Think Outside The Box: A System Only Creates A System
We live in a system that we dub society. Within society and its constructs, we have other systems that are set in place to keep order in the world and to allow people a certain standard of living. We have governments set in place. We have educational systems and medical networks. Each person living in a first world country is born into a system that follows strict rules, and that has certain limits.
Have you ever stopped to think and ask yourself why we have these sorts of systems in place? We have them in place to keep some sort of order, to keep individuals in line and to assure a higher quality of life for everyone that is part of the system. My next question is, why do we have to keep people in line?
Obviously we all understand that we need to have control over people in some way and limit their actions to a certain extent in order to preserve our own personal rights. If anyone could do anything, then there would obviously be havoc. But why? Why do people naturally feel the need to take advantage of other people to benefit themselves?
It’s almost as if we are naturally evil and have to do our best to remember to be kind and righteous. However, that isn’t actually the case. We aren’t naturally evil; we’re naturally stupid. Different philosophers hold different beliefs on the subject, but all basically agree that even if we are born with some sort of innate knowledge, it isn’t enough knowledge to thrive in the world we live in today.
In order to make something of yourself, you have to be intelligent. Not just intelligent -- you have to be more intelligent than the other people fighting for the same resources. We don’t really think about this, but that’s because we are part of the system. There are a limited amount of resources -- just about all resources -- and the most intelligent are the ones that end up with the most resources and the highest standard of living. Here’s my issue with the way the system is currently set up.
The system is constructed primarily to minimize the negative impact that stupid people have on the world and on those living within it. Of course, just as in any large social network, things get a bit twisted and people take advantage, biting off more than they should. Regardless, the system that we live in is constructed to contain the people living within it.
The system has been created to restrict what people can do and defines what people ought to do, instead. This seems to make sense because if the majority of people are illogical, which they unfortunately are, then it’s best to keep them in line as much as possible. This is why we have governments. This is why we have laws and incarceration.
Even our educational system is built upon the belief that people are stupid. The educational system in America does not cater to the individual needs of students. It, instead, sets an “acceptable” level of learning for all students. Those who need more help or need a different approach end up falling behind, and those who are naturally able to process information faster end up losing, as well, because they aren’t able to harness their full potential.
The US has a nice little factory in place. We raise kids and put them in schools where they can learn just enough to get an average job so they can live comfortably enough. Then, they go on and work at average jobs that can best be described as “maintenance of the system." Look at any job that an average American occupies and you’ll see what I mean. We breed individuals to be average. Why? We want average. We are keeping such a tight leash on people because we believe them to be stupid, and what we are ending up with is an entire nation of average individuals. What the f*ck are we going to do with average?
Having a system that creates average citizens is doomed. If we expect people to be average, then that’s what they will be. I could only imagine how many people could have gone on to do so many great things for this country and this planet, but never got the chance to because they were part of a system that taught them that average is the goal. Yet, not everyone ends up average; some do excel. Just the smartest and brightest? Yes, but not all the smartest and brightest; most aren’t given the tools or opportunities to succeed. The system we have in place kills more innovation than it produces. It’s ridiculously flawed and inefficient.
But how is it that some people manage to be outliers and seem to have the world by the balls? They accept the system for what it is and choose not to work from within it; they choose to look from the outside and manipulate the system in a way that best serves their interests. You can call this "thinking outside the box."
Unfortunately, this is why we have had so much corruption in the past – both in business and governments. People don’t believe the system can change, or will change, and therefore manipulate it so that they get as much out of it as possible while they’re still around to enjoy it. They don’t believe in the system and thus, don’t believe that they should be giving back to it. This takes the form of tax evasion, fraud, scams and hoarding cash, instead of giving to those in need.
The system is a failure; however, there is a way to change it. If enough people start working outside the system, if enough people choose to educate themselves and take control of their lives, then there won’t be enough people within the system for the system to maintain itself and function; it will die. We need a new system, but it’s not something that a single individual can put into place.
It has to be a nationwide movement by all those within the system. The last issue is that there are too many people in powerful positions who benefit from this ridiculous system, and who will do everything they can to keep it in place. This is why you need to step outside, become successful, make money and educate others to do the same.
The only way to create change in our system is through money. You can’t change this fact until the system itself changes. For now, you have to play by some of its rule -- but not by all of them.
