Thought Train

I've had a lot of caffeine.  Hop on-board my thought train.  Choo-choo.  Let's go.

I was scrolling through my News Feed on Facebook, and ran across an article about a recent petition that was released.  Check it out here.  This is legit.  So, when you cross the threshold of 100K signatures, the White House puts it in a queue an eventually responds.  This doesn't necessarily mean that the Obama administration has to say yes, but they have to say something about it.  Anyway, this brought on two thoughts.

First thought: Why are 213,000 people so concerned about this?  I think there are bigger and more serious problems going on throughout this nation right now, that greatly overshadow Justin Bieber.  Just saying.  I think it's funny.  But let's get a petition to actually hold some of our elected officials accountable for what they've done, or maybe bring about some actual solutions.  Just saying.

Second thought: Again, the White House doesn't have to say they'll deport Justin.  It's funny because there are many other petitions that were filed.  Like this one.  Obviously, this petition was a total joke.  But I love the response.  I mean, why would we need a fully working Death Star?  The thing was designed to destroy planets.  Yes.  Let's destroy Earth.  Good plan.

Speaking of real-life plans to build starships and the like (the Death Star idea was rejected by the White House, just so you know, in case you didn't read the article), I can't help but tell you about this other project to build a real-life starship Enterprise.  If you don't watch Star Trek, you'll never understand.  Cool, yeah?  I'm still trying to figure out if it's legit or not, but it's definitely interesting.

My friend also told me about this other thingy that you might find intruiging.  Check out the Venus Project, here.  I've read a bit, but of course, being where I am politically, I don't necessarily agree with the socialist style economies these thinkers wish to employ.  Interesting, nonetheless.

I mean, we don't really need a real life Enterprise, either.  I can't help but feel disappointed to see where we are right now.  I mean, in the last century, we exponentially discovered and invented new technologies and things that have shaped and somewhat improved our world today.  Now, it seems the next coolest thing will be a cell phone that can read your fingerprints to unlock or remain secure.  Wait.  That already happened.

Have you heard of Thorium?  Probably not.  Look it up.  With all this technology and how smart we claim we are anymore, why are we still trying to figure out simple math to balance a budget, work together to better this country, and maybe not cheat and lie (and get caught anyway)?  Don't answer those questions.  They're all rhetorical.

Yes, we could create a ship that can do manned flights to Mars in 90 days within two decades.  I'm sure of it.  But maybe we should think of a way to make traveling here on earth more safe.  Maybe?  We can develop a phone that can do everything my graphic calculator, my parents' GPS, my old touch screen PDA, my Gameboy Color, and my laptop can do in one device.  Why don't we figure out a way to grow food without having to dangerously genetically engineer everything?  Not that I'm a totally scared, paranoid person when it comes to grocery shopping, but I know there are some crazy things happening to my food before I purchase it.  Anyway.

Here's an interesting thought: with all this technology, parents, elders, and leaders in today's society claim that our generation lacks the ability to properly and efficiently communicate and maintain relationships. They say we're always on our phones, always on Facebook, and always using the internet to communicate.  Kids never do anything except text, and it's turned our generation into a bunch of tech-dependent, anti-social fools.

Maybe.

When I grew up, my parents didn't let us do much.  We had to be in by dark, Port Byron had a population of like 100 people, and I wasn't legally allowed to drive a car at the age of 10.  Even growing up, when I had the ability to drive, go places, and do things with people, it wasn't really an option.  Most of the time I was working or in school.  If not, I was sleeping.

There aren't a ton of places for kids to go to that don't want to rob you.  Movies are $9.50 a ticket.  Bowling is closer to $10 for two games.  So many places have no-solicitation signs up, or they make you buy food or whatnot to hang out there.  Parents are more paranoid anymore (sometimes they don't care at all).  I just know that the reason why I text, the reason I Facebook, and the reason why I do all this internet crap is because I don't, or my friends don't, have time or the place to hang out and do things, but also because that's exactly how I  end up connecting to people, because it's the next best thing.

Let's just pretend there's an issue with our generation, and that we maybe are unable to interact in person efficiently.  Who's to blame? The mainstream media has made a huge deal out of child abduction (which is a big deal, don't get me wrong), and the government felt that the youth was getting more out of control (which might be true) and that there are serial killer child predators out there.  Preparation for college is significantly more extreme, and parents like to jam their kids into all sorts of tough classes and then extracurricular activities to add to their resumes.  And even though crime rates are somewhat down, people still panic about violence and shenanigans.  Cities have countless anti-loitering laws and curfews.

Parents and adults have transformed our society into a really protective one; one that prohibits jumping in fear that you'll land wrong and fall, and that assumes the worst.  Hell, our society thrives off negative news.  I rarely see kids in the news for anything except Amber Alerts or crimes.

And we're to blame, too.  That's the thing.  It's like a double edged sword.  How many of us are guilty of doing stupid things in public while illegally under the influence of... something.  You name it, alcohol, weed, etc.  How many of us have slipped out a swear word while in line at the grocery store, witnessed by a bunch of kids and their offended mother?  How many of us have added to the negative impression previous generations have of ours?

We apparently care more about Justin Beiber beind deported, than we do about voting.  We are painted as picky, selfish, and wild.  We are called irresponsible, aimless, and unpolite.  I've never once said we are all this way.  I try to never speak in absolutes.

I read an article that blamed parents for our dependency on social media to interact with one another.  And maybe not all of you were raised as "sheltered" as I was, but I think my parents did so with good reason.

So, what's my point?  Go against the grind.  Be different.  Help me restore hope in our generation.  We have more technology and access to knowledge than any other gen before us, yet we invest a majority of our time in partying, hitting up bars, and other silly things.

Let me just put things this way; you will have no good excuse thirty years from now if you haven't improved your life one way or another.  Unless there's a world war and you're thrusted into action, or a natural disaster that desroys all you have.  But on that same note, with the help, hopefully, of others, you have the ability to improve your life and the world around you.

And it could all start with this petition to make polar bears the national animal.