Hypothetically speaking…

Let’s say I take out a loan from a local bank. My loan amount is $1.16 trillion dollars plus interest. Then let’s say that the bank is damaged by a natural disaster. Feeling for the bank, I donate $2.6 billion for repairs, but it doesn’t deduct from my loan amount so I must continue to pay it as well. If I came to you and told you I needed more money, wouldn’t you tell me to get my priorities straight and pay off the loan that’s incurring interest BEFORE I donate money?

Dear America,

This is your relationship with china.

Hypothetically speaking…

I become involved in a feud between the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s. I pledge to stand behind the Hatfield’s no matter what. I give them 2.6 billion a year to fight their war. During said war, I become aware of the suffering of the McCoy’s due to the lengthy war. Feeling for the women and children, I begin giving the McCoy’s somewhere around 200 million dollars to help ease suffering. It’s only a fraction of what I am giving others, but still a considerable sum of money beings that I’m the largest contributor to their oppositions military. Wouldn’t that mean I’m stuck in a circular process of funding the one while supporting the other? Doesn’t this mean I’m funding the war that creates the very suffering I’m attempting to elevate?

Dear America,

This is your relationship with Israel and Palestine.

Hypothetically speaking…

Let’s say I live in an area in which the leaders are so out of touch with the people, that the basic necessities of life are becoming harder and harder to come by. Let’s say that biased agendas are so prevalent that the idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are trumped by arguments over whether or not I should be allowed to take contraceptives if I so choose. Let’s say that the minuscule amount of money I earn amounts to a hill of beans when considering the amount spent daily by my elected officials. I am reminded, all too often, that it is imperative that I am diligent in my payment of my personal debt and tax obligations, in order for the country to run smoothly. Think about if my leaders demanded a significant amount of money and then in turn, builds houses, buys food, fixes roads, and provides support to others before assuring that my neighbors and many other residents of our area are afforded every opportunity to live a prosperous life. Consider if leaders became so driven by currency, that they spoke, spent, and borrowed, not in rational amounts, but in unfathomable amounts that seem more like the money that comes in a game of monopoly. Consider leaders, who have convinced their constituents, that fighting amongst ourselves about issues like marriage, religion, and even social networking, is not only important, but necessary. Consider a nation of people, so distracted by the smoke and mirrors of our leaders tricks, that we haven’t bothered to stop and realize that, if we continue on a path of war, debt, and litigation, the likelihood of us surviving another 100 years without an all consuming civil or world war destroying us all, is slim to none. Consider a place, in which, generations are turning against one another, regions are turning on one another, religions are turning on one another, and races are turning on one another. Consider that we are so distracted, that we forget that we are living in the pasts future and all the mistakes we are making, have already been made before. Consider being so preoccupied with who is to blame, that we stop objectively seeing our own imperfections. What if we lived in a free nation, that crumbled a little more everyday? What if we allowed it all to deteriorate because, if we didn’t break it, we shouldn’t have to fix it? What if this is the place that our children stand poised to inherit? Would that be a time or place you want to see your children spend their lives?

Dear America,

This is you.