What If We Spent Seven Hundred And Sixty-Six Billion Dollars To Love, Encourage And Build People Up?

In 2022, the U.S. spent 766 Billion dollars on defense and 746 Billion dollars in 2023. Can you imagine if that money was spent on loving, encouraging, and building people up instead of creating ways to kill people? Take a listen to this episode, think and reflect.

Episode Transcript

(00:34):
Well, hello and welcome to anotherepisode of The Mark Medley Show. Thank
you, it is so good tobe with you again. In the title

(00:56):
of our episode today is can youimagine if the money that was spent on
equipment and material to kill people,if that same amount not one dollar more,

(01:17):
if that same amount was spent tobuild people up to love people.
I mean, think about that forit. That's something to reflect on.
Think about the money that is spenton tools and weapons and machinery to kill.

(01:40):
That's what the weapons are designed for. That's what the materials are designed
for. They are designed to killand destroy. Think about that for a
minute. Now. I have beenin the military. I served in the
military for nine years. I wasa jet engine mechanic. So even some

(02:01):
of this equipment that I'm talking aboutis money that was spent on. They
were spent on the planes and theaircraft carriers and the guns and the nuclear
weapons and everything. And I'm notsaying countries cannot and should not and ought
not be ready to defend themselves.That's not what I'm saying. But what
I am saying and asking us toreflect on is think about it for a

(02:25):
second. Just look at it.From a different perspective. The dollars that
is spent to kill if what orwhat if those dollars were spent for life,
were spent to save lives, tobuild folks up, to show love,

(02:46):
to spread encouragement, opposed to killing. So I kind of did a
little bit of research, a realquick and dirty research. In twenty twenty
two, the United States spent sevenhundred and sixty six billion dollars in defense.

(03:07):
In twenty twenty three, the USspent seven hundred and forty six billion
dollars in defense. Now this ison a per animal, This is per
this is annually. Because the statthat I just gave you was for one
year, seven hundred and sixty sixbillion dollars in twenty twenty two, seven

(03:30):
hundred and forty six billion dollars intwenty twenty three. Can you imagine if
we spent seven hundred and sixty sixbillion dollars in building people up? Can
you imagine if we spent seven hundredand forty six billion dollars on loving people?

(03:53):
Can you imagine if we spent sevenhundred and sixty six billion dollars on
life and health? And don't getme wrong, I am not confusing what's
spent on healthcare in this country?If I look that stat up, I'm

(04:15):
sure the number is large as well. But think in terms of if in
addition to whatever we're already spending onit, we had another seven hundred and
forty six billion or another one hundredor seven hundred and sixty six billion.
I mean, really seriously. Ithought about this the other day as I
was actually on my radio show yesterdaymorning. Because I always differentiate between this

(04:41):
show, the podcast, the MarkMedley Show, which is a podcast,
and my radio show, The ReadingCircle with Mark Medley. Many people get
them confused because I guess now intwenty twenty four, a radio show and
podcast is used interchangeably. But Ialways like to differentiate only because my podcast

(05:03):
I can record here at home inmy home studio. My radio show is
actually in a radio studio. Yes, my friend's radio studio still do exist.
So I always differentiate between my radioshow and my podcast. So my

(05:24):
radio show broadcasts live on Saturday morningsfrom six o'clock am to nine o'clock am
on Golbrave dot org. So todayis Sunday, as I'm recording this podcast
yesterday morning, Saturday morning during myradio show, it occurred to me as
I was making commentary, the moneythat is spent to destroy life, to

(05:49):
destroy property, to destroy land,and ultimately, as I said, to
take life. Think about that fora minute. Seven hundred and forty six
billion. I did not say million. I said billion. Seven hundred and

(06:14):
forty six billion dollars was spent intwenty twenty three on defense. I don't
know what the breakout of that isin terms of weaponry, but I'm sure
it is huge. And it justconstantly goes over in my mind, especially
as you brief the news and youlook through the news of so much killing

(06:38):
and hatred that is going on,and yet the money that is spent for
us to be able to do justthat, to kill, to take someone
else's life. In those war torncountries, a lot of the civilians have
nothing to do with the war perse. However, their homes are being

(07:00):
destroyed, their lives are being disrupted, their families are being torn apart.
And all I'm saying is, couldyou imagine if we did just the opposite,
If all of this money and energyand effort was spent on putting people
together, on building families, onbuilding housing, on building land. If

(07:23):
that same amount of money, ifthese same billions of dollars were spent on
building people up, what kind ofworld might we have? What kind of
world might we have if that samemoney and not one dollar more was spent
on loving people to life instead ofkilling them, instead of bombing them,

(07:50):
instead of shooting them, instead ofHowever, we take the lives, because
at the end of the day,life is a life is a life.
I served in the military, soI am not anti military. My time
in the Air Force, I absolutelyloved it. Had I been in a
conflict, I would have done followedorders whatever my commander is said to do.

(08:16):
But the point I'm making here isnot anti American, is not anti
military, is not anti defense.The only point I'm making is seems to
me we would have a lot betterworld if we focused more on building people

(08:37):
up, if we focused more onencouragement, if we focused more on helping,
if we focused more or at leastjust as much. And again I
did not pull the stats for whatwe do from a humanitarian standpoint or from
a healthcare standpoint. I'm just sayingagain my point of this particular episode is

(09:01):
just think I just get into myimagination of how much of a better world
we would be all of that.To be honest with you takes heart change
and attitude change. It takes changein perspective. I posted something I saw
on social media today that was interesting. It said maybe this world is another
planet's hell. That struck me asvery interesting. It said, maybe this

(09:28):
world is another planet's hell. Thinkabout that for a minute, because see,
one of the things I love todo in terms of my podcast as
well as my radio show is tocause folks to think. Now you may
not agree with me, and tobe honest with you, I don't care
if you agree with me or not. I am not saying what I am
saying for agreement. I am notsaying what I am saying to be popular.

(09:54):
I'm saying what I am saying thatwhoever the listener is, regardless of
what platform you are listening on,that as you listen to it, that
it causes you to think. Again, you may not agree, you may
think I'm talking just as far offas they come. But at the same
time, if it causes you tothink, then my platforms has done its

(10:18):
job. So this is going tobe a short one today. Normally my
podcasts are around seventeen eighteen nineteen twentyminutes, and the last one that I
put out was three hours. Theone the special episode on the Civil Rights
movement, was three hours. Butthis was going to be a short one,
ten eleven minutes, maybe twelve minutes. But I just want you to

(10:39):
think seven hundred and forty six billiondollars spent on defense in twenty twenty three,
seven hundred and sixty six billion dollarsin twenty twenty two, and my
guess is we're probably going to spendat least that or get close to that
in twenty twenty four. So givethat some thought. As I said,

(11:01):
you can catch me live each Saturdaymorning from six to nine o'clock a m.
Eastern time. If you log onto go brave dot org g O
B R a v e dot org. You can catch the show from six
am to nine am Eastern time.If you go to my website Markamedley dot

(11:24):
com, m A R C AM E d l e y dot com.
That is the portal to all ofmy social media sites that lets you
know all of the various endeavors andinitiatives that I have going my music work
as matter of fact, the musicis playing in the background right now is
written and produced by me. Mysocial media sites, whether it be Facebook,

(11:46):
LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, whathave you. That's all there,
as well as information about the show, So go to that. That is
the portal Mark Amedley dot com,m A R C A M E D
L e y dot com. AndI appreciate you. I thank you so
much for listening. Always be onthe lookout for episodes of the Mark Medley

(12:11):
Show as well as The Reading Circlewith your hosts. Mark Medley Evining can

(13:15):
Antica at a