Yet another caffeine-enduced rant :)

I think it's awufl that the most horrible thing we can hear is "There are more important things than you and your own personal struggles." ... I think that's why places other than the US hate us so much: we are SO focused on ourselves that we don't give a shit about them or anyone else. We are a nation of teenagers, no matter how old we are. We are focused on ME and MY problems, and maybe some other people's problems, but only if they affect ME.
For instance, Time magazine's most influential artist of the year, Lady Gaga, has an entire career and life focused on helping others express themselves and be proud of their uniqueness, helping them come into their own. That's nice...well, sort of...but REALLY?! The most influential artist of the year focuses on letting people be "freaks" if they want to? Her most important question is about her fans' personal issues with self concept. And the people of America, when it comes to artists, are most influenced by this person. That's basically it in a nutshell. Good job making money, Stephanie, but if you want to do somethign meaningful with all that fame, and all that money, and all that influence...there are many MUCH more important things you can do with it than helping teenagers come out of the closet and dye their hair purple because they feel like it.
We are a nation of people who care about nothing more than satisfying our human desires--we lack ANY kind of discipline, restraint, or consideration for others less fortuante..and that's they way we want it! We pay millions for it, we strive for it! We watch it on YouTube, we subscribe to it, we eat it up, and we love it because it's all about ME!
We don't like religion because it's "just another thing telling us what we can't do"... "Don't have sex, don't drink a lot, don't be gay, don't do drugs, and don't show all your skin to everyone," says the Bible. "But, what if I really really want to?" says America. THAT'S THE POINT! We all really want to, and that's why they tell us not to! Think of someone who's given themselves away to each one of these things. They have destroyed themselves. Discipline and restraint of self from these types of desires is neccessary for healthy living. Don't have sex before you're married is difficult and lame, but it's because the God who made you loves you and wants you to retain your physical and psychological health, plans, and reputation. Not drinking and doing drugs is lame, but same with the sex thing, it's for your own good! The point of telling us it's a bad idea to get involved in all this is to get our focus off of ourselves and onto serving others. Onto things that matter more than ME and MY problems, because, I'm sorry, but I am not imporant enough to be the center of the universe.
This is not to say that individuals are worthless, but it is to say that there is more to life than the individual and his concerns about himself. We are focused on ourselves and living for ourselves, choosing to ignore global suffering because it's easier to care more about my sexuality or my relationships. I'm just saying we need to find a balance, and start caring more about others.
And this "Going Green" shit is also pissing me off. Yes, it's a problem that we are using up resources carelessly, but it's also a problem that two years ago, the death toll in Darfur was over 10,000 people! I love (sarcastic) that we can all get really excited about the fact that our college has "environmentally friendly" toilets now, while we ignore an entire continent of suffering people. I'm not just complaining, I'm trying to make a point that we Americans really need to make some changes so that I can be justified in my patriotism. This country is absurd, no wonder everyone hates us.