We all have potential
OK - I thought I had posted this already. Europe went well - pictures to follow ....
This week will be more thoughts on why I’m taking these next steps. In part this is to provide the reader with context for the path I’m on, in part to capture my thoughts for myself, and in part – to stall until I can post pictures and stories of my Peace Corps experience.
But first, …
I leave for Europe this Wednesday. At some point I really need to think about packing. I did wash cloths today in preparation so that is a start. I've lived out of a knapsack with three changes of cloths for weeks at a time, so I'm more relaxed about packing these days. However, that was as a grungy Peace Corps volunteer so I will need more cloths and a few nice things to wear as a tourist.
Next week I will be radio silent, not being creative enough to write a blog post ahead of time. Hopefully, I will have remembered to pack my camera and I can post some of pictures of my trip when I return in a couple of weeks – by then having only two weekends before staging.
We have been hearing a lot about America First lately. The philosophy of Ayn Rand is entrenched in a good many of our representatives and others in the “me first and only” camp.
“Poor people are lazy.” “Back in my day ….” “Our freedom and way of life are under attack.”
The people who cherish these thought may be right, that might be best. I wish them well and I’m not going to try to change their minds or insult their intelligence or their faith.
However, I don’t agree with any of it. First, my life has never been about me first. I was raised to think of the other person, particularly the underdog. I’m not perfect, not a saint, but I do try to think about helping others after I’ve gotten enough.
This can be seen when I’m at a dinner or in a buffet line. I might watch people ahead of me fill up their plates with this or that, taking more than their share. I’ll take less than my share if it looks like the food might run out. I would not want to be the person at the end of the line that gets nothing, but I sometimes do put myself at the end of the line and miss out. It hasn’t really harmed me any and I’m happy enjoying what I got. It also helps maintain my weight at a healthy level.
Second, I think everyone has potential. Yes, people are born with different features and characteristics, but I think we are basically the same. I don’t think that people are like race horses and breeding stock will produce a better quality offspring. Even if there was something to that, even if I didn’t believe in the spiritual nature, each human still would have huge potential that would be wonderful if it could be expressed, and a tragedy if wasted, lost.
These two things go together. If I thought I was better than others then I should take more resources because I could use them better. I should have stayed at my high paying job. If I thought some people had little or no value, then they deserved to be poor and should die as quickly as possible to conserve resources. Helping them would be a waste.
Yes, some people are lazy. Some people cheat. Some people abuse the system. However, I don’t think that most people are poor because they are lazy, some yes but a tiny minority. I don’t think that assistance causes people to be lazy. Yes, it happens to some, but not all. There are poor lazy people who abuse the system. There are rich lazy people who abuse the system.
I think that poverty is mainly a result of the birth lottery and unfortunate events that creates choices between bad options. I was particularly lucky in the birth lottery (born a tall, thin, white, male in middle class America made it relatively easy to get a job in the 70’s and 80’s) and I’ve had the resources to provide other options when faced with unfortunate events (being able to take care of my dying wife while maintaining health insurance and a roof over our heads).
I believe each person has the potential to be happy and productive, to make a substantial contribution to society and to the planet. I’m interested in making the world a better place by helping people become more productive in the future.
I believe that the government is simply and extension of the people. Further, I believe that people are a critical resource to make the country and the planet prosper. We would do well to maintain a strong safety net so that everyone has a chance to contribute. Helping the poor in the short term, even if some continue on it for years, is the best way to improve the country.
Dividing the country and government policies between the “haves” who get more and more and the “have nots” who get less and less is, in my opinion, a huge waste of potential, an economic cancer, a recipe for disaster that is playing out before our eyes today.
You of course, have your own opinion on the subject.
Love always,
John
This week will be more thoughts on why I’m taking these next steps. In part this is to provide the reader with context for the path I’m on, in part to capture my thoughts for myself, and in part – to stall until I can post pictures and stories of my Peace Corps experience.
But first, …
Trip to Europe
I leave for Europe this Wednesday. At some point I really need to think about packing. I did wash cloths today in preparation so that is a start. I've lived out of a knapsack with three changes of cloths for weeks at a time, so I'm more relaxed about packing these days. However, that was as a grungy Peace Corps volunteer so I will need more cloths and a few nice things to wear as a tourist.
Next week I will be radio silent, not being creative enough to write a blog post ahead of time. Hopefully, I will have remembered to pack my camera and I can post some of pictures of my trip when I return in a couple of weeks – by then having only two weekends before staging.
Thinking about “America First”, about “me first” mentality
We have been hearing a lot about America First lately. The philosophy of Ayn Rand is entrenched in a good many of our representatives and others in the “me first and only” camp.
“Poor people are lazy.” “Back in my day ….” “Our freedom and way of life are under attack.”
The people who cherish these thought may be right, that might be best. I wish them well and I’m not going to try to change their minds or insult their intelligence or their faith.
However, I don’t agree with any of it. First, my life has never been about me first. I was raised to think of the other person, particularly the underdog. I’m not perfect, not a saint, but I do try to think about helping others after I’ve gotten enough.
This can be seen when I’m at a dinner or in a buffet line. I might watch people ahead of me fill up their plates with this or that, taking more than their share. I’ll take less than my share if it looks like the food might run out. I would not want to be the person at the end of the line that gets nothing, but I sometimes do put myself at the end of the line and miss out. It hasn’t really harmed me any and I’m happy enjoying what I got. It also helps maintain my weight at a healthy level.
Second, I think everyone has potential. Yes, people are born with different features and characteristics, but I think we are basically the same. I don’t think that people are like race horses and breeding stock will produce a better quality offspring. Even if there was something to that, even if I didn’t believe in the spiritual nature, each human still would have huge potential that would be wonderful if it could be expressed, and a tragedy if wasted, lost.
These two things go together. If I thought I was better than others then I should take more resources because I could use them better. I should have stayed at my high paying job. If I thought some people had little or no value, then they deserved to be poor and should die as quickly as possible to conserve resources. Helping them would be a waste.
Yes, some people are lazy. Some people cheat. Some people abuse the system. However, I don’t think that most people are poor because they are lazy, some yes but a tiny minority. I don’t think that assistance causes people to be lazy. Yes, it happens to some, but not all. There are poor lazy people who abuse the system. There are rich lazy people who abuse the system.
I think that poverty is mainly a result of the birth lottery and unfortunate events that creates choices between bad options. I was particularly lucky in the birth lottery (born a tall, thin, white, male in middle class America made it relatively easy to get a job in the 70’s and 80’s) and I’ve had the resources to provide other options when faced with unfortunate events (being able to take care of my dying wife while maintaining health insurance and a roof over our heads).
I believe each person has the potential to be happy and productive, to make a substantial contribution to society and to the planet. I’m interested in making the world a better place by helping people become more productive in the future.
I believe that the government is simply and extension of the people. Further, I believe that people are a critical resource to make the country and the planet prosper. We would do well to maintain a strong safety net so that everyone has a chance to contribute. Helping the poor in the short term, even if some continue on it for years, is the best way to improve the country.
Dividing the country and government policies between the “haves” who get more and more and the “have nots” who get less and less is, in my opinion, a huge waste of potential, an economic cancer, a recipe for disaster that is playing out before our eyes today.
You of course, have your own opinion on the subject.
Love always,
John
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