People are
Angry
I am not
saying that things cannot always be better, but perhaps we should see the world
from a different perspective while we work for improvement.
People are
angry about health care, both the quality and the cost of health care.
One Hundred
years ago health care was very inexpensive and doctors made house
calls. The doctor would take an IOU, or
if you were one of the fortunate wealthy people of the time he might get a
chicken. The health care he provided
likely was a damp rag on your forehead and an order of bed rest.
If you had a
cold or the flu or a stomach ache from something you ate, the doctor’s damp rag
and instruction might cure you. If it
was anything else, you probably died.
People are
angry and demand a living wage and better housing.
Not much
over 100 years ago most people were cold in the winter even if they could
scratch up some coal for a crappy furnace.
Running water was at the pump outside where you also had to go to poop
or pee in a drafty outhouse. Food was
whatever you grew or shot.
People are
angry if there is any hint of religion on government property.
Many early
immigrants came to this country because any hint of their faith in their
country would have them jailed or executed.
In many countries today, you can only practice the religion of the
state, and you MUST practice the
religion of the state.
People are
angry about how we treat the environment.
The air
today in most places is not as clean or water as pure as it was 100 year
ago. There is no point in being angry
about cars and planes and industry, they are not going away, better to
encourage technological advances that will improve the environment.
People are
angry about and demand equal rights for all.
People no
longer own other people (in this country), women still face difficulties
entering some areas of the workplace, but they are not strictly prohibited as
was true not that many years ago. Laws
are in place to even the playing field for all, cultural changes take time, so
while we demand change, lets at least temper the anger with appreciation for
how far we have come.
People are
angry at a lot of things. I suppose that
is a good sign. Years ago, people
struggled to survive most every day of their lives. They struggled against the weather, they
struggled against a brutal ruling class, they struggled for everything they
had.
Years ago, there was no time for anger. Hardships were not negotiable, difficulties were not legislated against, famine, disease, and inequality was not something to be angry about, it just was.
Years ago, there was no time for anger. Hardships were not negotiable, difficulties were not legislated against, famine, disease, and inequality was not something to be angry about, it just was.
People today
are angry and worried about surviving after they retire. Years ago, people did not retire, they worked
until they died...and they died early.
I suppose it
is good that people are angry, it means we have the time and we have a system
where anger just might be addressed; but while we vent our anger, perhaps we
should occasionally look back in time to appreciate how truly lucky we are.
I hesitated
about publishing this post, I am sure it will make some people angry.
That pisses me off!
You haven't made me angry. I do understand why a lot of people are angry though. Mostly it's fear. Based on will I have enough? Will I live long enough? Will my children/grandchildren be able to get jobs? Little fears that all add up.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble is that anger has taken on a new role. In my country it has evolved into random killing for the hell of it. That worries me more than anything.
ReplyDeleteAmen and amen. We should have righteous anger at evil and injustice and work to get rid of them, while appreciating what we have. That does not mean free-floating anger at everything, real or perceived.
ReplyDeleteThe post you published does not make me angry but it does make me worry. Although sometimes anger is justified, because it leads people to improve things; I fear that nowadays it often leads to violence. We seem to have lost our ability to channel our anger and concerns positively towards the good. Instead we let our anger become worse through violence. Fear is often the motivator for anger. Loving and caring for one another seems to have been forgotten for now.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you, my friend.
You haven't made me angry either. I agree with you. We all have it pretty good compared to our ancestors.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and weekend, Joe. 😎
Excellent post! We want, want, want, but don't appreciate what we already have.
ReplyDeleteWell said, but also...
ReplyDeleteCo2 level suggest overpopulation, as well as climate change...
and taxes. too much... and the natives... and the homeless... and the excess of people... and too few jobs, yet I cannot find a bit of help... The skilled are working for good wages.
You didn't make me angry, only worried that some angers bring us down, not up.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is an angry planet right now....even mother nature seems to be angry. Yet there is still so much beauty and kindness if we look for it. Let's aall look for it shall we?
ReplyDeleteIt's not just people. Don't forget the ocean, and those words of a would-be marine biologist: "The sea was angry that day, my friends. Like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli."
ReplyDeleteThis post NEEDED to be published!!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't looked at it that way before, coming from an atmosphere of fear. But you'd have to be a hermit not to notice the anger that seems to lurk just below the surface of many. Perhaps it is a good thing, rather than not noticing what is going on in the world because you're so focused on survival.
ReplyDeleteWe didn’t have an indoor bathroom in our home until the year I graduated from high school in 1968.
ReplyDeleteI wasn’t angry about that. I wasn’t fond of having to go to the toilet when it was cold and rainy, but I was never angry.
I think social media has made anger easy. We see things come across our timeline and it pisses us off.
If we met someone at the hardware store and they voiced their concerns about healthcare or immigration we would probably stand and listen and often emphasize.
It’s a lot easier to be belligerent on Facebook.
Anger is not a bad thing if used the right way. Anger is probably what invented the wheel. Anger at twirling sticks together probably got us matches. And anger at having to add a long column of numbers over and over again is what gave us calculators and computers.
ReplyDelete