Four Loco Idiots, One Genius

       "Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people...those whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent... A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.."  -Albert Einstein

There comes a time in life that you wake up, and realize that you are an idiot. Maybe it's because you drank one to many  high-alcohol energy drinks the night before, or your girlfriend is mad at you because you called her a "slut" when you were in the middle of imbibing your beverages. Whatever the reason, it is a realignment so transcending and pivotal that we as cognitive beings start the process of "self-actualization." Now while most people never move out of the lower echelon of Maslow's hierarchy, every once in a while an enlightened-one will take this as the opportunity of their life to improve their well-being and take responsibility for their actions.

Now just as a background; there are 5 basic needs that every person has to have in order to reach the highest level of self-actualization. Physiological Needs, the Need for Security, the Need for Love and Acceptance, the Need for Esteem, and the Need for Self Actualization.

A simple structure showing the hierarchy of Maslow's Needs.

So why is this relevant? Well if you think of the make-up of our U.S. Government, you can quickly place any issue on this grid. Right now, I believe the whole of our society sits somewhere between the needs of Safety and Love. Maslow's describes the ability to acquire Love is to both receive it from others, and to give it to others. However, with that fact being stated, where does that put our U.S. Government? Properly placed it should fall right into Esteem, but of course, with approval polls in the dump, where is the Love? And how can one have Esteem without Love? And then even further, what does the need for NSA, TSA, and the color system for terrorist threat say about our federal outlook? What does our ever growing debt to China make us feel like? This would put sections of our government below even Love!

No need to stress, just yet. Remember what Realignment was? Realignment was a dramatic change in the [U.S. government] system. I propose two things for our government and two things for us as citizens that could so very help put of government back into fulfilling it's Esteem Need.



(Government)
THING ONE: Invoking Fear.
Stop making it worse by reiterating the terrible.

THING TWO: Promote Progression.
Instead of telling everybody we're going to be broke and enslaved, try and start promoting progressive actions to help us improve.

Yes I know, "Don't ask, Don't Tell" is kind of important right now, but really, it's not at all. That shouldn't even be an issue on the table. If we are so unemployed, we're so in debt, we're all so sick, why are you rubbing our noses in Democrat v. Republican Debates? When we should be dropping the crazy party antics, and seriously consider how we can start paying off this debt? I've suggested we start manufacturing American made goods, starting with the American to Chinese Made ratio at 30% to 80%. Oh god, the cutting costs of imports, the job creation! When was the last time we tried that? Oh yeah, WWII, and it worked freaking great. Whatever it is, it's an idea. A desire, a longing even to take the steps to getting the love and respect of the American people. Rouse pride, submit public goals, prioritize!

(We the People)
THING ONE: Stop Listening to Everything in the Media
These tricksters would have you believing currently that the DeepWater Horizon Drill isn't still leaking millions of gallons of oil...

THING TWO: Practice, Educate, and Speak-Up(VOTE)
The only way out of this sheep heard headed for the cliff, is to stop turning our heads away when we don't agree, or we think we're being lied to. Stop re-electing the same people over and over again. Remember that phrase, "Fool me once..." I forget it myself.

The protests organized by the comedians John Stewart, and Steven Colbert, were revitalizing for those who participated, or longed to participate. The right to peacefully assemble is still very much allowed, and while FOX news flat out LIED to you about how many people participated, and where it was being held, the numbers were quite significant for what little marketing the protests had. Actually, on the National Level, over 500,000 people assembled for Keep Fear Alive, more than 200,000 assembled in Washington D.C. alone!  Keep Fear Alive was only promoted for two months! So imagine, if we have two years before the next election, and we are constantly promoting rationality and education, how many people could we effect by 2012? You do the math.



Links:
http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay.htm
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/maslow.htm
http://mktg343.pbworks.com/f/1253750058/maslow%27s_hierarchy_businessballs.jpg
http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realigning_election
http://rationalrevolution.net/articles/americanprosperity.htm
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_9_54/ai_n27963828/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_to_Restore_Sanity_and/or_Fear