Symptoms vs Source

In my mind, one of the biggest flaws in our society is that in our search for solutions, we focus on the symptoms of a problem instead of the source. We do not take a holistic view. Of anything. And I don’t just mean medically speaking. It is actually the general pattern of our culture’s thought process.

We have a headache or indigestion. Do we look for the cause and make appropriate changes? No we take a pain-killer or an antacid and just treat the symptoms.

Our economy crashes because of greed and selfishness. What do we do. Simply pump more money into the hands of the ones who screwed it up in the first place. Money that we don’t really have. Again. Treating the symptom (lack of funds) rather than the source (greed).

We have a social issue that affects many people. What do we do? Make a new ineffective set of laws. Again treating the symptom instead of the source. I could come up with a whole list of examples of this one, but the one that prompted this is the current rage in social change. Bullying.

An article in my local paper says that 1 in 4 kids experience bullying. It also stated that studies show that bullying is associated with violence at home.

Did it really need a study to realize this?

Recently a girl committed suicide as a direct result of bullying. Now her mother is trying to get legislation pushed through to make bullying illegal.

So the answer again is treat the symptom. With the legal equivalent of antacid. A new law.

Our whole society is designed to work for the bully. Corporations are the bullies of the business world. The rich and powerful are the bullies of the social world. Hell the US right now are the bullies of the political world. Is it any wonder that our kids have learned that the best way to get what you want is to be a bully?

Bullying is plain and simply taught to our children in the home, on the tv, in the movies … the list goes on.

So what makes anyone think that a new law is going to change anything?

Here’s a thought. Instead of just medicating again; instead of creating more laws that only bog down our already ineffectual justice system even more, how about simply teaching our kids how to behave. Set a moral example. If they don’t find it in the home, then offer it in the schools. Stop focusing on forcing bureaucratically designated “necessary” knowledge on our kids and actually teach them something they need to learn! Remember The Golden Rule?

OK. Rant over. This is why I blog. At least one reason.