So much to lose, So much to gain

One of my faithful subjects mentioned to me last week that he felt the time was soon, that tax payers would again stand up and revolt at the way the American government is handling things. He was speaking of an actual revolt, including violent uprisings and people refusing to pay taxes.

As King, I hope it never has to come down to that...because there would definitely be sadness involved...and I like people to be happy. So I started contemplating whether I thought this could happen. I decided that I didn't think it would...unless things get a lot worse...which they could.

But the reason I decided I didn't think it would happen is that your average American has so much to lose today. If you look back to our founding fathers and the circumstances they were living under, they didn't have a whole lot to lose. They were faced with the constant possibility of close family and friends dying of cholera, malaria, yellow fever, or small pox to name a few. Your animals could die during the winter, your crops could freeze or suffer drought or be eaten by bugs, which meant you went without. You couldn't just run down to the local grocery store and buy some food shipped in from some far off place not affected by the conditions you were facing. There were no heated/air conditioned automobiles with soft/heated seats, and a nice smooth ride, where you could just press a button and hear the symphony playing as you rode along. There weren't huge walk-in closets packed full of beautiful clothes. There weren't jetted, heated tubs. There weren't two and three car garages. No heated water on demand, or even drinkable water on demand. There wasn't an air conditioner or heater in the homes. Most people lost teeth by their 40's. You couldn't pop a pill to fix all the aches, coughs, or sneezes. They didn't have big soft couches with enormous flat screen TVs. They didn't have dish washers, or even clothes washers for that matter. Fast food meant that the chicken you were eating for dinner died quickly so dinner was ready in only 3 hours. They didn't have all the sugar and chocolate laden goodies that to us are desserts and junk food we down multiple times a day, but to them would have been food for the Gods only tasted occasionally by royalty. And on top of all that, they had an oppressive government that never gave them what they needed. They didn't have much to lose by rebelling...even giving their lives would have come as a relief.

Where as today, the average American has all these enormous luxuries and comforts. We are currently in one of the biggest economic downturns in decades. I was in Michigan last weekend (where the economic downturn started several years ago) and every restaurant was full to capacity. The shopping mall parking lots were packed as well. New high end shopping malls and subdivisions were under construction. People were out spending money as if they thought they were the American government and that money just grew on trees, or could just be printed at will, or could be borrowed and over borrowed with no lasting consequence.

I think we have a lot to lose today. People don't want to stand up and fight for real change because it is uncomfortable. It isn't easy like their current lives. It is often painful...and if it did cost them their life...well, that's not even an option. So we have too much to lose. No one is going to stand up and rebel or fight. Especially if the government continues to take better and better care of us, even when we the people make bad choices.

It is time for a paradigm shift. It is time for a change in priorities. It is time to involve compassion in place of compromise in our principals. It is time to get back to actually having principles such as honesty, integrity, service, quality, patience, and compassion. Instead of looking at them as someone else's belief system, we should look at them as natural laws as integral in our lives as gravity. They should be taught in schools, in public places, and especially in the home. They should be lived by politicians, celebrities, intellectuals, business leaders...by all.

Let's make a change.

Love,
The King