Sorry...after reading what I wrote, I noticed that it was a bit of a wandering post. My apologies.
Granted, I would have rather seen tattooedmind properly spell...reminded me of jag when he first got on here.
Today's younger folk are smarter, mainly b/c they have more access to information. Ten years ago during the Gulf War, we were at the liberty of the big 3, CNN, and our local newspapers. On Tuesday, we could hit a number of websites, not only in our hometowns, but all across the world. If I wanted to know how people in Provo, UT reacted, I could go to their local newspaper or television station. When I heard about what happened in Chicago, I immediately went to the Tribune's website, knowing I would get the best information possible from a local news site.
At the same time, the cynicism that seems to pervade the younger generation worries me. Even though I hit my zenith during the "grunge" era, most people still seemed to have a positive outlook on the world...the sky was really the limit. The shift seems to have occurred sometime around 1997 and 1998. I can't take away how tattooed mind feels, but I can't deny that I find it alarming. And the kid is just 10 years younger than me.
Socialism is a beautiful theory. So is communism. But both are terribly hard to practice in our world.
You don't have to feel patriotic, or wear your red, white, & blue and wave a flag around. No one should be slanted for necessarily wanting to do so, nor should anyone be ostracized for NOT wanting to. But when I get to thinking about everything that is wrong here, I think about how bad it is in other parts of the world. Jag and I had this discussion earlier in the year--everywhere you go, there is going to be something that is negative. So, you find a place with the least amount of negatives, which compels me that I'm best off where I'm at--in the United States, in Philadelphia, in Torresdale.
As far as life in general, Voltaire said it best in the form of the title character in "Candide." Candide had been through the wringer and back, being a victim of so many tragic circumstances. Events that would have broken a lesser man, but Candide's faith in the good of the world had not diminished--"I do believe that this is the best of all possible worlds." Perhaps I need to clean my rose-colored glasses, but in spite of the tragic events I have seen in my 26 years of existence, I still believe that we live in the greatest of ages. What we have went through is horrible, but I do believe that it can make us better as Americans, and as a human race. And besides, I feel too young to be negative.