An eye opening experience

This week was the start of my summer job, working as a mover for Mohawk - United Vanlines. I went on a four day trip to Cincinnati, OH, where I loaded and unloaded 32,000 pounds of material possessions for several clients, or as they are called in the business, shippers. I had a chance to work with several of the employees in that area, and learned a lot about how they get by in life. I'll preface this by saying that Cincinnati is a gorgeous area thick with luscious forests overlaying hills as far as the eye can see. However, according to the guys I worked with, the area is riddled with crime and as often as twice a day, someone is murdered. The guys I worked with were hired for cash, and they busted their asses all day long just to make ends meet. These aren't the typical guys you see on welfare everyone thinks of when the poor are mentioned.

These are genuine poor citizens of our country who are locked in to a job that is physically exhausting every single day except for Sunday. The person who gets the 14 hour day is lucky, and anything less isn't enough. The catch to this is that there are only enough jobs (in general, not just this occupation in particular), for about 70% of the population. So, everyone else who isn't lucky enough to work 14 hour days moving extremely heavy furniture, or get work elsewhere is stuck with absolutely nothing. This, compounded with physical disability which is all too often unpreventable, puts these unfortunate souls in such a position where they are forced to do whatever is necessary to survive. This includes, but is not limited to, drug dealing, stealing, applying for welfare, living on the streets, begging for money, joining a gang, and working the government for anything they can get.

After considering all of this, is it really any wonder as to why there are also people who are left hopeless, sitting on their asses all day with no motivation to try and find a job? Doesn't it make sense that people would become lazy when their efforts to succeed fail miserably, regardless of the effort they put into it? These people are left with no hope because they've never seen a reward in their lives, and any so called "reward" you could find is utterly unsubstantial to properly motivating and educating them into finding a way out of their situation.

The driver who I went with on this trip was my father, one of the best movers in the business, which can be proven by how tightly and efficiently he can load anything and everything on to the trailer. He is 52 years old, and is probably at least 20 years from retirement, where his chances to get those fruitful 14 hour days will dwindle. With my youngest brother to continue to raise, and his wife and family to support, with his debt continuing to increase regardless of his arduous hard work, where is his reward for such dedication? Where is the gold at the end of the rainbow, and where is the end? What will it take for him to be able to rest and stop working?

It is from these personal experiences that my eyes are opened even further to the decay of our society, and the ineptitude of our ability to work as one. I express my personal life in attempts to show others what I see, and I hope that this brings me a step closer to being able to accomplish this endeavor. Take a moment to consider what I've typed, and think if you can relate to any of it. Then tell your own stories, and show the world how it can evolve as it should.

Public Apathy

It's on everyone's mind, yet they can't find a word for it. There's an itch, but the source is not clear, and although one scratches and scratches, it never seems to go away. It drives you crazy, and you look around to find that you're the only one who shares this itch with you. Yet, you know other's feel it too, because you've asked them, and they acknowledge the problem. Somehow, however, they act as if it doesn't exist, moving on through their daily lives too distracted by current events to notice the itch at the back of their minds.

Then suddenly, a break through. "A HA!!!" You shout to yourself, as you watch a two and a half hour documentary exposing the itch you've had for so long. The excitement quickly fades, however, as you're shouting alone, and there's no one there to egg you on. You browse through an online community that amounts to time wasted on the internet, and you find something curious. A public showing of this incredible, groundbreaking film for everyone to see. "A HA!!!" You shout again, except this time you hear similar shouts all around you and your excitement is spurred. Suddenly you break down, and this no longer feels like a perverted fairy tale of what could be, and you start thinking of what should be.

You return home, renewed vigor in your veins, to find that although you've gone through a life changing experience, you're reminded of how many people have yet to share this with you. This was four months ago when I first saw Zeitgeist: Moving Forward in St. Cloud in a half-filled auditorium where I realized that more than just a few people shared my desire for an improved system designed to serve the human civilization as a whole. I've given out Dvd's, designed my entire college speech class around this movement, and talked to everyone I know about what it means to me.

And although people are slow to listen, and although they still continue through their daily lives, too distracted by current events to really understand the impact of my words, my endurance will outlast their public apathy, and slowly, from a groggy hibernation, they will awaken and realize that it is time for change. Not change through politics, and most definitely not change through simply hoping that Obama will actually do something for the people. Instead, through the work of this movement, we will instigate change on a global scale, recalling outdated ideals, re-prioritizing our value system, and living in a sustainable fashion to create a true, efficient economy that allows for tangible human growth and nurturing which nothing today could ever compare to.

Welcome

Welcome to the new local Minneapolis Zeitgeist Movement group blog.
This blog has not yet been started, but should be online within a 2 weeks. Check Back for awesome new commentary and opinion pieces.