Notwithstanding the fact that we currently reside in an environment of unprecedented comfort in the history of humankind, the incidence of nervous breakdowns and psychological maladies is escalating. Stress proliferates, yet the question of "why" remains open: we have either fallen victim to "the feeding trough" of The Establishment, the mass media, and scientific studies assuring us of our comfort; or, conversely, people are indeed living ensconced in hothouse conditions like never before and simply seek a vacuous pretext to kvetch about a "hard life". It is staggering that a vast multitude seriously believes that a dying phone battery takes precedence over human lives dying prematurely due to famine, thirst, or bellicosity; or that the acquisition of the latest gadget annually outweighs the ecological cataclysms birthed by the incessant manufacture of these very gadgets.

Throughout our history, we oscillate in waves: one moment we are embroiled in wars, the next we vehemently oppose them; one moment we have multitudes starving, the next we battle against hunger; one moment we face homelessness, the next we strive to ameliorate it; one moment we exploit people, the next we are chaste and virtuous; one moment we are indifferent to everything, the next we are hypersensitive and attempt to rectify it all. Yet, do you not perceive that we never truly eradicate these plagues? We merely modulate their amplitude, reducing or increasing them, but never expunge them entirely. We ought to cherish ourselves, our loved ones, everyone around us, and our culture, but this self-love should never necessitate the destruction of another. There should not even be a fleeting thought of deception for personal gain, nor the fear that one might be killed, plundered, violated, or lied to for the profit of another. We must strive for a world where no one seeks to dominate solely for avarice rather than the common good. It appears the perennial scourge of our society has always been, and remains, — money. Oh man, what crazy things people do for money.