by Georgie Bright Kunkel

Our profit making society has evidently run out of ways to make profits so more ways must be created. It used to be that businesses were created to meet a need but now business creates needs and society is enticed to turn to the corporation to meet this created need. An example of how corporations entice us, the buying public, into buying more is seen on every TV channel. You’ve probably seen the TV ad showing an artist with tool in hand trimming fat off the clay figure of a woman. People are of all sizes and shapes but the corporation is still trying to convince each woman that her particular body type is not acceptable.

Public schools, one of the few non-profits in our culture, are often under attack by the corporate media. Corporations want to take over schools to add to their profit making base. Citizens are fast losing control over their lives in many other ways. Luckily there are watchdogs who react to such takeovers and who have the nerve to speak out. There is a small percentage of people in our culture who control the majority of the wealth. They rarely stick their necks out or reveal their hold on the wealth of this country. So the rank and file plod along without realizing how much profit rises to the top, never to be returned to the mainstream.

No society has ever been perfect. Slavery and class restriction have encroached upon citizens in every culture. Most people live their lives without speaking out but luckily there are activists who do speak out when change is needed. As I often say, change starts with just one person working to change inequality. Then when others join in the march for change, it comes about. And as I have said before, females often have to wait longer for their needs to be met. Females were seen as child bearers and their intelligence was not given the consideration it deserved. Since males ruled, women often resorted to female wiles, so called, to get their needs met. Then they were blamed for using subterfuge and other methods to get what they needed.

We have changed from a self sufficient agrarian society to a profit making society. Those who were able to make more profits began to hoard profits while many people did not have enough to meet their needs. The cooperative villages of the past changed into competitive profit making endeavors leaving out those who could not compete in the dog-eat-dog market place. But let us not forget that human beings are resilient. Luckily we have begun to realize that we have only one earth and that we must preserve it. Even though there are forces that result in a drain on the earth’s resources, there are individuals and groups who care about the earth. They work to nurture it so future generations can benefit from the same earth that was there for us.

Does anyone know about Rachel Carsen who wrote one of the first books warning us about the need to preserve our earth for generations to come? Even after being vilified she persevered and people who followed in her footsteps are continuing to cherish our earth home. Let’s be proud of being in the company of those who not only think about themselves but the next generation as well. Let’s not forget that there is a limit to the natural resources which have to be shared with an ever ballooning earth population. So until we find a way to live elsewhere, let’s preserve our earth home. If you feel the least bit overcrowded in the city, envision living on a space ship. Not for me, thank you.

Georgie Bright Kunkel is a freelance writer who can be reached at gnkunkel@comcast.net or 206-935-8663.