True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

Kurt Vonnegut

I grew up reading Vonnegut because he was one of my mom’s favorites. I love his wry humor, his innovative thought process, and his ability to pierce through layers of societal BS and cut to the chase.

I had many people in my high school class who would have done a very admirable job in running the country. But there were countless others who I would feel the terror of which Kurt speaks, were they to be the ones running the country.

When we are young, the elders seem so wise in our clouded perspective. Making the tough calls, standing on the front line. And as we grow, those people age out, and our generation takes the mantle. In some cases there is a giant relief that this is happening, and in other circumstances, it is quite to the contrary.

If you flash back on high school, there were all of the stereotypical people that we see in movies. They are the stereotypes because by definition, stereotypes are based on an amalgamation of many of our colleagues. So to envision our government being run by the cast of Animal House, for example, would cause us all to cringe.

Sadly, the reality that we are always subject to next generations taking the helm, must, by sheer intelligence lead us to see that education has to be one of our most important expenditures in society. 

We are a complex society, living in an even more complicated world. Our needs are vast, our resources are scarce, and our necessity to live a full and vibrant life requires an educated group of representatives running our country. Quality education has not been a priority over the last 20 years, and we are seeing less educated, more opinionated people taking roles that have driven our nation into overdrive in our attempts to maintain equilibrium. 

As you grow older and recognize that this next generation will make decisions that can massively impact your life and the lives of your family members, you begin to feel trapped by the lack of intelligent policies and procedures that could easily have been implemented were an intelligent group in office. Ones who do not deny science and ones who do not put their head in the ground regarding climate change and other societal requirements

Teach your children well. Vote wisely. And hope and pray that we are in the best of hands as we progress in life.

Happy Monday!

Please follow and like us:
Pin Share
Share:
Written by Brian Weiner
When I was 5 years old, I discovered that the lemon tree in the backyard + dixie cups + water and sugar and I was in business. I have been hooked on that ever since. In 1979, I borrowed $14,000 to create a brand new product... photographic greeting cards with no text on the inside, called Paradise Photography. That was the start of The Illusion Factory. Since then, The Illusion Factory has been entrusted by all of the major studios and broadcasters with the advertising and marketing of over $7 billion in filmed, live, broadcast, gaming, AR, VR and regulated gaming forms of entertainment, generating more than $100 Billion in revenue and 265 awards for creativity and technology for our clients. When I took a break from film school at UCLA to move to Hawaii, my mother did not lecture me. Instead, she took 150 of her favorite aphorisms and in her beautiful calligraphy, wrote them artistically throughout a blank journal. That is the origin of the Lessons from the Mountain series. Since then, on my journeys to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise, I have spent countless hours contemplating words of wisdom from the sages of all races, genders and political persuasions, constantly accumulating the thoughts to guide me on my life path. I hope you enjoy my books. Please let me know your thoughts, as I highly value your feedback!