Aphorism 51

Man has created his own self-contained world that is closing in on himself.

Wild Love

To play off the last post…”Call of the Wild”…and in writing my next journal-like entry “Alive”, I think about making love with a woman I care about.  And my thoughts are…is this the last act of our wildness?  Is this the last bastion to feeling alive in our modern world?  Is this the last link to intimacy with nature and our past, heightened senses, adrenaline, wild abandonment?  Or, will it also be domesticated?  Will technology, economics, and culture (which is becoming defined by the former) eliminate this final link to our wild past?  Already, I see economics and technology at work — the advertisements selling products for sexual enhancements..drugs…gadgets…things.  There is no need for enhancements when you are truly in love.  And there is of course methods to create life without any type of physical connection…the test tube baby…genetic engineering…and so on…and so on.  Will we take this final step to sever the last link to our wildness?  Will we neuter everything connected to our beautiful and raw natural past?  “Oh Brave New World…with such people in it.”

Evil

I am agnostic, but I believe in good and evil…which is different from the dark and the light we see in nature.  The dark and the light, in nature, or destruction and creation, complement one another in a perpetual process of change.  As in nature, and in being a part of nature, we also have light and dark within us.   Those that become totally committed to either the light or the dark…suppressing or excluding the existence of the other…lose something…and become imbalanced.  History has shown those that are convinced they know the light…their version of the light…can in fact spread darkness on fellow-man.  And, there are also numerous examples, such as what we have unfortunately just witnessed, where those that become absorbed with darkness spread darkness, or more to the point, evil… on fellow-man and child.

Evil, is man-made.  Evil, doesn’t exist outside mankind.  Darkness in nature isn’t evil.  Light, in nature isn’t good.  Mankind defines Good and Evil through action and behavior in the human world.  Good and Evil is human — an imperfect interpretation of the light and dark in nature.  People are looking for answers and solutions.  The problem is more complex than people will admit.  Gun control, armed guards, security systems…on and on and on…armed teachers (are you kidding me)…everyone pushing their agenda…businessmen, politicians, shrinks, pharmaceuticals, priests…looking for a Band-Aid…looking for a an “in” for their own agenda, ratings, another buck…rather than confronting the real problem.  The problem is one of culture and technology.  Culture…summarized as Hollywood…the action and violence…the entertainment…hip hop hip gangsters…video games…shoot to kill.  Technology…the gun…the bomb…loop technology around and tie it up with wrapping paper and a bow.  Mankind creates his own culture…he creates his own tools…this culture molds who we are…on both ends of the spectrum…and technology provides the tools for the two extremes and those in the middle.

Perhaps this is why I look to the past with a sense of nostalgia.  Man on a horse with a sword…against man on a horse with a sword…you can’t take out the dark…but you can establish and define the rules…less collateral damage…a fair fight…courage and bravery…nobility…skill…one life for another…for whatever the reason…not 20 children…mowed down with technology and the pull of a trigger…for no reason what so ever…other than Evil.  Evil…made more Evil through culture and more powerful through the technology made available for its use.  The real problem and solution will evade the media and political dialogue…for it goes to the heart of the matter…it goes all the way through what is and what is becoming…our culture and our technology…two things people can’t change without a deep philosophical awakening and related change of course.  Mankind thinks we are progressing forward…with our thought, laws, technology, culture…that time equals progress…that we are so superior and advanced to men and woman who came before.  I am not so sure.  They say the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan saved lives…how many Japanese children died from that act that reportedly saved lives?  Don’t look to the media, the priests, the technocrats, the businessmen, or the politicians to define the problem or the solution…for the problem and solution is philosophical…and you won’t find any philosophers in front of the camera.

Do WE Control Economics or does it Control US?

I walked into a local grocery store the other day and realized it had been completely reorganized and remodeled.  The biggest change was the checkout stations.  There used to be about six checkout stations manned with people — now there are only two “manned” stations and the rest were replaced with computers.

Replacing people with machines and technology to do work has been going on for quite some time in manufacturing, science, technology, military, and customer service, at gas stations, toll booths, airports, and retailers (including on-line purchasing).  Indeed, these machines are more efficient and less expensive than people, but I have to ask the question — if our population keeps growing or stabilizes at the current level and if our education system doesn’t pick up the pace, how we will keep employment up?    

Alternatively, could we in fact use machines to do a large percentage of the work for us?  If machines can do most of the work what could we do with more spare time?     

The big question is — does economics serve the human being or does the human being serve economics? Why can’t we find jobs for people?  Why aren’t companies hiring?  Why are companies laying people off?  Why do we have under-employment?   

If we indeed serve economics, then we better start ramping up the “quality” of education or we are going to experience huge unemployment and social unrest – and we know where that leads.