My oldest grandson, Zak, who's ten had been hearing some of the talk about 2012. Not the national elections, but rather the predictions based on the Mayan calendar that the apocalypse will come at that time. (I realize some folks think that, depending on the outcome, those two things may be one and the same!) Anyway, Zak asked his grandmother if she thought the world was going to end next year.
"Oh no, honey, I really don't think so," she said.
"Oh, that's a relief," he said.
"Why do you say that?" asked his grandmother.
"I really want to get my license!"
Zak is only ten--so we can excuse his narrow focus! But as I've thought about that exchange, I realize, there are a whole lot of us older folks, so-called adults, who operate in much the same way. Indeed we only seem to worry about things when they impact us in a very personal way.
Only when we lose our jobs do we consider the flaws in our economic system. Only when we are without health care do we think about the ineffectiveness of our patchwork of methods for paying for it. Only when we have a son or daughter or spouse in the military do we consider the real costs of our long term wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I suppose it is, to some extent, simply human nature. But ultimately, we need to move past our narrow self-interested foci and address the many issues before us collectively. We need to rise above our differences and work together for the common good. For ultimately, what's good for all is that which will be best for each of us as individuals.
Zak's not due to get his license for a few years yet. Maybe by then, assuming the Mayans are wrong, we will have begun to work on some of these issues.
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