(In alignment with our new logo to be bold, I thought I’d have a little talk to our future leaders of the world since in this expat life there’s a good chance I’ll be living in one of their countries some day.)
Dear Rich Kids That Will Be Our Future Leaders of the World,
It’s unfortunate, but the truth today, the reality, is that money runs the world. No where is that recently more apparent than in the Supreme Court ruling that campaign donations are free speech so it is unconstitutional to have campaign finance reform. In laymen’s terms, money is speech so I should be able to use my infinite dollars to buy off donate to any single person’s campaign. aka… money talks. Whereas before this ruling, there was a cap on the maximum amount one could donate – making it possible but still not likely for the regular middle-class person to throw their hat into the ring – now there are no caps. “Sky’s the limit.”
With this “sky’s the limit” cap there is no real democracy in who runs. The rich will keep running and winning the races because, well, they’re the only ones who can afford to be in the race in the first place – well played really rich people. It doesn’t matter how harebrained their ideas, how asinine their thinking, how uninterested they are in making real change – if they have money they can run. And please let me be clear – I’m not saying these things are true of all really rich people, I’m simply pointing out that some regular Schmo with a great platform to run on but no money for his campaign would never be able to compete. I had hoped moving abroad that this kind of financial imbalance would be true only in the states I left behind so that I could be more hopeful with the direction of the rest of the world, but from what I’ve seen here, the U.S. isn’t the only place where money moves mountains. Rats!
This leads me to my point… Rich kids that will one day rule the world – don’t screw it up.
You will be the leaders of government, the runners of big business, the rule makers, the tone setters and culture deciders (to a certain degree.) Much of what happens next falls on your shoulders. The decisions you make will count so be bold. If being bold isn’t just in your actions but in the decisions you make, then be bolder. Surprise us with something new. Please. I beg you.
You have two choices. You can be the kid that sits in the back of the class with his head down as if what is happening around you doesn’t matter because you’re gonna get yours anyway so screw everyone else OR you can get involved and be one of the collective. If you will be the former, then I ask you to stop taking up a seat in the class. If you choose to be nothing, that’s fine – sad – but fine. But please leave that seat open for someone who wants more, who decides to go beyond. If you choose to be the latter, the participant in the class of humanity, here’s my proposal:
Make use of the resources at your disposal. You have the ability to be seen, to be heard, to make change in a way that most of us can’t. Have the courage to be something. Want more than what you will be handed down, do more with what you’re given, give more than what you will make. Be a part of something aside from what you were born into. Create something that your parents didn’t already build, something better, something that will stand for something. Stand for something. Discover a breakthrough that doesn’t break down humanity. Work with other countries to fight for something that isn’t green and doesn’t require a bottom line. Have vision that projects further than you.
You have opportunity that most could never dream of but first you must decide the kind of leader you will be. Decide well.
~ Pack lightly. Live well. Move often. Repeat. ~ Photo Credits: Next Quarter – One Way Stock Vision Path – Kevin Dooley