festering thought

one thing that i think western thought lags behind on is its emphasis on addressing the symptoms rather than the structure of social issues. for example, our response to poverty in america is to encourage college attendance, which will presumably lead to job security. but now a significant number of people with bachelor's degrees are flooding the workforce - now a graduate education is required to escape menial drudgery. the core of the problem isn't educational attainment but a system that enforces a hierarchy with a small amount of people in high-paying jobs. economic disparity will not change unless the system changes (and now i'm starting to sound like karl marx). same with the environmental issue. instead of exploiting gasoline, we're turning our attention to exploiting other fuel resources that too will become unsustainable, instead of curbing the unrestrained consumption that drives the oil crisis. i often think that breaking issues down to the ethos of things makes it easier to approach on a personal level, and provides clarity for action.

maybe sending this message out into the internet will somehow make the world a better place. maybe, just maybe.