Unnatural Borders

I have often thought about and expressed my opinion that our man-made borders are unnatural, or falsehoods, or near-sighted.  Think for a moment about all the countries throughout the world that divide seven billion people into sub-groups.  Indeed, in the distant past, isolated cultures and countries were the seeds to variation and diversity.  This was good.  Variety is beautiful.  But, we are becoming through technology, economics, and politics, more homogeneous.  We are becoming more and more dependent on each other.  There are fewer resources like fertile land, fresh water, clean air, and employment opportunities to care for seven billion people.  And, our technology has the potential to wipe us off the map if we make some poor decisions.

I often look to the inanimate for clues as to how we might approach thinking about our existence with one another.  My first thought is plate tectonics — might it make more sense for us to form borders along the earth’s moving plates?  We would have to merge several countries to adhere to the earth’s natural borders.  Of course, this is also a bit near-sighted.  If we rise above the earth, we will see that earth’s plates really become less significant.  The environment outside our earth is a cold, dark, and unforgiving place.  If we thought more consciously or unconsciously on the cosmic level, as a species, we would be far wiser in our approach as to how to construct our momentum to ensure not only our survival, but also our quality of life.  There are no separate oceans — all ocean water circulates through the currents and becomes one.  The wind and air circulates around the entire planet.  The rivers flow to the sea…the sun heats the sea…clouds form and circulate with the winds…the rain replenishes the rivers.  There are no separate continents.  All are in motion.  They separate…they collide…they are never static…they are never the same.  Change and borderlessness is an inanimate truth that we should consider when contemplating the fruitfulness of our joint future momentum.

Walking in the Air — Adult Version

If I had the resources…I could create a more poignant video…and music selection…to pay tribute to this angelic and philosophical masterpiece…composed and relevant for children..teens..adults…the elderly…human”kind”…. but…this is an excellent creation….Happy New Year…or more to the point…yet another revolution around the sun…which itself..and our earth..solar system…is rotating around our galactic center…which takes 225-250 million years to complete a full orbit…and our galaxy itself…is probably flying and rotating around something else even larger…taking even more time to complete a cycle…and then there is our universe itself………………………….relative to other universes….or something even more incomprehensible………………………Cheers….to those…that care to comprehend………….that we can’t comprehend…………and what that means as to how we should live our flicker of existence as individuals………… and as a species………and with our other species……………………………………….to those that are not asleep…and are brave enough to see…to greet those that have flown…and to greet those that are flying….or trying to fly………….that see the beauty……..that understand the great mystery without succumbing to a prescription………a solution….to which there is never a solution…….the never ending discovery…..the eternal questions………the forever effort to push on………to go beyond…..and to Love……yourself…and carefully selected others…and something beyond the general human momentum….that appears to be………..not concerned with anything………..sublime……..this very masterpiece……..a threat….an enemy………….to that momentum………..a momentum to where….to what end…to what progression….to what struggle to build…upon one generation to the next…..for the children……………………………………………………………………….to believe………………………………in their dreams………..in the future…………….to receive……………from……their father…..their mother…………………….man”kind”…………a torch………………..a torch that grows…….into a flame as hot and illuminate as the sun………and then….beyond….there is no limit….to the light….the dark….the heat…the cold……….if………we see….if…..we…..want to walk in the air…………if we want our children…and their children….to fly higher…and higher….in the air

🙄

Lyrics…”Walking in the Air”

We’re walking in the air
We’re floating in the moonlit sky
The people far below are sleeping as we fly

I’m holding very tight
I’m riding in the midnight blue
I’m finding I can fly so high above with you

Far across the world
The villages go by like dreams
The rivers and the hills
The forests and the streams

Children gaze open-mouthed
Taken by surprise
Nobody down below believes their eyes

We’re surfing in the air
We’re swimming in the frozen sky
We’re drifting over icy
Mountains floating by

Suddenly swooping low on an ocean deep
Rousing of a mighty monster from his sleep

We’re walking in the air
We’re dancing in the midnight sky
And everyone who sees us greets us as we fly

The New World

It is Thanksgiving day and for some reason this film enters my mind.  I have watched this movie called “The New World” several times over the last week.  I tend to watch or read something over and over again if I find it of interest.  Relative to other movies, this film has less of a Hollywood feel.  I could be tainted since I practically fell in love with the lead female actor who plays Pocahontas (lol).  I don’t have any idea how captain Smith could have left that wild delicate spirit, but ambitions do pull us this way and that.

I think the reason this film is top of mind on Thanksgiving is because I relate this holiday, rightly or wrongly, to the founding of America and celebrating the harvest with the “naturals”.  The film, which I will watch today (again), touches on so many topics that I find interesting.  America offered a new start, a fresh beginning, almost a Utopian scenario.  The land was abundant and untainted.  The people landing on this New World had knowledge of the good and bad from the Old World.  There was a chance to create something different from what existed.

So, on this day, I give thanks to my ancestors who risked their lives and traveled across the ocean with the idea to find and create a New World.  It is the idea and the attempt that I celebrate today — not the Black Friday (now Black Thursday) outcome.

Fools Gold

Forged from the dust of death-star fire into this ephemeral form

 

treading on the surface of an eternal bottomless ocean above and below

 

death perpetually circulating from all directions

 

You succumb to the myth that Gold is land, security, power, wealth

 

bow to the pirates and board their ship

to become a slave or yourself a pirate

 

You expend your death-star fire to swab the deck and man the oar

 

or lash the whip to bleed others into submission

 

You drink bottles and bottles of rum to numb the pain

 

of being whipped or doing the whipping

 

that you burn your precious death-star fire to make your masters rich

 

or man a ship with no direction other than to steal Gold from others

 

Mutiny will not alter the course as you are still on the same ship

 

different masters and slaves

seeking the same Gold for fools

 

Summon the courage from the depths

as the storm approaches and the sea boils with offended anger

 

return to where you began before you boarded the run away ship

 

Burn your precious death-star fire and pay homage to eternity

 

Swim man swim

 

or drown with a smile

Death of the Nation

Mankind could benefit greatly by observing the free-flowing forces of nature.  The winds, clouds, oceans, rivers and continents pay no attention to borders.  The earth, sun, our solar system, our galaxy, all galaxies, fall freely through infinite space.

The concept of a nation with its own borders, walls, military, laws, economy and politics is in reality obsolete.  A nation imprisons the people in the form of patriotism, wastes resources, and complicates cooperation.  In the grand scheme of the universe the nation concept appears foolish.

But mankind may never come to understand that we all share this blue-green marble with each other and all the other animate creatures.  Even though the airplane, the ship, the train, the automobile, and the internet enables us to break through our own self-created borders, our consciousness hasn’t adjusted accordingly.  We still hold on to past superstitions and constructs that tear us apart.  We don’t seem to be as intelligent, evolved, or conscious as we lead ourselves to believe.  Perhaps I should be more patient.  After all, relative to geological time, we just emerged from the jungle this morning.

Desert Oasis

We bring new life into the mysterious and infinite realm of existence and mold it to our ways.  Some are born in a cesspool, others onto a throne.  Both are subject to the momentum of the past and present.  The less fortunate are thrashed around by the currents while the fortunate sail on by with the wind.  But there truly isn’t a fortunate birth.  Fortunate or unfortunate, both are subjects to the desert we have created.  Only a rare few have the ability and will to seek and find the Oasis.

Real Modern Utopias

I have often been coined a “Utopian” per several participants on this blog.  Although I despise the stereo type, I realize that my child-like and naive rants indeed warrant the sentence.  I have posted arguments against the hyper focus on profits and capitalism, against human created instruments like money, debt, credit, and investments, against over-population (7 billion people), against environmental destruction, and against the overall lack of meaningful direction or directions of mankind that prevent the human species from striving to its full potential relative to the rest of the known animate creatures on Earth.  But, there are a few civilizations and periods of time that I admire in the past given my western focus (Greece, Rome, the Renaissance) and certain individuals after those eras that inspire me.  Yet, there are a few examples in the here and now which I can highlight as beacons for humankind.

There exists several countries on Earth that I and others believe serve as role models or potential solutions to the short-term human mis-direction that exists with the majority of the  7 billion human beings in existence.  I resort to an article as a simple source to this argument Top Ten Modern Utopias.  I will of course review this article and the assumptions with a critical eye, but on the first few reviews I believe it offers a very good foundation.  It is important to note that the United States and other large power-houses didn’t make the cut!

My next several posts will go into more depth on perhaps the top five and discuss the attributes, structure, culture, and environment that enables these civilizations or countries to reach greater levels of “happiness” or “fulfillment” than the rest of human population.  My desire is to merge my naive and child-like Utopia visions with practical and real life examples to offer solutions for the future direction or directions of mankind.  The top five countries that I will focus on per the article above are:

1. Denmark

2. Canada

3. Norway

4. Australia

5. Netherlands

Alternative Vision to Capitalism

Men dig tons of earth

to find an ounce of gold

Heraclitus — “Fragments”

I often put our hyper-focus on economics, capitalism, and money on the chopping block, but I really haven’t offered an alternative vision with the exception of broad outlines in Utopian constructs.  But, I felt like throwing out a thought I had today.

Capitalism is focused on maximizing profit, cash flow, and stock price relative to assets employed (not including people for people aren’t classified as assets on financial statements), beating the competition, and rewarding those at the top (or the owners) of an enterprise with a great deal of money.  In general, people working for a capitalistic entity spend at a minimum forty hours a week on the job.  During the five weekdays, that minimum time commitment equates to approximately sixty percent of our waking hours.  If we take out approximate time for commuting to work, eating, and doing mundane errands, perhaps we have an hour per weekday of “free-time”.  Indeed, we have two days on the weekend where we can enjoy free-time during our waking hours, but there are many errands and mundane tasks to complete.  If we are honest with ourselves, the work week consumes most of our energy and often the weekend is simply a means to recover and re-charge.  Our lives, in general, are geared for the work week, and most people are living pay check to pay check.

My spontaneous and undeveloped alternative vision is that we create a structure where the goal is to maximize our free time.  As such, the motivation to work efficiently and diligently is not money and profit, rather the reward is FREEDOM.   In order for this to work properly, we would have to change a major dynamic and make some additional radical changes in our “currency”.  Rather than create goods and services (to feed us, shelter us, and entertain us) through competition, we would engage in these activities through COOPERATION.  And rather than treat money as the currency of exchange, we would replace that concept with the same currency used in all of nature with the exception of the human being – ENERGY.  And our energy would be measured by time spent working.  Depending on the level of responsibility or the quality or value of an individual’s output relative to that time spent working, a multiplier would be applied to the amount of time worked.  Thus, an individual’s “currency” would be a combination of time spent working and the value created, which would equate to the productivity of an individual’s energy expensed.  The productive use of energy each week would be calculated and stored on a type of debit card (no credit, for energy not yet spent does not create any value).  Through this debit card, the individual could then purchase the same things we purchase today.  The cost of “things”, whether they are products or services, would be measured in terms of energy expensed to create them.  Therefore, there wouldn’t be any inflation or prices that exceed the true value of the energy used to create them.   

Although there are still inherent problems with subjective assessments of value created per individual, at least we are basing this system on a more honest and accurate language than the current construct.  Money is paper, whereas our energy is our life.  And, it would be very difficult to create any type of Ponzi scheme when there is no credit, debt, or speculation for energy not yet used.  The beauty of this concept is that the talented individual is still rewarded, and the free-rider has no place to hide.  A talented individual also still has options.  He or she can decide whether more free-time is desired or more things.  They still have the freedom to make this choice.  They can choose to work two days a week, or three hours a day for five days, or take one week off and work the next week, or work ten hours per day seven days a week.  The free-rider, or the less talented or less productive, will of course have fewer options.  But, given the consensus is cooperation as opposed to competition to create our products and services, and the idea of FREEDOM is at the forefront of our priority, everyone’s energy is worth something, as opposed to nothing.  And therefore no one is going to be starving or homeless.  For all human beings have energy that can be put to use for something, as opposed to nothing.

Generation Skip — The Anti-Climax

I am happy to finish this little blog project – utopia makes me depressed and I am getting bored with the topic as are the few bloggers that receive the posts.  If I had the patience and skill-set to write a fiction book, I think this framework would make a great story with lots of twists and turns —  characters, plots, descriptions, love and war, would bring this dead subject alive.  But I would also have to provide answers to the below questions which would defeat the purpose of this little project.    In writing the questions below and given my self-imposed limitation to simply provide a framework for these beings, I realized this is an extremely boring post and almost considered not posting it.  But, I do think #3, #6, #10, and #11 are pretty interesting and would be the material for a creative fiction story.  Perhaps if I ever find a place to attempt fiction, this would be my primary material.

But there is one key take away from building this utopian framework.  A team, a culture, a society, is only as strong as its populace, as its lowest denominator and highest numerator, and all those in between.  The key is to raise the level of the populace as a whole yet allow the flexibility in the framework to treat each individual as a priceless piece of the puzzel and do everything in your power to enable that individual.  In the end, after all supportive efforts have been exhausted, the value, fulfillment, and direction of that individual is up to him or her to define. 

There are many big questions which arise from this utopian framework.  The beings that emerge from Generation Skip and their offspring must answer these questions which will define their evolution. 

1.  What will be their visions and purposes?  I imagine this would take several generations before they could begin to formulate and outline the answer to this primary question for reasons outlined in previous post on education.

2.  What sticks and carrots would they employ being a money less society?  How would the highly talented and value producers be recognized and rewarded relative to the low-end of the spectrum?  My general thoughts here are more free time, relatively nicer living arrangements, and more access to traveling abroad.  On the wild side, perhaps these value producers would have more access to females or males for mating rights just like brute strength in the natural world gets the harem.  But, in a higher culture, I would think that ultimately enlightenment and knowledge are most likely the ultimate rewards and incentives that would in turn drive the visions and purposes.  A more enlightened populace would be a beautiful sight to behold — I think.

3.  Would these beings be free to leave these utopian frameworks opting to live and exist in the outside world?  What happens if a utopian being falls in love with a non-utopian being and wants to bring the non-utopian being back to live in the utopian construct?  What about the reverse scenario?  I would hope the answer would be yes to all of the above, but if no, that would make a more interesting segment of a fiction book.

4.  How would politics function?  My thought here is part-time politicians or quite simply sages.  Money would be out of the picture (unless they decide it is necessary) so the only concerns to watch would be abuse of power and influence.  An enlightened culture should be aware of man’s historical weakness with power and influence and they should be capable of erecting preventative measures.  It would be fun to see how they struggle to contain this historic urge.

5.  How would they handle the conundrum between being human yet recognizing the immense impact we have on the environment upon which we depend?  Will they sacrifice certain pleasures and comforts for the sake of the environment, or will they elect a path similar to ours?  Will they impose restrictions on the number of infants they bring into their world, or will they follow our lead?  Will they innovate and create alternatives so that they don’t have to make so many sacrifices to live with certain pleasures and comforts?  Or, will they in fact embrace sacrifice as a means to progress and reach different levels of achievement which may differ from our definitions?

6.  How would they view and interact with the outside world?   Will they view us as a hindrance, a monstrosity, much like a teenager may view the parents as he or she grows into a more enlightened stage?  What would they do if they viewed the outside world as a threat to their existence and visions?  Would they ever contemplate using the power of their intellect to create a means to destroy us?  Ha…another good piece to add to the book of fiction.  Alternatively, would these utopian frameworks evolve into a more altruistic community, a sort of think tank, which attempts to help us solve some of our perpetual problems?  Would they attempt to engage in other matters like the Olympics, a traveling symphony, as guest lecturers, and other capacities?. Or, would they simply start to ignore us and simply go about their business in relative isolation aside from educational observations while traveling abroad? 

7.  How would the outside world view these utopian frameworks?  Would these utopian communities inspire change or the impulse to emulate?  Or would these constructs stir dark emotions like envy, scorn, and jealousy?  Would such dark emotions lead to an attack on these utopian societies?

8.  How would the multiple utopian frameworks interact with each other?  I argued for multiple site locations throughout the world for these utopian frameworks to encourage variation and experimentation.  How would these utopian frameworks associate with one another?  Would they ever contemplate war against the outer world or against one another?  If a war was to be fought amongst one another, how would such wars or conflicts be fought?  What weapons or games would be employed for such a purpose?  What spoils would go to the victor?  On the other end of the spectrum, would they embrace and adapt differences and learn from one another?  Would they have joint celebrations?  What would they celebrate?  Again, this would also be interesting material for a fiction book.

9.  What types of customs will arise in regards to man and woman?  Will there be such a concept as marriage?  What would the ceremony entail?  What would happen upon a breakup of the couple without money or housing being an issue?

10.  What would they celebrate or worship?  They would be exposed to all religions so would they in fact celebrate all the holidays and gods?  Would they make up their own gods?  Would they have gods? 

11.  Would they partay (spelling correct)?  Would they embrace alcohol, drugs, tobacco, crazy music, Dionysus?  Or would they be pristine and upright banning such behavior?  Personally, I would hope that on occasion they would embrace Dionysus and do so on a grand scale. 

Ok my friends, although this is anti-climatic, it is nevertheless finito.  Only fiction could bring this fictitious utopian framework alive.

Generation Skip — Education Broad and Open

I want to make it clear that these utopian frameworks and structures do not negate or destroy what currently exists as our world.  In creating these utopian frameworks I am not turning my back on humanity or what humanity represents.  I am not dictating that all of humanity must conform to these utopian frameworks.  These frameworks do not deny or limit what is from continuing on its current course.  In fact, I need what exists and what existed to develop these utopian frameworks.  I view what currently exists and what existed as the parents to these small utopian upstarts.  The greatest gift these parents can bequeath to their children through love is their knowledge and altruistic support.  The parents, if they truly love their children, want them to reach greater heights and fulfillment than they themselves achieved.  Humanity has much to offer their children or utopian frameworks.  Humanity has fought so many battles, reached great heights and also plummeted to great depths, and continues to fight with all of its existence to push forward.  And, as other people have pointed out in comments on previous posts, how do we know that this current human construct isn’t absolutely perfect or exactly as it should be?  Perhaps what exists is complete, natural, as it was meant to be.  As such, I am not destroying what is, I am merely offering a small skip and alternative path that can be possible because of what was and what is.    

The greatest gift humanity has to offer these utopian frameworks are history and knowledge.  History and knowledge encompasses all – art, history, philosophy, religion, architecture, music, language, economics, science, technology, engineering, and the list goes on and on.  I am so grateful for all that humankind has endured and recorded in the form of knowledge and this is the greatest gift we have to offer our children.   So many utopian frameworks attempt to deny what is and what was.  I on the other hand, fully embrace these things and in fact define these things as the ultimate gift, right up there with the earth, the rain, and the sun.  I thank you noble humankind for your ultimate treasure, and I kneel before you in gratitude. 

Now, just as you find that altruistic strain to help the poor, the weak, and the suffering, I also ask you in a similar vein to employ that altruism to support the potential of a strong, healthy, and vibrant upstart culture.  I am asking you to play the role of parent, where the children are given all without expecting money or a return on investment.  Indeed, in time, they will be in a position to become self-sufficient and fly from the nest, but in the beginning, these upstart frameworks are going to need your support on all fronts that involve creating, building, nurturing, and maintaining a small town full of infants and youthful beings.  The key assumption is that money is not part of this construct and the return on investment cannot be measured in terms of financial theories.  All that I ask is that this support come from the most talented and worthy individuals society has to offer, with particular focus on the teachers.  For the teachers would be the most admired, respected, and noblest of professions in these upstart frameworks.    

My key principal for Generation Skip, which is the first generation to occupy these upstarts, is that Education is continuous from birth to death.  Education is the primary goal for Generation Skip.  In order for this goal to be achieved, money and profit cannot be a part of these utopian frameworks.  There must also not be an expectation or defined point where one is pressured to go from learning to doing.  These beings must be given total freedom to absorb, explore, and contemplate the gift of knowledge that we lay generously before their feet — the books, technology, and art that will fill their schools and libraries.  In fact, I wouldn’t impose a time restriction on any one of the following generations in these utopian frameworks where they are required to transition from knowledge absorption, contemplation, and thought formation to action until they have reached a point where they believe they ‘re in a position to begin acting.  For they have much to absorb and contemplate.  It may take several generations to come to terms with what is and what was before they can formulate an intelligent response.  Not only must they absorb what was, what is, but they also must absorb what their previous generation recorded as thoughts about both.  In fact, one could argue that Education is in fact action.  Now we must attempt to describe Education in a very broad sense, for I have already mentioned in the previous post that I do not in fact have answers to the questions posed there.

I envision an educational construct that not only begins at birth and continues up until death, but also one that is extremely broad and open.  Broad incorporates not only a varied curriculum (philosophy, world religions, art, music, math, languages, literature, engineering, economics, astronomy, anthropology, chemistry, et cetera), but also practical and hard work.  Open incorporates not only the education methods where the students constantly learn to ask why am I learning this right now, but it also includes outside excursions, travel, and exposure to real life learning.  I do not envision this generation to be locked up in a temple reading dusty old books isolated from all that exists in the outside world; rather, I envision book reading supplemented with a traveling classroom throughout the world that observes firsthand history, science, art, religion, people, culture, language, nature, and current events.  Education will become life, breathing, exhaling, smelling, touching, seeing, hearing, observing, absorbing, and then ample time to contemplate and compose thoughts in leisure, pleasure, beauty and solitude. 

Education will also incorporate physical work and activities.  They will participate in collecting and disposing of garbage, cleaning dishes, working on farms and ranches, constructing or maintaining buildings, plumbing – they will learn and know how to use their hands as well as their minds.  There is no such thing as child labor laws in these utopian frameworks.  These children and young adults will learn to work to maintain and create the society in exchange for living and learning in that society.  Not only will they learn by doing, but they will also gain an understanding of how things work.  Each one of these beings will be fully capable of surviving on their own if needed but will also develop a sense of how much more can be created when they work in groups or as a whole.  One man can build a house over a certain period of time, but a group of men working together can get the job done in less time to enable additional time to be allocated to other individual or group pursuits.  In practical pursuits, man does not become specialized and focused in one field to serve man; rather, broadly trained men and women tackle practical matters together to free eachother to pursue higher levels of education and or leisure.  

Given this broad and open education, it is clear that these beings will not be confined to prison like structures for eight hours and then returned home with a back pack full of homework which is tossed aside in favor of the TV or X-box and a bag of chips.  These beings will go to some sort of freeing and spiritually uplifting structure for instruction but only for the number of hours that these beings can fully concentrate and absorb what is being taught.  After those instruction hours are complete, they then go about their practical and physical education within the community.  Of course there would be ample time for playing, sports, martial arts, or what have you, but these things would be balanced with other community needs and responsibilities.  The pace of life does not run to a time clock or rigid structures loaded with stress and deadlines; rather, the pace is relaxed, productive, and self-willed.  The time clock is the sun rise and the sun set, the incoming and outgoing tides, the position of the earth relative to the sun. Beings learn how to take the time to communicate and interact with one another, how to savor a moment, how to work and learn together and as individuals for a slow and steady progression forward.  People know one another.  People know what makes each one of them who they are.  People recognize each other’s faces and observe behaviors and deeds which define who each individual is within the community.  People smile and say hello or frown and ignore and mean it.  There isn’t anywhere for a free loader to hide. 

The family unit doesn’t consist of three or four beings in a house isolated to pursue their direction behind closed doors with lightly tied relations with neighbors or friends.  The family unit is expanded to in fact include the community.  As mentioned before, the father and mother are really considered guests in this utopian framework at the upstart.  They serve their roles and contribute like all the other outsiders, but they don’t serve as the primary influence on these young supple beings.  They aren’t taking them to church on Sunday, or to the temple, or to the mosque, or influencing them to pursue practical and safe careers, or mocking their imaginative or misfit notions.  They are present, they are there, to give love and support to promote these young beings pursue their open and broad education.

The next post will discuss the types of questions these educated beings will confront including their potential impact or involvement with the outside world and other upstart utopian frameworks.