Security has proved on many occasions to occupy the identity of a prosperous fruit for many people and is ultimately the quality that most every corporate honcho has a mutual dependency on. But can security define the essence of a successful man? How can somebody who has put forth no risk nor gained any reward begin to preach about success? Many would respond to such an accusation by declaring risk as subjective term, hence the amount of risk being proportional to the degree of success. Even abiding by such a trivial rebuttal- low risk yields low return and high risk yields a superior return, thus the further one strays from the boundaries of security the element of ambition will allow him or her achieve greater personal success as opposed to success measured by social norms.
The connotation of the secure person is derived from the definition of one that can provide financial, family, and other virtuous pillars of stability that satisfies a universal standard dating back to an age of naive euphoria. But can a term widely used to describe such positive attributes assert to be synonymous with words such as respect, happiness, or success? Maybe through the narrow scope of conformity but not through the wide vision of idealism.
As practitioners of Democratic ideals, the American government and the media have an elitist history of conveying contradictory messages to the public. For generations these entities have interpreted the notion that if one follows a systematic series of textbook instructions put forth by legislative officials the “American Dream” will be waiting on the other side of that white picket fence. And in an effort to combat public deviation from this mind numbing thought process, government and media tactics have radiated negative emphasis on liberally intuitive thinkers in fear that their recreational habits would shadow the progressive methods of thought they attempt to promote.
Unfortunately, this ideology trickles down to families and subsequently children who then become confined to a certain way of life. Even in present day society children are deprived from controlling the reigns of their own horse. This of course granted that at the elementary stages of life, kids haven’t the slightest idea of what they want however that does not justify a parent to make such a monumental decision for a seed that has yet to grow. In the event of such a selfish act, a parent may relinquish any opportunity a youngster may have to experience the thrills of everything life has to offer. The possibility of what that child could have conquered, achieved, risked, gained, discovered, etc. is erased at the expense of a single action. You may ask yourself why any rational adult would support the sacrifice of ambition for the stability of complacency- because it is SECURE.
Whoever coined the widely used phrase “pick your battles” was either strictly simplistic or on drugs because many highly acclaimed intellectuals are inherently too stubborn to abide by such a truthful statement. In that regard, I want to close by stating I am aware that social flaws are both inevitable and tend to reoccur throughout history thus they gradually intertwine with the daily events that shape the way we live. On the contrary, the privilege to demonstrate individualism is an American tradition that has been depreciated over time and is directly linked to the illusion that security is almighty. As a body of people we have been continuously ruled by the fear of certain consequences that may result if we neglect to follow the path of least resistance and it is high time to tear down that wall.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
dont just hear...LISTEN
Dating from the emergence of our young nation into the global limelight, America’s youth has entered into a coma of insolence that at present will reveal nothing short of a beastly awakening. Absent are any fathomable theories that give way to why or how our country’s “X Generation” ended up in this pit of regression; however bold warning signs have been implied for years through the influential works of literary manifestos including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway, and Hunter S. Thompson. The elite minds of these gentlemen acquired the capacity to hurdle social norms in an effort to positively challenge an archaic school of thought that rendered this costly predicament. When a Political or social squall appeared to linger over the American horizon, Individualists such as the literary activists above made certain their voices would not be shadowed among the inconsistencies of the American youth culture. At this juncture I would like to revive a level of concern that is necessary to address the ignorance of our country’s youth.
There is no imaginative excuse as to why the current generation of youngsters should bear no regard to the national and global events that involve our country (it’s hard to find one that does not). I know it goes against ethical code to startle anybody out of their La-z-boy, but I would be overjoyed to invite adolescent to the realization that these noteworthy events are not solely impacting our safeguard commonly referred to as The United States. The world that is opportunistically at our glutinous fingertips (due to capitalism and democratic ideals), absorbs the ripple of most any social, economical, or political affair and will subsequently determine our role under this domestically conformist umbrella. In terms of historical significance, the events witnessed by the current youth generation such as September 11th, the Iraq War, and our present economic meltdown will be coupled with monumental happenings such as Pearl Harbor, The Depression, Kennedy’s assassination, and Vietnam.
Unfortunately, the dense cloud of American consumerism and other media tactics pollute young people’s minds with the illusion that a standard of satisfaction is achieved by simply conforming to societal norms and submitting to the belief that the day by day occurrences in America qualify as “acceptable”. To illustrate the validity of this statement lets analyze the capacity of a global catastrophe as it relates to America’s class of youth in comparison with Iraq’s class of youth: According to a Reuters News source a positive and almost celebratory Iraqi news headline reads “Iraqi government figures showed 138 civilians were killed in January, lower than the 238 people killed in each of the months of December and October, previously the lowest monthly tolls.”Pause for an instant and ATTEMPT (because it is impossible for any of us to measure how it really feels) to create a visionary reaction of America’s youth to a statement of such extremes. Upheaval, panic, contempt; those are a few words that dance around my mind- none of them seem to be synonymous with positive or celebratory- how ironic?? .This is merely one number in a massive database of statistics that would drive the average 17 year old American to kiss the stars as a token of appreciation. On the contrary, it is not my occupational duty to recite statistics in an effort to inflict a wave of guilt across the body of our youth. The non-existent concept of reality among the youth culture of America continues to suffocate any chance that youngsters might have of expanding their knowledge beyond a certain level of a video game.
For a collection of individuals that thrive on persistence and complaining to achieve what we desire, we have nothing to show for it but a poor attitude and a pair of pseudo trendy jeans. Furthermore, the notion that a majority of the population continues to fulfill such a degrading label is not only downright humiliating but also the root of the problem. An appropriate way to solidify such a truthful accusation rests in the concept of consumerism. We as a youth indulge in products of American consumerism at the expense of the labor of adolescents that would most likely make sacrifices to unethical lengths if it meant temporarily experiencing the luxuries we expect on a daily basis.
If you have read this assertion and simultaneously developed emotions synonymous with guilt I ask you respectively to disregard every word you just read. Guiltiness leads to promulgating short-term action which places us in a rut of complacency. I am not asking, but moreover proving that we as the voice of the future need to make a significant effort to institute a change. It does not have to happen tomorrow, in a week, or even a year, it is unrealistic to expect that. However, if this proclamation is failed to be recognized I can officially throw up the white flag, a tactic that should come naturally to many people in this country.
There is no imaginative excuse as to why the current generation of youngsters should bear no regard to the national and global events that involve our country (it’s hard to find one that does not). I know it goes against ethical code to startle anybody out of their La-z-boy, but I would be overjoyed to invite adolescent to the realization that these noteworthy events are not solely impacting our safeguard commonly referred to as The United States. The world that is opportunistically at our glutinous fingertips (due to capitalism and democratic ideals), absorbs the ripple of most any social, economical, or political affair and will subsequently determine our role under this domestically conformist umbrella. In terms of historical significance, the events witnessed by the current youth generation such as September 11th, the Iraq War, and our present economic meltdown will be coupled with monumental happenings such as Pearl Harbor, The Depression, Kennedy’s assassination, and Vietnam.
Unfortunately, the dense cloud of American consumerism and other media tactics pollute young people’s minds with the illusion that a standard of satisfaction is achieved by simply conforming to societal norms and submitting to the belief that the day by day occurrences in America qualify as “acceptable”. To illustrate the validity of this statement lets analyze the capacity of a global catastrophe as it relates to America’s class of youth in comparison with Iraq’s class of youth: According to a Reuters News source a positive and almost celebratory Iraqi news headline reads “Iraqi government figures showed 138 civilians were killed in January, lower than the 238 people killed in each of the months of December and October, previously the lowest monthly tolls.”Pause for an instant and ATTEMPT (because it is impossible for any of us to measure how it really feels) to create a visionary reaction of America’s youth to a statement of such extremes. Upheaval, panic, contempt; those are a few words that dance around my mind- none of them seem to be synonymous with positive or celebratory- how ironic?? .This is merely one number in a massive database of statistics that would drive the average 17 year old American to kiss the stars as a token of appreciation. On the contrary, it is not my occupational duty to recite statistics in an effort to inflict a wave of guilt across the body of our youth. The non-existent concept of reality among the youth culture of America continues to suffocate any chance that youngsters might have of expanding their knowledge beyond a certain level of a video game.
For a collection of individuals that thrive on persistence and complaining to achieve what we desire, we have nothing to show for it but a poor attitude and a pair of pseudo trendy jeans. Furthermore, the notion that a majority of the population continues to fulfill such a degrading label is not only downright humiliating but also the root of the problem. An appropriate way to solidify such a truthful accusation rests in the concept of consumerism. We as a youth indulge in products of American consumerism at the expense of the labor of adolescents that would most likely make sacrifices to unethical lengths if it meant temporarily experiencing the luxuries we expect on a daily basis.
If you have read this assertion and simultaneously developed emotions synonymous with guilt I ask you respectively to disregard every word you just read. Guiltiness leads to promulgating short-term action which places us in a rut of complacency. I am not asking, but moreover proving that we as the voice of the future need to make a significant effort to institute a change. It does not have to happen tomorrow, in a week, or even a year, it is unrealistic to expect that. However, if this proclamation is failed to be recognized I can officially throw up the white flag, a tactic that should come naturally to many people in this country.
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