«To the Iranian people, to all the fathers, mothers, children, brothers and sisters
For there to be a war between us, first we must be afraid of each other, we must hate. I’m not afraid of you, I don’t hate you. I don t even know you. No Iranian ever did me no harm. I never even met an Iranian. Just one in Paris in a museum. Nice dude.
I see sometime here, on the TV, an Iranian. He is talking about war. I’m sure he does not represent all the people of Iran. If you see someone on your TV talking about bombing you – be sure he does not represent all of us.
I’m not an official representative of my country. I m a father and a teacher. I know the streets of my town, I talk with my neighbors, my family, my students, my friends and in the name of all these people, we love you. We mean you no harm. On the contrary, we want to meet, have some coffee and talk about sports.
To all those who feel the same, share this message and help it reach the Iranian people. Ronny, tel aviv»
48 hours after Ronny posted the page (March 19th) he got answers from Iranians. As I write this (March 24th), he got over 30’500 likes. Here it is another campaign with over 6500 likes already:
Peace fingers
Wow! I love to imagine how revolution spreads to Iran (again), from the Arabs to the Jews, finally to the christian and hindu world. All ending in one big r-evol-ution. Has it really started, the myth of 2012? The Change? Is evolution to bring mind on a new level? Families to unite over interreligious borders? Bringing peace to the Middle East? Nationalism is dead. It has to be!
Two years ago I wrote a blog because there were some news about 212 people who had freeze to death – in Europe. I just read about over 300 more this winter.
What the heck! Is it just me, or… you know, I mean… why is this not a scandal? It would be if people woud die of hunger – why not in this case? Europe is the root of social democracy – why do we let that happen?
Greece wants to push privatization of state enterprises for dept reduction. (For reasons why the IWF wants that see the movie «Let’s make money».)
35% of IPhone or Android smartphone owners check an app while still in bed in the morning. Social Networks are the most popular apps (Study on behalf of Ericsson).
A lecture about sexual fetishes at the Northwestern University in Chicago was canceled, because the prof invited the students to a live demonstration of sex toys and the female orgasm after the lecture. Parents went amok.
As you may know, Osama Bin Laden got killed last monday. Most probably I think because one wanted to avoid the possibility of terror acts to release Osama.
Finally I stumbled over the term «autopoiesis», a term used in system theory. Sociological systems (after Lehmann) are not made by actors, but only by communication. Sociological systems produce and reproduce themselves through communication. Reference points are only seemingly actors or the environment (you and me), in fact the reference point of communication is an inner picture that follows the system’s own laws (the system’s dogmas), thus communication uses itself as reference.
Cross-linked or caught thinking?
Translated that means things like «murder and violence is bad», «greed is bad», «sex is bad», «produce CO2 is bad», but «killing Osama Bin Laden is good», «cheating for riches is good» (especially if you don’t see the betrayed ones, eg. with shares), «having sex is good» (at least if you don’t talk about), and «being always on the move is good» too (or else you may start to feel yourself).
Obviously it’s something wrong here, but as long as one stays in the autopoiesic system there’s no conflict because one follows the system’s rules: One is system blind. The consequence is that there is no big chance to change the world from outside or top-down, simply because there is nothing wrong in communications if everyone agrees to the inconsistence.
To change for a New World, each of us has to leave the autopoiesic system – change from inside out is the only way. True is not what you see or hear, nor what you think (well, sometimes) – true is what feels just right in your heart. So, we need an autopoiesic system of hearts – not of communications – because your heart will never fail if you listen quietly. (Don’t let your brain fool you about this: Your heart doesn’t talk in your head!)
This is very complex stuff to fill books, and English is not my mother tongue. If you don’t like to ask or meditate about this, you may better check in your bed before sleep what your Facebook friends had for dinner today. «That is good – this text is tiring (aka bad)». Maybe check your «Greece Ltd» shares too, they might have put on a revolution to ruin you (not to get their country back).
Well, I’m not sure about the role these two would like to play in the process, but according to a survey in the US 73% of male teenagers aged between 11 and 18 have wishes mainly for their personal advantage, while only 46% of female teenagers are egocentric in the same degree. About 25% of girls and 9% of boy had altruistic wishes for their families. 110 teens were asked for 3 wishes – this are not many teens, but I think the numbers exceed any possible statistical failure.
85% had personal wishes, 32% considered others with one or more. Personal wishes were riches (41%), followed by an object to own (30%) and skills (17% for school, 16% in sports). 14% wished for superpowers or more wishes, which reminds me of «If I’m as intelligent as I think I am clever, I’m still plenty stupid enough.»
Girls wanted to be happy, boys to have success. 20% of the teens wished for world peace. Wow! Sadly there are no percentages how that split between boys and girls, but probably that’s not hard to guess. The survey was presented on the conference of Pediatric Academic Societies in Denver, Colorado.
If I remember my self, my wishes hadn’t changed in my youth and since then just a bit: Back then environment protection, world peace and to be a rock star – today that the collective human mind finally evolves in the third millennium, everyone becomes a mystic and to have some more gigs, with a small fee, charges and a dinner. How about you?
If we let the boys rule the world onward, the future status symbol may look like this:
Carriage Hummer (www.gillout.com)
What a sexy thing that is: Depending on equipment with one to eight horse powers, oats engine with pinch ignition, my father would have said! Like he used to ask: What is the most stupid ethnos? The men people. Now please argue, you have no chance – shakti rules!
Das alles ist unendlich tragisch und auch so unnötig. Man weiss, dass es Tsunamis gibt, 10m und mehr. Man weiss, Atomreaktoren sind eine Hochrisiko-Technologie. Man weiss, dass die Geschichte einem lehrt, dass man aus der Geschichte lernen sollte. Nur reicht nie eine einzelne Havarie – nicht mal deren zwei, wenn sie nicht genug gross sind, zu wenig Opfer fordern oder zeitlich auseinander liegen. Oder einfach, weil man nur bis eins zählen kann – was bedeuten müsste, dass wir es gar nicht können.
Kernschmelzen
Schwarz-gelbe Glhbirnen (2011) (Klick für Quelle)
Jetzt ist ja eine erste, ungefähre Statistik möglich: Seit 1942 gab es 10 Kernschmelzen (wenn ich auf Wikipedia richtig zählte). Unfälle der Stufen INES 3 – 4 gelten für den Gesetzgeber als GAU (grösster anzunehmender Unfall/Auslegungsstörfall), was meinen will, dass ein AKW bei uns eine Strahlenfreisetzung bis zur Stufe INES 4 von der Umwelt isolieren können müsste. Wieso bloss können sie das nicht?
Blöderweise gibt es da noch die Stufen INES 5 bis 7. Tschernobyl und Fukushima gelten als Stufe 6, Three Mile Island und Tokai-mura als Stufe 5. Ausser Tokai-mura (Brennelementefabrik) waren alle drei teilweise oder ganze (Tschernobyl) Kernschmelzen, die von ihrer Natur her NICHT kontrollierbar sind, also nur Glück schlimmeres verhindern kann.
Bei einer auf AKW-Unfälle fokussierten Rechnung mit Kernschmelzen seit 1942 ergibt sich ein Mittel von einem Super-GAU auf 23.3, eine Kernschmelze alle 7 Jahre.
Also alle 7 Jahre ein zufälliges Nicht-Auftreten eines INES grösser 4, der zuverlässig durchschnittlich alle 23 Jahre eine Atomgruppe engagiert, die dann einen strahlenden Auftritt hat. Dieses Risiko wird man vermutlich wieder eingehen, da man meint, keine Alternativen zu haben. Die Politikermehrheit wird – nach anfänglichem, wahltaktischem Hyperaktivismus – da nichts ändern, wenn WIR sie nicht dazu bewegen. Aber genau dasselbe WIR braucht immer mehr Energie, mehr PS, mehr Stoff, zum Wachstum, zur Verschwendung, you know.
Ohne Super-Duper-Hyper-Mega-unglaublich-alles-killende-mega-GAU (ob ökonomisch, ökologisch, nuklear, oder wie auch immer) wird die Wachstums-Kuh nicht geschlachtet werden. Die zig blauen Augen, die wir längst haben, reichen nicht. Es wurde bis kürzlich kein Beben der Stärke 9 gemessen, wie auch kein INES 7. Das Beben hatten wir. Schon blöd, wenn man nicht zählen kann.
Von daher, ja, scheisse nochmal, hoffe ich, dass die Winde der Evolution uns gut gesonnen sind und möglichst viel von Japan für die nächsten 20’000 Jahre zur Sperrzone machen. Aber selbst hier halte ich menschliche Kollektive für fähig, das mit den Jahren unter „Shit happens – so what?“ ab zu buchen. Immerhin: Radioaktive Wahle werden sie wohl nicht mehr essen. Ist das nun gut oder schlecht?
Die wirkliche Katastrophe finde ich, wie der Positiv-GAU in Bahrain mit Unterstützung anderer Emirate (und damit amerikanischer) nieder geknüppelt wird. Der Anfang einer selbständigen, selbstverwalteten und unabhängigen Arabischen Welt könnte heute wohl nicht nur Kick sein für eine Energiewende, sondern auch für eine globalpolitische…
Die Halbwertszeit von Information
Information (Klick für Quelle)
„Interessant“ ist nur, wo’s am meisten Tote gibt. So scheint Ägypten jetzt schon wieder vergessen zu sein. Die Halbwertszeit menschlicher Erinnerungen scheint direkt abhängig von der Zahl der Toten. Wer erinnert sich denn noch an den letzten Tsunami? Das waren 230’000 Opfer, 2004, 6 Jahre: Ein Jahr Medienaufmerksamkeit für knapp 40’000 Tote – das ist nicht billig, das ist gratis. Wer sprach vor letztem Freitag noch von Tschernobyl ausser WoZ, Publik Forum und ARTE?
Nachweislich sinnlose Kriege, hyper-Öko- oder Finanz-super-GAU, Höhere Gewalten: egal, nichts hilft. Ich finde, man sollte global die Forschung darauf konzentrieren, die Halbwertszeiten von Plutonium und Erinnerungen zu tauschen. Ein solches oder anderes Wunder wird wohl nötig sein, um das Wunder Bewusstsein zu retten. Aber wer sagt, dass Wunder unsterblich sein müssten: Radioaktiver Abfall ist gar kein Wunder und trotzdem (annähernd) unsterblich; zehn-, zwanzigtausend Jahre sind ja schon mal nicht schlecht.
Hirnschmelze
Zur Zeit könnte ich all den neoliberalen und anderen gebildeten Idioten den Kopf abreissen, um die Biomasse den Ozeanen zurück zu führen. Eine Milliarde Einheiten dürften da schon zusammen kommen, auch wenn man die mit Zivilisationsgiften kontaminierten in die Sondermüllverbrennung umleitet. Das Ganze wäre ethisch sauber: Idioten sind keine Volksgruppe und schon gar keine Minderheit. Ok, Idioten mit viel Macht vielleicht schon – aber die nehmen es auch nicht immer so genau; die verstehen das. Sonst soll Berlusconi gute Workshops geben, hübscher Busen vorausgesetzt.
Nein, die Welt ist nicht fair, und ich auch nicht – Funktionen haben keine Moral. So wenig wie Hochrisiko-Technologien. Als Mensch bin ich wohl eine.
It’s facinating to see the world’s regions in a kind of likewise status: The fear of Islam and migration gave us a distinctive shift to the right, with a result of xenophobic politics and things like the initiative for a minarett ban. The sudden popularity of nationalism amd rassism surprised politicians and intellectuals. Now is the same thing in the Middle East: Politicians, despots and intellectuals are surprised how fast peaceful protests spread all over the region. The global public was not aware how near the tipping points were and are. Me included.
So the questions coming up: Who benefits from the situation? And why now?
I think the economic crisis plays a major role in the game. Costs of living are rising everywhere. And like my father alway said: You can deny your people food or the right to speak – but not both. And the crisis took the food (through price increase) – so people stand up, where they cannot speak (or are not heard).
Then, if one would belive in conspiracies, it could be a modern kind of scorched earth policy: If we cannot have them, nobody should have them – where nobody is China. China can can get economic control – what it will – but not political anymore, because the corrupt leaders are gone. If a country becomes democratic, it becomes self-determined. You can control a despot in a direct manner, but not a democracy: Berlusconi cannot control Italy like Gadhaffi can do in Lybia.
So if the economic crisis is a contingency like 9/11, then it was damn good luck for the neoliberals, always in the right time. First a long game of dominating the Middle East, which was control though a kind of balance of force (terror vs repression). When it got to dangerous, the USA made its threat real to gain balance again: We CAN shoot! But the islamic world was not terrorized. The attempt to conquer Iraq followed, politically possible because of 9/11: Democracy through a military strategy. Then the crisis, government depts, new credits, austerity policies, price increases, you know the stuff.
Trend (Gerd Altmann, pixelio.de)
Everything is, if not good, perfect for the neoliberals. Either way to redistribute money from down upwards, to gain profit in other ways or to buy stability and control. If it works like this the crisis was a high price, yes, but the bill is paid by you and me. Banks get our money through old-age provisions, make governments to need money, lend it, and we pay the interest for our own money throuigh taxes. And they get all the transaction fees. Crappy game.
However, I wish the New World Movement will be as «lucky» in the next decades as the Neoliberals were in the last. It’s facinating to see that not only the powerful can play the claviature of fear! I bet the cumulative fear of all regimes right now is a global record. Satisfactory to see the masses stay calm allthou they get shot at and that thugs cannot seed riots. All together I think it’s a sign and the world is not the same anymore, inshallah!
I’m sure all of you know books and films about corporate groups or governments trying to establish split societies in some kind to secure the position of the upper caste. Usually they have the monopoly on violence, the others have ideology and some clubs.
Or an archer’s bow, like the probably – at least in western culture area – most famous english outlaw. Or the legend of Willhelm Tell here in Switzerland. Well, I don’t want to get melodramatic. 🙂
As I see the world, we are going to lose what unions and social parties where fighting for in the last hundred years. And the most frustrating is: We’re losing it in a democratic way. We vote for less freedom, less wealth, more animosity, while the upper caste gets richer than ever. We let our fears stoke and shut ourselves away in nationalism and fanaticism. We’re freezing, while bullets of social, economical and ecological disasters are howling in one’s ears.
Now, knowledge – here we are again. As long as lower classes got some democratic power, today’s politics work as long as the public doesn’t know about real motivations of the upper class. Ever wanted to be a fly on a wall while some ruling men (yes, men – usually no women) speaking clear words? Wikileaks is your ticket!
For some decades leading think tanks believed that free societies and free markets will be followed automatically by wealth. That is not completely untrue, but we see that this philosophy ignores health of life and the globe – the neoliberal market is backfiring at our livelihoods. Equally the free Internet – THE synonym for a free society – is backfiring now: in form of Wikileaks. A truly free Internet is not compatible with a two class society – that is what we can see now and what is, or was, science fiction.
That is why today’s free Internet is so important for future – or so dangerous, for them. If we will get some china-like Internet – and I’m sure they will try, e.g. in the name of terrorism – cheerless science fiction will come true, a second Dark Age. Maybe we can see China as testing area for the successor philosophy of neoliberalism.
To be clear: I don’t believe in a global, one voice conspiracy towards a two class society, more in a system of similar believes which makes competitive groups to friends because of the same enemy: That is loss of power and wealth in the own clan. And maybe a few ideologists who believe in Social Darwinism. But I don’t need to tell you that we are here to help each other…
In der TCS-Zeitung war heute ein Artikel, der sich mit der Zunahme von «Velorowdies», die Rotlichter missachten und auf dem Trottoir fahren, befasste. Die Aufforderung «…schwingen sie sich als Autofahrer auch gelegentlich aufs Stahross? Erleben sie dann alles anders? Schreiben sie uns…» konnte ich natürlich als autofahrender Autohasser nicht ignorieren. Mein Leserbrief ist weiter unten.
Cover «Totalschaden. Das Autohasserbuch»
Kürzlich, in einem Artikel in der WoZ stellte Mracel Hänggi zwei Bücher vor: «Totalschaden. Das Autohasserbuch» von Klaus Gietinger (Westend Verlag. Frankfurt am Main 2010) und «Virus Auto. Die Geschichte einer Zerstörung» von Hermann Knoflacher (Ueberreuter, Wien 2009). Im Artikel sagt er: «Nun, ich habe Kinder, bin Fussgänger und Radfahrer – wie käme ich dazu, Autos nicht zu hassen?» Heute so etwas zu sagen, ist ja fast politisch unkorrekt.
Glücklicherweise durfte ich schon vor längerem begreifen, dass alles immer multifaktoriell begründet ist. Aller Anfang macht die urmännliche Faszination, zu pilotieren, über etwas die Kontrolle und Macht zu haben, zu dirigieren. Im eigenen Territorium sitzend herum zu steuern macht in der Konsequenz unseres biologischen Erbes im Stammhirn jeden, der im Wege steht, zum Eindringling. Bei Motorrad- und Velofahrern oder Fussgängerrowdies kommen natürlich auch andere Faktoren zum Zuge (z.B. Adrenalin durch Geschwindigkeit oder anderes, das einem das Gefühl gibt, am Leben zu sein), doch der Endeffekt – dass mann (und immer mehr auch frau) in einem Kanal Konfrontation sucht, um innere Spannung abzubauen, die nichts mit der provozierten Situation zu tun haben – bleibt der selbe. Die heutige Verkehrsdichte eröffnet dieser Form von Psychohygiene das Paradies. Die erhöhten Spannungen, unter denen immer mehr Menschen stehen, machen den Strassenverkehr zu einem Reizthema.
Heisse Emotionen ums Auto
Dieser Bickwinkel macht auch verständlich, weshalb man sich entschuldigen muss, wenn man was gegen Autos hat: Es ist das eigene Territorium, das es zu schützen gilt. Gesehen im Lichte Neuronaler Schaltkreise nach Leary erstaunt es nicht, dass eher jüngere Menschen dieser Dynamik im eigentlichen Sinn zum Opfer fallen. Älteren Menschen mit entwickelterem Ratio beschränken sich eher darauf, mit ihrem mobilen Territorialanspruch zu protzen.
In Momenten, die mich mit derartigen Dynamiken konfrontieren, werde ich tatsächlich zum Autohasser, obwohl Autos nichts dafür können (übertroffen einzig von den unglaublich stinkenden Zweitaktern mit dem Rasenmäherklang). In meinem Stammhirn sind sie dann Platzhalter für machohafte Dämlichkeit, ob Babybomber oder Asphalt-Bullies. Weitere Momente, in denen ich meine verkehrspsychologischen Spannungen irrational kanalisiere, im Leserbrief:
«Ich bin innerstädtischer Velo- und ausserstädtischer Autofahrer. Als Velofahrer in Basel-Stadt habe ich keine Probleme, Bus, Tram und suchenden, usserkantonalen Autos den Vortritt zu lassen. Wenn allerdings mein Arbeitsweg doppelt so lange dauert, weil alles mit mehrheitlich Autos mit nur einer Person aus Basel-Stadt verstopft ist, fehlen mir die Nerven, beim rechts Abbiegen auch noch Ewigkeiten vor der Ampel zu warten, nicht paralell zum Tram über die Kreuzung zu fahren oder den Zebrastreifen zu benutzen. Für mich gilt jedoch generell: Der Schwächere verdient Rücksicht, ob ich im Auto oder auf dem Velo sitze.
Mein Wunschvelo – manchmal...
Ein wirklicher Velorowdy gefährdet sich selbst und ärgert Andere, richtig. Die übliche Unsitte von Autofahrern, z.B. Richtungs- und Spurwechsel nicht oder zu spät anzuzeigen, oder – trotz genügend breiter Spur – weit rechts darin im Stau zu stehen, empfinde ich als zügiger Velofahrer allerdings auch als Rowdytum, weil ich für meine eigene Sicherheit auf korrektes Verhalten angewiesen bin. Wer ist nun der Rowdy: Der Dominierende oder der, der sich nicht dominieren lässt?
Für ein entspanntes Miteinander ist heute die Verkehrsdichte schlicht zu hoch. Wenn eine Stadt zu klein wird, dass alle Autos darin vernünftig Platz finden, ohne der anderen und die eigene Lebensqualität zu beeinträchtigen, ist die Beschränkung der Autos die einzig systemisch sinnvolle Lösung – sie haben den geringsten Platznutzungs-Koeffizienten. Dies erst recht, wenn kein Ende der Zuname an Autos absehbar ist.»
Wo die meisten Autos hin sollten...
Würden Kühlschränke und Kochherde jährlich so viele Todesopfer fordern wie der Autoverkehr – sie wären längst mit Alternativen ersetzt. Würden Recycling-Container die Luft verpesten wie Verbrennungsmotoren – sie wären längst verboten. Aber welcher Politiker begeht schon ideologisch mitivierten Selbstmord? Müssten wir wegen Tauben unsere Outdoor-Aktivitäten im Hochsommer einschränken und Kinder und Senioren empfohlenerweise über Mittag einsperren – sie wären längst ausgerottet. Nur das Auto, das darf das. Papis und Mamis lieben ihre Karren scheinbar mehr wie ihre Kinder und ihre Eltern – anders kann ich mir das nicht erklären.
Zu guter Letzt muss ich gestehen, wie ich es geniesse, mit einem alten Land Rover oder Land Cruiser durch die Gegend zu gondeln. Erst recht mit einem Wohnmobil – es ist das ultimative, mobile Territorium. Und bei einem Gig, bei dem man die ganze Frontline mitbringen muss, möchte ich ungern auf ein Auto verzichten. Allerdings benutze ich das beste Auto der Welt, wenn ich nirgends eines ausleihen kann.
Am vorletzten Donnerstag bakam ich eine Karte eines früheren Schwarms von mir: Die Geburtsanzeige ihres ersten Kindes. Am Abend erhielt ich die Nachricht, Dädi sei verstorben.
Ein Kreis schliesst sich.
Dädi war ein einfacher, bescheidener Mann, ein Bastler, „en Chlütteri“, „en Chrampfer“. Kaum etwas ging kaputt, ohne dass er es nicht reparieren konnte – ja musste. Für uns, seine Kinder, ist das phantastisch: Seinen Drang, Funktionsweisen auf den Grund zu gehen, zu tüfteln, zu optimieren übertrug er quasi verlustfrei auf uns. Und: Selber machen macht mehr Spass und ist billiger – so sind wir alle kleine Mechaniker geworden. Und Maler, Schreiner, Stromer, und weiss der Kuckuck was alles noch – eben Bastler, „Chlütteris“.
Ein Kreis schliesst sich.
Aber das Ganze würde nicht gehen ohne eine entscheidende Eigenschaft: Der Wille, zu verstehen, das ewige Bedürfnis, zu lernen. Dädi wurde nie müde, die Welt zu erklären. Mit uns in Kiesgruben Steinbrecher und Bagger zu besteigen, um die ständigen „wie geht das?“ und warum’s geduldig zu ertragen. Mit uns Bäche mit Staudämmen zu verzieren, um uns ein Gefühl für Druck zu geben. Baustellen von Autobahnbrücken unsicher zu machen, wenn er uns Knöpfen die Statik zu erklären versuchte.
Beim zerlegen und vor Allem zusammensetzen revidierter Velos und Töfflis stand er immer mit Rat und Tat zur Seite. Es gibt keine Dichtungen mehr für diesen alten Töfflimotor? Kein Problem: Hier, Dichtungspapier und Messer zum ausschneiden, Stahlkugeln, um die Schraubenlöcher zu stanzen.
Ein defektes Auto war seine Materie, und wenn es nicht defekt war, gab es immer sonst was am Vergaser zu schrauben oder Bremsen zu entlüften.
Für uns ist es zum eigentlichen Spass im Leben geworden, die Welt zu erforschen – und Antworten einfach nach zu plappern zum absoluten Graus. Nicht nur selber „chlüttere“ war bei Dädi ständig angesagt – auch selber denken. Für mich persönlich sein wertvollstes Geschenk, das er uns machen konnte!
What may a man dream freezing to death? This... (picture source)
Governments donated billions to the financial industry, and so managers and their bodyguards, villas, security cams, pools and bank accounts got subsidized in a way farmers would never dream of.
For a really real small-small part of that money it would have been possible to buy some sleeping bags for all these men and women who had to freeze to death in this winter: 212 since November 2009, up to now, in Europe.
It’s a shame! Why don’t we do that?
... or that?
I think, the answer is only logical: All who are in responsibility think in resources: money, oil, accounts, pools, human resources etc. So you have frozen resources? Don’t panic – just defrost it! No resource need a sleeping bag. Beside the upper ten thousand when they go camping.
But they are not a resource, they are God. And God made it that way…
Only one word to start with commenting the outcome of todays acclamation:
FEAR
This voting shows clearly how fear works in politics. I’m always surprided how simple it is. The message «Islam wants conquer Switzerland, Europe, the world and Minarets are the spearheads» get us on a level of lowest animal insticts and as fast as you can’t wink Christianity feel threatened with extinction. What a bullshit, today, in the year 2009!
Playing the claviature of fear: Minaret ban poster by the SVP-party
On the other hand, a message like «America wants to dominate the world and Coca Cola tins are the bullets» works absolutely the same way. How surprising. I call this behavior our bioligical heritage and it works since hundreds of million years. If you know how to play this claviature of fear you don’t need any good rational arguments, you only need to fuel the animal interface.
Now, what really fears me ist the fact that this works on our level of education. This makes me thoughtful. In an evolutionary era where religions are going through their last jerks, because moral changes from dogmas to educational insights, we have such a backslide. But, that’s normal in evolution, unfortunately.
The convinience of belief systems is that it gives you simple answers and you can, but don’t need to think for yourself. Even if one do, most will think in conditioned ways which leeds them to the conclusion, that they and their group is right and all others are wrong. Now fuel the animal interface with fear and you can go to war – no one will ask questions, they become fanatics. Since we know that we know nothing, all is belief – so it works with every belief system, whether religious, political, scientific or anything else like climate or Peak Oil discussion, e.g.
In this context you may want to read about the Dunning-Kruger effect on Wikipedia (The unskilled suffer from illusory superiority, rating his own ability above average). Please do, you may see public discussios from a different angle.
Polarization is what’s happening right now. When the force of separation breaks, as more apart the poles are the harder the clash will be. The secret of power is to balance between polarization and clash: Polarization to absorbe intellectual advance and clash to conquer to spread power (and heal economics, if you are clever. That’s why swiss citizens didn’t vote against export of weapons in another voting proposal today. What a crime in the year 2009! But I’m not sure it’s so clever in the end.)
Mosque at the Fort Al Hosn in Abu Dhabi (Zillertaler2000 at pixelio.de)
To me the signs are obviously: Through polarization we’re hardening our belief systems which will lead in a collision. In combination with high tech (power of atoms, bio- and nanotech, etc) it could be disatrous – and I fear it will be. But I refuse to project my fear onto Minarets – my logic does not allow this. It’s like saying because Catholics doesn’t allow condoms and therefore the pope is a mass murderer (what is sadly true in times of AIDS), we tear down catholic spires to stop him/them.
When I look at religious systems with an evolutionary point of view, I ask myself, where does this door lead us? Allthough we’re supposed to be in information age, we still fight on a basis where one has to be wrong so the other can be right. This goes until death of several people or a whole system.
In the medium therm there may be, assumedly, a winner. But I’m certain, in long therms such „hard“ systems, which totally negate any foreign information, are not survivable, because they will break in cases of „collisions“, sooner or later.
Evolution is a sequence of collisions. On the big scale, galactic superclusters hit each other, same to galaxies, star systems, planets, etc. On the small scale, electrons hit each other, atoms, genes and mutated genes, monads, etc.
Collisions between hard systems will free up highest amounts of energy in shortest time, leaving behind destruction – speaking in context of life, this means most likely death. Collisions between soft systems are more like dancing: Some do tango, others do Rock’n’Roll, some dances may even look like fighting – but the energy is moderatly freed during a longer time, leaving behind rather new formations or informations than destruction.
Brahma symbolizes the aspect of the Supreme Reality, is traditionally accepted as the Creator of the entire universe and is the first member of the Hindu Trinity that also includes Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. He carries a rosary in one hand, a sacrificial tool (sruva) in the other hand , the Vedas (knowledge) and a water pot (kamandal) in other hands respectively. The four faces represent the sacred knowledge of the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva). Couldn't Brahma be compared to God in christian trinity? (http://www.dollsofindia.com)
Clashing galaxies may cost some star systems as collateral damage, but altogether they doesn’t destroy themselves. The same goes for genes and other soft systems. Clashing planets, on the other side, like atoms, get a real hard life, including the surroundings, weather hard or soft.
If we break this down to religious systems, what can we learn? First, religions are mostly not hard or soft systems per se – obviously this depends heavily on interpretation in most cases. The more fanatic, the harder the system is. But overall I think that Hinduism is a softer system than classic monotheistic religions. With a look at history we may see that Hiduism is the oldest believe system with the fewest changes in its evolution (leaving out indigenous beliefs).
That doesn’t mean any monotheistic religion is „hard“. Personally I’m a mystic – there is one which (not who!) is all together at the same time, so different names and different systems can mean the same belief with different words. It’s nothing more or less than a question of definitions and informations – a question of fanatic, hard or liberal, soft interpretation.
Narrowing the point of view on the last two, three millennia, its Hinduism that fits best in a survivable evolutionary system. I don’t preach we all need to become Hindus, but the basic concept of Hinduism is very soft and history prooves it’s a lasting one.
With all the praised Saints in Catholicism I'm not sure about the fact that it is truly monotheistic. Don't they play a role somehow similar to the halfgods in Hinduism? (Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven, National Gallery, London; Fra Angelico, 15th Century)
If humanity stay alive long enough I assume that, in a long therm, we will see a kind of global polytheism, where everyone accept that he sees the white light through a coloured window of his choice. Furthermore I assume that modern physics will proove that there are „Wonders“ – well, better named phenoena, then. As in one of my most beloved quotes: „Miracles are not contrary to nature – only in contrast to what we know about nature“ by St. Augustin, Apostle of England, and first Archbishop of Canterbury, ? -604/605. It seems he was the very first quantal physicist.
By that time in far future it may be official fact that there is god and there is no god; that everything and everyone is god, but it’s only one; that there are no answers – only options. You don’t have to be wrong so I can be right.
It is not science. It is not technology. It is not anything but us. It is the way we think and the way we react on and experience our environment. Up to now there were only a few smaller collectives of people who became witnesses of destructions of their environment. Otherwise we would collectively remember that and its consequences. But we don’t.
If it would be something like “Go and run against a spiky branch!” obviously nobody would follow. Nobody will sniff slurry for having fun I assume. We are programmed to protect us from harm.
Where the shit hits the fan
There are dangers where our protection algorithm breaks down: Changes, happening so slowly that we simply adapt to, and therefore overlook the upcoming situation. This is a pure failure in our modern consciousness because – for humanity as such – there was no need to learn this lesson, until now.
Different people react differently on situations like this and the following is no judgment but a kind of analysis. A zero-dimensional mind just sits on a point in the here and now, eats when hungry, sleeps when tired. A one-dimensional mind gets a way: If thirsty, it goes straight to the well. A two-dimensional mind sees the surrounding area and takes a longer way to the well because it may be less exhausting. A three-dimensional mind may be asking about what is up there in heaven and down here in hell, whereas a four-dimensional mind sees how time influences the fire which is trying to burn us.
We all know all of this conditions, more or less, it got nothing to do with our western-style intelligence. If you are sitting in a dock of a bay, you are a zero. If you put a water pot on ball bearing wheels, you are a three – and a four, if you share the water. The question is: What is your motivation?
If the situation brings comfort, you tend to be even a five. If it seems like a lot of work and hassle, you will be a big zero. This is the way Godmother has created us, it is our biological heritage. And it will be our downfall, because Godmother and the tree of evolution never thought of atom bombs, let alone of blowing all the carbon and cesium into the air. They are creators, not destroyers.
Since anyone got a kind of main character, fours tend to be leaders, which get the threes to build guns, which the twos will use, while the ones are singing Hallelujah, and the zeros play cannon fodder. This is true for secular and religious leaders.
Now I do not think we all need a rat-race to become the highest possible number. The New World needs autonomous thinkers and tinkers, who do it with all their hands, brains and hearts. Brains we have enough in the First World, hands we shipped to the Chinese, hearts we loosed some time ago.
My vision is to follow the numbers, put the pedal to the metal and BE, HERE and NOW. I’m sure, anyone likes this! Put the pedal to the metal and MOVE, mentally too, do not stop. Then put the pedal to the metal and LIVE TO SEE, explore. Put the pedal to the metal again and THINK, be an inventor. No stop, put the pedal to the metal once more and DECIDE whether you would like the others to do the same as you do.
If our decisions are not based on IQ, EQ and SQ (intelligence, emotional and soul quotient), we will neither save the climate nor anything other, not even our selves, obviously. But one cannot order people to be like that – you and me have to start! We need political pressure, civil and industrial disobedience, to stand together against our biological heritage of laziness. Every penny we spend is a vote for tomorrows productions. Every action leads to a reaction. You decide!
Do not wait for others, hurry! Time is running out! Good thing is we have the Star Trek and Babylon 5 Seasons – if we do not make it that far, we have at least dreamed about it…
Defective thinking
(If you do not think that it is that urgent, think again. Think of all the normal, poisoned or radioactive waste in the seas and everywhere, used depleted uranium munitions (google it), other poison everywhere, sick bodies, sick minds, sick souls, climate change, acquisitiveness, craving for power, economic growth, overfishing, extinction of species, you name it. To me it seems like a wonder that it did not got worse. Or maybe it had, but we still do not know… This is hard to face, but we have to. Let me assure you: putting the pedal to the metal is fun! Do it as long as possible.)
Went to watch this documentary last weekend and been deeply impressed! From an artistic point of view: It’s a piece of art! From a didactic point of view: It’s brilliant! Looking at it’s content: You simply hear the naked truth.
Now you might think this is a film where you’ll walk out and go to jump straight form the next bridge. You’ll not. Perhaps you’ll hesitate to buy your next comemercial ultra-cheap t-shirt in favor to a fair traded one — but I won’t consider that bad. 🙂
Furthermore you might start to see who’s working for your money which’s working for you. And you might ask yourself whether it is right to steal the persons produced overvalue, especially because best profit comes from places with blood on streets.
One could write a big pile of books about this, so I stop here. And it’s much easier for you to go and watch this movie than to read a pile of books! I promise you’ll see things differently afterwards — if you already do you’ll be glad to be part of a new species with open eyes. You’ll have pity on the ones who can’t see that their way had turned out a dead end, as some said since decades and even longer.
