Published in 1776, Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain.

Everything we do in life serves as an example to someone, whether anyone involved is even consciously aware of it. Whatever these people (be it ourselves, co-workers, kids, family, even strangers) perceive as our mentality and motives becomes recorded and spread quite like a virus, exponentially. Mentally all filed away as Options for Human Behavior, they are weighed for merit based on apparent success or usefulness. For good or bad, behavioral patterns can become normalized, rampantly learned and imitated- even when they are falsely beneficial, short-term, counter-intuitive, or provably destructive to themselves and others later on.

Our current society, supposedly through the noblest of intentions and goals, has become mired in what I can only describe as a 'Religion of Civilization'. It's this complex, pre-existing set of "unquestionable" yet self-defeating rules which no one alive agreed to- nor could anyone honestly prove is effective at its purported yet never-met goals. It's lawyerism. It's con artistry. It's slavery. And we all debate details of it while still struggling through our entire lives, believing the whole thing is yet another "Permanent Necessary Evil © ". We've insanely redefined 'sanity' to mean 'sticking to what doesn't work from fearing the scary conflicts of all real change'.

Back to that virus metaphor. Consider its breeding environment; we're immersed within this oft-sponsored, falsely perpetuated, unnatural structure that pits you against me just to survive. We're given a finite set of bad options to defend as "freedom". Most remain so distracted by all the meaningless, superficial perks of life that they do not want to even hear our planet's dying, or our own country is a global terrorist, or we are a resource of disposable ignorant sheep. In fact, calling out ignorance in this culture triggers more division, negativity, and polarization; then these increasingly concentrated examples spreads to every subsequent generation.

But our Education system has turned into a career factory. Learning is now repeating back by rote, doing as we're told. Pride in our country's accomplishments morphed into a nationalist false empowerment; to be "Great" by overcompensation and casual cruelty. Caring, respect and honesty must be weaknesses- as those people are usually poor, easily mowed over and mocked. No, Strength in a capitalist war machine must be manipulation, deception, and a willingness to sacrifice whatever (and whoever) it takes- a self-described 'self-starter', a 'go-getter, a 'winner'; one who can get to the top where bribery and lying is part of routine government.

So the example spreads, and worsens. Now generations of families, like all royalty and mob bosses of old, take turns inheriting and exchanging power over us. This toxic structure becomes routine until we lose any meaningful perspective, any grasp of the basic fundamentals. We're conditioned to ignore, even to facilitate suffering- while sipping a latte. It's now 'normal' to victimize indigenous people while perpetrating the lie that another culture or creed is suddenly our "evil enemy". Even our own majority religion's moral doctrine has been perverted into petty justifications for hate, violence, and exchanging a Christlike humility for intolerance.

In my view, we're quickly reaching a global awakening. Logic dictates that we must alter current approaches to governance and prioritization for any continuation of our planet, species, and inherent morality. But we remain mired in this impasse of status quo; the wall of purposefully insurmountable bureaucracy always protects the real beneficiaries of totalitarianship, of American false democracy. Forget 'glass ceilings'- this is the real prison gate. Our lives lived within managed cells, we churn out worse and worse versions of ourselves to better accomplish the inhumane tasks required for us to "have a decent life" - at the expense of so many others.

We need a major responsible shift to get by, to thrive- even to survive. Yet now half this population has been brainwashed. They insist sheer irrational bravado is equal (or superior) to basic live-and-let-live, and community respecting diverse community for mutual benefit is 'unrealistic'. Many truly believe Different Equals Wrong, and a Threat- while the true threat to all is their own violently defended hostile, divisive, selfish thinking. Our egos are being cultivated by stereotypes and cults of personality instead of actual knowledge, exploration, or free choice. Under a million labels and to every possible degree, it is just Sane Humanity vs Toxic Psychopathy.

I think this has always gone on. Native Americans openly talk about these principles, if in different terms. That we are a part of mother earth, that we are all part of each other, and any seen separation is a dangerous illusion. There's never a need to destroy ourselves or each other unless attempting domination; thus, the first problem is this 'useful aggression' we have been bred into, wherein nothing is sacred but ourselves. This isn't rational, nor sustainable, and it has nothing to do with equality or fairness to allow such "societal cannibals" to impose any forced destruction upon everyone else. But then there's that big question- How do we stop them?

First is awareness, and the sharing of all obscured knowledge. Not out of judgement, or pettiness, or to put down someone else trying to lift yourself up. Just advocacy for ethics and truth, because it's needed in the world. Hate, lies, and greed isn't working. Handfuls of people (those in power, or their faithful Believers) insist it does- due to ignorance, insulation, or psychopathy. None of those are justifiable reasons to continue it, however. Humanity deserves the chance to finally grow up and become something better; not eternally held back to the lowest, most self-destructive primal standards to perpetuate personal agendas or accepted indoctrinations.

Admittedly, we appear to be reaching critical mass. Progress toward peace and unity are being actively threatened and eroded by those refusing to admit reality or see beyond personal bias and bigotry. All humanitarianism and intellect is being framed as an unprofitable political opinion. Millions are being poured into wars and constant media distractions which shape our apathy toward them, towards our futures, towards anything that does not fit into the unconscious demise of what it actually means to be a civilized, peaceful society. Neatly discarded as childish naivety, Honor, Maturity and Wisdom are essential for everyone's continued survival.

However, appealing to logic doesn't work on the irrational. Appealing on scientific facts falls flat to those proudly or unwittingly deceived by twisted fables and a self-aggrandizing cultist dogma. While respecting everyone's belief system is essential, equality and justice become violated when those in power act on beliefs directly in contrast with reality. Short-term, brutal "survival of the fittest" thinking is part of the baser, selfish, fight-or-flight instinct of our animal predecessors; we either rise above them, or let them destroy us all. Being of two minds about it, this world's tensions are building, under a thin guise of populace anger and political upheaval.

If we want to compete good-naturedly, fine. There's millions of ways to do so via constructive outlets that serve us personally as well as collectively. Pitting our fellow citizens against each other for a stressful life-and-death daily grind amidst rising poverty, homelessness, and corruption is not a 'healthy competition' or 'free market' ideology. It's criminal psychopathy purchasing the false title of Representation, then dictating the terms that suit their goals. It's implanting the virus of 'everyone for themselves' by design, to breed more armies of aspiring mini dictators to use. It's perpetuating our sick culture representing everything we identify as 'evil'.

There may come a time that we need to confront this directly, and stop it by force. As a pacifist, I will do everything within my power to avoid this option (which is partly why you are reading this today). However, as a realist, I must also admit that power concedes nothing willingly. It may very well fall on each of us to choose if we would rather abandon all hope in humanity, reject evolvement, and surrender our children's futures- or break this cycle by whatever means possible. If that occurs, I call on every father, every mother, all individuals who retain the capacity to love: reject all former contrived categories and join the uprising in self defense.

A drunk must have his keys taken if that becomes the only way to stop him from endangering others. Murderers are locked up to prevent further deaths. The criminally insane are contained. Those orchestrating, making profit from, and defending existing power structures are more powerful and dangerous than each of those examples combined. The more this becomes obvious, the more our apathy becomes culpability. If there is no longer a viable legal solution remaining, is it then rational or right to simply accept suicidal tyranny? Will our ingrained sense of impropriety eventually be overcome by the worsening consequences of our own inaction?

When finding a fair path forward becomes thwarted by one's leaders, they're no longer Representative. They've become lackeys, privileged wardens, and the confidence men whispering placations and empty promises. That has been the old repeating theme throughout history; to think us immune is another example of egotist thinking limiting our perspective. Within a salesmanship culture of duplicity, trust must be earned, or else it is misplaced. Today we are ruled by politicians and celebrities as brands, as commercial products, with teams of writers and directors to shape our perception. Few if any genuinely have our best interests at heart.

That's modern reality. You can dismiss it as 'business as usual', as 'the price of our society', or any other badly overused excuse which falsely identifies and conveniently stops all further consideration. But unfortunately, that's just choosing to stay ignorant, and a willing participant to it. Not caring might be more pleasant, certainly; however, that very lack of personal, civic or ethical duty is what brought us to the present situation. It's what has allowed our rights and lives to be increasingly marginalized, sold, discounted, and re-prioritized as an investment opportunity or military fodder for the whims of billionaires and their for-profit corporations.

No matter how programmed we are to go through the motions, every day we wake up is a new moment to choose who and what we want to be. For myself, I try every day to be better than I was yesterday. Just a little more thoughtful, more kind, more aware of how my actions affect others. Not for any imagined salvation or accolades, but because I know I'm always setting an example. And like a virus, that example will not stop with me, nor even my little circle. Eventually if my efforts get reflected in you, we are both helping to fight this problem, keeping humanity's fatal sickness at bay. Because despite political rhetoric, real change has no guarantees…

But it does have a conscience.