-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= AWAKENINGS: Past Imperfect by Dave Bealer =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Americans have become a bunch of damned whiners. Worse yet, a bunch of damned whiners living in the past. Everyone is too busy reminiscing about the "good old days," or gnashing their teeth over injustices committed against relatives a few dozen times removed, to actually do anything about today or plan for tomorrow. It's getting as bad as the Middle East or Northern Ireland. Many Americans refuse to live in the present or live for the future. They're too busy trying to reclaim something from their past, something they miss. They go to any expense or any length, up to and including throwing a temper tantrum (the American adult version of which usually involves mass murder), to get what they want . . . what they can never again have. Although Americans have taken to wearing their inner children on their sleeves, they have found something that will console them -- money. A woman who spilled a cup of McDonald's coffee on herself recently won a judgment of over $2 million from an American jury to compensate her for the "pain and suffering" caused by the self- inflicted burns. Why would twelve people reward such a ludicrous claim? One clue is that eight of them spilled various high-temperature liquids on themselves the next day and are now suing the major corporations that produced the liquids (liquids like coffee and hot chocolate that nobody will buy unless they're hot). Nowhere is it written, except in some Dream World, that life has to be fair. The Bible doesn't say that, neither does the U.S. Constitution. Both these documents contain important, powerful ideas -- that are misquoted and misinterpreted constantly by those who wish to impose their will on other people. Getting rid of all the guns, nuclear power plants, abortions, drugs, alcohol, bad language and tobacco won't make life fair either; boring, but not fair. The Eagles may have said it best in their recent song "Get Over It": "The Big Bad World doesn't owe you a thing." The worst "Fair"ey Tale of all is that enough big government will allow everyone to "live happily ever after." Government has never been able to do that, and never will. The happiness of people comes from people, not from government. If each of us tries to improve our little piece of the world, we just might wake up one day to find the world really is a worthwhile place to live. {DREAM} {FIN}