New Age

Folks, I have been paying attention to the news and our world events lately. Let me give you the broad strokes, as this post is intended to be short and to the point.

The major governments of the world are bickering like schoolchildren over candy. China is beefing up its interests worldwide, by buying more resources and selling more goods. The nations of Europe are banding together, to make some sort of super conglomerate, half business and half government. The nations of the Middle East are doing what they always have done: arming themselves tooth and nail against attack from each other and from within. However, in this age that is ever more important to pay attention to because now instead of armies with bows and arrows, we have death in cold hard steel and devastating explosives which can kill millions in a single detonation. South America, Africa, and all the "lesser" countries of the world are in uproars, civil wars, turf wars, and just about every other type of war you can think of. Meanwhile, Russia is trying to rebuild itself (and if you think they have forgotten the Cold War, you better think again). Every nation is competing for the newest technology, the newest fashion, the newest foothold in a global consumer market which ranges from what sort of toothpaste you buy to the type of armament a country can purchase from the lowest bidder.  We are constantly changing, moving, adapting, renovating, and thinking up new ways to gain some sort of.... what?

What are we progressing towards here, ladies and gentleman? Are we paying attention at all to this? Where, as a species, are we going with this? Think about it. A friend of mine has told me repeatedly "All of history is just ripples in a pond" or something close to that effect. And it is true. Every major war we have ever fought as a race is a product of the Crusades. And what were those? They were a fight over land, resources, assets, and ideologies. But what was the point? In all these wars I see, I see no great benefit. You have to understand: I am a soldier. Though I have yet to be deployed, I understand the significance and overall point of defending yourself. It is why I joined. I want to serve my country. But as I look at the world today, I don't think my country is serving itself. I think we are missing the point here.

We as a species are constantly fighting and bickering over who gets this and who gets that. Does this seem like either a divorce settlement or a sibling rivalry to anyone else? Are we not seeing that as people get more and more caught up in their lust for power, we get less and less productive? It doesn't matter whether you are a socialist, capitalist, anarchist, or libertarian. It doesn't matter whether you are Islamic, Buddhist, Christian, or belong to some sort of other religion. It doesn't matter how much money you make or who you think should be president. And it sure as hell does not matter whether you buy Gucci or Prada. All those things could be gone in an instant if you die or the nukes fly tomorrow. And what will you have accomplished with your life? What will it really matter if you spend all your time fighting over things that don't matter? Shouldn't we be more focused on finding some sort of harmony within ourselves and the world around us? Notice I say harmony. I do not say peace. Nature in and of itself is not peaceful. It is hard, cruel, and uncaring. It is the reason we became civilized: to find some sort of shelter from the storm. 

However, in all our "civilization", I think many of us have forgotten what it was to have that survival instinct. So many people band together and live in major cities of the world. We have upwards of 6 billion people on this planet. And we are all working our little lives, playing out our little drama for the purpose of what?

There are some who have it right. In fact, I will be generous and say many. There are those who look up to the stars and wonder if there is more. Truly wonder, and not just look up to see if they can make a profit. But many forget that we are all simply apes on this little rock orbiting a star that will destroy our planet in a matter of billions of years. And I fear that we will end soon before then because we have no restraint, no idea of what we should be progressing towards, no clue as to what it is we are here for. I have likened human kind to a five year old who suddenly has the body and strength of a 35 year old. He has no idea a) what his capabilities are, b) what he should do with his strength, or c) how to control it. All this proliferation of technology, weapons, styles, consumerism... I am not against progress, but am I the only one who thinks we should slow down and take a minute to reassess all our priorities?

Some may say it is happening. There is talk in the wind of "change". But I see only an old idea coming back to life. One that is both unappealing and restricting. I see the winds of a "collective" society blowing about. And this, I will not accept. Read Anthem by Ayn Rand, those of you who have not. You will see what I mean.

We are individual citizens, no matter if you live in New York, Dubai, Moscow, Beijing, Cape Town, Sydney, or Rio De Janeiro. I don't subscribe to the belief that we were meant to be a race which is a collective. Otherwise, we would have all hatched from eggs and had linked psychic abilities. But I do believe we need to help each other out for our own mutual benefit. I believe that we need to be ethical, exercise restraint, and above all be intelligent. And I think that in the years to come we will tip over one edge of the knife point or the other. We will either fall into grace or tumble into darkness. And I think we really need to take a look at who we are as humans and what we want. We need to find a way to live in our environment without destroying it, but also not believing that we are evil for adapting it to suit our needs. We need to find a way to defend ourselves from possible attack without having to be ferocious and stupid. We need to grow up and realize that we work better as individual nations all aiding one another when necessary, and not as some global synthesized society. It simply won't work. There is evil in this world, and there is greed. There are those who wish for the destruction, pain, and suffering of others. There are those who wish to further their own needs. And they day will come and is coming when they will try to take advantage of the weak, the stupid, and the weary. But they will be fought by the strong, the intelligent, and the resilient.

Think, ladies and gentleman, about what side you will be counted among. A new age is coming, whether you like it or not. You all better open your eyes and be prepared. One way or another... it will affect you.