The cost of war and greed

I read an article today that said that the deficit and the amount that it will cost has all but put the squash on any tax breaks that either candidate will be able to enact. That in eight years we have gone from no deficit to one that will negatively affect our economy and quality of life is astounding and disappointing. This war that we have been a part of for almost SEVEN years now has been remarkable in how little it has affected the daily lives of most Americans. I'm sure that the majority even forgets for periods of time that we are even at war. Except for those that have close family in the military, this war has seemed to cost them nothing, so no one has done much in the way of major agitation to end it. Now, however, it is going to truly start hitting people in the pocket. And there is no current end in sight to the presence of our troops and the continual drain to our pockets. American greed, in the way of using home equity to support lifestyles beyond our means, finally has a cost that will begin to hit home. There will be a direct benefit to society encouraging its members to practice practicality and frugality, instead of rampant consumerism and "keeping up with the Jones'".

Everything has a cost- a fact that we conveniently choose to ignore. But we do not have the option to ignore it anymore. The sad thing is that even if we all choose to cut back and make things work, we have selfishly made it that much harder for our children and grandchildren to get ahead. We may be the last generation for quite some time who have had the ability to give our children a better life than we had. And that is only when we consider the economic ramifications of our actions. How much of a detrimental future effect has other actions of a moral, ethical, sociological and cultural nature had? Those costs are even harder to see because they are so insidious. We have taught a generation of young people that sex is a pleasurable leisure activity devoid of emotion. We have shown that there is no one more important than self. We have demonstrated that being seen as cool is more important than displaying maturity and good judgement and is something to aspire too. We have made being a child's friend more important than being a good parent and providing a solid example. We have created a world full of subjective ethics, where good and bad is on a sliding scale determined by what is beneficial to ME. We have told our children through our behavior that the measure of success as a person is measured in things, not character.

Character is a quaint, old fashioned notion we place in the same land of nostalgia where we place the "good old days." We bemoan its loss, but refuse to take the responsibility for our part in its downfall and refuse to take action to restore it into our culture and way of life. "Why should I (be honest, recycle, exercise moderation, care about others), if no one else is doing it?", is a phrase I hear a lot. What we forget is that by not stepping up and doing what we need to do, we become another's excuse for not doing it. Someone has to start doing the right thing, providing the example of mature, responsible behavior. Stop being someone else's excuse, start being their inspiration- the person that others look to and say "If they can do it, then so can I."

Let's take our future, our children's and their children's future back. Let's start making choices with their personal and societal consequences in mind. Let's give how our decisions will affect others as much weight as we give how they will affect us. Let's start to hold government just as accountable for the decisions they make in our name. Let's take the time to become educated in the ramifications of actions we may take so that we can make informed, rational decisions. It's really not that hard- it's done one decision at a time.

We all have the ability to change the world into a better place if we all make the small changes we need to to better our part of it. It does not need to be a revolution that sweeps everything away overnight. If we take the long view, the ripple we create with our small actions will widen and grow until over time it will change the world. Commit to change and throw your pebble into the human pond. Then just watch what happens...