Corporation vs Cooperation

The quality of our future depends on the ability of the people to once again believe in ourselves and each other.

For years we have been deprived of the direct benefit of our natural gifts to each other. Our natural inclination towards what we truly love to do was supplanted by the false need to survive in the artificial ecosystem of society. Many have lost faith in themselves as well as their abilities as a result. We have also lost the trust in each other as the value of large companies are branded in our minds from childhood. We used to know who amongst our immediate circumference was the go to person for any particular job. This put a sense of direct trust between the people as well as building the self esteem of the individuals of the community. In time larger companies began to replace the names of our friends and their products began to replace our self appreciation. In most cases people can no longer tell you who makes the best pie on their street. Most cannot direct you to the person in their community to go to for advice or to even unclog their sink. In fact those who have the skills probably don't know it either since they never developed them in order to do what they think they had to do to pay the bills. Ask where to find anything nowadays and the familiar department, grocery or convenience store is the first thing that comes to mind along with a logo and a familiar jingle they cannot remove from their heads. If you are lucky they may even whistle it for you as they look up the nearest location on their ipad. Instead of developing our skills we are now taught to memorize the steps to operate the machine or automated system that will replace our job. When we call one of these companies we are greeted by a robotic recording and after following its directions for about 15 minutes we end up hanging up in frustration longing for a human voice to resolve our issue.
     A day at the supermarket comes to mind as I had just finished shopping and pushed the cart towards the only open register which turned out to be a self checkout. This disturbed me at first considering there were more of these than actual human operated registers. I felt adventurous this particular day so I followed the suggestion of my significant other and tried it. After scanning 1 out of every 3 items required an employee to come over and approve the transaction. Considering there was 1 person to basically supervise 6 of these electronic employees you can imagine how long this could take. Finally done I placed my bags in the cart and proceeded to thank the attendant for help knowing it would have taken half the time without the machine. I couldn't help but find the irony of the situation quite amusing as people were being replaced by less efficient machinery. At some point it is only natural that mans collective wisdom will kick in and we will realize how backwards our idea of progress has become. Nothing ever lasts beyond nature and so we will have to eventually return to ours. As big business concerns itself more with profits, saving cost and mass production quality begins to give way to quantity. The concern for the value and effect of the product begins to dissipate along with the integrity of the business. The customer as well as the employee begins to be considered last after the needs of the business. The business now has a life of it's own and the first principle of life is self preservation. Thus what was meant to feed you now determines your time, energy, health and vitality to be the food it needs to survive. After years of branding and social conditioning through ads, media and word of mouth trust for the skills of others and the quality of what they produce is replaced by the big names who's reputation goes without question. After all if they weren't the best at what they do they wouldn't be so big and people wouldn't continue to patronize them. Right? At least this is what we would like to think but quite the opposite of reality. The truth is the way we have been doing things is flawed and the machine is rusty and broken. Did we forget that the machine is only as good as the functional components it is comprised of. It is certainly time to invest in ourselves once again. Here we are standing at the crossroads of corporation vs cooperation. The wise amongst us as becoming more self sufficient and taking the pride and care in their work that is missing these days. Focused once again on what they are best at and putting their love into it. This is something that can be felt in every stitch of the clothing we wear and every bite of the food we eat. The authenticity and positive energy of one who puts care into what flows through their hands.  From music and art to agriculture the time of the genuine individual who puts their heart into their work is coming back around. The challenge with this revolution comes from garnering the support of the people who are conditioned to believe in the big name as the better value. As more people jump off of the hamster wheel and begin to take actual steps toward progress they will need mental, emotional and financial support from a group of people mentally conditioned to deem them unworthy of their encouragement. What happens to an artist who's talent exceeds their commercially inferior counterpart yet even their friends and family consider their product to be unofficial because it is not presented though the usual outlets? What happens to an excellent cook who uses all natural ingredients that can't possibly have the effect of artificial foods containing addictive drugs? People will most likely continue to kill themselves under the familiar banners of fast food rest(in peace)aurants. What happens to such individuals is the same thing that happens to nature once an artificial replacement is presented that appears to be more sufficient and easier. Society breeds laziness encourages instant gratification. The time people must put into doing things the right way is viewed as wasteful in the business world where time is money. The true value is in the quality of the person who then puts that same quality into everything they produce. The result of a fast paced quantity oriented business filled with people who hate being there is eventually compromised if not completely eradicated. We must for our very own health build each other up from the individual to the collective. We must trust in our own ideas and abilities. We must invest our time an energy into ourselves and each other in the way we do for companies who consider us all expendable. We must regain faith and confidence in the value of what we can produce and believe in the products and services of others. We will ultimately gain everything all that we fear losing. We must let go of the false security provided by relying on the trusted names and brands and place it in each other. If you spent 40 hrs a week investing your all into your endeavors like you would behind someones counter would you not gain more? How could you be willing to put your all into something that gives you nothing but stress and the ability to remain in debt? How could you not support someone who loves what they do and is happy to serve you with a smile? These steps are a necessary transition to a happier and healthier civilization. Do what you love, love what you do and support those who do the same. A brighter future depends on you.