pastery

“The ridiculous contradictions of statism — like religion — can only be sustained through endless propaganda inflicted upon helpless children.” The quote is from Stefan Molyneux video about the illusion of freedom in this world. It paints a rather black picture of the world and its structure today, segmented into different classes like in a dance of complete apathy and depression. It raises a few interesting questions, but I am not sure I really completely agree with the videos statement, or believe all facts in it to be completely accurate. It is worth watching though.

I read this article in Washington Post about Michelle Obama identifying her primary role as the mom-in-chief. What amazes me is that people have actually been surprised about her comment here. I am very much not surprised. In fact, I would have been more surprised if she would have said something different.

I have been to the US several times and every time I go there I meet these ugly subconscious preconceptions that the woman’s place is in the kitchen and no where else. The hidden comments. The hidden implications. The hints. The on the surface harmless jokes.

I will let a quote from the article speak for itself: “And yet, Barack Obama could have been describing so many women today when he explained that, for Michelle, “two visions of herself were at war with each other — the desire to be the woman her mother had been, solid, dependable, making a home and always there for her kids; and the desire to excel in her profession, to make her mark on the world and realize all those plans she’d had on the very first day that we met.”

This is where the identification comes in. The brutal reality is that, like our president-elect, most men do not wrestle quite so strenuously with these competing desires. So when the needs of our families collide with the demands of our jobs, it is usually the woman’s career that yields.”

I think it is sad. Really sad.

We should have come further in this world. I understand why the US is still here. A country built by very religious people who all had (and have) very strong beliefs that the traditional family structure is the right or the very least the optimal. I call men with that kind of idea, men with small dicks. :-)

Nevertheless, it is just sad.

I read a story in the NY Times about a Killing of 5-Year-Old Kidnapped. This is one of the worse, saddening stories I have read in a long while. Sometimes I just wonder where we are heading as a global society. On the grander scheme of things I think this is a tragedy in all possible ways… I am not sure who to feel more sorry for in a way. We live in a world where we start wars because of oil, but turn our eyes away from human tragedies such as these. Hmm. The key for the future is to implement a global sense of humanism. We have one earth and we better start treating that and our fellow earthlings better

On a similar note of the story, a friend of mine from Kongo told me a story about how people in Kongo are getting killed because of the color of their t-shirt. A color of a t-shirt! Absurd. Shocking. Who should you connect with and feel sorry for? Wouldn’t it be easier with one side to blame? What do you do when there is none? Madness. Stories such as these just turns me into a mixed state of confusion, utter sense of disbelief, anger and sadness. I try to understand most of the times, but really do not find any logical answers. I guess there are none. I wish there were. It would make it easier. Maybe it is me not being able to identify myself well enough or relate with both sides. Who knows… Anyhow. I try to reconcile myself with the situation, and what and where it is causing harm to others, but I just cannot wrap my head around it. The logic somehow continuously fails. It is division by zero echoing in the head. I’ve seen the same non-tangible, non-relatable stories from Guantanamo Base in Cuba and other parts of this world. These horrendous stories that make very little sense from the outside when you try to look at them in the greater aspects. 

Sometimes I wish parts if this world would just be a bad dream. Or a nightmare. It would be easier. More comfortable? Yes. Safer? Yes. True? Not really. What I do know for sure regardless is that this state of the world is not sustainable… Dream. Nightmare. Or some arbitrary mixture. Pick your choice. Pick what makes you happy. We have to resolve this as a global society. That I do know. With 100% certainty.

Depressed? No. Confused and disillusioned? Yes. :-)

Welcome to our world today! Again…

Looking at the American election, I cannot help getting a sense of comic and tragic feeling. Most of the time I do not know if I should laugh, cry, or just feel an urgent sense of devastation and confusion. Neither of the two candidates give me a feeling that they really understand what the real issues are, especially on the global level. To me the only difference is the rhetorics, but basically it is the same empty, unreal and non-grounded message clueless of the real issues around the world.

The same tunnel vision that has dominated the US politics for ages is still very much present. Obama just package this a bit better so it on the surface looks a bit better. Yet still the message is still the same. His answers about how to handle military issues were extremely immature. “Let us go in and get them…” LOL That comment really cracked me up. McCain is not so much better though as he is just some bleached copy of George W. Bush with some more experience maybe. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The US in general (not saying there are exceptions) seems very much in tunnel vision whenever I am there, very much unaware and oblivious of the world outside the US is very, very different than they think it is.

I long for a day where we again see a US president with some insight and intellectual foundation for how he/she lead the country. The only thing missing is if the Terminator will become president. That would be the last hilarious draw in this tragicomical situation. Most of the time it feels more like a game show or comedy whenever I see some election coverage.

So bring out the popcorn, pizza and beer on Tuesday!

Do not divert from your beliefs and values. Strategy and internal politics usually kills any group or organization. If we were lions, we would fight physically about it. We as lions are a flock animal so it is natural this will happen. Looking at it some of us still do. :-) Fighting for the spot as the king (or queen) of the hill or the grace of the king (or queen) of the hill is usually fully or to some extent toxic. It somewhat diverts the attention away from the true path. However, I have a friend who told me that being diverting or just being lured over to diversion from the “right” path under some circumstances might be good. It give you perspective and span the window of options. I guess it is as easy as always being open to any outcome. 

To create the arena where this can happen leaders of this world should be firm, consistent and fair. Yet the responsibilities of the leaders should be matched by society, group or organization are leading. Democratic leadership is funny that way. It is two-folded. We all have both responsibilities and rights. Most people get stuck at the rights part not realizing the responsibility part.

Be strong. Do what you belief in and fight for it.

As a big Donald Duck fan, I remember reading a comic pocket where Scrooge McDuck discovers the power of computers. In true spirit it all goes totally over board. FInally when things became kind of disastrous and the story ends with the sense moral that we are not ready to handle the computers. The paradoxical part here is that there is actually some truth to the story. Yep, kind of paradoxical for sure.

To ground this a bit more seriously, Nicholas Carr upset the whole IT industry with the book “Does IT matter?” the year of 2004. The book is very much worth reading to get some perspective on IT and where we are heading. The other day he posted an article in The Atlantic, where he claims that Google makes us stupid. In many ways he is probably right, but I would say that Google rather makes us too lazy. The simplicity of finding information today conveniently enables us forget things, or just don’t care about remembering it. It is too available. It is always right there. For me I think that is damaging for creativity. 

Yet, the most sad part is the effect of our social life. We have started to live our lives through social networks, IM or other fast digital communication – forgetting the pleasures of in real life encounters. That is really sad for sure. Do we really want 2 live our lives through IM and social networks? Is this where we want 2 go? :-/ I guess I need 2 go ask Google… 

On the other hand: Always look on the bright side of life. :-)

I was drinking a few glasses of wine with some friends yesterday. We came into the topic of love. I read another blog which says: “Love is so often not very logic, yet we persistently try to apply logic on love.” I, the other week wrote an blog, quoting a monologue from Good Will Hunting. In the monologue it says: “Love is loving someone else more than you love yourself.” I guess that is what is the frightening part. The complete, unconstrained and natural intimacy. The lack of defenses. The surrender to another person. The complete trust to another person. Risky indeed, but so amazing at the same time.

I guess there are a lot of people running from this intimacy. It is easier. It is safer. Personally I choose the not so safe road… It is so much more fun, even though the stakes are high.

Recently I have been thinking of the human nature. For instance looking at the news gives a constant flux of misery and bad things happening in the world yet talking to my friends here in the program gives another more promising and happy picture of what is happening in and to the world. We have a lot of problems yet there are numerous projects throughout the world giving at least me a hope. Yesterday talking to a friend a thought emerged: “Why not give the good news instead of the bad to build the case against especially violence? Show the people that we as humanity have the power to really change our future history.” I know this is a somewhat naive (and certainly not new) thought, but isn’t it worth trying instead of just talking about it. We should start to contribute in whatever way we can. If that is just helping an old lady over the street, bring some flowers to your mother, build a social enterprise or just give that social call to your friend just to ask him how he is. Go for it! … but stop to just talk about it.

What puzzles me is that I think the problem as so often is really us. We are still busy seeking solutions everywhere else than right within us – the constant quest of answers from everyone and everywhere else than us. I think a true peaceful soul comes from within you. We are running in this world, we are running to get that recognition we all so desperately want. to whatever price. What puzzles me right now are the lies and deceives. The menthality of me me me is getting really annoing. “I want this. I want that.” Very few people think about if they have the right for it or not.

A monologue from the movie “Good Will Hunting” can serve as an example of this endless toxic dance for recognition and somewhat explain it. I guess there are better examples of it in literature, but we as humans are not that complex in some ways. 

There are just way too many scared shitless kids out there with very little dignity nor compassion. These grasshopper tendencies gotta stop.

There is a constant stream of news coming about environmental issues, torture in various parts of the world or more hilarious reports about the war on terror. I some time ago wrote a short piece on state of the world as of today. The other day I met some friends and discussed a similar topic. I am not sure if the world really is as f***** up as I feel some days. I do hate is the feeling of it tough. It seems as if we are slowly destroying this planet methodologically.

We have escalating environmental issues. Many extremely disturbing. Many pretty easy to fight if we just are willing to give up something. Anyone heard of increasing gas prices? No, that’s impossible… We are so afraid of personal sacrifices. We are fine by forcing others to change but we cannot consider to change ourselves, under any circumstance. We have a population crisis in South Asia. We have a natural resource issue basically all over the planet whether it is nucklear waste, refrigirators, exploration of streaming waters destroying eco systems. Not to mention the issues the black gold, i.e. oil, that not only create environmental issues – both directly and indirectly, but also create national international security issues all over the globe. We have an artificially created security issue all over the globe consisting of chasing ghosts and wild geees hunts. We will by this creating real security issues that too often were not really there from the beginning. Why does he have so strange clothes on? He is gonna blow a plane up? The lists goes on, way too far…

It is time for us all to wake up from our slumber! It is time for us to realize that we owe this change to this planet we call Mother Earth. We owe it to previous generations. We owe it to ourselves… BUT… Most importantly. We definitely owe this to our kids and future generations. Why? Well… Who gave us the right to f*** this world up for them to clean up?

So dear world. Rejoice! The future will be fun. Or not. Who knows? I choose to smile in the lack of another reaction…

I do not believe the issue of torture is as simple as many people tend to believe it is. Most people believe that many actions can be justified if it saves life. What amazes me however is that a country that have multiple states supporting the capital punishment have such a big issue with torture all of a sudden. I think the discussion broaden and include any over-steps of fundamental rights. Does the Geneva convention ring a bell? The United Nations Human Rights? I do not know what to make of it other than another of those examples of hypocracy around us in the world. Who are really the bad guys here? Do we even know that anymore? Or have we just lost complete track of where we are, who we are and more importantly where we are going?

Some challenging highlights through history:
1947 – US sentenced a Japanese military officer to 15 years of hard labor for using it.
2006 – Cheney sanctions it.
2008 – Bush vetoes anti-torture bill.

I also recommend to read an entry in the New Yorker on Guantanamo. Is this where we want to go? Maybe there is another way…