Ignorance is Bliss?

 It is evident that some have unrivalled passion and drive for something, whether it be a hobby or an interest. What startles me more than anything that I have recently done was a day out in London, it was a pleasurable experience going to various museums and art galleries. What made me think more than anything else that day was not the expression or passion for art but instead my moments in parliament square. Walking around seeing the bronze statues of former arguably great politicians and leaders, then seeing the anti-war protesters that have been camped out in the square for 9 years. This is when i took note, I cannot say anything that will console these people it is impossible to make up the words, when I know myself that many of them I agree with, how can someone dedicate their own existence to one sole purpose of trying to endlessly make the government change. Many look upon them as insane possible troublemakers, conspiracy makers but the evidence is contrary to this fact. I then think why do most people just walk by not even paying a second of their time to try and understand the anger and hatred that they have for our political system and all those involved, maybe they are scared, not of the protesters but in fact about learning about the truth, or even just accepting it. People are too busy to notice how their actions react and effect others, many don’t have a care in the world fine dining every evening not paying even the slightest thought to what is occurring in distant lands.

Benefits

The welfare system in Britain helps those that are unfortunate to lose their jobs or those that are most vulnerable in society, such as single parent families. The new reforms of the benefit system is supposed to make it a fairer system in order to prevent fraud, the main issues that arise are the fact that it will be not just the people that have been taken the welfare system for a ride that will lose out but those that are in the most difficult of situations. For example can you really expect a single parent who has young children or even children that need 24 hour care go out and get a job, a job that might not even suit them but is forced upon them with the threat that they will lose their only lifeline, their benefits. If you had a choice I believe that everyone would choose the option of looking after their children, being there for them when they most need it.
I do agree with the notion that some people do abuse the current system, living in houses that are paid for by the tax payer while their neighbours struggle to make ends meat with full time jobs. Is it really fair that the majority of people that claim benefits when they are in most need will lose out due to the ones that take it for granted?
The main issues are that such a move will, once in place, save money for the country as a whole, but are we looking at the full consequences of our actions before decisions are being made or are we making rash decisions in order to cut governmental spending. It is obvious that the government has been left in a difficult situation over its finances, but is it coming to a point whereby such decisions are being made solely on there monetary value, rather than looking at the long term progress of the nation.

School Funding

The government announced today that it was looking to overhaul the way in which state schools are funded, in order to make it a more fairer system. Well this is what they tell us, or is it just another measure to control spending and in turn save money, which will inevitably mean that schools lose out. The main problem with the new concept is that it will be run by a centralised authority dictating what schools are allowed, for years the job of school funding was left in the hands of local authorities. I believe that central government already struggles with the many tasks that it sets out to achieve, their proposal suggests that they will listen to individual schools and their respected head teachers in order to fund to the needs of the school. The main issues of concern with such a move comes from the amount of time that this will take government to achieve and how many bureaucrats will be needed to solve such a vast problem, in order to apparently make funding fairer and reflect the needs of the specific school. I understand that currently two similar schools that are close in proximity but funded by two separate local authorities can have vast differences in their resources but will central government really make a difference or will it just end up costing more to administer such a system?   

Work

How is it possible to send everyone to university and expect them to then go on to get the job which they desire?
I think that education opens up opportunity but, our society is producing many graduates that end up leaving university and take up menial jobs that are far under their capabilities, jobs which do not even pay over the threshold for paying back their student loans. University seems like the next natural step and a level that most people these days are achieving, Is a BA or a BSc enough these days to secure that dream job? I do not think so, one needs to progress further and gain huge amounts of experience, and i believe this is where the education system lets people down. They have high expectations, and it is true to say that not everyone can have those high up well paid jobs it is only a few.

Well a true perspective on work is that we wouldn't do it if we saw a way around it, I rarely talk to people that say they enjoy their job, it is more so a means to an end. They feel like a cog in the vast machine, just like Adam Smith suggested and advocated. 

Epoch

How long does it take to change?
Will we ever look further than our own lifetimes? Or will we constantly leave our mistakes to be corrected by further generations?
Our selfish outlook essentially means that as much as we want to change or know that it is the right thing to do, we would rather carry on regardless. Maybe because we are content in our own lives or scared of the possible changes that lie ahead. It is time to stand up come together and be heard, and if no one is prepared to listen it should be our aim and goal to make people realise that as a group we can come together and force change. The recent student protests in London show that it is possible to bring large groups of people together, and in the majority of cases in a peaceful manner. Although it must be said that the few which caused damage to buildings were not intending to hurt anyone, even an employee at the conservative HQ admitted live on BBC news that no one was being threatened, the protesters just wanted to march into the building and put their views across. They feel that no one listens to them, by standing outside of the building shows that they have a particular view but does not mean they are being listened to, in fact chances are that either way nothing will be done. I take this pessimistic view for the same reason that nothing was done when nearly 1 million people marched against the war in Iraq, in this case it was 50,000 our government needs to start listening to the people otherwise in my view protest will again become ever more frequent and more violent. I do not advocate violence but our nature prescribes that we will fight, the more threatened people feel and the more they are ignored will lead inevitably to further confrontation. 
We do not have time to sit back and watch our governments destroy hope for the next generations, we must change individually, nationally and globally before there is no way back.