PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM

TAXES AGAIN, AND THE DEBATE IN THE STATES: THERE ARE TWO THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW FOR STARTERS — WHAT IS NEEDED THAT CAN BEST BE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND WHO SHOULD PAY FOR IT.  ABOUT THE FORMER, IT SEEMS THAT THE NECESSARY KINDNESSES ARE OFTEN NOT IDENTIFIED BY THE PEOPLE WITHOUT NEED AS NECESSARY AND ONLY GOVERNMENT CAN BE COUNTED ON TO PROVIDE THE COLLECTIVE CARING THAT MAKES A COHERENT SOCIETY COHERE.  ABOUT THE LATTER, THE GENERAL PRINCIPLE TO ME HAS ALWAYS BEEN OBVIOUS — THE ONES WHO BENEFIT THE MOST IN SOCIETY SHOULD PAY THE MOST FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF MEMBERSHIP IN THAT SOCIETY.  AND SINCE ALL THE WORKINGS OF SOCIETY HAVE IN THEIR TOTALITY REWARDED THE RICH UNEQUALLY, THE RICH SHOULD PAY UNEQUALLY.

PERIODICAL ASSUMPTIONS

THE  ASSUMPTIONS THAT ARE MADE BY VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS ARE DIFFERENT AT THEIR FUNDAMENTAL CORE.  THE GUARDIAN'S ASSUMPTIONS ARE CLOSER TO MY OWN THAN THE ECONOMIST. THE ECONOMIST'S ASSUMPTIONS ARE THAT MONEY IS REALLY CENTRAL TO THE OPERATION OF SOCIETY AND CENTRAL TO THE CULTURE AND I DISAGREE, AND OF COURSE I AM NOT AN ECONOMIST, BUT TO ME IT SEEMS THAT MONEY IS AN ARTIFACT OF THE SYSTEM THAT HAS COME TO DRIVE THE SYSTEM AND THE ANECDOTAL STRUCTURE AND  PROFILE OF THE ARTIFACT IS THE PROBLEM.  I THINK THE GUARDIAN BELIEVES, OR AT LEAST I MYSELF BELIEVE, THAT THE SYSTEM SHOULD DRIVE THE ARTIFACT AND THEREIN LIES MY GREAT FRUSTRATION WHEN I TRY TO READ THE ECONOMIST.

CONSENSUS

the future of democracy seems to be in consensus.  this adversarial bipolar american two-party system is not efficient and never produces the kind of unanimity that is needed for real change and real concerted action, which is what the world desperately needs at this point in time, considering the advanced degradation of our host planet.

toward this end ive been reading a book lately called honeybee democracy which illustrates in some detail how group decisions are taken by another species and how efficient it is and how very often it produces the right decision and how at the end of the debating process there is a tremendous unanimity, to the degree that ten thousand members of a swarm will all go to the same place at the same time, thereby insuring them a chance at success and continued life through the winter.

the main difference as i see it between the honeybee and the human is that basically all the honeybees in the swarm are workers, with the exception of one queen who doesnt vote, and they all have approximately the same interest in finding a new home.  conditions within the swarm are more or less egalitarian whereas in human society it seems to be fractured into many parts.  the rich tend not to identify with the underprivileged, the underprivileged often resent the wealthy — with cause — and there is a general exploitation between groups within the overall population which simply does not exist in the honeybee population.  so the problem remains that human beings do not seem to think speak or identify with the whole of the human fraternity, the whole of the society, they tend to superidentify with what they consider their group, a group of people in similar situation and likeminded in terms of their belief systems, which are often really capricious and not based in any kind of evidence, but belief systems really based in historical accident, personality types — which are genetically influenced — and anecdotal experience.  what this betrays is a general lack of empathy within humanity for the whole of humanity.

the overarching and singularly important lesson we can beg humbly our fellow man consider in light of our increasing understanding of the natural world around us, this time thanks to the students of the honeybee, is this need to identify with all the humans of the planet, as a first important step on the road to survival.

IRRATIONALITY

WE HAVE YET ANOTHER VERSION OF WHY RELIGION IS OFTEN THE PROBLEM AND NOT THE SOLUTION IN THE MODERN WORLD.  A SITUATION HAS DEVELOPED WHERE THERE ARE A GREAT MANY MORE MALE BABIES BORN IN THE WORLD THAN FEMALE BABIES — THE REASON BEING RELIGIOUS BELIEFS IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE WORLD COMBINED WITH THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS THE SEX OF FOETUSES TO BE KNOWN VERY EARLY IN PREGNANCY AND THE ABILITY TO SAFELY (TO THE MOTHER) ABORT THE UNDESIRED ONES.  THIS PROBLEM IS UNBALANCING THE POPULATION OF THE WHOLE PLANET, TO ITS DETRIMENT.  AND WHAT DO THE RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES DO ABOUT IT?  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.  THEY SEEM INCAPABLE OF QUESTIONING THEIR OWN LONGHELD BELIEFS IN ORDER TO EXPUNGE THE RIDICULOUS.


PEOPLE ALL CLAIM THEY WISH THE WORLD TO IMPROVE, THAT THE WORLD NEEDS IMPROVING.  BUT HOW CAN ONE IMPROVE ANYTHING IF CHANGING ANYTHING WE DO (EVEN TRIVIALLY) IS SEEN AUTOMATICALLY AS A THREAT?