Facism - Top Ten Signs

This is absolutely scary...



"Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana

John Bolton Defends War

Here is an interesting clip of American ambassador John Bolton defending the Iraq war, and some heated exchanges from an Iraqi citizen and Tony Benn of the UK. I think it demonstrates how flimsy the U.S. justifications for the Iraq war really are, and how strong the world opinion is against American unilateralism.



HT: CM

Elections 08 - Home Stretch

As we enter the home stretch for the 2008 presidential elections, things are very interesting indeed! On the Democrat side, Hillary and Obama are running neck and neck, with Obama having the momentum in the early primaries, but Hillary holding a solid lead in the national polls. On the Republican side things are even more convoluted, with five candidates still in strong contention! Clearly Huckabee has the most momentum, as his Baptist background is holding a strong appeal to party conservatives, however both Romney and McCain have shown recent gains, coming at the expense of the fading Giuliani and Thompson. See the national trends below from RealClearPolitics.com.




I am still holding to my original prediction that Clinton and Romney will win their respective parties nomination, but there has been some interesting developments in the weeks since I first made that call. On the democrat front, Obama has continued to develop momentum and now shows a real potential for overtaking Clinton and gaining the parties nomination. He brings a freshness and depth of character that seem to hold real appeal to the voters in the early primaries. The main concerns seem to center around his perceived lack of toughness, as he tends to shy away from the more vicious style of politics that are so often utilized in the highly polarized U.S. government. He seems to genuinely value discourse and consensus building over power plays and backdoor maneuvering. Many critics feel that this is a liability for him in the trenches, where idealism perishes as quickly as a snow cone in Texas! What do you think? Is Obama's approach to politics naive and a sign of in-experience, or is it a return to the very core of what a healthy political process should be about?

Here is a trend of the Democrat Iowa primary poll results, showing Obama's recent climb (again from RCP)



I am definitely interested in how Obama does in these early primaries. While the national polls still clearly show Clinton leading, things could change quickly if Obama pulls out some convincing wins. My personal opinion is that they are both strong candidates and would fare well in the general election.

On the Republican side, things are as hectic as I have ever seen in the run-up to a presidential primary. Typically by this point in the process the field of candidates is whittled down to only two, or at most three viable candiates. Clearly Fred Thompson has lost significant momentum, and can probably be ruled out of contention. Guliani, while still leading in the national polls, is also rapidly loosing steam and IMHO will not end up in strong contention. I just don't think his character and values line up well with the Republican voting base.

That leaves Huckabee, McCain, and Romney. Each has their handicaps. Huckabee is a relative unknown who has risen to popularity primarily on his Christianity and conservative morals, but questions surrounding his judgement and experience are starting to gather steam. McCain seems too crusty to win a popularity contest, but his unquestionable experience, integrity, and depth of character continue to keep him in the race. Some pundits predict that the top candidates will implode leaving McCain as the best viable candidate. Romney, my pick for winning the Republican primary, would be a shoe-in if it wasn't for his Mormon faith. It remains to be seen how much this will effect the primary, but he continues to look strong in several early primaries and may gain momentum if Huckabee stumbles in the weeks ahead.

Here is a trend of the Iowa Republican primary polls from RCP.



Who is your favorite candidate from the two parties?

Human Value

I have continued to mull some of the responses to the Texas Vigilante shooting in Texas, both on this blog and elsewhere in the blogosphere. I find it quit interesting that many people feel that since these two men from Colombia were here illegally and had criminal backgrounds they deserved to die. It appears that their value as human beings was reduced by both demerits, to the point that being shot in the back with a 12 gauge shotgun as they were fleeing is "justice." It is important to keep in mind that these men were unarmed and committing a burglary, they were not threatening the well-being of anyone. Even the neighbor was clear that he was "not going to let them get away with this," not a concern for his safety as much as a desire to mete out justice.

This sliding scale of human value seems to be everywhere today. For instance, most of us don't blink when we hear that 23 insurgents were killed today, but we likely pause if we hear 6 American soliders were killed by a roadside bomb. In fact, I would wager that no person truly values all human life equally! For instance, a parent is biologically predisposed to value the lives of their children over the lives of strangers. I wonder if the same goes for cultures? Are we programmed to instinctively value people who are similar to us over people who are different?

Of course the social manifestation of such a sliding scale has resulted in some of the worst acts of human history, including slavery and the holocaust. In both cases it seems that the underlying racism was based on perceived differences between the human value of each respective group. As soon as we have objectified a group of people to "insurgents", "japs", "n*ggers", "illegals", etc, we have removed our own moral barriers to acting inhuman to them. It seems this human tendency to objectify the "other" is one we must continually struggle against!

If I am wrong and human value really is dependent on some extrinsic factors, perhaps we should define a worth spectrum? For instance, 1 U.S. soldier = 75 Iraqi "insurgents" in overall human value, or 1 U.S. citizen equals 20 "illegal aliens," or 1 U.S. taxpayer = 5 people on welfare. If we could establish a tidy spectrum of human value, this would greatly aid our Country in making policy decisions, enacting new legislation, allocating budgets, deciding to go to war, etc. We could simply ask, what is the human value of the respective decisions? If we go to war with Albania, we might loose 700 U.S. soldiers, but gain natural resources that would benefit millions of Americans. If this resulted in the deaths of 20,000 albanians, but the U.S. to Albanian worth ratio was 1:25, clearly the decision would be prudent and justified.

Arousing the Wrath of Texas

My earlier post on the Texas Vigilante has inadvertently attracted the wrath of some Texas patriots. In comments to my original post, their arguments are heated to say the least, including slandering other commenters. Honestly, I don't mind personal attacks on my own material, its a blog for goodness sakes! It has proven to be an interesting insight into the Texan notion of "justice" and their sliding scale of human value, although granted I am sure this sample of Texan's is not representative of all residents of that vast state (for instance, latino's make up 35% of the state's population and I wager would take a different stance).

Read the comment thread of the original post at your own discretion due to the vitriol content.

Crack Cocaine Sentencing

In a historic decision, the Supreme Court decided this past Monday to give federal judges more latitude in sentencing individuals convicted of possessing or trafficking crack cocaine. For many years there has existed a disparity between the sentencing guidelines for crack and for powdered cocaine. Crack is predominantly found in black communities, while powdered cocaine is predominantly found in white communities. A clearly racist disparity was challenged by several federal judges and eventually found its way to the Supreme Court. This is a great win for civil rights and racial equity!

World Statistics Clock

This is pretty interesting, albeit depressing!


Poodwaddle.com

Iowa NPR Debates

NPR hosted an Iowa radio debate last night, the full two hour broadcast can be heard here. For the most part it was fairly uninformative, with candidates breaking little fresh ground in the three areas of discussion: Iran, China, and Immigration. On the issue of China, former Senator Gravel (basically a no-show in the polls), had a great statement about the competitive approach the U.S. takes toward China, a country with rampant extreme poverty.

Clearly, none of [the other candidates] are running for China — president of China — because this amount of demagoguery is shameful.
Here, the Chinese people have a problem. And when we continue this rhetoric of beggar thy neighbor, where our interests always come first, there should be the interests of human beings, the interests of human beings...because when you have a foreign policy that's beggar thy neighbor, we all become beggars. And so when they talk about the currency of China, what about the — what manipulations we do? What about the American companies that dump things abroad?

I thought Mr. Gravel raised a good quote, that perhaps was more powerful in the audio version than in the text (see ~47:00 in the audio to hear his statement). Indeed, it seems so much of American policy is based on protecting American interests alone. Certainly you rarely hear any politician talk about China's interests. Of course, a government is tasked with protecting it's countries interest's abroad, but to what extent should this be balanced with concern for all humankind? By focusing on increasing America's prosperity, at the expense of others, we will cause inevitable long term conflict. So a government that truly sought to provide long term stability and prosperity for its people would seek to help other countries achieve the same, wouldn't you think.

Except for that little bugger called scarcity.... Now I know that scarcity is often overblown by fear mongers. The world currently has all the resources required to feed, cloth, and shelter every human being, with plenty to spare. The problem is that we are not satisfied with only meeting our basic needs, thus we engage in fierce turf wars to divide the world's riches. At what point will we in the United States repent of our gross overuse of the world's resources? At what point will we require our politicians to act in ways that value all human beings, not just the ones that happen to live within our border's?

Anyway, just ranting a bit this morning. As far as the debate goes, I don't think any candidate really separated themselves on the issues. It will be interesting to read the pundit analysis over the rest of the week.

Financial Justification to Buy a Hybrid

Here is some excellent financial justification to finally make the transition to a hybrid. My family can't yet afford the switch, but we are looking to make the plunge in the next year or two.

What about you? If you are considering buying a hybrid, what is your time-line? If gas prices increased to over $4/gallon, would that hasten your transition?

Texas Vigilante

The killing of two men in Texas has become a lightening rod for those who oppose Texas's notorious support of citizen's using lethal force for "self-defense." The two latino men were stealing from his neighbor's house and crossed his yard, when the 70 year old man decided to confront them. Some have applauded the man's actions as heroic, claiming that burglars will think twice before stealing in that neighborhood again. Personally, I agree with the 911 dispatcher that no property is worth a human life (the dispatcher was the real hero in my opinion, even though he wasn't able to prevent the man's actions).

It is pretty sad to live in a society that allows this type of action to happen, especially since it appears to be within his legal right (will be decided in the courts). I am sure the older man was upset and not thinking clearly, but he definitely knew that the laws had changed and was prepared to take advantage of them. I personally think he should be charged with 2nd or 3rd degree murder, there was absolutely no reason for those two young men to die.

What do you think, was this justice served or an even worse crime?

Election Prediction

So I have been predicting for a couple weeks that Clinton and Mitt Romney will be the two presidential candidates in 2008, so I will formally go on record with this prediction. Romney is definitely a mixed bag when it comes to green politics, with some commendable interest in renewable energy, but scepticism when it comes to global warming and carbon emissions.

What do you think about my prediction? If I am right, does that mean the green vote will go to Clinton?

High Expectations at Work

I found this Utne article to be very telling. Indeed, while I am a Generation X'er, I have found that my work experiences have met with similar frustrations. It is illuminating and a bit humbling to recognize how egotistical my peers and I have approached the workforce. Now 6.5 years into my working career, I can see how the following statement accurately described me only a few years ago.

Nurtured on a steady diet of self-esteem, the swaggeringly confident children of the ’80s and ’90s are flying the nest and starting to land in the workforce. They’re clamoring for quick feedback, meaningful involvement, and pumped-up recognition—and roiling old-school colleagues who dub them impatient, needy, and arrogant. The kids are frustrated too: Entry-level duties are a far cry from the dream jobs they’ve been made to feel are their birthright.

Indeed, entering the work force post-college can be quite a shock. After years of performance driven education, in which you received continuous recognition of your development (grades), you enter an often slower paced work environment, where fitting into the system is often more important than your individual performance. I thought the following comment was spot on:

Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, says we’re too focused on
results with young people, and it has taught them to value performance instead
of process.

Valuing performance over process is something that I have definitely been guilty of. Indeed, I would say my education experiences trained me in this regard! So it comes as no surprise that many of us have a rough transition to the work environment, often leading to disillusionment or depression. The author notes that depression is now more common for those in their 20s and 30s than it is for older generations.

There is a silver lining to the changes that are afoot. Indeed, it is even exciting to anticipate the coming changes in the workplace as employers adapt to the needs of Gen Y'ers.

While previous generations rebelled against the cubicle-to-coffin mentality
and struggled for workplace flexibility and improved benefits, here’s a
generation that wants to get feedback, have input, and engage in meaningful
work. They want the companies to which they commit to be environmentally,
socially, and personally accountable. “I think young people are putting us
to task because they want managers to do their jobs—to develop people,” says
Martin. “We’ve got to make the distinction between unrealistic expectations
and high expectations that are calling us to be better.”

The sobering reality is that not all employers will step up to the challenge (I suspect mine will not). What this will mean for the long term viability of some companies remains to be seen, but I suspect that most creative and ambitious Gen Y'ers will not stick around at companies that do not embrace a new paradigm. Dynamic companies such as Google will attract the best and brightest of the current generation, the rest will depend on the aging baby boomer generation to keep their competitive edge.

Democrat Candidates - Las Vegas Debate

I finally got a chance to watch a full debate last night between the Democrat presidential candidates. With so much press about Hillary's recent slide and gains made by both Obama and Edwards, I was interested to see how the night would play out. Things certainly started out quite fierce, with real fireworks between Edwards, Obama, and Clinton. The interesting thing was the the crowd really influenced the debate by loudly booing both Edwards and Obama when they went into attack mode on Clinton's credibility. This pretty much cooled their jets and I was relieved to see the debate move into questions of policy and away from the personal attacks.

Hillary showed remarkable poise all night, and gave solid answers to the questions poised by Wolf Blitzer, she was clearly well prepared for the night. Edwards, on the other hand, came across as petulant in the debate and really lost steam IMHO. I supported Edwards in the 2004 democratic primary, mostly because of his focus on alleviating poverty. Based on recent events, including last nights debate, Edwards no longer holds my interest as a presidential candidate, although I do think he would make an excellent VP.

Barack Obama was a mixed bag in the debate. At times show fantastic poise and a presidential demeanor, he at other times appeared unsure and halting. I think his inexperience continues to show itself in this primary, as other candidates demonstrate a better grasp of the issues. He is very likeable though, and I think he would do well in a general election against the Republican candidate, but I think he will need to hone his message and show more internal strength if he is to win the nomination.

The two badasses of the night were Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Senator Joe Biden. Kucinich was spot on with a majority of his comments, often correcting the presuppositions in Wolf's questions. A genuine liberal, in contrast to the rest of the candidates, Kucinich would be my top pick if he had a snowball's chance in hell of winning the election. Unfortunately he is too far from the general populace to even win the primary, much less the presidency. Pragmatism steers me away from Kucinich, even if I find my views are closely aligned with his (he was my closest match on the candidate calculator).

Biden was calm and relaxed all night, showing significant knowledge about the issues and an ability to connect with the audience. He may be a dark horse in this race, given additional national exposure I wouldn't be surprised if he moves up in the polls.

Governor Bill Richardson (NM) and Senator Chris Dodd gave unimpressive performances and are not likely to see a lot of traction from this debate. I was very impressed by Richardson's sensitivity to the immigration issue, as well as his expertise on energy. I really like Richardson, but he comes across in a grandfatherly way, instead of as a presidential leader. Dodd, on the other hand, is the Democratic version of John McCain. Very straight spoken, a bit crunchy, and not able to connect with the audience. I expect both of these guys to fall out of the race early in the primaries.

For a brief overview of the Democratic candidates, see the wiki entry.

After we are gone...

Okay, this is just fascinating. While it seems unlikely that the human species will ever disappear suddenly and cataclysmically, it is very interesting to consider how the earth would (slowly) recover from our presence. Check out the graphical time trend based on the book by Alan Weisman. What is so amazing about the lingering effects of humanity is that almost all of the long term negative impacts are from the last 100 years alone! It is just crazy how quickly we have degraded the earth, when you consider that humans have been around for over 3000 years and for the most part lived in cooperation with the environment. In just three generations we are facing major environmental crisis, including deforestation, global warming, air and water pollution, extinction of animal and plant species, etc.

I am not trying to be a doomsayer, indeed, I find that overly negative thinking is paralyzing and ultimate not productive. Rather, I think that if we could get ourselves into this mess so quickly, there is no reason we can't turn things around rapidly, if we get enough people committed to significant change.

War - And Its Terrible Cost

Viewing the Reuter's slide show portraying President Bush visiting a center for veterans badly injured during the war left me feeling both sad and outraged. Of course, the Iraqi people have borne a far greater cost than U.S. soliders, with over 70,000 civilians killed as of September this year!!!

I personally found the images disturbing, as I watched a cheerful Bush visit with men who had lost multiple limbs or were severly scarred as a result of this terribly misguided war. My limited consolation is that I believe history will not be kind to Bush and the legacy he created, but that won't bring back all the lost lives and alleviate all the suffering.

Gore Gets Involved in Green Investing

I continue to be excited about the potential for green and socially responsible investing. While it may seem counter-intuitive to enlist the help of the business world in combating problems that are often of their own making, I actually believe that this approach will be more effective in achieving real, sustainable change then grass roots efforts or policy changes. That is not to undermine the importance of the latter two, not in the least! But if we really want to impact the world in a meaningful and tangible manner, we need to go after the "big guns," in the arena's of energy, manufacturing, transportation, etc.

In an NPR interview yesterday Al Gore discussed a new alliance he is forming with a venture capital firm based in California. They will seek to invest in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and other green opportunities. Gore makes a very important point when he notes that "We've now reached the stage where this shift is going to happen with or without new government policies. ... The business sector is ahead of the policy maker community in recognizing this shift toward a low-carbon economy has to take place." This development, while clearly profit driven, is exciting.

Capitalism and the drive for profits clearly has many, many shortfalls when it comes to social justice and sustainable living. However, if we reach a point that it becomes profitable curb pollution, develop renewable energy, engage in ethical business practices, etc, the impact on the world will be staggering. Indeed, it now seems plausible that the industrial revolution will be followed by a sustainable living revolution!

What do you think? Can the power of the profit hungry business world be harnessed to do good for our planet and its people?

Dumpster Diving Panera

This past weekend my family finally took the plunge. After hearing the success stories of several locals who are professional dumpster divers, here and here, we made our first raid on the dumpsters behind Panera bread in Gainesville (we stayed away from Chantilly lest we run into our competition and start a fierce turf war!).

With my son sitting in the car chattering about being "sneaky," my wife on the look-out, I managed to snag several large bags of bread, bagels, and rolls! We brought our loot home, where we sorted it out and packaged it for freezing. It was an impressive haul! I have heard it said "once a dumpster diver, always a dumpster diver," I am afraid that may be the case for us! The one point of frustration encountered was the fact that I started a low carb diet last week, so I cannot partake of any of the goods for a couple weeks, and only in limited quantities after that... I guess it is time to dumpster dive behind the local steak house!

Here is a pic of our haul.



And here are my dumpster diving companions standing proudly in front of the haul.



Previous post on dumpster diving.

Election 08 Candidate Comparison

Well, we are officially into the countdown to the 2008 presidential elections (361 days left!). I created a matrix of the most important issues from a social justice and sustainable living standpoing. John Edwards and Barack Obama have the highest "scores" given the criteria I used, with Hillary Clinton the runner-up.* You can create your own custom grid using the issues most important to you, it is a very cool feature!

What are the most important issues to you in the 2008 election campaign?

*Note -There are candidates that score higher on these issues, but I excluded candidates that do not have a reasonable chance of winning the primary (<10% support).

Organic food shown to be healthier

There has been much debate in recent years about the actual health benefits of organic foods. While it seems rather intuitive that foods created without the use of hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemicals would be much better for you, most scientific studies on this subject came up inconclusive. However, a large study done in the UK confirms that natural foods are significantly healthier for you, both in the reduction of bad stuff (pesticides, hormones, etc), and an increase in nutritional value (minerals, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients).

Razoo - Social Networking to Change the World

There are a growing number of social networks on the web, with the most popular being the familiar MySpace and Facebook, both platforms for meeting friends, goofing off, and staying connected. I also use LinkedIn, a social network for professionals to leverage connections, find new jobs, etc.

Needless to say, I was very excited to hear about a new social networking site that focuses on finding your passion, connecting with others who have a similar passion, and then finding ways to take action to change the world! This is way, way cool, it takes the power of social networking to a whole new level. It makes me very excited about the days and years to come, when people will be able to combine their individual efforts in a far more effective and powerful manner!

Check out Razoo and if you are interested, join up! Be sure to add me as a friend, just search for my name (Ken Tennyson).

Dumpster Diving

Recently a group of friends went on a top secret night-time mission to the local Panera bread. Their target: Bags of discarded pastries and bread that are thrown out each night. Having enjoyed the "fruits" of their labor for several weeks, I am a firm believer in the benefits of "dumpster diving." Browsing through the blogosphere today, I found a great article written by another D.C. local about his dumpster diving experiences and "philosophy." Check it out, it is a great read and entertaining!

I am not sure I have ever dumpster dived, unless you count grabbing old couches for my college dorm rooms. However, after the experiences of my friends and reading this article, I realize that dumpster diving is very consistent with my growing commitment to sustainable living, a cheap way to get great food that I would not otherwise purchase, and it appears to be (mostly) legal! I will draw the line at sushi though, even cooked it would pass my food risk assessment radar!

Squashed Philosophers

I enjoy philosophy, but I have found that lately my time available for philosophical reading has been a little crunched (can you say "two year old!"). I found the following website gives a condensed oversight of the history of "Western" philosophy (European and U.S.).

Of course, not everyone enjoys philosophy as much as I do, but come on, who could resist a twenty minute abridgement of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus! For those who like an even broader overview, there is a "very squashed" version that sums the philosopher's perspectives in a single page (if that isn't too much of a slight to a philosopher's life work!).

Green Glass Co.

I was really impressed by this company at Green Festival DC. They take used wine bottle, cut them in half, and then turn the bottom half into a glass (polishing the sharp edges), and turn the top half into a wine glass (heating the neck and stretching into a stem).

I can't imagine many things more satisfying then drinking from an attractive glass that is 100% re-used material. We haven't order glasses yet as they are currently a bit spendy at ~$30 for four glasses (hopefully they will become more reasonable as sales pick up).

Check out their products at the Green Glass Co. website. With the holiday season upon us, this would make a great gift for your sustainability oriented friends!

Right Brain vs. Left Brain

I found this quite interesting. The article states that most of us would see the dancer turning counter-clockwise, however I could initially only see her turning clockwise. After a bit of staring I was able to flip the rotation. Check it out and let me know which way she turns for you, and whether you can flip directions!

clipped from http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html THE Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise? If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa. Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it. LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses feeling "big picture" oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy & religion can "get it" (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking

Invest in Change

What if I told you that you could change the world for the better and make a tidy profit doing it? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, there is a big groundswell of interest these days in SRI (socially responsible investing). I realize this is counterculture to many progressives concerned about poverty, social justice, and the environment. We are far more comfortable boycotting Walmart and volunteering at soup kitchens then engaging the stock market!

However, the practical reality at the end of the day is that as long as unjust and environmentally unfriendly practices are profitable, they will be very difficult to defeat. We can use the power to withold our dollar from unethical businesses, but we can also award our investment dollars to those companies that are involved in sustainable, eco-friendly, socially ethical business. Indeed, with current trends in organic foods, fair trade, green energy, and the like, there is a great profit potential for investors who support this growing movement.

Now I realize that many activists do not have money in a private stock account. However, I would guess that most of us have money in either an IRA or a 401(k). Depending on your plan you may have the ability to purchase individual stocks or mutual funds that support green or SRI causes. If you are restricted in your investments (as many 401(k)'s are), you may want to consider rolling over your retirement funds to a private IRA account (no penalties incurred), so that you can have greater flexibility in your investments.

There are lots of resources out there to get you started. Here is a list that I have found useful.

http://sustainablebusiness.com/
http://www.calvert.com/
http://www.socialfunds.com/
http://www.domini.com/
http://www.paxworld.com/
http://www.socialinvest.org/
http://www.altenergystocks.com/


These sites offer information on SRI and Green investing, as well as reports on specific stocks and mutual funds of interest. You can order a free guide to SRI investments, I haven't received mine yet but it looks like it will be very useful. If you are someone who finds researching stocks as interesting as watching paint peel, a solid place to start is the Winslow Green Growth Fund (WGGFX).

Illegal Immigration - A Red Herring

I am really tired of the illegal immigration political discussions and have felt all along that this is a red herring. I mean, of all the critical issues in the United States and abroad, does illegal immigration even begin to merit the amount of attention and energy that it has drawn over the past few years. Granted, it does appear that illegal immigration puts a drain on state and federal resources, to the tune of 10 billion a year according to one study. I don't feel this shouldn't be a issue, but should it be one of the central issues? I mean, the Iraq war is now estimated to cost 2.4 trillion dollars, which is equivalent to over 200 years of illegal immigration based on today's costs!!!

The hurricane Katrina devastation in Louisiana is estimated to cost anywhere from 200 to 300 billion dollars, equivalent to 20-30 years of illegal immigration costs. Given the fact that much of the devastation from hurricane Katrina was preventable with foresight and better safeguards, doesn't it seem that a much better use of our politicians time is finding ways to prevent future events with similar disastrous results, as well as setting up infrastructure to respond quickly in the event that a natural disaster does happen. I mean, how much money would we save if we could react quickly and decisively to massive flooding or spreading wildfires? I would wager it would easily pass the 10 billion mark on an annual basis.

The problem is that illegal immigration is a flashpoint for conservatives and proves to be a strong rallying issue, as well as a distraction from other pertinent issues (Iraq war, failed recovery efforts in New Orleans, etc). Unfortunately the news media blithely comes along for the ride, breathlessly reporting each new development on the illegal immigration front. It drives me batty, as "solving" the illegal immigration issue (i.e. keeping Latin American's in their own damn country) will not provide substantial benefit to the United States, not to mention the moral failures of a country that becomes exceedingly selfish at hoarding their resources from those who have nothing. When will we learn...

Vote for Flip-Floppers!

The following article does an excellent job of discussion how the act of flip-flopping is often the result of conscientious and informed politics, not a feeble, spineless politician who is blowing in the wind of social polls. I was really bothered by how John Kerry was smeared in the 2004 campaign, and Bush's dogged commitment to failed ideas was exonerated. James Madison is supposed to have once quipped that the pillars of political process are compromise, compromise, and compromise. This ability to see both sides of an issue and honestly evaluate your position given the present needs of a society seems to lie at the heart of being a spokesperson for the people (politician in the positive sense).

So, lets not let the label "flip-flopper" deter us from casting a vote for the most conscientious and informed politician. Indeed, as the write points out, it is often the rigid and inflexible politicians that are the most dangerous!

Organic Foods Top Ten

At the Green Festival my wife and I attended a lecture by pediatrician and organic advocate Dr. Alan Greene (fortunate last name). The talk was centered around the top ten most important organic foods based on health benefits. Maranda and I both feel that trying to go organic can be a bit overwhelming, with so many choices and a bunch that put a good dent in the pocket book. This list helps to consolidate the most important foods for organic purchase, allowing us to focus on the items that will contribute the most to our health.

There were a couple surprises on his list, check it out:

Dr. Greene's Organic Top Ten

1. Milk - Recently Maranda and I have gone to organic milk, with our original motivation being taste! Organic milk is an entirely different liquid than the standard fare in the supermarket. It tastes far richer, fuller, and doesn't have the slight bitter taste that the commercial milks have. Click on the link for milk at the beginning to read about all the dangers present in standard milk, as well as the significant impact buying green milk can have on farming.

2. Potatoes - This one was very surprising and concerning! We have yet to find a good source for organic potatoes, so we may just grow our own this next year...

3. Peanut Butter - What surprised me about peanut butter was not just the negative elements in the conventional form, but the huge health difference between the two. Check out the link to Dr. Greene's description, it is pretty compelling.

4. Baby Foods - This one is perhaps a no-brainer. The big sticker for us is cost. Conventional baby food is already quite expensive, so it is hard to spend the extra for organic baby foods. This doesn't just include the canned baby foods, but any food that you feed an infant or toddler. Based on the importance of this developmental age, we will be making the switch to organic foods as often as we can find/afford them.

5. Ketchup - Okay, this one really surprised me. Only recently I tasted organic ketchup for the first time, and while surprised by the better flavor, I had no idea that the health benefits could be so significant. Check Dr. Greene's report out.

6. Cotton - More accurately this should be cotton seed oil. This is a difficult one to avoid, as it is not purchased outright but is a component in many conventional foods. The tremendous level of pesticides used on cotton is alarming, definitely one to avoid whenever possible.

7. Apples - Okay, I am happy to say that I was already aware of health concerns regarding apples. Unfortunately, I can't say I do a good job of buying organic apples. With a little research I hope to track down a good source of organic apples (and other fruits), in our area.

8. Beef - While no surprise, this one is particularly tough to accommodate, as organic beef is quite scarce (as Dr. Greene acknowledges). Unless you avoid beef altogether, it may be quite difficult to avoid conventional beef in the near term, although I am sure this will quickly change as more people become aware of the huge health benefits of natural, organic beef!

9. Soy - Similar to cotton seed oil, soy bean oil and meal is found in a huge array of foods and is difficult to avoid. Whole soy beans are healthy, but are rare to find in foods. Buy organic foods is the best way to avoid conventional soy beans in your diet.

10. Wine - A real shocker, as I have never even encountered organic wine to my knowledge? The exciting thing about wine is that buying organic not only avoids pesticides, but also increases your intake of resveratrol, an ingredient that has been shown to slow down the effects of aging.

The great thing about the top ten is that by just focusing on this list, you can make a huge improvement in your families diet, as well as make a significant environmental impact through your purchasing dollar, it's a win-win!

My Happy Paradigm

A friend of mine wrote an excellent post on the ways that we view the world around us, particularly in the ways we tend to create artificial constructs and then force all of our experiences to conform to those constructs. Kind-of like a neo-conservative interpreting every act of violence in the U.S. as a result of the video game and movie industry, or a progressive attributing all world conflict as a result of capitalism. The most interesting thing to me is if we really do get stuck in paradigms of our own creation, how do we learn to live/overcome this limitation? My friend ends the post with a suggested way forward, an openness to our peers and neighbors to hear their perspectives, their insights into where we fall short. Perhaps this is both a personal and a societal goal?

Patterns and Stories - Mike Croghan
Post Reprinted by Permission - Original Post is Here

"I used to be a dues-paying member of the Skeptics' Society, which (IMHO) is made up of a lot of people who have really good and smart and helpful things to say, but who perhaps spend an inordinate amount of time being cynical and bitter. This sounds familiar - I think I know another group like this. Oh yeah - emerging Christians.

Anyway, when I was officially a skeptic, I bought and read an excellent book by the society's director, Michael Shermer. It's called How We Believe, and it explores the physiological, psychological, and sociological mechanisms behind religious belief and belief in other things that haven't been independently verified by the scientific method. One of the main things I remember from the book is that Shermer characterized human beings as "pattern-seeking animals". As we observe and interact with the world around us, we talking monkeys have a very deep need to make sense of the world in which we live. When we observe events or behaviors, we unconsciously and naturally try to discern order in those events - we seek to form a mental structure or pattern within which those observations fit. Once we've formed such a mental pattern, we naturally seek to fit future, similar observations into that framework. The pattern has become part of our apparatus for understanding and making sense of the world, and so we naturally seek to reinforce that pattern. It becomes easier for us to fit observations into our existing patterns than to modify our patterns to fit new observations, so we tend to err on the side of the former behavior.

In other words, scientific empiricism isn't really our natural mode. We like to think that as we observe the world and the behavior of our fellow humans, every new data point we take in contributes to our ever-changing understanding of the ways the world works and the story of our lives thus far. But very often this is far from the case, especially if we've developed a well-established mental pattern for understanding a particular situation, or a particular person. Very often, the question we unconsciously ask when someone we know acts in a particular way is not, "What does this behavior mean for my understanding of this person", but "How can I interpret this behavior in such a way that it harmonizes with my existing understanding of this person?" All too often, we more or less cease getting to know someone (or something) once a coherent pattern of understand for that person (or thing) has formed in our minds. This is, no doubt, a survival adaptation. It's great to keep an open mind about Groog, but eventually you really need to decide whether it's more likely that Groog has got your back, or that instead he's going to stab you in it with his flint knife - and act accordingly.

Here's the thing, though - sometimes we can really get way too attached to our patterns. You're familiar with the expression "story of my life." As in, "You drowned your cell phone AGAIN?" "Yep, story of my life." Well, sometimes the patterns we form really can become the story of our lives. Sometimes they can get so big and well-entrenched in our minds that they become the lens through which we interpret everything that happens to us. They can become the leitmotif that underlies every single chapter in the ongoing story of our lives (as told by ourselves, to ourselves).

I think this is probably inevitable. It certainly happens with our religious beliefs - or the equivalent. Whether we're Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, skeptics, Marxists or atheists, if we're serious about those thought-patterns, they'll color every interaction we have. This is the nature of such beliefs, and the nature of us humans. Same thing with other deeply-held beliefs: conservative? progressive? family values champion? green? feminist? pacifist? free-market capitalist? social justice activist? If you're committed enough to a pattern of beliefs for it to make a practical difference in your life, then you're committed enough to it to let it shape the story you tell about your life - and therefore to let it handicap your capacity for empirical observation. To let it close your mind, at least a little.

So I feel like I just used a crapload of words to state the obvious, and as my lovely wife reminded me just today, I have a real problem with GETTING TO THE DAMN POINT. Do I have a point? Yes, yes I do.

My point is this: we all have these patterns, and the best we can do, I think, is to be aware of them. Take a critical look at each of them, and ask, "Is this pattern generally contributing to the health and happiness of myself and those around me, or not? Is it just making me, and those I share my life with, miserable? Is it contributing to my ability to be a gift to other people, or is it only contributing to its own reinforcement?" Even if we judge a pattern generally worthy, we would do well to remain skeptical of it, as much as we can. George Box said, "All models are wrong; some models are useful," and as much as we love and need our patterns, I think the same goes for them, too. Even the useful ones are wrong. If we completely lose sight of that, then we're the proud creator of a newly minted graven image.

Turning it around, we may ask ourselves, "If I am unhappy, and I think it's because of an external pattern in my life - could it instead be an internal pattern? Is it possible that I've developed a relentless habit of fitting the events of my life into a mental framework that is not generative of the things that make life worth living?"

I know folks who seem to have got themselves in that kind of trap. I'm sure I do it too. And though I think there's probably no silver bullet for this kind of thing, I think the best hope we have is in friends who are loving and brave enough to help us question our patterns, even when we really, really don't want to. Because even if I spend a ton of time in self-reflection, I might never really question my patterns - even my destructive ones. They're the hills and valleys of my mental landscape. They're just there. They hide in plain sight.

So if you're my friend, and you've actually slogged through all of those words I just spewed into your poor, unsuspecting feed reader (I mean, you'd have to be my friend to have done that, right?) - then please, please, please, I beg you - help me to see and be critical of my patterns. I don't want to be stuck seeing the world - and the people in it - in calcified, distorted ways. Your caring honesty is my only real hope to avoid that fate. So, both in retrospect and in advance, I thank you for that honesty."

Green Festival D.C. 2007

Last weekend my wife and I had the priviledge to attend the Green Festival in Washington, D.C. It was our first visit to the Green Festival and we greatly enjoyed the experience. Co-sponsored by Global Exchange and CO-OP America, the Green Festival uniquely focuses on both environmental and social justice issues. It is refreshing to see these two critical concerns dealt with concurrently, as they are deeply related in so many ways. One has to only read of coal miners in South Africa or Cocoa harvesters in South America to understand how sustainable living and social justice interrelate. As we find ways to live in harmony with nature, we in turn find ways to live in harmony with each other. Competition and scarcity drive a wedge between human beings, only as we overcome this reality can we find true harmony with each other.

It was a pleasure to hear a number of notable speakers at this event. Bill McKibben, one of the first to warn us of global warming, and author of many books including The End of Nature, spoke about the green movement and its transition from its early days (labeled Greenhouse Effect) to its current state. He particularly focused on the importance of grass roots movements supported at the local level, as we join together in the most important movement "since Martin Luther King stood on the steps of the Lincoln memorial." Indeed, I can only wonder how future generations will look back at our out-of-control consumption and consumerism and shake their heads in wonder that so many of us blithely participated in such a broken system.

Jim Hightower gave a rollicking speach about the importance of agitation and confronting the establishment. In his words, "the next time someone calls you an agitator, tell them that is what the center post in a washing machine is called, it gets the dirt out!" Injecting Texan colloquialisms with free abandon, Jim painted a grave picture facing "progressives" who fear for the future of the U.S. Holding our elected representatives accountable and forcing them to consider more than just their re-elction bids was the center of Jim's talk.

Hearing Ralph Nader was a real treat. Perhaps more than any other person in the United States, Ralph Nader has fashioned a career around championing the little guy, while deriding corporations as faceless, dehumanizing entities that have no regard for people. Nader was the driving factor behind the creation of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), the Freedom of Information Act, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Ralph's tone was somber, less energized than prior speakers. He represented a man who has spent forty years fighting for the little guy, only to find ourselves fighting many of the same issues today. While there was still a fire in his words, especially when directed toward corporations, one could tell that the years of fighting big money and powerful interests have taken a toil, and his face and voice betray a cycnicism as he looks at the future of the United States. One can only hope that his legacy will find new champions, and that the sinister forces of greed and power will further succumb to such humanitarian voices.

Aside from the speakers, the main floor of the Washington Conference Center was covered by well over a hundred booths, giving away organic food samples, bumper stickers, and literature. The festival had brought in the premier representatives of the green and social justice movement in America, all carefully vetted to make sure they adhere to strict standards. It was an awesome opportunity to make connections, sign up for mailing lists, and just learn what creative things people are doing out there. One of my favorites was a small start-up company that was making glasses out of used wine bottles, cutting them in half and creating drinking glass out of the bottom portion, and a cocktail glass out of the neck and top. Really useable stuff and a fantastic idea, look for a future post on where to find this glassware on this site.

The Green Festival is now in four cities, I encourage you to check it out. If you can't make the festival due to distance or scheduling, the website is a wealth of information, especially in the exhibitors section where you can find a wide array of green companies across the U.S.

Strong and Wrong

Joni Mitchell's new song says it all...

Strong and Wrong
by Joni Mitchell

----------------------------------

Strong and wrong you win--
Only because
That's the way its always been.
Men love war!
That's what history' s for.
History...
A mass--murder mystery...
His story

Strong and wrong
You lose everything
Without the heart
You need
To hear a robin sing
Where have all the songbirds gone?
Gone!
All I hear are crows in flight
Singing might is right
Might is right!

Oh the dawn of man comes slow
Thousands of years
And here we are...
Still worshiping
Our own ego

Strong and wrong
What is God's will?
Onward Christian soldiers...
Or thou shall not kill...
Men love war!
Is that what God is for?
Just a Rabbit's foot?
Just a lucky paw
For shock and awe?
Shock and awe!

The dawn of man comes slow
Thousands of years
Here we are
Still worshiping
Our own ego
Strong and Wrong!
Strong and Wrong!

...and justice for all

I am pissed, really pissed. I have been for quite a while. Where is this country headed? Where is the land of abolition and women's sufferage? Social justice is no longer a worthy cause in the country, just a focus of a few "extremists" like Jesse Jackson and the NAACP. Neo-cons are running this country and feeding our fears while taking away our liberties. It is time that those of us who believe in something better stand up and let our voice be heard.

University of Florida - Police abuse of student asking question


Jena High School - Nooses and white-only sitting area incite conflict

No Impact Family

This is a great article on a family in NY city that are trying a one year "experiment." What I love about this story is that the whole family became involved, working together to live as impact free as possible. The picture of their daughter stomping on laundry in the bath tub is a wonderful one. Also, I love the closet composting using red worms. I had heard about this before and am interested in trying it out, look for a post here soon as my family experiments with this technique.

Obviously this family is more hard core than the vast majority of us desire to be, I definitely will stop short of forgoing toilet paper!! Yet it is motivating to know that a busy family, with regular jobs, could successful go through with such commitments. I love the wife's comment about coming home to a drastically slower, quiter pace. Sign me up!! I definitely am challenged to become more serious about living in sustainable ways, if only so I can play scrabble by candlelight!

Green Cleaning

Recently my wife Maranda and I have been tinkering with organic cleaners made from every day natural products (when I say we, I should clarify that the vast majority of this effort is by my industrious and patient wife). The most effective solution that we have used so far is a diluted water and vinegar solution. It turns out to be excellent at removing hard water deposits, sticky residues, and almost any normal household mess. Other than a bit of an odor (which I find mildly pleasing), vinegar water is a very friendly cleaning product, both to the environment and our family.

I was surprised to find that this same solution is very effective at killing mold and mildew. Our squash plants were suffering from a particularly aggressive form of milky mildew, and spraying the leaves with vinegar water appears to have saved some of them. We have tinkered with a few other solutions but are still budding in our efforts to go green with household cleaning solutions. I found a new house cleaning business in St. Louis that is pursuing these ends, thanks to an article over at sustainablog. It sounds like a very effective business model, given the growing concern over the use of harsh chemical cleaners in the home.

Post a comment if you have found a good natural cleaner!

GDP Comparison

Check out this map of the US, states have been renamed as countries that have similar GDP. This really puts things into perspective, and reminds me how exorbantly wealthy we are. Populations aren't reflected on this map, but if the states population was contrasted with the comparison countries population, the contrast would be even more startling. It seems to me that we have a huge responsibility to both act justly with the power that comes with so much money, and also to find ways to rectify the global inequity of wealth. Also, I think it is high time to quit deluding ourselves that our wealth is due to hard work. I have traveled to several countries outside of the US and they work a hell of a lot harder than we do. I think our wealth is more the result of our vast geography, natural resources, and exploitation of other countries people and resources (think Walmart).



PROPS: I found this map by way of Calacirian.

Nothing New Under the Sun

I find it interesting that recent trends in American society are really re-discoveries of ancient truth. At times it even seems ironic that certain movements are touted as a "new" idea, it makes me wonder if we in America have a short-sighted view of human history? Some of the many new-old trends in American society are home birthing and midwifery, co-sleeping, organic gardening, slow foods, whole foods, buying local, intentional communities, homeopathy and natural medicines, etc. I find it interesting that we have to rediscover such ancient truths, it begs the question of why we moved away from these in the first place? It seems to me that in most cases we moved away from what is normal and healthy due to expediency, hubris, or a combination of the two.

What new-old trends have you observed in society?

Swarm Theory

A friend of mine keyed me in on a recent article in National Geographic. The article is a fascinating examination of how insects and animals coordinate their behaviors to achieve often complex goals. What was most interesting was that in each of the behaviors examined, there lacked a centralized leadership. Not only that, but there was really no overarching purpose, at least on the individual level. Instead, each insect or animal was reading the inputs of those closest to them, and then instinctively responding in preconditioned manners developed over thousands of years. The end result is a fully functioning, complex ant colony or bee hive, or a swarm of birds or fish communicating their movements and direction so effectively that they appear to move in unison. This is so fascinating as to be scarcely believable, we are only beginning to be able to reproduce these natural excercises of groupthink in the human realm, as evidenced by wikipedia and the ilk.

The exploration of these ideas in the technology and business world has only begun. I can definitely see how the industry that I am a part of (Semiconductor manufacturing) could greatly learn and benefit from incorporating the wisdom of the ants and bees into how we make decisions. The hardest challenge is to trust the ensuing chaos (or so it seems), when you release the workers to be independent, self directed entities. My guess is that most innovation and progress in the days and years ahead will come from this collaborative, "swarming" approach instead of the individual genius approach of years past. Change will be less the wim of a couple individuals, and more a collective sense of what is needed.

Transforming Education - Paulo Freire

In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire critiques the predominant banking model of education for its primary objective of indoctrinating students with a certain set of facts and information pre-determined by the ruling class (Freire, 2007, p. 72). This method of education is faulty because the emphasis is on developing a store of information, without regard for the students ability to effectively process and utilize that information in real life situations. The criteria of success are quantitative, the more information the students can store and reproduce on standardized tests, the more effective the education. What is missed in this view of education is the reality that a student's ability to remember facts does not necessarily correlate to a students ability to think. Indeed, many students are discouraged from thinking in the banking model, as rote acceptance of predefined realities is encouraged.

The predominant banking model of education is very static, acting as an "immobilizing and fixating force" (Freire, 2007, p. 84). This approach applies the same standard across all individuals, regardless of their individual gifts and interests. The outcome of this system is that the individual feels disempowered and alienated from their own educational or vocational development. It is a hiearchical system that supposes that those in power "know best" (Freire, 2007, p. 54).

Freire proses problem posing education as an alternative to the banking model (Freire, 2007, p. 79). The student is encouraged to become part of the educational process, even to the point of breaking down the distinctions between teacher and student (Freire, 2007, p. 80). Key components of this pedagogy are the empowerment and freedom of the student. Instead of conforming to the static standards of the banking model, students are encouraged to think in new ways that are relevant to their specific context. In this approach, learning how to think receives a greater emphasis than what to think. This type of education is by its very nature anti-indoctrination, broadening the perspectives of students instead of narrowing them. At its best, students take on the role of teaching as well as learning, creating a dynamic synergy between the classroom and their own life experiences.

Unfortunately, the current No Child Left Behind policy enacted under the Bush administration is a strong shift to the banking model of education, forcing students and teachers alike to conform to static measurements of knowledge aquisition. Paulo Freire's critique is as important now as ever, as the problem's of today's global community require individuals who can create and pursue new ideas, instead of simply regurgitate facts.

REFERENCES
Freire, P. (2007) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.

The Ecology of Work

This is a wonderful article on sustainable living that was forwarded to me by my sister Melissa Hussain. I have tried to abridge the article below to capture the most critical points, but I strongly recommend that one reads the entire article linked below.


The Ecology of Work
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/267/

by Curtis White
Published in the May/June 2007 issue of Orion magazine

“ENVIRONMENTALISTS SEE THE ASPHALTING of the country as a sin against the world of nature, but we should also see in it a kind of damage that has been done to humans, for what precedes environmental degradation is the debasement of the human world. I would go so far as to say that there is no solution for environmental destruction that isn’t first a healing of the damage that has been done to the human community. As I argued in the first part of this essay, the damage to the human world has been done through work, through our jobs, and through the world of money.

We are not the creators of our own world; we merely perform functions in a system into which we were born. The most destructive aspect of our jobs is that in them we are mere “functionaries,” to borrow Josef Pieper’s term. Just as important, we have a function outside of work: consumption. Money in hand, we go into the market to buy the goods we no longer know how to make (we don’t even know how to grow and preserve our own food) and services we no longer know how to perform (frame a house? might as well ask us to design a spaceship).

…Responding to environmental destruction requires not only the overcoming of corporate evildoers but “self-overcoming,” a transformation in the way we live. A more adequate response to our true problems requires that we cease to be a society that believes that wealth is the accumulation of money (no matter how much of it we’re planning on “giving back” to nature), and begin to be a society that understands that “there is no wealth but life,” as John Ruskin put it. That is the full dimension and the full difficulty of our problem.

…For all its sense of moral urgency, environmentalism too has abandoned humans to the inequalities, the exploitation, and the boredom of the market, while it tries to maintain the world of nature as a place of innocence where a candy wrapper on the ground is a blasphemy. It’s a place to go for a weekend hike before returning to the unrelenting ugliness, hostility, sterility, and spiritual bankruptcy that is the suburb, the strip mall, the office building, and the freeway (our “national automobile slum,” as James Howard Kunstler puts it). Ideally, the map of natural preservation and the map of economic activity would be one map.

… the violence that we know as environmental destruction is possible only because of a complex economic, administrative, and social machinery through which people are separated from responsibility for their misdeeds. We say, “I was only doing my job” at the paper mill, the industrial incinerator, the logging camp, the coal-fired power plant, on the farm, on the stock exchange, or simply in front of the PC in the corporate carrel. The division of labor not only has the consequence of making labor maximally productive, it also hides from workers the real consequences of their work.

If all this is so, it is only possible to conclude from our behavior for the last two hundred years that ours is not a human society; that it is a society outside of the human in some terrible sense. And, in fact, it was one of the earliest insights of Karl Marx that the kind of work provided by capitalism was alienating. That is, it made us something other than what we are. It dehumanized us. And so, in our no-longer-human state, it became perfectly natural for us to destroy nature (which should sound to you just as perverse as the situation really is). Alienation in work means that instead of knowing something about a lot of things concerned with human fundamentals like food, housing, clothing, and the wise and creative use of our free time, we know one small thing. One task in an ocean of possible tasks.

We need to insist on work that is not destructive, that deepens the worker, that encourages her creativity. Such a transformation requires a willingness to take a collective risk, a kind of risk very different from capitalist risk taking. The kind of risk I’m suggesting is no small matter. It means leaving a culture based on the idea of success as the accumulation of wealth-as-money. In its place we need a culture that understands success as life. For John Ruskin, humans should make “good and beautiful things” because those things will re-create us as good and beautiful in their turn. To make cheap and ugly and destructive things will kill us, as indeed we are being killed through poverty, through war, through the cheapening of our public and private lives, and through the destruction of the natural world.

…The risk I propose is simply a return to our nobility. We should refuse to be mere functions of a system that we cannot in good conscience defend. And we should insist on a recognition of the mystery, the miracle, and the dignity of things, from frogs to forests, simply because they are.

…In the end, our problem is that the busy, destructive work of functionaries has taken the place of a thoughtful, spiritual understanding about how to live. Our problem is not that we are ignoring what science has to tell us about environmental destruction. Our problem is that we are spiritually impoverished. Bankrupt, if you will.

Spiritual rebirth will mean the rediscovery of true human work. Much of this work will not be new but recovered from our own rich traditions. It will be useful knowledge that we will have to remember. Fishing as a family and community tradition, not the business of factory trawlers. Agriculture as a local and seasonal activity, not a carbon-based scheme of synthetic production and international shipping. Home- and community-building as common skills and not merely the contracted specialization of construction companies and urban planners. Even “intellectual workers” (professors and scholars) have something to relearn: their own honored place in the middle of the community and not in isolated, jargon-ridden professional enclaves.

...The turn away from this ugly, destructive, and unequal world is not something that can be accomplished by boycotting corporations when they’re bad or through the powerful work of the most concerned scientists. It will not be delivered with glossy brochures by the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, and it will certainly not be sold to you by Martha Stewart. A return to the valuable human things of the beautiful and the useful will only be accomplished, if it is ever to be accomplished, by the humans among us.”

Stubborn Optimism

Its hard not to fall into the allure of cynicism these days. Indeed, it seems to abound in the blogosphere as well as other communication mediums. Some of my favorite blogs from the past and present relay heavily on appealing to your darker, more pessimistic side (For example, one of the most popular blogs and one I only recently quit reading is Wonkette, a bitingly sarcastic and humorous political blog).

In some ways it is easy to understand why people in the United States are feeling rather cynical. We are in a dead-end war with no end in sight and young men and women dieing each day, we live in a time when weather patterns seem to be dramatically changing due to greenhouse warming, political bickering and partisanship is as strong as it has ever been, almost locking our country in gridlock.

School and college shootings continue to happen with terrible frequency, poverty and aids continue unabated on the worldwide stage, religious animosity has been greatly heightened over the past several years, even to stable honeybee is abandoning us! Are you depressed yet? There seems to be legions of folks coming out of the woodwork to capitalize on this darkened national mood. Pundits on both sides of the political spectrum wag their tongues about the ethical and moral failings of the other, no longer debating the issues but rather engaging freely in ad hominem attacks.

And yet….

I do believe there are many reasons to be stubbornly optimistic these days. Its all a matter of perspective, or vantage point if you will. I would suggest that many, if not all, of the problems being addressed today have been around throughout human history, albeit in slightly different forms. Certainly violence against each other, racism, poverty, religious wars and natural disasters have always been with us. Other issues, such as pollution and greenhouse warming, are new problems, yet the roots of such issues I believe lie deep in the human psyche (particularly in the Euro-Caucasian desire to subdue and conquer nature, as certainly other societies have done a far better job at leaving in harmony with nature).

If we can grant that many of the issues of today have been around in some form for many hundreds of years, why do they seem so starkly evident today. Why the dark pessimism that abounds at least in much of the industrialized world? I would suggest that globalization and the incredible technology boom of the last fifty years have made us more aware of pre-existing issues. This is not to be confused with creating new issues, although there are certainly some cases where that has happened. This awareness has led to a lot of strife and anger, as people and societies struggle to understand where we went wrong. Unfortunately far more energy is spent attacking speculative sources instead of fixing the issues.

The good news is, awareness is the first step. Indeed, awareness is the most important step in transformation. This might seem unfounded, as being aware of a problem is not the same as fixing the problem. However many times the solution unfolds as one becomes aware. That is to say, the problem was sustained by lack of awareness. A strong corollary can be made here between the psychology of personal growth and of societal change. The distinction being that a society has an incredible spectrum of diversity compared to a single person, so the process of change is invariably more complex.

Indeed, I do claim that these are good days. We are aware of and confronted with more problems than ever before in human history. Aid, poverty, global warming, unsustainable use of our resources, confrontation between religious groups and societies, all of these issues and many more challenge us on a daily basis as we watch the news, surf the web, and talk with our friends and colleagues. Change is hard and often painful, but the results are absolutely worthwhile. Key to being a productive and active participant in this process is refusing to engage in the dark cynicism of those around us, and instead stubbornly hold fast to the big picture that is unfolding, the growing pains of our society and of the world, refusing to give up the notion that this world can and will become a better place.

Late Industrialization - The Brain Drain

As I move through my day at work, I notice that the most common direction I end up heading is the coffee machine (yep, its instant). There are always people crowded around to grab a fresh cup of unimaginative jo. Behind the coffee machine is a food vending machine that has two full sections full of Red Bull cans. These apparently sell quite well as they represent 20% of the “food” inventory. Next to the food vending maching are two soda machines, depending on if you want a 12 oz can or a 20 oz bottle. By the end of the week the only soda left for purchase are the caffeine free varities, all the “good stuff” having been consumed during late afternoon “crunch” meetings.

My company also places a high emphasis on exceeding your weekly hours expectation. Although we are not a law firm and thus do not have billable hours, the expectation is that with more employees working longer the company can accomplish more and achieve greater results. Performance rewards target those employees who show a high level of “commitment” by working 50-60 plus hours a week. For those of us mavericks who work the amount of hours that our salary is based upon, there is reoccuring pressure to “get the numbers up,” lest your commitment be questioned.

So my question is, if companies rely on coffee, red bull, and extended employee hours to achieve high performance, are we really creating an intelligent and sustainable system or seeking short term gains with long term negative consequences such as burnout, stress disorders, etc? Indeed, just as coal laborers suffer for the remainder of their lives due to the havoc they wreaked on their bodies, might also folks with a “desk job” suffer mental degradation due to the overuse of their minds. Depression and anxiety related disorders are on the rise through the US and Europe, forgetfulness and attention disorders no longer seem relegated to the occasional individual, but rather seem to have become an almost universal malady.

Imagine a ghetto of people who’s brains had been “used up” in order to feed the machine of our late industrialized society. Intelligent and highly educated people sitting around with brains that were many years older than their bodies, taking medication for chemical imbalances that cause anxiety and depression. All because we forgot that the brain is not only a tool, it is an organic part of our entire body. Abuse the tool and the person suffers. Not to mention that exclusive focus on one’s mental processes makes little to no room for other types of perception, such as emotions, intuition, and spiritual awareness. The question is, how does one get unplugged from the machine, or is this even possible?

False Binaries

Often acts of social injustice are due to false binaries, also known as the logical fallacy of the excluded middle (wiki). False binaries occur when a person or society distills a complex set of options or ideas into two mutually exclusive options. This can also be called “black and white” thinking. Of course most of us would never consider ourselves guilty of views dependent on a false binary, but it is amazing how subtle and how strongly we are tempted to think this way. I wonder if the way the human mind is wired lends itself to think in terms of two opposing ideas, or if it is simply the pervasive influence of Platonic thought. I have not read a formal study on the subject, but my impression is that cultures that have had limited encounter with Plato and “Western” philosophy do a better job handling the reality that most options represent a continuum instead of a binary. If anyone has supporting evidence for this observation please post your comments.

Some examples of the subtle binaries that infiltrate my thinking:

Fundamentalist vs. Progressive – Particularly in the religious sphere I am often guilty of characterizing someone either as a fundamentalist or a progressive thinker. Fundamentalist representing someone who seeks to maintain a tradition and resists change, and progressive representing someone who is intentionally seeking change do to perceived inadequacies in the current system. The real truth is that all of us adhere to some “fundamentals,” ideas or traditions that we are not willing to change. Additionally, everyone is progressive in some sense of the word, even those who very intentionally hold onto a tradition are still adhering to something that was handed down to them by former progressive thinkers. Indeed, the tradition or idea itself resists becoming static, changing as people and society change.

Third world vs. First world – This distinction is so assumed that to question whether it is a viable concept is to induce incredibility in your listener. Yet First world vs. Third world is simply a way of talking about the world, not a geographic or cultural reality. Certainly economic distinctions might provide the clearest distinction between “first” and “third” worlds, but even these are based on certain assumption that income and a particular standard of living qualify a country to enter “first” world status. One has only to talk to a desperately poor person in a “first world” context, or a comfortably well off person in a “third world” context to recognize how this distinction breaks down. I don’t mean to suggest that there aren’t factual differences between countries in terms of GDP, income per capita, standard of living, etc, but to reduce these differences into a false binary of “first” and “third” world is clearly an overly simplified way of thinking. Indeed, this way of thinking can even be harmful as it disallows the middle, pushing a country or people group artificially under one label or the other. Regardless of which label a country falls under, there are people with desperate need everywhere, as are there those who are comfortably rich by manipulating the economic system to their advantage.

Terrorist vs. Non-Terrorist – This distinction is so often assumed to be real, yet in accordance with Einstein’s theory of relativity, it entirely depends on your perspective. An Iraqi man fighting to save his country from subordination to America would absolutely view himself as a patriot and defender of peace, even if forced to us non-traditional forms of force. Yet in the end, how different is the suicide bomber from the Navy pilot dropping a bomb on a rural village? I don’t necessarily mean to say that both men are terrorists, but certainly both men are intentionally engaging in acts of terror and violence. Indeed, if civilian casualties are the primary identifier of terrorist activities, then we as Americans should be very cautious about calling anyone else a terrorist, when our munitions have claimed more innocent lives in the past decades than any other country in the world.

Any other false binaries that you have observed?