Keep Your Coins, I Want Change

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Keep Your Coins, I Want Change.

 

Coming from a Pizza Man…  that could be a very accurate statement in light of the decline in tip averages I’ve been experiencing lately.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m very blessed to do as well as I do…

but have you ever considered what stereotypes and judgments have done to the foundation of the America Spirit?

When people approach me, it’s as if I was merely a puppet.  No feelings, no personality, no family, no hopes, no dreams, no valid opinion. I’m just the dumb ass that you can pass and cut in front of, cut-off and pull out in front of any time you need to get to the liquor store 2 seconds faster.

I get treated like I am absolute dirt by the majority of people in this job.  I used to think I was just being sensitive or paranoid, but when I tell people that I just about left because they took too long to come to the door, or to meet me where they said they would after 5 minutes or more of waiting.  “How long have you been out here?” they ask.  “At least 5 minutes” I respond. “That’s not that long.” they reply. “Tell that to the guy who has a cold meal because of it.” I say.

5 minutes a REAL long time when you’re a delivery driver. You want to do a good job, but you are impeded by others who only care about themselves. When you call people out on their selfishness, they want to use it as an excuse to give you a bad tip. So now… you delivered to an asshole who took forever, and then you have a pissed off customer who did not get their food on time, then you get another crappy tip.  Beyond that, if they call back to complain, then you have to run another order back out to them, and usually get NO TIP for the second trip.  While your pizza my be free, the gas I used to drive BACK to the house, is not.

Some of the most intelligent and educated people I’ve ever met are working minimum wage jobs (like me) and using their wit and high-energy to just “get by”.

I hope this is what Obama is talking about when he speaks of rising above the current “status quo” of government policy.

It takes money to make money. This isn’t a new concept, but it is, by design, a means of indentured servitude. Some of the most successful people in history have had to endure a life of difficulty and strife to merely have the CHANCE at realizing their dreams.

I think back to the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness“….

The guy gave up everything he had at just a CHANCE.

What if the higher-ups were racist?  Or they only had enough in the budget for the family of the CEO who was nearly as qualified? What if this brilliant man was never successful?  Can you imagine the cost to society?  

Can you imagine how many stories ARE like that….?

That’s what I’m getting at.

There is a profound cost to EVERYTHING we do.

In business school, we call it “opportunity cost”.

I should know, I’ve been working like a grunt for the past 6 years with a Higher Education because I haven’t found that niche that both satisfies me, and pays the bills without worry.

When I was growing up, it was the thing to do to make all your problems go away… go to school, get a great job, makes lots of money, marry a wonderful woman, and have kids and live happily ever after.

I am hoping that with the shift in power of not only America, but also the WORLD, we will start to see fundamental shifts that are more in line with the human capacity to love.  

My intention of going to business school is not to perpetuate that which is always there, but to prove that you do can still make a living without being evil.

People first, profits second.

This election atmosphere has got my wheels churning… and I want to break out of this funk I’ve been in for the past few months… I want to help make things better for us all.

I’m mainly focused on alternative energy sources right now, because I am well aware that if the people can sustain their own energy, there is no need for government taxation, no need for regulation, no need to be quarreling over who controls the “oil”, there is only sharing, and without harm to the environment.  

If I had a windmill on the roof of my apartment building that I built that could get me 1000 Watts of continuous power (1Kw/hr), I’d barely use half that much in a month, feeding the rest “back into the grid” (based on my last energy bill where I used 600Kwh).

What if we all got together… and built this stuff ourselves?  What if we cut the big lobbyists out, the local government out, and just came together?  Really… what is stopping us?

I don’t think the current condition of our socioeconomic system is the cause of our REAL problems,

I think these issues are merely symptoms.

Every one of us gets wrapped up in what the next person has that we don’t, or what we have that “they” want. Obama has been called a “socialist” for wanting to “spread the wealth”, and McCain has tried like hell to paint him an evil “tax raiser” for it, yet McCain has STILL not came out with the HOW in his “invisible Plan” to turn the economy around, resolve conflicts with foreign nations, and remove the dependence our country has on foreign oil.

In the decades past, the United States has always been able to keep up with the new technology and innovation required to compete globally, be it in war tactics, or in standard of living.  So why is it that we are now referring to decade old technologies to build our future on?

The same reason it took 50 years for tobacco companies to be exposed for their shady tactics.

At some point, money and power have to take a back seat to what is most important.

Evolution.

Are you telling me that in 2008, the only company capable of producing a vehicle that gets over 60 miles to the gallon is Toyota?  Geo made a car in 1993 that got 50mpg!  I know, because I owned one!  It went over 100 miles an hour and at times I got over 50 miles to the gallon.  It ran on 3 cylinders and was a 1 liter engine.  Sure it was built like a tin can with wheels, but it was FAR more efficient than my beloved VDub that doesn’t even get 25 miles to the gallon!  15 years of innovation, and we haven’t evolved… we’ve DE-evolved in efficiency.  Do you think that is an accident?  The fact that I first learned about “Global Warming” in the 4th Grade in a small town Elementary School in “The Midwest” tells me….

No, it’s no accident.

There are happenings that are very deliberate to make things the way they are now.

I used to like the fundamentals of Capitalism… the spirit of competition brings new innovation.  Competition inspires the souls to rise above challenges and reach new peaks in performance and efficiency.

But not when the deck is stacked against you.

We have a lot of problems in this world, from Wars, to global climate change, to economic crises, and now, even resource crises, like the worldwide shortage of crude oil, fresh water, and silicon (the main element used in Integrated Circuits [microchips in electronic devices] and CPU’s [Microprocessors in computers]).

Not a single one of these crises are unavoidable.  

It is my opinion that we simply need to band TOGETHER, rather than “divide and conquer”.

This is my mission statement.  I want to project the change I see in the world, and both learn and show others a model for success consistent with evolution.

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