by

John Wright

During the summer of 2003, we ordinary citizens of the USA find ourselves wondering about post-Iraq War findings, e.g. a bunch of governmental lying about weapons of mass destruction and a forecast for excessive deficit expenditures going forward in time. These are the result of the Iraq War and the aftermath of "cleaning up" and installing a government that we like. The Iraqis don’t appear to like us. They are ambushing and killing our soldiers and crying for our departure.

We also are thinking a lot about our continued dismal economy and job losses to lower priced labor in other nations. Our stock market has climbed from the basement but is by no means healthy and it is definitely whim driven, as there is no substantive economic news to justify a return in value to better times in our recent past. Our unemployment figures are so riddled with statistical misdirection and excluded relevant data that one must be a total fool to ignore the fact that the USA population at large is in big trouble.

To be sure, the media has served up plenty of bad news about the above subjects, and I wonder what we have to look forward to in the next five to ten years? There are some new books by people who claim high treason in Washington and elsewhere and identification of the "real" bogeyman, large and selfish corporations, here and abroad. We even have seen and heard Congressman Bernie Sanders chew a new posterior passage for Alan Greenspan relative to the Fed’s sole interest being the economy of the big people … the CEO’s and other high wealth individuals, organizations and companies. Greenspan is being accused of being a cold-hearted member of a cold-hearted group that lacks any interest in the wellbeing of common USA citizens. Well, he is. So what do you expect, properly functioning checks and balances?

As always, it is important to seek a balanced, well-informed and accurate view, to understand how we have arrived at our present evolutionary state and what steps seem most appropriate for improving our status and our hope for the future. Unfortunately, a thorough, knowledge-based view is mostly impossible to have due to the unavailability of essential facts. The only certainty is our profound ignorance that results directly from being denied critical information by businesses and governments, and our own laziness. I must proclaim immediately that keeping the citizenry ignorant and/or misdirected or misinformed is treason and should be harshly punished.

But now, let’s consider an alternative point of view. If the "lords" who run this world and it’s increasingly feudal structures and methods are one side of the problem, then the mass of ignorant and unproductive but highly reproductive people are the other side. I would like to think there are some of us who occupy a middle ground with intelligence, education and a sensible humanitarian view about how life should and could be managed. Frankly, I fear we are too few in numbers to exert much influence with either of the problem groups above.

Destiny promotes education, capitalism and it’s attendant rewards based on good results, open government, genetic evolution, population control, and a future for Humanity that is decided actively and knowledgeably by Humanity before the fact. What I see instead is polarization, not progress, or, devolution instead of evolution. I am ashamed to be part of Humanity at this time in our history as we are proving to be unworthy of any level of respect. We have trashed the best ideas of our founders and institutions and simultaneously refused to step forward by harnessing science for our direct development. Instead, we use science for military or police control and domination of the commoners. We are very sick.

On the other hand, what is the point of solving world hunger when the ignorant simply eat up all provided food and make yet more hungry people and nothing else? I do see the raw logic of the selfish wealthy, and like them I have no value for any action that simply increases herd size with no obvious benefit. It is easy to understand why the wealthy would, upon initially finding means to financial success, quickly segregate themselves from the populous poor who would rob them or tax them once again into poverty. As one sufficiently gifted to understand our world, I too look at the near countless and increasing number of lives of those unable to learn as the work of a madman. How would you like to be in a kindergarten group continuously? Wouldn’t the abysmal ignorance and constitutional (genetic factors) stupidity drive you to insanity?

So here I am, driven by fear about the economic future of my children and grandchildren, and all the attendant advantages or disadvantages that will result depending on the characteristics of the world they must live in. I recognize that the wealthy must now be stopped in their excesses in a most final way. But I also recognize that letting the hordes of ignorant people take over will lead to nothing but poverty for all. I am appalled.

For once, I want to lay the burden at your feet. I think that I have worked enough to provide you with values and foundations for growth and understanding of human ignorance. Now it is your turn to focus your attention and your abilities on our world and come up with solid and reasonable answers to the above truths and problems. What solutions do you have to offer that demonstrate your imaginative yet realistic pursuit of the balanced view and the proper actions? I await your response.