It seems that there is so much wrong with the world today, and it just isn't improving all that much. There is violence on television and in our schools. I mean, what do we really expect when video games come out with a "Mature" rating? I heard an interview on NPR with a US Army commander who trains snipers. He said that he uses techniques found in today's video games to desensitize his recruits to violence. Make them more capable of killing without hesitation.
I don't know most of my neighbors. I couldn't recognize them at a party or in a police line up, never mind their names. This loss of community has destroyed us as a culture. what happened to the time when people brought pies to each other, baked bread? Why can't I expect my neighbors to keep an eye on my house while I'm gone. Why is it that, instead of handing my keys to my neighbor when I leave for vacation, I have to ask my mother, who lives 20 minutes away? There is something wrong with our society, and its killing us. It has been for a while I suppose.
I think that, in the last 50 years advances in technology and in medicine, in social policy and perception of issues like rape and abuse have been amazing. But something went wrong. We went from a society of people who were "do it yourselfers" to "I am entitled to mine, and you'd damn well better not get in my way."
I went to the mall to buy a Christmas gift last week. I saw five different groups f people walk in the doors ahead of me. All of them went in the doors farthest from the Salvation Army girl. They refused to make eye contact. they clutched their pocket change like they were squeezing coal into diamonds. Is it wrong that a situation like that infuriates me? These people drive up in their massive FUV's and their three hundred dollar shoes and they cling to a five dollar bill like it will save them from drowning. Sure, go in to the mall, buy your PlayStation 3 and your double caramel macchiato, but God forbid you help the poor. Jesus talks of the Sheep and the Goats...well, what the hell, I think we have an example of that right here. Jesus has no jacket, he's freezing in an alley, but you've got your Lexus.
1 comment:
Patricio,
I'm with ya', Man. I was just writing something similar on my blog.
I think the solution lies in the principle of subsidiarity. Simply put, subsidiarity means devolving power to the lowest level possible. It means that you and I should work to order our homes and work with others to help them order theirs. Strong communities are built on strong neighborhoods, which are in turn built on strong families, which are built on strong people.
I also think technology has left us with the impression that we can be happy on our own. We can't, and hopefully people are starting to realize that community is what really matters.
Just my 2 cezzas.
-TZ
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