Pen Meets Paper, Oct 20, 2008

Pen Meets Paper
Opinion by Helge Nome
Quick fixes and instant gratification are hallmarks of contemporary society. “Fix me up Doc” (“so that I can continue to indulge in my bad habits”) is an all too common attitude. Free health care is taken as a given and the right to indulge in unbridled gambling, in the casino or on the stock market, is a God given principle. The list goes on as exemplified by monster trucks used to go to the corner store for a snack.
Noah would most definitely recognize the patterns and would likely be busy building a new ark at this time. (Look for large home made sailboats in back yards and tell me about it if you see one. I have some chickens that would like a ride).
In order for the world to get back to “normal” again, there has to be a major shift in attitude by an awful lot of people. “Education” just doesn't cut it. Most of us simply have to hit the wall before we change our ways. And for many, that is just a temporary change. Before we know it, we slip back into the old ways again. Dieting is a typical example of this phenomenon.
I am flabbergasted over how pure greed jumps into the driver's seat when people are confronted with “get rich quick” schemes (“Invest $5000 and get $50,000 back”). There is no thought for who pays for it at the end of the day as long as “I” can get “My” share of the pie. Casino gambling, in particular, is a good example: Community groups are happy to waste a night of sleep to give legitimacy to an activity that is highly predatory on people who can ill afford to lose their shirts. Taking $20,000 home for a “good cause” is more important than the social problems created by this form of gambling.