I saw an articles recently that talked about how Democrats and Republicans are not only divided, but they have two different worlds.

It is also known that the public education system prepares us for a world that doesn’t even exist. This is why so many college graduates, after spending years in school, have breakdowns and mental health issues when they get out in the real world. If they grew up in the proverbial middle class family, reality will hit them even harder if they were sheltered by material comforts.

My point in this blog post, is why do we assume that something isn’t working just because everyone doesn’t do it?

• Christianity (or any religion) fails because it can’t convert the whole world? Maybe not. Maybe the person is disenfranchised with the established church but still trust in the Divine indirectly. Especially since God, Jesus and other names have been changed so many times.
• Capitalism is a failure because it didn’t make everyone rich? It doesn’t promised to. It only promised those with capital can enrich themselves. You can live richly with little or no money if you know how.

That’s just the two biggest examples. We view success and the so-called American Dream as being one sided. What if someone’s dream is to live off the land or live in an airstream down by the river?

It’s a big world. There is plenty of room for us to all co-exist and live differently. But different tribes have always fought each other, and even killed each other, because they couldn’t convert each other to their way of life.

The only way to have a peaceful world is to live and let live and respect each other’s decisions, as long as they aren’t hurting anyone. That is the definition of a free society. It’s okay to pursue wealth. It’s okay to be poor as long as you don’t mooch off people and have the wisdom to to know how to survive. In this sense you are not really poor. Just look up how third world countries chose sustainability over capitalism.

The worst thing one can do is create a god that will pronounce judgment on someone who doesn’t live up so certain societal expectations. But apparently we all do this to some degree.

I saw a quote by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that said “There is no such thing as society. There are only individuals and families.” Society puts the notion of expectations on us. This can lead to anxiety and depression. We are not promised tomorrow. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do things today that will ensure tomorrow is better.

Why do we push everyone into one category? The world would be boring if we were all the same. Embrace diversity and your own individualism. You don’t have to conform to any status quo. Life is inherently meaningless. We give our own life meaning by pursuing whatever gives us purpose.