I wanted to start Post 4 with a clarification of a point I made in Post 2.
"...that no matter which candidate was elected, there is still a tremendous amount that needs to be done (well beyond what one citizen i.e. the president can do) to tackle the expanding issues and problems that we Americans face. The most specific and core issue is that the existing establishment (political and corporate) is doing very little to truly address substantive issues and problems. The philosophies and actions of those that have a bigger say in society in the US create motion, but many times it is a smokescreen that blinds the vast majority of citizens. Things happen and millions are unsure why or misinterpret what is happening. This is not a conspiracy but a silent understanding among those in power and money positions to serve themselves."
It's the last line of that paragraph. Most wealthy people, powerful people, "Haves" with knowledge and so on are desirous to serve themselves. It doesn't make them the enemy. Many attempt to help or want to help, but are unsure or confused as to what actually works. The typical way to "help" is to give money. Some "Haves" give money to simply relieve their guilt of having so much. Some give for the tax deduction. Some give to have others cascade thanks upon them. And, most give money because they want to help, but they want to minimize their time commitment so as not to alter their own personal optimization path. Some "Haves" don't even want to give money. They believe that if they were able to figure things out and have already paid their dues to find a more rewarding path in life then anyone else should be able to. This group of "Haves" may actually believe that by lending a hand to "Have-nots" that they are really hurting them.
The "Have" money-giving dynamic sounds kind of harsh but it is true. However, there exists a significant yet misguided generosity that emanates from the "Haves". The top 1% of income earners in the US account for over 40% of income taxes paid in America. The top 20% of earners account for over 84% of income taxes paid. When you factor in the idea that the top 20% of income earners (plus corporate giving) account for the lion's share of charitable giving, a significant percentage of overall "Have" money is being put into the coffers for the potential good of the public. While working on Wall Street, I witnessed significant monetary (and slight time) generosity. Interestingly, while growing up in Philadelphia, I can clearly remember the "Have-not" goodwill within my neighborhood, but there was not runaway generosity so to speak of. People had your back in a physical/protection sense but there was a limitation with respect to any type of monetary support (I guess it was not expected).
While working in a parking lot as a kid, I did not envy those with really nice cars. I didn't want to have the surface, material wealth they had. What interested me was to understand their path, or my own potential path, to have the option to pursue an abundant life. The "know-how" is what intrigued me. It was more of a curiosity than an obsession. If an abundant pathway was unattainable for me, it would have been fine. I would have held no animosity for the "Haves" of my childhood time.
There has not been a good give-back (or transfer of knowledge) model or mechanism that has existed in the modern era. So where do we go from here? Firstly, we need to ignore the hypocrites (those with more, that pretend they are fighting for those with less and that make a business out of their make-believe support of "Have-nots"). Secondly, we must not condemn or vilify the "Haves" that want to help but have not found their "way". At the end of the day, we are all humans that are in this together. Helping yourself is an important concept to embrace. If you have been able to help yourself, showing others the way to empower themselves will be a concept more powerful than what any President or policy can create.
In the next 96 posts there will be insights, ideas, explanations, interpretations, opinions, answers, stumblings, idea risk-taking and repetition (haha...I am known to repeat myself). There will be no finger-pointing (or worst case - minimized finger-pointing). This is not productive and is negative, wasted energy. Disclaimer: I must admit that many politicians are the ultimate hypocrites, so I might not be able to fully help myself if there is some finger pointing in that direction. The bottom line is that I will do my best to lay out my thoughts in a practical and positive manner to help others.
