Our Complacency

Perhaps our real problem is not so much our deficient thinking, but our complacency. We do believe that our thinking is wonderful. Our existing thinking has indeed been wonderful in science and technology - and getting to the moon and beyond. Yet our poor thinking has been responsible for most of the human disasters such as wars conflicts, persecutions etc. The reason is obvious. We rush to use judgement rather than to design the way forward.

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Permalink Reply by Charlotte Fairchild on September 4, 2011 at 12:56
Perhaps degeneration?
Permalink Reply by Kim Jones on October 3, 2011 at 6:11
The stock market is trying to tell people that things are overvalued at the moment.

Here in Australia (as in the USA):

Government is trying to inflate and convince us that things are sweet.

Either way we are overleveraged as a society and our pillars of support are being eroded whilst stagflation is being pursued as an economic policy

The only question now is who will government blame for their impotence?

a. Corporate greed and highly paid executives.

b. The mining boom and the 'two speed economy'

c. The opposition for holding onto cash and not 'spending on infrastructure' when they were last in power.

d. The eurozone and PIIGS economies for creating volatility.

e. Themselves for being shortsighted unqualified bureaucrats who only care about poll figures and pay outs and can't answer a straight question or accept responsibility for negatives while claiming themselves responsible for all the (diminishing) positives.

You can guess my answer. Remember, "governments don't rule the world, Goldman Sachs rules the world." Governments are now the wretched slaves of bankers. And it's probably past the point of no return. No excuse for not having fun re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic....
Permalink Reply by Charlotte Fairchild on October 3, 2011 at 12:49
I am having a blast rearranging my chair on the Titanic!

I am investing in things that will lower my carbon footprint (no car for me--I borrow my husband's car).
We are getting our house insulated against cold and heat to lower our energy bills.
This includes a new roof, if at all possible.
This includes getting ventilation holes put into the house attic that the builder just didn't do for anyone at all.
This includes a radiant barrier (just before Japan's Tsunami and nuclear disaster) in the attic.
This includes more gardening so that there is less reason to leave the house for a carrot in our salad.

We use http://www.freecycle.org to keep things out of the landfill and we are richer for it.
We own only one house.
We open our house to guests, especially humanitarians, but this increases our bills. Who knows, we might go to Aruba and visit them! Probably not, but it is my chair on the Titanic. There have been capsized ships because of too many escape boats and a top heavy ship.

If we had said no to banks and given money to people this last time, we would have banks with full coffers and people who are broke again. We have too much spending, not enough giving and sharing and using until it falls apart in the world. Our landfills are filled with too much useful stuff, and we are so rich and our humanitarian activities fall woefully short. It only takes a few humanitarian acts to make the world better. In our pursuit of happiness, Pay It Forward 3 times doesn't cut it. Being a philanthropist is not choosing to care and sticking around/tarry to find the unwanted need and meeting it. It is building something that glorifies the philanthropist and then what?

Time is cents not sense, and our banks have caused so many houses to be ruined because they do not rent out foreclosed homes so the homes become mold ridden and are demolished. So demolition and mold companies will prosper for a time here. And people think that holding protests at Wall Street will accomplish more than protests at banks? Voting people out of office just increases the amount we pay for "retired" congress individuals, still mostly male and white. It won't save money and won't give us a better government.

I think it was Michael Jackson who wrote, "We are the world," and the Goldman Sacks may rule the world, but we are either catalysts or reagents. If we continue to have no money to spend, and continue to use Freecycle.org and barter, go without, and become wealthier with the means we are creating, it still won't be a bad life. There are no trailer hitches on any hearse.
Permalink Reply by Sinclair McLay on October 3, 2011 at 22:29
Kim, don’t know if you get the Kaiser Report in Oz, but he’s very popular in Scotland. In this programme he gives his take on Goldman Sachs ruling the world, the asymmetric nature of economic war and Jamie Dimon’s hissy fit. The format is the same every week – news knockabout with Stacy Herbert in the first half, in depth interview in second half. This weeks second half is an interview with Nomi Prins ex-Goldman Sachs who gives her analysis of underlying problems. Highly entertaining!

http://rt.com/programs/keiser-report/central-bank-finance-crisis/
Permalink Reply by Charlotte Fairchild on October 3, 2011 at 16:53
Sticking with "I" statements is the safest way to go.

I have been told that "you" statements is akin to gossip.

"We" statements are fraught with assumptions. I could read it as though "my husband and I" in places, but as the larger community as well.

But since I was speaking about a Titanic chair, I could stick to "I" and get my points across. What a neat exercise to do!

I am having a blast rearranging my chair on the Titanic!

I am investing in things that will lower my carbon footprint (no car for me--I borrow my husband's car).
I am getting our house insulated against cold and heat to lower our energy bills.
This includes a new roof, if at all possible.
This includes getting ventilation holes put into the house attic.
This includes a radiant barrier (just before Japan's Tsunami and nuclear disaster) in the attic.
This includes more gardening so that there is less reason to leave the house for a carrot in our salad.

I use http://www.freecycle.org to keep things out of the landfill and I are richer for it.
I own only one house.
I open our house to guests, especially humanitarians, but this increases our bills. Who knows, I might go to Aruba and visit them! Probably not, but it is my chair on the Titanic. There have been capsized ships because of too many escape boats and a top heavy ship.

If I had said no to banks and given money to people this last time, I would have banks with full coffers and I would be broke again. I have too much spending, not enough giving and sharing and using until it falls apart in the world. My landfills are filled with too much useful stuff, and I am so rich and myr humanitarian activities fall woefully short. It only takes a few humanitarian acts to make the world better. In my pursuit of happiness, Pay It Forward 3 times doesn't cut it. Being a philanthropist is not choosing to care and sticking around/tarry to find the unwanted need and meeting it. It is building something that glorifies the philanthropist and then what?

Time is cents not sense, and banks have caused so many houses to be ruined because they do not rent out foreclosed homes so the homes become mold ridden and are demolished. So demolition and mold companies will prosper for a time here. And I think others that are holding protests at Wall Street will accomplish more than protests at banks? I think that voting people out of office just increases the amount that is paid for "retired" congress individuals, still mostly male and white. It won't save money and won't give us a better government that I can tell from past experience.

I think it was Michael Jackson who wrote, "We are the world," and the Goldman Sacks may rule the world, but I am either a catalyst or reagent. If we continue to have no money to spend, and continue to use Freecycle.org and barter, go without, and become wealthier with the means I am creating, it still won't be a bad life. There are no trailer hitches on any hearse. Has the Titanic sunk yet? I still have many positions left on the deck as it heads toward an iceberg.
Permalink Reply by Charlotte Fairchild on October 4, 2011 at 3:39
I may still be abstract in my statements, and yet there is that which will support what I said about out mold and empty house problems from the mold businesses thriving.

I have been on four campuses recently and they are disparate in their philanthropic displays of buildings. It seemed the one with the least money is the most dynamic!
Permalink Reply by Kim Jones on October 4, 2011 at 7:01
Hmmmmm. Absolute perfection? I find that as a thinker I don't have much use for a concept like that.

Perfection implies that there is a limit on what can be achieved. Perfection implies that we don't have to think about something anymore or even that no further improvement of that thing is possible.

Anything at all can be improved. Even perfection. Perfection might like to think it's perfect but what if it's the wrong colour for me? What if it has what I would register as a foul stench?

Now all I have to learn to understand is the concept of "the end of eternity".

Luis, you seem to be developing a talent for interesting and quite possibly very useful oxymorons!
Permalink Reply by Kim Jones on October 4, 2011 at 9:26
How could you be wrong! I love provoking you into these extraordinarily lucid states of mind. For me, you are one of the best reads on the Net, Luis. Everything is weird and wonderful and probably perfect, as you say. I would simply add that you can still improve it. Keep the light turning, amigo.
Permalink Reply by Charlotte Fairchild on October 4, 2011 at 23:04
When I speak about areas of interest it seems so concrete to me.

Safety is not with speaking from the personal pronoun, but in brevity.
Permalink Reply by Kim Jones on October 4, 2011 at 10:12
Luis,

I too am highly interested in the concept of Nothing. Everything I know about Nothing is contained in the book "The Theory of Nothing" by my very great friend Dr Russell Standish. I am uploading a .pdf of it with this post. So you too can be an expert on Nothing.

I'll give you a quick hint because I know you are salivating over this: Everything is Nothing seen from the inside.

Enjoy.
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Kim Jones on October 4, 2011 at 11:32
What a jolly idea. And if you do pop over, you can meet the author Rusty Standish as he and I occasionally like to have a pint together and a chat about - well, everything!

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