I Am the 0.0000000032 Percent

The world population currently sits around 6.9 billion and the population of the U.S. is 312.5 million. If I place myself as one in each of those populations, I am the 1.44^-10 percent or, if focusing solely on the U.S. population, the 0.00000000032 percent. Not the one percent, not the 99 percent.

Members of the Occupy Wall Street Movement argue that there is a 99 percent chance that I am forced to choose between groceries and rent, that I cannot access quality medical care, that I am a victim of pollution, that I’m working long hours for nothing and that I have no rights. None of those are true for me. But I am also not a millionaire, a bank, a greedy corporation or member of one of the despised mortgage and insurance industries, I do not feel under-represented or left out by society.

I am the 0.0000000032 percent. I work hard to make a living and, most of the time, it pays off. When I decided to be lazy and face consequences as a result of my laziness, I accept it. Sometimes I overspend as a result of my own selfish desires coupled with the clever marketing techniques of major corporations and I take responsibility for my spending. When I go into debt, I work harder and save money to pay it off, instead of whining and blaming my situation on someone else.

I am the 0.0000000032 percent. I don’t intentionally harm the environment, but I am aware that climate changes and adapts over time and that every little thing I do does not have as big of an effect as I have been lead to believe. I believe that a healthy lifestyle will eventually balance out the effects of eating processed foods and that most things are okay in moderation.

I am the 0.0000000032 percent. I do not expect the government to solve my problems. I do, however, expect the government to follow the Constitution of the United States and make basic provisions for the freedom and security of Americans. Basic provisions for freedom and security do not including paying for my healthcare, feeding me, getting me a job or telling me what issues (such as capital punishment and gay marriage) I should or should not support. Looking at history, it is when the government has tried to do too much that it faces the biggest problems.

I am the 0.0000000032 percent. I support the right of hard-working individuals to make and keep their money. Many corporations have risen to national and international success because of the countless hours put in by their founders. Actors and athletes make millions because they are good at what they do, had connections and put in the determination to rise to the top. Even reality stars, who seem to come out of nowhere to earn millions, put in a lot of hard work. I do not deserve or want any of their money.

I am the 0.0000000032 percent. Instead of sitting on a sleeping bag or under a tent protesting everything I have ever found to be wrong with the country, I choose to take power over my circumstances and responsibility for my problems.

I am the 0.0000000032 percent.


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