ARE WE A TALE WITH A SILVER LINING?

 

ARE WE A TALE WITH A SILVER LINING?

Our initial presence as a species was barely noticeable, but our demise will be spectacular.

Sometimes I like to start an article by throwing out questions that may seem odd at first but which are intended to jumpstart the essence of what I’m writing about.  In my overactive writer’s imagination I often pretend as if I’m starting a discussion with my reader.  Nah, confession time, I do it on purpose, it is actually something I love to do.

Are we really that important?

 One I’d like to start with is the following; why are we always fussing, or is obsessing a better way of phrasing it, about the deeper meaning of life.  Thousands of books and articles have been written about this subject throughout humanity’s history, from divine origin to humans perhaps inhabiting a special and unique place within the universe.  Could it really have started with Adam and Eve?  The opinions expressed are all over the place and most are incredibly hopeful, in our favor that is.  As in extremely positive where it concerns you and me.  A fair bit of hubris is involved in these self-assessments.  We think rather highly of ourselves and of course it’s my intent to throw a monkey wrench in some of that delusional thinking.  It’s what I seem to do when discussing humanity.  But what I like to do is to frame our species within the spectrum of the cosmos, time and probabilities.  How important do we think we are within the near infinity of space and billions and billions of years of celestial fireworks?

What is the purpose of life?  Of all life?

What if I express rather boldly that the essence of all life, including ours, is about propagation and planting the seed of the next generation.  In other words, it’s about survival of the species.  It is how life on our planet has evolved.  All life follows the same basic evolutionary pathways.  As adults of child rearing age we know that kids take up a lot of our time and they’re costly.  On top of that we dedicate the best years of our lives to raising the brats.  Yes, multiple.  Plenty of one-child families, but the bulk tries for more.  Two or more.  What’s the attraction?  Look at all the fun you can have without these toddlers running you off your feet.  From a logical perspective it doesn’t make a lot of sense, yet most of us go for it.  Single one day, playing the field and going to parties and then, boom, tying the knot and before you know it the baby talk starts and before you can say Bob’s your uncle they are filling up the hallways and spare bedrooms with the pit-a-pat of tiny feet, nighttime feedings and sleepless nights.  Once you have them, they’re yours forever.  Running out of people?  Since when should we be concerned about adding to the consumer markets?  Even if half of the world’s population decided to have no kids at all we’re still left with billions.  We’re not exactly faced with extinction, are we?

Why this particular article and topic?  Believe it or not, sometimes I surprise myself as to where my writing is taking me.  It usually starts out with a basic idea and all my writing is based on extensive note taking, but the creative process is not without surprises and once the brain juices start flowing it can take me in unsuspected directions.

We like to surprise ourselves.

In the natural world everything is pretty straightforward, but for some reason our species defies easy answers.  And trust me, we belong to the natural world too, even if we pretend that we don’t.  We, the masses, with our incredible numbers, having surpassed the 8 billion, are proving to be a challenge that is multi-facetted in scope.

I have written extensively about energy and momentum and how it decides the fate of all living species.  Unfortunately our species has deviated sharply from what is the norm in the natural world.  We are literally advancing at the expense of everything that exists on our planet.  Nothing is spared.  A totally parasitic approach that has given us a temporary advantage over all that lives and exist around us.  I have purposely injected and underlined the word temporary.  We somehow have come to believe that we have been given a reprieve or are an exception from the evolutionary pathways that all species follow.  Blame that much dreaded higher intelligence of ours.  Bestowed upon us as a gift by either evolution, creation or intelligent design.  I threw that one in because all three have its fair share of adherents.  A bit further on in this article I will surrender my opinion; it’s evolution and my assessment is not very flattering if any other option is preferred.  

We look good on paper.  Especially the majority of papers we have authored to extoll the virtues of humanity that celebrate our accomplishments and potential.  Our impact and the subsequent consequences are explained in greater detail in my novel Energy & Origin.  It’s time to put a dent in our hubris.  We can’t compare Homo sapiens limited years of existence to the billions of years of evolution that have shaped the natural world.  A natural world that has delivered us a bounty that we have squandered, destroyed and consumed in a blink of cosmic time.  One small example: Oil.  A substance that currently powers our economies and which took over 250 million years to form, we have extracted since 1876—very slowly at first—and we’re now faced with depletion in less than a few decades.  Globally we’re burning through over 90 million barrels daily.

What do we have in common with all other living species on our planet?  We all live for the moment.  It is today that counts.  We even brag that when it comes to oil that we won’t be running out for a while.  A short while anyway.  I won’t see the end of oil but my granddaughter will.  Our concept of time is so delusional and within the greater concept of the universe—where time is of no consequence, because time is a human thing—we’re a mere hiccup.  A cosmic burp.  It’s in our imagination that we travel where no man has gone before—a salute to all the Start Trek fans—in search of other planets that could possibly sustain human beings.  Space fantasies and wishful thinking.  As we blast of into the unknown we won’t encounter department stores, refueling stations and stores that fix and repair broken down rockets.  Terra firma, Mother Earth, this is it and I am reminded of the image of a young boy holding up a sign during a protest and climate rally that read: there is no planet B.  More than likely the sign had been provided by a parent but the lad’s facial expressions indicated that he damn well understood the message.

Turning a blind eye.

We’re not blind.  We’re not stupid and unaware.  Unfortunately evolution has provided us with an intelligence that is incredibly limited.  It has not provided us with an intelligent approach to living and that it is in our best interest to preserve the bounty of nature and protect its ecosystems.  Our excesses are killing us.  The awareness that does exist—there are many dedicated activists--is inconsequential within the bigger picture of energy and momentum that has emerged.  Our daily needs and demands are like a steamroller pulverizing the voices pleading for respect and reason.

What do you subscribe to?

If intelligence is a gift from the gods—apparently there is only one in certain faiths and multiples in others—they most certainly screwed up in a momentous manner.  If we were a mere experiment to see where a slightly higher intelligence would lead us, it most certainly was a spectacular failure, especially if intelligent design was involved, or . . .  if a more positive outcome had been anticipated.  If on the other end the experiment was designed to prove that all superior intelligence is inherently self-destructive, than the experiment was a smashing success.

Evolution however makes a lot more sense because it is designed on what works, even how it forces a species to adapt if it wants to survive adverse and changing circumstances.  It is not about perfection, but about fitting in.  Getting by is the motto of all living species.  No big secret.  When I wrote Energy & Origin based on the impact of energy and momentum, that particular line about all superior intelligence is inherently self-destructive, guided me along to the inevitable conclusion as to where humanity as a species is headed.  We are an anomaly.  No other living species does what we do.  The natural world is not a pleasure ride in an amusement park.  It can be deadly.  Prey and predator.  But there is also a natural balance because it doesn’t behoove any species to wantonly kill and destroy.  We, on the other hand, have done nothing but.  We have used our intelligence to live at the expense of the world around us and we have done so without letup and the pace has only increased with over 8 billion people vying for a slice of the pie.

We’re the odd man out.

I do hope that you realize that within a finite reality our activities and habits are not sustainable.  In Energy & Origin I have explained that a superior use of energy can give a species a distinct advantage over others.  Homo sapiens has used its intelligence to overcome obstacles and challenges that no other species on our planet has been able to equal or surpass.  Our future is looking rather bleak because a change of heart is not in the cards.  Evolution has provided us with opportunities and changes that have come fast and furious.  Some species have never changed, or very little, in millions of years, because they were ideally suited for the environment they inhabited; crocodiles and sharks, certain scorpions and mollusks.  Just to name a few.  In evolution if there is no need to change, why bother?

Therefore the question we should pose is, can we change?  Will we be able to adapt to sudden changes in lifestyles brought on by shortages, conflict, poverty, stagnation, conflict and wars?  I have stated in previous articles that all species are predominantly lazy and the only real challenge is to get by.  We are no different.  Few of us lead and most of us are followers.  Some of the stronger and more aggressive always play a lead role.  A pecking order exists in almost all species, as does the group instinct to protect the species.  The behavioral patterns we follow are as predictable as the sun rising in the morning and they are dominant in all species.  Our overall behaviors mirror that of the natural world from which we came.  Our abilities have given us the impression that somehow we’re different, exempt if you like from the life we share with all other species on our planet.  The only difference is the sad fact that although we can’t leave the natural world behind us, we have come to dominate it to such an extent that we have become our own worst enemy.  You can’t keep coming back to a well that is drying up.  Momentum drives us.  And when it comes to changing!  Will we ever find a lion turning into a vegan?  Or an elephant turning into a carnivore?  Concentrate on the nature of the beast!

Evolution doesn’t do reverse engineering. 

We have not been kind to each other.  We have not been kind to all the lifeforms we share the planet with.  We have been rather disrespectful, neglectful and delinquent.  In a lion troop when faced with hardship the weak and young perish first.  Survival of the troop is all that matters.  What we see happening around the world follows a similar pattern.  Failure is taking place in a large number of nations around the globe, nations that lack the competitive ability and a healthy economy to provide a level of comfort and sustainability that compares to countries that are doing reasonably well in the global economic environment that currently sets the tone and pace.  The fact that so many nations are falling behind is an indication that what works for some, doesn’t work for everybody and it’s the nature of the beast—that will be us—to keep it that way.  The western world isn’t going to pump trillions of dollars into the economies of third world countries in order to bring them up to our standard of living.  It behooves us to remain superior, as in more powerful and profitable.

We’re driven to stay on top.

A dominant species can only remain dominant by acting dominant.  Driven by energy and momentum it doesn’t provide for alternatives.  When it comes to power and control we know that any sign of weakness spells defeat.  The way we react is purely instinctive and predictable.  This is the dichotomy within our species that causes so much friction.  We often talk ‘nice’ but we don’t act nice.  We mean well but constantly answer to that prophetic phrase; the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  The nature of all species is based on strength, not weakness or compassion.  Hello Ukraine.  Hello Gaza.  Hello to all the nations that use their strength and influence to exact power and control.  Do I have to name them?  Do I have to name the individuals calling the shots?

I don’t have a crystal ball, but my entire life has been dedicated to follow the facts and to explore how historically we behave and have behaved.  Sugarcoating our behaviors is something I don’t subscribe to and I do it even less now that I find myself in the twilight of my earthly life.  Looking for a silver lining is typically human and about as relevant as demanding that every story or book ends on a happy note.

As always, feel free to share or comment.  wbes6646@gmail.com

Purchase Energy & Origin on KDP Amazon.ca

And use my full pen name: W.M.A. Bes

It’s an eye opener.  If you’re looking for humor—Yes, I do have a sense of humor—look no further than Mathew, Broderick, Fred, Roger.  Also available on Amazon.ca    

WHAT HAPPENS ON EARTH, STAYS ON EARTH

 

WHAT HAPPENS ON EARTH, STAYS ON EARTH

Is leaving a realistic option?

 

I like taking you on a journey through time and possibilities and in this article I am also putting in a plug for my novel: Energy & Origin, available on KDP Amazon.ca under my official pen name: W.M.A. Bes.  In some of my posted blog articles I have made a reference to this book and for a good reason.  It radically changed my thinking about our presence and role on Earth.  I wrote it in my twilight years and it provoked a sense of acceptance about our role on this planet that has had a profound impact on my writing and thought processes.  Energy & Origin doesn’t only explain our origin, but also the why and where we are headed.  We often refer to species development and possible origins as the tree of life and where exactly Homo sapiens branched off on this tree is rather immaterial.  From single cell to complex organisms, it all originated right here on this planet.  The water you drink for instance is as old as the planet itself.  Nothing ever leaves!  Energy made life possible and life is energy.  Stop breathing, stop your heart and you will die.  And within days not a single cell functions.  Your dead cells revert back to atoms, dead matter.  Hence that wonderful phrase, dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

The planetary miracle that is Earth.

A couple of miracles took place on Earth that sets us apart from all other planets in our solar system.  Most importantly, a huge amount of water, two-thirds of our planet is covered by oceans and that is where life first originated.  Sunlight, gravity, a fortuitous placement within the solar system, a hot core, water, oxygenation, carbon, all factors playing a part in making life possible.  The odds for something similar to have taken place elsewhere in the universe is not impossible, but doubtful.  And if life has emerged elsewhere in the cosmos, it may not have evolved in a similar fashion. 

From simple to complex.

Evolution works on what is possible and species adapt to changing circumstances or they become extinct.  Some species live and survive in water, others on land or in the air and all adapt according to their unique and distinctive needs.  All lifeforms require energy and to keep it simple; without oxygen, food and water we wouldn’t survive. 

We all share the same building blocks.

We have more in common than you think.  All lifeforms on Earth share the same building blocks, needs and requirements and as I explain in Energy & Origin, the more efficient the intake of energy and its availability determines how well or how poorly a species will do.  I will give you a few simple examples we can all relate to and how the ‘sameness’ in needs and behaviors applies to almost all living species.  I love lions and we can all identify with the behavior within a troop.  The little cubs frolicking around, nipping, licking and constantly bouncing off their parents who take it all in stride until they’ve had enough.  A quick slap and a snarl and the siblings quickly quiet down or move out of harm’s way.  All species show a caring and nurturing behavior towards their young, from the time of their birth until they’re old enough to fend for themselves.

Procreation is an evolutionary urge.  It has nothing to do with logic.

Almost all species sacrifice and dedicate their entire adult lives to the raising of the next generation, to make sure they’re healthy and safe and reach maturity in optimum shape and condition.  Nothing showcases the veracity of evolution better, the logic behind it, than these ingrained primordial instincts and behaviors, developed and impacted by how energy behaves and what it takes to survive.

Energy and momentum dictate how species behave.

This is the true force of nature on display, of forces of physics that are undeniable and unstoppable.  Everything, in and around us, is affected by the forces of energy and momentum.  Nothing ever stops or takes a break.

We don’t destroy the world until we become adults.

However, a big change takes place in the behavior of adults once they reach a certain level of maturity.  Adult behavior and interaction differs greatly from the rearing of young and how we raise our offspring.  A whole new set of behavior patterns emerges: providing for the tribe, pursuing a mate, instinctive needs to procreate and protect.  Passive and aggressive behavior, all dependent on circumstance and the experience of the moment.  One thing all lifeforms have in common is the fact that we come equipped with fragile minds and bodies and if our needs are not met in a timely manner, everything can deteriorate in a hurry.

Behavioral adaptation is dependent on circumstance and the species.

Another simple example we can all identify with: All higher lifeforms experience incidents of discomfort, pain, isolation, rejection and abandonment.  In case of injury, illness or end of life, we also witness caring behaviors and obvious concerns.  Empathy and mindfulness are present in almost all higher lifeforms.  It is also an integral aspect of tribal cohesion and the smaller the tribe, the closer the ties.  In today’s human societies we now witness increased levels of alienation due to our huge numbers, especially in large urban settings.  It explains a resurgence in some nations of people wanting to separate from others to satisfy a tribal urge to belong and to be recognized.  People do band together according to race, language, religion and culture.  Or for a more sinister reason, protective of ‘their’ level of income and security which they don’t like to share with others (oil!).

In the natural world an objective reality dictates behavior; often predictable and easily explained.  Because of our slightly higher intelligence we have developed much more complex behaviors, often obscured and obfuscated by lies and subterfuge.  Not that animals don’t lie, cheat and fight, but it is much more straightforward.  When it comes to devious and bad behaviors we excel in that arena as well.

Energy and momentum call the shots.

All life on Earth is a direct consequence of energy and momentum and it explains why all life behaves according to these simple laws of physics.  It provides near conclusive evidence for the theories behind evolution.  Not a divine origin for just one species and not others.  No divine interference (in my book anyway).  Strip away all human excess and posturing, all the flags, anthems and whimsies, and you realize that we’re all part of the natural world and not separated from it.  We have used our higher intelligence to dominate and that ability to dominate has led us further and further away from our natural roots.

Domination at the expense of all other lifeforms and the planet itself is a recipe for disaster and it has come home to roost.  It calls into question all the fanciful stories we have woven about ourselves to justify our position and bad behaviors.  Our species has also developed a level of aggression that is absent in all other species.  Systematically we have eradicated humanoid tribes that lacked our level of aggression and this sobering aspect of our species still takes place today.  We like to subdue and eradicate tribes deemed to be less deserving or worthy.  Look around you and take your pick!  Amazon jungle tribes, Palestinians, Ukrainians; Muslims and Christians depending on where they live on the planet and the exodus of forced expulsions of various tribes that is ongoing.  Check out genocide and ethnic cleansing on either Google or Wikipedia and reconsider what it means to be human!

All good things must come to an end.

We are a transitory species.  All life on Earth answers to the same realities.  We come and go.  Some species only live for a day, whereas others can live well over a hundred years and some lucky trees live even longer.  Billions of years of life, of adaptation and changes and we are the only species that has turned progress into an unmitigated disaster.  Our levels of destruction, of waste and exploitation have reached stupendous proportions and we’re well past the point of no return.  One example is micro pollution, the residue of plastics and chemicals.  Planet Earth has shown a remarkable ability to heal and rejuvenate when it comes to dealing with natural substances, but it is no match for micro particles that are stubborn, poisonous, toxic and nearly impossible to detect and treat.  Studies have shown how extensive this kind of pollution has become and how pervasive it is, but we seem unable and unwilling to do anything about it.  When it comes to die-off or the possibility of extinction, all species display a level of ignorance that defies reason.  And that is the worst aspect of energy and momentum.  We’re driven onwards by instincts over which we have no control.  We won’t put a stop to our activities or dramatically change course; that is not how life on Earth is wired.  No amount of hail Marys’ will undo what we have done to ourselves and the planet.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love life, despite the fact that it is a crapshoot from start to finish.  To be aware, to experience and being able to interpret the world around me is a journey I would not want to have missed.  I could have been a harmless particle zooming through space.  No cognition, no direction, just existing.  Boring!!!

But . . . !

In the natural world—and we’re part of it—if you don’t fit in, you get kicked out.

My novel Energy & Origin explains all of this in much greater detail.  Do yourself a favor and buy it.  Pass it on.  In needs to be in your hands and mind and not stuck on a shelf gathering dust.

Energy & Origin by W.M.A. Bes  KDP Amazon.ca

Feel free to comment or share.

wbes6646@gmail.com

WILL WE EVER LEARN?

 

WILL WE EVER LEARN?

Trump and company running amok in a china shop.

Canada-US trade negotiations are at an impasse as Canada refuses to give away the store and its stock.

When holdups masquerade as negotiations in good faith.

It is absolutely amazing that a nation led by a narcissistic fool can ruin an economic model of integration (envied around the world!) with an unending tirade of insults, petty complaints and increasingly totally out of touch with reality.  Historians will look back on Trump’s term as president with disbelief and incredulity.  Questions such as, “Why didn’t anyone try to stop him?”  A one man wrecking ball who has embarked on a rampage of unbelievable proportions and none make any sense.  Insults, threats, acts of violence.  Military attacks on sovereign nations, ludicrous claims of trade imbalances and constantly engaging in lucrative deals enriching himself and his family.  All actions that would have led to the impeachment of any other American president.

Trump has convinced an incredible number of Americans that they have been treated as losers and that the world’s reaction to his policies and accusations is proof that America has been played like a patsy and therefore by extension, so have they.  Set them on fire with righteous anger and they will follow you to the end of the earth without question.  Any GOP member not going along with any of Trump’s farcical approach to governing does so at his or her peril.  The lack of condemnation from the GOP is a telling sign that American politicians care more about their jobs than their country.

Isolating America.

All this hollow rhetoric coming from a buffoon whose nation has produced an enormous amount of talented people, a nation that went to war for a free world, a nation that prided itself as being the first true democracy, hailed as a beacon of freedom and now it is being dragged through the mud by a delusional little tyrant.

Dragging a friend, partner and ally through the mud.

As a Canadian I feel soiled by the insults and degrading comments of a man who in my humble opinion is not a true reflection of what America stands for and I am convinced that few Americans actually believe that Canada deserves this kind of treatment.  We have always worked within a framework of mutual appreciation and respecting each other’s specific differences.  There is not a single blueprint out there of a one-size-fits-all model.  Canada works from within a framework of provinces that each have unique and personal perspectives and we respect that of each other.  Ditto for American States.  You negotiate from within a diplomatic framework, not with threats and insult, and nobody ever gets everything they want.  The world is made up of compromise and it can only move forward effectively if based on mutual respect and recognizing each other’s sovereign rights.

Conflicts erupts when leaders emerge that prefer delusional confrontation over negotiation.

Canada is aligned with nations that respect the rule of law and most of them have thus far been moderate and conciliatory, hoping and praying that sanity will prevail and that somebody will slap duct tape on Donald’s mouth and shut him up for the remainder of his term and better yet, start impeachment procedures because they are definitely warranted here.  Rants, lies, falsehoods, fabricated claims, threats, invasions, violence, intimidation, lucrative personal deals, there appears to be no end to the lunacy of this administration led by an out-of-control individual.

Canada and the rest of the world are at a crossroads because it is obvious that not a single promise or deal is honored or respected.  Before the ink has even dried Donald will rip it up or declare it null and void.  Carney referred to it as deals signed in pencil, because pencil is easier to erase than ink.  Americans are led to believe that all their economic pain and suffering is caused by nations defying America’s wishes.  This coming from a president who has been stuffing his pockets with cash while in office (an impeachment offense) and who has never suffered any kind of deprivation for a single day in his life.

The pushback has to come from Americans.

I have written in previous articles that there is nothing on our books or in a nation’s psychic that prevents a lunatic from taking office as longs as this individual is dutifully elected.  That a majority of voters can indeed be led down the garden path by slick political operators and bamboozlers’ must be obvious.

How much nonsense does it take to serve as a wakeup call?

“I know flagpoles.  Use liquid plumber to kill bad germs and cleanse the body of toxins.  I will look at a map and draw a circle around foreign territories and claim it as our own.  I will rename even the Strait of Hormuz and call it the Strait of America.  I like the sound.”

What next?

“The wizard of Oz has nothing on me.  I am the oracle.  The world is just not ready for greatness.  That’s why I like AI.  I am AI.  Why should I have to wait for statues to go up?  They won’t get it right.  This way I make sure that my legacy is huge.  I mean HUGE.  Bow down before me, you slobs and to all you reluctant hold-outs and naysayers, you can kiss my royal, you know what.”

Why end with a rather altruistic and naïve rant?  Personally I am sick and tired of having to put up with lunatics masquerading as heads of state.  It is just not funny anymore.  Too many people are dying.  Too many people are losing their jobs and homes.  Too many people are needlessly suffering because of a fool.  And he is not the only one.  We can’t let the psychopaths run the asylum. 

Will we ever learn?

Feel free to comment or share.

 

 

DEBT AND DEFICITS

 

DEBT AND DEFICITS: INFLATING INFLATION

Nations have established themselves along economic and financial models that are not self-sustaining or sustainable.

Inflation: an increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods resulting in a substantial and continuing rise in the general price level.

The world of finance is literally waiting with baited breath, hoping and praying, that the financial mess created by continual and excessive government spending and borrowing, won’t come crashing down around our ears.  Collectively, we, the government owe all that money.  You see, government is not some abstract entity.  We elect all the political actors heading up our various levels of government and it is our vote that puts them there and in our name all those dubious debts and deficits are racked up.  The amounts we owe, hundreds of billions and trillions, is so staggering that it will never be paid back and it is apparent that not a single government has any inclination to pare down that debt or to stop borrowing.  Deficit financing is now a standard government term used to justify increased borrowing and debts. 

Losing control.

One of the worst side effects of inflation is the sad fact that as citizens we lose any form of control over spending and it leaves us increasingly beholden to deep pockets.  All that extra cash, increasingly printed rather than borrowed, ends up somewhere and it is not in your wallet.  Flooding the markets with worthless paper money ensures that everything you own and purchase is steadily losing value and relevance.

Economists know that wealth needs to be kept in circulation to keep economies going, healthy and vibrant.  Put the masses in the poor house and it is a recipe for disaster.  There is even a song that puts it quite nicely: Money makes the world go round!

When you create a lopsided division of wealth it literally creates division.  Burden the masses with inflation and bad debts resulting in a real loss of disposable income and purchasing power and you end up creating a nationwide dependency on government assistance and handouts and when you attempt to do this with an empty treasury chest it spells trouble with a capital T.

Top dog syndrome.

Those of you familiar with my work know that all living species are driven by two primordial forces: energy and momentum.  The urge to survive and to be dominant is stronger than any kind of intellectual reasoning to moderate our numbers and impact. (And that includes inflation)  It is a progressive, unstoppable force that undermines any effort to collectively work towards societies that are sustainable in the long term.

Rushing along decline.

Putting the bulk of wealth into the hands of a few greedy individuals is a recipe for disaster, yet it is greed, that once unleashed, is nearly as unstoppable as momentum.  Creating financial models that reward a few and puts the masses in perpetual debt is not the smartest way to move forward.  When people can no longer afford homes, pay rent and lack the money for essentials, you unleash dissention and rebellion.  When people are left with a feeling that they have nothing left to lose, all pretense of reason and reasoning will be lost.

History is proof positive that once the notion of societal failure comes knocking on collective doors that it will bring out the worst we can bring to bear on ourselves.

There are better alternatives.

A nation that distributes its wealth in an equitable and fair manner will be less prone to disruption and internal strife than a nation that exploits its people and where too many are left behind in poverty. 

In my novel—Behaving Badly—written almost 2 decades ago, long before writing—Energy & Origin—I already contemplated how energy and the need for energy determines how well or how poorly a species will fare.  My entire writing life has been a study of humanity.  How we have evolved and where we are headed as a species.  Without energy there is no opportunity or growth.  Without opportunity a species won’t prosper or survive and growth is needed for a species to reach maturity and the ability to procreate.  A seed will not germinate without soil, sunlight and water.  In order for life to flourish all the right conditions have to be met.

Energy, opportunity, growth; the circle of life.

My understanding in the latter part of my life of the impact of energy and momentum as described in Energy & Origin was literally the missing piece in the puzzle.  Life and existence pared down to the absolute basics.  If you don’t grasp and appreciate what makes life tick and why the trajectory is a foregone conclusion, nothing we engage in will make sense.

Risk reduction.

Break that circle of energy, growth and opportunity and you’re left with the chaos and uncertainty it leaves behind.  Reducing our impact, reducing our numbers and concentrating on sustainable practices and activities will go a long way in mitigating our worst habits and scenarios.

We are a fragile species prone to lashing out with violence and unreasonable actions and activities when the primary concern of any nation or tribe should be with establishing stability through a fairer division of wealth and opportunities.  That we’re engaged in the opposite should be a no-brainer.  Our foot is firmly placed on the accelerator and the brake pedal appears to be missing.

When nations start to lash out ( And the current bad actors capturing headlines are Russia, the USA and Israel) the origin for all the turmoil created has an internal origin.  The fires are started from within.  Whether the origin is financial or political, based on fear, division or anxiety, no outside interference has lit a fuse.  Once nations run amok and pick fights, fact and reason are pushed to the side and ignored.  Any excuse to embroil others in the conflicts will do.

That so-called superior intelligence of ours, combined with a greater sense of awareness, has been responsible for creating some bizarre realities as in constructing economic models that have been instrumental in such a lopsided division of wealth that collectively we’re jumping through hoops to keep it together and preventing it from falling apart.

Economists around the world are well aware that we’re playing with fire.  Scientists involved in the study of humanity’s impact on Earth are holding their collective breaths.  We’re acting like politicians with a childlike mentality, playing to all sides with useless debates and anxiety filled finger pointing and hoping that in our lifetime we won’t crash and hit the wall.

This has to hit home!

To give you an idea how huge the US debt is I will illustrate this with a simple example anyone can understand.  The US has roughly 100 million homes.  If each home were valued at four hundred thousand dollars, that is the equivalent of the current  40 trillion dollar  FEDERAL debt.  This doesn’t include personal debt, mortgages, municipal, county and state debts!!!!!  America is broke.  Globally we’re all drowning in debt that will never be paid off or pared down.  And we keep borrowing and printing useless cash.  Welcome to the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

If debt and deficit financing can be compared to a balloon, we’re engaged in a vicious circle of inflating inflation by blowing more and more hot air into that balloon and we know that the darn thing will eventually explode with a huge bang.

As an aside.  I just read an article in a major publication that hinted that even halving the world’s human population would provide a huge reprieve.  One thing I do know, none of the authors have read my novel—Energy & Origin.  Depopulation is a political hot potato that not single political party dares to promote as a solution.  Yet keeping this mass of humanity alive, fed and sheltered, is killing us.

To promote my work and in the interest of humanity I will make Behaving Badly available for free as an e-book and all you have to do is send me an email at wbes6646@gmail.com

Feel free to comment or share.

On the other hand, purchasing Energy & Origin from KDP amazon.ca is welcomed as well!!!

 

AN ALARMING RISE IN HATE SPEECH

Hate, an ugly byproduct of human intelligence.

As a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities I am a recorder of human behavior and I am always intrigued by the way we interact and affect each other.  Our civilized behavior, even in the best of times, is only veneer thin and the majority of all major institutions have been designed to keep us on the straight and narrow because our habit of veering off in the wildest directions is all too common.  Quite often we resemble a kettle coming to a full boil and about to blow its lid.  In my novels—Behaving Badly, and Energy & Origin—I describe the impact of energy, growth, opportunity and momentum.  Rather than trying to figure out on how to best cope and live with the impact of these forces in the least harmful ways to ourselves and the planet, we instead are resisting and rebelling against something over which we have no control at all.  We are literally rolling from one conflict to the other and we’re only intensifying momentum with our incredible human numbers, demands and needs.

Hate speech acts like a catalyst to ignite the worst in us.

Energy and opportunity are crucial in defining growth.  Growth in all its dimensions—from birth to maturity and planting the seed for the next generation—is crucial for the continuation of any species.  Basically reducing life to its basic essence: growth, energy, opportunity.  Let’s leave out all the philosophical human equations because it only distracts.  A nation or tribe will not combust without reason.  If everything in our lives is moving along swimmingly and we’re happy and content, any voice trying to sow fear, anger and paranoia, will fight a losing battle.

Once the fuse is lit!  Lie, deny, distort and when it comes from the top it is near unstoppable.

When we’re faced with overcrowding, housing and food shortages, cuts in services and loss of income and all the other nasties that threaten our livelihoods like our safety and security, we are literally opening up a Pandora’s Box of grievances and the gloves come off in a hurry.  Hate speech starts to thrive in an environment of hyped fear and paranoia.  I purposely inserted “hyped”.  Unscrupulous political voices, voices ignored during times of peace and prosperity, seize this as their golden moment to capture the limelight and seize power if at all possible.  When the worst of the worst seize power they can’t believe their luck and they’re quick to put it down to a Messianic appeal. (Humble, humane, emphatic are not words that apply to these characters)  As if the tribe was waiting for them to come onto the scene.  When all along the tribe has been priming itself for just such a leader to emerge and to lead them on a rollercoaster ride of pent-up anger and frustration.

Bad leaders are symptomatic of what the tribe consciously and subconsciously has been veering towards.

When faced with adversity our species confrontational side rides to the fore.  They want a leader who will confront, who will be brash, aggressive and strong, and whatever nonsense spews forth from their lips is received as gospel because the tribe wants to believe, they want to be ignited.

Hate speech is merely the excuse to lash out and to start a fight, because that is the way that historically our species has reacted towards adversity.  And it doesn’t have to be all that bad.  We’re not talking catastrophic declines.  Even a slight deterioration in perceived status or income can bring out the worst.  Reasoned reflection and second sober thought is not our strongest suit.  Rebellion always simmers close to the surface, as is anger, fear and paranoia.  Our simmering resentment gives birth to the atrocious leadership that emerges when a nation or tribe feels that the bedrock of their foundation, their beliefs and their belief in the nation, starts to lose its solidity.

Selective belonging.

When hate speech flows down from the pinnacles of power it legitimizes the anger unleashed on ‘suspected’ culprits, because that is what we do best; blame someone or something, and preferably hapless groups or segments of a population that can’t defend themselves.  Visible minorities or anyone not fitting the stereotypes of how the majority identifies; selective belonging.  We actively participate in taking these groups down; attacking them, minimizing, demonizing and ridiculing.

We are starting to ignore humanitarian ideals and beliefs and the cornerstones of what stabilized the nation in the first place.  Equality, justice, due process, upholding and protecting the laws that provide security and safety for all.  Respect.  Dialogue.  Reason.  Instead what emerges is a mob mentality; bluster and brawn and never admit to any wrongdoing or injustice. 

We are doing this to ourselves.

Hate speech puts us firmly on the path of no return and once we’re all complicit, by actively participating or purposely staying silent, the fraudulent leadership that has emerged as a result, has brought the tribe to where we have willingly led them.  Where we wanted to be in the first place.  We vote for them.  We elect them.  We choose to follow!

We have only ourselves to blame.

We have purposely lit and embraced the powder keg of conflict.  Nobody else is to blame.    We have created an environment where anything goes and anything can and will happen.  A corrupt judiciary and security forces emerge as a result to enforce to most ludicrous orders.  Once the wrong people are firmly placed in charge anyone can be fired, rewarded, corrupted, cajoled and threatened.  The number of casualties becomes irrelevant, especially when the corpses belong to the minorities blamed for everything that ails the nation.  As Josef Stalin cynically remarked to Winston Churchill when questioned about his harsh measures and cruelty, “One casualty is a tragedy, millions a mere statistic.”

We’re surrounded by bad actors.

Our societies are littered with incompetent, spiteful, unscrupulous people feeling neglected and undervalued, dying to act out; to seek revenge and to intimidate others.  Give them a golden opportunity and they will turn into a willing army of enforcers.  Dress them up; a hat, a cap, a scarf, a shirt, a uniform, a mask.  An army of malcontents, chronic whiners, losers and basic thugs that love to strike out and misbehave and to give those who used to be in charge the finger.  And to top it all off: It all comes with the blessing from the top and therefore they are immune from retribution or punishment.  Bad leaders cater to base human instincts and emotions and the herd mentality is used to hide the atrocities committed.  There is safety in numbers and we only have to look at recent events to conclude that the guilty are rarely prosecuted and punished.

Hate is a cancer.

When hate speech becomes common place in the daily discourse of a nation it starts to spread like a cancer that rots the psychic of a nation.  Hate once unleashed has to run its course and it silences all form of protest and attempts to return a nation and tribe to the humane footing that used to characterize it.  Bad leaders only care about power and control and all of them lack introspection and a conscience.  They are willing to do things that no normal person would ever contemplate.  The worst thing we can do to ourselves when confronted with adversity is to allow the worst of the worst in our species to take control.  That superior intelligence of ours goes AWOL every time when it is needed the most.  Those of you who are familiar with my writing and novels will appreciate my ambivalence when it comes to human intelligence and where it is taking us.  I just wish that you could prove me wrong.  Not a few well-meaning souls.  What is needed is a wholesale change of heart in the minds of at least a solid majority.  I am well aware that there is a huge segment out there of humanity’s worst that will resist any attempt to conducive and proactive change.

Embrace your humanity.  Resist the inhumane and the contemptable.  If you find yourself still living in a democracy, use that vote of yours and vote wisely.

Feel free to comment or share.  The recently posted articles are from a new bundle: Reflections.  Twilight musings, Earthbound and the bundle Incoming are available for free as PDFs.

wmabes6646@gmail.com   

Purchase Energy & Origin by W.M.A. Bes on KDP Amazon.ca

Feel free to comment or share.

APPEASEMENT AND PIXIE DUST

 

APPEASEMENT AND PIXIE DUST

Every negative action has a negative consequence.

 

One of the definitions of appeasement and with historical provenance is the following: To buy off an aggressor by concessions usually at the sacrifice of principles.  Start to feel a bit uncomfortable, because we all know that this is currently playing out with some of the worst state actors in the world.  The appeasement of the likes of Trump, Putin and Netanyahu as the top three running for the title of the worst of the worst.  So, why lump in pixie dust?  All it takes is faith, trust and just a little bit of pixie dust.  Pixie dust is about that insatiable human need for deception, of preferring to look the other way and . . . looking for a convenient way out.  Pretending that everything will be okay and hoping that all will end well.  Spread it around in large enough quantities and keep your fingers crossed.  Pixie dust is hoping for a miracle and in this case, hoping that appeasement will work.

It doesn’t work.

Appeasement doesn’t work.  Never has and never will.  Appeasement in all its forms is about deliberately turning a blind eye and we don’t just do it with the world’s worst aggressors, we’re doing it in every aspect of our human existence and every little bit of success is celebrated like a victory, as a turning point, a proving point; saving a piece of green or reestablishing a species habitat and watching a comeback, while in hundreds of places all around the world it is only getting worse: species extinction, loss of habitat, deforestation, desertification, pollution, resource depletion, farmland lost to more human development.  The sorry list of human incompetence is only getting larger by the day.  Pixie dust is all about deceiving ourselves, self-congratulatory tokens that hide our overall failures to reign in an out-of-control species.  As an objectivist I have an obligation to call it out as it is and not to walk around with rose tinted glasses pretending that all will come out in the wash, spic and span.

"There will be no war in our time."  Famous last words!!!

The sane leaders of the world are reacting today in the same way as their predecessors did with the likes of Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin and dozens of other psychopaths that managed to run their nations into the ground with unprovoked wars and naked aggression, all instigated  to satisfy their personal egos and insane agendas.  Shame on the likes of Carney and NATO allies for condoning renewed attacks on Iran as deserving.  None of them have the backbone to tell Trump off and to go home.  To stop his attacks, his threats, his bullying and acts of unprovoked aggression towards others.  You don’t go around threatening the sovereignty of friends and neighbors, of attacking anyone period, of starting wars and covering it up with bombastic lies and veiled accusations.

Psychopaths like Trump, Netanyahu and Putin will never follow the path of reason and they don’t need any excuses for their behavior because they will invent one on the spot.  All of them lack a moral compass and the end justifies the means, even if that includes starting a murdering, destructive rampage that destroys the lives of millions.  They are immune to the rule of law (in their own minds), of common decency and respect and in the proper use of diplomacy to settle disputes (real or imagined).  Governing is all about the respectful application of justice to serve the greater good of all people, and that includes respecting the rights of visible minorities.

We’re on a collision course with destiny.

When bad actors put the ship of state on a collision course and all the crew on the bridge engage in is a raucous, idiotic debate, as in: should we stop, reverse, slow down or change direction?, all the while the ship is plowing full steam ahead and the inevitable collision will take place.  When humans get caught up in a conflict mode there is no turning back.  Appeasement and pixie dust can be compared to a child believing that the sandcastle build on the beach will still be there if they return next year.

So, why do sane leaders still believe that appeasement will work?  Might work!  Hope that it will work?  It is the inevitable that frightens them.  None of them will shy away from a fight, but they all know that when forced into one that the outcome will be the same as every war ever fought.  A huge waste of time and energy, of effort and resources and countless human losses and lasting trauma.

Provoke conflict and see what happens!

The Strait of Hormuz was free and wide open before the US and Israel decided to go to war with Iran and shut it down.

It is the US navy that maintains the blockade.  It is the US under the leadership of Trump that started an unprovoked war with Iran; a nation that has seen its attempts of the pursuit of nuclear power sabotaged, bombed and banned, time and time again, by the US and Israel.  And, lo and behold, Iran has never been able to respond in kind.

And yet, despite all that uninvited aggression, the sanctions and the bullying, Iran kept the Strait of Hormuz open!  And now the world is paying the price and yet they (world leaders) continue to appease the aggressors!

Poke and provoke.

Aggressors will continue their attacks unless they are stopped in their tracks.  They will continue to test the waters to see what they can get away with.  Look at what Trump has been getting away with at home and abroad.  And who will be next?  Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Greenland?  No apologies.  No backpedaling.  How much appeasement will it take before the blinders come off?

                                  

                                      Calling on all fairies

Who’s kidding who, my fairy friends?

Pixie dust swirling inside a glass bowl.

A snow job if there ever was one.

Lies have never fixed what is broken.

The innocent don’t rise from the dead.

The soldiers we need don’t carry weapons,

Only loving arms.

Save your pixie dust, my fairy friends,

For the gullible and the naïve.

I’ll save my tears,

For those who really deserve it.

 

Feel free to comment or share.

wbes6646@gmail.com