Putting Things In Perspective

There has been an overhaul of negative news regarding the direction the US is heading in the future. I know times are tough, but in relative terms, things could be a lot worse. We are the most fortunate and affluent country in the world, flush with a multitude of civil rights and citizen benefits. Imagine if this was the US:

1. After a run-off democratic election victory, the new president of our country is forced to flee. The former tyrant refuses to give up power and abducts, tortures, and murders anyone in the opposition. He even looks to kill family members and friends of the newly elected president. We are prisoners in our own home.

2. In order to go shopping, you must take a suitcase full of cash. The tyrant and his cronies have printed so much worthless money that inflation is running at 3 million percent--a magnified version of our Federal Reserve. You have a trillion dollar bill and it barely buys a slice of bread. You consider using your cash to start a fire for cooking.

3. We have no functioning education system, the health care system is down, most industries are closed, and food is scarce beyond belief. The idea of being employed is nothing more than a silly idea. Sewage is building up in the streets and there isn't access to clean water. Thousands of people are dying from a disease we only previously knew about through antiquated text. Our country is crumbling to the ground day by day; and entirely man-made disaster.

This isn't just a story to make a point. These things really are happening in Zimbabwe today. You think our government is against us? We have absolutely no idea how "against us" a government can really be.

The next time you feel like criticizing and pointing fingers at our government—and the fact that we can openly complain about our government makes us inherently lucky—say a quick thanks that you were lucky enough to be a part of this country—it was basically a coin flip anyways.