Author: Philo

human

Truth is Like Poetry…

Problem: Global Warming

Since the 1970’s or even before, scientists have known about the human-induced warming of this planet due to industrialization and the continued production of certain gases.  And yet, in the United States in particular, global warming is “questioned”.  This feigned skepticism is primarily the product of one man and his pathological greed, Charles Koch.  However, he is not alone.  The evidence is clear and unquestionable: we are the primary cause of inducing greenhouse gases that will inevitably change or desecrate life on this planet slowly but surely.

Solution:

Buying a Tesla is perhaps a start, not the solution; controlling overpopulation is.  So, curbing the human population is necessary.  However, that is not the first nor is it the only step.  Secondly, corporations worldwide, especially in the United States, must be regulated stringently regarding their output of goods, services and the numerous pollutants.  Corporations (and all businesses) must pay the real cost of doing business.

Third, societies must be changed from being consumer-based to being sustainably-centered.  This takes education (true education [the next problem]), but it also takes a heavy-handed look laisse faire capitalistic-attitudes of all of us.  Last but not least, we must guard what is left of our natural spaces, forests in particular, in the same way we are trying to guard the last two white rhinos, and must replenish large natural areas by heavily limiting civilization’s sprawl.  Trees are truly part of the answer.

1. Overpopulation

Problem:

There are too many people in the world.  Not in 3rd world countries or “certain” countries, but simply too many of us.  We have succumbed to the evolutionary drive to procreate for too long.  We understand this, at least we understand the idea of this, but we do not act upon the fact that overpopulation is the number one ecological and social problem that we face today.  Over and beyond global warming.  If it is not possible to legislate morality nor is it possible to curb the evolutionary drive to procreate, then what do we do? 

We have the means to act upon this problem ethically, and know that to not act upon it is unethical.  There have been and still are those that argue for fallacious solutions that are nothing more than racial and meritocratic excuses, but those are not to be taken seriously (we all know what those are). With a modicum of common sense those so-called ‘arguments’ are easily seen through.  But the fact does remain that continuing to have children is the prime source of this problem, a problem that we will have to do something about or face the horrible consequences of having something done about it by mother nature.

Solution:

The first thing we must do is to educate ourselves as nations about overpopulation and accept that it is the leading problem.  The problem can no longer be held taboo by societies or their governments.  Secondly, we must change the tax systems so as to not reward people for having children, the incentive to procreate must be taken away at the very least, and reversed if possible.  Third, the previous suggestions must be globally implemented, but the rich nations (those using most resources per person) must lead the way.  Lastly, abortions and birth-control must be made easily available to whomever desires them.  There is no room nor is there time for ideological and ethical squabbles.

Poetry

-Truth is like poetry, and everybody fucking hates poetry

Introduction

There is a story that once, in a bar in Washington D.C, a politician was overheard discussing the concept of truth with someone at his table.  His response was, “Truth is like poetry, and everybody fucking hates poetry.”  I found this to be at once intriguingly disturbing and true at the same time.  Truth is a funny thing, no doubt. 

As I sat and contemplated this odd and seeming truth, I thought of my own definition of Truth: truth is the measurement of the quality of the relationship between the idea of a thing and the thing itself.  I found that the two statements were more related than I at first thought.  And so the idea of writing about issues that are facts and suggested solutions came to mind.

In the coming months I hope to present a problem and a solution to some of the problems that we face as human beings, some of which are rarely discussed and some of which are openly discussed.  Critical comments are welcomed, but I consider this a philosophical practice.  With that in mind, I hope those few that read this post enjoy the endeavor, even if they “fucking hate poetry”.

The Heart, The Mind, The Reality

Often we speak of “following your heart”, or the difference between “the mind and the body”. But we are not animals that ought to always do what we feel. Nor are we a duality, a thing within a thing. We are people and we have the choice to make decisions. Yes, we have a choice to make decisions.

However we choose to speak we must always be clear as to why we are doing something. The “old brain” is powerful, however. It’s will is the product of eons of evolution and it is spurred by survival at any cost. Yet, we as humans have come a long way from the days of starvation and hardship, at least we think we have. But that is the “new brain” telling us that.

All the while there are eight billion people on the planet, up from 3 billion in the early sixties, and we continue to procreate. All the while we are led by fear in the guise of gods and greed. Most of us are neither good or bad, divine or evil. We are human beings, hairless apes that love and laugh and want the same for others. And yet…

The old brain commands. The old brain leads us. Even as the new brain reminds us that there is the heart and the mind. And then there is the reality.

All the While…

While the next lines up to ruin what we have built, what shall we do? While the armies line themselves with steel in their eyes, what shall we say?

While we satisfy and quench our blood-thirsty ways, what shall our history be? While the fists of violence, of ignorance, of greed, of avarice, of apathy grow and turn the green to grey, what will be our excuse?

What shall we do? We shall turn and wait for the next and make excuses, and we will justify our means for their ends.

What shall our history be? It will be the long lineage of ideologues killing others with smiles on their faces and a serious stare.

And all the while days will go by.

And all the while we will flood the waters with our despair and excuses.

And all the while we will watch as we kill what we truly ought to have loved.

The Weak Among Us

How we treat the weakest among us is the measure of our progress. And who are the weakest among us and how do we treat them? Take a walk through an animal shelter or down the streets of the down and out. Go out into the country and see how the weak are treated. Take a drive through southern Kansas or west Texas and roll the window down as you pass a CAFO.

Take a ride through Arkansas and Missouri and stop at one of the long, silver, enclosed halls and listen. Smell the air and know that on our dinner plates are the weak among us. Stroll up to the doors of a hunting club and look on their walls. Listen to those around you talk and what they say. Their words explain how we treat the weak among us.

Go to the “wrong” side of the tracks. Listen to yourself and know that those thoughts, and the inevitable words that follow will decide how we treat those among us that have no voice. The internet, social media, witty comments and ignorant claims. We will be defined by how we treat those that cannot help themselves. We will live or die determined by our attitudes of how we view that lone, lost dog, or that neglected cat. We will progress determined by what we think when we see someone in need.

How we treat each other is how we treat the weak among us.

Civility

During these trying, political times it is easy to forget that we all want the same things. At least the sane among us. Travel anywhere in the world and this simple statement will be proven time and time again. Talk to your neighbor and you will find out that is applies. The things that we all want is safety, security and a little happiness. How do we get these things? Civility.

Somewhere down the road we have duped ourselves. We have decided civility is simply the basis of all other goods, that it will always be, that it will always exist. This is our mistake. And another mistake that we often make is that being civil implies agreeing or even liking someone else. It does not.

Civility is a fragile state that exists only when people realize that we all define the society in which we live. The question is what kind of society do we want to live in? There are only two answers: a civil one or an uncivilized one. So what does civility require?

In the Ancestor’s Tale, Richard Dawkins studies the evolutionary fact that we are all related and that we do not have to go so far back in time to realize that. Civility requires that we all realize that we are related and that we have to live together. Civility also requires that we discuss differences and call out obvious wrongs, but it also requires that we realize that differences are not all bad and that some wrongs are not so obvious. Civility requires rational thought and the understanding that if we do not work together that we will all fail.

Civility takes time, but without civility we may not have that much time left. I may not like my family all of the time, but they are the only family I have. And so it is with humanity.

Stupidity

The Basic Laws Of Human Stupidity by Carlo M. Cipolla

Stupidity is often defined in different and inconsistent ways, but it is important to have a basis for stupidity. Stupidity seems ubiquitous but is a subject that is seldom discussed seriously, but needs to be. Mess things up for everyone else without a benefit for themselves. Stupid people are consistently stupid which makes them problematic in many ways. Cipolla presented five rules of stupidity to give us a base line to deal with stupid people.

First, we all underestimate the number of stupid people in the world.

Secondly, it is important to remember that stupidity is independent of all other characteristics that the stupid person might have. This sometimes makes stupidity difficult to recognize.

Third, the issue with stupidity and stupid people is that they cause losses to others with no benefits to themselves According to Cipolla, a person who causes losses to others with a benefit to themselves is a bandit, a criminal.

Fourth, non-stupid people underestimate the danger of stupid people. Nowadays, this particular point is unfortunately becoming more and more obvious. It is becoming more and more necessary for non-stupid people to act against stupidity.

Fifth, stupid people are the most dangerous people on the planet. This is perhaps not so obvious as to why, but the reason is that stupid people have no beneficial place in a civil society. The cause havoc, create losses and add no benefit.

This is a short synopsis, but on a subject that truly needs study.

Start with a Question

James Joyce writes, “When the soul of a man is born, there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight.  You talk to me of nationality, language, religion.  I shall try to fly by those nets.”  Those nets hold us back, but sadly often we freely entangle ourselves in their snare.  As the writer and traveler Ken Ilgunas reminds us, “We need so little to be happy.  Happiness does not come from things.  Happiness comes from a full and exciting life.”  We have the freedom to do just that; if we would only do something about it.

Perhaps instead of chasing the next thing we could chase our next idea, our next experience? Imagine if you can a world full of curious people exploring and knowing as they do that what they see is truly divine in that irreligious way. Instead of accepting what our society tells us we ought to do, we build a society that we actually want.

We can be happy and it does not “come from things”, or ideologies, or nations, or others. We have it in us. But first we must free ourselves from those nets that so many throw at us. Don’t get fooled by their silver linings. They are cages in the end. Do not accept a cage in any form that you might find it. As you fly by those casting their nets smile and know that although they scream at you that you are lost and that they will save you that it is they that are standing, shackled.

Start with a question and see where it leads you.