Assignment 21- Sam Clark

Perhaps the most important question facing the youth today is whether to live in or out of the System.

But first, definitions.

For our purposes, “the System” refers to the globalized world structure upon which we all rely. Everyone who buys from chain stores, pays taxes, and depends upon corporate agriculture for sustenance exists within this consuming community. In short, all who are not Amish. Existing as part of the System entails a plethora of moral quandaries: funding environment-destroying oil companies, neglecting to cast aside material possessions, prioritizing creature comforts over relieving the suffering of others. An individual (if you can call them that) inside the System lives a normal, if not moral, life.

On the other hand, one who lives outside the system exists morally free, both burdened and unburdened by a lack of possessions. They grow their own food and live peacefully, shunning overt and covert violence.

The only justification for remaining a Systemite is to amass enough power and wealth to change the system itself. Though incredibly difficult to succeed at, such a joust for control is nevertheless the path of least resistance, as greed is the quality most innate. My question, therefore, is whether or not I should feed the beast to change it or sever my ties to starve it.