We are the "Them" We Keep Complaining About

You know how it is - more often than not, when something goes wrong in our lives, it is Someone Else's fault. We often look at the world as being made up of two groups of people: "Them" and "Us". "We" are all the friends and family who generally support the way we live our lives and don't criticize our decisions... or the people who are too disinterested to care or too far away to interfere. "They" are the Others - the people who dare to disagree with us or do things that we consider unsound or immoral. We often refer to "them" as "people". For example, "I just don't get people who... (fill the blank with an activity or thought process that you disapprove of)".

Often "they" are politicians or authority figures in some way. The thing is, we can't change "them" - we can't make them listen to us or do things our way. We *can* change "Us" - how we react and what we do to make things better. Too often, when we are complaining about "them" we are actually perpetuating a problem by not taking responsibility at our end. For example, when we complain about how much stuff gets imported from China, but aren't willing to pay a higher price for something produced without exploitation of people or resources. When we complain about the health care system, but aren't willing to pay more tax to fund a better one, then WE are the "them" we keep complaining about. When we complain about companies that pollute our air and water ways, but keep buying their products - then we are the "them" we keep complaining about. When we complain about the exploitation of children, but dress our five-year-olds in string bikinis and mini-skirts - then we are the "them" we keep complaining about. Basically, when we complain about the general unfairness of life, but don't do EVERYthing in our power to share our prosperity (not just money, but all the freedoms and priveleges we enjoy without even giving it a second thought) with those less fortunate than ourselves... then we are, and always will be, the "them" we keep complaining about.

So let's quit complaining about "them" (because - lets face it - "they" outnumber us by, like, six billion to one) and start doing something about us!