Choices

It seems clear, moreso every day, that the world is hurtling toward an abyss. We live in a time of almost unprecedented fear and violence, yet most people seem not to care. They are more interested in picking up the latest issue of Vanity Fair to see pictures of nude Hollywood stars, or discussing why Britney was driving with her baby on her lap, or marveling at how Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a basketball game.

Meanwhile, as we breathe today, Muslims are rioting across Europe, the Middle East and Asia because newspapers in Denmark, France and elsewhere have published cartoon images of the prophet Muhammad .

Our own government, founded on the principle of freedom from tyranny, maintains it can spy on us at will without a court order, detain us secretly and indefinitely, and make laws based on the religious beliefs of the majority, all without checks or balances from the legislative or judicial branches.

We are fighting a vague, neverending war against terrorism, a war with no boundaries, no timeline, no victories—only casualties. To pay for it, we are issuing debt that will burden future generations and that threatens the financial stability of the government and the nation.

America is consuming its way to poverty, using ever more land and more energy in a quest to give each person exactly the life he or she desires, the greater good be damned. U.S. citizens live in a time of choice unequaled in human history. We can choose where to live, what to drive, how we get our news, who to associate with and who to ignore, and when to do any of it.

And given this incredible gift of choice, we have fucked up beyond the wildest nightmares of those who have fought to guarantee our right to choose. Look at us: We have chosen a sprawling disconnected suburban growth model that relies on inefficient personal transportation to function over compact, integrated, walkable communities linked by mass transit.

We have chosen to define the American Dream in terms of property and possessions instead of in terms of an ideal where everyone has an equal chance to succeed, regardless of background.

At almost every opportunity we have chosen violence over diplomacy; war over peace.

We have chosen the politics of division rather than inclusion.

We have chosen infotainment over news.

We have chosen a vague “essential truth” over the actual truth.

We’ve chosen the “me” over the “we”.

For as much as we brag about our freedom to choose, we’ve not done a good job showing we’re responsible enough to handle it.

The bitch about being able to choose, and constantly choosing poorly, is that eventually natural law will catch up, and deal the appropriate punishment. That time is coming, although we probably won’t know it until it’s here, since we’ll be too busy with ourselves and our silly lives to notice.

If we choose to listen, there are voices to guide us toward better choices. Voices urging peace and reason. They are hard to hear above the din of our clattering world, but they are worth listening for.

The Indignant Citizen will, in the coming days, examine some of our choices. He will pass judgment on them. He will suggest alternatives. People can choose to listen … or not.