Civility Recital
GlobalNewscast
  Character Outs
 
The student pianist sat before the piano, mustered her six years of piano training, and played a Mozart sonata. That was easy for her. She had the luxury of years of training, encouragement, and guidance.
This future mother, friend, employee, and grandmother was raised in the United States so it is not unusual that she performed well, will go on to college, get married, raise a family, and if she chooses, work on a career-oriented job. That seems natural and normal.
But what of those hundreds of millions of kids raised in so many other nations, including those in Africa, South America, and Asia. They will never learn to play Mozart, go to college, raise families, or work in career jobs. It just doesn't seem fair!
No, it's not fair! They should be given the same opportunities as this young girl in the United States was given. Certainly if those kids in so many nations were, they would be playing Mozart, going to advanced schools, raising families, and working. So why doesn't the wealth of the United States and other prosperous nations get passed into those other nations to provide those people with opportunities?
Those other kids live in nations that have been provided trillions of dollars in aid throughout the 20th century. There have been trillions of dollars of aid from the US and many other nations distributed across the continents that remain bereft of progress. These nations have been provided opportunities and benefits by millions of missionaries  These nations have received millions of tons of food over the 20 century. But the aid money, missionaries, and food has failed to educate, nourish, and support the development of civilized cultures. Why?
Those trillions of aid dollars have not been utilized by recipient governments for education, food, and to provide necessary services such as safety and infrastructure. Instead, those trillions of dollars of aid have been utilized in African nations, South American nations, and Asian nations over the 20th century by local elitist demagogues to provide personal pleasure and support their military adventures. If it had not been squandered and misdirected, there would certainly be girls and boys playing Mozart, getting educated, raising families, and working productively.
But after decades and trillions of aid dollars and millions of missionaries and tons of food, why has nary a Mozart been born, obtained an education, and raised a family in most of the impoverished nations? Are the impoverished nations impoverished for a reason? It just may be that the vast majority of those nations' people are simply unable to organize well enough to utilize aid, get educated, build infrastructures and businesses, and cultivate cultures.
But not all individuals are unable to make it out of their long-term failed homelands. A slim few exit and reap the rewards of Western civilization. Kofi Annan, General Secretary of the UN, left his homeland, obtained his education in the United States, and progressed up to the top UN position.
Annan followed the civil path and used a key feature to avoid derailment along the way. That key feature (trick) is he made himself appear to fit in. However, now in charge of the UN, Annan chose to expose himself. He has used his powers to operate the ubiquitously ultra-corrupt UN for his and his cronies' interests. But more specious is his failure to ensure his people back home and around the world opportunities to become a Mozart, get educated, or simply live in civil safety.
Annan was shrewd. He played the civilized role before exposing himself as simply another unconcerned elitist.
 
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