Hey!
I've noticed that Occupy has fallen out of the presses lately, and the group seems to be disordered and disorganized, by my reckoning. I've got a proposal that I've been floating about the NYC GA's forum, the LinkedIn page and a small host of other Occupy related sites. I propose that we reorganize the GA's structure to make it act as an organizing body for a host of volunteers. It gathers names and contact information, and then organizes them for specific actions, such as demonstrations and voting.
It no longer acts as a 24/7 protest hub in and of itself, but instead, saves its energy for targeted action at specific moments nationwide.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OLMQQ57DzifR5q83gbBDs8cInHmBqBsD0COIK_B-5Uo/edit
Here's a write up of the full proposal.
Please feel free to comment on this, as it is a work in progress and needs to be adapted to the realities that are on the ground.
Thanks!
And remember, that it can only happen if you make it happen.
Goodnight, and have a pleasant evening.
-Eli
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Press FINALLY Strikes Back
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/25/anderson-cooper-libya-journal-cnn_n_1912177.html?utm_campaign=092512&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-media&utm_content=FullStory
Great.
Of course, the corporate press finds its balls under the Obama administration and not the Bush administration.
Typical.
But oh well.
It sounds like things weren't handled as well as they could have been.
It sounds like more of the typical denial and ignorance that plagues US foreign policy and US foreign policy makers.
And we suffer as a result of their willful ignorance about the times, cultures and contexts that they find themselves in, all for a bunch of poorly chosen priorities that could be avoided if the government actually found their balls to say "no" to the individualized private interests that are plaguing our country, society and democracy at their own, actual expenses.
It's literally maddening to watch the poor choices and self "interests" that we try to fulfill around the world.
But, that is the product of our leaderships' brains and our society's brains as well.
They're changeable.
But THEY'VE got to want to change.
And I don't think that's the case.
Therefore.
Removal is the best option, if they are unwilling or unable to adapt to conditions on the ground.
And that's going to happen whether you like it or not, and whether you believe it or not, if they don't change themselves and their attitudes, perspectives, conceptions and actions.
Seriously, you'd call al-Qaeda to be something other than derived from US policy in the region and toward the people/culture that lives there?
Think about it.
Great.
Of course, the corporate press finds its balls under the Obama administration and not the Bush administration.
Typical.
But oh well.
It sounds like things weren't handled as well as they could have been.
It sounds like more of the typical denial and ignorance that plagues US foreign policy and US foreign policy makers.
And we suffer as a result of their willful ignorance about the times, cultures and contexts that they find themselves in, all for a bunch of poorly chosen priorities that could be avoided if the government actually found their balls to say "no" to the individualized private interests that are plaguing our country, society and democracy at their own, actual expenses.
It's literally maddening to watch the poor choices and self "interests" that we try to fulfill around the world.
But, that is the product of our leaderships' brains and our society's brains as well.
They're changeable.
But THEY'VE got to want to change.
And I don't think that's the case.
Therefore.
Removal is the best option, if they are unwilling or unable to adapt to conditions on the ground.
And that's going to happen whether you like it or not, and whether you believe it or not, if they don't change themselves and their attitudes, perspectives, conceptions and actions.
Seriously, you'd call al-Qaeda to be something other than derived from US policy in the region and toward the people/culture that lives there?
Think about it.
The Real Effects of Drone Attacks
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/25/pakistan-drone-study-stanford_n_1911555.html?utm_hp_ref=daily-brief%3Futm_source%3DDailyBrief&utm_campaign=092512&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily+Brief
Yep.
The elites of our country especially do an incredibly sloppy job at handling foreign affairs and dealing with other people in general who are not of their "own." They seem to think/perceive that they can do anything they'd like, without consequence.
This drone policy, I have thought, is counter-productive, because a) the Taliban are always the first ones who are able to show up and repair damage and compensate for losses (as per the custom of the area) and b) spawning more militants in the international jihad through the loss of civilian life.
It's just aggravating the situation while doing little to stem the tide of the insurgency.
And the proof of that is that we're losing to the insurgency in Afghanistan, both through military attacks from the Taliban, the fact that they have effective and defacto governance over most of Afghanistan (beneath the Karzai regime) and through "green on blue" attacks from the Afghan National Army.
You can't beat an insurgent army militarily, especially not one with a popular base of support within the general population and certainly not one operating in such a remote and difficult to maneuver area such as Afghanistan. It's the lesson that the English never learned from their campaigns with the Irish. And yet the "great" powers still haven't figured it out in the present day.
When people don't want you there, the only way to solve the problem is through genocide or through acquiescing to THEIR needs, desires, wishes and wants.
I don't think we want the former label applied to us. We've done a lousy job defining our interests, goals and priorities in Afghanistan and Iraq for that matter.
And that is how everything is crumbling for us in both countries, in spite of the "gains" that we've made to the contrary.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201292510340480469.html
It's our priorities and perspectives and attitudes that are/were the problem.
And it's the fault of our leaders specifically and the culture(s) that they engender up at the top.
Technically, it's not anyone's personal fault, because that was how they were raised and socialized as adults.
But it is the fault of the leadership when they fail to act effectively in light of their apparent downfalls.
And that's where the responsibility piece kicks in, when push comes to actual shove.
Think about it.
Cause we are going to lose this one according to our present definitions of success.
Most we can do now is make sure that the Afghans can run the Taliban out of Afghanistan.
And, that's about it.
"Victorious warriors win first, and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first, and then seek to win." -Sun Tzu.
The latter is what the American leadership does.
And it's apparent in the ways that they operate and the ways that they behave and the ways that they generally interact with the world.
They don't think things through.
They don't base themselves in facts and solid reasoning.
They don't even seem to concern themselves with lived world evidence and empirical facts that create a highly nuanced and complicated picture of the world that's outside of their brain's perceptions and brain's conceptions.
They just seem to do whatever they want to for whatever whim that comes from their brain at a moment's notice for small minded "gains" that inevitably turn to losses, even after accomplishing them.
And that's how their brains work.
That's how we get the world that we get.
Think about it.
Yep.
The elites of our country especially do an incredibly sloppy job at handling foreign affairs and dealing with other people in general who are not of their "own." They seem to think/perceive that they can do anything they'd like, without consequence.
This drone policy, I have thought, is counter-productive, because a) the Taliban are always the first ones who are able to show up and repair damage and compensate for losses (as per the custom of the area) and b) spawning more militants in the international jihad through the loss of civilian life.
It's just aggravating the situation while doing little to stem the tide of the insurgency.
And the proof of that is that we're losing to the insurgency in Afghanistan, both through military attacks from the Taliban, the fact that they have effective and defacto governance over most of Afghanistan (beneath the Karzai regime) and through "green on blue" attacks from the Afghan National Army.
You can't beat an insurgent army militarily, especially not one with a popular base of support within the general population and certainly not one operating in such a remote and difficult to maneuver area such as Afghanistan. It's the lesson that the English never learned from their campaigns with the Irish. And yet the "great" powers still haven't figured it out in the present day.
When people don't want you there, the only way to solve the problem is through genocide or through acquiescing to THEIR needs, desires, wishes and wants.
I don't think we want the former label applied to us. We've done a lousy job defining our interests, goals and priorities in Afghanistan and Iraq for that matter.
And that is how everything is crumbling for us in both countries, in spite of the "gains" that we've made to the contrary.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201292510340480469.html
It's our priorities and perspectives and attitudes that are/were the problem.
And it's the fault of our leaders specifically and the culture(s) that they engender up at the top.
Technically, it's not anyone's personal fault, because that was how they were raised and socialized as adults.
But it is the fault of the leadership when they fail to act effectively in light of their apparent downfalls.
And that's where the responsibility piece kicks in, when push comes to actual shove.
Think about it.
Cause we are going to lose this one according to our present definitions of success.
Most we can do now is make sure that the Afghans can run the Taliban out of Afghanistan.
And, that's about it.
"Victorious warriors win first, and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first, and then seek to win." -Sun Tzu.
The latter is what the American leadership does.
And it's apparent in the ways that they operate and the ways that they behave and the ways that they generally interact with the world.
They don't think things through.
They don't base themselves in facts and solid reasoning.
They don't even seem to concern themselves with lived world evidence and empirical facts that create a highly nuanced and complicated picture of the world that's outside of their brain's perceptions and brain's conceptions.
They just seem to do whatever they want to for whatever whim that comes from their brain at a moment's notice for small minded "gains" that inevitably turn to losses, even after accomplishing them.
And that's how their brains work.
That's how we get the world that we get.
Think about it.
Monday, September 24, 2012
The Downside of Positive Thinking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Yep.
It's like that "law of attraction bs".
Yes, if you think about something a lot, you'll notice it more in the world around you.
However, it isn't shaping the world around you.
It's just changing the filter that everything passes through.
And sometimes, having a "positive filter" to only see "positive things" isn't a very valuable or useful thing to have around.
In fact, it can be downright negative, as the video points out.
And silly too boot.
Quite honestly, that's the only advantage that, I think, depression affords the individual is that we can actually see the bad where it is. And while that sometimes doesn't help, because the bad isn't really there at times, it still forces you to think about what is going on and what is going wrong in the world, such that you can be vigilant and motivated to do something about what's going on.
It works.
It helps.
And it's valuable, in spite of it sometimes, being miserable to be around at times, thanks to the mirror neurons that light up whenever we receive information from another.
In short, optimists suck.
And they do so on an empirical level.
They don't get what's going on.
They CAN'T understand what's going on.
And they lose out when negative things are coming toward them and they don't get themselves and others the f$%# out of the way!
True, you may get a false alarm in there at times.
But would you rather be dead, out of power, in a crisis than wrong?
I wouldn't.
I'd rather be wrong than dead, thank you very much.
And that's a big deal coming from a person with depression.
I know that the optimists are the ones who are hiring.
But I would let them consider whether or not it's actually good for them to be in the places that require constant attention to the negative; to the problems; to the issues, in order to be empirically successful at it.
Nothing and no one is going to be right 100% of the time.
But I, personally, would rather have an unneeded freak out than a real catastrophe on my hands.
And that's the logic that's lacking in the giddy, "I'm so happy" world of the Golden Retriever people of this world.
And they're the ones in charge.
Think about it.
Yep.
It's like that "law of attraction bs".
Yes, if you think about something a lot, you'll notice it more in the world around you.
However, it isn't shaping the world around you.
It's just changing the filter that everything passes through.
And sometimes, having a "positive filter" to only see "positive things" isn't a very valuable or useful thing to have around.
In fact, it can be downright negative, as the video points out.
And silly too boot.
Quite honestly, that's the only advantage that, I think, depression affords the individual is that we can actually see the bad where it is. And while that sometimes doesn't help, because the bad isn't really there at times, it still forces you to think about what is going on and what is going wrong in the world, such that you can be vigilant and motivated to do something about what's going on.
It works.
It helps.
And it's valuable, in spite of it sometimes, being miserable to be around at times, thanks to the mirror neurons that light up whenever we receive information from another.
In short, optimists suck.
And they do so on an empirical level.
They don't get what's going on.
They CAN'T understand what's going on.
And they lose out when negative things are coming toward them and they don't get themselves and others the f$%# out of the way!
True, you may get a false alarm in there at times.
But would you rather be dead, out of power, in a crisis than wrong?
I wouldn't.
I'd rather be wrong than dead, thank you very much.
And that's a big deal coming from a person with depression.
I know that the optimists are the ones who are hiring.
But I would let them consider whether or not it's actually good for them to be in the places that require constant attention to the negative; to the problems; to the issues, in order to be empirically successful at it.
Nothing and no one is going to be right 100% of the time.
But I, personally, would rather have an unneeded freak out than a real catastrophe on my hands.
And that's the logic that's lacking in the giddy, "I'm so happy" world of the Golden Retriever people of this world.
And they're the ones in charge.
Think about it.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Computer Game Idea (Copyrighted on this blog)
An explorer computer game where you play a Buddhist monk, teaching you and helping you practice guides to meditation and aspects of Buddhist philosophy
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Democracy in Action in Libya
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19680785
This could be an interesting turn of events.
Who was left with all the power when Qaddafi was overthrown?
The militias.
It's true they have a government with official backing from the international community.
But it very well be that the militias have become the real power brokers in Libya since the fall of Qaddafi.
And it appears that people are not happy about that.
Good for democracy.
In fact, this is democracy in action.
But where it will lead, I don't know.
As it is with most revolutions.
Which is why/how it's best that they be avoided.
Better to acquiesce to the needs of people, rather than try to keep putting a square peg in a round hole.
And carry out the needed revolution in private, rather than in public.
Democrats.
It's your choice, if you win and have control of House, Senate and Presidency.
Keep things as it is.
Or change it up to make it work effectively for everyone, including and not limited to, those elites whom you have taken treats from.
Think about it.
Cause this is the end of the Age of Capitalism, so to speak.
Unresponsive.
Callous.
And driven towards both the destruction of the small self through the destruction of the larger self that is the social and environmental world that you find yourself in.
And it's only in your brain that it's going to be different, I think.
Silly brains.
Think about it.
Silly brains indeed.
This could be an interesting turn of events.
Who was left with all the power when Qaddafi was overthrown?
The militias.
It's true they have a government with official backing from the international community.
But it very well be that the militias have become the real power brokers in Libya since the fall of Qaddafi.
And it appears that people are not happy about that.
Good for democracy.
In fact, this is democracy in action.
But where it will lead, I don't know.
As it is with most revolutions.
Which is why/how it's best that they be avoided.
Better to acquiesce to the needs of people, rather than try to keep putting a square peg in a round hole.
And carry out the needed revolution in private, rather than in public.
Democrats.
It's your choice, if you win and have control of House, Senate and Presidency.
Keep things as it is.
Or change it up to make it work effectively for everyone, including and not limited to, those elites whom you have taken treats from.
Think about it.
Cause this is the end of the Age of Capitalism, so to speak.
Unresponsive.
Callous.
And driven towards both the destruction of the small self through the destruction of the larger self that is the social and environmental world that you find yourself in.
And it's only in your brain that it's going to be different, I think.
Silly brains.
Think about it.
Silly brains indeed.
Friday, September 21, 2012
An Ode to Self Interest
It is said that we act in our self interests. However, rarely do we actually know and understand what our self interests are, courtesy of our brains and our brain/sense organs' functions.
Some choose the McDonalds meal, when a nice salad would suit our best interests better.
Some choose to gamble with money recklessly in risky loans that could never be repaid, at the expense of the entire economy and society in which they're able to make their money.
Some choose to destroy the environment in which they live, so they can have a greater amount of abstract currency.
And some choose to govern against the needs and wishes of a majority of the people of their territory, such that they get unelected or kicked out of power by force.
It's all thanks to a remarkable tendency in the human brain to get things wrong and to misperceive the situation, such that the individual and the collective (which is really a grouping of individuals when you look at it), get it wrong and end up at the bottom of the heap, rather than at the top.
We are self interested creatures in that we go towards that which we perceive is in our best interests.
However, we aren't always able to pick our best interests. And, some tend to be able to do it better than others, for their own sakes in the biggest sense of themselves, while others don't do it well for themselves at all.
Think about it.
Some choose the McDonalds meal, when a nice salad would suit our best interests better.
Some choose to gamble with money recklessly in risky loans that could never be repaid, at the expense of the entire economy and society in which they're able to make their money.
Some choose to destroy the environment in which they live, so they can have a greater amount of abstract currency.
And some choose to govern against the needs and wishes of a majority of the people of their territory, such that they get unelected or kicked out of power by force.
It's all thanks to a remarkable tendency in the human brain to get things wrong and to misperceive the situation, such that the individual and the collective (which is really a grouping of individuals when you look at it), get it wrong and end up at the bottom of the heap, rather than at the top.
We are self interested creatures in that we go towards that which we perceive is in our best interests.
However, we aren't always able to pick our best interests. And, some tend to be able to do it better than others, for their own sakes in the biggest sense of themselves, while others don't do it well for themselves at all.
Think about it.
Afghan Governors
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/09/2012920184255109884.html
If there's one thing that I, personally, think about the Afghan people, after studying them, is that when they see changes in governance, they'll observe it, take note of it, and do whatever works best for them in spite of it.
Ive heard constantly that they're an incredibly independent people, sociologically and culturally, and that therefore, this change up of governance isn't necessarily going to do much, except give Karzai the illusion that he has more control in Afghanistan that he probably, actually has.
This highlights a couple of things. One, is that culture and perspective of the other are both incredibly important and significant things to understand, accept and work with, and that you work at your own expense when you don't acknowledge or take it effectively into account.
The second, is that Karzai is likely going to have troubles as soon as we're out of there, both from the Taliban and from his own people.
We're going to leave him in the middle of a war zone with nothing but a large, over priced, semi loyal army "behind" him, plus a lot of armed civilians to boot.
It's not going to be pretty over there once we get out of there.
And, unfortunately, the Obama administration is likely going to take the hit for it, even though it was Bush who established our presence and oversaw it for the longest time.
That what I would be guarding against, if I were the Democrats.
But, that's just me.
Think about it.
If there's one thing that I, personally, think about the Afghan people, after studying them, is that when they see changes in governance, they'll observe it, take note of it, and do whatever works best for them in spite of it.
Ive heard constantly that they're an incredibly independent people, sociologically and culturally, and that therefore, this change up of governance isn't necessarily going to do much, except give Karzai the illusion that he has more control in Afghanistan that he probably, actually has.
This highlights a couple of things. One, is that culture and perspective of the other are both incredibly important and significant things to understand, accept and work with, and that you work at your own expense when you don't acknowledge or take it effectively into account.
The second, is that Karzai is likely going to have troubles as soon as we're out of there, both from the Taliban and from his own people.
We're going to leave him in the middle of a war zone with nothing but a large, over priced, semi loyal army "behind" him, plus a lot of armed civilians to boot.
It's not going to be pretty over there once we get out of there.
And, unfortunately, the Obama administration is likely going to take the hit for it, even though it was Bush who established our presence and oversaw it for the longest time.
That what I would be guarding against, if I were the Democrats.
But, that's just me.
Think about it.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
World Economies
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19658146
You know, I don't think that a slowing economy is necessarily a bad thing, if everybody is doing well.
Quite frankly, I think that by having the wealth be more equitably distributed within the society, you'll get better economic growth.
Rich people tend not to spend wildly. At least, the ones who stay rich don't.
Most people, if you were to give them a million dollars, would be either spent or in the negative by the end of the day, and that, is an economic principle that we can actually test for.
When you enable people to spend, they spend, or save or invest.
They participate in the economy and help make it do better for those who already have.
But it's an investment by the upper class to make it be so, in order to avoid triggering inflation.
When people have money to spend and the prices remain at current market value, they tend to spend.
And that, you can test in the world around us.
So.
Perhaps the solution to India's problem is to shrink the gap between the rich and the poor.
And perhaps, a better focus of economies should be committed to making the world a better place to live in, rather than simply growing themselves in abstract manners that don't really translate into increased value and increased quality of life for the people actually living on Earth.
Just a thought.
Think about it.
Just a thought.
You know, I don't think that a slowing economy is necessarily a bad thing, if everybody is doing well.
Quite frankly, I think that by having the wealth be more equitably distributed within the society, you'll get better economic growth.
Rich people tend not to spend wildly. At least, the ones who stay rich don't.
Most people, if you were to give them a million dollars, would be either spent or in the negative by the end of the day, and that, is an economic principle that we can actually test for.
When you enable people to spend, they spend, or save or invest.
They participate in the economy and help make it do better for those who already have.
But it's an investment by the upper class to make it be so, in order to avoid triggering inflation.
When people have money to spend and the prices remain at current market value, they tend to spend.
And that, you can test in the world around us.
So.
Perhaps the solution to India's problem is to shrink the gap between the rich and the poor.
And perhaps, a better focus of economies should be committed to making the world a better place to live in, rather than simply growing themselves in abstract manners that don't really translate into increased value and increased quality of life for the people actually living on Earth.
Just a thought.
Think about it.
Just a thought.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Q and A with the Islamic World
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/09/2012919115731993126.html
If you're so inclined to actually listen to what's going on in the minds of those who were protesting the video, here is a good place to start.
It's only from listening to others that you get an understanding of what's actually going on in the world around you.
Otherwise, you're just relying on your own limited sense of it, and are missing out on a LOT of what the world has to offer you in terms of solid, empirical and demonstrable evidence.
Take a listen from the imam, as told by al-Jazeera itself.
And, hopefully, you'll glean some understanding about what they're going through.
It's not very scientific, because you'd ideally have these questions answered by a large sample size to get a representative population going.
But, it's a start for those who are really ignorant about Islam and what it means to these folks over there who are behaving strangely according to what we think is appropriate over here in the West.
Bear in mind, Islam had no scientific revolution separate from religion, chiefly because their religion produced the scientific method that we actually are using to this day in secular science.
There was no secular revolt against organized religion in the Islamic world.
Therefore, how do you expect a people to give up and separate their religion from bad comedy, when they have no basis for doing so within their own world?
Think about it.
And, try to bear that in mind when you're looking at the reactions against the video.
It is what it is.
And is nothing more or less than that.
Think about it.
If you're so inclined to actually listen to what's going on in the minds of those who were protesting the video, here is a good place to start.
It's only from listening to others that you get an understanding of what's actually going on in the world around you.
Otherwise, you're just relying on your own limited sense of it, and are missing out on a LOT of what the world has to offer you in terms of solid, empirical and demonstrable evidence.
Take a listen from the imam, as told by al-Jazeera itself.
And, hopefully, you'll glean some understanding about what they're going through.
It's not very scientific, because you'd ideally have these questions answered by a large sample size to get a representative population going.
But, it's a start for those who are really ignorant about Islam and what it means to these folks over there who are behaving strangely according to what we think is appropriate over here in the West.
Bear in mind, Islam had no scientific revolution separate from religion, chiefly because their religion produced the scientific method that we actually are using to this day in secular science.
There was no secular revolt against organized religion in the Islamic world.
Therefore, how do you expect a people to give up and separate their religion from bad comedy, when they have no basis for doing so within their own world?
Think about it.
And, try to bear that in mind when you're looking at the reactions against the video.
It is what it is.
And is nothing more or less than that.
Think about it.
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Latest on Occupy Wall Street
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/protests-near-stock-exchange-on-occupy-wall-st-anniversary/?partner=rss&emc=rss
It's a real shame that this hasn't been creating as much of a media sensation as we would hope.
Unfortunately that is the problem with having a for profit, corporate media in place in the United States.
It's bad when a people in a society can't get themselves and their messages/desires effectively expressed in the world around them.
It's even worse when they represent the opinions of what apparently is a solid majority of Americans, and are not allowed to have their say or their will expressed.
When the majority is deliberately stifled and put down, we have seen throughout history that this generally leads to a backlash against whatever power(s) that be within that society.
You literally can't govern according to your personal "self" interests, beliefs and desires, because that will, eventually, lead to problems for your own personal self and your own personal sake, in spite of what your brain tells you.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dN2nR13khtp1JjIJGOf4VOza66EPA-YtHFLNv4CbXXo/edit
I've got over 20 cases, big and small, that show this correlation.
And I'd highly recommend that the leadership of this country pay attention to these lessons from history, lest they should become like the deposed French aristocrats or the unelected mayoral candidate of New London, representing the established order.
It does eventually break.
It's only in your brain that it doesn't.
And you've got to keep yourself ahead of the curve, if you're not going to play ball according to the natural laws of the world that is around you, and get yourself out of the picture in order to avoid something worse.
Doesn't matter what you do to make the effects of your actions be any different.
Cause it's only in your brain(s) that this change doesn't happen.
And that's how I know, that you and yours (elites) are going to fail.
Or should I say, current elites.
Cause we've changed before.
And we can change again.
And good luck getting back in once you're forcibly kicked out against your will and control.
Cause the world won't accept this kind of nonsense forever.
And you've got to keep yourself ahead of the curve, if you want to stay in these positions.
And adapt/sacrifice accordingly.
I know you're not really thinking about it.
You're just running the program that you've been developed with.
And it's only in your brains that it works otherwise.
So.
Good luck staying in power when the stuff begins to get hot.
Think about it.
Good luck.
It's a real shame that this hasn't been creating as much of a media sensation as we would hope.
Unfortunately that is the problem with having a for profit, corporate media in place in the United States.
It's bad when a people in a society can't get themselves and their messages/desires effectively expressed in the world around them.
It's even worse when they represent the opinions of what apparently is a solid majority of Americans, and are not allowed to have their say or their will expressed.
When the majority is deliberately stifled and put down, we have seen throughout history that this generally leads to a backlash against whatever power(s) that be within that society.
You literally can't govern according to your personal "self" interests, beliefs and desires, because that will, eventually, lead to problems for your own personal self and your own personal sake, in spite of what your brain tells you.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dN2nR13khtp1JjIJGOf4VOza66EPA-YtHFLNv4CbXXo/edit
I've got over 20 cases, big and small, that show this correlation.
And I'd highly recommend that the leadership of this country pay attention to these lessons from history, lest they should become like the deposed French aristocrats or the unelected mayoral candidate of New London, representing the established order.
It does eventually break.
It's only in your brain that it doesn't.
And you've got to keep yourself ahead of the curve, if you're not going to play ball according to the natural laws of the world that is around you, and get yourself out of the picture in order to avoid something worse.
Doesn't matter what you do to make the effects of your actions be any different.
Cause it's only in your brain(s) that this change doesn't happen.
And that's how I know, that you and yours (elites) are going to fail.
Or should I say, current elites.
Cause we've changed before.
And we can change again.
And good luck getting back in once you're forcibly kicked out against your will and control.
Cause the world won't accept this kind of nonsense forever.
And you've got to keep yourself ahead of the curve, if you want to stay in these positions.
And adapt/sacrifice accordingly.
I know you're not really thinking about it.
You're just running the program that you've been developed with.
And it's only in your brains that it works otherwise.
So.
Good luck staying in power when the stuff begins to get hot.
Think about it.
Good luck.
Afghan Airstrikes and the Real Cost of Them
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19616356
Ugh.
We're just making more terrorists out of this than we are helping the situation.
And I'll be able to prove this hypothesis by the effects that it has on the rest of the world around us, including our own.
Shame that the politics of the matter gets in the way of that practical perspective.
But, there you go.
Think about it.
There you go.
Honestly, I'd just worry about defending our home territory from these individual folks and focus on assassinating them one by one, a la post Munich Israel.
No messy drones.
And minimal impact effect.
Think about it.
Ugh.
We're just making more terrorists out of this than we are helping the situation.
And I'll be able to prove this hypothesis by the effects that it has on the rest of the world around us, including our own.
Shame that the politics of the matter gets in the way of that practical perspective.
But, there you go.
Think about it.
There you go.
Honestly, I'd just worry about defending our home territory from these individual folks and focus on assassinating them one by one, a la post Munich Israel.
No messy drones.
And minimal impact effect.
Think about it.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Finance and the Engine of Growth
The more I learn about finance and the way
money actually works in the current systems that we have, the more I'm
convinced that the individual needs to be empowered financially to make
investments and to buy goods and services.
In order to do that, you need to redistribute the wealth down into the general population in the form of services rendered and wage increases for the general worker, some
In order to do that, you need to redistribute the wealth down into the general population in the form of services rendered and wage increases for the general worker, some
times, at the relative expense of the top earners and the top money makers.
If the rich are unable and/or unwilling to preform this kind of duty to the rest of society on their own, it then falls to the government to do it for them.
And that, is how you grow an economy.
That is how you restart an economy (possibly on different and more beneficial terms than before, in terms of species health, well being and sustainability...those non-monetary factors that keep us alive as individuals and as a species).
And it's only in your little brain that it works differently.
Try it.
And watch.
It's what got us out of the Great Depression (World War II's spending).
It's what got Europe out of the economic funk it was in post-World War II (the Marshall Plan).
And it's what will likely, get us out of the current economic mess that we're in now.
And it's only in your brain that it works otherwise.
Try it.
And don't bitch when the results come out.
I won't.
Think about it.
I won't.
If the rich are unable and/or unwilling to preform this kind of duty to the rest of society on their own, it then falls to the government to do it for them.
And that, is how you grow an economy.
That is how you restart an economy (possibly on different and more beneficial terms than before, in terms of species health, well being and sustainability...those non-monetary factors that keep us alive as individuals and as a species).
And it's only in your little brain that it works differently.
Try it.
And watch.
It's what got us out of the Great Depression (World War II's spending).
It's what got Europe out of the economic funk it was in post-World War II (the Marshall Plan).
And it's what will likely, get us out of the current economic mess that we're in now.
And it's only in your brain that it works otherwise.
Try it.
And don't bitch when the results come out.
I won't.
Think about it.
I won't.
The engine of growth needs to be restarted.
And it needs to be restarted on more sustainable and lasting terms.
Think about it.
And it needs to be restarted on more sustainable and lasting terms.
Think about it.
Zuma's Mines Pt. 2
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/201291114752935304.html
See Zuma.
Fundamental rule of BDSM theory and function:
The bottom has the ultimate control.
And the top has the freedom to do whatever they want within those parameters.
The idea is to create the sensation of lack of control on the part of the bottom in question, while the top enjoys the sensation and position of being on top.
But, if you're the top, you're ultimately going off what the bottom needs and what the bottom wants.
And that includes (in BDSM at least), the sensation and experience of having no control.
If you're unable or unwilling to do this kind of stuff, than you probably shouldn't be involved in it at all.
If you're going to be the top, than you've got to think about the bottom first.
Else, the relationship doesn't last too long.
And you're left with nothing at the end of the day, in spite of having had the opportunity to do everything.
I'm young.
But I'm not stupid.
And if the older generation wants to have respect from me.
They must first show themselves as being worthy of my respect.
Again, straight from the BDSM theory: the core basis of all human and non-human interactions, including the "vanilla" stuff.
I know you're not really thinking.
But just try to.
For once.
Think about it.
See Zuma.
Fundamental rule of BDSM theory and function:
The bottom has the ultimate control.
And the top has the freedom to do whatever they want within those parameters.
The idea is to create the sensation of lack of control on the part of the bottom in question, while the top enjoys the sensation and position of being on top.
But, if you're the top, you're ultimately going off what the bottom needs and what the bottom wants.
And that includes (in BDSM at least), the sensation and experience of having no control.
If you're unable or unwilling to do this kind of stuff, than you probably shouldn't be involved in it at all.
If you're going to be the top, than you've got to think about the bottom first.
Else, the relationship doesn't last too long.
And you're left with nothing at the end of the day, in spite of having had the opportunity to do everything.
I'm young.
But I'm not stupid.
And if the older generation wants to have respect from me.
They must first show themselves as being worthy of my respect.
Again, straight from the BDSM theory: the core basis of all human and non-human interactions, including the "vanilla" stuff.
I know you're not really thinking.
But just try to.
For once.
Think about it.
Monday, September 10, 2012
The Brain and Dualism
Contrary to what Descartes said, we are, as
human beings, just physical beings with a brain that operates on the
basis of its neurological connections. Everything else is just an
illusion produced by your brain.
Part of the human programming that makes us special, is that our brain has an override to our instincts and set connections, such that we can actively chose a different path than what's
Part of the human programming that makes us special, is that our brain has an override to our instincts and set connections, such that we can actively chose a different path than what's
been set
before in the past, such that we can adapt and improve our personal and
collective lot in a variety of different conditions and situations.
Clearly, Mr. Descartes lived in a world before the understanding of neurons, neurological connections and an improved understanding of mental health and mental illness.
QED, dualism as a hypothesis is dead.
And it's only your brain that prevents you from seeing/understanding/
Even if you believe that there is something else that's out there, like a soul, it still has to interact and express itself through the neurons that are present within the body.
You can't escape your biology.
You won't escape your biology.
And it's pretty sad that there are so many of us who can't work with this kind of comprehension about themselves and their world beyond the brain, in spite of all the evidence that points to it being otherwise.
Think about it.
Cause I know you're not really.
And you still are, in spite of that not thinking.
Think about it.
Clearly, Mr. Descartes lived in a world before the understanding of neurons, neurological connections and an improved understanding of mental health and mental illness.
QED, dualism as a hypothesis is dead.
And it's only your brain that prevents you from seeing/understanding/
Even if you believe that there is something else that's out there, like a soul, it still has to interact and express itself through the neurons that are present within the body.
You can't escape your biology.
You won't escape your biology.
And it's pretty sad that there are so many of us who can't work with this kind of comprehension about themselves and their world beyond the brain, in spite of all the evidence that points to it being otherwise.
Think about it.
Cause I know you're not really.
And you still are, in spite of that not thinking.
Think about it.
The Super Rich
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16800265
The video doesn't really answer this question. But it does give a good breakdown of the super rich.
Bear in mind that there is between 20 and 30 TRILLION dollars that is unaccounted for for taxes.
Bear in mind that the US debt is currently at about 16 trillion dollars and rising as politicians from all sides spend ineffectively and inefficiently on various projects that may have questionable effects for the country and the rest of the world.
Bear in mind that the increases in taxes on the lower and middle classes, plus the unequal distribution n pay takes away from the individual's purchasing power, such that the economy as a whole suffers as a result of the unequal distribution of wealth.
Markets require participation from as many people as possible in order to produce the best possible effects for everyone, including the owners.
And, the only limitation on this that I know we need to observe at the present, is the environmental one where we all die/are unable to continue our lifestyles as a result of our consumption and disregard for the natural world that is around us.
It's all for our own sakes, including those at the top who would be losing as a result of these changes and adaptations in government and policy.
But do you think they're going to see it like that?
Of course not.
Do you think they're going to sense and feel it like that?
Absolutely not.
Their brains won't let them.
They're not thinking.
Much like everyone else, including myself.
We're just running programs and following scripts determined by our biology.
And that includes the ability to chose a path different than our instincts.
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those that think they are free." -Goethe.
You've still got consequence.
You've still got circumstance.
You've still only got a brain and sensory organs to sort it all out with.
And it's only your brain that makes it look and feel otherwise.
Think about it.
The video doesn't really answer this question. But it does give a good breakdown of the super rich.
Bear in mind that there is between 20 and 30 TRILLION dollars that is unaccounted for for taxes.
Bear in mind that the US debt is currently at about 16 trillion dollars and rising as politicians from all sides spend ineffectively and inefficiently on various projects that may have questionable effects for the country and the rest of the world.
Bear in mind that the increases in taxes on the lower and middle classes, plus the unequal distribution n pay takes away from the individual's purchasing power, such that the economy as a whole suffers as a result of the unequal distribution of wealth.
Markets require participation from as many people as possible in order to produce the best possible effects for everyone, including the owners.
And, the only limitation on this that I know we need to observe at the present, is the environmental one where we all die/are unable to continue our lifestyles as a result of our consumption and disregard for the natural world that is around us.
It's all for our own sakes, including those at the top who would be losing as a result of these changes and adaptations in government and policy.
But do you think they're going to see it like that?
Of course not.
Do you think they're going to sense and feel it like that?
Absolutely not.
Their brains won't let them.
They're not thinking.
Much like everyone else, including myself.
We're just running programs and following scripts determined by our biology.
And that includes the ability to chose a path different than our instincts.
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those that think they are free." -Goethe.
You've still got consequence.
You've still got circumstance.
You've still only got a brain and sensory organs to sort it all out with.
And it's only your brain that makes it look and feel otherwise.
Think about it.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The Choice
The rich of the world have a choice. They can
either lose some of their wealth and maintain their positions in our
society, such that they can regain their wealth at a later date, and on a
more stable and ecologically friendly ground. Or, they can chose to
hold on to everything, and thus lose everything in the process,
including and not limited to their lives, their well being, their wealth
and
their relative positions in our world.
It's only a matter of time before the unrest that's bubbling beneath the surface rises to the top and explodes in the world, like a gigantic and angry volcano.
And it's only the brains of the elite and those who would be elite, that are preventing them from being able to see and frame the choice in front of them in these terms, for their own sake and benefit, regardless of the sakes and benefits of all those other billions of people whom they've disregarded, ignored and generally shat upon.
You don't need to believe me, in order for this to play out in the way that I've predicted. It's just based on history. And I could be getting things wrong.
But the choice is still there.
And it's only the brains of the elites that are preventing them from making the best possible choice for themselves, let alone, for everyone and everything else, in spite of their benefits and advantages to the contrary.
Who knows.
Perhaps a civil war will shake them out of their senses.
Especially when they are, eventually, overwhelmed by the forces of time and the majority of people who see what's going on in the world and know what/who is to blame for it all, and who don't make excuses for it out of ideological preference or some other reason.
It's their choice.
And we only have so much time left to make it.
Definitively,
Solidly.
Genuinely.
And conclusively.
In spite of what they'd like or think or do to make the effects of their actions be other than what they are.
Think about it.
If that's what you're really doing anyway.
Think about it.
Cause time is running out.
And we've still got an eternity to last through.
Think about it.
It's only a matter of time before the unrest that's bubbling beneath the surface rises to the top and explodes in the world, like a gigantic and angry volcano.
And it's only the brains of the elite and those who would be elite, that are preventing them from being able to see and frame the choice in front of them in these terms, for their own sake and benefit, regardless of the sakes and benefits of all those other billions of people whom they've disregarded, ignored and generally shat upon.
You don't need to believe me, in order for this to play out in the way that I've predicted. It's just based on history. And I could be getting things wrong.
But the choice is still there.
And it's only the brains of the elites that are preventing them from making the best possible choice for themselves, let alone, for everyone and everything else, in spite of their benefits and advantages to the contrary.
Who knows.
Perhaps a civil war will shake them out of their senses.
Especially when they are, eventually, overwhelmed by the forces of time and the majority of people who see what's going on in the world and know what/who is to blame for it all, and who don't make excuses for it out of ideological preference or some other reason.
It's their choice.
And we only have so much time left to make it.
Definitively,
Solidly.
Genuinely.
And conclusively.
In spite of what they'd like or think or do to make the effects of their actions be other than what they are.
Think about it.
If that's what you're really doing anyway.
Think about it.
Cause time is running out.
And we've still got an eternity to last through.
Think about it.
The Centrality of the Brain
All that you know, all that you sense, all
that you experience and all that you perceive is rooted in the core of
your brain. It's biology determines all of these aspects about
yourself, even if you believe that the "soul" as it were comes from the
outside world.
It still has to interface and interpret itself through your brain's biology.
And that is how I think it is the chief area that needs
It still has to interface and interpret itself through your brain's biology.
And that is how I think it is the chief area that needs
to
be studied and examined further, in order to improve the quality of
life for human beings and, indeed, all living things living in this
universe with us.
Who knows how the anatomy of other beings is going to work out.
It could be something completely different.
I would love to learn how to do this kind of research, and be able to do this kind of research.
However, I'm concerned about my sensed obligations to the rest of the world in the political sense, even though I am a persona non-grata at the current time.
I'd like to help.
And I'm honestly not sure that I'll ever be enabled to have that chance.
It's not just my own initiative that has to work, after all.
It's the rest of the world that's around me that needs to work as well for me.
And that, is how I am going to fail.
The world leaves me hanging.
And there's nothing I can personally do about it.
Think about it.
Cause I know the rest of the world isn't.
I'm not.
And that is how we're all going to fail.
Think about it.
Who knows how the anatomy of other beings is going to work out.
It could be something completely different.
I would love to learn how to do this kind of research, and be able to do this kind of research.
However, I'm concerned about my sensed obligations to the rest of the world in the political sense, even though I am a persona non-grata at the current time.
I'd like to help.
And I'm honestly not sure that I'll ever be enabled to have that chance.
It's not just my own initiative that has to work, after all.
It's the rest of the world that's around me that needs to work as well for me.
And that, is how I am going to fail.
The world leaves me hanging.
And there's nothing I can personally do about it.
Think about it.
Cause I know the rest of the world isn't.
I'm not.
And that is how we're all going to fail.
Think about it.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The Problem With Bought Elections
http://www.propublica.org/article/revealed-the-dark-money-group-attacking-sen-sherrod-brown
Again, it's just going to be a bought election.
Even if the Republicans win and have influence after the next election, it's still going to implode on itself eventually (sooner than we think), thanks to the misdirected approach to governance that they have and the actual ineffectiveness of their policies at doing what policy needs to do for the leadership's sake, relative to everyone and everything else in the world that's actually around them.
Atlas shurgs, and the world comes crashing down on him.
Better to keep up your support of the world. Else, leave it to those who actually can support the world, thanks to their stamina and desire to support the world, rather than try to take those positions that require work and require policy directed at others, rather than just for yourself.
Think about it.
Cause I don't think they really are.
And that, is how they're going to fail.
Think about it.
Again, it's just going to be a bought election.
Even if the Republicans win and have influence after the next election, it's still going to implode on itself eventually (sooner than we think), thanks to the misdirected approach to governance that they have and the actual ineffectiveness of their policies at doing what policy needs to do for the leadership's sake, relative to everyone and everything else in the world that's actually around them.
Atlas shurgs, and the world comes crashing down on him.
Better to keep up your support of the world. Else, leave it to those who actually can support the world, thanks to their stamina and desire to support the world, rather than try to take those positions that require work and require policy directed at others, rather than just for yourself.
Think about it.
Cause I don't think they really are.
And that, is how they're going to fail.
Think about it.
Right Hemisphere Governance and International Relations
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/09/201297134941881703.html
I hate this labeling, chiefly because it creates one more layer of separation between the actuality of what an organization is/does, and what we're able to tell about them.
It wouldn't be so bad if it were just something that we did for the sake of the general public.
I honestly believe that our leadership believes and follows these produced, abstract definitions of others and groups of others, such that they're never really working closely with what actually is in the world that is around them.
They're only working with re-presentations of the world that is around them.
And while that is the case for us all, it does seem to appear that there are some who are more in touch with that objective world that is around us. And frequently, they're not the ones who are in actual power and control of the world, such that the abstraction wins out over the real, and poor choices are made with opportunities lost.
Should we be fighting the Haqqani Network?
Personally, I think our best offense is in our defense, and that we should be spending our time looking at defending our home than going out to fight the battles abroad.
But, that's clearly just me and my thinking.
I'm willing to bet that it's less costly, in terms of finances, troops, troop morale and public relations, than it is to go out and fight others in their homes and in their territories.
Let the Pakistanis deal with the Haqqanis, I think.
Let the Afghans deal with Afghan business.
How is it that it becomes our business?
Sure, we're in a global world.
We've always been tending towards a global world for a long time.
But should we be spending the social, economic, financial and military capital to do counter-productive operations that fuel resentment towards the United States?
I honestly don't think that our leaders take that into consideration.
And that, is how we fail so badly in terms of geo-politics and international relations, that we end up having to tuck tail and leave more often than not, when push comes to actual shove.
Just like the British.
Silly brains.
Think about it.
If that's what you're doing.
Think about it.
I hate this labeling, chiefly because it creates one more layer of separation between the actuality of what an organization is/does, and what we're able to tell about them.
It wouldn't be so bad if it were just something that we did for the sake of the general public.
I honestly believe that our leadership believes and follows these produced, abstract definitions of others and groups of others, such that they're never really working closely with what actually is in the world that is around them.
They're only working with re-presentations of the world that is around them.
And while that is the case for us all, it does seem to appear that there are some who are more in touch with that objective world that is around us. And frequently, they're not the ones who are in actual power and control of the world, such that the abstraction wins out over the real, and poor choices are made with opportunities lost.
Should we be fighting the Haqqani Network?
Personally, I think our best offense is in our defense, and that we should be spending our time looking at defending our home than going out to fight the battles abroad.
But, that's clearly just me and my thinking.
I'm willing to bet that it's less costly, in terms of finances, troops, troop morale and public relations, than it is to go out and fight others in their homes and in their territories.
Let the Pakistanis deal with the Haqqanis, I think.
Let the Afghans deal with Afghan business.
How is it that it becomes our business?
Sure, we're in a global world.
We've always been tending towards a global world for a long time.
But should we be spending the social, economic, financial and military capital to do counter-productive operations that fuel resentment towards the United States?
I honestly don't think that our leaders take that into consideration.
And that, is how we fail so badly in terms of geo-politics and international relations, that we end up having to tuck tail and leave more often than not, when push comes to actual shove.
Just like the British.
Silly brains.
Think about it.
If that's what you're doing.
Think about it.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Really Cool Stuff
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html
Wow.
"Social change came before economic change."
Or does economic change sometimes bring social change with it as well?
What about the rise of Capitalism and the burghers in Europe?
Nevermind, you had the Reformation and the general questioning of the Catholic Church first, before the burghers took over the aristocracy.
Now, I think we're about to see something similar occur here, in the West, as the Capitalist class continues to drag its feet on dealing with the problems that it caused, while the rest of the world flounders.
It may not be as Marx predicted it.
It was certainly not time enough.
But there has been a significant social change in the West since the 1960's and '70's.
And, I think that's about to display itself in the economic and political world, very soon (in relative terms).
Possibly within my lifetime.
Possibly in the coming years, depending on what happens in the United States and Europe economically.
And it's only in your brain, I think, that it's not going to happen.
And that the wise person, who wishes to maintain control and power in this world will adapt to it, rather than fight it, such that they can see the next day, rather than be killed off in the night that we're currently in/could be heading in to.
Think about it.
"Social change came before economic change."
I wonder if that's more true than the other way around, or other hypotheses.
Think about it.
Wow.
"Social change came before economic change."
Or does economic change sometimes bring social change with it as well?
What about the rise of Capitalism and the burghers in Europe?
Nevermind, you had the Reformation and the general questioning of the Catholic Church first, before the burghers took over the aristocracy.
Now, I think we're about to see something similar occur here, in the West, as the Capitalist class continues to drag its feet on dealing with the problems that it caused, while the rest of the world flounders.
It may not be as Marx predicted it.
It was certainly not time enough.
But there has been a significant social change in the West since the 1960's and '70's.
And, I think that's about to display itself in the economic and political world, very soon (in relative terms).
Possibly within my lifetime.
Possibly in the coming years, depending on what happens in the United States and Europe economically.
And it's only in your brain, I think, that it's not going to happen.
And that the wise person, who wishes to maintain control and power in this world will adapt to it, rather than fight it, such that they can see the next day, rather than be killed off in the night that we're currently in/could be heading in to.
Think about it.
"Social change came before economic change."
I wonder if that's more true than the other way around, or other hypotheses.
Think about it.
How to Get Out of Problems and Other Political Questions
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-september-6-2012/hope-and-change-2---barack-obama--it-could-have-been-worse
Yeah.
It's mediocre at best.
And, judging by how easily the Democrats cow to the Republican bully machine, I don't think it's going to be any better than it was before.
That said though: http://
I don't think that things are really going to be better off if we go the other way either.
In fact, I think they could get a lot worse.
This is what I mean by throwing a race to win more in the future.
You stick by your guns.
Take the hit.
And then emerge victorious when the other folks fuck up, due to bad foresight and a petty intention.
Just because you lose at times, doesn't mean that you can't sustain political longevity, especially when you focus on what is known in Buddhism the 8 fold path of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. You can test for what constitutes all of these things in the demonstrable world around you.
And, while you may not always win in the shortest term of it, you will always win in the long term which, always, becomes the shortest term eventually.
And, it's only your brain and sensory organs that limit your ability to sense these things and be able to work with them for your own benefit and your own sake, which then translates into everyone's sake and everyone's benefit when push comes to the actual shove of it.
Do no harm in government and in policy making.
And you will have the Kingdom (so to speak) on Earth, in spite of the difficulties, challenges and problems that you encounter along the way.
Be aware of your own actions and how they effect the world that's around you.
And think about it.
If that's what you're honestly doing.
Think about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path
Yeah.
It's mediocre at best.
And, judging by how easily the Democrats cow to the Republican bully machine, I don't think it's going to be any better than it was before.
That said though: http://
I don't think that things are really going to be better off if we go the other way either.
In fact, I think they could get a lot worse.
This is what I mean by throwing a race to win more in the future.
You stick by your guns.
Take the hit.
And then emerge victorious when the other folks fuck up, due to bad foresight and a petty intention.
Just because you lose at times, doesn't mean that you can't sustain political longevity, especially when you focus on what is known in Buddhism the 8 fold path of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. You can test for what constitutes all of these things in the demonstrable world around you.
And, while you may not always win in the shortest term of it, you will always win in the long term which, always, becomes the shortest term eventually.
And, it's only your brain and sensory organs that limit your ability to sense these things and be able to work with them for your own benefit and your own sake, which then translates into everyone's sake and everyone's benefit when push comes to the actual shove of it.
Do no harm in government and in policy making.
And you will have the Kingdom (so to speak) on Earth, in spite of the difficulties, challenges and problems that you encounter along the way.
Be aware of your own actions and how they effect the world that's around you.
And think about it.
If that's what you're honestly doing.
Think about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path
Obama's Re-Election and the Collective Brain of Society
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/09/201296154142269546.html
I'm still not voting for him.
If I were living in a close state, I would, considering that would be an opportunity to head off Mr. Romney who would destroy this country with policies that did so 12 and 30 years ago.
But I'm in Connecticut.
And I can express my dislike for Mr. Obama and the Democrats' lack of apparent willingness to fix the fundamental problems within our system, domestically and internationally, for the demonstrable and tangible better.
Sure, it may lead to them losing seats for a short period of time.
But when people see what the alternative is, they'll be willing to vote them back in. Especially after seeing the benefits of the real alternative to our current system of government really are.
Think about it.
Obama.
Democrats.
This is a period of transition and change.
You cannot hold to the small "c" conservative stance.
Especially as the general public continues to languish in the state that it's in, while the billionaires and millionaires make off with the rest, and the interests misdirect our policies from what actually works best for our people and our world.
I'm willing to stake everything on change happening in this world.
It's one of the 3 things that you can always count on, along with death and taxes.
Even my system will one day fall by the way side and no longer work for our species.
And we will have to come up with a new way of doing business, with new policies to match the current needs and conditions that we find ourselves in.
I'm just offering a method and a logic for doing this.
And, as I've said before, it's only your brain that makes it a difficult thin to accept, work with and put into action for your own sake.
As well as for everyone and everything elses' sake, that you are connected to inseparably and intrinsically, whether you like it or not. And whether you wish to have it be so or not.
Think about it.
Cause I know you're not, really.
You're just following whatever program is engrained in your brain.
But we do have, as part of our program, the ability to do something different than what we've been doing before.
Even if it takes a tremendous amount of effort and pain on our part to do it.
We'll be better off than we were before.
And that, is how Barack Obama is, technically, the superior candidate to Mitt Romney.
Even if I think he's not in the fullest of fullest of senses.
I can vote against him without causing much of a stir.
What are you going to do on November 6th?
Think about it.
Cause this is how we begin to recover.
Slowly.
But surely.
Choosing a different path than what was done before.
Such that we can deal with the problems at hand effectively.
And move ourselves forward, in spite of the efforts to bring us back to an imagined past that never was, never is, and never will be. In spite of the efforts to make it be otherwise.
Think about it.
And vote.
Think about it.
May this transition be done as easily and as smoothly as possible, with the least amount of ill effects for everyone and everything else.
May the truth of the situation be brought to light, and may those who are responsible for the destruction of our world reveal themselves to the general public for what and who they are, such that they can no longer destroy the sanctity and peace of our world.
It will only be a matter of time before that peace is destroyed again.
But may we learn how to handle those problems effectively for everyone's sake, including for the people who end up being in charge.
Because it does reflect back on them, when push comes to actual shove, as so clearly demonstrated by all political transitions involving failed leadership.
Think about it.
Cause I know you're not, really.
Think about it.
I'm still not voting for him.
If I were living in a close state, I would, considering that would be an opportunity to head off Mr. Romney who would destroy this country with policies that did so 12 and 30 years ago.
But I'm in Connecticut.
And I can express my dislike for Mr. Obama and the Democrats' lack of apparent willingness to fix the fundamental problems within our system, domestically and internationally, for the demonstrable and tangible better.
Sure, it may lead to them losing seats for a short period of time.
But when people see what the alternative is, they'll be willing to vote them back in. Especially after seeing the benefits of the real alternative to our current system of government really are.
Think about it.
Obama.
Democrats.
This is a period of transition and change.
You cannot hold to the small "c" conservative stance.
Especially as the general public continues to languish in the state that it's in, while the billionaires and millionaires make off with the rest, and the interests misdirect our policies from what actually works best for our people and our world.
I'm willing to stake everything on change happening in this world.
It's one of the 3 things that you can always count on, along with death and taxes.
Even my system will one day fall by the way side and no longer work for our species.
And we will have to come up with a new way of doing business, with new policies to match the current needs and conditions that we find ourselves in.
I'm just offering a method and a logic for doing this.
And, as I've said before, it's only your brain that makes it a difficult thin to accept, work with and put into action for your own sake.
As well as for everyone and everything elses' sake, that you are connected to inseparably and intrinsically, whether you like it or not. And whether you wish to have it be so or not.
Think about it.
Cause I know you're not, really.
You're just following whatever program is engrained in your brain.
But we do have, as part of our program, the ability to do something different than what we've been doing before.
Even if it takes a tremendous amount of effort and pain on our part to do it.
We'll be better off than we were before.
And that, is how Barack Obama is, technically, the superior candidate to Mitt Romney.
Even if I think he's not in the fullest of fullest of senses.
I can vote against him without causing much of a stir.
What are you going to do on November 6th?
Think about it.
Cause this is how we begin to recover.
Slowly.
But surely.
Choosing a different path than what was done before.
Such that we can deal with the problems at hand effectively.
And move ourselves forward, in spite of the efforts to bring us back to an imagined past that never was, never is, and never will be. In spite of the efforts to make it be otherwise.
Think about it.
And vote.
Think about it.
May this transition be done as easily and as smoothly as possible, with the least amount of ill effects for everyone and everything else.
May the truth of the situation be brought to light, and may those who are responsible for the destruction of our world reveal themselves to the general public for what and who they are, such that they can no longer destroy the sanctity and peace of our world.
It will only be a matter of time before that peace is destroyed again.
But may we learn how to handle those problems effectively for everyone's sake, including for the people who end up being in charge.
Because it does reflect back on them, when push comes to actual shove, as so clearly demonstrated by all political transitions involving failed leadership.
Think about it.
Cause I know you're not, really.
Think about it.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
American Excpetionalism
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/opinion/its-mitts-world.html?_r=3&ref=columnists&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29
It's the anti-social, "I don't know what's up with them" kind of leadership that we saw under President Bush.
Frankly, I would love to see how their brains work when it comes to interacting with others, especially considering how destructive it really is to our relations and our demonstrable relative position in the world. I think it's important for the United States to be respected and liked above all things in the world. Leadership itself comes from our initiative and our polite, courteous and calculated encouragement of others.
I don't understand how people still think that American exceptionalism is still something that's worth campaigning on and using in the rest of the world. We're not an exception to anything, especially the consequences of our interactions with the rest of the world.
And it's only a product of the brains of others, that we are, actually, and "exception" in the world, relative to everyone and everything else.
Think about it.
Cause I don't think that the people who are in charge really are.
I honestly think they're just running the program that is determined by their brain's hardware/software, just like everyone else's.
And it's proving to be an incredibly caustic influence on their own worlds, as well as for others' worlds.
Silly brains.
That, is how they fail.
Silly brains.
It's the anti-social, "I don't know what's up with them" kind of leadership that we saw under President Bush.
Frankly, I would love to see how their brains work when it comes to interacting with others, especially considering how destructive it really is to our relations and our demonstrable relative position in the world. I think it's important for the United States to be respected and liked above all things in the world. Leadership itself comes from our initiative and our polite, courteous and calculated encouragement of others.
I don't understand how people still think that American exceptionalism is still something that's worth campaigning on and using in the rest of the world. We're not an exception to anything, especially the consequences of our interactions with the rest of the world.
And it's only a product of the brains of others, that we are, actually, and "exception" in the world, relative to everyone and everything else.
Think about it.
Cause I don't think that the people who are in charge really are.
I honestly think they're just running the program that is determined by their brain's hardware/software, just like everyone else's.
And it's proving to be an incredibly caustic influence on their own worlds, as well as for others' worlds.
Silly brains.
That, is how they fail.
Silly brains.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Le Parti Quebecois
- As far as I'm concerned, you've always got the option to adapt and change to the situation that presents itself to you.
If you don't want Quebec to leave.
Or you want to stay in power.
You've got to shift your political sails to fit with the current conditions.
Else, you're setting yourself up for a catastrophic failure.
And this is the pattern that has been demonstrated time and time again throughout time and space.
It's only your brain that limits you from perceiving these trends.
And it's only your brains that prevents you from following through on a given course of action, such that you only end up with a relatively lesser loss, versus a relatively greater one now or down the road.
Remember, the short term becomes the long term.
And, it's only your brain that causes you difficulty from perceiving and acting positively upon this notion and these notions that are, actually, in the world that is around you and yours, testably so.
So.
What are you going to do kids?
You going to keep doing what you've been doing, and expect things be other than what they are for you, thus, being removed from power and consequence through elections/physical force?
Or, are YOU going to change, adapt to the conditions, and thus, secure your position well on into the future and beyond (if you keep up with the adaptation, of course. That's the catch.)
Leadership is not doing what you want to do, but instead, what needs to be done in the world that's around you.
And that, is the lesson that, I think, the many people of the world don't understand and don't work with.
And that, is how they fail at leadership and fail at what they seek out to do, when the push comes to the actual shove of it.
Think about it.
If that's what you're really doing.
Think about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4EqjvnWfRM
If you want to do whatever you want to do, I'd stick with the creative arts.
And leave policy and politics to those who are willing/wanting to do what is right in the empirical sense.
And not just in their personal subjective sense.
Think about it.
And, good luck.
Think about it.
Chuck Norris and the Craziness of Republicans
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/04/chuck-norris-obama-reelection-1000-years-of-darkness-mitt-romney_n_1854309.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
That's the sum total of the Republican Party for ya.
Rich, delusional, paranoid and aging white men, and the, frankly, ignorant folks who follow them.
Honestly, I wish we knew how their brains operated and came to such inane conclusions that don't match the way the world works on the outside of it.
Will Obama bring 1000 years of darkness?
Probably not.
Will he not likely do or be able to do anything effective to deal with our problems?
Probably yes.
And that will trigger more problems for himself, his party and anyone else who happens to be in defacto or de jur power, because it triggers so much for everyone and everything else that's in the world around them.
The fact that these folks can't see or won't see, is entirely caused by functions in their brains.
And, I honestly wish we knew more about these pathological conditions, such that we could effectively work with and treat them, rather than let them spew their inane and unsensed actions all over the world.
For their sake.
As much as for everyone and everything elses' sake.
Think about it.
Cause I don't think they really are.
And it's a shame for them and a shame for us, as things don't get better and continue to stay the same, get worse or only marginally improve.
It's a shame.
Think about it.
That's the sum total of the Republican Party for ya.
Rich, delusional, paranoid and aging white men, and the, frankly, ignorant folks who follow them.
Honestly, I wish we knew how their brains operated and came to such inane conclusions that don't match the way the world works on the outside of it.
Will Obama bring 1000 years of darkness?
Probably not.
Will he not likely do or be able to do anything effective to deal with our problems?
Probably yes.
And that will trigger more problems for himself, his party and anyone else who happens to be in defacto or de jur power, because it triggers so much for everyone and everything else that's in the world around them.
The fact that these folks can't see or won't see, is entirely caused by functions in their brains.
And, I honestly wish we knew more about these pathological conditions, such that we could effectively work with and treat them, rather than let them spew their inane and unsensed actions all over the world.
For their sake.
As much as for everyone and everything elses' sake.
Think about it.
Cause I don't think they really are.
And it's a shame for them and a shame for us, as things don't get better and continue to stay the same, get worse or only marginally improve.
It's a shame.
Think about it.
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What a very Anglo response to the conflict.
I'd like to see how the Parti Quebecois governs Quebec.
And, we'll see how their quality of life differs from that of the Anglo-Canadian world.
Lessons that could be learned here, in the United States.
If only we weren't governed by Anglos.
Think about it.