Creative Destruction

Destructive behavior seems to be pervasive in this day & age. DUIs galore. Shootings. Watch the news, read the paper. It's all you'll see. 

I think this is the epidemic we need to concern ourselves with. As we continue with these ridiculously unsettling economic/psychological times throughout the country and world we need to remember our responsibilities to ourselves, our family, our friends, our community (in no particular order). 

Times are tough, and they're getting tougher. Bills still need to be paid. The lawn needs to be mowed. You need to take out the trash. You need to moderately consume everything from heartache to booze to love. 

I'm not perfect - sure I dance with the line of irresponsibility. I don't exempt myself from criticism. 

I have one goal in life: be happy. My happiness is in place but I recognize that my current happiness will evaporate at some point. I will need to find a new kind. New job? New school? New city? 

I sense that having a "goal" has evaporated amongst people. Perhaps this is the mentality of every 20-something that is in the workforce for the first time, and the reality of making ends meets and the dream of making it big collide and the state of being jaded is the result. 

Perhaps this is the result of war (and adverse/less-than-desirable world situations), economic recession etc... I wouldn't count any out. 

It's pretty disconcerting when the entire world is watching GM grapple with its demise - but not without a last ditch effort to salvage it. 

It's hard to expect an individual to remain responsible when we watch the most American of mega corporations like GM (and all the auto manufacturers, and the financial systems etc...) mess their shit up for decades and be met with backbreaking efforts to salvage it. What are we salvaging? We're salvaging crap that nobody wants anyways (in the case of GM). 

But here's the question: do we let them wither and die without a fight? That is giving in to our goal of happiness by not helping others. But helping them is rewarding their long-term irresponsibility, which perhaps nullifies our claims that we should strive to make our lives and this world a better place. 

I don't have the answers yet. I have the questions. 

And the determination to remain happy. 

Scott.