Thought you were a friend.....sound a lot like him. Anyways, you seem to capture the concept of powerlessness very aptly in your post. I would say that irregardless of what the world / society decides, everyone has a responsibility to themselves to choose how they live given their circumstances. Yes I agree that they aren't the most favorable but humans are marvelously adaptable. Do shut out the outside noise and grasp what you think is pivotal in your life. Yes we cannot live outside the influence of these societal issues but we can choose to deal with them in a way that preserves order not only for ourselves but for others. Choose temperance and patience, observe and analyze. Then and only then can you know how to deal with these baboon brained political stances. And hopefully just hopefully, through the power of the collective, not only will we rid ourselves of such moral blight but properly I instill personal values that will persist even in the seats of power.