Why? Why Not? Because?

DISCLAMER:  I wrote this article in 2016 and published it on LinkedIn.  It has not been revised or edited since being published.  I decided to share it again to give you, the reader, an opportunity to look at my earlier thoughts...

 I was going to start this article off by drawing the reader's attention to the planting, farming, and harvesting of poppy fields in Afghanistan that eventually lead to the GLOBAL consumption of illegal heroin on which users spend millions of dollars annually; but, that is only a symptom of the real problem which is US (not United States) but you and I in a worldwide sense.

Everyday due to my health, I must walk as fast as I can around the neighborhood for an hour and to take my mind off the boredom of that task and off the pain of what walking up steep inclines does to my body, I think about the content of the articles I want to write. Today, was no exception and as I started my walk, I was focused on the first paragraph and as I ended my walk, I became focused on this second paragraph which leads to all the rest of this article.

So, let's continue with “we” being the problem. Let this roll around in your mind while I take a little detour.

Have you ever wondered why all these Caucasian and African American athletes that have become very wealthy do not contribute hardly any money at all (on average) to eliminating poverty or hunger or all the ghettos in our big cities?

I am not one of these athletes, so all I can do is speculate but I suspect it is because most of them considered themselves to be self-made through discipline and hard work and if they can do it so can everyone else. I have heard other successful people make this comment to me, so perhaps it is applicable here. And, maybe this is true, but...

...there has got to be more, doesn't it? I mean what about natural talent? What about parental guidance and influence? What about the culture in which one was born? What about one's personality or DNA structure where some switches are turned on while others are turned off?

Let's get back to “we” being the problem.

I would suspect on an annual basis that a million or more updates (some of which include images) are posted for the viewer on this forum. I would also suspect that most users on this forum belong to the global middle class within their respective countries and/or locations. Some of us are not doubt upper middle class whereas others of us are lower middle class, again respectively.

I would also suspect that many of us are religious to deeply religious while others of us are spiritual or philosophical but have complete respect for other people's beliefs.

I would also suspect that many of us are politically, socially, and emotionally conservative in our beliefs and values and expect all users and EXPECT those who are liberal in their thinking to acquiesce to the conservative points-of-view.

With that said, let me now explain why I think “we” are the problem.

More often than not, updates on this social media forum are upbeat and positive in nature with inspirational, timeless quotes and comments that leaders and famous people have previously stated. On any given day, I read hundreds of these “uplifting” messages... and, there is nothing wrong with any of these at all but... we are preaching to the choir, aren't we? It is not us who should be or need to be reinforced by these messages but those who are socio economically beneath us.

Once we post these positive messages, we pat ourselves on the back for posting them in the first place which seems rather silly in a way.

We do not tolerate images or thoughts on this forum that are obscene or vulgar and there is nothing wrong with wanting to have that banned but are we not overlooking the problem?

I would bet that 80% of the global population is not like us at all. They have no beliefs, no faith, no hope, no money, no future and no one seems to care about them... for all intents and purposes they are ignored... why?

Because, we are too busy reinforcing our own beliefs and all those others who think like us. It is exactly and precisely for this reason that I think “we” are the problem.

Since we all know the power of positive thinking, why are we not posting photos of the hungry or photos of those in poverty or dead bodies lying around due to some form of uncontrolled violence. Why are we not posting photos of drug addicts and those who are sick and dying of AIDS? Why are we not posting photos of ISIS and all of their atrocities like the beheading of journalists?

If we post enough of these distasteful photographs maybe our global middle class will actually care enough about these people and instead of posting inspirational photos will start posting solutions to these global problems.

I am sure that this post is going to offend some, readers and no doubt, emails will be sent to have my profile deleted, but I call it like it is and let the chips fall where they may. And, it may be a waste of time for me to say these things like spitting into the wind but again that is just who I am.

So, why not?

NOTE: The title for this posting came from a final exam I took in an upper lever Philosophy course in college. The only grade was the final exam and there was one question on the final exam which was why? In the 60's exams had to written in Blue Books and as I looked around the classroom, I saw everyone writing frantically. I thought for a moment and then wrote: Why Not and then because.  I turned in my Blue Book and left the room. I got an “A” for the course.