Christmas 2011

It's not often that I get time off anymore unless I run away. That being said, being able to get out the house this Christmas allowed a lot of time of relaxation and reflection, without the rest. I spent the time with my uncle, aunt and their 3 kids and each one of them taught me a little something about myself surprisingly enough.

 

From my uncle: Love is rooted in resilience and humility. Often during the trip, I know a lesser man would have yelled and screamed at his kids or put down the hammer, but he was really cool about things. Being a workhorse for the people you love is admirable.

 

From my aunt: Sometimes you'll have to look like the bad guy to get things done. It's not that she was mean or anything, but from a comparative perspective, she was the bad cop in the Good Cop, Bad Cop scenario. It's not what looks nice, but what is right that matters.

 

From my 1st cousin: Patience is a virtue, and sometimes the ones you love will hurt you, knowingly or not.

 

From my 2nd cousin: Innocence and sympathy are not to be taken lightly in a world that's oppressive and constantly moving.

 

From my 3rd cousin: Empathy needs to be natural and not stilted or rehearsed, and also that the wonder in the world still exists, even if it starts on a small scale.

 

 

For myself, I'm learning lessons about how to be single and how to treat spouses and children. It was refreshing that none of this burden falls on my shoulders, but that in time, it comes as a second nature. Maybe next Christmas the story can change.

Posted via email from Bloodscope Economics

thoughts on Occupy Boston

Guess I should have written this post earlier before the tent came down.

Having seen some of the aftermath of Occupy Boston, I had come to many realizations as to why it failed (at least in the short-term):

-A lack of leadership

-A lack of a final goal

-A solidified measure of success

-Lack of cohesiveness among the people

-Internal disputes

-Their depiction in the media

Those are only a small subset of reasons. For me, I had believed in at least some of the message, but disagreed in their execution of their plan. Perhaps in the future, these issues would be addressed. Above all though, the movement has to realize that they need to be about the people, and if they're really about the people, then they need to actually represent what the people want and to represent the people who are truly oppressed.

It brings me to my uncle, who is actually considered one of the 1%, but he acts like a 99%. Right now, I don't believe that the fight isn't merely about money or equality, but rather a change in behavior. More money doesn't cause problems per se, but rather the mishandling of resources is what we're protesting.

We act as if we can levy some sort of behavior on people who are much unlike us, and that they ought to understand our plight. In truth though, it's tough for anyone to be sympathetic to anything if you vilify them right off the bat. Sure, people are people and we do go through the same things, but remember; people are people - they have feelings too.

The fight isn't over for anyone - perhaps the attention is drawn away to other causes, but there's been a sour taste left in the mouths of the people.

Posted via email from Bloodscope Economics