It is time. It is far past time. I am never going to claim that there are easy answers or that I have the answers. The battle has been going on for centuries. It is not a battle of epic forces. It is not a battle between an ancient tyrannical order and the populous. That would be far too simple. It is a battle of the human spirit.
Power has continued to shift from group to group throughout our history. There is not some strange Illuminati that has been able to maintain it for millennia. Some dynasties have lasted longer than others, but in the end we are humans and can be thrust from power or gain it.
We now stand in the center of the empire. An empire of abstracts. Although many will disagree, we have created a system wherein privilege is synonymous with wealth and wealth can be obtained.
Here is where the battle lines form. Some would read the statement above and assume I was saying the playing field was level. Those individuals clearly have not read my other blogs but the possibility of acquisition is not a reflection of probability.
If anyone wishes to know how likely it is for a child from the ghetto to accumulate power, I leave you to the math. Calculate events such as NBA, NFL, and MLB contracts awarded by income bracket or neighborhood, winning lottery tickets based on former socioeconomic group, record contracts that went platinum compared to familial income, etc. You will find ridiculously low odds, but you will not find division by zero.
By and large, your socioeconomic status at the end of your parents will be the same as your own. This has been true from the dawn of time. If it is slightly less true in the United States in the 21st century, it is an indication of how far we have come.
Yet, here we are assuming that a very small segment of the population has the power and always has. Only the first part is true. We also assume that those with power are corrupt and must be dethroned. This is part based on the first assumption. Whether or not power does actually corrupt, the simple fact is that in any group there will be individuals that are corrupt. If you took those at opposite sides of the economic system and switched them, you would have an initial period of great upheaval some positive, some negative. This would be followed by leveling out and eventually a situation that was basically the same as the current situation.
And this is where we arrive at the ultimate confrontation. Does each of us seek more power? Do we have a particular limit on how much power we seek? If given the power, how easily would we relinquish it? And can we say the same of future generations? If we were to actually be able to choose a group of people that did not seek power, would they be able to wield it successfully? If we gave the power to those that did not seek it and they could wield it well, would we have to find another group when they began to retire? Would they be able to look upon their children and wish a worse life for them than they currently have?
This is, unfortunately, the set of hypotheticals we are actually investigating. If you actually believe that it is possible to find said group of people, simply extend the scenario to the next generation. The simple truth is that for better or worse humans have always been either predators or prey. Those who would relinquish their power will never acquire any. My fellow predators were able to fight back the other predators and provide a safe place for those that would prey.
Yes, I referred to myself as a predator. Choosing not to hunt and/or kill does not make one prey, it simply indicates an intelligent predator. Homo sapiens have never been a prey animal. We are consider a "super predator" and one of the most successful species this plant has ever seen.
And so, it is time. It is time for those who wish to overthrow power to choose. They must choose leaders. They must choose the predators they feel comfortable unleashing. This will not be the final struggle. This will just be a power shift. Human nature will guarantee that over time another power shift will be necessary. All predators will eventually hunt.
They can choose to be a random collection of individuals. They can choose to fight a battle without commanders. In a word, they can choose to accomplish nothing.
In the interim, we will stand by. Those that are part of the system and successful. Those that have not forgotten where they came from. Those who love this country and are grateful for our successes. Those who realize that success can not be won unless it is won honestly. Those who realize that we have what the current power base wants. We will await a call to act. We who yield the swords will protect you with our lives, but we also have a lot to lose. We have no interest in losing it unless we think it will make a difference.
We are harsh. We are pragmatic. We are not some sort of strange middle ground that has no thoughts on the subject. We do not lack belief. We believe that the system has merit. We believe it can be improved. We will not just throw it away. If you wish to have us on your side, just let us know what side you are on.
No comments:
Post a Comment