In the last few years I have been giving serious consideration to what it is I really want my children to remember me by. I have a 23 year old son who is unconventional and worried about the basic structure of this country and a 17 year old daughter wanting to go to college and become a lawyer. Two different personalities, one who enjoys being a bit less structured and the other a bit more traditional. Besides the typical familial and financial support, what else can I provide to assist each on their different life journeys?
In exploring options I've been lead to the conclusion that the current cultural, social, political, environmental and employment domains are massively broken and need to be fixed in order for my kids to be content. Therefore, I think the best legacy I can leave my kids is to lay the groundwork for a future not constrained by the evils of today. By "evils of today" I mean those things that have been wrought upon this country and our world either by conscious action or lethargic inaction.
Question - do you feel things are broken? I sure do. Income disparity, unemployment, dysfunctional democracy, fundamentalism, poverty, hunger, military spending, attacks on social programs, corporate lobbying, election costs, dirty water, corporate non-payment of taxes, fiat currency, TV channels masquerading as news outlets, environmental decay, greed, Citizens United Supreme Court decision,
But take heart, we live in a time when the facilities and tools needed to fix this debacle we call "the present" either already exist, are in the process of being built, or live as building blocks capable of creating something new to address the challenge. It requires people willing to take responsibility for their own future and be tolerant of others in their respective journey. It requires people;
This is not something that will be easy and it will take a long time but I'm not sure if we, as a culture (the US) or even as a race (human), have a choice. We have to try.
While this section will document current challenges (awareness) and direct you to resources where you can study the problems (education), it's main thrust will be possible solutions or alternatives to attempt. They basically will be two types; 1) What you can do today. & 2) Long term alternatives and how one might transition to this other way of doing things.
In exploring options I've been lead to the conclusion that the current cultural, social, political, environmental and employment domains are massively broken and need to be fixed in order for my kids to be content. Therefore, I think the best legacy I can leave my kids is to lay the groundwork for a future not constrained by the evils of today. By "evils of today" I mean those things that have been wrought upon this country and our world either by conscious action or lethargic inaction.
Question - do you feel things are broken? I sure do. Income disparity, unemployment, dysfunctional democracy, fundamentalism, poverty, hunger, military spending, attacks on social programs, corporate lobbying, election costs, dirty water, corporate non-payment of taxes, fiat currency, TV channels masquerading as news outlets, environmental decay, greed, Citizens United Supreme Court decision,
But take heart, we live in a time when the facilities and tools needed to fix this debacle we call "the present" either already exist, are in the process of being built, or live as building blocks capable of creating something new to address the challenge. It requires people willing to take responsibility for their own future and be tolerant of others in their respective journey. It requires people;
- to become aware of social, regional, cultural and planetary needs.
- to educate themselves on all aspects of a problem i.e., to dig deeper than the just the Media's public portrayal.
- to listen to varying points of view with an open mind to allow for the fact that other opinions might coalesce with your own to form a more balanced approach.
- to take a more middle of the road path and avoid the extremes.
- willing to seriously evaluate alternatives to the norm.
- willing to document and share their opinions freely.
- willing to get involved by sharing their personal resources of time, intellect or fortune.
This is not something that will be easy and it will take a long time but I'm not sure if we, as a culture (the US) or even as a race (human), have a choice. We have to try.
While this section will document current challenges (awareness) and direct you to resources where you can study the problems (education), it's main thrust will be possible solutions or alternatives to attempt. They basically will be two types; 1) What you can do today. & 2) Long term alternatives and how one might transition to this other way of doing things.
