The United States of America: My thoughts, and my country, for the moment.

• There are essential services such as food… that involves burning oil, lots and lots of oil. Food processing, transportation, refrigeration, cooking… America wastes more food per capita than most people could ever believe. Yet there are starving children right here in America. That just doesn’t seem right to me…
• Disease watchers, doctors, teachers — after all…. EDUCATION is what creates DOCTORS. And people do not magically appear when they turn 18 fully qualified to go to university – it starts at BIRTH. So no matter who you are, or where you are, and even if you do not have children.. there is something EVERY ONE OF US can do. No specifications, but there needs to be more passion and dedication for what we DO with our lives. It is getting out of style to be greedy and selfish and a wealthy show-off.

  The Atlanta teacher scandal… the sports scandals.. scandals everywhere… they all have this one thing in common… all across the board… and that is systemic, so it cannot be changed overnight. But I see hope in the future. All is not lost. As the generations cycle through, we will see where are going, where we have been, and find out what we’re in for. The numbers certainly do not look good, but beyond IMMEDIATE needs, the FIRST concern of mine is the state of EDUCATION of YOUNG AMERICAN ADULTS. A new study actually shocked me, when I saw how bad it is.

  Whatever influences we have at our disposal – television, movies, books, culture, newsmedia, even facebook… we can use to SHIFT perspectives, perhaps/hopefully, to a POSITIVE direction, rather than NEGATIVITY or plain APATHY. It seems everyone needs to be full of apathy and sarcasm and ‘couldn’t care less’… that is often the human natural reaction when faced with what appears to be HOPELESSNESS.

  One can become FATIGUED and worn out and if you let it, it can even destroy you. We’re always thinking up new “wars” on something… wars on crime, wars on Iraq, wars on coal, wars on poverty, wars on cancer… border wars.. storage wars… it’s endless wars. How about a war against HOPELESSNESS? A war on war? < being facetious

  One Last Rant: (edit-added, from earlier thought):

  I think people should be grateful for whatever it is that they do have, and have an attitude of, “How can I help this situation?” After all, you can even use selfish rationale to do that, once we REALIZE that we ARE DEPENDENT ON EACH OTHER. And that’s a fact. Unless you live on some other PLANET, or deep underground in a hole, WE ARE ALL INTERDEPENDENT. We must not misuse our freedom for totally selfish ends, lest it be removed.

  Brendon Tristal

  2013 October 14