Forum Post: Change Your Perspective
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 19, 2011, 1:50 a.m. EST by bzchaet
(2)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
It is the very basic nature of competition that while someone holds the title of winner, a loser must also exist. For some reason America has forgotten this very basic concept. I have watched as the abolishment of competition in our youth has set the table for future generations to wander aimlessly though life without the ideal that hard work and perseverance is the one way to achieve the American dream. Without competition our country has replaced winners with delegated leaders filled with complacency who don't understand what it takes to truly be victorious. However, I am far more disturbed that without competition our world no longer births losers. Losers are what make the American dream so very precious. Without failure we would have no reason to improve, no reason to pursue the other side of the coin, and no reason to appreciate the risk of continually fighting against all odds to keep our indomitable flame from extinguishing. Those who believe that creating competition is the answer need to continue to challenge everything around you. Challenge your children. Challenge your co-workers. Challenge the system. Challenge yourself. Without competition we remain stagnant as a society and I am very comfortable admitting that stagnancy may as well be regression for those interested in fighting to place the power of this country back in the hands of the people.
So here we are. Millions of fingers point in all directions, billions around the world remain confused, and not only do we not have an answer but we aren't exactly sure what the question is. Let us as Americans search long and hard for the questions so that we know exactly what answers we will be demanding. I implore each and every American to first look in the mirror and ensure that you are ready to bring your competitive spirit to the system's front door because I can guarantee, whether we are willing to admit or not, that we will be facing nothing but winners who won't accept defeat easily. Be willing to admit that we as the American public have made critical errors which have left us open for attack from predators but at the same time that we will be attacked no longer. Be willing to make sacrifices and concessions by adjusting what you perceive to be the American dream so that future generations may have the same opportunity that we've been given by previous generations. Be willing to be counted on in our time of need by your fellow Americans. Just keep in mind that it is ok to lose. Remember that the greatest winners in history have lost over and over. Remember that the more we lose, the sweeter it will taste when our unstoppable force pushes their immovable object out of the way. Finally, the most important thing to remember is that as long as we vow to never stop fighting...we will never truly lose. This country was founded by the people and it isn't a long shot nor selfish nor crazy to demand that the power returns to it's rightful owner.
A cooperative society? Give me an example of that on this planet right now. You show me one civilization in the history of man where there wasn't a pecking order with someone left out (Try to get close to 300,000,000 people if you can) and I'll take my argument, pack it up, and head on down the road. I understand in a perfect world there are no wars, no poverty, and no hate...but that is not this world. We live in an imperfect society and unless we are willing to adapt, we might as well be content standing outside of buildings with picket signs. If you aren't interested in winning, then what is this all about? The people we are dealing with are ruthless and their successors will be even worse because their piece of the pie will shrink if this movement stays WINS. Not everyone gets their way but but if the 99% (If it truly is 99%) gets what they want...that would be as close to a perfect world as will get. This movement claims the 1% controls this country's finances. Do you think they will just give that up for the good of the country? If this movement believes that, then I believe I am in the wrong place. Does anyone else have an opinion on this issue?
'Winners' and 'Losers'... The flawed black and white dualism of Social Darwinism.
We need to evolve beyond 'winners' and 'losers' and work toward a more cooperative society.
http://metapolitik.org/content/demands
Then what we need to do is change everyone's perspective and make sure the ball is in our court. If lose/lose is the only option, then we need to ensure that they lose more. We have backed ourselves into a corner by taking these bank's bait with these adjustable interest rates that we couldn't afford. If they aren't willing to overlook the risk associated with loaning to sub-prime lenders without hanging us out to dry (Which they have showed the chink in their armor by doing whatever it took to get the American people these loans), then why not be a smart fish and swim by the bait. If that means this generation goes without home ownership then maybe that's the option. I don't know many Americans that can afford to pay for a house or a car or a college education with cash so we need to improvise. Instead of taking out $50,000 to go to a prestigious school we need to save our money and get educated at community colleges. Instead of buying a house outside of our means we need to rent and build up our capital so that we can live without their dirty money. These banks thrive off of our interest. If we show them through our actions that we can live without their money, just like any business, they can't survive without cash. These executives can't get bonuses if there is nothing to give them. Let's create our own version of the American dream and take these people out of the equation. The key here is size and patience.
I can see that you're a "to the painful point" kind of person. Most would rather ignore the obvious win/lose system in favor of win/win... but, as you've pointed out, those odds are not natural odds.
I disagree a bit, though, in the scenario. The game to which you're referring, the en mass run toward the American Dream, is not so much a win/lose game anymore. For a lot of people, it's a lose/lose game because the playbook has been reworked toward that end. It seems it's more profitable to bet on the losers these days, thus the game is no longer to run toward the dream to be defined as a "winner" so much as it is to bet on the failure of those running, a far greater mass of "losers". Hence the mortgage and default/foreclosure system in conjunction with stagnant wages and employment instability.
Love the post, though. Your heart and "to the point attitude" are in the right place.
Do you know how difficult this is to read without paragraphs? Are you having problems posting paragraphs? Somebody else told me they were but I can't imagine why. You just press "Enter" twice and it should give you paragraphs.