CIRCUS AMERICA

 

CIRCUS AMERICA

The price we pay for electing clowns to the highest offices.

 

In this article I am going to draw comparisons between Trump and Hitler, not only to illustrate how nations can get stuck with some deplorable leaders (it happens all too often and history is rife with questionable heads of state), but how similar these two are in their psychological profiles.  We’re finding ourselves in troubling times and we’re faced with complex issues.  Any sane leader would concentrate on attempts to solve these problems, rather than spent an inordinate amount of time erecting monuments to gratify the leader’s ego.  Tacky displays.  Statues (in gold of course).  Marches.  Military parades.  Plastering your face and name on buildings and renaming some in your own honor.  A UFC contest on the lawn of the White House, demolishing part of this national symbol to make room for a billion dollar ballroom, turning a rose garden into a putting green.  On the political and financial front his ‘presidential’ actions are as erratic and unpredictable, a lot of it motivated once more by an out-of-control ego that is rooted in a dysfunctional childhood and an overbearing father figure; fostering a level of insecurity that has led to a constant need to overcompensate and prove his worth: power, control, wealth.

Who in his right mind would start a global trade war with outrageous tariffs and economic sanctions?  CUSMA, once praised and negotiated by Trump to replace NAFTA, he now describes as an absolute disaster and valued neighbors and trading partners—Canada and Mexico—are now derided as parasites as if their close ties fostered over decades of integrated, mutual trade, have come solely at the expense of the United States.  Fact and figures point at the opposite but the volatile nature of unpredictable leaders saddled with a psychotic mindset will ignore anything that contradicts their aspirations.  Hitler’s political ideology was one of resentment and perverted by racism and a desire for Germany to dominate the world. 

No control mechanisms.

There is nothing in our political and legal arsenal that can protect us from out-of-control psychopathic leaders.  Sane leaders abide by convention and negotiated agreements and treaties: led by and motivated by an expectation of respectful and thoughtful behavior.  Both Trump’s and Hitler’s tenure has been tainted by vindictive vendettas towards political opponents and critics.  Both displayed a desire to comment on anything and everything as if their opinion matters.  Trump from the onset has denounced and belittled friends and foes alike.  Praise one minute and ridicule the next.  A behavioral pattern similar as to what he displayed in his company’s boardroom.  Control freaks excel at this kind of destructive approach to governing and ruling; building up and breaking down, keeping underlings on their toes and as a result they all go out of their way pleasing the boss.  It creates an unhealthy and pathetic working environment.  Policies that please the leader, accompanied by a flourishing signature and the lackeys applauding in the background.  Smiles all around.  Hitler employed the same tactics!

They keep pushing to see what they can get away with.

Bad leaders also engage in questionable tactics and they constantly probe and poke to identify weaknesses as in; what can I get away with!  Kidnapping a president.  Military strikes against suspected drug runners.  Embargos on “sanctioned oil ships”, leaving Cuba in the dark.  Oddly enough the world’s worst nations when it comes to illegal drugs and drug cartels—Mexico and Columbia—are thus far left alone!  A unilateral war against Iran and nobody can figure out why this was initiated in the first place, although between Israel and the US an illusion is kept alive that somehow they can control the Middle East and the flow of oil.  Hitler learned to his chagrin that an army runs on oil.

Desperation breeds contempt. 

And then there is the mystery surrounding Ukraine and Trump’s rather vague explanation that “Ukraine is not our war.”  Soft pedaling Russian aggression and refusing to back up NATO with tougher sanctions against Russia.  All of a sudden North Korea’s nuclear capabilities are ignored while Iran is being crucified for attempting the same, attempts that have been consistently bombed into oblivion by the US and Israel.  Trump’s flip flopping on many issues couldn’t be expressed more acutely than in the way he has dealt with US-China trade relations.  His divide and conquer approach hasn’t worked out well. 

Hitler was just as erratic.  As he steadily rose to power and expanded his control his true nature came to the fore with a messianic, savior complex combined with a level of aggression that proved frightening in scope.  Outrageous displays of flags, parades, and thousands of people in uniform.  All saluting each other and the leader with the infamous Hitler salute: Heil Hitler.  He unleashed an incredible building frenzy, from monuments and planned museums to his personal retreat in the mountains.  His image and presence were everywhere.  What he and his acolytes crafted was a cult status that placed Hitler and the state above anything else.  And it came with enforced compliance.  His secret state police, the SS and the Gestapo were omni present and ruled with impunity.  The black uniforms, the lightning bolt epaulets, the silver skulls on their caps.  Everything was designed to invoke power and to intimidate.  So-called subversives were incarcerated in concentration camps and judges presided over kangaroo trials.

And now look at the detention centers in the US, the separation of families, a lack of legal representation, deportations.  ICE arresting anyone suspected of being a potential illegal citizen.  And look at the color of their clothing and tactics used!  Former administrators like James Comey are charged and threatened with court action based on fabricated and frivolous accusations.  Even if acquitted and exonerated, it is all based on career destroying motives.

Persecution and threats.

In Nazi Germany the intelligentsia was persistently ‘cleansed’ of anyone not willing to adhere to Nazi policies and towing the party line.  It led to a national justification of hatred, bigotry and racism.  State-led, state-fed, political indoctrination through a process of relentless coercion

In Trump’s America we see a similar process taking place.  Intimidation of candidates that are not pro-Trump, condemnation of networks featuring programs that are deemed anti-Trump with bad jokes or taking potshots at his bungling, lies and distortion of facts.  They are trying to create a Trump-cult-America where you don’t achieve or rise up through the ranks unless you submit to their views.  MAGA or else!  Submission without question.  Smile instead of cringe.  Sell out rather than doing the right thing: serve your country with dignity and respect.  Honor and abide by the nation’s constitution and laws.

Tap into fear.  Create fear.

Hitler faced a nation that was defeated and humiliated in his eyes, although World War I was put in motion by a psychotic, delusional Kaiser Wilhelm.  Sane world leaders are not afraid of the psychopaths elected as heads of state, but of the insanity they will unleash once they are in power.  Not a single, global institution is designed or can cope with an out-of-control leader.  Germany was broke.  The population fractious and volatile.  All it takes is a determined psychopath to light the fire and keeping it fed.

America is broke and it won’t be fixed with tariffs and sanctions.  England’s economy was devastated by an on and off hundred year war with France (1337-1453) and when the king’s coffers were empty they often resorted to tariffs on imports.  It led to smuggling and tax evasion instead and with thousands of civil servants charged with trying to put a stop to it.  America’s impressive military complex and with an army of over a million people in uniform spread out across the globe has steadily eroded America’s financial stability.  A mighty army that is not backed up by an equally impressive and profitable private sector presence is a recipe for disaster.  Under the astute financial mismanagement of Trump and company America is well under way towards a forty trillion dollar federal debt.

Appeasement has never worked.

Hitler compensated for Germany’s impoverished state by invading other nations and stealing their resources and using slave labor.  Hitler started his expansion by annexations that appeared tolerated as the world around him contemplated how to best contain him.  Austria was annexed in a semi-friendly-hostile takeover and the excuse: well, we all speak the same language and therefore an ‘Anschluss’ makes perfect sense.

Trump and company have been equally eager for much needed resources and cash.  He has expressed a desire for Canada to roll over and play dead and join as the 51^st state.  And look at the size, the resources and the impressive workforce of Canada.  What a bargain that would be!  And let’s not forget that most of them speak the same language.  They are also eyeing Greenland, the oil of Venezuela and practicing the art of intimidation and military threats by putting Cuba in the dark and bombing boats out of the water that are ‘identified’ as potential drug running vessels.

Hitler kept pushing to see what the world would do in the face of his increasingly erratic behavior and early conquests: the Rhineland, Austria and Sudetenland.  He mistook the reluctance of the Allied powers for fear and that he could pursue his agenda of invading other nations with impunity.  Sane leaders don’t fear the person, but what they will unleash.  War has never produced a lasting result or an improvement in relationships with neighbors or adversaries (the conflict model continues to dominate international relations, as if we need enemies to justify trade and financial policies.  Culture, language, customs, traditions, religion and heritage continue to be abused as justifications to pursue war and animosity).

They crave attention.

Big egos love to draw attention to themselves and again, both Trump and Hitler are prime examples.  Hitler would hold forth for hours, claiming to be an expert on anything.  And of course, nobody was given a choice but to listen, nod in affirmation and applaud.  Ditto for Trump.  Put a microphone in front of him and he won’t shut up.  Claiming to know everything: I am the smartest man.  I could have been a professor.  And the accolades he heaps onto himself keep piling up.

Hitler learned the hard way that armies run on oil.  All that impressive and expensive military hardware requires huge amounts of energy.  The Middle East is still the primary source and he who controls the oil spigot rules.  The unilateral decision by the US and Israel to provoke a war with Iran has little to do with Iran’s desire to enrich uranium for nuclear warheads, but with showing the world whose boss.  At the latest G7 meeting Trump was boasting to the leaders in attendance that “I’m the boss” as he took a seat at the table.

Israel has steadfast refused to reach a compromise deal with people of Arab descent living within its borders.  A land they shared for thousands of years.  They believe that by bombing the hell out of the remaining Palestinian enclaves that they can force them to move.  Accommodation and power sharing has deliberately been removed from any negotiations.  Psychotic leaders want it all and a lot of it hails from desperation.

Who needs America?

Once upon a time the world craved everything ‘made in America’.  We wanted their refrigerators and appliances, cars and machinery.  America’s manufacturing sector was booming.  Something peculiar started to happen in the 70s and 80s.  America as a nation started to trade in its manufacturing base for the pyrotechnics of stock speculation.  All part of the progress trap, which has been the undoing of nations past and present.  A few doing extremely well at the expense of the many.  Large corporations squeezing out the little guy.  Factory farming displacing thousands of farming families.  Profits and quantity before quality.  Supply management as practiced in Canada would have saved the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.  All economic practices, no matter how well intended at first, once in place, are extremely difficult to reverse.  America is now discovering to their chagrin that in the case of heavy industries like ship building and steel, they are now at the mercy for these items to foreign nations.  Some at the other end of the world.

America’s costly reliance on mega-sized defense industries—stuff that only gathers dust unless you use the stuff in profitable wars—has put its political masters in the poor house.  They have dug the costliest global financial hole.  I will illustrate this with one simple example.  A jet fighter, from the first bolt ordered until it is scrapped as junk at the end of its lifetime, is a cost factor.  Tax dollar wasted and spent from start to finish.  On the other hand, a commercial jetliner will earn its owners millions of dollars as it flies for years from destination to destination, ferrying millions of ‘paying’ passengers’.  This is how the private sector works and if the private sector doesn’t earn any money, there are no taxes to be levied.  A private sector-for-profit product doesn’t cost the taxpayer a single penny.  It actually produces tax dollars.

A little late at this stage of the game for Trump and company to attempt to turn back the clocks and reinvent the America of the 50s.  Don’t forget that America before, during and after World War II, started out as lenders of money.  A lot of it used to boost and reconstruct industries all around the globe destroyed by war.  Within record time they have become the world’s biggest borrowers of money and they’re only adding more each year.  Trump’s erratic trade policies are costly and counterproductive.

Out of control spending. 

The biggest millstone dangling around the neck of every American taxpayer is excessive military spending aimed at retaining a superpower status.  No other nation maintains as many costly security bureaucracies as the US, many of them born out of pure paranoia and fear and a lot of it hyped to justify the expense.  Get rid of heavy industries and manufacturing and millions of people previously working are now on the dole and need government assistance.  America is drowning in bureaucratic layers and many of them are rife with cronyism, corruption and fraud.  American insurance companies and health delivery services love to milk the taxpayer for all its worth.  Government contracts fail to deliver bank for buck and military contractors are the worst when it comes to cost overruns and overpricing.  Russia is a prime example of a nation bankrupted by its military spending.

Victims of the progress trap.

The progress trap is a typical example of how some of our best intentions end up costing us dearly.  The progress trap causes a progressive slide of disproportionate wealth division (haves and have-nots) that eventually places wealth and prosperity beyond the reach of the many and only increases government dependency (and henceforth the cost of government).  Economist John Kenneth Galbraith warned American presidents as early as 1954 that this was a recipe for economic and financial disaster.  Trump and company’s pathetic attempts to reverse this trend of economic and financial decline are laughable at best as most of them are the beneficiaries of what their predecessors and their families have created in the first place.

None of them will impose any controls or reversals on basic greed and excessive profit taking.  Using archaic tactics such as tariffs, sanctions and military escapades will only drive much needed investments away.  Even disgruntled Americans who have bought into Trump’s circus America will soon realize that what seemed originally harmless entertainment by putting a clown in the White House is swiftly turning into a nightmare.  It is one thing watching a circus, becoming part of the act is altogether different.

Only one blessing: he’s old!

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THERE IS NO CONSTANT

 

THERE IS NO CONSTANT

Everything is driven by energy and momentum

 

Every once in a while I like to take you on a semi-academic-scientific journey to illustrate with yet another example how energy and momentum impact everything in and around us and why any of our efforts to bring a certain level of constancy in our lives are doomed to fail.  It is frustrating and the underlying cause for much of the friction that exists in the world we inhabit.  The bulk of the universe is made up of matter: atoms, particles and gasses.  Inanimate and lacking awareness.  Matter has no needs.  It simply is.  But, it doesn’t differentiate in how it too is affected by energy and momentum.  Energy constantly bundling and releasing.  There is a certain amount of predictability, but not in the intensity of a release.

Awareness sets us apart from atoms and particles.

Earth is a slightly different kettle of fish because something rather special took place as we inhabit the only planet in our galaxy that produced living cells that spawned a veritable cornucopia of life over a timespan of billions of years.  Living cells, from simple to complex, require nutrition, oxygen, water and sunlight to survive and thrive.  Certain favorable conditions have to be met to keep living cells alive.  All lifeforms are constantly confronted by a host of challenges, something inanimate matter doesn’t have to put up with.  A byproduct of the precarious existence of living cells is an instinctive awareness that is present in virtually all of them.

We’re part of a universe that is a restless entity.

All living cells are the product of energy, but energy is not a constant and because of momentum (the automatic byproduct of energy) it creates constantly changing circumstances, from extremely positive to extremely negative.  A simple example is nutrition.  We don’t always eat the same thing, at the same time and experience the same sensation.  Our craving for sustenance changes constantly depending on need and activity level.  As a direct result of the impact of energy and momentum all lifeforms lead a rather unstable and volatile existence and it produces behaviors to match.  Compounding the impact is the fact that all living cells have a limited lifespan, lack resilience and are susceptible to disease and decay.  The combination of needs and uncertainty is what creates a constant state of turbulence.  This is one of the reasons why extreme incidents of intense negative energy bundling and the subsequent release is nearly impossible to stop.  The needs can be so powerful that it overtakes common sense and reason.

All human behavior answers to the unpredictable patterns of energy and momentum and it explains why our attempts at control are an abysmal failure.  The volatility only increases because of our higher level of intelligence and a higher level of awareness.  It has created a dichotomy we constantly struggle with because when we’re in trouble satisfying and meeting our immediate needs, we consistently fall back on primordial and instinctive behaviors.

We’re not different. All lifeforms share the same building blocks.

All lifeforms on Earth display the same evolutionary characteristics and trademarks.  A superior intelligence doesn’t set us apart, nor does it grant exemptions.  It has only given us an edge over all other lifeforms and if you follow me on my blog or read my books, you will know that I don’t think that is necessarily a good thing.  The following two primordial instincts are dominant in all lifeforms; survival followed by procreation.  When energy needs are met the inevitable urge to procreate is present in all species and a lot of depends on what its immediate environment can support.  And look at our numbers!

A dominant species can exert a greater influence over all the other species it shares the same environment with while potentially competing for the same resources.

In our case it is not only us versus the natural world, but we’re also competing with other human tribes for a variety of reasons, but the underlying sentiment that drives it, is supremacy.  Northern Ireland’s Catholics versus Protestants.  Houthis versus Tutsis in Rwanda, Serbs and Croats in the Balkans.  History is filled with examples galore of uneasy coexistence and fragile relationships.  And let’s not leave out Canada and our ongoing brush with reconciling our fractious historic past with our indigenous people; French Canada versus English Canada, East versus West.  America’s North and South.  Blacks versus whites.

When trouble knocks on our doors (and it could start with something small and insignificant, and yet, it can be blown out of proportion in record time), because, when we’re in trouble or being challenged, our primordial and instinctive behaviors become dominant once more.  Because . . . everything and everyone . . .  all driven by energy (and energy needs) and propelled by momentum.  No biggie when the energy that bundles is positive and the release corresponds accordingly, but, when negative energy bundles in intensity there is no innocent, harmless dissipation.  The true impact of energy reveals itself when it hits extremes.  Take an honest look around you and then ask yourself if there is a rational explanation for what is happening in the world today.  We’re not governed by rules of reason and proper conduct that follow logical and predictable patterns.

Believe your own lies and nothing else matters.

All lifeforms, all living cells, experience highs and lows; and what makes all life hazardous is the simple fact that there is no constancy; no guarantee or predictability.  We are at the mercy of energy and momentum and energy rules.  The efforts of those in charge, elected or selected, regardless of political stripe or religion, is to seek out a constant; an equilibrium that is sustainable and which provides a modicum of stability.  Destabilization leads to chaos and anarchy.  The human tribes resemble the planets in our galaxy in behavior; none are the same, all are different in size and make-up and all behave differently due to the constant push and pull of others.  We too are constantly tearing at each other; maneuvering, testing, poking, agreeing and disagreeing.  Or busy killing each other!

Intelligence is a dubious asset.

You would think that a superior intelligence would turn us into better people.  It is something you would expect.  Pulling together should be a no-brainer, but the opposite is the reality.  Energy intake and requirements provide all the motivation nations and tribes need in their justification to reign supreme.  And the supreme dominators amongst us rule with an arrogance that in their eyes justifies the dominion over others.  Listen to the rhetoric that flows from the lips of Trump, Netanyahu and Putin.  Pay attention to their body language.  In their simplistic views might makes right.  We can and therefore we will.  The indifference shown towards the carnage they have inflicted, the hundreds of thousands of victims, mostly innocent civilians, men, women and children, all signs of how unglued we have become.  And when it comes down to the long-term consequences, the impact on the rest of the world and the future our children will inherit?  None of them care as they are intoxicated by their power and infamy.

The irony?

What they crave and what eventually will be their undoing is that the constancy they desire is actually undermined by their actions.  Pulling together and setting differences aside makes all the difference.  Strength lies in all parts working together.

An intelligence not tempered by wisdom is an intelligence not worth having.

The fact that a constancy simple doesn’t exist and never will doesn’t mean that we, as a species, should give up trying by modifying our behaviors along more acceptable and moderate lines.  Less negative energy and more positive energy.  Nuclear fusion is the holy grail of energy generation and efficiency, but harnessing that awesome power is still elusive.  What is lacking is a constant and reliable generating process and thus far it is a physics experiment that defies reliable controls.  If it reaches critical mass and it spins out of control, the subsequent blast will be enormous.  The one thing that eludes nuclear fusion and all lifeforms on Earth is constancy.  It is not a requirement for atoms and inanimate particles.  They simply are.  We, on the other hand, crave constancy, predictability, safety, security, protection and if at all possible, saved from disease and decay.

We’re purposely ignorant of the natural forces that control our destiny, because the truth hurts.

Within the vast universe that surrounds us we are a fragile element constantly impacted by energy and momentum.  Awareness fluked into being on our planet, the only one to produce living cells and life.  We’re a space oddity.  An exception.  Nothing in space is as affected in its existence like we are.  We’re the ones who got stuck with awareness, with intelligence, with bodies that are fragile and temporary.

Our existence has nothing to do with fairness and we if don’t improve matters, greed, ignorance and stupidity will continue to play out on a planet where humanity as a species is increasingly running out of time and options.  We can ill afford to waste what planet Earth provides.  The only sage advice I can give, and you may ponder this for a while, is the following: Be the answer.

 

Purchase my novel; Energy and Origin from KDP Amazon.ca 

It will open your mind and explain not only who we are, but where we are headed and why.

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A VIEW OF THE WORLD

 

A VIEW OF THE WORLD

Actually, it’s about how you view the world.

It is a typical human habit to want to attach labels.  On a container it signifies immediately what you’re purchasing.  On our busy roads we rely on traffic signs.  Signs and labels for just about anything.  Drugs, poisons, paints, all come with explanations and signage indicating how lethal some of these products are and where to go for help.  Even on the news—sorry, it’s no longer called the news, but the show—the hosts feel obliged to explain the weather and the need for cautions, in case of rain for instance, “Be sure to bring your umbrella and wellies.”  Labelling.  Cautions.  We’re constantly getting in each other’s face.  Even unasked for advice, (we can’t seem to help ourselves) no matter how well intended; it is so pervasive.  Movies come with ratings and unpleasant news events come with a warning.  “What you’re about to view may offend some viewers.”

Labelling people.

This article is about labelling people into categories.  We do it all the time.  Obesity ratings.  Fitness ratings.  Toddler, infant, child, teenager, adolescent, adult, senior.  Old, young, bald, ugly, beautiful, wrinkled.  For some reason color has been segregated and black is no longer phonetically correct with a lower case.  White, brown, red or olive are still lower case and for some strange reason Black Lives Matter must have been responsible for that slight linguistic change.  I would have been much happier with a heartfelt legal equality, not only in law but one that comes from the heart as well, rather than settling for a capital B.  Anyway, that is just a slight deviation from the crux of the matter at hand.  How do you view the world and what kind of label would you attach to yourself?  You see, at the end of this article you get to decide.

Optimist, futurist, alarmist, pessimist, realist?

What kind of person are you?  How do you interpret your place in the universe?  Do you concern yourself with the present or the future?  Since my fingers are touching the keyboard and the subject matter is entirely mine, I get to decide a certain order and you will have to contend yourself with some of my personal biases slipping in.  Not to worry, even my objective mind suffers from bias and so does yours.  Bias is a subject for a much later date and it’s not a biggie.  Bias is a like a shadow comparable to the clothes worn by the emperor, yet semi-transparent and always close to the surface.  Not unlike the emperor, we see what we want to see!  We are products of the times we live in and how we experience the world is limited by personal knowledge and experience.  What you know and are exposed to go hand in hand.  Nobody is an expert on everything.  It also explains stupidity and stupid people. 

Are you a futurist?

Let’s start with the futurists.  I am an avid reader, but when it comes to science fiction and vampires, I kind of bypass that section in the library.  The world of the fantastic and totally imagined makes for light entertainment and amuses for a while, but it lacks substance.  For little me; fantasy in small doses please.  But the true futurist fanatics believe in all that anticipated technical wizardry.  The Jetsons coming alive.  We’re buzzing around in flying cars and live in floating worlds and robots deliver us meals that come in the form of a pill.  Yummy!  May the force be with you, Star Wars’ aficionados, and they’re convinced that one of these days we will be leaving boring planet Earth in search of exciting stellar systems filled with wondrous lifeforms and mindboggling technologies that will tickle our innovative imaginations.  The details are a bit fuzzy, but if you can envision it, it will happen.  Leave it to Musk and other space cadets to turn that dream into a reality.  For the futurists their motto is simple, “The future is ours and looking bright.  Warp speed 5, Mr. Zulu . . .  and beam me up, Scotty.”

An optimist?

A bit naïve they are, optimists, and what futurists share with optimists is hope, that silver lining kind of thing, sunny side up just like an egg.  Optimists are by and large nice people.  You can’t get mad at them.  There is an optimistic side to my realism because I refuse to go through life as a pessimist.  As a realist I am utterly convinced that my personal impact and opinion are by and large tolerated, but basically ignored.  When you’re not calling the shots, who listens?  Those calling the shots are however responsible for the tens of thousands of mostly innocent civilians who do get shot and killed each year.  The deciders is such a small category that it disqualifies most of us.  So, let’s skip the deciders.  (This is not an endorsement for home delivery services)

An alarmists?

I will skip this category as well.  They remind me too much of the fairytale of the boy crying wolf.  They tend to be miserable as well.  Perhaps the two go together, like peas in a pod.  Believe it or not, but you recognize alarmists from a distance, it is etched in their faces and reflected in their eyes.  A quick dash towards the next door behind which are encamped the pessimists.  (I can’t be seen to favor one home delivery service over another)

A pessimist?

Pessimists fall into the alarmist category, constantly worrying about everything and that includes worrying about the buffoon currently occupying the White House and the sinister little creep in the Kremlin.  We can only hope that a timely death will welcome all the little tyrants (and soon) who are currently hastening the demise of the planet and everything on it.  I’ve already let the cat out of the bag with the realist reference (my choice). 

I am a realist with a sense of humor.

A realist acknowledges that eventually we will be done in by greed, ignorance and stupidity.  There are so many of us that we can’t ignore the inevitable.  If there were very few of us I doubt I would be writing this down.  As a matter of fact I wouldn’t be writing at all, because I would be too busy loving and exploring the natural world, because I do love life and the fact that I am here and not on some godforsaken planet out in the galaxy boonies, surrounded by weird creatures speaking in guttural sounds I can’t understand.  For Pete’s sake, leave Star Wars out of my life.

Without going into greater detail I will ignore all those fantasies about effortlessly travelling through space, flying from one planetary wonder to the other and leave that part to the futurists and optimists.  If you’re really curious, I wrote a book called—They were like Angels—and it will provide you with much greater insight as to why zooming through space is not in the human cards.  It will cost you.  Currently it is only available through me and in paperback.  Twenty bucks and shipping costs and it can be yours.

As a realist I love to shrug my shoulders when it comes to doom and gloom and all things hoped and wished for.  We are what we are and there is very little anyone can do to change anything.  I’ve never trusted politicians who claim they can change things for the better, nor will I blindly follow those who promise everlasting life if things don’t turn out on Earth.  Life is a journey and I revel in the experience.  Enjoying the ride if you will.  And of course it comes with aches and pains, with grief and disappointments, trials and tribulations and I do realize that for many of us the ride is pure hell and torture.  Be happy if you were born on the right side of the tracks and above all, be happy with who and what you are.

Ordinary and boring, don’ knock it!

Some people can be so unrealistic, constantly looking for things that are out of reach; success, the perfect mate and relationships, instant gratification, a career you absolutely love, money in the bank, debt free and you die at age one hundred without ever seeing a doctor and you were bright as a whip right up to final breath of air.  Just ordinary and mundane can be so gratifying.  Boring is okay.  Not getting bombed out of your home or moving from one refugee camp to the other, kept alive by aid agencies suspected of harboring terrorists while handing out food.  Apparently those two things go hand in glove if some of our less illustrious leaders are to be believed.  It also allows them to save some money by cutting off funding.  Killing two birds with one stone; hey, Bill, you’re full of phrases today.

Temper your expectations and appreciate the cards you’ve been dealt in life (I can’t stop or help myself once I’m on roll, with the phrases that is).  Appreciate what you have been given.  My nose is slightly crooked.  I’ve always had bags under my eyes.  My liver spots masquerade as a tan.  I’m slightly balding and I’ve got so many spare parts inside of me that I can be classified as a medical miracle and an impressive pile of scrap metal will be left behind upon the cremation of my dead body.  I am still very much alive, the dead reference was just that, a reference.  On occasion I have looked upon beautiful human specimens with envy, especially if they’re blessed with an impressive amount of luxurious hair, but it is usually followed by a disparaging thought to make me feel better: probably a salesperson or a politician, or in a worst case scenario, a lawyer.

I do feel bad for the billions of people who got stuck in a shithole from the day they were born.  Dumb luck.  Bad luck.  No intent involved and stuck with a shitty hands of cards.  Imagine being born black (Black with a capital B for those who insist on the ‘new’ literary awakening.  If there is such a thing as woke, this would be it for me) in the Sudan, stuck in a refugee camp and faced with daily deprivations and violence.  Life can really suck if you’re born in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Thank goodness that we can turn things off. 

Luckily for us all species are blessed with a shut-off mechanism that prevents us from cracking up when bad things come barreling down like an avalanche.  When we feel the worst while experiencing the worst.  If we didn’t have this we’d go out of our minds.  Not that we’re shutting out unpleasantness or disaster, but without that mental defense mechanism we wouldn’t survive.  In case of a major catastrophe the first order of business is cope and regroup.  It is a basic survival thing.

But what about wars and disasters that don’t take place in our own backyard.  Well, the coping in that case is a bit more altruistic, as in being pleased that it is them and not us.  A sort of remote empathy that doesn’t go very deep.  It is still part of that mental defense mechanism, but also plays into the basic survival strategy that we’re not obliged to feel pain that is not ours.

In my hometown there are currently about seventy people classified as homeless.  I could sell all my assets and hand over the money to these hapless souls and within one or two months of whooping it up, we’d all be broke again and stuck in the same rut.  I don’t have any answers and neither do you.  This is a quote from Lyndon B. Johnson—he wasn’t handsome either and apparently cussed like a sailor before they started to tape everything that came out of a president’s mouth—Life isn’t fair, it never was and never will be.

All we can really do is cope to our best abilities and go with the flow.  When something fun and exciting happens, enjoy!  If nothing out of the ordinary happens and everything is steady as she goes, count your blessings.  Even boring can be appreciated when everything else around you is going to hell in a handbasket.  If I’ve overdone the phrases, no apologies from the author.  I enjoy writing my articles.

So, when it comes to your view of the world, is there a label that fits you or a favorite inclination?  We just survived nearly five months of nasty winter weather.  I mean, this is Canada and even for us, it was bad!  I wonder if this kind of philosophical bender was a direct result of the winter blahs.  Cabin fever.  I even changed the lyrics of our national anthem.  Oh, Canada, land of snow and ice, freezing your ass off is never nice.

I purposely limited the views of the world to a few that are incredibly general and left out all the predictable subjects, topics, inclinations and phobia that lead to endless and annoying discussions and interpretations.  Keep it simple.  I also don’t want you to scratch your head incessantly, induce a headache or steer you towards intense soul searching.

I am a realist with a devious humorous streak.  What are you?

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A DISTURBING UPTICK IN TRIBALISM

 A DISTURBING UPTICK IN TRIBALISM

 

Sometimes I like to use a dictionary’s definition of a word to jumpstart an article and this one hails from the Webster’s Dictionary in regards to tribalism: tribal consciousness and loyalty, exaltation of the tribe above other groups, strong ‘in-group’ loyalty.  A bit vague because a lot of it depends on the size of the tribe and how most of the members identify.  The interpretation does hint at exclusivity, which basically means that certain people are either excluded or discriminated against.  And that is where an increase in tribalism can turn ugly and even deadly in a hurry.  We’re all familiar with phrases such as: letting the cat out of the bag.  Letting the genie out of the bottle.  We all know that the result is a permanent kind of thing.  The same sentiment applies to tribalism once it takes front and center.  All of a sudden it becomes a phenomenon that takes on a life of its own.  The notion that all their problems will be over if only all the members of the tribe stick together and act as one.  Sensing a golden opportunity, they are always led and misled by political hopefuls who pursue a course of exclusive tribal action in the mistaken belief that they can succeed where others have failed.

What triggers tribalism?

Amongst the members of the tribe there is a growing sense of unease:  a steady decline in income, job losses, an influx of immigrants and refugees, inflation, price increases, a lack of housing affordability and a steady erosion of savings or not being able to keep up with the bills.  Irate tribal members don’t need a single specific reason, like the threat of war or an invasion, to invoke an increased sense of nationalism, protectionism or isolationism.  It can be a case of all of the above.  One thing all of us avoid around the globe is the disturbing fact that we persist with an image of false growth, all of it subsidized by a growing mountain of public debt.  This is a public sector phenomenon as out of control spending is solely aimed at placating the masses and to keep government programs and subsidies in place.

An increase in tribalism is not the answer, because it creates the exact opposite as it promotes all the ugliness that segregates nations and its people in the first place in a time of crisis; race, religion, ethnicity, language and culture.  When we need to pull together, we actually start pulling apart.  Size does matter when it comes down to tribal identity and how one identifies.  The smaller the group the easier it is to connect.  In large and more complex societies you will see clusters emerge and it can be based on race, culture, religion, language or a shared environment: a city, a suburb, a region or province.  Tribalism is by and large grounded in a conscious and subconscious erosion of confidence and trust.  Unscrupulous leaders prey on these base emotions of insecurity and start providing an outlet: others are to blame.  We’re under attack.  Our way of life is threatened.  Scum is crossing our borders, drug dealers and rapist embedded amongst the thousands of refugees and illegals.  We have been taken advantage of.  Hit back or perish.  All they need to do is pour on the gasoline to keep the fires of discontent burning and with careful tweaking the tribe starts to react as one.  A new truth.  What used to be minor irritants turn into major causes, and spats turn into ugly conflicts and even war.

It’s that letting the cat out of the bag!

Tribalism grows out of desperation when none of the traditional fixes seem to work.  What most fail to acknowledge is the simple fact that the issues all of us face around the globe are universal in nature and they affect everybody.  To name a few of the current culprits: climate change, global warming, resource depletion, disparity in income and wealth division, deficits and debts, overpopulation, uncontrolled migration and refugees, shortage of affordable housing, inflation, safety and security, air, ground and water pollution.  A toxic and volatile mix.  An increase in tribalism is motivated by attempts to isolate the tribe from all of the above.  One way to achieve this is by blaming anything and everyone not connected to them.  A bizarre form of protectionism that resembles a turtle withdrawing within its shell to discourage an attack.  But even the turtle knows; you can’t hide forever.

How bad can it get?

A prime historical example in our recent past is that of Nazi Germany where an ethnic white majority tried to banish all unwanted elements from their society; Jews, communists, the feeble minded, handicapped, homosexuals and anybody suspected of harboring any kind of immoral deviancy.  Increasingly creating an atmosphere of narrowmindedness that excluded anyone not adhering to Nazi party standards and rules.  Total obedience.  A delusional belief that their Aryan ancestry entitled them to behave like they did.

Every superpower has created these kind of ideological justifications and it is playing out around the world once more.  Over the top, pretentious posturing, threats and bullying turning into official political policies and protectionist measures.  Tariffs, threats, sanctions, military strikes, whatever draws attention.  Whatever they feel might work!  And therein lies the greatest threat in the increase in dubious tribalism; that there is some kind of moral justification behind all their actions and activities.  The USA versus all nations that may or may not have impacted on their peace and prosperity, defending themselves against all threats real or imagined.  Israel versus all entities that impact on the survival of their nation, (despite legitimate objections by Palestinians under constant attack), and those suspected of harboring enemy forces and undermining their legitimacy of statehood.  A Russian state guided by a psychopath who envisions a resurrection of the glorious era of Tsarist power, influence and wealth.  A global economy under siege by an America attempting to stave off a financial collapse brought on by excessive borrowing and debt accumulation and faced with an implosion of their imperial dreams of remaining the biggest superpower in the world.

We’re not learning.

And then there are all the other hotspots around the globe filled with religious and regional conflicts; fights about who owns what, what they feel they are entitled to and who get access to wealth and resources . . .  and who gets nothing.  What we fail to acknowledge is that the world has reached a saturation point in the human population numbers it can realistically sustain; when it comes to providing for all.  And when it comes to a shortfall it is affecting not millions, but billions.  The negatives are starting to pile up by the baker’s dozen.

Tribalism is a simplistic attempt to plug holes in a sieve.  It doesn’t make sense.  Once more the impact of energy and momentum is the driving force behind all of this.  This is our boat.  We’re all in it together.  I am one of you.  Withdrawing in the wilderness and living a life of subsistence and isolation is not the answer.  When you turn your back on life, the world behind you goes on as usual, whether you like it or not.  I don’t have any real answers other than following my own mantra: Be the answer.  We either learn to pull together or we keep pulling apart.

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