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May 24, 2004
Life without Bad guys
Today a coworker told me about how newer cars are coming out with tracking capability so someone can tell where you are at any given moment. She said this would be a great feature if you were stranded. I agree. Even Cell-phones are a huge blessing in case we break down or are running late or can’t find a phone to check on our children. Some of the newer technology is amazing. Talking to someone on the other side of the world with a webcam and microphone is amazing. These are tools to use while we are in the process of living our lives. Some help us greatly, some are just conveniences and some are luxury.
Another coworker said that she was worried about people tracking her every move with this technology. At first she said, “No, I’m not doing anything wrong, I have nothing to hide. Why would they want to track me? They would be bored stiff.” This is a valid point too. Those that are not doing anything wrong don’t usually have to fear the law. They have nothing to hide. This is an attitude of “Go ahead and search me at the airport, I don’t have any concealed weapons.” But then she went on to explain why she was worried about people tracking her every move. In the wrong hands it takes away our privacy, leaves us vulnerable to discrimination and leads to a loss of power to make our own choices. Power and Control over other people. According to her, even invasive information gathering for advertising purposes is loss of privacy and freedom.
The other day I got an email from a friend about the new Microchip technology, used currently for pets and livestock to identify them. She was worried that it would be used next in Human beings as a way to track them. And it’s only a short step for the imagination to realize that this could be used to control people. She is not alone in that fear. Many people share that fear. They believe that once this innocuous little chip is accepted for tracking sex offenders and other socially unacceptable people, then it’s only a matter of time until the Government mandates chipping for everyone. Let’s call it Census tracker.
Later I met another friend in the park for lunch and he asked if I had read George Orwell’s 1984’ He was saying that I should because it’s even more pertinent today. I found it online at http://www.literature-web.net/orwell/1984 And http://www.gerenser.com/1984/
In an age when our Country, and many others, have to deal with the reality of terrorist attacks It’s easy to fan the fire of fear. We allow the curtailing of freedom and Privacy In the name of Security. But how far does it go? Is Big Brother watching and forcing me to conform?
We can muse, wouldn’t it be really nice if none of that was necessary? If we had a life without bad guys? Wouldn’t it be great if people did not embezzle from the United Way? Wouldn’t it be great if a Company’s owners did not fraudulently bill the government for cleaning up after a tornado? Wouldn’t it be great if a sister could find a better way to deal with her brother than shoot him? Wouldn’t it be great if the brother could find a way to not anger his sister? Wouldn’t it be great if people in a company wouldn’t haul empty fuel trucks across a desert? Wouldn’t it be great if the bus strike didn’t happen and the two sides could have been serious about negotiations that were in everyone’s best interest? Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have other people in other countries and cultures hate Americans?
I have to ask, who are the Bad guys? In most cases it’s not George Orwell’s Big Brother, it’s ourselves. It’s people making bad choices. Do you think we would agree to spend our tax dollars on our large police forces if there were not people committing crimes? It’s a reactionary process. Someone does something unacceptable and we beef up security to prevent it. But it won’t solve the problem until we get rid of the bad guys. The bad guys are each of us when we make bad choices. We have to get to the root of the problems in society to heal them. What would life be like if we didn’t beat our women or treat them like property? What would life be like if we didn’t cheat on our taxes or over inflate the value of something when we sold it? We can make a difference in this world, not by getting rid of the ‘bad guys’ but by focusing on what works.
How about teaching our business students about Ethical business practices, and making that the most important thing they learn. How about teaching our children and leading by example, the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse? How about teaching our children and leading by example, having dignity and respect for all human beings? How about really making sure that no person on the planet is left behind? A lot of it depends on what we value in life. If we value Peace and Love for each other, fairness, and real justice, and when we value each other as human beings, then we won’t have to wonder what life without bad guys is like. We’ll be living it.
Posted by carl1236 at May 24, 2004 10:28 PM | Attitude