6. Do Something, and Pay Attention

So I'm approached with a sarcastic reply to the last essay: "We'd love to hear your solution," or something to that effect. Perhaps I need to clarify a few things.

The solution, if it must be spelled out, is actually very simple: DO SOMETHING. What you're doing now--Nothing-- isn't working. Stop doing Nothing. Do Something. When you do Nothing, you allow stuff to happen like the re-election of inept presidents and the systematic pillage of the country's economy. So stop it.

"So what's Something?"

I'll tell you what's Something: anything that's right. Doing Nothing is wrong. I'll repeat that: doing Nothing is wrong. You can't say, "Nothing is Something, so when I'm doing Nothing, that's Something." No, it's not, because Nothing is wrong. Your Something has to be right. How do you determine what's right? If you can't figure that part out, then just do it. Then you'll either figure it out by the results or someone will figure it out for you.

And that's the second part: Pay Attention. Don't justify anything. Don't ever say, "Well, this is actually working because blah blah blah." That's justifying; that's wrong. That's what screws up global economies. Paying Attention actually tells you whether or not Something works. And if it's not working, try Something Else.

"I'm still not following; I want you to be more specific."

Fine, here are some examples. If your politician is doing a bad job--and most of them are--then write letters, arrange protests, get some petitions going (it's the oft-forgotten First Amendment freedom); we're supposed to be living in a government that gives the people the final say, so have your final say. If you worry about crime in your neighborhood, then start up something to give the locals some skills to get them real jobs; the big secret we're not telling our criminals is that if they have legitimate sources of income they'll be less likely to commit crimes. If you think a business is overstepping its boundaries, then call the shareholders, arrange boycotts. Start caring about something other than your favorite TV shows; trust me, they'll be out on video a couple of weeks after the season is over, so you'll have time to watch them after you've started fixing things.

So, let's summarize:

Step One: DO SOMETHING; anything that's right. Doing Nothing is wrong.

Step Two: PAY ATTENTION to what happens afterward; don't pretend what you're doing is working.