Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Discipline

I think it really all comes down to this. If you have it or can learn to master this ability, skill, talent in any aspect of life that might interest you, you will be a success. If you don't, can't, won't then you'll have to rely on luck, the kindess of others or the government. Sadly I sincerely feel that many people simply find it too hard to develop or maintain any sense of self-discipline and so they opt for the easy answers.

Health Insurance too expensive?, let's go socialist and have the government pay for it and we'll all have coverage (uhh, that's workig so well for other countries...NOT!). Lend money to people who don't have the ability to pay? Let's have the taxpayers bail out both the lenders and the homebuyers. (Cause we would hate for any individuals or companies to learn from their mistakes.) Contracted a life altering disease because of your lifestyle choices? Please prescribe me a pill that I can take once a day rather than having me excercise or change my eating habits.

Frankly I'm very dissappointed at the whining, moaning and bellyaching I hear all to frequently both in my occupation and via various media sources. What happened to the America of the self-determined invididual who wanted to live the dream? What happened to self-suffiency that our parents and more often our Grandparents prided themselves on? Has our success, and perhaps excess, allowed us to breed a generation or two of spoiled, slothful, the world owes me a living Grasshoppers?

I am a hopeful person, not because of what I see, but because of what I believe. Nevertheless I am less worried about global warming, rising gas prices, war, gangs, tornados, earthquakes, pandemics, skin cancer and much, MUCH more worried about a growning and ever more vocal culture of taxation, entitlement, apathy, rationalization and zero accountabilty.

It doesn't take alot of discipline, a little will go a long way, it's almost habit forming, but so many people seem to have lost the desire, ability or have never been taught how, that our society is rapidly sliding downward toward the lowest common denominator, "the leach", sucking the blood out of the living and contributing nothing but pain and disease.

Yes, I fear a society of leachs much more than Nukes in Iran or a melting artic snowpack, they are likely to cause far greater damage and pain than the quick death of missle attacks.

What to do? I'm not sure, educate others? work harder? move to Switzerland? Time will tell I suppose.

4 comments:

Brad Mullen said...

Well said Keith.

UtRider said...

Did you know that Switzerland has a "social insurance" plan in place that covers everybody?

Check it out:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/

Keith said...

Yes, many countries have Government run health insurance solutions that are paid through very high income taxes. However, there are severe limitations on this sort of system that our culture wouldn't likely accept. There are a number of flaws with social insurance which proponents of seem oblivious to. I'm very concerned with all this Single Payer/Universal Care talk by the politicians as the serious drawbacks to this solutions are being completely ignored.

UtRider said...

Yeah, universal coverage certainly doesn't come cheap. It's funny how people actually seem to believe what the politicians say. Especially those seeking "change". Like you said, at some point the individual needs to take ownership of their personal situation and act. Waiting for the government to take care of you isn't the answer.