Advances in science have outstripped the immovable force which organized religion represents. Organized religions' very survival depends upon the public's belief in the eternal teaching of the truth about life and the afterlife. Changes in belief are organized religions' biggest enemy.
The birth of the universe, and its explanation in mathematical terms, will spell the death of organized religion. Two things will happen in the future that will dispel the hold that all religions have had on the public since Baal once held the throne.
The first shock to the religious system will be the discovery of extra terrestrial life. That will probably be accomplished in our lifetime; perhaps in the next decade, or at least within my lifetime.(And I'm pretty old.) Mars appears to have an ice layer and, given the billions of years of evolution, probably supported a water-based environment long enough for life to develop as many as a billion years sooner than ours.
The second event will be more transformational; earth shaking in fact. There will be the unequivocal discovery of intelligent life signs originating from outside our solar system. Imagine intelligent life arriving from the stars beyond our immediate galaxy! Once this fact is clearly established the traditional concept of God will become irrelevant. Once it is clearly demonstrated that evolution will undeniably result in the generation of life whereever conditions in the universe permit, and those conditions exist in infinite number, our opinion of our singularity among the stars will be destroyed.
Imagine the peace our world could enjoy if our concept of life and the everlasting was finally settled, and all the most pressing questions of our destiny were finally answered.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Hand Me Down Beliefs
There is very little that everyone on the planet has in common with his fellow man, but we all share one thing. We are all brought up to believe what our neighborhood support system believes, at least at first.
Family, friends, teachers, and the community we live in all shape our belief system, at least through our formative years. Local and national religious beliefs offer a clear example. If you are born in Japan you will likely become a Christian since Japan has the largest concentration of Christians on the planet. If you are born in India you will most likely be Hindu, or in China a Buddhist. If you are born in Utah, USA you will most likely become a Mormon.
As a result of the cacooning nature of local bias, people seldom question their own given belief system. Instead, they question and challenge all belief systems different than their own. Unfortunately, in some cases, countries go to war over differences in their beliefs
It is OK to disagree. It is OK to hold strong opinions. It is, IMHO, insane to fight or go to war over hand me down beliefs. Sane people will agree that as long as your belief system doesn't require me to change my life we can co-exist peacefully. So why is our country at war? Constantly!!! No nation on earth infringes upon us, our beliefs, or our way of life. (A cynic may say none would dare, and they would be correct.)
Are we insane? We are currently involved in several presidential wars at a cost in excess of a trillion dollars. Neither the world and its citizens nor the USA and its citizens benefit, with the exception of the war mongers and their manufacturers and merchants of death. How can we preach "love one another" while we are blowing the bejesus out of the middle east?
While claiming to be a friend to the planet, we are by far its biggest polluter
per capita. Why do we in this country seem to have magoo style lenses when we look at ourselves? We seem incapable of coming to grips with our nation's hyprocracy. Who are we really?
Family, friends, teachers, and the community we live in all shape our belief system, at least through our formative years. Local and national religious beliefs offer a clear example. If you are born in Japan you will likely become a Christian since Japan has the largest concentration of Christians on the planet. If you are born in India you will most likely be Hindu, or in China a Buddhist. If you are born in Utah, USA you will most likely become a Mormon.
As a result of the cacooning nature of local bias, people seldom question their own given belief system. Instead, they question and challenge all belief systems different than their own. Unfortunately, in some cases, countries go to war over differences in their beliefs
It is OK to disagree. It is OK to hold strong opinions. It is, IMHO, insane to fight or go to war over hand me down beliefs. Sane people will agree that as long as your belief system doesn't require me to change my life we can co-exist peacefully. So why is our country at war? Constantly!!! No nation on earth infringes upon us, our beliefs, or our way of life. (A cynic may say none would dare, and they would be correct.)
Are we insane? We are currently involved in several presidential wars at a cost in excess of a trillion dollars. Neither the world and its citizens nor the USA and its citizens benefit, with the exception of the war mongers and their manufacturers and merchants of death. How can we preach "love one another" while we are blowing the bejesus out of the middle east?
While claiming to be a friend to the planet, we are by far its biggest polluter
per capita. Why do we in this country seem to have magoo style lenses when we look at ourselves? We seem incapable of coming to grips with our nation's hyprocracy. Who are we really?
Sunday, June 5, 2011
No One Can Fix Stupid.
An incredible number of smart people are trying to patch up the government money gaposis but the real problems are never addressed.
For example, incredible as it sounds, our Congress voted to require the Medicaid and Medicare systems to pay for drugs provided to seniors at full retail prices. Congress did this without regard for the fact that government is paying up to 10 times what they could be paying if they were able to negotiate lower prices. In what kind of make believe world does a policy like that make sense?
In other words, the biggest consumer pays the highest prices. Plain goofy if you ask me. Congress votes to require Medicaid spending increases in the billions annually by requiring highest drug prices to be paid to big Pharma for all the beneficiaries under their plans; and then complains bitterly when it comes time to borrow the money to pay the bill.
Until we can vote the stupid and greedy out of politics our situation will not improve.
Another million examples can be found in the trillions of dollars wasted on our military. We spend, as taxpayers, hundreds of billions yearly to businesses overseas which then contribute a ridiculously small US tax on that income. In fact our tax laws are so stupid these giant multinational corporations can't even bring that money back home. Our military gets away with wasting hundreds of billions of dollars annually with little or no oversight.
Until we require our lawyers (the Congress of the USA) to work for "we the people" and not the rich and greedy, as they do currently, the middle class stands no chance at all in sharing in the nation's prosperity. For that change to occur people will have to get off their intellectually lazy asses and pay attention to more than reality TV and their iPads. For us to get the leeches and bloodsuckers off the national stage and their fingers off our Nation's financial purse strings we need to study the issues. In order to vote correctly, I. E, in our own best interests for a change, we need to get a whole lot smarter or the middle class will grow no more.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Are human beings really special?
What makes humanity special above other living things? Why do we grant ourselves a soul while condemning all other living things to a soulless existence? Upon our death and acceptance into heaven, why do we see ourselves sitting beside a God? Further, why would God want our company for eternity?
I believe the answer to those questions are to be found in the single word "hope".
As far as we know, all living things besides ourselves live in the moment, not the past or the future. That is to say, we have never been able to discern an animal reaction based upon that animal’s perception of its future. Therefore we have decided that an animal looks no further into the future than what is required for it to survive in the present.
Sure animals can learn; we teach or train animal behavior for all sorts of things. We acknowledge they have brains; but can they, or do they, hope? Does the thought of a better tomorrow, or any kind of future, ever cross an animal’s mind? Of course we have to say no. Consider for just a second what would happen to humanity if we decided that our animal food supply had a soul. Could we still slaughter a cow, or a pig or a chicken? Why is it we never depict God surrounded with a herd of bison?
The only reason for a human being to have a soul would be if that soul acted as transport vehicle for our life’s hopes; hopes to be realized or goals to be reached after our physical existence has died.
Spiritually speaking, or speaking from a cosmic point of view, would it really make a difference if our pathetic hopes and dreams died with our bodies?
I believe the answer to those questions are to be found in the single word "hope".
As far as we know, all living things besides ourselves live in the moment, not the past or the future. That is to say, we have never been able to discern an animal reaction based upon that animal’s perception of its future. Therefore we have decided that an animal looks no further into the future than what is required for it to survive in the present.
Sure animals can learn; we teach or train animal behavior for all sorts of things. We acknowledge they have brains; but can they, or do they, hope? Does the thought of a better tomorrow, or any kind of future, ever cross an animal’s mind? Of course we have to say no. Consider for just a second what would happen to humanity if we decided that our animal food supply had a soul. Could we still slaughter a cow, or a pig or a chicken? Why is it we never depict God surrounded with a herd of bison?
The only reason for a human being to have a soul would be if that soul acted as transport vehicle for our life’s hopes; hopes to be realized or goals to be reached after our physical existence has died.
Spiritually speaking, or speaking from a cosmic point of view, would it really make a difference if our pathetic hopes and dreams died with our bodies?
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Backwards money transfers
Backwards money transfers: aka investments in the past instead of the future.
The big problem with our aging society is that the way our economy and society are set up, money flows from the young up the ladder to the old. Money ends up being more conservative, fearful, and essentially less useful. Instead of our society spending money on education for the young, for example, we spend far more on tax savings for the elderly, who actually need the money less than the rest of our society.
What needs to happen, but is politically so incorrect as to become lethal to any politician who dares suggest it, is this. Money has to be taken from the affluent seniors and redirected to young people who still have the capacity to learn the most. Instead of providing more and more tax relief for the old and rich, we need to invest in our children for this country to survive and prosper
And yet, we do the opposite.
For example, instead of investing in renewable energy resources within our borders we spend trillions trying to secure the world's most expensive and least efficient of energy producing resources. It seems insane to me that our biggest export is the nation’s treasure to our politically polar opposites. We invest in antiquated, inefficient and globally destructive crap like coal and oil. Old people and big money are the reason; young people are powerless to change our country's politics in any meaningful way. The old adage, “control a man's money and his heart and mind will follow”, has never been truer.
Here is what happens. In 2008 the youth in this country supported Obama and put him in office expecting an end to fruitless wars and the endless looting of the U.S. Treasury by the biggest international gangsters on the planet, the military-industrial consortium. What we got is more war, bigger military and offense (as opposed to defence) budgets, and more intrusion into our lives. We did get a dollop of cash proposed for jobs and infrastructure improvements, most of which were never funded because there were no job ready programs to funnel the money into.
This is not a party issue – Democrats versus Republicans. Money transcends politics. Democrats seem to favor spending in all directions and to heck with the future. That will be somebody else's bill; Republicans, in rhetoric at least, are against increased spending except where that spending is in their direction. The net result is our elected officials are more focused on themselves and their donor’s interests than on the country's welfare.
Our nations rich and elderly are the reason for a lack of change in politics and policies. Our country is in deep stagnation since our population is growing older while our birthrate remains level or declines. Thank God for lax immigration policies because these newcomers are the people who will keep our country young and growing. We need to direct our investment in the future to our youth for one simple reason; it is our young people who are learning the most. The elderly are lucky if they can still learn at all.
The big problem with our aging society is that the way our economy and society are set up, money flows from the young up the ladder to the old. Money ends up being more conservative, fearful, and essentially less useful. Instead of our society spending money on education for the young, for example, we spend far more on tax savings for the elderly, who actually need the money less than the rest of our society.
What needs to happen, but is politically so incorrect as to become lethal to any politician who dares suggest it, is this. Money has to be taken from the affluent seniors and redirected to young people who still have the capacity to learn the most. Instead of providing more and more tax relief for the old and rich, we need to invest in our children for this country to survive and prosper
And yet, we do the opposite.
For example, instead of investing in renewable energy resources within our borders we spend trillions trying to secure the world's most expensive and least efficient of energy producing resources. It seems insane to me that our biggest export is the nation’s treasure to our politically polar opposites. We invest in antiquated, inefficient and globally destructive crap like coal and oil. Old people and big money are the reason; young people are powerless to change our country's politics in any meaningful way. The old adage, “control a man's money and his heart and mind will follow”, has never been truer.
Here is what happens. In 2008 the youth in this country supported Obama and put him in office expecting an end to fruitless wars and the endless looting of the U.S. Treasury by the biggest international gangsters on the planet, the military-industrial consortium. What we got is more war, bigger military and offense (as opposed to defence) budgets, and more intrusion into our lives. We did get a dollop of cash proposed for jobs and infrastructure improvements, most of which were never funded because there were no job ready programs to funnel the money into.
This is not a party issue – Democrats versus Republicans. Money transcends politics. Democrats seem to favor spending in all directions and to heck with the future. That will be somebody else's bill; Republicans, in rhetoric at least, are against increased spending except where that spending is in their direction. The net result is our elected officials are more focused on themselves and their donor’s interests than on the country's welfare.
Our nations rich and elderly are the reason for a lack of change in politics and policies. Our country is in deep stagnation since our population is growing older while our birthrate remains level or declines. Thank God for lax immigration policies because these newcomers are the people who will keep our country young and growing. We need to direct our investment in the future to our youth for one simple reason; it is our young people who are learning the most. The elderly are lucky if they can still learn at all.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Facebook to save the world!
To suggest that a social media site could have more impact on the world than the mightiest military force the world has ever known seems, I don’t know, ridiculous.
But facts are facts and the Middle East strong men are being toppled enmasse. People in the region are communicating freely with each other for the first time in their long history courtesy of cell phones and the social media sites facebook and twitter. And they are changing the regions politics overnight.
For the last 40 years the US policy was to prop up Middle East dictators and ignore civil rights issues to insure a steady flow of oil. We deserve credit for setting the bar on hypocrisy so high no other nation could possibly reach it. Instead of helping the poor people in the region we have contributed to their ignorance and subservience to “rulers” who rule their countries like mobsters
rule their mobs.
We need to pepper the middle east nations with cell phones, not bombs, and hope that when these countries turn the corner on democracy they don’t throw us out of the region with the rest of the trash (read former dictators).
Unfortunately our President prefers to wage war. The country continues to suffer with outrageous budget deficits due to a stone age mentality; people dedicated to blowing people up instead of bringing them into an era of peace and prosperity. Phones, not bombs, will do far more and cost far less.
Without the US military fanning fires around the globe the world would be a very peaceful place. The fact that a few disgruntled factions persist and do damage is no excuse for us to squander our nation’s resources trying to exterminate them. Phones and free speech will accomplish what our orgies of waste, death, and destruction have not, can not, and never will .
Our politicians need to face the facts and do the right thing by this country. Either they stop funding wars or they will face facebook, and it won’t be pretty. They will either modernize their thinking or they will face extinction like the dinosaurs they are. War mongers need to die off, and quickly, so the world can get on with the business of saving the planet, not blowing up its citizens.
But facts are facts and the Middle East strong men are being toppled enmasse. People in the region are communicating freely with each other for the first time in their long history courtesy of cell phones and the social media sites facebook and twitter. And they are changing the regions politics overnight.
For the last 40 years the US policy was to prop up Middle East dictators and ignore civil rights issues to insure a steady flow of oil. We deserve credit for setting the bar on hypocrisy so high no other nation could possibly reach it. Instead of helping the poor people in the region we have contributed to their ignorance and subservience to “rulers” who rule their countries like mobsters
rule their mobs.
We need to pepper the middle east nations with cell phones, not bombs, and hope that when these countries turn the corner on democracy they don’t throw us out of the region with the rest of the trash (read former dictators).
Unfortunately our President prefers to wage war. The country continues to suffer with outrageous budget deficits due to a stone age mentality; people dedicated to blowing people up instead of bringing them into an era of peace and prosperity. Phones, not bombs, will do far more and cost far less.
Without the US military fanning fires around the globe the world would be a very peaceful place. The fact that a few disgruntled factions persist and do damage is no excuse for us to squander our nation’s resources trying to exterminate them. Phones and free speech will accomplish what our orgies of waste, death, and destruction have not, can not, and never will .
Our politicians need to face the facts and do the right thing by this country. Either they stop funding wars or they will face facebook, and it won’t be pretty. They will either modernize their thinking or they will face extinction like the dinosaurs they are. War mongers need to die off, and quickly, so the world can get on with the business of saving the planet, not blowing up its citizens.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Here is where we go wrong with our children.
First of all, what was done to us as children we do to our own children. In my case it started with me as soon as I could speak, or more correctly hear, what was being said around me. In particular, what triggered my BS radar at an early, impressionable age was what I heard versus what I saw, or what I heard when I was not supposed to hear.
I caught on pretty quickly, at least by age 8, that my parents and other adults were pulling the old "do as I say, not as I do" double standard on me. As I grew older, more sophisticated, and a great deal more cynical I might even have said I was outright lied to by the adults in my life. Take smoking or drinking as examples. These products were supposed to be bad for me, and yet mysteriously good for them.
My parents were not saints. Few parents are. I don't criticize mine for their overindulgence in alcohol, for example, but I never forgave them their hypocrisy where the subject was concerned. Drugs would be another example. For some reason they were able to justify pharmaceutical drugs issued on the flimsiest of excuses but pot was considered a serious offense.
Our children aren't stupid. If anything they are far smarter than we were at their age. Their BS detectors are far more sophisticated than ours ever were. They just have a different kind of smarts.
When we try to fool our kids we are only kidding ourselves.
I caught on pretty quickly, at least by age 8, that my parents and other adults were pulling the old "do as I say, not as I do" double standard on me. As I grew older, more sophisticated, and a great deal more cynical I might even have said I was outright lied to by the adults in my life. Take smoking or drinking as examples. These products were supposed to be bad for me, and yet mysteriously good for them.
My parents were not saints. Few parents are. I don't criticize mine for their overindulgence in alcohol, for example, but I never forgave them their hypocrisy where the subject was concerned. Drugs would be another example. For some reason they were able to justify pharmaceutical drugs issued on the flimsiest of excuses but pot was considered a serious offense.
Our children aren't stupid. If anything they are far smarter than we were at their age. Their BS detectors are far more sophisticated than ours ever were. They just have a different kind of smarts.
When we try to fool our kids we are only kidding ourselves.
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