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Originally Posted by Tully Mars
I'm not even sure a WWIII would bring us out of it at this point. Mainly because no one wants to sacrifice any more. A lot of folks we're fine with the Iraq war because they were told not would it not costs them anything but they didn't actually have to make any changes to their lifestyles. [...]
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The average person today doesn't know the true meaning of personal sacrifice. We've built a society that prides itself on having the power to instantly fulfill desires, whether or not it's a good idea (personal credit spending). When you hear the stories of how our grandparents and great-grandparents sacrificed their lives (both literally and figuratively), they now sound like legends or deep history---we don't have to do anything like
that because they made that sacrifice already.
Well you know what? The shit hit the fan. How are we going to get over the fact that we can't always get what we want? Previous generations did without if they didn't have the cash. Many of us today get now and pay later, even if it costs twice as much by the time it's actually paid for. This has gone on too long and now we're hurting. We owe too much. But that doesn't stop us from wanting things. So there's this disconnect between what we want and our means to get it. And since we're so used to getting what we want, our little hearts are breaking when we don't get it. Doing without is new to a lot of people, and perhaps they would like to blame someone other than themselves.
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Today most people aren't willing to actually give up anything. We've allowed our politicians dig us into a economic hole and any politician that suggests part of the solution is going to have an effect on your personal lifestyle is dead in the water and unelectable.
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This is where I point to the T. S. Eliot quotation in my signature below.