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David Watson's avatar

We can't vote our way out, but we can't get out without votes. Replacing bad government is a crucial factor. That seems likely to begin in November. But voting isn't enough. The major error by our society has been complacency. We live well so we've become lazy. We assume the good times will continue because we're good people, and we think we deserve it. We don't. The world is full of bad people willing to take everything we have. Continued safety and prosperity requires constant vigilance. The closer, the better. Good government requires participation by good people. If not us, then who? The time to get started was yesterday. We've got some catching up to do.

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Indian Rock's avatar

Sometimes you can communicate a salient message through telling a story. Doesn't have to be a true story, just one that hits upon the important points one wishes to convey. So, I'm going to tell a story.

There was a mahout in India who oversaw and used a elephant pulling teak logs out of a forest. This particular mahout controlled his elephant not from love for the elephant but instilling fear in the elephant. It didn't begin that way. But over time as the mahout abused his elephant once in a while the abuse begin to grow. The mahout abused his elephant more and more until the abuse was constant. Fearful, the elephant endured the abuse, but resentment of the abuse began to grow in it's elephant brain. The elephant didn't realize that it was he, the elephant, that really had the power until one day the abuse became more than the elephant could tolerate. The elephant reached with it's trunk, grabbed that abusing mahout, and promptly stomped the mahout into the forest floor using its massive elephant feet. No one could pick out the mahout from the dirt when the elephant finished and its rage subsided. The elephant then trumpeted in triumph and walked off into the forest, free at last.

We are that elephant. It is us who has the real power, not that illegitimate abusing mahout. All we need to do is come to grips with that fact. Hopefully one day we will before we are all used up and abused to death.

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