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We are the System:

While watching a TV debate about stress and illness in our society one of the panellists asked why they were on the rise. What caused it? Nothing, was the answer, they were products of the system. But I thought We are the system!' You, me, your family and peers, politicians, the media and the lady down the street -everyone from the bottom up has created the system, whether passively or actively endorsing it. And if things go wrong, then a share of the blame is upon us! So what are the systems that most affect our lives? They are social, political, judicial, corporate, technological, and media among others.

I do not have the answers in this article. What answers there are is for you to decide, but hopefully this will make people think about the world around them and inspire others to make better choices and to find the answers.

Social
People have noticed how modern life causes stress though materialism, capitalism, advertising, progress, life-styling and more. Studies have shown that happier people seem to be less wealthy, because they are not materialistic workaholics, but conversely they have shorter lives, because they live in third-world countries or are less-privileged westerners. Wealthier citizens may have longer lifespans, but work too long, are more depressed, and are generally less happy in their lives. This is more prevalent in English speaking countries, or the Anglosphere': Britain, The U.S., Canada, and Australia. There seems to be a cultural schism, which sees certain societies inflicted with life-style diseases and other ailments.

So if we are locked into some kind of system where our lifestyles dictates our well-being, then what can we do to alleviate the stresses and fears within ourselves and others. I have been taught that my behaviour affects your behaviour, which affects my actions, which affects your actions. In other words the system begins with you. Our behaviour and actions are what creates laws to manage our behaviour and actions. As individuals who interact with others we could actually stem the course of more punitive laws by curtailing our behaviour within ourselves and towards others. This is not some namby-pamby, new age love-your-neighbour theme, but a way to look at oneself and decide what you want to do and how you want society to be. There are those who feel disadvantage or antagonistic toward society, but that is because they have made it so themselves by locking' into a supposed system way of thinking.

Politics
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