I was trying to explain America to some foreign friends of mine. I was trying to explain the biggest issue in America, which seems to be whether men and women should use separate bathrooms, and how upset aging rock stars seem to be over it. After trying to explain why this was a national disaster alarm emergency requiring 24/7 news media coverage and shouting matches on social media, it all sounded rather silly. It certainly did to him. He just kind of shook his head indicating that he thought we Americans had lost our collective freaking minds. He is right.
I started thinking about the other "problems" we are having. Atheists suing school boards over Christmas displays. Safe spaces and campus protests over chalk drawings. Micro aggressions (which is where no real insult was delivered, it just SEEMED like one, and therefore the emotionally immature person took offense), triggers, etc. None of these are real problems.
WHAT?
HOW DARE YOU, DAVE?
Yes, none of these are real problems.
These are all "problems" of a comfortable, easy life. These are "problems" that spring up when there is no real threat, no real danger, and no real threat or danger even on the horizon. Jews in concentration camps during the Holocaust had real problems. Christians in Syria facing ISIS have real problems. Christians in Nigeria being threatened with death by Boko Haram have real problems.
People in those societies think we are nuts. They aren't worrying about micro aggressions and chalk drawings. They aren't arguing over whether men or women should use which restroom. They aren't demanding safe spaces where they don't hear anything they don't like. They aren't dividing themselves up over race and class and religion and economic status like we are, shouting each other down as if our lives depended on it. No, they are huddling together for survival.
A brief look at American "problems" shows really how safe and secure our society really is. People being truly threatened could care less about a transgender man clambering for his rights to a bathroom. They'd tell him to shut up and pick up a gun to fight for survival. People whose family members have been crucified by ISIS aren't protesting chalk drawings, trying to get someone to acknowledge their pain. They are huddling together for survival.
Honestly, it shows that we've really gotten soft. Honestly, it shows that we almost have to manufacture things to be outraged over. We have to take the insignificant and blow it up, because nothing of real significance is threatening us. We have more money than anyone on the planet. We have running water. We have electricity. We have cars. We have access to education. We have access to just about anything we want (try walking down the supermarket aisle of a Kroger with someone from Asia and see their jaws drop when they see the 500 different choices of peanut butter you have). We have heat and A/C. We have parks and soccer fields. Our children are so safe that we over schedule their days with activities instead of hunkering them down in a house.
Take a step back, people. Life is so incredibly good that we have to actually manufacture some kind of issue in order for our lives to have some excitement. America's problems are the product of a comfortable, affluent, easy society. People from countries where there are real threats think we are nuts. The truth is- they are right. We ARE nuts to think that bathrooms and chalk drawings are issues worth fighting over. Those aren't issues. Those are products of a complacent, comfortable- and honestly- BORED society.
So, when you read the news and see the arguing and the emotionalism and the hysteria, see it for what it is- a bunch of complacent, safe, comfortable, affluent, secure, bored people trying to find something to be upset about. We really don't have much to be upset about- at least, from the perspective of others in the world with REAL problems.
Perspective always helps.
I started thinking about the other "problems" we are having. Atheists suing school boards over Christmas displays. Safe spaces and campus protests over chalk drawings. Micro aggressions (which is where no real insult was delivered, it just SEEMED like one, and therefore the emotionally immature person took offense), triggers, etc. None of these are real problems.
WHAT?
HOW DARE YOU, DAVE?
Yes, none of these are real problems.
These are all "problems" of a comfortable, easy life. These are "problems" that spring up when there is no real threat, no real danger, and no real threat or danger even on the horizon. Jews in concentration camps during the Holocaust had real problems. Christians in Syria facing ISIS have real problems. Christians in Nigeria being threatened with death by Boko Haram have real problems.
People in those societies think we are nuts. They aren't worrying about micro aggressions and chalk drawings. They aren't arguing over whether men or women should use which restroom. They aren't demanding safe spaces where they don't hear anything they don't like. They aren't dividing themselves up over race and class and religion and economic status like we are, shouting each other down as if our lives depended on it. No, they are huddling together for survival.
A brief look at American "problems" shows really how safe and secure our society really is. People being truly threatened could care less about a transgender man clambering for his rights to a bathroom. They'd tell him to shut up and pick up a gun to fight for survival. People whose family members have been crucified by ISIS aren't protesting chalk drawings, trying to get someone to acknowledge their pain. They are huddling together for survival.
Honestly, it shows that we've really gotten soft. Honestly, it shows that we almost have to manufacture things to be outraged over. We have to take the insignificant and blow it up, because nothing of real significance is threatening us. We have more money than anyone on the planet. We have running water. We have electricity. We have cars. We have access to education. We have access to just about anything we want (try walking down the supermarket aisle of a Kroger with someone from Asia and see their jaws drop when they see the 500 different choices of peanut butter you have). We have heat and A/C. We have parks and soccer fields. Our children are so safe that we over schedule their days with activities instead of hunkering them down in a house.
Take a step back, people. Life is so incredibly good that we have to actually manufacture some kind of issue in order for our lives to have some excitement. America's problems are the product of a comfortable, affluent, easy society. People from countries where there are real threats think we are nuts. The truth is- they are right. We ARE nuts to think that bathrooms and chalk drawings are issues worth fighting over. Those aren't issues. Those are products of a complacent, comfortable- and honestly- BORED society.
So, when you read the news and see the arguing and the emotionalism and the hysteria, see it for what it is- a bunch of complacent, safe, comfortable, affluent, secure, bored people trying to find something to be upset about. We really don't have much to be upset about- at least, from the perspective of others in the world with REAL problems.
Perspective always helps.
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