Throughout the history of mankind, people have done a lot of thinking about
the problems facing humanity. Many people think about problems relating to
politics, society, and health. But many people also think about more
fundamental problems relating less to the current state of human affairs and
more to the basic state of existence itself. People who fall into the latter
category are often called "philosophers".
  Now, most people would probably agree (as I do) that philosophy is quite a
mixed bag; certainly there is some deep wisdom and fundamental truth to be
found there, but mixed in with it is a lot of nonsense and foolery that makes
little sense or is patently false. Nonetheless, it seems proper to me that
people should think on such a level sometimes, because life really is about
more than just the practicalities of work, food, and sleep. The spiritual and
philosophical aspects of the human character are arguably the most important
ones of all, and when people cultivate them, it's possible to learn many
things about ourselves as people, and the nature of the universe around us.
  Unfortunately, sometimes people are not able to dwell on these things as
much as they would like to. The simple truth is that while you can forget
about them for a while, the practicalities of our world are never far away.
The human being cannot go on very long without food and other basic needs of
life. Worrying about these needs is also necessary, and on top of these
physiological needs, people are often distracted by other issues facing them,
such as their family life or politics. Again, these things must also be
attended to and given some thought. Indeed, I believe it is quite healthy for
the human mind to sometimes put away its deep thoughts for a while and think
of more practical matters for a change.
  What upsets me, however, is when people actively work against the ability
of others to think properly. In our world, there are many issues which should
not be there, but are. War, racism, terrorism, and crime are all things which
do not exist in a perfect society. Of course we do not live in a perfect
society, but that does not make any of these things excusable or appropriate.
Not only do they damage our society on many levels, they also prevent people
from thinking of the things they really should be thinking about: The
fundamental issues of what it is to be a human being.
  In short, people should be able to think about important things, and not be
distracted by stupid things.
  Sometimes it seems like there are people whose entire purpose in life is to
make things difficult for others. There are so many folks creating foolish
problems in our world that sometimes it just seems difficult to be a rational
human. No wonder people don't think about the things that really matter in
life anymore; they're just too distracted by other matters.