You didn't read books when you were a kid? I did, and learned that there was a lot of world out there, left home at 17, and have since lived in six states, DC, and on a ship. Another thing that I learned from my favorite kind of book, which is a history book, is that people don't really change, and that the idea of inevitable progress is silly. All people are self interested, even those of faith who have the hope of heaven. Greed, lust, sloth, envy, wrath, pride, gluttony are all hardwired, and throw in the desire to get loaded too. Just the costumes and the tools are different.

I've been a long time teacher and have worked in a factory among other things, and have never had any desire to join a union. It's bad enough having one boss telling me what to do. My business is with the company or institution I work for, not a bunch of random knuckeheads that just happen to do the same thing I do. They are not the ones paying me.

The problem with using our big brains to make big changes is that half of the population are of below average intelligence and they get an equal say, as they should. Among those pointy headed people with degrees and whatnot, there are groups that see the world in fundamentally different ways, and everyone has an ego. We are no more intelligent than the Ancient Egyptians, they just knew different stuff.