Random thoughts on this subject
anyone who thinks there was some kind of journalistic integrity in a bygone era significantly stronger than one today is fooling themselves, during the 1800's the newspapers were primarily highly partisan periodicals that used far stronger biased rhethoric than today, lincoln the ape is an example.
a little over 100 years ago the media (in a strange parrallel to recent events) massaged the public and this nation into a war (sound familiar with the current echo chamber?)
the media gives us what we want, if we didnt want MJ 24/7 it wouldnt have given it to us. Concurrently, the media is so intertwined with big business and politics that they want us unlearned and celebrity obsessed because that makes their life easier by controlling what we know and understand about life and the world around us.
To be empowered the masses need will and knowledge. Knowledge of alternatives, of what is really going on, of possibilities. Will encompasses collective power and includes overcoming the malaise we are in.
We no longer have frontiers to push. We are a wealthy nation, wealthiest in the history of the world and for the vast majority of us we no longer have to worry about existance but the meaning of existence.
We are uneducated, we are selfish lacking empathy because we have had no real experience with need. We have lost the powerful frontier and innovative spirits because we have the power of the manifest destiny of our castle on the hill.
We need to learn history, to learn civics, to learn humility.
We have what we want now, but like the spoiled children we are we think it will last forever and we care not the cost it has on others.
There will be no change until the masses demand change. And that won't happen until we experience need. We are quite content in the status quo, though a subtle and unnameabl fear is building within us, fear of outsiders and fear of an uncertain future. We fear because we do not comprehend, we do not comprehend because we are willfully ignorant lack empathy for others.
But the dangers these fear touch upon are real and are in many ways of our own childish making. Greed, fear of others, selfishness, arrogance, hubris, delusion, fear of pain are all our collective problem.
There are outsiders. Some wish us harm, some wish us well. Often the two go hand in hand. We often choose confrontation to justify our fears and give our fears a direction to point to.
The future is uncertain, we are constantly adding to a bill that will come do at some point, probably in the not to distant future. We are incapable now of stopping or reversing this trend and we believe some magic will save us. But we are not preordained by any power to live without cost and without ramifications for our actions.
that bill when it comes will be harsh and severe, and will teach our nation what real need is. Hopefully at that point we will learn humility.
Moderation in all things, including moderation.
