Five Years

Has it really been five years? Five whole years, January to December? But, it's not January to December is it? We measure it from September to September, don't we? How many people actually still measure a year from September to September? At what point did their lives so drastically change that they stopped caring about the insignificant number of years after some guy they didn't even know got nailed to a cross? Should we even care what year it is? Or should we just measure from the significant points in our lives?

These, among others, are the questions I think the entire nation is asking itself today. I am American, I live in America, I am a natural born citizen, born in this country, I'm going to die in this country if I have anything to say about it, and while my family and friends live in this country, this IS the country I'm going to care about.

Don't get me wrong, I am not an ultra conservative, ultra patriotic, ultra isolationist, libertarian, lets-build-a-giant-steel-wall-around-our-national-borders-so-the-damn-foreigners-don't-get-in kind of person. I like to think of myself as slightly above center. Why limit oneself to left and right when you can rise safely above the fence and examine the mess from both points of view. there are some Republican things I agree with and some Democratic things I agree with, and some things that I agree in that both parties have also managed to agree on. Given, there isn't much in that third column but trust me, I'm not the only person who believes in its existence.

I am Pro-Choice, if a woman gets raped and doesn't want a baby, just kill the baby before its born. People who believe that every-sperm-is-sacred crap sicken me. I'm also Pro-Guns. well, that doesn't make much sense. Suffice it to say I'm anti-Pro-Gun Control. If we as citizens don't have the power to overthrow our government if we don't like it, then we are being denied some very serious human rights. It's written in the Constitution, but it shouldn't need to be for people to understand and respect it. However, I'm also a strong believer in the people as the government. Our nation isn't split into two sides, the government and everyone else. Our government is run by citizens. We aren't governed by a military figure, and we aren't governed by a religous figure. In a free and secular world, the basis behind the United States kicks ass. Of course, it falls apart a bit when one factors in the pointless bureacracy, the corruption, and general human vices such as greed and malice. These are not things we're born with, but if raised in the wrong environment, we are all potential killers.

We are also all potential Ghandis, or Ben Franklins, or Albert Einstiens as well. We have choice in the way we present ourselves, but our ability to understand this is governed directly by the people who raise us and protect us and teach us values. The apple can fall at the base of the tree, but this isn't neccessarily bad if the tree is strong and healthy. On the other hand, an apple from a not so healthy tree has every chance of rolling away and landing somewhere better. The best thing is, humans are a whole bunch smarter than apples, and if we wanted to, I'm sure we could blow the hell out of that outdated euphamism.

My point is, America as a country has its problems. Obesity, corruption in politics and industry, a widening seperation of the rich and poor along with a decrease of the middle class, and some serious problems overseas. But America as a nation is not that bad. We can band together, and no one can disagree that after 9/11 we banded together. Hell, my family bought a gigantic flag big enough to serve as a makeshift trampoline at the Olympic trials, I'm sure.

The big point is this: It's been five years after 9/11 and we should stop thinking about how weak our country is, or how evil other people out there are going to be. How much of an effort owuld it be to work hard to train our children the generation of tommorrow to be better, compared to the tradeoff. we should stop showing them that simple problems must be solved through war, violence and misdirected anger. Ignorance breeds ignorance, stupidity breeds stupidity, anger breeds anger, and somewhere in there a terrorist is born, or a serial killer, or a corrupt politician, or the kid down the street who enjoys kicking other kids in the ribs when no one is looking.

The next generation is the future, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything. By just teaching our kids tolerance, we'll be helping out. By practicing tolerance, we'll be helping out. Remember this, anger breeds anger, but peace and intelligence breeds in turn peace and intelligence and if we're lucky enough, we'll all be able to appreciate the fruits of our labors (probably apples) before our lives are over.

It's not that life is too short. It's just that people spend too much time thinking about it instead of living and enjoying it.

And that's my post for today.