If only I ruled the world...

A (semi) recent article by Kwame Anthony Appiah of Princeton University asked, "What Will Future Generations Condemn us for?" I've been thinking about this article ever since.  I, for one, have used the following statement several times: If only I ruled the world..... would be different/better.  Since I don't have a magic wand, I'll keep within the realm of reality.  The following are things that I hope will be changed within my lifetime, but if not we SHOULD be condemned for our failures...


1. Wastefulness- As a society (world) we consume far too much.  We create too much waste and we don't recycle enough. We are starting to see the results of our forefathers lack of attention to this matter, and it will only get worse if we don't reign it in and make it a priority.


2. Treatment of "others"- It is natural for humans to fear what we are not familiar with/what's different from us.  However, can't we take past experiences into consideration and squash this phenomenon once and for all?  Gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, disability, etc should not be excuses for treating someone as less than human.  Being a "white, christian, man" should entitle you to no more than the next person.  Did we not learn this lesson with slavery, colonization, the Holocaust, and various other ignorant tragedies?


3. Justice System in US - I can't claim expertise in this area.  What I do know, is that crime is rampant in our nation.  I'm not suggesting that we should impose public flogging for graffiti as in Singapore, however, I think more consistent and strict punishments should be in place for non-violent and violent crimes.  I have infrequent experiences with the legal system for my job, and the leniency from judge to judge is astounding, and frankly, very subjective.  I think that if criminals received harsher punishments they'd be less likely to commit crimes, and therefore fewer crimes and less people incarcerated.  I know it's not that simple, but the system needs an overhaul.


4. Education- I just saw "Waiting for Superman" and was enlightened.  I knew that education in our nation was in trouble, but I had NO idea how bad it is.  One statistic referenced the number of criminals (see above) that did not graduate high school, and how the government on average pays about $33,000 a year to house, feed, and clothe them, and that over an average sentence ( I forgot the exact number) the total sum would have paid for that individual to receive a private education from K-12 and pay for some college as well.  I think the money would be far better served for the latter purpose.  I am going to do my (small) part by volunteering to be a "Big Sister" in DC.  


I'm sure I've only scratched the surface.  I really do hope that I see changes within my lifetime.  It starts with each one of us.