LEARNING TO LIVE vs EARNING IT

It is time for Americans to define a value system that is not controlled or dictated by consumption. Living daily to earn, find, scam, putting a dollar in your pocket, so that you can eat, pay rent, utilities, transportation, clothes, .. before even considering discretionary consumption like the new TV, is not freedom; rather, it is closer to imperialism, fascism or worse.

"Earning a living", is often used as a measuring stick to identify self worth, worthiness, self esteem, or value, as a human in a society plagued by false ideology involving judgement of others according to a standard that even religious believers know that Jesus didn't tolerate.

Earning one's life, seems unforgiving, oppressive, and scary. What if one cannot earn one's life, if they do not measure up, if they cannot learn how, or inspite of all they do according to the social norms to prepare to earn to live, to survive, including education and training, they still cannot seem to earn correctly, to live??

They die? Yes. Millions of Americans have died over the years, long before their due dates, because they could not learn to earn their life. They may or may not have had the skills required, or the education tools. They might have been mentall ill. Physically handicapped. They might have done all the normal things that others do, but for various reasons, they failed to earn to live.

One can assume that 'earning a living' means simply that you work, get a paycheck, and spend that paycheck on life sustaining elements like food and water and shelter and clothing. Unfortunately, this is the total daily activity for many , many people, who are healthy and fit and able to accomplish the deeds of earning a living.

The entire economic and financial paradigms in operation in the USA, and much of the western world, now, are stacked against the one who must 'earn to live'. One must fight a system of fraud, corruption, immorality which is legally blessed, in order to survive. ONE misstep or mistake or human failing, can set a stage of intense hardship and struggle that many will not endure.

Meanwhile there are those who sit in judgement of others who are not mastering the 'earn to live' motif. It is understandable why one might be resentful or angry if they are working to live and others are not, yet are still allowed to live.

I personally believe that life is a gift, and does not have to be earned. Basic life and survival is part of liberty and in that, deserves the resources required to sustain the life once it arrives on this planet.

Learning to live, vs earning to live, is a new paradigm of thought, and would alter the system within which this is accomplished.

Learning to live involves much more than just learning how to earn to consume.

If people were not burdened by the base starting point of earning their life, they would quickly learn to thrive, and with that, they would be able to earn it.

FINANCIAL CRISIS: "ALL HANDS ON DECK"

For decades, the public masses have cried for 'more accountability in Washington'; yet, when the crisis of the era arises, as with the financial meltdown, McCain's rally cry of , "all hands on deck", is being derided as a political ploy.

It would seem that going to Washington, to take care of or participate in the Senatorial duties of his lifetime, is now the questionable show of public duty dedication vs political strategies for his presidential race.

Not only does Obama not feel it necessary to be in Washington to tend to Senate matters, as a representative of the state of Illinois, he is making sure Senator McCain's response to Senatorial call to duty is mocked, second guessed and criticized.

Not only does this opportunity of addressing the crisis stand as a single most profound opportunity for CHANGE, in action, as the US Congress addresses President Bush's demands for expediency, and ominous fear mongering, it stuns me that Obama is not wanting to, nor taking advantage of this once in a lifetime solution process.

I keep asking the question, if Obama cannot do the work required of the US Senator, however mundane or tedious, nor sit and even observe the work of others as a learning venue for a Junior Senator, or find the discipline to chair a meeting of his Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, how will he tolerate the stress of the never ending demands on a President. ?

The answer I keep getting from people who have full faith and trust in Obama's abilities, has consistently been, "Obama wants to change the nation and he will do it".

Perhaps they are correct, but no matter how magical a person may be, unless pencil is applied to paper, and unless the person is in his seat when the demand is drawn, the American masses are charged with holding the President accountable, and to date, the Obama followers are remiss in their show of trust worthiness on this matter.