IF YOU SAY SO

 

IF YOU SAY SO

 

Not a single human being is alike in cognitive development and awareness; we don’t look alike and we don’t think alike.

 

Every once in a while I like to take you on a philosophical journey and the topic I will address in this article is cognitive awareness and learning.  And more to the point, how reliable is it?  I will start with one of my own phrases that I’m particularly fond of.  “We all view and interpret the world from within the limited parameters of personal knowledge and experience.”  Our judgements and opinions are based on the reference points we’re familiar with.  And I will give you a very simple example.  When a 2 year old saw my puppy, Toby, for the first time (he’s a blue-merle Aussie, which basically means that his coloring is black, blue and white), his mommy exclaimed, “Look at that cute little puppy.”  And the 2 year old replied deadpan, “Doggie dirty.”  From a distance and for someone his age and never having been exposed up close to a similar dog, Toby could indeed appear as if he had slept in a dirt or oil barrel.  He associated the dog’s color with dirt.  “Wash your hands, they’re dirty.”  There was a reference point there somewhere, as association made.  In this case, black.  And dirt is black.

Nobody is the same.  Nobody learns in exactly the same way.

Accurate cognitive awareness and association takes time to develop and heavily depends on the subject material which in some people may remain incredibly limited due to a lack of interest or being the recipient of limited learning, and it therefore leads to a lesser degree of cognitive awareness and accuracy.

Most of us are skimmers.

The bulk of humanity consists of skimmers and skippers and it all boils down to exposure, opportunity and interest.  Most people skim through life, intellectual surface dwellers, because we either fail to show them the heights and depth or they simply don’t care.  No motivation.  No interest.  There is that famous phrase, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

Cognitive awareness and learning in a highly interested and motivated group of individuals will explore and tackle any subject with a much greater degree of accuracy (truthful if you like) than a group content to mimic the attitudes and behaviors of the tribe they belong to.  What we’re exposed to as youngsters, although it is foundational and haunts us until the day we die, is highly suspect.  Look no further than religion and how we’re spoon fed from infancy with religious truths and certainties.  We’re all raised to accept and adopt and not to question learning.  Drilled into us from conception is conformity and compliance.  Religious education for instance is about acceptance without question and we don’t confront our little ones with theological questions and dilemmas that academics to this day are struggling with.  “Does God really exist?  Did any of these miracles and stories every take place?  No, the opposite is true.  We want to move forward with accepted comfortable truths and associations.  What we want for our children is to give them a solid foundation and it might not be truthful or correct.  Our attitudes and morals are therefore skewered and highly suspect from birth and it illustrates that life is not necessarily about fact and accuracy, but about comfort.  Things that make us feel good.

What do we believe?  Who do we believe?

When the leader of a nation proclaims that all illegals are drug users, thugs and criminals and repeats the message over and over again, this doesn’t mean that the listeners actually believe the message, but it becomes part of a tribal camp registration with all the adherents shouting hallelujah in unison, reaffirming their faith in each other.  The tribe consolidating and it has little to do with stupid or smart people, but about taking sides, about association.  You want to be in, not out!

Genius is not the rule, they are a rare exception.

You can’t have heightened cognitive awareness without interest and fascination, without determination and ambition and I will once more entertain you with a simple example.  A mathematician can stare at a complicated math equation scribbled down on multiple chalkboards and be absolutely fascinated, his or her eyes roaming over the numbers and symbols and especially if it is something new, intriguing and promising.  I could walk past that same chalkboard and I wouldn’t be interested at all because I haven’t got a clue what I’m looking at.  What’s up there is totally meaningless to me.

The mathematician could look at me with incredulity, his or her eyes feverish with excitement, bursting with enthusiasm and exclaim, “This is enormous and this equation will change the world.”  And my reaction to this revelation, “If you say so”

How we react to information is dependent on interest.  We only pay attention to what matters to us in the moment.  Life and living is basically a selfish pursuit and it neatly explains our indifference to anything that doesn’t directly affect us.  We hear what we want to hear and we are, what we are.  Everything else is window dressing.

Blame our short attention spans.

Besides dubious acquired knowledge our sensory sensations experience a short lifespan as well.  Very little we absorb or are exposed to leaves a lasting impression.  My little 2 year old is just making his way into the world.  Most of what he will encounter in his formative years is through osmosis, all the stuff that is passed on from their parents, siblings and teachers and whatever else society throws at you.  What he gets is their truths, opinions, impressions and beliefs.  Questioning, doubting and exploring starts at a much later stage and accuracy and depth will depend largely on personal interest, fascination and ambition.

Average is the norm and below average is the new norm.

I love listening to music, but sheet music is Chinese to me.  The notes mean nothing.  My interest in music is limited to listening.  I am tone deaf, can’t hold a tune or remember any songs.  I have no interest to learn.  I am a listener and not a player.  Humans are underachievers, not super achievers.  Even highly motivated people are a rarity and when they do excel it is only in limited bursts.  In the natural world there is not a single animal species that behaves like we do.  There is cognitive awareness and learning, but none display the obsessive behaviors that have evolved in humans.  None of them care what we care about, none even display an inclination of wanting to join us.  Blissfully unaware of our struggles they only care about living for today.  Their ambition is limited to take care of today and hopefully it will take care of tomorrow.

The tree of life is ours.  We’re not unique.  We just took a slightly different path

But, all lifeforms follow the same evolutionary pathways and patterns; all of us are basically lazy and opportunistic.  The lion pride will go after the young, the weak and vulnerable.  I mean, you’re not going to throw your back out pursuing the biggest, strongest and fastest.  What’s the point unless you’re eager to prove a point!  Now, that is something humans do on a regular basis!  

There is nothing sadder than watching a skinny, hungry lion slinking away after yet another unsuccessful hunt.  Nothing worse than an empty belly and it results in anger, disappointment, frustration and rejection.  All negatives.  We respond in kind and we do it with millions.  With billions!

Few of us lead.  Most of us are followers.

I have never been able to sit through an entire meeting featuring motivational speakers and put up with their phony enthusiasm, the well-rehearsed lines, the talking points and they’re all so eager to pass on their secrets and the key to success.  An energized crowd leaves the room with determination and resolve when they should be walking out scratching their heads.  “Why is he/she making a living as a motivational speaker?  Why is he still a salesman and not the owner of the dealership?  Does Bezos go out on motivational speaking tours?  TV evangelists are another breed I find disturbing, whipping up a crowd into a frenzy with their zeal and manipulative level of crowd control and their reassurances.  Some will leave you with the impression that they’ve actually met the guy and heard him speak.

Some of us do better than others.

The most powerful people in society are those who excel at getting other people do their dirty work for them, and, with enthusiasm.  Willingly; rallying, motivating, signing up new members, knocking on doors, phoning, donating, attending meetings, cheering, putting up posters, wearing party gear and extolling the leader’s virtues and charisma.

Even the best of us are limited.

When it comes to sheer genius and power, even the most celebrated and powerful usually excel at only one thing.  Few people in history have been multi-talented and excelled at two different disciplines with an equal measure of success.  Winston Churchill was a career politician, diplomat and bureaucrat and in his spare time he liked to paint.  Some of his paintings have sold for a lot of money, but had he been an average citizen none of those paintings would have made it to a gallery or auction house.  They’re mediocre.  People love to own something that has belonged to someone famous or infamous.  A nail from the cross, a gun that belonged to Al Capone.  Some collectors are simply not very fussy or discerning.  You won’t find a similar example in the animal world.  An eagle picking up a piece of scat from the fierce head of a lion pride, a memento to cherish and to decorate his nest with.  In the animal world shit is shit and is treated as such.  It is typically human habit to elevate shit to greater heights.

Explaining complacency.  We’re not raised to critically examine and question.

We’re getting back to that osmosis thing.  So many things we cherish and absorb are rooted in our tribal past and in the awkward learning processes all humans have to master.  And we’re losing the battle there as well.  Too many people and too many problems and as a result we’ve abandoned our basic tribal customs of inclusivity and caring for all.  The ‘nobody left behind’ kind of thing and I’m not referring to learning your ABCs.  And life is not fair, never has been and never will be.  In the real world somebody always gets to eat more and that is the way of the world.  We used to take care of everybody and now we’re leaving billions of people behind in a world that is disparate and divided.

 

Our explanations are all over the place.

The residue of tribal learning and the efforts humans have put in explaining the world and all its mysteries and tribulations have led to an institutionalized acceptance of the weirdest things.  Leaving the natural world behind and deviating from natural processes we have been busy orchestrating the most bizarre explanations to give life meaning.  To explain things.

I will give you an example most of us are familiar with.  You’re setting out on a religious retreat and you do that to either affirm or reaffirm your faith.  You hope to leave rejuvenated, strengthened, inspired and energized.  Kind of getting back to that motivational thing and why I personally shy away.  However, you’re not expected to emerge in jubilation yelling, “God doesn’t exist, it’s all malarkey.  Free, free at last.”  Sorry, Martin, I just couldn’t resist!

All of us move forward based on established, comfortable truths.  That is how most of us are raised. And the truth is based on what you believe, have been told and raised to believe.  No challenges.  No critical thinking or an up close examining of fact.  We’re all products of past experience, passed on from one generation to the next.  Is that so?  Yes, all that muddling is ours and always will be.  We’re struggling so hard to be different, to be better and once more it is that so-called superior intelligence of ours that at times is a cause for celebration, but we usually disappoint. 

I hope you didn’t expect a cheering section emanating from my court.  I am not a pessimist nor an optimist.  I’m a realist.  Going with the flow preserves my sanity but as a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities I love to share my observations with you.  Feel free to comment or share.  Join the conversation.

A lot of the articles on my blog hail from my novel: Twilight Musings, a compilation of essays and articles of our times.  You can receive a free e-copy of this novel by sending me an email at wbes6646@gmail.com

No strings attached.  I don’t keep a mailing list and I rarely respond or correspond.

Purchase Energy & Origin from KDP Amazon.ca 

This is a book that should be mandatory reading because it explains who we are and why the road ahead is a bumpy one.  Energy & Origin is a profound read and it radically changed my thinking and approach to life.    

SAY THANK YOU

 

SAY THANK YOU

 

As a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities it sometimes feels as if the world at large is reaching out to me with yet another lifeline, as if it fears that I might be running out of topics or subjects to write about.  Have no such fear.  I would love nothing better than for humanity to take a break; a nice extended and peaceful vacation free from murder, mayhem and conflict.  There are times I feel inundated by this avalanche of insane and irrational human behaviors and lately it only seems to accelerate and multiply.  It doesn’t help that the current and most powerful psychopath to ever inhabit the Oval Office is leading the pack with a severe case of verbal diarrhea (very much a constant affliction) and an inflated ego (something he was born into).  An ego that matches that of equally demented world leaders that have preceded him in history.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to what spews forth from his mouth or why.  What came out of his mouth in Davos while addressing some of the most powerful people in the world had me stumped.  There are four year olds in kindergarten that display better elocution than Trump.  “Some people I like a lot, some people I don’t like at all.  Some I really like.”

Our esteemed Prime Minister, Mike Carney, was singled out in front of the world at a meeting of the super wealthy in Davos as being ungrateful (Apparently he didn’t say thank you.  Exactly for what is a bit of a mystery, unless, not unlike Zelensky, it is something he expects world leaders to say after he insults them).  Carney didn’t perform a Karl Schuschnigg for Trump either by refusing to play dead and hand over Canada, the way the Austrian Chancellor handed over Austria to Hitler without putting up a fuss.  Perhaps Carney forgot to present Trump with a shiny little trinket, a golden beaver or Maple Leaf.  Trump loves to insinuate himself into the foreground as the leader of the entire world to whom all bow.  Hell-bent on grabbing headlines with a non-stop barrage of threats and insults followed by personal platitudes expressing his importance and role on the world stage.

We (Canada and Carney) have to show gratitude in the face of annexation threats?  Express gratitude for being at the receiving end of insults and belittling remarks such as; the US doesn’t need Canada.  Without the US, Canada would not exist.  Canada doesn’t produce anything we need.  Demolishing economies (including that of its closest allies and trading partners, Mexico and Canada) around the world with ludicrous tariffs (my favorite weapon).  (Excuse me, he actually admitted that he’s weaponizing trade through tariffs?).  It doesn’t really matter, because the tirade of nonsensical barbs is ongoing as is his incessant need to comment on anything and everything as if it enhances his power and status.  As if we’re supposed to care about the nonsense that emanates from his mouth?  Or what he thinks? 

Trump’s ego knows no boundaries and his so-called board of peace is yet another ludicrous indication of how out of touch he is with reality and his delusional obsession with autocratic power.  Inviting Netanyahu (bombing Gaza to smithereens) and Putin (bombing Ukraine into oblivion) to sit on this ‘peace’ board?  Although I can see why Donald would feel more comfortable with a few fellow convicted felons to rub elbows with, but what about the inclusion of Palestinians?  How about Zelensky?  No, all he wants is people and nations that bow and grovel.  Trump loves to throw his weight around by thumbing his nose at global institutions purposely designed to deal with global issues.  The peace board is all about Trump. (I’m in charge until the day I die and I alone can veto anything).  It is all about Trump, his vision of the world and those who will support him (the candidates chosen don’t hail from nations with a reputation for democracy and adhering to the rule of law).

Trump’s new world order is about his thirst for autocratic power and he uses all the dictatorial strategies employed by those who preceded him in past lives.  Divide and conquer through distraction, lies, confusion and distortion.  He employs the same methods as his idol, Adolf Hitler.  He likes his current cabinet and in that regard he follows his idol as well.  Hitler surrounded himself with a coterie of psychopaths, losers and malcontents.  Hitler couldn’t believe his luck when his following mushroomed and crowds of people started to adore him.  An image craftily cultivated by people like Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler.  He purposely chose people who blindly followed and obeyed and who didn’t question.  Once they were well ensconced within his inner circle his true psychotic personality rose to the fore and he ruled with absolute brutality, relishing his power and the fear he instilled.  There was not a single, sane, competent person in his entire cabinet and those that were stayed quiet, because saying no led to a kind of termination that was rather permanent.  People were rewarded for spying on each other and betraying their secrets.  Hitler encouraged duplicity and cruelty and turned it into complicity.  Once you cross the threshold of what is legal and acceptable there is no turning back.

Trump has used the same kind of bullying techniques his entire life, cruel strategies to subvert all who work for him.  Carrot and stick, reward and punishment, fear and intimidation (firing, blackballing, suing, prosecuting, whatever works to destroy people’s lives and careers).  Once you’ve got your minions to do the dirty work for you, they’re yours forever because there is no honorable way out.  Look at all the people in the United States that have been at the receiving end of his wrath and revenge.  Lives and careers destroyed.  We’re living in precarious times; Hell is empty, because all the devils are here.

When world leaders, and that includes Carney as well, utter words like the New World Order, I shudder.  Goosebumps.  Increasingly we’re dealing with leaders that treat the entire planet like an economic proposition and that they decide who gets what and how little.  It is a delusion brand of hypocrisy that turns all of us into psychopaths because there is no such thing as a superior race, color or religion.  You can’t dominate, exploit and control others—people or nations—because it suits your agenda.  We have a world order, it’s called the United Nations, far from perfect because a few countries have exempted themselves with a convenient veto right.  But its tenets will never go out of fashion; diplomacy, consultation and negotiated agreements without intimidation or fear.  Everything based on the sovereignty of nations and that all are equal before the law.  No childish statements such as, some of you I like and some of you I don’t.

I have always studied body language because there are telling signs in facial expressions and body stance.  All his cronies are starting to develop the same demeanor; the same sullen, surly look, mouths downturned, arrogance, defiance and pretending that all of them can rule and act with impunity.  They’re adopting the leader’s attitude and posturing.  It reminds me of a new president who was appointed to a large company I worked for.  He sported leather sport jackets and a full beard.  Within six months all the senior managers adopted the same dress and sported facial hair.  Pathetic!  The man got fired within a year because he was an absolute disaster.  Loe and behold, within two weeks of the man’s firing the jackets and beards were gone.  Trump needs to be impeached because as a president he is an absolute disaster and a threat to world peace. 

We are the true North, strong and free.

I can’t speculate on what we can or should be doing because the pressures exerted by an 8 billion plus human population don’t allow for a peaceful reset approach when global belligerence has reached stratospheric proportions.  What has been put into motion will not subside when hotheads ratchet up the tensions and all the old conflicts remain firmly in place.

Donald Trump is not a comedian and he is not funny.  Appeasement was used with Adolf Hitler and look where it got us!  More than 50 million people killed and many more were wounded and crippled for life.  Trillions of dollars in destruction and property damage.

The world needs to take a stand and damn the consequences because doing nothing gave us World War II.

He has been showered with platitudes, trinkets, gifts and smiles.  Plenty of people saying thank you, lavishing praise and offering firm handshakes and he still expects everybody to bend over and spread their cheeks.  It’s time to wake up and tell the man where to go and where he can stick it.

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CRYING WOLF

 

CRYING WOLF

 

The world’s movers and shakers are once more gathering in Davos, Switzerland, congratulating each other on a 20 percent increase in wealth for the Super Rich, checking up on their accounts in Zurich while there, and frustrated with an American president who is upsetting their global agenda.  Geo-political threats, hailing not from the usual hot spots, but from an America that is making headlines with bellicose threats and insinuations that Russia and China are eyeing the artic region for a potential invasion.  Excuse me!  The artic!

Who in his right mind would seek access to the Americas through the frozen North?  All that is there is thousands of square miles of cold, snow and ice.  There is nothing worthwhile pursuing; no roads, no harbors, no towns, no industry, no resources.  No infrastructure of any kind and those that poor Canadians did start (Military installations and a harbor), soon fizzled out and were abandoned.  Thousands of kilometers away from any kind of civilization and creature comforts.  Who in his right mind would even consider this a viable option?  Trying to sell this as a viable threat makes as much sense as selling tanning beds to desert dwellers.   They need those extra UV rays like an extra hole in the head.

From deporting Mexican illegals, to regime change in Venezuela, bombing Syria, Somalia and Iran, wanting to take over Greenland (part of the NATO alliance and a supposed friend), hinting that Canada should be annexed as the 51^st state, or the 52^nd if Greenland is the first to fall, dropping tariff bombs as threats to anyone daring to oppose Donald and America’s aspirations to expand their security to secure that much anticipated golden dome missile defense system (profits equally shared between Elon and Donald), a scheme that makes as much sense as the one proposed by Ronald Reagan with a Star Wars theme when Ronald occupied the Oval Office. (Donald likes gold, his favorite color).  Reagan liked candies.  Well, you can see why Donald was upset when he didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize.  Although his definition of peace doesn’t coincide with mine.  Does it with yours? 

You have to realize that Donald, before he occupied the White House, didn’t even know that Greenland existed.  He probably thought that it was the name of a golf course and why didn’t he think of it first.  It’s got a nice ring to it.  The Trump Greenland resort and golf course.  No, Trump and company are desperate to keep sowing the seeds of discord, distraction and disruption.  The desperation that emanates from the mouths of Trump and his merry band of conspirators and fellow thugs is the same that flows from leaders around the world, but not as vociferous and belligerent.  America is keeping its bureaucracy afloat on a sea of red ink and they’re anxiously looking for ways to shore up some extra cash.  All nations are broke by the way!  Too many people are dependent on government services and jobs and the consumer and consumption markets can’t keep up with the taxation demands required to keep the show on the road and the train moving.

There most definitely are no security threats.  And there never have been.  The only threats issued and directed at the rest of the world emanate from the United States and the lunatic occupying the highest office in the land.  Not unlike his idol, Adolf Hitler, he is busy solidifying his grip on office to stay in power and he is bowling the opposition over like bowling pins.  He should have been locked up a long time ago and put behind bars.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that nature will take its course and that stress or out of control cholesterol levels will do us a favor.

In Davos we have become a distraction because they are the architects of a system that only benefits a few deep pockets at the expense of the masses.  The bulk of us are straddled with bad debts, inflated property prices and crippling inflation.  When questionable leaders are trying to right a sinking ship we all have reason to be concerned.  Trump and his merry band of thieves are behaving like gangsters in a candy store robbery and they can’t believe their luck.  Nobody is doing anything and they’re getting away with it!

Personally I don’t want to pin a medal to Donald’s chest (the right kind hasn’t been invented yet, but give me time) but replace it instead with a firm boot to the ass.  It’s what he deserves and needs.

Feel free to comment or share.

WHEN OUR LUCK RUNS OUT

 

WHEN OUR LUCK RUNS OUT

 

No, this is not an article about casinos or a gambling addiction.  It is once more about us and to be more specific, about the Western Hemisphere with America leading the pack.  Two decades ago I wrote a nonfiction novel titled: Behaving Badly.  In it I introduced what I call the DEC Equation; the impact of dominance, exploitation and control.  When put in perspective with my novel: Energy and Origin, it makes more sense than ever.  Humanity as a species has grown into an opportunistic, greedy monster.  We’re always looking for an edge, a leg up, to gain an advantage over others.

Leading the pack gives you an advantage.

Timing, opportunity and circumstance, all play a role in how well a tribe will fare.  Rather than referring to people as nations, I like the moniker tribe.  Why did the Western Hemisphere emerge as dominant?  How did they become dominant and superior and when?  The urge to explore and conquer is stronger in the Caucasian race than in any other.  There is one thing European nations did better than any other; accessing and developing new markets through superior shipping.  The ports of the New World and Europe became the new epicenters of untold wealth.  When you purchase/obtain wealth at little or no cost, when your muskets speak louder than words and resistance is virtually non-existent, the world becomes your oyster.  Taking control of the most lucrative parts of the world in the form of colonies was the next logical step.  The ports of the world were firmly controlled by European colonizers and access to cheap wealth and resources paved the way for European economies and markets to develop faster than anywhere else in the world. (He) who leads, controls the pack.  The field is still dominated and controlled by males and the exploiting is predominantly male oriented as well.  (Hence the ‘He’)  I am always conscious and respectful of my female readers and they know I’m in their corner.

Racing ahead.

With!

A colonial advantage, a technological advantage, superior armies and ships and a geo-political advantage by controlling trade and shipping routes.  Land based trading in the world came to a virtual halt and as a result former empires crumbled and struggled.  Once you have an advantage, once you lead the pack, everyone else has to race to catch up.  The Western Hemisphere also ruled with few scruples and with an iron fist.  We basically invented colonialism, brutal oppression and slavery.

You can’t stop momentum.

I have to go back to a line I have used in other articles: A superior intake and use of energy predicates how well a species will do compared to others.  Energy is not limited to food, fuel and drink.  It is also about access to resources, their uses and applications and superior skill levels and education of the tribe.  It is about superiority in all aspects and on all levels, and that includes armaments and a willingness to use force.  Four nations are currently engaged in a struggle for supremacy and survival: India, China, Russia and the United States.  We have created a consumer beast that is now struggling for energy and for access to energy.  Democracy, diplomacy, international treaties, the rule of law, it all evaporates when we’re faced with shortages and running out.  We’re running out of luck.

Democracies only flourish when we have the luxury to be mindful and respectful, when we can afford to be naïve.  The speed with which democracies are failing all around the world should be a wakeup call.  Nobody is opposing the United States in the power grabs they’re currently engaged in.  Nobody is stopping China, India, the US and Russia.  Nobody is ready, or wants to be ready, to fight another useless war and yet the four major actors currently calling the shots seem to be clamoring for a nasty confrontation.  Plagued by horrendous debts, huge populations, running out of options and solutions and with mounting pressures to keep up the façade of prosperity, they are once more resorting to tactics that end up destroying what they are trying to save.  Grabbing what belongs to others may provide some satisfaction in the short term, but is a long term disaster.  History is living proof that occupation and the outright theft of resources will eventually destroy the occupiers.  No new lands.  No new resources.  And yet nations are trying to run their economic trains at full speed.

What we’re facing today is the unfolding of the DEC Equation in its most detrimental form.  This time around it is not motivated by politics or religion, but it is about economic power and influence.  Fueled by greed, ignorance and stupidity.  Humanity: at our worst, we do the worst. 

Look at the NATO member nations and how they’re wringing their hands in frustration as Ukraine, the poor monkey in the middle, is used as a political punching ball between the US and Russia.  They are praying and hoping that these two belligerents put an end to this charade, but they won’t.  It is about territorial expansion, about resources, about pleasing the home base.  It is about strength and flexing muscles.  Every sane person knows what’s at stake, but once you put amoral psychopaths in charge all bets are off.  Trump will hand over Ukraine to Putin, if Putin and others allow the US to expand their sphere of influence across the Americas.  Canada is delusional if it thinks that its borders, sovereignty and resources will be respected and its independence guaranteed.  Hitler wanted Austria, and guess what, he did!

Watch out when the game of Risk is played for real by some dubious and nasty characters!

The four superpowers haven’t spent trillions of dollars on sophisticated arms development for a show and tell moment at their kindergarten get-togethers.  If you’re not willing to use all that hardware, why build it?  Behind this gruesome foursome are a cadre of politicians and business people that all share the same dubious visions of how to best preserve all that wealth and power.  Countries like Canada are nothing but innocent bystanders.  I am a Canadian and I am under no illusion that anyone will come to our rescue if the US annexes Canada.  There will be a predictable outcry, the usual indignation and protests, and then it will fizzle out.  On our native soil we will be stunned into submission, but we will stand alone.  There will no cavalry waiting in the wings.  We are headed for a confrontation that is not driven by political ideology, but by access to energy: land, water, resources and markets.  Globally we are drowning in a sea of red ink.  We, the people, we are bankrupt and we’re nothing more than collateral damage.  The dubious fact that we won’t go away, in numbers that is, will stymie the oppressors to no end.

As a species we have simply taken too much, destroyed too much and the jig is up.

Energy created life.  Life is energy.  Our instinctive needs to survive are as strong as that of the natural world we left behind and it is the strong that lead, that get to eat first and they will continue to exercise dominion and control over all perceived as weaker.  Putin, Trump, Ki and Modi, are nothing more than a predictable symptomatic phenomenon that frequently pops up throughout history when once more our lofty ideals are running amok with a nasty dose of reality.  Despite faith, despite millennia of education and learning, we’re content to remain as surface skimmers when it comes to ethics and morality.

Always on the lookout for an escape.

AI will not come to the rescue when it comes to feeding the masses and providing them with comfort and security.  Robots can build things, but they don’t purchase anything.  Rockets may go up but are not coming back with anything useful.  We’re wasting at a record pace and the casualties are piling up.  Species extinction, the destruction of vital ecosystems, environmental damage and degradation and billions of people living at poverty levels or way below.  Do you fix it with bombs?  Does Gaza look like a solution?  Will nations around the world ever be free from interference and exploitation?  We’re like a circus exhibit, jumping through hoops, but there is no paying audience.  And the clowns are running amok.

Might doesn’t make right.

It doesn’t take a lot of guns to muzzle the masses into compliance.  Give guns to basic losers, put them into a nice uniform, pay them well and allow them to dispense justice as they seem fit.  Sanctioned from above, it doesn’t get any better.  Under the banner of restoring law and order, ruling with an iron fist, with intimidation and persecution, elections will become a thing of the past.  Guilty until proven guilty is entrenched in democratic institutions and it becomes an utterly meaningless concept when autocrats seize power and replace it with their own kind of justice.  People like Putin, Ki, Trump and Modi are living proof of how easy it is to undermine the foundations of a nation and corrupt it.  If the leadership of a nation is rotten to the core, the contagion will spread to the entire tribe.

Our species is propelled onward based on strength, not weakness.  The US is currently using its power and strength in numbers and arms to bolster itself in all the areas where it has steadily lost power and influence.  Desperation moves from a nation that is financially bankrupt.  Morally and ethically they have lost their standing and credibility, at home and abroad.  Might doesn’t make right.  Nations willing to use force against others will shed their humanity bit by bit and their inhumanity will be on full display for all to see.  Will there be an aftermath?  Will we be allowed to put it in a historical perspective?  Another painful lesson learned?

Ancient Rome went through a series of painful death throes before it finally collapsed.  Other tribes emerged, but none were ever as powerful.  It took more than a thousand years for other empires to take center stage, but none were lasting and the British Empire was the last one to throw in the towel on the European continent.

Our luck has run out.

As a species we have flying by the seat of our pants ever since we left the safety of the jungle behind in exchange for a life as uprights.  The urge to be and act superior has come at a horrible price.  Our efforts have solely been centered on domination, exploitation and control, driven onwards relentlessly by the forces of energy and momentum.  The desire to overcome our primitive origins and instincts constantly thwarted by not being able to meet all our needs and demands, by our fragile existence, fragile minds and bodies.  Evolution has not been kind to us by saddling us with a superior intelligence that has put us constantly at odds with the natural design that is inherent in all living species.  It has left us with the illusion that we’re special over all others and that includes the dominion over others as something justifiable.  Not that we haven’t tried to battle our imperfections and inconsistencies.  Some of our accomplishments and aspirations have been inspiring.  But, we’re constantly knocked down by the vagaries of life and the painful reality of day to day living and struggling.  An imperfect design longing for perfection and to be able to rise above life’s realities, above our fragile minds and bodies.  What we have done is the opposite and we’re only worsening what we’re desperately are trying to avoid.  We have never been happy with what we have been given.  Our superior intelligence has led us away from the natural world onto a path filled with pitfalls and regrets.  As we’re progressing down that path of artifice, of wasteful practices and activities and exploitation, we’re increasingly confronted by our inadequacies and with it comes an awareness that is painful and humbling.  We don’t know how to turn ourselves off.

Will we ever learn?  History is living proof that we do repeat our mistakes and that we don’t learn from them.  Gaza for instance is a testament of political intractability.  Question the purpose.  Question the gains.  Use it as an overlay for the rest of the world.  I don’t have any answers and I do hope that as a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities that I get to write some of the chapters.  That we will survive the turmoil.  Somehow. 

As usual feel free to share or comment.  Purchase my books while there’s still an opportunity.

A WORD OF CAUTION

If you embrace the irrational it excuses everything you say and do.  And if there are no consequences there is no punishment.  Incorporate everything that is wrong, amoral and unethical, and it justifies hate, discrimination, intolerance and violence.  Even murder.  When a society no longer demands moral and ethical behavior from its citizens it will destroy itself from within.  It will turn into a rot that contaminates everything.

 

RUNNING OUT

 

RUNNING OUT

 

The following is an extract from my novel—Diary of a Spoiler—and is available as an e-edition for free by sending me an email at wbes6646@gmail.com

“The world disintegrated before our eyes.  Nothing but sheer chaos.  Famine, violence, looting.  Somehow I lived through it all and survived.  Those born after this near apocalyptic ending called me a spoiler.  They still lived in the shadows of what once was, a world that would never be theirs . . . ever again.”

A lot of my articles and novels are based on our complicit tribal behaviors and that ingrained human habit of constantly minimizing and underestimating our impact.  I will start with some sobering numbers.  In mid-1996 the human population stood at 5.77 billion and by year-end it rose to 5.82.  By steadily adding 81 million more people each year we surpassed the 8 billion mark in 2022 and we’re now at 8.3 and counting.  In less than 35 years we have added 2 billion more people to the Earth’s human population.  A census taken in 1902 pegged our numbers at 2.5 billion.  In the year 1 AD anthropologists estimate that we numbered around 0.5 billion and when we follow some of the written historical accounts of the time, it is abundantly clear that even with those relatively small numbers, our impact on the environment and other lifeforms was already horrendous.

Carrying capacity.

There are scientists galore all around the world who study humanity, our needs and impact, and most agree on what they call a ‘carrying capacity’ of around 3 billion people, as in the maximum number of our species that the environment can support indefinitely with the added caveat—only if human societies deploy less harmful technologies and with best management practices—and do so without delay.

Earth is huge with a total land surface of over 57 billion square miles.  33% is desert and 24 % is mountainous, which leaves 15.77 billion square billion miles of habitable land, minus scrub land, barely arable land, roads and cities and rural dwellings.  We have paved enough roads to go back and forth to the moon with ten lanes going in each direction.

The 3 billion figure is a generous one and most agree that if we persist with our frivolous consumer habits and wasteful practices that we would be hard pressed to provide for 2 billion and get away with it.  If we don’t restrain ourselves and change our wasteful practices and consumer habits we would need a planet 4 to 5 times larger than the current one.  Hence the heading of this article.  Running low is bad enough, running out will be absolutely disastrous.

Keep in mind that there is no planet B.

The cost of progress and modernity is obviously not sustainable as we are keeping our societies afloat on a sea of red ink.  Global debt is well over one hundred trillion dollars, mostly accrued by all levels of government and through personal debts in the form of loans, credit cards and mortgages.  Money issued to provide for essential goods and services, money invested in capital projects; all with the intent to grow economies and populations; and with the intent of course that all these investments would provide a handsome return . . . eventually! . . . and that the revenue and taxes generated by all those additional billions of consumers, would pay off or at least pare down these debts considerably.

Pixie dust.

Not is the word!  Not going to happen.  Miscalculation?  The cost of keeping it all together is greater than what the planet can generate and regenerate.  Going back to the premise of my novel Energy & Origin; our superior energy intake and use exceeds what is realistically available and we’re rushing through what remains.

All of us are complicit in keeping up a charade of pretense and well-intended plans, pretending that as a species we’re headed towards a veritable Nirvana, an earthly paradise, bliss for all, and all that jazz.

The planet did extremely well without us.

No such worries in the natural world that, before humanity’s emergence as a superior species, managed quite handsomely for billions of years, surviving natural and celestial calamities and disasters.  The natural world has always been a not-for-profit affair, without balance sheets and quotas, without profit targets and market shares.  In other words, it only takes what it needs and never more.  It manages to do so this without a drastic reengineering of environments and laying waste to huge tracts of natural lands, rivers and lakes.  A symbiotic relationship that has worked rather well.  Not so much for us, because we are consuming everything in sight with an unprecedented frenzy that is only accelerating.  We exploit, extract and waste and waste.  And waste some more!

Our habits and consumption are the real killer.

The experts of the 3 billion max mark have issued this number with a lot of trepidation because most acknowledge our duplicitous, complicit behaviors and are well aware of how unlikely positive changes will take place and yours truly who has studied humanity all his life will state categorically that there is no snowball’s chance in hell that we will make a positive U-turn.

Not now.  Not ever.  Hence Diary of a Spoiler.  It makes for an interesting read!

Because, what will we do when we run out!

Once we caught on to the potential of oil we progressed faster than ever before.  Running out will not be pretty because we haven’t found any alternatives that are as plentiful and lucrative!

In 1867, the first oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania.  Most of it wasted and squandered because we really didn’t know what to do with the gooey stuff.  Not at first.  But, boy, oh, boy, once we got a taste of fossil fuels and what you could to with it, it unleashed the Industrial Revolution in all earnest and put it permanently on a fast track.  Progress in technologies, manufacturing, farming and improved healthcare allowed for a rapid rise in human numbers.  We’re living longer and better lives and have banished dozens of nasty diseases that used to kill people by the millions.

What do you do with all those extra people?

Especially if you no longer need them!

A lot of the initial preoccupation with this huge increase in human numbers centered on jobs, education, housing and how do we keep the buggers happy and fed.  Not a biggie as long as demand doesn’t exceed supply.  In a world of plenty anything goes.  Blind to our excesses?  Ignorance, greed and stupidity have been powerful motivators in the human journey.  We no longer live in a jungle, but we have turned life into a jungle instead. 

The party is almost over.

However, in less than one hundred and fifty years we have squandered the bulk of all those precious fossil fuels that currently keep our economies running at full speed.  But what if we run out of natural gas that keeps our homes toasty and warm during those cold winter months?  What if we run out of oil that keep our industries lubricated and provide the nearly one-hundred thousand chemicals and artificial fibers and materials used in manufacturing processes?  Just to name some of the things that keep economies and markets going.  And let’s not forget another important aspect of life; we still have to drink and eat!

Nuclear energy, wind and solar power and hydro-electricity will keep the lights on and electric motors running, but they don’t fill up a can of paint or produce a simple artificial fiber.  More than 50 percent of the oil we use goes up in smoke in the form of gasoline and diesel.  We go through nearly a hundred million barrels of oil on a daily basis.  It took nature over 250 million years to transform carbon based deposits into oil.  And now look back on a mere 150 years and most of it is gone, and yet, oil is the lifeblood of our industries.  Running short is bad, running out an absolute disaster.

The nightmare of running out!

We’re already coming up short in fish stocks, energy sources and rare minerals and it shows in the number of conflicts that currently engage several nations around the world.  Russia wants the Ukraine for starters; Trump wants Canada, Greenland and South America.  China is content to ruffle the feathers of Taiwan for now and India doesn’t know whether to hug Putin or wave goodbye, keeping their fingers crossed that someone will supply them with the energy they need to keep their industries going.  The sea of red ink is crimping the ambitions of an awful lot of governments.  Systemic poverty.  Failing nations.  Dwindling resources and food supplies.

The show Musk go on!

Elon Musk is predicting that AI will come to the rescue and that it will eradicate poverty.  Perhaps if we replaced (get rid of) 6 or 7 billion people with robotics and automation, because if we don’t, those billions will still need to be fed and housed.  Benign capitalism spreading the wealth generated by machines into the pockets of the masses?  What is he smoking?  Will Musk lead the pack by donating his trillion?  Leading by example and the super wealthy will sell off their yachts and homes and all of us will revel in a new kind of humanity, one that is generous, mindful and considerate?  Right!  And you think that I exaggerate from time to time?

Billions of people are now working tirelessly to stave off the poverty faced by billions.  Taxed to the max.  It is a losing battle and global tempers are fraying.  Tempting the masses with a Utopia filled with a blissful existence and the pursuit of excellence is part of a dreamscape of Elon’s rather optimistic vision and perhaps motivated by a scenario that will see investors flock to his enterprises, buoyed by his enthusiasm and message of hope.  His huge rockets will continue to go up and come back in the form of a tiny capsule with no precious return cargo on board.  Promise the moon!  And deliver what?

We have never been short of pinning our hopes on something miraculous to get us out of a nasty fix.

AI will not pay back our huge debts.  It will not curb deficits.  It will not fix anything financial or arrange for a smooth supply of goods and services.  AI will not replenish the fish stocks in our oceans, lakes and rivers, nor will it get it rid of all the contaminants embedded in soil and water.  AI will not restore the bounty of nature that we have destroyed, it will not get rid of smog, pollution, global warming and the tens of thousands of landfill sites around the globe.  It will not feed the bellies of people going hungry or give them a lifestyle free from suffering and poverty.

Trust the Musk?  Tell that to the people who were at the receiving end of his short term as the head of DOGE.

Our numbers will do us in.

There is no equality in disparity.

I am predicting a future that will follow the blueprint as told in my novel Diary of a Spoiler and that running out of fossil fuels will trigger a global implosion.  We will die fighting over scraps.  When and how fast?  I don’t have a crystal ball but as a realist I do know that humanity will not make a U-turn for the better, one that transforms our behavior from destructive to benign, supportive and beneficial.  The processes we have set in motion can only function when running at optimum capacity.  It is based on plenty of energy, of keeping the train on track and running at full speed.  We have created a world filled with contradictions.  Transformative change will not be forthcoming from a species that is utterly selfish.  Too many ill-defined potentially catastrophic scenarios are in play.  Whether the final wedge will be driven by shortages, by running out, aggravated by bad debts, religions, color, race or cultures, it doesn’t really matter because there is no equality in disparity.

In previous articles I have stated and explained that the issues we face are greater than the solutions available.  It stymies governments around the globe.  Do yourself a favor and read Diary of a Spoiler.  The horror of running out is on full display and it may fill you with a sense of unease.

As a companion, purchase Energy & Origin by W.M.A. Bes, available on KDP Amazon.ca

As always, feel free to comment or share.