Ever Wonder?

Being the sort of fella that stays in his own head too much, I wonder often where this world is headed? By world, I mean civilization, the United States, the health of the planet, politics and religion, etc. I know the planet will in all likelihood, continue to orbit the sun for some time to come. I can't help but feel a sense of hopelessness at times at some of the things taking place around here. The rise of the Teabaggers scares me. The rampant ignorance in this country is absolutely astounding. The health of our planet's Eco-sphere concerns me. The mix of politics and religion frightens me to no end. The disappearing middle class worries me. The sorry state of the economy bothers me. By nature, I'm a optimist, but current events have forced me into a realist mind set. I use to believe that given time, everything sorts itself out eventually with little interference from humans or a government. Now, I'm not so sure they can be a painless return to balance in any of these spheres that concern me. I also know the best way to combat any of these concerns is education, something that has been slowly eroding in this country along with manufacturing jobs. The sad thing is, this is easiest to fix, but not the quickest. Stamping out ignorance should be this country's number one priority. I also know that to maintain the status quo of those in power, backed with wealth and control of resources, will never allow it to happen. That saddens me deeply. It says a lot about what has happened to this once great nation. We have allowed corporate profits and personal greed to take place of those values we once held so dear. Hard, honest work has been outsourced and along with it this nation's pride and future. I believe we are so close to the tipping point, that even if everyone had a change of heart and worked for the common good, we may be to late to save this country from a great fall. Most people have little knowledge of the Mayan Calender and all the speculation about Dec . 2012. We have failed to stir the curiosity of our younger generations, which without that active engagement, innovation falters and so do expanding our universal knowledgeand ultimately the greater good. The cycle will complete according to this calender. No, I don't think the world will end, nor will any deity be returning on that day. I do believe however, that the United States will cease to be a world power. We stopped being world leaders years ago when job outsourcing to boost profits became common place and education became less of a priority. That was about the time when "reality" shows became popular. The nation was distracted and those on the fringes of our society began to creep closer to mainstream while no one was looking. It was made easy by slowly lowering our nation's educational standards and infecting the populace with consumerism and consumption. Our planet is also suffering for our ignorance and folly, all the while corporate profits are up, greed is out of control and the backbone of America, the middle class, slowly withers away. The ice caps melt, sea levels raise, weather becomes extreme and few understand it because they have become ignorant and lazy. December 2012 can't get here soon enough for me. I hope to see a major shift in the status quo that has held this nation back from truly becoming great. I hope to see an awakening of conscience in the populace of this planet that will bring about the changes in economies, politics, religion, civil rights, and environmental concerns not seen since the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. Do you ever wonder about these things? Ever wonder how to fix these problems? Ever wonder what will happen to this country, this planet, if we don't?