We Must Take a Stand...Not all peasants are poor and not all wealthy are rich.

I know much about living with the pain among the peasants. Not all peasants are poor and not all wealthy are rich. I have met some who live in poverty who are happier than I, and I have met the super elite with the world at their fingertips who are drowning in sorrow. I have wined and dined with the elite and been in the slums with the impoverished. I have educated myself in the streets and in the classroom. The divide between the wealthy elite and the rest of the world's people has been growing at alarming rates. It is hard to fathom that children die of thirst and starvation all the while there are those so-called leaders of the free world hoarding control of assets, property, and politics. There is enough wealth and means of production to sustain and feed us all, yet the so-called leaders greed for it all.

It can be overwhelming to think of the billions of people with individual personalities, feelings, and lives, yet forced to endure such deprivation and suffering. I continually wonder how I can embrace my pain and stay in touch with it in such a positive manner, how I can avoid succumbing to the abhorrence and outrage at what is being done to my fellow humans.

I do not want to demonize success and politics, many successful people and politicians went into leadership roles and government in order to work for the people and don't like what is going on any more than you or me. But something has happened and is continuing to happen to the way we treat other societies and our fellow brothers and sisters of the world. It is a disgrace to the human spirit and all humanity the ways in which we wage war over beliefs and resources, even in our own societies we tear each other down and try to impose our wills on others who are different whether it be race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or ethnicity.

My problem is not with the people who are bombarded by propaganda and misinformation provided by a media controlled by six major conglomerates because these people are doing what they believe is best for themselves and their children.

My problem is with the system that has been corrupted by greed. The Corporatocracy makes it ever more difficult to discern what is in the best interest of the people as a whole, and not just of our country but of all humanity in the world.

It is painful to see that we are shattering humanity and drowning reality in our own ignorance. We are disillusioned by a capitalist democracy of free choices and speech. I ask you how much freedom do we realize we truly have? Have lost and continue to lose? We have so many gadgets, games, entertainment, chemicals, genetically engineered foods, tastes, sports, and misperceptions to blind us and unknowingly take our attention away from what truly matters.

We must be informed and take our heads out of the sand and fight for our rights, protect the lands and the environment and provide affordable adequate education for future generations of the world.

We can all do our part.

It is never to late too late to make a difference.