I had a conversation with my mom earlier in the week that has really got me thinking about some things.If governments of the past were able to run the country without income tax revenue, why does our current government feel it is so necessary to reduce social funding and implement privatization while promoting their free market model? Income tax was implemented to help pay for the war and to create social programs to assist those who had their butts kicked by the great depression. Yet today we all seem to accept these social cutbacks without questioning where all the tax revenue is going. Is it not ironic that the money temporarily collected to pay for the debts and social consequences of one war is being used to fight another war at the expense of social programs almost a century later? What about the massive spending our government justifies for private consultants to complete studies and produce white papers on behalf of the government when the majority of the Members of Parliament, whose job it is to run our government and make decisions that best reflect their constituents’ wishes, sit impotent and forced to cater to the will of their party leader? Why are we not questioning these things?
With so many people on the planet going to bed hungry each night, why are we pursuing bio fuels that affect the food supply and at the same time continue to promote environmentally unsound practices? Why does it not occur to us to reduce our consumption rather than search for alternatives that will allow us to continue our unsustainable lifestyles?
If a black belt is supposed to epitomize discipline while setting an example for others to follow, why do so many of us not honour our commitments? The UBBT is a very public endeavour and thus if we fail, our failure is very public. What value are we bringing to the world if we are not taking our own responsibilities and commitments seriously? Who are we inspiring by our public failure?
When I am participating I am truly engaged and mindful of my progress. When I am participating I not only accept my potential in promoting change but I hold myself accountable for the state of the world around me. When I am participating I become a voice of reason in a world of chaos and I provide an alternative to mediocrity and apathy. When I am participating I am a black belt.
“There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” - Art Turock
2 comments:
That quote really speaks to me... makes me realize how many things I am interested in and how few I am committed to. I wish everyone I knew would read these blogs. I take so much away from them.
Your last three paragraphs are really really good. I am reading 'Diet for a Small Planet', which I had mentioned to you before. Her comments about the 'myth of food scarcity' relate to your comment about using biofuels. She had calculated that the grain fed in feedlots,required to produce 1 pound of beef is equal to 16 bowls of grain. In regards to your comment in the last paragraph about our protential for promoting change, I think it is as simple as what choices we make every day such as what we eat, what packaging we accept, what cars we drive etc, etc - the author of the book believes that this is where our starting point should be.
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