Utopia 101 Possible Solutions

What would a Utopian community look like?

In great moments of human civilization we have already achieved advancements that have greatly improved lives. We have sanitation, vaccines to prevent disabling conditions,  toilets and showers. We have saved species from extinction, created the internet and 3d printers and discovered planets that may one day be habitable. The list is of what we managed to create is long. If we could keep that type of momentum going and do not keep reverting to old habits, we could create the same for the majority of the population and deal with climate change, poverty, hunger etc.

If I had any power to move us forward the list might look something like this:

1. Support the younger generation again by rewarding those with novel and creative ideas with access to free education and retreats to communicate their ideas.

2. After the current building boom of "quick , dirty and unliveable", we need to start building better again. Deeper structures and better insulation that can withstand climate change.

3. Companies that do great work should be fostered and rewarded. Autonomy of their employees will likely see a return.

4. Better city planning would see a return to accessible shopping and self-reliance in case of emergency. The loss of electricity is likely in our future, we should have alternatives in place.

5. More individuality. Greater tolerance toward those who may be a little different, but just as valuable.

6. Taxes are important. So is governance. But for too long our earnings have been disappearing without reaching anyone, but those who need it the least. Completely new systems will have to be created. How this will be accomplished,  I have no idea. A start might be coalition governments without career politicians at the table.

7. Transportation to deal with climate change and fuel economy. The combustion engine is almost as inefficient as it was 40 years ago. Magnets may provide one solution. Amphibian vehicles to deal with any flooding. (I am actually serious about this one). We are going to need them. Prototypes of flying cars are out there somewhere, but may create 3 dimensional traffic jams.

8. While we need to respect cultural differences, we also need to realize that we are one species, not "races" and that the basic wants and needs are almost universally the same.

Utopia 101

What would a utopian global community look like?

That is a question I have been asking myself my entire life.  The complexity of such an answer would require a book length discourse and a planet size computer.  Potentially, if the internet continues to evolve, we might have the latter.

One of the benefits of watching animals is to realize that we have been behaving as no more than "just another animal", despite our remarkable ability to envision, build and create.

As a species we are stuck in an endless continuum of immaturity-we build, we acquire, we destroy and abandon those around us. Money continues to be poured into wars and their expensive toys, greed rules many of us and we fight for territories, wealth and status. It is irrelevant whether those social structures are ruled by oligarchs or feudalists or whatever new name we apply to them, the outcome is the same; the majority suffers. In one form or another this has been the case throughout human history.

But. We could evolve. Create new systems, avail ourselves of technology to make our lives less complicated, prevent illness rather than treat it for decades, improve both the quality and quantity of our lives and so on.

One option would be to have a Google like approach to science and innovation.   Private or public companies that would take care of the mundanities of life and allow the thinkers and creators to come up with solutions in a playful think tank type of environment on their own schedule.

This is the type of wishful thinking that has always existed, but it is in many ways the internet and social media that may be used to move us dreamers forward.

International Women's Day

March 8 is international women's day. A day that serves to remind society that women's day actually needs to exist.

I consider myself an equalist and I believe that a world governed by men and women in equal ratio would actually finally move society into a healthier era.

Here I do not refer to the women that have climbed the male dominated ladder.  I am talking about highly capable individuals, who just happen to be female, but have a less ruthless or risk taking approach toward the environment and our common future.

That we as a species do not allow women to contribute their knowledge and experience to our global community is archaic. Empathy is valuable and women, whether due to nature, nurture or society are generally more empathic and may be able to envision better longterm solutions.

I would not want to live in a world solely led by women, anymore than I want to continue to experience one led by powerungry men. Maybe one day we will celebrate a good person's day, regardless of their gender.

Nice Guys Finish Last?

 

There are those of us (and I suspect that we are not in the minority), who cannot abide pain and suffering nor would we ever volitionally be the the cause of it. Those of us, who offer help beyond kind words when we watch someone who appears helpless and requires support.

Darwin's theory in the popularized approach is perpetually misinterpreted. Survival of the fittest by his meaning and revolutionary definition is not as is commonly and mistakenly believed survival of the strongest fastest and most vicious.  It is the survival of those who pass on their genes to the greatest number of progeny. Unlike insects, reptiles or amphibians, we do not pass on our genes to thousands of offspring.

Survival of the fittest in the human context ought to apply to communities as a whole. We have however, twisted our humanity into producing cruel and greedy psychopaths, who revel in the pain and suffering of those around them, even those who they are genetically related to. They do not destroy with sharp tools, but with greed and indifference, exploiting those of us who cannot and will not change their nature; those of us to whom integrity, compassion and empathy offers more value than the causation of poverty, pain and suffering.

Perspective Through Prehistory

From time to time, particularly in the current global climate, a reminder of how all of Homo sapiens spent the majority of its existence is required.

Here is is a brief and highly selective list of "It was much worse in prehistoric times."

1. Prehistoric humans had to hunt their food with flint on a stick. In return, the food hunted them back with teeth and claws. When the food left, humans migrated with them.

2. Public transportation was by foot only.

3. There were no stores or cities. They had to craft and make their own belongings.

4. There was no medication. There were no hospitals. At best, there was a healer, who administered ground up plants while chanting.

5. There was no one to sue if things went wrong.

6. If they fell off a mountain, they died. If something became infected, they died. If something ate them, they died. They ate what they found and hoped for the best. There were surprises. Average life expectancy was probably 30.

7. They lived with parasites and without toilet paper.

8. The infrastructure was usually trying to kill them.

And if you live somewhere where none of this sounds familiar, you are fortunate.

The Blind Leading The Blind

The Blind Leading the Blind by Peter Bruegel the Elder

I had a stimulating conversation with a friend, which left me feeling energized and contemplative.

We talked about the world economy, war, the rise and fall of empires, the cyclical nature of civilization, climate change and corporate globalization. We also discussed how our leaders seem to be spending a lot of time arguing and running in circles, apparently waiting for problems to fix themselves.  "The world has gone mad," I exclaimed at one point.

My friend remembered a book he had read some time ago. He could not recall the author, who had proposed the following theory. That the evolution of consciousness, self-awareness and so-called sentience of our ancient ancestors had driven the human species into insanity. As evidence, my friend explained, the author had included several sections on human sacrifice committed by a number of civilizations in the past.

The Aztecs, in particular, believed that in order to appease the gods, such horrific and delusional acts could improve their circumstances and control their future.  Looking at current world events we seem less barbaric than those civilizations, but only because we have a veneer of perceived civility, long-range weapons and a history of justified wars (for the victorious) to cover it up.

Pause. Think.

Me: Basically, this author claims that the entire human species is and has always been rip-roaring mad?

Friend: Yes.

Me: I think, therefore I am...crazy?!?

Friend: Yep.

Me: You and I. Every human being. Is completely nuts?

Friend: You got it.

Somehow, I feel better already.

Just Breathe

I remember the survivors of loss and tragedy.
I remember the courageous and the heroic.
I remember that hate breeds hate.
I remember that the actions of a few do not represent the thoughts of many.
I remember that we are one species, that humanity's childhood must come to an end if we are to survive on our pale blue dot.
I remember to just breathe.

Hell Is Other People

 The problem of evil: 

Why unconditionally bad things

happen to unconditionally good people.

They never do.

(Jonathan Safran Foer)

Some of the most user-friendly expressions are military based, a field where people literally put their lives at risk, whether voluntarily or not.  Used sparingly, swearing is powerful and has been proven to increase pain tolerance. A few months ago I experienced a conglomerate of a cluster flocked snafu of a fubar.  Within the course of a week life turned upside down, unpleasant discoveries were made, losses were incurred and plans...well. There were plans?

After the initial period of healthy shock and disbelief, (stress hormones are neurotoxic and the brain protects itself by shutting down), it was time to assess the rubble.  Some things I could do nothing about. Accept and move on. Others could be resolved. Incubate a predator-alien hybrid and persist. Bring it. The most difficult to deal with were the situations that were caused by other people.

It was an unwelcome reminder of how selfish humanity can be. Be it entitlement, greed or the worst that my species has to offer, the indifference toward others, putting self-interests above the common good or causing usually unnecessary harm, whether directly or indirectly is a reality I still fail to comprehend.

The lack of empathy and indifference that permeates our global community is seemingly infinite. I experienced it in my own little microcosm and have been watching it unfold on a global scale.  Selfishness, brought on by the evolution of survival, but no longer balanced by empathy or altruism. Empathy, the omega factor, which supposedly sets us apart from other mammals.

While dealing with the fallout of my personal cluster flock, I noticed a wasp queen building her nest on a window frame.  Through the window I could watch her closely, observe her building skills, constructing papermache hexagons.

We think of wasps as pests, unlike bees they do not produce honey and are therefore not seen as a benefit that humans can exploit. However, wasps are not only pollinators, but useful pest controllers.  While adults feed on nectar, the young are fed insects.

For a few weeks, every time her future hive reached coin size, I would open the window and knock it off. I cleaned the area hoping that if the scent was gone, she would pick another location. A few days later, she was back.  Starting over. Rebuilding.  I even tried to relocate her, but she would fly off before I could scoop her up in a container.

As a nature geek, I know that the aggressiveness of a hive is directly influenced by the behavior of their queen. Calm queen, which she was, calm hive. It became our routine. Knock off the nest, watch her rebuild and start liking her in the process. I lived with the knowledge that I was responsible for not allowing her to do what nature meant her to. She only had one summer to accomplish it. Damn you, Ender Wiggin.

I knew that I would be away and by the time I returned, her aggressive soldiers would hatch, helping her expand the hive. With reluctance I terminated her gene pool. I am sorry my calm little wasp, you would have made a good queen, but I had to protect my self-interest.