I hope all of you enjoy the picture above. someone mentioned that long blocks of words weren't as entertaining without pictures, so there you have it. a picture. well here comes episode 2 of word vomit on whatever it is that's on my mind. brace yourself, you might find it impossible to disagree with me. Just kidding, the majority of you may wonder what planet birthed me and why I'm still here. We'll see. I've noticed over the last forever, that almost everyone who obtains any type of authority tends to exercise it. I'll be the first to tell anyone who will listen, that living in the USA is without doubt one of the greatest blessings receivable, I've lived outside of the magnificent walls of our 50 state wonder and I'll tell ya, Dorthy and I are on the same level with her famed exclamation, "There's no place like home." I'll go ahead and put it out there, it is a privilege to live here. We are PRIVILEGED. Hmm, what's that mean? Here's a closest that I can get to being universally accepted definition of the word privileged: the right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most. From first hand experience, as Americans we're over privileged compared to several other inhabitants on our planet. So where am I getting at with all of this, well, I'll tell you. Do our privileges come from our wealth? Is it birthed from our strict system of government? It is available to us from the laws we have? Well, I don't think so. Other countries have wealth, our government is too loose to be considered strict, and boy, it can't be from the laws. Time to chew on a thought: our laws, rules, procedures, regulations, and processes. I have a few issues concerning laws, but have no solution. Here we go: Why is it that a police officer can violate the speed limit and receive no punishment, but turn around and punish me for doing the same thing? Hypocritical? The cop yes, as hypocritical as they come...the law, no. The law is fair, it's the exercised authority where I sense the failure. Next, South Carolina is an at-will, equal opportunity state...so in a nut shell, I've got a shot just like Jose Gonzales and Leroy Jackson do at getting the waiter job at the Chinese restaurant. So we walk in, and all apply for the position, I don't get hired, and I ask why not....The response almost makes me vomit, "well we're looking for someone with experience." I respond, "well then, how do I get experience, because taking mom and dad's plate from the table to the kitchen sink every night probably won't cut it." The likely answer: "Oh, just try back with us later." The true answer: "I'm not sure how you'll ever get experience, unless dad opens a restaurant or asks his friend who does, to give your worthless tail a chance, because I sure won't." So once again, the law is fair, everyone has a fair chance, but the exercised hand can choose how he or she pleases. The same situation applies to building credit. I've gotten it I don't know how many times..."Sorry, we can't approve you for this, you have no credit." the response, "How do I get credit?" then the human applies for a credit card, "Sorry, you're not approved, you have no credit." the response, "Uh, how can I have credit, if not one will let me build." the answer, "Get a co-signer." the question, "Well how did he get credit?" response, "Some other co-signer?" curious response, "well I wonder who the first person was to get the ball rolling." OK, so my point to such scenarios as presented above is to provide proof that on certain levels there are, we'll call them "glitches in the system" or they can be viewed as privileged laws/rules/procedures. So why did I go into such a raving long explosion of words, to say all that? Well, is there an alternative form of living? The answer: Yes. Allow me to explain. For twenty-four sweaty, dirty, love filled months I tarried in the wilderness on the island of Hispaniola, covering the majority of the dirty southern part of land known as the campo of the Dominican Republic. The DR plays by a completely different set of rules in all forms of government, procedure, and even basketball. For example, you will never be pulled over for speeding or ticketed for getting in a wreck with someone, or in any trouble for running a red light. However, you had better not get caught talking on your cell phone, or going down a one-way street the wrong way! Dominicans haven't grasped the idea of agency, like Americans have. Throughout the entire country they've eliminated mass speeding with two things: speed bumps (no one wants to go air born so you've gotta stop) and pot holes. It works for them. I saw several fender benders but never a serious wreck. The police work a little differently too, if the police are after you, no warrant is needed, and if you don't cooperate, odds are you'll get shot. Prison space is limited so they won't hold you forever, but if you keep messing around, you'll answer to death. So down there, you obey the rules (the ones that exist), or you die. Slightly different approach than ours. I've often said to myself, "self, ya know if every time you stole something they chopped off a limb, odds are you wouldn't be stealing after 4 times." "Or hey, if I break the law would I do it again if they shipped me off to a place where no indoor plumbing exists, electricity comes and goes, and the variety of food is limited to vegetable oil, rice, beans, mayonnaise, and infested meat." If that's the way it worked odds are, we've have a lot less rule breakers, thieves, and criminals. So what am I saying? Opposite to what you may be thinking I'm about to say, here's what I have to say. Odds are, if we strengthened/changed several of our rules, procedures, and laws we'd end up being like those under-privileged places. Some changes would make us even better than we already are, but, we have a privileged set-up if you look at the big picture. So where do we get such privileges? I think it's the agency, freedom to break the law without dying that governs our privileges. I think anarchy leads to chaos. Perhaps Land of the Free has more than one meaning. What do you think?
