World food shortages, human rights violations, war for economic advancement, war for ethnic/religious purity, ecocide for profit, oh how reading the newspaper cheers me up. There's no way to solve everything, but each piece has a solution. The problems and solutions are so interrelated that cooperation becomes paramount. I think of the alcoholism in my town, drunks already passed out in the park at 10am. I have not directly asked them why they drink so much, although I have had some lengthy conversations trying to understand slurred Ukrainian. Perhaps they have a feeling of hopelessness, depression, or pure boredom. No job, no money, no future. An analysis of what caused these individual feelings is useful only if it uncovers solutions. Many of the individual frustrations (got fired from the mine) can not be simply reversed (there's no more coal there) and new solutions must be invented. The lack of jobs has to do with the economy, the government's failures (broken promises) and the public's inattention after the Orange Revolution. The lack of meaningful future employment hinges on a lack of continuing education, no way to better of skills or social mobility, and a hanging indecision within a government supporting neither full scale farming/industry nor high tech service.
What can they do? Why are there no more jobs? What sport or club can they pursue? How can my town's community spirit be used to support these alcoholics while being firm against their excesses?
