keep Asking Questions

Why do we go to war? An open question that will not be answered here:

Any person who has read the painfully ironic "Patriot Act" understands that freedom is not something that the current American Administration values, much less goes to war for. On that note, it seems that freedom is no longer something even the American people are willing to fight for. We live in the strongest military and economic state the world has ever seen but somehow we have been conditioned to live in near constant fear. We fear pornographers, child snatchers, computer hackers, red light runners, the stock market and the boogey man - not to mention terrorists, Islamic fundamentalists, and any threat whatsoever to our comfort, complacency and total belief that everything we own we've earned, and everything we do we do for the better good, simply because we are Americans.

WHAT WE SEEM TO FEAR IS FREEDOM. Every time someone expresses their freedom by doing something nobel (or stupid), or voicing opinions (or facts) that make other people uncomfortable Americans run to the polling booths in support of regresive laws that weaken their own rights while tranfering more power and authority to a more secretive government which is less likely to respect what individual rights remain. If the price of freedom is eternal vigilance then it seems the price is just too high. What a shame! Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness sounded SO GOOD.

So, what to do? Anything. Bake a cake, start a band, open a store, live your life with your eyes open and according to whatever values actually make sense to you and hold up to some kind of scrutiny. Apathy is the enemy so don't allow your alienation to the mainstream culture or politics keep you from living. Live your life with honesty and conscience as your guide and you'll be doing more than you'll ever know. The world doesn't need any more depressed and depressing former activists. It needs ideas and role models-- people who are happy with who they are and what they are doing no matter who the latest pretender to the throne may be.