Originally posted by: DragonMasterAlex
Well, where it comes to charity I might not have a good viewpoint. I, personally, give to a lot of charities, usually those that help young people because I think the money is best spent on them. I like giving to charity because it gives me a good feeling, personally, and also some hope that those who are benefitted will see the beauty of helping others and, when they are able to afford to do so, will follow the example.
I would never imagine stealing from someone else in order to give to any cause, no matter how noble. I believe that would taint the morality of the act. I LOATHE Robin Hood, and I think he and his methods were proper for an age where the only way to get wealth was to be born into it, but we in the U.S. do NOT live in that kind of world. Over 80% of the rich in America, as an example, are *first generation* wealthy. The biggest thing that holds people back is an idea in their head that says they *can't* do better than they have. I do not share that idea.
If I were to share in the idea that you are what you are born to, I would have to be dirt poor and a drug addict. I cam from a family where my parents abused drugs, where we moved constantly because my father couldn't keep a job due to his piss-poor attitude. When I was 8 years old we spent almost a year living in the family van because my father spent, spent, spent everything he made on getting high.
But you know what? I've never even once tried an illegal drug of any kind. I've gotten drunk maybe 3 or 4 times in my life and I didn't like it. I left home at 17 and got myself a cruddy minimum wage job (if I recall it was at around $5 an hour doing utter grunt labor for Kmart) and put myself through a couple of years of training at a technical college where I learned networking, and eventually I've managed to climb up to make around $30 an hour. I'm not part of a union and I never will be. I haven't gotten a lot of breaks, though I have had close friends who have helped me through some rough times, and I appreciate that more than I can ever say. I've made mistakes, of course, as we all have, and even had a child with a nutty woman who ended up kidnapping him 5 years ago.
But I don't give up, and though I do sometimes despair I don't stop believing that I CAN do better and that I can make every year better than the last. I believe that with all my heart and soul, and sometimes I can't believe that I'm really from the family I am, but the truth of that situation is inescapable. So when I see whiny piss-ant people like Bowfinger, whose answer for making people economically better off is to steal from some and give to others, I get a little pissed. Partially because people like him bring out the worst and most unethical behavior in people and partially because they intentionally work to discourage people and implant the idea in their heads that they can't make through honest means.
To anyone who's ever tempted by such evil words, I would say to you that you CAN make it, you are NOT stuck where you were born, you are NOT doomed to any fate but what YOU choose. The key is to realize that the power of CHOICE is in your hands and your minds, and you must learn to make the best choices you can.
You CAN make it. I know from experience.
Jason
Good post, and I agree with pretty much everything you just said.
People need to realize that if they want something out of life or want to change their life. They should work/fight for it. Whether it be to gain an education, obtain freedom, get a job or just too improve ones standard of living. It's all to easy for people now a days to just give up and then expect to have everything handed to them. As you said, you ALWAYS have a choice. Granted, if you live in a dictatorship, whatever choice you make wont be easy. But it's still your choice.