People and problems

A lot of my posts have focused on the things I see that are wrong. Sometimes I think I probably sound rather cynical and jaded.

I’m not.

I consider myself fairly realistic about the state of the world but optimistic about people.

I think right now our whole world is filled wit problems, but I also believe that’s how it’s always been. We’ve never had a world that is free of issues.

I also think we are perfectly capable of solving our problems. I believe in the people.

I do not believe that men are angels and so we need government (James Madison) and I know power corrupts (Lord Acton), but I think people are generally good.

In fact, my views on people are this: People, as a whole are generally good. Most individuals are good. There are some individuals that give the rest of us a bad name, but mostly we are good.

Why is this view important? What is it about my view that makes it good for a blog and not just a nice opinion?

Our perspective on people influences our view on whether or not our problems are fixable and who should try to fix those problems.

If you believe that people as a whole are bad and generally unable to manage themselves, then you may be inclined to believe one of two things: either that the government needs to take care of us or that government by the people does not work

Either view puts you into a situation that takes away our power. Essentially, if you believe that people are generally bad then you have to assume that people can’t solve the problems we currently face.

In that case, we might as well quit.

On the other side of things, if we believe in ourselves and in others we know we have the power to make a difference.

My view that people are good gives me reason to believe in the world and have faith that our best days are ahead.

It makes me want to find other individuals who have faith in our whole world and work to empower others.

The people are the answer. If dozens of us join together for good and become hundreds and then become thousands the work of one or two bad individuals is fairly ineffective.

We must be careful where we join and keep an eye on the individuals we put into power, because the difference between democratic change and mob rule is a fine line and apathetic people are easily taken advantage of as useful idiots by those who want something.

I believe in the power and the goodness of the people and of all the people (not just Americans). We are incredibly capable.

It’s time to solve our problems, the old fashioned way. We need solutions of the people, by the people and for the people, with a firm respect for individual rights and a wariness of the government. That’s the way to fix the world.