Problem in the World Today

 

 

I feel that the most pressing issue in modern psychology is acceptance (in the form of complacency). There are things in life that should not and cannot be accepted as they are, whether it be a personal problem or a governmental one, there are things that need to be changed, but there are too few voices crying out in despair over these woes. And we need not look too far to see these problems. And problems of this type aren't new. To quote an author from the fifties blacklist, Dalton Trumbo, “Numbers have dehumanized us. Over breakfast coffee we read of 40,000 dead in Vietnam. Instead of vomiting, we reach for our toast. Our morning rush through crowded streets is not to cry murder but to hit that trough before somebody else gobbles our share.”

 

Last week (actually this week if you go by the day I am writing this) during our class presentations, I heard a man speak of the high gas prices, at four dollars, and he said with relief that they had gone back down. Should he be relieved? Yes and no. Yes, I too am glad that they are finally going down instead of up, but, no he should be outraged that they have still not come down to even close to where they were only years ago. This is the complacency I speak of. No one is outraged when many should be.

 

Even now it is all too common for one to despise the government for its atrocities. But even though we have a Democracy, everyone treats our government as if it was a Dictatorship. We blame our monarchs, but who is really to blame? It is us, who our government is only to serve. Yet we do nothing. Few protest. Many complain. But when you ask someone to complain in such a way that their voices may be heard, their voice becomes silent, too worried about making a scene to do a damn thing and I'm sick of it. Our forefathers gave us the right to take power into our own hands. But we don't because it is believed that to challenge the government is unamerican. But protest is more enduringly American than apple pie. To quote the very Declaration Of independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” I'm not saying that we need to abolish our government and replace it, but we do need to rethink what is right and just what we would give our consent to. To not speak out against things we think are unjust is the same as endorsing them ourselves. In short, inaction is a choice just as much as action is.

 

And the same reasoning applies to personal matters just as much as it does to governmental ones. And while personal problems are far to varied to find a personal example for everyone, we all know someone who has a bad personal situation and does nothing about it. Drug addiction, a battered spouse, or a bad job; there are too many examples to list them. But the bottom line is that when the chips are down, people only seem to believe things could get worse. They are afraid. It's only when they hit rock bottom that they might decide to change things. Problem is, a lot of good people die hitting rock bottom. It's a long fall and a harsh landing.

 

The solution is courage, be it through anger or a sense of divine help. People now more than ever need to be brave and look their fears in the face and scream bloody murder. Usually, this is done when a brave soul stands tall and calls for a rally. But where are all the brave souls? And why are we waiting for some perfect President to fix all our ails? Truth is, there never will be a President that is absolutely perfect for our country. Even the so called perfect papers that founded our country were the product of a group brainstorm. To have that perfect President, we have to make him (or her). We have to raise our voices and scream in the name of change.