Often, when I am annoyed, angry or scared, I go out to McDonald's and eat. You may be asking, "Why would he do something that destroys his body?" well its very simple. I do it because it makes me feel good. Sometimes, by doing this activity which makes me feel good, I prohibit myself from growing in other places besides my waistline. The money which I spend on Double Cheeseburgers from the Dollar Menu could easily pay for advertising for my school. As the months go by and I still don't get any new students, I get frustrated with myself for eating and doing what feels good instead of doing that which is necessary. Which in turn leads me to; that's right more Double Cheeseburgers. The cycle goes on and on, until a breaking point is reached and a civil revolution must take place in my mind, to fix the problem.
This same kind of mentality can be seen in politics and public policy. During discussions with other students, teachers, family and friends I have learned one basic fundamental principle. We all want to help our fellow man. Very few if any of us are sociopaths. The problems and debates come into the picture when we start talking about how to get to the point that we can help each other. NOTE: I said "how to get to the point", not "way to help" inevitably most of the people I come in contact with agree on the way, just not the how.
Its very easy to want to create programs in government that help the common citizen. Welfare, special rights for special people, public education, tax brackets and so on are all wonderful ideas. We feel good inside when talk about, pass and implement these programs. It is right to feel good. However there is a cost to this. Money. This is what causes many people like myself to say no to many government spending options. I am called a racist, sexist, bigot etc. So here we have a different set of emotions coming into play. Greed and anger, both are thought to be wicked and abhorred. Greed is not evil, it is good. It makes the world go around, it was a fundamental force in the founding of the nation. Anger is the reaction of the brain when it stops thinking, this does not make it bad. Anger is a valid emotional response to being told no when you want something. What is important is to move out of anger and start thinking about why can't I have this policy. What have I already ordered off the menu without thinking?
Oh, and one other thing end the occupation of Iraq.
2 comments:
In the middle of Shoot Em Up somewhere, there is a line about how when people get angry, tests show that their IQ drops significantly during that time. I'll try and find a linkor something that supports that. Interesting though right? I wonder if similar tests show the opiate effect when people are faced with an opportunity to be greedy.
Why not take American troops out of Germany and Japan while we're at it? Let the Nazis and Ninjas attack us as well as the Bin Ladens. We'll take them all on and win.--Patton
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