For a while now, I've been writing about things. As I continue to see
problems in the world, I've written short "rants" about the fundamental
things that are wrong in our world and the amazingly simple ways most of
these problems could be solved. I'm not sure of my exact purpose in writing
these things down, since I don't actively try to show these writings to
anyone. They are not exactly private, since I have put them on my website, so
they are somewhere between a private diary and a public campaign.
  I've come to the realization, however, that most of the thoughts I've had
are hardly original. I am surely not the first person to notice that there is
something wrong with the world, and I am not the first to understand that a
simple change in the way people think could go a long way toward making the
world a better place. Many people write similar things, especially younger
people who are still in the formative stages of life, developing how they see
things and how they think about the world around them. They often begin with
angry, depressing thoughts, just as I did; Unhappy with their lives and the
state of things in general, they write down how they feel in a journal that
becomes very dark indeed, full of anti-social sentiments. Then, if they live
a few years without committing suicide, they usually start wanting to change
things, and so they become activists. Political, social, or artistic, young
people often feel a desire to make a statement. Just as I did with my more
recent writings.
  The sad part is what usually happens next. The activist stage of youth
usually occurs shortly before the person reaches legal adulthood, and so it
has a chance to flourish for perhaps a few years at most. Then, as the person
becomes less young and starts having to create their own living, the spirit
of change fades; People get caught up in self-centered pursuits like finding
a job, getting a place to live, and perhaps starting a family, which begins
with forming a relationship with a partner. All of these things are important
in life, but typically people become so involved with them that they lose
sight of the bigger picture around them. As people grow older, they almost
completely forget those days altogether, until the old days when they thought
they could change the world seem but a dim memory.
  I am getting older, too. Most people still call me a young person, but I do
not feel young; I am old enough that I must start accepting some
responsibility for my own life, which means that I, too, must develop a
career, a lifestyle, a household, and perhaps a family. These things will
probably take up a lot of my time. But I do not plan to lose sight of what is
really important; In the end, a person does not live in their own shell. A
person is given a life, and with that life they are given the chance to do
something, whether for good or for ill. I have to live, because if I did not,
I would die, but I intend to make the most of what I have been given, and not
just for myself, but also for the world.
  I hope I do. And I hope that my fellow "young people" entering the real
world will do the same.