Great day, family! Today, I want to dive into a topic that many of us have been trapped in without even realizing it—
aspirational danger.
I’ve spent years thinking about this, and I know how deeply ingrained it is in our society. It’s a mindset that has us chasing dreams that are often illusions, distractions designed to keep us from recognizing and addressing the real issues in our communities. It’s time we talk about it.
History Is Revolutionary, But It’s Not the Revolution
Before I go deeper, I want to clarify something. I recently wrote about how history is revolutionary, but it is not the revolution itself. That doesn’t mean history isn’t important—it is crucial. History informs culture. It shapes governance. Dr. Greg Carr and his crew highlight this in their Africana studies framework, discussing governance structures and cultural continuity.
I love that knowledge. I love learning from the past. But knowing history alone is not enough to free us. We need action, and part of that action is recognizing how aspirational thinking is being used against us.
The Trap of Aspirational Living
In a capitalist society, we’re all placed in a box—the box of chasing money. From an early age, we are taught that success is measured by how much wealth we accumulate.
We chase careers, businesses, and opportunities, not necessarily because they align with our purpose, but because they promise financial security. And we don’t just do it for ourselves—we do it to be seen a certain way by others.
We fall into aspirational living—wanting to be like the people we see on TV, in movies, and later, on social media. These people seem to have it all: money, luxury, and freedom from financial stress. Even if we don’t say we want to be rich, many of us just want to live without worrying about bills.
And so, we start chasing dreams based on illusions.
The Illusion of the American Dream
For generations, we’ve been sold the idea that anyone can make it in America if they just work hard enough. This belief is so strong that it even influences our political and economic decisions.
Look at the way taxation is discussed in this country. Many working-class people fight against higher taxes on the rich—not because they are rich, but because they aspire to be. They say, “I don’t want the government taking a large portion of my money when I make it.”
But here’s the reality—most of us will never be rich.
Meanwhile, the wealthy enjoy massive tax breaks and loopholes while benefiting from the very systems our taxes fund. The roads they drive their luxury cars on, the infrastructure that supports their businesses, the legal systems that protect their assets—all of these are funded by tax dollars. And yet, they contribute far less than they should.
We Hold the Poor Accountable, But Give the Rich a Pass
Think about it. When poor people make bad decisions, society holds them fully accountable. Our court systems show no mercy. When someone is convicted of a crime, their upbringing, struggles, or circumstances don’t matter much—they do their time.
But when rich folks break the law? They get away with it. They enter courtrooms with high-paid lawyers, throw out excuses about how higher taxes hurt their businesses, and walk away unscathed.
And we let it happen because we aspire to be them.
We forget that taxing the wealthy fairly is necessary to maintain the very systems we all rely on. Without taxes, roads deteriorate, schools remain underfunded, and public services collapse. Yet, many of us still defend the rich because of our aspirations, even when it’s against our own interests.
The Billionaire Problem: A System That Doesn’t Work for Us
Let’s be real—billionaires shouldn’t even exist.
It is mathematically impossible for everyone to be rich. But the deeper issue is that billionaires hoard wealth and resources, making it even harder for regular people to achieve economic stability, let alone prosperity.
And if we don’t start checking these billionaires now, it won’t just be about not becoming billionaires ourselves—our children won’t even have a chance at middle-class stability.
Yet, we sit in circles, hyping up our kids, believing that one day they could be the next Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. That’s a lie. There’s simply not enough space at the top. And by the time we realize it, we’ve already sacrificed our children's future to the illusion of wealth.
A Shift in Thinking: Society Should Work for Us, Not the Wealthy
This is where we need to wake up. Society should not rely on philanthropy—it should rely on justice.
People shouldn’t have to depend on charities to eat, go to school, or get medical care. If we had a fair tax system, we wouldn’t need donations to fund essential services—because the government would already have the resources to take care of its people.
We brag about being the richest country in the world, yet:
- We have people going bankrupt over medical bills.
- We have children going hungry.
- We make higher education a financial burden.
That doesn’t sound like the richest country in the world. That sounds like a nation that works for the rich at the expense of everyone else.
It’s Time to Wake Up
Family, we have to snap out of it.
- Stop aspiring to be rich while letting billionaires manipulate the system.
- Stop allowing our dreams to be used against us.
- Stop believing that success means stepping over others to get to the top.
Aspirational thinking has left our children’s future in jeopardy. It has allowed billionaires to buy our government. It has kept us divided, while the rich get richer and tell us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps—as they hand all the bootstraps to their own people.
And here’s the thing—they’re not even tough. They’re soft-backed bullies, protected by a system that benefits them. They get away with it because we let them.
But the moment we wake up and stop playing their game, everything changes.
History is revolutionary, but it’s not the revolution. The real revolution begins when we reclaim our governance, our economy, and our communities—when we stop dreaming of being in the elite’s shoes and start fighting for justice.
Let’s make it happen.
Peace,
Brother ha2tim
Comments
Post a Comment