Twenty Twenty-two

They say that we live and learn...   first of all - who is they?  And secondly, I am not sure if we do actually learn or learn that much during our lives...  although, it is true that some are going to learn more than others mainly because they started from a foundation of not know much at all...  making book learning, in my opinion, rather superfluous.

Why would I make such a claim being an educator that I am or at least was at one point-in-time?

Life avoids its own realities and in so doing, its pasts never quite catch up to its futures...  in the sense of learning from one's mistakes, both individually and collectively, as we and society grows and evolves...  especially if we think or suspect that our DNA has been altered by some unknown entity sometime in our past.

How can a past catch up to its future if it evolves prematurely?

How can a future gain from its past if it evolves prematurely?

HALF A CENTURY AGO...  in the US of A...  the problems that we experienced in our country are basically the same as the ones that we are experiencing today, it is just that they are dressed in different clothes and spoken by different lips and ignored by different politicians...

Now why would they do this?

In the 1960's (specifically 1966), I paid $.20/gallon for gasoline, bought a pack of cigarettes for $.25, ate a McDonalds hamburger for $.15 and a serving of french fries for $.10, and paid $1.25 for a six-pack of beer...

I lived 5 miles south of Alexandria, VA which was 5 miles outside of Washington, DC...  I could not drink beer in VA but I could drink beer in Washington, DC...

Minimum wage was $1.00/hour

1960's --  We had the following problems:

• racial issues
• wage/salary issues
• equal rights issues
• female rights issues
• discrimination
• police brutality
• lying politicians
• increasing cost of healthcare
• strained relations with russia
• domestic terrorism (although it was not called that)
• a failing public education system
• Crime and violence in the big cities
• organized crimes
• double standards for wealthy and poor
• a socialist movement

2020's --  SAME PROBLEMS - just different names

• Black Lives Matter
• Critical Race Theory
• Cancel Culture (WOKE)
• A failing public education system
• High health care costs
• strained relations with Russia (but also China & North Korea)
• Double standards for wealthy & poor
• Police brutality
• Inflation
• Slow growing economy
• Wages/salaries

Today, 

I pay $3.00/gallon for gasoline

I pay $6.00 for a six-pack of beer

I pay $5.00 for a pack of cigarettes

I pay $2.50 for a Mcdonalds hamburger

Minimum wage is  $7.25/hour

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS LACK OF GROWTH in the US of A?

is it the black man?

is it the white man?

is it a byproduct of slavery?

will CRT change it?

is Russia influencing?

is it socialism?

is it democracy?

is it our democratic republic form of government?

is it our capitalism?

TWO SOURCES for it

• POLLITICIANS
• WEALTHY (millionaires and billionaires)