education is the enemy of indifference

education is the enemy of indifference...

indifference is the opposite of love (and hate)...

love can conquer any fear...

we only fear what we do not know...

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i don't watch the news... i read it instead... it helps my mind to pause once in a while in order to digest all the information... and it gives me time to do my own research (google, wikipedia, etc...)

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it saddens me that google is following the smell of profit (in china) instead of maintaining its resolve to become the first corporation to "do no evil"... every brand manager knows that once a brand is tarnished, it will take a very long time for it to earn its shine once again...

news.google.com was a very subtle yet effected means to direct people's attention to multiple sources of news information... the american public really needed that nudge...

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democracy only works if the citizens participate... indifference hinders participation...

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this e-mail got me in trouble with a few of my friends almost three years ago (a few days before the US started bombing Iraq)

this was not written from the point of view of indifference...

From: Joseph Laurino
Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2003 12:07 PM
To:

Hello Friends,

I wanted to let you know that my party has been cancelled.

The continuing events in the Middle East have proven to be something that I can't let go of and escape from. This war based on the ignorance of each side's points of view, the craving for revenge and economic stability, and the hatred between world leaders is something that I don't support.

I can't put a price on a life lost in the World Trade Center and on a life taken by this war funded by my tax dollars.
If terrorism didn't affect us economically, I don't believe we would have acted this way. If we were all really into helping each other in this magnitude, the war on poverty would have been over a long time ago.

For a different perspective, please read the following web sites:

http://www.thehungersite.com/
http://www.datadata.org/
http://money.cnn.com/

Thanks,
Joseph

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The challenge we have upon ourselves is to find the facts... they are not very well hidden...

Once you have the facts, it is your next challenge to propagate that information... use the talents which have been entrusted unto you and drive it with this new source of passion!

Everything can be done... everything just takes some time... (everything excludes immortality)

-Joseph

U.S.A.: The New Banana Republic?

Banana republic is a pejorative term for a small, often Latin American or Caribbean country, politically unstable, dependent on limited agriculture, and ruled by a small, wealthy and corrupt clique.

- Wikipedia

Although the US is not a small country, it's government is currently ruled by a small, wealthy and corrupt clique. The government makes decisions based on what's good for corporations and not what's good for the common citizen. The citizens have the illusion of a democracy yet only 50% of voters actually vote. That means, in order to rule this land, the president only needs the support of 25.1% of the voters!

The voice of an indifferent populace is lost because of the persistent presence of well funded corporate lobbyist. These lobbyists don't fight for the welfare of the people; they are driven by maximization of profits. From their point of view, they are only doing the job that was taught to them and reinforced by the risk-reward pulse of a consumer driven society.

It's obvious that it is easy to control someone who is poor. But it is equally easy to control someone who is wealthy but not satisfied. The common factor is the fact that both are desperate.

Desperation put's one's morality and common sense for the common good into a place farthest from the heart. Decisions are made out of what's best for me and my current loved ones right now and not for what's best for everyone.

Thinking and doing things for everyone else is not rewarded because it goes against the logic of accumulation which is the driving force behind consumerism. When one is not tempered by morality, it is very easy to accumulate wealth and power in a short amount of time. America's leaders should look into the echoes of the consequences of their actions not from the success stories of a handful of its citizens but rather, they need to contemplate the average indifferent citizen who goes on living a carefree life in pursuit of happiness without knowing the underlying support system that allows such extravagance.

But that is too much to think about!

That's the majority of the responses that I get when I start talking about the big picture. Well, that's exactly why we don't understand why there's a lot of hatred towards America. This is usually the time when I bring out a metaphore. Remember in high school when you see the rich kids walk around and there's a sense of jealousy that fills the room?

Guess who the rich kids are in the big picture?

But I'm on a tangent. I'm observing the recent revealed illegal actions of our government (breach of privacy, support for torture, accepting bribes from business) and it's the same historical data of the famous banana republics of the past.

When will the 74% demand democracy?
What will wake them up?
Where will it begin?
How will the rest of the world respond?

-Joseph