Society?

Thomas Agrusti

Life

March 26, 2012

Society?

                I can quite honestly say that very little thought or care has gone into my personal socio-political philosophy. If anything is to be said about my personal beliefs, they would be primarily based on my existentialistic views on life in general, along with the Beauty of Bureaucracy.

                For the former topic, I feel that all people, being fully true to themselves, work. Not only that, but they work for specific gain, be it the righteous accomplishment of building character and well-guarded spirit, or simply the common perception of monetary gain. Therefore, I believe in a “reap-what-you-sow” philosophy: the more optimally you work, that being swifter, harder, in with more creativity, the more you will gain in the end; likewise, the less passion you put into your work, the less you should therefore receive for said work. In this manner, I would fall into the category of Libertarianism, which I feel is very well defined by the historical writer, John Locke. I believe heavily in the ideas that that which I earn, albeit time, money, or possessions otherwise, should be spent and invested in means that benefit me. Not to say that I only want to spend on things I see every day, far from it. I believe that the troops that protect our borders, the police that protect my freedom, and the insurance through fire and medical departments should be well funded and supported, and I will gladly share my part to do so. However, I believe there are other federal actions that the state selects to use my money for. I do not believe in paying for the “welfare” of another human being. I feel that if I am not directly supporting myself or a relative through education, then why should I pay for another family to send their child? In this manner, one may call me selfish, but too many times are we asked to spend out of emotional grief, sacrificing for the soul sake of conscience so we “don’t feel guilty.” I believe that by relinquishing such vices we free ourselves to be more active in our own lives.

                Moving forward to the latter topic, I have found that there is a certain beauty in bureaucracies, bureaucracies being defined as any organization that holds to a certain mandate of policies, rules, and regulations. This being a broad definition, the primary difference between it and another party, such as a club which would have rules and policies, is that many organizations are stagnant in their policies, and are never quick to change them based on certain exceptions, unless those exceptions pertain to expanding upon current set ups. Par example, I have found that, in High school, students are allowed to leave the school premises with the permission of a parent. Originally, this was meant to allow parents to pick their children up in case of a medical or family emergency. However, this can be applied as well to any day-to-day means. Add to this that the original idea that a student will lose credit for too many absences becomes null and void if the teacher decides that the student has a competent knowledge of the class material to be given credit. As such, a high school student is able to leave with the permission of lenient parents without penalty. In the same way, observing company late policies is also a common practice I have taken a liking to, knowing now that I don’t have to be at work at 4:00 per say, but at 4:09, as well as my break not being 30 minutes but 39, giving me a minor edge to work out my schedule. These may be viewed as minor conveniences, but it is through these tiny victories that we learn to relax, our relaxation allowing us to work, not only competently, but optimally. This optimal working life grants us a good model in the eye of the supervisor, granting us trust, and thereby giving us greater liberties in life, transforming what was once a few extra minutes in lunch, to a day off when the modest employee claims “they might still be able to make it to work on time.” Thus is the beauty of bureaucracy, for as I have coined, “The overcoming of authority is not through force, nor speed, but through confidence and nonchalance.” Through understanding how a system works, you do not work out how to break it, but how to weave through the cracks, and work around and through it that you truly succeed in life.

                With all such said, I wish you a merry day and a blessed life!

                Living in His Name,

                Thomas Agrusti