5 Ideas I Believe That Would Change The World [Opinion]

I am not a motorcycle rider. I used to be. It just got too crazy on the streets for me to enjoy riding my bike like I used to enjoy. I believe making new drivers learn the rules of the road on a motorcycle would give them a better sense of human frailty. Bikers who are alive right now are alive because they have learned to expect the unexpected. They know the other guy isn't paying attention. They know that a simple error in judgement could be the difference between life and death. You will look at traffic differently when you don't have several hundred pounds of sheet metal and steel protecting you from your ignorance.

I have mentioned this idea to several people around the radio station and the response is usually this, I learned how to do that in high school, but it was a special class. Special class or not, these are basic skills that we as a society are lacking. The young people I know think credit cards are an endless supply of cash. They think that if the card is in their hands, it's a license to buy. The ability to fill out the 1040EZ form from the IRS isn't rocket science. Everyone should know how much they earn and how much they are giving back to the government. I promise if you knew how much you were giving Uncle Sam you'd sure as hell vote in every election.

I have had to live on minimum wage for much longer than three months. It can be done and it's not really living. It is more like existing. I think if those who make our rules and govern our communities knew what it was really like outside of closed door meetings and paid for dinners they'd do a better job serving us. I don't believe all politicians are bad people. I think the process corrupts their sense of value so they no longer see the real picture that society is painting. Don't get me wrong, I believe in America we have the freedom to be as unequal as we choose to be. Since many of our political leaders come from privileged families I think a lesson in reality would be most helpful in creating a better society for all who wish to better themselves.

This might be the strangest idea of all, but it could be the best one. Today's young people live in a world of entitlement. They are not bad kids, they are great kids, they just don't know what it's like to be humble and serve others. I think this experience would teach many a punk and diva that you aren't always right and rudeness is not the way to get what you need. We glamorize uncivil behavior on our TV shows and our kids think talking back, whining, and just being an ass are the only way to get things done. We have failed this generation as parents. We need to return to old fashioned manners.

I remember the first time I ever had an e-mail sent to me. I thought it was neat and pretty cool. Now I absolutely abhor e-mail because even when it's written in a personal tone it still feels cold. If we all went back to the handwritten note for things like a thank you note, or a congratulations note, or even a reprimand the receiver would feel the personal emotion connected with the thought. Electronic communication has brought the world closer together. It has made us so close so fast we have forgotten what it's like to really put our heart and soul into the words we choose to communicate.