For what it's worth...

This is the title of a song from the late 60s, early 70s, if memory serves me right...it was a time of turmoil, a time of change, Bob Dylan and the times they are a-changing and such, Ming Lai - the Vietnam War, the students' revolt, the peace movement...
These days there is the Iraq War - a war that will probably go down in history as being similarly desasterous as the Vietnam War - at the same time we are on the brink of a major economic crises, one that could turn out to be worse than the Wall Street Crash of 1929; while all the time, news casts feed us with our daily dose of globalized mayhem and desaster...we live in a time of turmoil. These days, there are no students' revolts though...these days students are too busy doing countless internships in international companies in China or India, while worrying about their future on a globalized job market that offers little to no security - even for the brightest minds.
I talked with my students about their fears today.
While my generation dreamed of making this world a better place, in 2008, students worry about getting a job in the first place...there isn't much room for dreams these days, you have to be quite pragmatic and "realistic" and your dreams ultimately become very small...if you dare to dream that is.
In times like these when a globalized economic system protects and awards those who ruthlessly fill their pockets like there was no tomorrow - regardless of the consequences - in times like these when it has become acceptable to waste tax money and other people's savings - as long as it serves your own agenda, in times like these being young must be a MAJOR downturn.
The modern message seems to be...grab as much as you can; the more selfish, the more self-centered, the more agressive, the more ruthless and the more cold-blooded you are, the better! Who cares if hundreds, thousands, better yet, hundreds of thousands bite the dust - who cares as long as it serves YOU.
God is exclusively with those who succeed, those who own at least five Lamborghinis, a yacht in the Mediterranian and a luxerious château in Southern France - or Tuscany for that matter.
The losers on the other side of the equation just don't have what it takes. It's their fault anyway...if they had been more agressive, more ruthless and more selfish, they would also own 120 million Dollars and they wouldn't have to live in their car - without healthcare of course, now would they?

Where have we landed if our values - the very values that we want to pass on to the youth of today - seem to be greed, demesure, self-serving love, ruthlessness and - did I mention GREED?
These are the 'NEW' Ten Commandments, the Ten Commandments of the Third Millenium:

Hate thy neighbor,
Steal your neighbor's property and belongings,
Take as much as you can,
Love only thyself,
Lie,
Cheat,
Steal,
If necessary kill,
Shag your neighbor's wife (and if possible sell the sex tape),
Do whatever it takes - as long as it serves YOU.

How could we go from All you Need is Love to all you need is money?
What has happened to solidarity and compassion, what has happened to 'sharing this world'? Why do sleazy scumbags always get away with their actions - AND a 25 million Dollar parachute - these days, while honest, hard working people are the losers of a system that seemingly only serves those individuals that stop AT NOTHING in order to serve their own purpose. You must feel betrayed as an honest, hard-working person these days - not only do you potentially loose all - you are almost being ridiculed and belittled for your honesty and your naivité - for having believed in the system, for having refused to acknowledge the fact that the ones in charge don't give a fucking damn about you.

John Lennon would be revolving in his grave...

Imagine there's no countries ... nothing to kill or die for ...
Imagine all the people, living life in peace...
Inagine no possessions ... a brotherhood of men ...
Imagine all the people, sharing all the world.
You may say I'm dreamer, but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will live as one.

Our society desperately needs people that offer more than botox-enhanced turbo-looks and Gucci belts or purely self-serving mind-sets.
Something has to change!
Maybe it's high time the students took to the streets again...