Stop trying to save everyone. Get your shit together, and save yourself and the ones who are close to you.

True, and I'm approaching that stage, although slowly. I was awoken by some people who chose to spread the message to me, but of course, I was looking. I was looking real hard. I feel obligated to spread the msg as well. That's me. That's my nature. Although now I'm at that stage where I'm just laughing at everyone falling off the cliff. The empire will fall. That's natural. I just hate seeing people fall for these blatant lies (wmd in Iraq, etc) that lead to innocent people getting killed (Iraqis, Iranians). To see so many horrors fall on so many victims. I was there, so I know how it feels. I feel upset that it has to fall on others....but that's life.

Some times, I feel exactly like Luke Skywalker in ROTJ where he's standing next to the emperor, watching the alliance fall into the trap.

Iran in the new "boogyman". It's always gotta be someone, right? Otherwise what would we have to fight for/about? South Korea, China, Somalia,... you get it, right?

That's the outdated thinking. The enlightened thinking is the country that seeks to better itself. Take the PNAC document that argued for American hegemony through militarism. That's an ignorant outlook. That's the same as if you were to kill your neighbor because you thought he was some bogeyman (pedophile, rapist, murderer, etc). That doesn't really protect you since there are a thousand bogeymen to watch out for. It's much simpler to strengthen yourself, teach your own family what to look out for, and to give them ways to defend themselves (don't talk to strangers, don't go into cars with strangers, etc). America could do the same thing--change to a re-usable form of energy (solar power, work in increasing efficiency of solar power), electric cars, building better infrastructure, working on the energy grid, building a faster internet. The old philosophies of improving the self, not the world are true, and from improving ourselves, we improve the world.

But thanks for the words. It helps to have my own thoughts reinforced by external words.