APPROPRIATION OF VOICE

let me add a couple of cents worth of support for the poor beleagured writers of canada who are enduring an infection that is silly and stupid — appropriation of voice is an incredible nod to narrow tribal thinking at a time in history when we know so much more. i have alot in common with fruit flies. i share emotions with honeybees and fish and all animals. i share affection like slugs, and like slugs i remember these experiences in the same way, with the same brain processes. how big a stretch do you think it is to write about a woman if you are a man? to write about an old man if you are young? why aren't we being ostracised for doing that? why aren't we being ostracised for any fiction? i'll tell you why: fiction is just another tool for getting at the truth, as is imagination, empathy, mirror neurons, group contagion and other manifestations of social thought, dangerous or not.

loosen up, guys, and have a look over your shoulder — you are on the wrong side of history, truth, knowledge and progress.

CURIOUS

there is a curious mixture of sense and nonsense on the radio news that upon reflection i have concluded is a fair typification of the human condition. mixed with news of mr trump these days, in ever smaller proportion, are other news items: of cyberhacking — this time data ransom attacks around the world —  from the vatican, of miracle sightings and canonization, of trump supporters defending their man, to name a few, along with reports of saudi princesses abusing other humans compelled to serve them and chicago mayors all serving jailtime. 

wait a minute; where is the good stuff? come to think of it, it may not be much of a mixture after all. the poor well-fed well-informed well-cared for beleaguered literate middleclass citizen must be barely clinging to life these days. how terrifying.

COMPETITION VS COOPERATION

why are all sports competitive? there didn't get to be seven billion humans on the planet because we are good at competition, lots of failed animals failed while competing with their own kind; more it was because we learned to cooperate. i don't think it takes alot of imagination to conjure up ways people can play a game toward a higher score by means of better cooperation — games where everyone playing is essentially on the same team and cooperation is rewarded, as it so often is in life. 

the highly competitive among us are and always have been mostly doing things that make life better for themselves, and often, much tougher for others. is that really still so valuable to us now, now that what threatens us is not lack of fitness but lack of cohesion?

fighting fires is all about cooperation; the enemy is not a person. the team wins if they can, but there is really no opponent who loses, the fire being a phenomenon without a will. 

soon the earth will be on fire. what do you think can save it for the creatures? competition?

i don't think so.