Recent news of American journalist and former Ms. North Dakota Roxana Saberis' conviction in Iran and a report amongst others of murder suicide among a family in Maryland, leads to the ongoing question about capitalism and greed turning on its head. CNN's Don Lemmon on Saturday said the Saberis conviction was "another potential land mine in America's troubled relationship with Iran"
History has shown that in times of high stress, societies tend to act out through violence, especially when they feel as though there's no way out. The amazing amount of influence that the US economy has had on the world is now paying the price. Somalian pirates are holding US and other fleets hostage to earn money through ransoms, violence on the mexican border has exposed the corruption and greed associated with the US Mexican drug trade and now reports of increased violence over the past ten years from "going postal," columbine, Virgina tech and murder suicide are alarming trends that need to be addressed.

I see the source of many of these problems stemming from capitalism and greed promoting an unrealistic set of standards for income, appearance and overall worth in society. Individualist ideals truly exemplify the purest sense of survival of the fittest, however should we measure fitness by an inability to age and capability of making the most money all on our own? Should this be done at the stake of outsourcing jobs and corporations like the oil industry ruining Somali communities because their operating production facilities that would never be allowed nor tolerated in the US? These are unhealthy and non sustainable ways of living that although has increased lifespan greatly in developed countries, only so many individuals can actually reach these levels of expectation. In other words, we might be living longer, but does that mean we're happy, or most can really enjoy life?



Consequently, as I've discussed before, many Americans are finding artificial ways to appear healthy and productive. When suddenly the facade of success is swept out from under the rug or individuals feel hopeless, they act out in ways that are not usually considered normal. Many people in developing countries and underserved communities find the easiest way they know how to earn money or take care of themselves. Yet, it is the culture in our own community environments that may condone or discourage extreme behaviors and when we are promoting materialism as a sign of "social health" we are in many ways condoning unhealthy ways of living. Thus we are projecting this on to other communities when we take advantage of their resources and pass it off by saying that our government provides them with millions in foreign aid. The problem here is that there is a clear imbalance. We must address this and can not do so by only focusing on one side of the issue. Narrow focus relates to minute outcomes. As I always try to supplant, this is not impossible. We should look at why many are giving up and setting aside their morals and talk about ways that we can support each other and exercise the beautiful freedoms that we have on many levels in this country. There's more to be done and we can do it.