We Americans are sheep. We are coddled and taken care of, so we do not question the shepherd. Most of us are smart and educated to some degree, so how is this possible? We are bombarded with ads telling us we need the latest thing to make us happier and our lives easier. We mortgage our souls and get up to our necks in debt to pay for all of this. We are working longer hours to make money to just try to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. We are so focused on our own little reality, that we don’t even want to know the big picture.
To make sure we do not question, we are distracted by sports and other forms of entertainment. Last Monday night was the Eagles opener. I was chairing an AA meeting at the Substance Abuse Treatment Unit, Coatesville VA Medical Center’s rehab for veterans who have hit bottom and need help. What I was bringing these veterans was hope. I was sharing that I too was there and now I am at peace, happy and how I did it. Unfortunately, most of the vets wanted to get the meeting over with so they could watch the game.
Why?
These men were in danger of dying if they didn’t get all of the help they could. My personal body count – the number of people I knew in the program who went back out and drank/used and died as a result is over 10. Alcoholism and addiction is fatal. And yet, the guys wanted to watch the game.
I was reading an article shared by a friend on my Facebook wall at 6:00 am this morning. It talked about governments distracting the masses from realizing what it is doing. Here’s the link and an excerpt:
"...Though mindless entertainment and belly feeding may prolong the ailment of a corrupt empire, it isn’t a cure. Rome unable to Rule their people well, keep trying to conquer the world and eventually spread their resources and people to thin and came crumbling down....We have mind numbing television on 24 hours a day and a Fast Food joint is always open with cheap processed food and only a mile away from anywhere...."
In Full Body Burden, the protesters on the tracks could have made a difference, but aside from a few individuals and scientists, nobody really cared. The protesters were labeled crackpots, crazies. The respected scientists that supported them were discredited. The citizens who even noticed were bombarded by the government telling them it is safe, put your head in the sand, go back to sleep. Any citizen who managed to stay awake was quickly distracted by the media, the latest ‘necessity,’ or their own problems. Anyone who got past this, usually saw the federal government as a 900 pound gorilla and realized it is going to be a tough battle – “Oooh look, the football game is starting…”
I love my country. I wish people would wake up and realize that we have the power to fix things. History is rife with examples of small groups and individuals taking a stand and making a difference. Gandhi, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela are just a few examples.
There is no limit to what we can accomplish if we just dared.
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