Just heard a story about how the industrial stretch of highway 101 south of San Francisco was referred to as the road for people with bigger dreams but less hope. It was in comparison to the more scenic highway 280 which parallels it.
The comment made me think of the current state of America coming out of the industrial age. The industrial age, with its dependence on science and technology, ushered in an era of “prosperity”, in which more people had access to stuff quickly and in bulk. The first “ready-made” clothes came out in America with the help of sewing machines.
And now, highway 101 is lined in industrial buildings, and it is one of the most lifeless, depressing sections of highway I’ve ever traveled, especially compared to 280. People, in their fear and need for security, jump on technologies as their ticket to big money. After all, if a million people buy your t-shirt, or your app, you won’t have to worry about money for a while.
But that ship has run its course, at least in industrial manufacturing of goods in America. The talent today is all over software products, chasing green there. Food products is yet another disgustingly profitable industry. By food products, I mean subsidized mass-produced wheat, corn (HFCS), and soy making their way into sweet and savory food mashups that actually have negative nutritional value but light up the right brain chemicals.
Human ingenuity, when used to create money via products, can be a force for evil if not checked by society. This is why government is necessary. Unfortunately, it is possible today to also buy politicians.
Anyone who gives a damn about our country needs to be alarmed about how our radical experiment in democracy is being decroded by corruption via corporate influence in government and media.
A society must be healthy and educated in order to govern itself freely. Corporate greed has created food products which are making Americans sicker by the minute and more dependent on profit-driven pharmaceuticals, a double-win for corporate interest. Corporations have also become experts at misinformation in the Information Age, creating an unhealthy democracy which also doesn’t know who to trust or listen to. As a result, Americans are becoming more and more divided, as bullshit walls are thrown up to protect oneself. As Abraham Lincoln noted, a divided nation cannot stand.
The world needs us to end corporate corruption. Now. We can start by not giving them our dollars anymore. Buy from your friends and family. Put your money in trusted credit unions. Move your stocks out of businesses which contribute to our ill health and misinformation.
Join me in getting educated about how we can take back our health and our care for one another. We can and must do this. We can’t wait passively any longer. The evidence in favor of total corruption and ultimate union demise is overwhelming. This is the Tipping Point.
Dreams are big but hope is getting smaller. Time to un-industrialize. Turn consciousness back on. Breathe life back into our people and our economy. Restore hope.