"What If?"

     What if we stopped fighting each other? What if, we stopped worrying about how different we are and noticed how alike? What if we stopped holding on to what we personally want out of a situation and concerned ourselves with the greater good? Is this just a silly notion? Is stuff like this somehow beyond our grasp; as a nation, or a people? 


     I'm not even talking about 'the world' right now; I'm talking about us, as Americans. Are we through being great? Are we done leading? Remember the America that fucken saved the whole goddamned world in the forties? Housewives built bombers so that their husbands could fly overseas and knock the shit out of some bullshit idea of authoritarian rule and racism. That fucken country ruled. We led the way and brought together an alliance of countries, some of whom we weren't even necessarily friends with. The point is, we saw what was needed to be done and we did it. That draws people in. That action of doing the right thing inspires others to do likewise. We were leaders and in a world now filled with opportunists and slack-jawed gawkers, we need to lead again. 


     Hard to lead with your pants around your ankles and we have definitely fallen from our former grace, in a decidedly unflattering fashion. You ever do that? Trip over yourself in front of a bunch of people? Embarrassing. It's not the end of the fucken world though.


     In this era of 'everyone gets a trophy!' and 'we have a pill for that.' it's increasingly hard to convince people to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. People in general and especially the youth, are incredibly self-absorbed and unconcerned about their neighbors, let alone some nameless, faceless, refugees on some continent that only exists on the news. And most times doesn't even exist there. The ridiculous in-fighting occurring in Washington is a direct result of the apathy of the people, not the impotence. This is one of only a few places on the planet where you can still come together and rise up and affect real change without it resulting in a bloodbath. But we aren't doing that.


     We are currently spending money on two war fronts, a couple of police actions and numerous military bases worldwide, with questionable relevance in today's environment. And while we bicker about more nickels for billionaires, there are Somali fathers watching their infant daughters pass into the light, without possessing any ability to stop it. It's fucken shameful and you know it. Everybody fucken knows it. Even the billionaires know it. Enough. Enough already. It's time to put up or shut up. What, are you waiting around for the Chinese to come to the rescue? What fucken country is going to step up to the plate, when Babe Ruth is just sitting on the bench, afraid to take a swing? You know it has to be us. Look, I'm sorry, I'm not crazy about the idea either. Yes, it's going to be a tremendous amount of work. No, no one is going to be very happy about it. But it still needs to be done and there is no getting around it.


     I don't give a fuck about your Iphone and it's ridiculous apps. I don't give two shits and a nickel for your 'lunch photo' posting to Fakebook. No one cares about the minor discomforts of middle-class existence, when they are fucking dying of thirst and their children have no future. I don't know these people. They don't look like me. Why should I care what happens to them? We have too many problems in our own country right now. We can't afford it. They should stop fighting over there. It's none of our business.


     Exactly.