Drugged-out rock star Jimi Hendrix once made an unusually profound statement: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace". Famed scientist E.O. Wilson, author of more than two dozen books, wrote one in 2007 entitled, "The Creation", where he argued for the confluence of science and religion.
The world was in turmoil. The United States was reduced to a shell of its former self. Darfur was home to millions of displaced people, rape victims, and political hostages. Around the world were countries littered with the ravages of war. The 'Great Depression II' in the U.S.A. had stimulated economic peril across the globe. Only China was still showing any signs of progress, prosperity and profligacy.
Colin Powell, Barack Obama and John McCain knew the mission of rebuilding America also entailed the reformation of the world. Hundreds - actually, thousands, of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers had produce voluminous documentation that demonstrated a need for an extreme makeover of mankind. Consumption had to be belittled and humankind's continued craving for "everything' had to be contained. For generations, parents had chastized their children to "never settle for second best", "never be satisfied with the status quo", or "always strive to be all you can be". While those admonitions were valuable, they all too often were directed in the wrong way. "Success" meant accumulating more money than you needed; owning more possessions than necessary; acquiring a more powerful position at the top of your career; being able to influence others just because of your status in the hierarchy. "Success" was seldom interpreted as being a good father, an adoring mother, someone who helped the poor, or someone who committed his life to acts of charity. In most people's eyes, Bill Gates was the epitome of "success"; Mother Theresa was just a poor nun that dawdled in the slums of India.
People who drove flashy cars, took exotic vacations, lived in elegant homes, owned hefty stock portfolios, and ruled large municipalities or corporations were considered "successful". Someone who volunteered her time in a soup kitchen, gave most of her palty annual income to charity, lived in a tiny, rundown two-bedroom house, and rarely bought a new blouse simply blended into the woodwork of society without any notice or adulation.
Success was power, money and influence.
It was that mentality that - somehow - had to be altered within the global society. But to change man's covetous ways would be a massive social undertaking.
The Presidential Triumverate mutually believed that such social alteration had to start in the schools. America's education system was a poorly biased pilot designed to lead a student toward fiscal 'success' instead of individual fulfillment. Children were encouraged to grow up to be doctors, lawyers, or Presidents. Of course, it was all encased in phrases of "helping others" and "doing good", but everyone knew the bottom line was making shitloads of money. The mother who proudly beamed, 'My son's a doctor" was secretly implying, 'My son's filthy, stinking rich." Mothers whose sons were doctors working in rat-infested ghetto clinics for minimum wage rarely bragged about it, and modestly kept their pride to themselves. They knew their son had chosen a profession because he genuinely wanted to help others, not because he coveted the big bucks.
Society, worldwide, had become a gluttonous, materialistic cesspool of falsehood, basing its vision of happiness and success on consumerism instead of socialism. Socialism, in fact, had become a 'dirty word' in most societies. Capitalism at any cost - even if it meant running rip shod over your co-workers, associates and career competitors, was embedded in the American dream. So people tried to fulfill themselves with the fakeness of fine jewelery instead of the genuineness of human generosity.
Self-absorption, self-protection, self-gratification, and self-reliance had replaced selflessness. The world needed to return to tribal tribulations where whole communities were dependent on each other. If a native American Indian killed a buffalo, he brought it back to the village to be shared with the entire tribe. Nothing was wasted: the buffalo was used for food, shelter and clothing. The bones made fine utensils. The entire tribe joined in the benefit of the kill.
Just as the gross grasp of materialism had taken centuries to reinforce into a culture, it would take eons to return Americans to a culture of kindness, compassion, caring and sharing. But the world could no lnoger sustain each individual's desire for largess and gratuity. If the Earth was to survive, less resources would have to be squandered and more commun