circles of influence

I truly believe that in every one's life there are circles of influence, or layers of understanding.  That each persons reality or world view, their political leanings, their attitude in life is bent by these different circles.  The closer they are to a person's core, the greater the bending of the world around them.  It also dictates how we spend our day, the kind of media we consume, and how we act on a daily basis.

Just as a rough example I will use food and printed word.

1. gammies meat loaf, your mother's diary
2. round rock donuts, your church bulletin
3. hamburgers, USA Today

The things in the inner layer are all personal.  They are only shared by a handful of people over the course of your whole life.

The things in the next layer are all unique to your community or town.  A few hundred to ten's of thousands of people get to share these with you.

The outer layer are things that you share with everyone.  There isn't really anything special about these until you are out of the country (ever wanted that hamburger when you are in Europe? its the best McDonalds you ever tasted).

Of course there are many more layers than three.  But it makes it much easier to understand by simplifying it.  I believe it works kind of like a whirlpool, the closer you get to the center the higher the magnitude of the pull and the greater the influenced on your world.  Which explains why you can feel closer with some people over others even when it seams like they should be the same.

That's why you are closer to some of your friends than others.  Even if to outsiders it seems like they have flaws (don't we all), it doesn't matter to you.  They understand the moments that shape your life.

cool, no worries, it is what it is.

-G-

Drill! Baby! Drill!

DRILL!

BABY!

DRILL!

"As for offshore drilling, it's safe enough these days,” -John McCain-

Drill! Baby! Drill! right?

Open up the National Parks and Wildlife Refugees!

We can't afford to waste money on these new-fangeled "alternative" sources.  They cost too much money.  We can create jobs here at home, safely extracting our own oil, and we don't have anything to worry about.

So, finding other sources of energy cost too much??? Lets see.  

I guess we could spend hundreds of millions looking for an ever-depleting resource.  

Then we can spend billions to clean it up when we have an accident.

Oh, and then we can spend a trillion dollars fighting to defend it.  

And that's just the financial toll. Don't forget the real cost.  Not just fish and birds that will be destroyed but human lives.  From the people that die in oil related accidents to the thousands of soldiers who give the ultimate sacrifice to protect "American interests."

What more is it going to take to get people to open their eyes?  Why would exploring alternative energies be such a bad thing?  Does it really cost more money when we add it all up?

Thanks for the read.