A Time to Reflect

Watching TV this morning started me thinking about 911 and the past decade. What a wild ride it has been. Some good , some bad and most notably very different for this American society. I have broken my thoughts down to 4 or 5 catagories, they are intertwined yet separate issues that have effected each of us every single day.

First is the attitude of the population. Second is the economy and it’s cycle. Third is the wars. Fourth is a look at the past and the prognosis for the future should all things now remain unchanged. Lastly, a personal look at myself and family over the past 10 years. I also ask one final question ‘ Are we better off today than we were ten years ago? (I am going to break this down into segments because I am afraid if I published this all at once it would seem like ramblings of an old man. So here goes the first section;

The attitude of the population!
Prior to that fateful event of 911, I can remember the buzz around was whether a boy that was playing in the Little League World Series (a pitcher) was of the legal age and should he be allowed to pitch? Before that was decided the planes crashed and so we thought would our lives. Not so unbelievably, an outpouring of American pride, nationalism and undaunted support rose from those ashes. It was like a bully punched your sister, (it was ok for you to take a poke at your sister, but god forbid if some one else took that shot. You would step up to protect her at all costs!) The nation rallied around the flag, it’s leaders and each other. Whether Republican or Democrat; Black or White, Rich or Poor, the Americans were not going to be pushed around by anybody, any group, no way no how! That was ten years ago! Well what has transpired is pretty amazing. We rallied at the crucial moment but that quickly waned. I feel like we as a nation have regressed back into the late 1960’s early 70’s. We are a nation fighting an unpopular war with no real end in sight. We are now a nation that is so divided, class warfare is imminent, (do not be surprised if there is riots similar to the Chicago riots) It’s the rich vs the poor (not the haves aiding the have nots). The employment or rather the unemployment is staggering and still growing, with no great solutions in sight, The national debt is screaming out of control ; but that is a later subject. The Unions vs the non unions, the Republicans vs the Democrats. (Please do not even get me started on the media, and the bias reporting on both sides that is acting like a lever trying to pursued, influence and control our thoughts. They may be the most offensive, overstepping their bounds of reporting an analysizing the news to becoming the leaders of controversy. The rheteric and interpretation is so slanted from both sides is a major source of division. Shame on them for they should not be planting these seeds of destruction and division, their job is to report the news!) No one is trying to find a middle ground. This me vs. you attitude has got to stop. This me first attitude is not how I was brought up and I venture to guess that is not how you were brought up. The art compromise has been replaced with back door wrangling, pressure tactics and even worse name calling. (I said it this way ‘name calling’ because it sounds childish) Mostly because that is the way we are acting! CHILDISH!!!! SELFISH LITTLE BRATS! If I acted that way with my friends, classmates, teammates or the general population my dad would have swatted me in the ass, send me to my room and made my life a living hell until I decided to apologize and straighten out my act. Again, I when I have a job to do, I am expected to act responsibly, represent the employer and service my customers and clients. I am not supposed to dictate to them, misrepresent nor intimidate . For that I would have be fired.

People, stop and look around; I want some one to tell me that we, as a group are not acting childish. That; ‘what’s in it for me attitude’ (which as always been prevalant) has changed to the worse to ’what’s in it for me to get ahead at any costs.’ We need to dig deep down and find that spirit of brotherhood, not the rally around the flag spirit, but that spirit of God, the spirit that moves you toward acts of kindness, toward one another, giving freely with out looking for material gains, the spirit that moves a body to be respectful, decent and generous to his fellow man. Only then when we have found that will we be able to move forward, the ability to agree to disagree and to work out our issues in a fair and just way.