Google it!

I say that more often than I should. But today, we have so much information at our fingertips, there is no reason we should be unaware of anything.

I heard multiple times where today’s youth, and I mean college age to 30 as well, are asked if they heard of figures like Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, and Mao Zedong. Amazingly a majority don’t have a clue.

So here’s your homework, search Joseph Stalin on Wikipedia. Browse through the text because it is super long. You’ll read how he came from a poor family. He started out by robbing, strong arm racketeering, and counterfeiting money to live. Then, as he started to follow Lenin and Marxist concepts, he continued doing those things to support his cause. He considered himself a modern Robin Hood of the time. Even upon meeting Lenin, Lenin chastised him for his tactics. He did not condone his way of making money. Steal from the rich, give to himself. That was Stalin in a nutshell.

Eventually, when he assumed power by force, he continued using his thugs to fight and kill the Nation’s Army, the Red Army. He jailed whomever was against him. In fact, he jailed a million people and put to death 700,000 in those death camps.

In the end, he is accredited with killing 20 million of his own people.

People talk about the only endearing trait Fidel Castro had, which was his literacy program. Haha what a joke. It wasn’t literacy for the sake of people reading. It was literacy so people would read the Communist Manifesto. Numerous articles have popped up in my news feed from Cuban-American’s who were raised under Castro’s strong fist. If people would only do their own research, they’d realize all of this.

I heard an amazing quote yesterday that I’ve since forgotten. But it speaks to the envy of youth. I remember this feeling myself. I wanted a nice car. I wanted fun toys. I wanted all the things the neighbor kids had down the street. If someone says they’ll give you stuff for free, you are all over it. And as a young adult, if someone says they’ll forgive student debt, offer college for free, and give you free health care, then the gullible will believe that could happen.

Let me tell you something, nothing is free. It takes hard work to be successful in life. Even for people with natural talent, they find how perilous the silver platter can be. Think of how many NBA and NFL stars are now destitute without a penny to their name. Being lavished with money doesn’t change the person who you are to your core.

Instead of wanting stuff for free, make a plan to make yourself a better person. Be a do-er instead of a talker. Most activism is shallow. Posting memes on Facebook and carrying a sign down the street doesn’t change things. Actually giving money to a cause and putting your feet on the ground to help is what works. Everything takes hard work. Don’t let some flashy persona tempt you into thinking you’ll win the lottery if you just keep putting your pennies toward a pipe dream.

It all comes down to education. Learning to manage a budget. Learning to live within your means. Learning to make a plan for your life. Learning to save for retirement. And just learning. History has a lot to tell us. Take some time to read and study the past. Believe me, its all been done before. History continually repeats itself. Live and learn.