Things are complicated.  Like filling out forms; you think you're done but you're not.  Or you thought you finished that chili in the fridge but it's actually turned into a living breathing life form that calls you papa and brings you it's harvest of American Cheese.

Anyways, I'm listening to the news on the radio(a different medium!) and they're talking about government reform... again.  Reform this, reform that and they're discussing why reform doesn't work and why it's so hard to do.  Some of the things that they list are greed, different views, pandering, advancement of personal goals etc.

The list just goes on and on, but I begin to see a clear pattern.  Like a path has opened to the gateway of enlightenment.  I don my bath towel again because I realize, for large scale reform to work you need to start small.  Begin with the person and work out to the government.

What needs to happen to reform one person?  Figure out the flaws and work on them!  First goes laziness and avarice, two things that greatly hamper progress.  I get a job and invest the money instead of spending it.  Next, there needs to be some kind of growth policy.  I start studying harder and working out more often, building strength of the mind and body.  Finally, a code of laws and ruling system needs to be put into place.  This is probably the toughest part for a single person as they have to mete out their own punishments; so, I just set a schedule for myself and a set of consequences that would happen if I didn't get things accomplished.

All in all, it worked out fine.  But the problem was it took too long!  By the time I finished, I had already graduated and had started work, things had changed again and I had to reform once more.  With the timeframe it took to change one person, how can we change an entire society, even for their own good?

It seems, even with a brilliant insight and careful planning unforseen consequences arise.  Common sense?  Perhaps, but hindsight is always 20/20.  Oh well, I've still got my cheese.

Well... maybe I'll add some stuff.  :3

It's not that bad right?  Anyways, on with the post!

So I'm watching the news(see a trend here?) and I see this report on continuing slavery in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Sadness overwhelms me, then anger and resentment.  How can people still be doing this?  What's wrong with the world?  Are these the times we live in?  And in a minute I make the decision to go help these people, I'll bring light to their world!

Gathering my modern gadgets and sophisticated technological devices I journey to the primitive region of Tropical Africa.  There I find a small town where the people are being sold into slavery... and the slave trade is thriving!  I quickly buy a slave his freedom and inquire of him about how this came to be.

He told me this:

Long ago, people not of their land came to their home and brought with them new and wonderful things.  Things they had never seen before. 

"These wonders can be yours!  We can help each other by trading!"

Wanting these things, some of the people offered to trade with the foriegn people.  However, our people had nothing the foriegners wanted... except slaves.

Towns, neighbors, friends and family soon conspired against each other to gain a few baubles and coin.  Soon, slavery had become one of the staple trade goods in the area.  In only a few decades everyone who was anyone had a slave.

Demand slowly dwindled and the slavers disappeared for awhile.  Slaves had children, the masters set slaves free and it slowly died.  Only a few households had slaves anymore.

"Then all is well!", I said, naively.

The locals told me this state of affairs didn't last for long.  In other parts of the world slavery had already been abolished and they viewed the country as backwards and primitive.  Soon they sent legions of missionaries and support groups to help the poor country.

Again, they brought their new devices and fancy tools.  This time they sought nothing to trade though, only to help.  With their help the town advanced little by little... until one day.

A missionary noticed a slave in a rich man's home.  Moved by the slave's plight he inquired with the master if he could buy the slave from him, really intending to set him free.  The master named an absurd amount of money assuming the missionary would not pay his high price.

On the contrary, the missionary gladly paid and stated, "You cannot put a price on a person's life!"  And with that the slave was freed from his servitude.

With his new wealth the master could do whatever he wanted... till he ran out of money.  Wanting more he needed a new source of income, more slaves.

People were buying the freedom of slaves while the slave masters just kept enslaving more and more people.  They'd even recapture the slaves that were just freed, making regular trips to small towns to capture the weak villagers.

His story finished the man turned to me and said, "Thanks for the help, foriegner."

No more flashy background and music.  Actually, it was starting to bug me too.  Maybe if I can find a background that isn't a pain in the ass and a song that'll still be good even if you listen to it 50 times in a row.

Doubtful. :3

Anyways, I just got out of the shower and turned on the television when I hear someone talking about the 'human condition'.  For those of you who don't know the human condition is basically how people cope with the world around them.  They're talking about how we're 'only human' and how the human condition cannot be improved and we're just living to survive.

It's true.  But only to a certian extent.  We're not just surviving.  People are living it up; they've got their SUVs, HDTVs, WiFi Internet access, Vitamin D enriched OJ, and alphabet soup.  This is luxury, this is comfort, this is the easy life!

Except it's not.  We've got to work for this stuff.  Day in, day out, nine-to-five, slaves to our own belongings and to the money that we carry around in a comfortable leather sofa, the wallet.  A throne to our green-eyed kings of old.

The human condition is looking bleaker and bleaker.  What can I do to transcend this madness?!  And then it hits me.  I'll convert to Buddhism!  I'm asian, I could shave my head, sit on a mountian and meditate for 20 hours a day!  I'd give up everything!  Except for meat and women, I really like them.

With my newfound resolve I shed the shackles of clothing and streak into a brave new world!

This new world is drafty, perhaps I should've brought my towel.

Slick - "My penis is a terrorist?"