workers are about to lose their livelihood.
Instead there are hours of rumor mongering regarding various Hollywood celebrities. Then the burning questions pertaining to these most important contributors to society begin. Which female personality made the most money last year? Which male personality made the most money last year? How many tens of thousands of dollars has Jennifer Lopez spent on shoes? How many millions has Oprah spent on mansions? Who is the sexiest male actor? Who is the sexiest female actor? What personality is in what rehab facility for what reason? Will Britney come back? Will Paris grow a brain? Will any of these creatures ever do ANYTHING that warrants paying them twenty million dollars for a few months of playing pretend? These are all critical questions that must be answered if we are ever to have any hope for the future.
There is an hour of banal and insipid chit chat called "The View". There is another hour of banal and insipid chit chat from "Oprah".
As the day progresses and I use that word very loosely, there is an endless, disgusting torrent of useless, bland, trite and mindless drivel with never a hint that there might be some serious trouble right here in River City; with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Petroleum.
Even the alleged "news" broadcasts "report" the ongoing collapse of the global economy as if it were a minor, temporary inconvenience which is being dealt with most effectively and with great alacrity by the magical, mystical prestidigitation of The Magnificent Bernanke!
The burgeoning extinction event we have entered is treated, if it is mentioned at all, as if it were an as yet to be verified glitch in the weather that might prove to be very advantageous for those who wish to look for oil in the polar regions.
Mr. And Mrs. America swallow the pabulum, drink the Kool-Aid and rush out to spend more money that they do not have, money that, in fact, does not even exist.
As the day grinds insufferably into evening we can look forward to such stunningly vital programming as "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" and a host of allegedly funny sitcoms which are in fact abysmally boring and not even remotely amusing.
To catalogue the utterly worthless and mind numbing list of total, unmitigated trash, at least half of which is blatant lies delivered in the form of commercials, is more than I could bear to do. I would end up in the bathroom kneeling at the porcelain alter sacrificing my meager lunch to the gods of fascist capitalism.
That is just the tiny fraction of the wonderful and enlightening world of TV that is available via broadcast. There is still the vast, vulgar cesspool of cable programming, what an appropriate term, which I no longer have or desire access to.
Do any of us have any real comprehension of what we are doing to our children by exposing them to this noxious, mind altering toxin day after day? Do any of us in fact really care?
Have I offended anyone? Too bad. Get over it. You ain't seen nothing yet. If I even bother to continue this practice it will be for the sole purpose of venting the rage that I do not want to spill over into any "real" environment.
My tiny house, which would really be adequate for a single person is now occupied by three adults and a five year old child. The company my stepson worked for, a painting business doing work for the high end custom home builders that were thriving here during the housing delirium, has folded. He lost his job and his rental home. He is now sleeping on the living room couch. This does not make for a joyous household.
I am constantly infuriated by the terminal stupidity of the human animal, myself included. We are insanely self-interested, ill informed, belligerent, arrogant, thoughtless, gratuitously violent and without any socially redeeming qualities. Ants, bees and termites form far more civil societies than do humans. We are a failed species, a bad experiment of evolution. The giant Redwood tree is a more advanced life form than Homo sapiens. Let the "naked ape" slip quickly into the welcoming abyss of extinction where it can do no further harm, for the damage it has done far outweighs any incidental good that may have occurred during its brief existence.
Are you really pissed now? Well, tell you what, write your congressman.
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Comments
Well spryte, I haven't really been able to leave my house today since you ask and you’ve actually posed four questions, not one. I have, however, devoted most of the day to the care and education of my handicapped grandson of five who is legally in the custody and care of me and my disabled wife. Since neither of his “parents” is inclined to provide the special education and attention he will need to have any chance in society we have taken that responsibility upon ourselves.
I have also opened my home to my stepson who has recently lost his job and rental home.
I take care of most of the household chores, shopping and such since my wife’s disability often makes these tasks impossible for her.
Actually, I make it a practice to open doors for anyone, male or female regardless of age. I do not discriminate.
When I stop at a traffic signal that has a right turn lane available I always make sure, if I’m the first car at the light, to pull to the left lane in case any car behind me wishes to turn right. I never drive in the left lane of a multilane road unless I need to pass a slow vehicle ahead of me. I do not exceed speed limits by more than one or two mph and never enter the flow of traffic unless there is adequate time and space to do so.
If I am in the register line at a store with several items and someone with only a few comes up behind I always allow them to step ahead of me.
If anyone makes eye contact with me I always make it my business to smile.
If you “cringe” at the thought of “mob mentality” your face must be frozen in a perpetual grimace because the populace of America is largely nothing more than a mob of mesmerized consumers responding to the Pavlovian stimulus of the marketing machine.
Were the new Americans who battled the tyrant Britain for the independence of this country a mob then?
Is a union that stands for the rights and fair treatment of workers a mob?
Is it your belief that any group of people who unite against tyranny and oppression and make a stand for the common good is a mob?
The way you have engaged me with sarcasm and implications of your presumed saintly demeanor while assuming mine to be crude and offensive is a perfect example of the very antagonistic and combative behavior I describe. You assault my sincere and heartfelt attempt to do something to bring a halt to the rogue state America has become by defining it so elegantly as “crap”. You then suggest that all we have to do is make nice with everyone and be courteous and polite and everything will be just fine.
Do you actually believe that the criminals who call themselves bankers will stop the practice of predatory lending, driving honest, hard working people into bankruptcy if we are polite to them?
Do you think the avaricious speculators of Wall Street will relent and allow the price of oil to go to its actual value if we ask them nicely?
Do you imagine that the politicians who would probably sell their own children to ExxonMobil if requested to do so will be brought to rein by random acts of kindness?
Please spare me your condescending and presumptuous attitude. Unless you have read and fully understand the “crap” in the petition and the statements of the small “mob” that has signed it I suggest that it would be only polite to keep your opinions to yourself.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and offer such pertinent comments.
Coldwarbaby This is a very thought provoking hub. But the problems you outline are not uniquely American. The same comments are valid all over the so-called civilised or "first World" countries. I believe that the seven deadly sins display themselves on a daily basis. I think that Warren Buffet and Bill Gates giving away their millions to charity is just a teeny symptom of some of the guilt felt ny them at amassing obscene amounts of wealth
Coldwarbaby, whenever our TV and internet goes down the first thing I notice is how much better I feel. It is in the best interest of the government and corporate America to keep us at each others throats, and they do a good job of it, but we certainly help. I think we are in for a very, very bad time here and no one is really doing much about it except bailing out the fat cats. Another good hub, thank you.
Coldwarbaby:
I commend you for "doing your duty"...but I sense no joy in any of those acts of altruism. If I came across as condescending, mea culpa...what I really feel at the moment is...something more akin to profound pity.
And yes...I do think the Boston Tea Party was a fine example of mob mentality.
So you want to change the world by rubbing the proverbial nose of the puppy in the mess it leaves behind...won't work. All beings, even puppies and humans, learn through positive reinforcement.
Take a look at your average advertisement. There's a reason why sex sells...I bet if going green was sexy...a lot more people would be driving smart cars.
Sorry if you were insulted by my point of view, but extreme negativity irks the hell out of me. You can spew venom, wonder why you are being ignored and then get angry when a person tells you why...or you can learn from it. Choice is always yours.
If speaking the truth is "spewing venom," ColdWarBaby, it's no wonder that some people want to live in the land of Oz. If George W. Bush and Dick Cheney want to invade Liechtenstein because it's full of terrorists determined to destroy the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum then we'd better not question their judgment. Americans have always been slow to face facts, but we can only hope that after they lose their homes, spend their last dime on gasoline and have no more sons and daughters to send to war, they'll wake up and take action.
Extreme negativity is irksome? Wow, it could get uncomfortable in the coming years then, because truly, it's going to get a lot uglier than this unless people start to pull their heads out of their butts. ColdWarBaby is just stating facts with his own feelings attached to them, and I think they are reasonable feelings. What makes happy smiley feelings more valuable? Quick, someone assign this woman to arranging the deck chairs so we don't have to listen to this blather.
sixtyorso, you get no argument from me re the rest of the “civilized” world. They’re all trying to emulate the U.S. Capitalism rules! Yeah!
Thanx for commenting.
pgrundy, you are just about the only person I know these days who can actually make me laugh! Thank you.
I rarely acknowledge at the glass teat anymore. Haven't in a few years. My blood pressure just can't take it.
Again, I apologize for all my shortcomings. :) I hadn't realized that optimism was such a handicap.
I'm rather confused about something though...if it's bad to be a lemming and follow somebody blindly...because obviously Americans are just too damn dumb to have an original thought and are merely led around by the nose...then why is it wrong to disagree with your opinion? Am I to deduce from these posts then that while it is okay to question some things...it's not okay to question things that might go against what YOU think?
You can't have things both ways...sorry. I stopped believing in the "Because, I said so!" explanation a long time ago and I have no use for a chicken little...no matter how many other hens and roosters he incites.
Don't worry grundy...I won't "blather" anymore since this whole hub has made me rather nauseous. I'll be out sitting on one of the deck chairs (after arranging them, of course) where the air is less...noxious.
:)
Have a GREAT day!
William. Hello and thank you. I guess some people just assume that as long as they’re living a rosy life then everything will be just fine. That’s the problem with people who make uninformed assumptions. They’re usually wrong.
Good to hear from you Mr. Torpey.
Hello Cold War Baby, I take a more positive view of things than you. I think that the human race is either a) doomed or b) about to wake up from this nightmare into a new, visionary existence. Either way the world will be much better off.
OK spryte. To begin with you are clueless as to what does or does not bring me joy so please stop making assumptions based on my willingness to speak my mind.
You need to check your “senses” since they are obviously malfunctioning. Nothing in my life has given me greater gratification than helping my grandson work to overcome the obstacles life has placed before him, the worst of them being the two worthless excuses for human beings who are supposed to be his parents.
The common courtesies and acts of kindness I perform from time to time are really one of the few sources of real happiness I am able to wrench from the world of darkness you seem so blissfully and willfully ignorant of.
There is nothing at all wrong with optimism spryte, except when it blinds you to reality and immobilizes you with a false sense of security.
For someone who claims to be so devoted to “positive reinforcement” you seem bound and determined to rub MY nose in what you see as my “negativity”.
By the way, I spent a number of years in the company of a woman who was trained as a veterinarian. Making a puppy smell what it has done in the wrong place, combined with the correct degree of scolding is one of the most basic and correct methods for house training a dog.
You are, of course, completely free to disagree with anything you like! If you wish to believe that the Earth is flat and only six thousand years old I will humbly disagree with you. However, I will insist unconditionally on your right to so believe. I will also insist, unconditionally, once having established that our viewpoints are irreconcilable, it is counterproductive for me to entertain your excursions into fantasy land. Hence, I would politely suggest that we simply agree to disagree. I wish you contentment in your world and hope none of the ugly reality our way of life has bestowed on much of the rest of Earth will intrude upon your euphoric, optimistic and joyous existence.
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
CJ! Late as usual! I must take issue with your statement. Your view is not more or less negative than mine. In fact, if it is as you just stated, our vision is virtually identical. I’m just leaning a little more toward the “doomed” scenario today.
Thanks as always.
HI GREAT HUB
Thank you starcatchinfo. Since most Hubbers address me as CWB, I have taken the liberty of using that method for those with lengthy screen names. Do you have any objection to SCI in the future?
Hi CWB, I have to say I completely agree with you. Evrything you've posted here is absolutely accurate and I know exactly how you feel. I too shake my head in disbelief at the ostritch like mentallity of the American people and indeed the rest of the technologically advanced and mentally deficeint world.
So many consequences have seemed so obvious to me before the events. I am constantly asking why can't they see what will happen if this or that occures. How can the people who are in charge not be smart enough to see that a war in Iraq would destabilize the entire region. Why can't CEOs who send jobs out of the country, polute the land and air and use underhanded tactics in their business dealings with us realize that they're ultimately crapping in thier own nest. Why couldn't the American people see than GW Bush is an idiot before they elected him the first time and how is it in the realm of possibility could they do it again?
The amount of frustration I feel when I think about these things, and oh so many others, makes me feel as if my head will explode. I can't, I just cannot dwell upon the stupidity of the human race for more than an hour at a time anymore. For one thing it does absolutely no good. The masses will not listen. The politians and the corperate bigwigs somehow think they are immuned to the effects of their dirty dealings. Somehow, beleiving their power and wealth will insulate them ffrom climate change, the collapse or the global economy and the moral and ethical wasteland that has overtaken the mentallity of America.
But please don't stop writing. There are those of us out here who need your vision of reality.. I/we need to know I/we are not alone. I, at least, am uplifted knowing others out there, far more eloquent than I, see what I see, know what I know, are concerned about what I am concerned about.
Do I believe the world will change? That the light of sanity will appear in the eyes of world. I wish I could say yes. Still those who speak well, as do you, must try. As one sees disaster emminent the best one can do in the end is not to have to say to yourself, I knew, but not enough listened so I gave up. Don't give up, don't give in.
CWB : ) Hi. Great hub!
Thank you Lynn E. I have written about many of the things you mention in your comments. It’s all here at HubPages and also at my own site, http://coldwarproductions.blogspot.com/I appreciate your moral support. As you can imagine, the things I say do not always get the warmest of welcomes. Regrettably, I must confess I am not far from the limit of my endurance. I don’t particularly enjoy being the guy who spoils the party by pointing out that the house is on fire, something that should be perfectly obvious to anyone who cared to notice. I wish I could just give everyone the magical quick fix that would turn it all around. Unfortunately, though the fixes are available, nobody really seems determined to apply them. So, I guess we’ll just carry on as usual and expect everything to “work out for the best”.
Thanks for the “positive reinforcement” of my “bitching, whining and complaining”. It will help me to continue.
Jzonnal, thank you.
HI CWB- IS IT FINE NOW? SCI WII BE FINE.
U SAY, ANYONE MAKES CONTACT WITH YOU, YOU ALWAYS MAKE IT YOUR BUSINESS TO SMILE! YOUR HUB DESCRIBES MANKIND, WITHOUT ANY SOCIALLY REDEEMING QUALITIES. NOT MATCHING.
OK SCI. The human race is in the process of becoming extinct. I'm just doing my best to keep it as orderly and pleasant as possible.
Aside from that small detail, I often write in accordance with my mood at the moment. I'm always pissed off. Sometimes I'm more pissed off than others.
I know Europe and the Middle East far better than I know America (though I have done some work in Oregon, San Francisco and Vegas). Nevertheless, I get the impression that the people who understand least about the current crisis are Americans themselves. Not all, of course, but many. Europe has been closer to more crises and wars and also has the advantage of a long history from which to learn. Europe also generally has the good sense to regard fundamentalists (of any persuasion) as nutters. Dangerous nutters in some cases but nutters none the less. Therefore we don't give them a say in setting school curricula. There is also a tradition, notably in France, of intellectualism, though this is eroding fast and has all but disappeared in UK. I'm not saying Europe good, US bad, but I do think more of 'us' are looking across the Atlantic with horror than are looking critically at themselves 'over there'. The Middle East, with a few exceptions, is third world awash with money. Imagination is limited to 'biggest is best'. Manic building, manic consumption - far worse than anything happening in US (but only because the real money to do it is no longer in the US). And in the Middle East, slave labour (by any other name) is still the norm.
Something will have to crash. Even if the US does not implode, food wars are beginning to look as likely as energy wars. I used to think I would see a political solution to every crisis within my lifetime. But I was about 25 then. 30 years later, we've truly lost the plot and ceded 'control' to people we can't dismiss. In spite of my recent Pangloss hub, it's hard to be optimistic!
Excellent, excellet hub! I just "stumbled" it!
Thanks Parglider. You mention food wars. I'm expecting food riots in amerika very soon now. I will consider that a clear sign that the end is near.
Thank you Marina Rosa. Glad you happened by and thanks very much for the "stumble"!
Wow! First off, you know the one thing I would disagree with you about and that's just how you'd use the word God. The fact is I understand how you feel about that and you understand about how I feel. That being said, the rest of this hub blew me away. The fluff that is considered worthy to be aired on t.v. is outlandish and I don't know what's more aggravating...producers who feel that people want to see these crappy shows or the people who actually these crappy shows. I won't name names because I know that the more anyone talks badly about a show, the more someone else will want to see it. I remember watching a show with Olympic gold medalist, Joey Cheek who is using sports to raise awareness for what's happening in the Darfur region of Africa. When I first heard this, I wondered what an athlete could possibly hope to accomplish by raising "awareness" about such atrocities. The more I thought about it though, the more it made sense. The more people are made aware of a problem, there's a greater chance someone will become aware of the problem and come up with a solution to it. Even though you have ruffled your fair share of feathers, you have also made quite a few people aware of a problem ColdWarBaby. Good hub!
talented_ink, our ability to agree to disagree is what, I hope, will make our exchanges more enriching for both of us.
I think if more "celebrities" would use their celebrity to “raise awareness” they would be making a tiny step towards the justification of the obscene amounts of money they are paid for doing nothing truly deserving of it.
I recently discovered that Matt Damon, I’m not even sure if that’s the correct spelling of his name, is hosting a show on PBS in an effort to raise awareness on climate change. He's the guy from those Jason Bourne, CIA action movies. I’m sorry to say I’ve forgotten the name of the program. I watch TV so infrequently that I only catch these things sporadically.
It really does very little good for these people to throw money at problems like global poverty. It’s their notoriety, their ability to sell products, which makes them millionaires. They should be using that same notoriety to “sell” awareness to their fawning fans.
I greatly appreciate your comments. Thank you.
I do think that if "celebrities" are willing to take a stand for or against anything, they will find that their fans will start to share their view. Ever since a few "celebrities" started talking about the "green" movement, they've helped to make the Toyota Prius all the rage in Hollywood. Just imagine how much more a little awareness would go on all of the other issues of the world.
Exactly t_i. (is that ok?)
All we need to do is turn the capitalist advertising machine into an awareness elevating machine. People in the u.s. in particular, are conditioned to respond to a bombardment of short, glitzy messages best delivered by famous celebs. Anything too long, that isn’t interrupted by commercial messages, makes their eyes glaze over. Use the same weapon to wake them up that was used to put them to sleep.
The only problem is, the media required to undertake this great awakening is owned by fascist corporatists who would much prefer that we go on sleeping.
Gored on the horns of a dilemma!
T_I? I'll let it slide on occasion. It's the whole "microwave", WTF, LOL, BFF, no-time-to-smell-a-rose-always-on-the-go world we live in that has us shortening everything. From your views and words, I would have to bet you're a George Carlin fan. Remember how many more voters came out just because MTV said, "Rock the vote". Imagine where else we could use this. "McCain is too plain", or "Save green by going green". The possibilites are endless! I also leave this comment to say I admire the stand you've made on cutting out the advertising on your hubs because that shows me that you're more worried about the content of your words than how "hot" your hub is.
OK, OK, it's talented_ink! Yes I was and am a great Carlin fan.
People like Greenpeace have tried to buy commercial time for ads that run contrary to the capitalist mandate. It seems their money is no good.
I also cut out the ads because I refuse to be a hypocrite writing blogs virulently opposed to capitalism with ads plastered all over the pages!
Thank you. Your thoughts are always welcome.
spryte says:
17 months ago
Interesting and persuasive essay, ColdWarBaby. And yes...I think you have a point. However...I do feel this compulsion to ask just one question.
What act of random kindness did you perform today? Never mind this petition to the U.N. crap...did you open a door for an older woman, did you perhaps let a car pull into your lane graciously, or maybe you smiled and complimented a child?
It is so easy to bitch, whine, complain in an attempt to incite a population into something other than apathy. It has never worked with me...I cringe at the thought of mob mentality.
I think I'll choose to follow a person that leads by example.
But thank you for your very insightful hub.
spryte