I keep hearing more and more about the Occupy Wall Street protestors in the media, and it is almost as annoying as the endless Amanda Knox coverage. This rag tag group of leftists and bitter, disenfranchised young people should in no way be compared to the demonstrators that were part of the Arab Spring. Protesting against a tyrannical dictator is honorable, but camping out in the financial district with an endless list of complaints in a country where you have abundant freedoms and opportunities is completely different. That is more like a spoiled kid who has too much time on his hands.
I understand that times are hard right now, but how does it help anyone to demonize Wall Street and make a list of demands. Where is the personal responsibility these days? Have we become so addicted to government entitlements that now people are coming up with lists of demands for our government? Do people have nothing better to do, or do people just like protesting or being part of a movement?
If you truly want to help the economy, get out there and work hard and be productive. If you can’t find a job, get out there and volunteer, create a blog, and brand yourself for employers. Just find a calling and work hard to try and make it happen.
Steve Jobs was the prime example of someone who found his calling and worked extremely hard to create a profitable company. He is basically the Walt Disney of our era. Sure he got lucky and hit the jackpot with the Macintosh, but his vision, drive, work ethic and attention to detail are values that would have led him to success even without the element of luck that started the exponential growth of his company. These values seem to be missing from people these days as more and more people seem to feel government should provide or make things more equal for them.
Another example is the “Welfare Mom” who created a million dollar company through hard work and a very aggressive approach. Again, there is always an element of luck in these type of success stores, but the underlying values are the same. Not everyone will find the same level of success, but usually if you hold strong values and work hard, you are going to find some level of success and self-sufficiency.
Life is never going to be fair, and all the governmental intervention in the world cannot improve the economy or create more income equality. We are headed for some major stagnation in our economy in the next few years, and protesting is not going to help your situation. Instead of occupying streets that could be better used for commerce, get out there and be productive.
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