>>>>The problems that worry me the most can't be cured with soap and water<< can you give us a hint?<<
Well, I worry about violence, especially ethnic violence, and war, and the subjugation of women, and the persistence of slavery.
I worry whether it is possible to end these things, ever, and if so, how. And whether the attempts to end these things cause more problems than they cure.
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I have learned so many things from people who live in other parts of the world and post on SI.
One fellow went to the Philippines, years ago, as a Peace Corps volunteer, and afterwards, stayed there. From him I got the understanding that US military bases don't always represent the US in the best light - a lot of the cultural interaction goes on in bars and whore houses, although, I suppose, that's the way international trade has always been.
He told the story of a group of engineers who decided to light up the tennis courts and baseball fields so everyone could play in the evening after work. They built a giant light system, the type of light system we use here in the USA to light sports fields, but forgot the fact that they were right in the middle of a jungle. When they tested the system, there was light, very bright light, that could be seen for miles. Every insect and bird and bat and reptile and nocturnal animal within range was drawn to the light and immediately proceeded to gather around the light source, so that the tennis courts and baseball fields were inundated by countless thousands insects, birds, and animals, whirring, chirping, croaking, crying, shrieking, all at once. Unfortunately, there was no way to play tennis or baseball because the ground was covered in flopping, hopping and crawling things. So the light system was useless.
I'd like to think that it was donated to a nearby city, but I didn't think to ask.
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Another thing that worries me is people having children just because they have sex, not because they want children.
Since I have become a lawyer, my main form of charity is free legal representation and advice, mostly helping people get divorced. I feel that this is a good thing, for the most part, but I worry, very much, about the children. Usually the husband/father is out of the house, anyway, and never coming back, so I help get closure, and set up child support payments.
There is a great divide in my country between people who are able to internalize social rules and those who are not. The ones who can't live chaotic lives full of pain and futility, and cause pain to those around them. I have no idea how to help those people, except in the very short run, and it makes me feel very humble. I think the world would be a better place if they quit having children - that's the only thing I can think of.
How much energy is wasted on these people! I am not going to look for the exact statistics but in the US, something like 5% of the population commits 50% of the crime. I think those kids come from families that had children just because they had sex, and were unwanted, unloved, mistreated, and neglected.
Well, I am rambling here. Time to go cook dinner. |
