nukemall1

What the world needs NOW...

By: Vikram Vaka

Throughout history, humanity has struggled for a perfect society, a Utopia, where people are given equal opportunities, equal freedom to express their views without fear of persecution, and the security of life, liberty, and justice for all. Utopia can be considered to be not only our goal, but our ultimate legacy. This legacy was attempted by democracy, communism, and even the creation of some totalitarian societies. Democracy is a very slow evolutionary process toward perfection because the people have the ability to change anything they feel is wrong with the society. Yet, democracy is futile without people who think for themselves and make use of their ability to freely communicate their opinions. It is such people that led to all the great revolutions and an abundance of them could have easily stopped dictators such as Hitler and Stalin from ever coming to power. Yet, as society continues to limit people's lives and trap them in a daily routine, the fight for improvement has come to a near standstill at the critical moment where a minor conflict could lead to a nuclear holocaust. If humanity is ever to reach a Utopia, it needs people who question, consider and improve every aspect of life possible. There is always room for improvement. The sad part is, although we knew that, we are too lazy to try and fix the problems. Humans are considered to be, by several well known philosophers, naturally good and turned evil by society and apathy because they are too lazy to care about major issues and thus they ignore or deny anything wrong with the world that doesn't directly involve them, no matter how unjust. Or perhaps they do care, but are too unwilling to take the time and effort needed to eliminate the problem. Humans have a tendency to ignore any problem they feel is beyond their control. Instead of doing what little they can to become part of the solution, they remain a passive audience. Therefore, they tend to reject change unless they are directly affected by it. That's why slavery was openly accepted for over three hundred years. That's why child labor laws took so long to take effect. Though everyone knew that slavery was morally wrong as well as undemocratic, most people, including the slaves themselves, simply accepted it as part of the world around them. Thank God for the few activists that had the courage to express their views, or slavery might never have been eliminated. Society is like a prison that greatly limits a person's role in the government and the world around them. The lock is the tendency to ignore problems. Each bar is a boundary such as race, religion, inequality, hatred, and violence which must be set aside if we are to unite and have the strength to escape destroying all barriers, such as disease, hunger, death, depression, pollution, overpopulation, poverty, and drugs, that stands in our path to perfection. "A house divided against itself cannot stand," stated Abraham Lincoln, and in the same manner until the citizens of the planet unite, we will not have the strength to break open the lock and begin the process to a Utopia. We are probably the only creatures in the universe that are willing to kill over a difference in beliefs or ideas! What other creature can you think of that gets so depressed over such miner things? Why worry about things that can't be changed? We might as well accept it. And if we can change something, why not change it? It doesn't really matter, nothing that we do accomplishes anything in the long run. Some may ask exactly how people are trapped by society until they wonder exactly what they are doing for this planet that has so willingly provided them with everything they need. Doctors exist to insure the life of other people. Lawyers exist for the purpose of ensuring justice for other people. Scientists exist for the sole purpose of providing people with more comforts. All these careers do little if anything for the planet itself. People worry about themselves and nothing more. They are stressed to do things that they don't enjoy and that don't help this planet in any way. So exactly who are they helping by doing these things that they hate so much? Humanity is very much like cancer. While the rest of the body is working to keep the body together, Cancer simply takes food from the body and, instead of doing something back for the body, it uses the food to reproduce. Soon it dominates the body to the point where nothing including itself can survive. In the same manner, humans use up resources that both the planet along with themselves vitally need for survival. As the planets resources decline, they simply move on to other planets (cells) until they come to dominate the entire universe to the point where all life ceases to exist. It almost seems better off if the original home (Earth) is destroyed before humanity has a chance to dominate the planet. But it doesn't have to end this way. I truly believe that our ability to accumulate knowledge can be used for good instead of evil making the 21st century the turning point of history. But if humans are incapable of being good, we might as well die off before we cause the entire universe to collapse. The state of nature is considered to be the most perfect form of government known to man, by some people, Yet, it's little more than total anarchy with unlimited liberty. It has no leadership, security, equality, or law. How can such a government be considered the best we have? Can humans survive without leadership? And isn't it possible to somehow create a system that is a combination of liberty, security, and total equality? The form of government that best fits these requirements is democracy. Yet, in a democratic system there is only limited equality. A person could easily be born into a poor or uneducated family and therefore might not have the same opportunities for an education as someone else, and though a chance exists, it's limited greatly. Also, change in the U.S. is a very slow process. For example, several complaints about how the IRS unfairly targets divorced women for debts their previous husbands are responsible for have come to the surface. Though the public is well informed about the complaints against the IRS through television, no action was even considered for several years. Only the victims were willing to take the effort needed to complain and, being a minority, took a long time to succeed. Another type of government that is based on the idea of total equality is communism. Yet, without liberty it's little more than a monarchy. It wasn't a totally equal society as Marx predicted because a powerful leader, Stalin, existed. Stalin's hunger for absolute control caused him to become extremely paranoid and directly responsible for the deaths of more people than any other person known to man. Utopia can never be achieved with a dictator, because the hunger for power will eventually lead to massive genocide. Already, given the promise of equal pay, no one felt the need to work harder to get ahead. Humans are simply too selfish. Perhaps, pay should depend on the amount of work, but everyone should be given equal rights, opportunities such as education and, necessities such as food, shelter, sanitation, and medical care. Yet another entirely different reason for communism's failure is that it was based on a theory that had never been previously tested in the real world for the many possible flaws. That's why theories rarely work as intended. Yet, all present types of government and law were originally based on theory. They started out with many problems and are still evolving toward perfection. Despite these faults, communism seemed to be a greater success than democracy, until Russia turned toward totalitarianism, when you consider Russia's previous condition. There is a problem with the law world wide that is in desperate need of change. In this modern age, we need to recognize that the circumstances leading to the crime are as important as crime itself. Yet, law is increasingly becoming black and white. In most cases, the law is either based on how well the lawyer presents himself, a piece of writing for which the writer could not possibly know all the circumstances, the constitution, or a judge who, no matter how well trained, cannot possibly understand all sides of the issue, instead of on the actual morality of the issue. Either a person is found completely guilty or innocent leaving no room for doubt. People have the right to do anything that does not hurt anyone in any manner. But any thing that hurts others in any way is wrong. Even in the U.S., there are several controversial issues yet to be decided. In such cases, the government should work to find compromises that please both sides. All of us have our own views and ideas. We live different lives and have had different experiences. We have different ideas about how we can improve society, and we should be willing to express our individual views. People simply need to open up their minds to new possibilities. Each problem has several solutions. Most of which have some minor glitches, can only be applied in certain situations, or will only solve part of the problem and create a few new ones. Most people honestly believe that if there is a solution out there, someone else should have found it by now. They probably have, but simply never took the time to communicate it. Also people tend to ignore, reject, or even despise any idea, no matter how brilliant, that was a failure while openly accepting a previously successful idea no matter how stupid. There is almost always at least one solution for the particular situation pleasing everyone no matter how controversial the issue. If a solution isn't already being applied there are two possibilities, either the solution is too complex, or it is too radical. If a few people deeply consider all the aspects of any problem, a solution or a method to the solution can be found no matter how complex or radical. Yet, if the solution is radical, it won't even be considered because, the more radical the change, the more people tend to reject it. But sometimes, radical solutions are very effective and therefore should be considered. Democracy was a very radical move from a monarchy and look how well it ended up. A solution is always out there. For example, some people feel that guns are a large cause of violence, accidental or intentional, and that people aren't responsible enough to have the power to kill anyone they choose so easily while, others feel that they are an inalienable right. Isn't it possible, with our advanced level of technology, to replace all deadly guns with stun guns that immediately neutralize the victim for say twenty four hours? They could also be used in game hunting or even in war. Some people feel that the government giving money to the poor is a necessity while others feel that it encourages the poor not to work. Can't a program be setup to educate those who are receiving money and then force them to try and find jobs? Isn't it possible to create a truth serum that works perfectly a hundred percent of the time to use in murder cases? Isn't it possible to create a product from vegetables that tastes exactly like meat to replace all meat? If seriously considered, a compromise can be found for any issue, including more sensible compromises for the issues described above. Organizations should be setup where people who feel strongly on an issue, no matter how minor, can meet and discuss the issue in a civilized manner to find clear, moderate compromises that both sides can agree on. An astounding number of problems exist that each threaten to destroy this planet within the next thousand years. Every single one of them is caused by the existence of humans on this once perfect Utopia. Nearly twenty percent of the population is miserable due to problems such as poverty or overpopulation. Welcome to the real world. If solutions aren't found immediately, this planet is doomed! That's why the need to express one's views is so urgent, because in these views lies the solutions. Not only must we express our views but we must also accept others. People tend to make up their minds far too quickly without listening to the opposition's reasoning. Once they make up their mind, they refuse to even listen to the opposition. One sided discussions are pointless, because you learn nothing new. Over twenty years of an average person's life is spent in school training their minds how to think. So why don't people start thinking for themselves? Most people take pointless things very seriously while ignoring the real problems. They adopt an attitude that the world will somehow magically lead itself to perfection while allowing pointless things to tense them up. The only thing worth being concerned about is death which, scientifically speaking, is nothing more than an endless sleep. Why not spend your time on Earth working toward the greater good, or simply making other's lives a bit more enjoyable? That's the attitude that should lead us to the twenty first century. In conclusion, the world needs more people that not only accept, but are willing to change the many flaws around them. Readers Notes: Above, a comment was made that all guns should be replaced with stun guns meant to neutralize the victim. The idea may seem crazy until one wonders, why not? Undoubtedly, the leading cause of senseless violence in the United States are guns. People do have a right to defend themselves. But only if they are capable of using a gun responsibly. All inventors of weapons of mass destruction felt that their inventions would actually reduce death. If they had foreseen the results, the devices would have never been created in the first place. Guns kill more people than they protect. If stun guns were used, robberies would never be fatal, and people would not need to fear using their guns against intruders. Guns are meant to be used for a defensive purpose only. Stun guns would assure that they are. We have several chemicals that can immediately neutralize the victim. If cost is the concern, then increase the price of bullets. Why would anyone who intends to use guns purely for defense ever need more than say, ten bullets? Also, I suggested that a truth serum to be used in murder cases. Why not? If the defendant or opposition knows that they are telling the truth but are losing. Why shouldn't we give them one last chance to prove themselves. Each year, billions of dollars are spent by governments around the world to discover things already found by other nations. Even more money and effort is spent for military purposes. Billions of people have died as a result of war. Resources are wasted by some countries that are vitally needed by other nations. Some live in utter poverty while others in endless prosperity. All these problems would be resolved if only the world was truly united. This is not easy, but the rewards seem endless, and if somehow achieved, we would be much much closer to the Utopia that we so endlessly desire. Why can’t we clone Einstein. We have the technology to do so. If his genius is due to his genetic makeup, then imagine the possibilities. The main complaint with abortion is the suffering that the baby undergoes, so why not research a far less painful method. In the U.S jobs are very unevenly distributed, some locations have very high unemployment while in other places, there are too many jobs. Why not transport the homeless from locations with high unemployment to places with high employment. There they borrow a small amount of money and get a job. Then they can easily pay off their debts and become independent. See, there are solutions and unique possibilities out there. We just need to consider them. The End... of the world as we know it.