Day # 191 - A.I.

A.I.: Arrogance & Ignorance. There is a lot of each going around, usually in tandem. I have been exposed to thousands of people over the year and it never ceases to amaze me how little they know - or how little they care to know. We have chosen ignorance as a lifestyle. We are oblivious to the choices we make and the choices made for us, never for a moment thinking that our futures are in the hands of disinterested, arrogant people.

The biggest distinction between the Haves and the Have-Nots is information. By information, I mean the Haves choose to be informed, to be educated. They spend their money on books and education and they work as hard as they have to in order to succeed, while the Have-Nots do not invest in their education and do not work as hard as they can. Why? My belief is that many of the Have-Nots have been convinced by the government and the media that those who are successful, or rich, only became so by cheating. The Have-Nots are constantly told the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. You spend enough time telling a bird it can't fly and it will eventually believe you.

The arrogant politicians believe they are better than the rest of us. They believe they are a glamorous race of people who were born to lead. The unwashed masses exist to do their bidding. The common folk, the Have-Nots, believe this. What else will they believe? They hear the words of their "Leaders" and they look around at their environment and they believe it's true. Sometimes, one gets away, but we don't want to talk about that now, do we?

When "Leaders" convince their followers that they don't stand a chance because of their skin color, their ethnicity, their gender, or whatever BS reason they can come up with, the followers don't stand a chance. Too many blacks believe that the world outside is a racist place where they don't stand a chance. Even our president, who is half-black, perpetuates this lie. Hispanics are no better off. We are told that the US is racist because some of us would like immigration laws observed. They are told this so often that they can't believe anything else. These people are suffering as a result of their own ignorance. They could accomplish anything if they would just decide to believe in themselves.

You avoid this by getting your information from various sources. Right or Left, doesn't matter. Read both. Have a little CNN with your Fox. Read magazines and books and more than one newspaper. Then, and here's the radical part of my plan, think! For the love of all that matters, THINK! Use your head. Ignorance is a choice. We are all guilty of it at times and that's no crime. Ignorance becomes criminal when left unchecked. Pick up a book and think for yourself. Encourage others to do the same. Build yourself up and let no one tear you down. It's your life... Live it!

Adolfo