WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UNITE OR DIVIDE?

 

WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UNITE OR DIVIDE?

 

Will we control AI or will AI control us?

 

I have no stake in artificial intelligence and although I use intelligence/information, for referencing and research, I do rely on my creative mind to interpret the world as presented to me and in this article, although with limited personal expertise, I will still venture to put in my two cents (I was brought up in a time where pennies still mattered) as the road AI will follow is as unpredictable to me as it is to anyone else, even to the so-called insiders.  When it comes to AI the prognostications are all over the place and one of the original creators is now regretting his involvement with the same concerns expressed by the scientists involved in developing the atomic bomb.  No, AI itself doesn’t explode as a device of mass destruction but it could have a similar impact if unleased on humanity without controls and oversight and it appears that is already the case.  As with everything humans design and concoct the negatives are initially ignored as the euphoria of a new invention overshadows the concerns.

Who profits from its labor?

In this article I’m going to hopscotch through some of the commentaries and concerns espoused by the so-called experts.  I have my misgivings because nothing pertaining to AI has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by anyone and therefore I can be forgiven for my trespasses.  (I love the odd biblical references as our western hemisphere is riddled with them)  We may well hope that if there is a God, he or she will be on our side to deal with the fallout of AI.

People want to feel useful, they need to feel useful.

One prognosticator predicts that humans will go the way of the horse because of AI, a reference to horses being replaced by motorized horsepower and we only keep a few of the beasts around for sport, show purposes, recreational entertainment and as a curiosity.  What this implies is that there will be no real purpose for many of us to remain on the scene.  At least we could eat the horses when they were no longer useful and needed.  Horses didn’t disappear overnight and neither will we, but the question it raises is the following: If AI makes a lot of us redundant, what will happen to us in the interim?  I do hope that cannibalism or being turned into dogfood is not on the menu.

AI is mechanical learning, a distinct technological advantage over our computers which are basically limited to data storage, so is AI, but in a far more sophisticated way.  AI can sort, sift and crunch data and present solutions and possibilities in record time.  It can replace humans in many applications, especially when it is used in conjunction with robots and automation.  You can view AI as an extension of the human world or as a threat that will reduce many humans to a state of redundancy; not a pretty prospect.

AI should enrich our lives, not cheapen it by taking away jobs and income.

The development of AI and its implementations has been a financial bonanza for some of the biggest tech companies in the world and their shareholders.  Those with the most to lose and the most to gain have of course been hyping AI as manna from heaven.  (I like to stick with the biblical)  The lure is appetizing: work faster, better, and above all, with fewer people.  In this article I am not going to bother with all the crooks and nefarious characters that are already abusing AI through cyber scams and hacking, blackmail and crypto currency fraud.

My biggest concern is the persnickety fact that once more we have constructed something that has the potential to harm an awful lot of people by making them redundant or turning them into second class citizens, dependent on government handouts.  If that is the case, AI could turn out to be its own worst enemy and the impact could be devastating.

AI is not a consumer.

AI is machine learning and it doesn’t invest or purchase anything and it only makes a lot of money for those people owning and using it.  Other than regular maintenance and servicing it is basically an anomaly where it concerns the benefit, welfare and prosperity of the average citizen.  It doesn’t require any of the services and needs people rely upon.  Work and contributing has been the way of the world for a very long time; besides meaningfully occupying one’s time and feeling needed as a productive member of society.  In other words, giving life a purpose, rather than merely existing and loafing around. 

People like Musk have been prophesizing that work and poverty, because of AI and other futuristic wonders, will become a thing of the past.  There are a number of things all these tealeaf readers are ignoring.  We are living on a finite planet with limited resources and without any escape hatch in sight.  We are robbing the planet blind of its natural resources and we’re blundering through those that are renewable, but we don’t give them a chance to renew.  8 billion plus people can’t be ignored or conveniently turned into dogfood.  Unless you find a way to get rid of us, our presence cannot be ignored, nor can our needs and demands.  Neither can we ignore the expense of providing for people, especially in the face of the stupendous levels of debt most governments have racked up to keep us in our boots and standing straight up.

We are great at turning on and we suck at turning off.

I have alluded to this in previous articles and I will take a stab at it again.  Humanity has been great at devising new technologies that looked promising from the onset and that in the long term have been anything but.  Anticipating the consequences has never been our strongest suit.  From forging metal into weapons rather than ploughshares, turning gunpowder intended for fireworks into cannons used to kill and from rockets flying to the moon and bringing back a few hundred kilos of useless rocks, the list of unexpected side effects keeps piling up into negative territory.

All these technological advances have not turned us into a better species, one that should behave according to that much vaunted so-called superior human intelligence and not by pretending that we can replace nature with artifice and get away with it.

Whose brain will YOU be using?

If we start using AI to circumvent learning and if we stop massaging our brain by actually using it to explore, to question, to examine and to consider our actions and activities, it will turn all of us into a self-defeating entity and AI won’t come to our aid when it becomes essential to turn that brain of ours on.  We have always used learning and the imaginative abilities of our mind to solve problems.  If we use AI without critical thinking and original thought it will turn all of us into dependent, shallow and ineffective individuals.  But when we use AI to infuse our thought processes with additional information and evidence, it can only strengthen those ideas and solutions.  But AI should never do the thinking for us.  AI should never do the deciding for us.

What are we going to do with all these people?

There are no convenient escape hatches.

Governments are up to their eyeballs in debt and I don’t think a guaranteed wage or income plan is in the cards.  Neither will the billionaires voluntarily hand over their wealth to keep the masses alive.  The human journey is hallmarked by stupidity and greed and the urge to dominate, to exploit and control is stronger than any appeal for moderation, cooperation and sharing wealth and knowledge with all.  Throughout human history a few have always lived well at the expense of the masses and I don’t think AI will change that.  These past two centuries we have added several nails to the human coffin and the doomsday clock has just been moved up closer to midnight.  AI could well end up as the final nail.  I am sure that you could come up with better pros and cons and with more intriguing examples, but I hope that with my articles I can keep the conversation alive.  None of my novels or articles are AI generated or sourced.  I have always taken great pride in using my own brain rather than borrowing and stealing from others.  Literary theft is only acceptable as a kudo to the author who thought of it first.  As one of my language professors reminded me, “Everything has been written about, said or done before.  It’s your take on it that will hopefully be new and exciting and justifies chopping down a tree.  (At the time of his lecture paper was much in vogue and home computers only existed on someone’s drawing board).

Whose wealth is it?

We are once more living in a world where the bulk of all global wealth is held by a few million people and their families and 10 percent of that group controls the lion share.  This is a recipe for global financial and economic ruin.  Throughout human history we have been there before.  Greed, ignorance and plain stupidity bundling in such intensity that the release will be catastrophic.  It is staring us in the eye once again.  A meeting with destiny. 

As per usual, feel free to comment or share.

Questions to ask and consider: AI is not a consumer and it doesn’t purchase anything, nor does it save or invest.  Neither does it raise a family.  Do you work for AI or does AI work for you?  Do you benefit from AI or the entity that owns and controls it?    

Knowledge when shared by all is the greatest source of wealth.   

Purchase my novel Energy & Origin on KDP Amazon.ca and use my full pen name, W.M.A. Bes

TRIBAL ANXIETY AND IGNORANCE ARE VYING FOR OUR ATTENTION

 

TRIBAL ANXIETY AND IGNORANCE ARE VYING FOR OUR ATTENTION

 

Have you ever felt like a puppet as if an invisible puppet master is pulling your strings and the path and the story are no longer your own?  You feel like a piece of flotsam floating on the river of life and nothing connects.  Despite all the gadgets that keep you hooked and entertained, despite all the images and blurbs, there is only the illusion of connectivity.  The substance is lacking and a sense of truly belonging; to a family, to a community, to a place of work and even to a nation, it is simply not there.

Not only do I like to keep my articles short, I also prefer to concentrate on the essence.  Forget about the tiny details and the exceptions or providing proof by the baker’s dozen.  Facts and proof are only relevant if you’re prepared to accept them, not at face value, but through fact checking and verification.  I have never cared for the bits and bobs masquerading as news, for the kind of infotainment that has turned the newscast into ‘the show’.  We’re not even pretending anymore that investigative journalism and the accuracy of reporting is an actual requirement.  There are a few holdouts that deserve praise and I won’t name them for fear that either their funding will be yanked or their presenters vilified for having the audacity to report and investigate the massive amount of distortion, lies and fabrications flying under the radar as official policy.  As news!

Let’s stick with the basics.

The essence of life is about the preservation of life and the majority of species will engage in the act of procreation as this instinctive aspect is present in all of them.  All part of that mysterious evolution thing tangled up in our DNA.  We can try to ignore it, but it doesn’t quite work out that way.  The urge appears to be a majority kind of thing and few opt out.  Don’t try to rationalize it other than that evolution packs a powerful punch that is difficult to resist.  Self-preservation comes next and in this case it is all about survival.  Not a single species likes to give up the fight when it comes to life and living.  Incidents of suicide are infrequent in the individual, but mass suicide incidents are even rarer.  Only a few such historical events have been documented.  To illustrate how desperately we cling to life I will use the Nazi death camps as an example and you would think that faced with a certain death a large number of those held captive would consider suicide.  It didn’t happen and as one survivor reported, “Tomorrow could be the day of liberation, so you don’t give up.”  Look at all the misery that has descended upon cities and nations these past few years and how the masses rally, despite the suffering, the hunger and starvation, despite all the misery and deaths.

For the sake of clarity and keeping it short, I will stick with our species.  All living species follow the same patterns, needs and requirements.  I don’t want to get hung up on small differences and exceptions.  Whenever the occasion permits and warrants I love to put in a plug for my novel, Energy & Origin, based on the premise that energy created life, and life is energy.  Energy and momentum are joined at the hip because you can’t have one without the other.  Energy bundles and dissipates and we’re all familiar with the following:  We all eat at regular intervals because the food that we ingest doesn’t provide everlasting energy.  All lifeforms on Earth respond to the same instinctive needs and we can divide those needs in three.

Our primary need is for oxygen, food, water and sunlight (we don’t do well in the dark, except for night owls).  Secondary needs include shelter and clothing, although clothing can be optional depending on climate, culture and proclivity.  Some of us like to be covered from head to toe and others prefer au naturel.  Tertiary needs conform to tribal requirements; health, safety, and security concerns.

Humans excel in the anxiety department for a good reason.

None of the above, even when met, alleviate all of our concerns, because all species have a limited lifespan and are prone to ageing, disease and misfortune, no matter if optimum living conditions are met.  Life is a crap shoot from start to finish and there are no certainties.  We are constantly reminded of the fact that we are fragile creatures and it is this uncertainty that fuels anxiety.  We intellectualize everything!  People that study the natural sciences marvel at the way that nature—and I am sticking to trees and vegetation—have their own ingenious ways of protecting themselves from harm and adversity and they show an incredible resilience.  By the way, so do we, look at the numbers?    But, a mobile (ouch! Intelligent, ouch!) creature such as ourselves, has developed a much wider set of responses and some are rooted in some questionable attitudes and motives.  Color, race, language, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, customs and traditions; all can invoke actions and reactions that have little to do with meeting primary needs, but has everything to do with how diversity looks great on paper, but in reality, when adversity comes knocking on our doors, can produce some extreme responses.

Currently planet Earth is bearing the full physical impact of our species and in the complex societies we have created there is little we can all agree upon.  If anything, our disagreements are like the migratory paths of birds flying from one continent to the other.  We can’t seem to be able to make up our minds either.  We’re better known for our bitter infighting and picking fights with neighbors.  And what most conflicts and wars have in common is an irrationality that defies description.

It is hard to stop what we put in motion.  Momentum can be an ugly thing and anxiety levels amongst global tribes are on the rise.

Anxiety is creeping under our skin like a virus that defies antibiotics.  Regressive/negative human behavior has to run its course until it runs out of energy.  Put us under a microscope and what emerges is an argumentative, ungrateful lot, often resembling our political parties, sniping at each from across the aisles in never ending attacks, complaints and grievances.  A courteous discourse is simply not in the cards and only in our passing, when death comes knocking on our doors, timely or untimely, can all agree that we have lost a dearly beloved one and that he or she will be sorely missed.  At times our hypocrisy is the only thing we celebrate with gusto, as our insincerity flows from our visage in copious rivulets.  Actors all of us, so take a bow.

Lately my anxiety hails from an ageing body that increasingly shows a reluctance to comply with my wishes.  My mind commands, but the body refuses to follow suit.  In life there is only one certainty.  There is a finality to death that none of us can escape.  Death is the great equalizer.  Therefore, why complain about a fate that has befallen everyone that has preceded us, just as it will meet up eventually with anyone following in our footsteps.

May your future be short on missteps and be blessed with good health and fortune (if not found in a Chinese fortune cookie, it should be).

No, I didn’t leave out or forget about that ignorance thing, because honestly, does it need an explanation?  Ignorance is the fuel that anxiety feeds upon.

Feel free to comment or share and I am not so sure I want to hear about personal anxieties.  Keep it short and general.  Once upon a time I was a counsellor and I have worn out my empathy bone.

If you want to feel better about yourself and where we’re headed and why, purchase my book: Energy & Origin on KDP Amazon.ca

My official penname is W.M.A Bes

A POET I WILL NEVER BE

 

A POET I WILL NEVER BE

Poetry is like a leaking ink pen leaving Rorschach blobs open to interpretation

Bear with me, even if the following article will irk your ire and is a deviation from my usual commentaries; current affairs and writing about our perilous earthly journey as we navigate everything human.  It started with a simple buzz word: poetic license.  Don’t ask me why.  Subconscious triggers?  Sometimes a single word can spawn a creative writing direction that triggers memories submerged in the mind (in this case my mind).  And in this case it sure did!  The first line I came up with (I take extensive notes while contemplating a subject for an article and some actually make it to the intended article): poetry is like a leaking ink pen leaving Rorschach blobs open to interpretation.

There is nothing better than starting an article with a provocative opening, not raising eyebrows, but hackles of indignation.  Especially within literary circles poetry holds a special place and any perceived slight is like stepping onto sensitive toes.  State that you don’t care for poetry and you’re attacked as if you were a Philistine.  (In the Old Testament the Philistines were a much loathed tribe whom the Israelites hated for their aggression and destructive battles.  They fought quite a bit.)  The Middle East, it has always been a timeless historical hotspot and they’re not quibbling about sand, but about religion!  If it were fertile like the Napa Valley they’d be too busy brewing, growing and trading and the great prophets would have risen elsewhere.  The Middle East has had its fair share of conflict and continues to live up to its reputation as being a contentious piece of real estate.  Since those early days Philistines have migrated across the globe and they now live amongst us in large numbers, known as people who will wreck and ruin everything that is good and decent.  They’re easy to spot!

Why does sand and barren terrain create such hostile environments?  I’m just throwing out a question here.

Back to poetry and the memories this subject triggered.  This is probably a personal bias but I have always felt that only pedantic, pretentious snobs are attracted to poetry.  I have honestly tried to appreciate the intricacy of the written word in all its forms, but when it comes to poetry I have simply given up.  Trying to concentrate on the flow of the verse, the right diction and simultaneously attempting to figure out intent and meaning, it really taxes my brain like an excruciating form of torture and I quickly lose interest.

Confession time.  As an adolescent, in my late teens, I did produce a small bundle of poetry that actually went over quite well with a select group of people who chose one of my poems for one of their gatherings.  Most people get together for beer, pizza and a game, but there are a modest few who actively pursue a more spiritual lifestyle, for whatever reason.  A former priest moderated this particular event—he happened to be my theology professor—and for the life of me I can’t remember much of this evening other that in hindsight it didn’t leave me with a lasting impression or something I wanted to pursue in earnest.  Why did I write poetry?  For starters you’ve got to start somewhere and I probably didn’t have a novel in me.  That occurred much later in life.  Also, adolescent girls love poets, especially if a specific poem has been written just for them.  It tends to pave the way for an amorous conquest without the predictable obstacles.  Once they’re married and the lines keep coming a certain degree of skepticism creeps in.  Besotted as a teenager is one thing, but you grow out of it as an adult.  It is not pub subject either nor is it a masculine thing.  As an aside.  In a shop I frequent one of the counter girls found out that I was a writer and she exclaimed enthusiastically, “Are you a poet?” 

“No, I write novels.”

“Oh.”

The look of disappointment in her eyes was obvious and that little glimmer of enthusiasm dimmed rather quickly.  I guess writers are a dime a dozen and you really have to look hard to find a poet.  Lift up those rocks and keep looking!

One of the nails that did it for me is the following true story.  (Beware that writers lie a lot and make things up for a living)  I need to put in an accolade for one of the finest teachers’ I have ever had.  A physical description is in order.  He was a large, stout individual.  Butt ugly with thinning greasy hair, a huge protrusion on his forehead (this man was so intelligent that I considered this big lump to be an extension of his brain because it required the extra storage space) and a shabby dresser.  But, he was also the most intelligent, witty and down-to-earth person I’ve ever met.  He was a true-to-life Cyrano de Bergerac, slightly irreverent and self-deprecating and a born raconteur.  His wife was drop-dead gorgeous and I am positive that he could charm/talk many a female out of their panties.  He was my Dutch language professor and poetry was a mandatory part of the curriculum.  We discussed a poem that had all of us stumped and in particular one obscure word that didn’t seem to fit in at all.  Nobody could figure out what it meant or why it was included.  My dear professor actually had met the chap and had his phone number.  He called.  We waited with baited breath.  The answer.  “I don’t have a clue.  It probably sounded good at the time.”

I am convinced that most poets are simply incapable of writing a novel.  Basically they are equipped with esoteric minds and a short attention span (hence resorting to poems).  I have met a few poets in my time and all of them have come across as suffering.  It is as if their poetry puts them through the wringer of life (old fashioned washing machines were equipped with a wringer and were referred to as wringer washers, my mother had one).  Where we (ordinary people) would observe soapsuds and dirty water being squeezed out between the rollers, leave it to poets to conjure up life, mysticism and a veritable kaleidoscope of images and color, of Weltschmerz and Lebensangst.  A delightful opportunity for me to show off how much I like those Germans and how some of their words and expressions manage to encompass an entire subject in one single word.  Hats off to those Teutonic ancestors and their offspring and this ability to express themselves with such magnificence.  Although they are an industrious race, hard working and disciplined, they do know how to suffer and express it in a language that is both guttural and bites.  Don’t stand to close, it comes with spittle!

Limited uses.

Poetry does have its place and I often observe it being used on special occasions, like a funeral.  An appropriate poem substituting for a eulogy.  When one of my Latin professors graduated with a doctorate in Latin some obscure poems were recited and of course they contained lines that a; nobody in the audience had ever heard of (as students we were forced to be in attendance to add numbers to the welcoming committee) or b; just a few smug, well-educated colleagues were in on the deeper meaning.  We were merely peasants awaiting to be imbued with their instructions and knowledge so that over time we too could be welcomed into the higher halls of learning.

"I' m pretty sure I was a poet in a former life."

As an author reading from a novel at a gathering you might get away with a few paragraphs or a short chapter, but a poem demands special attention because you get the whole thing, whether you like it or not.  I envy the souls who get the diction just right.  The tempo.  The flow.  Even if they haven’t got a clue as to what they have just expressed so eloquently.

I’m pretty sure that I will be safe from being hectored by any poets or aficionados of the genre, because I doubt that any of them even read my stuff.  They probably would not care for the subjects or the clarity of my writing.  I don’t like ambiguity.

Feel free to comment or share, and better yet, respond with an appropriate poetic verse, rhyme or stanza.  Even a naughty limerick!  An opportunity to take poetic revenge and do it with poetic license if you so desire (I knew it would come back to me, the license thing).  Hey-ho, excoriate the bastard and burn him on the altar of poetry sacrilege.       

AGGRESSION ADVANCED US, AGGRESSION WIL DESTROY US

 

AGGRESSION ADVANCED US, AGGRESSION WILL DESTROY US

 

Wars are started with words by politicians and fought by the masses with bullets.

 

Home sapiens has a rather checkered past and quite literally we have gone from cave to the moon in a blink of cosmic time.  Earth’s natural history spans billions of years and has gone through some amazing transformations.  My novel: They were like Angels—is an amazing story that chronicles the Earth journey and in it I have taken license of using intelligent design to explain away some of life’s mysteries that still confound us to this day and which challenge evolution.  I do stick with evolution however to explain human behavior and development and in my novel: Energy & Origin—I fully explain why evolution explains who we are and more importantly, where we’re headed and why.  I had fun imagining and hypothesizing in They were like Angels, but I prefer to stick with proven facts and the kind of deductions that usually prove to be correct when scrutinized against verifiable experiments and studies.

Evolution is not only about the development of species and adaptation, but also about behavior and how a species reacts within its environment, and why.  For reasons I can’t fully explain some ape species branched off into various humanoid-like creatures.  An upright stance probably came with some interesting advantages and disadvantages—the ability to carry things in the arms and to use weapons, walking or running over greater distances—but losing the ability to hide in trees and escape.  Necessity is the mother of invention and once we left the jungle behind the world became our oyster and we never looked back.

Don’t worry about the giant sloth, it is people we need to be concerned about.

The strength and abilities of a species, to not only survive, but to dominate, is by and large due to its level of aggression.  In record time we have emerged as the most aggressive and dominant species to ever inhabit planet Earth.  Aggression is the common denominator behind innovation: to be the best, the victor, the boss, the wealthiest, the fastest and strongest.  Aggression invites competition and adversaries, an ongoing contest for supremacy.  A lengthy introduction, but I do hope that I have your undivided attention.  If you’re starting to feel slightly uncomfortable, you should be.

Because . . .

Our levels of aggression are only intensifying.

To explain the progressive nature of aggression I will place it against the current conflicts that are grabbing international headlines.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s punitive actions in Gaza and Lebanon, the unilateral trade conflicts initiated by Trump and company and their unchallenged activities in regards to Venezuela and Cuba and of course the latest in political gaffes and blunders, the bombing of Iran initiated once again, unilaterally by the USA and Israel, leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.  Led by three, unprincipled, bad actors, one of the questions that inevitably arises is the following: Why aren’t they challenged by the global community?  Why is international condemnation so incredibly muted?  One of the hallmarks of unchecked aggression is the delusional assumption by the perpetrators that they will not be challenged because they are walking around with a superiority complex brought on by perceived military strength and prowess.  The appearance of being unopposed!

The escalation of aggression.

Desperately looking for solutions, for an escape or a way out.

Our species is facing an existentialist crisis that is threatening global stability and when this happens a rare breed of psychotic leaders emerges in some nations, the variety that resorts to beating the living crap out of anything and anybody perceived to be standing in their way, because, in their simplistic minds the nations they are attacking are preventing them from restoring balance and prosperity for their tribe.  (Go figure, Canada, my nation and recognized as of one of the nicest in the world, is one of them?)  It is only their narrow minded view of the world that counts.  America first, Israel first, Russia first.  Now is the time to seize the upper hand because we have the nasty toys to back it up with.  And . . . what are “they” going to do about it.

Let’s start with Ukraine as a classic example.

Why did Russia attack Ukraine (again)?  The Crimea was handed them on a silver platter and without barely a ripple because the then Ukrainian president was a Moscow stooge.  Paid to step aside.  The second time around was in part a calculated risk.  A: would the new president, Zelensky, resist or cave in quickly when faced with the threat of an invasion?  B: there was an assumption that overwhelming Russian military might would crumble any resistance within a matter of a few days or weeks.  C: would anyone bother to come to Ukraine’s aid?  The nation has a checkered history of flip-flopping from independence to being occupied and incorporated within the greater Russian empire.  It is a bit like Taiwan.  A lot of verbal saber rattling from other nations, but nobody with enough stomach or a desire to come to its aid when push comes to shove.  That famous crossing the red line challenge or that infamous line drawn in the global sandbox.  Fists raised, elbows up, stiff upper lip, all the predictable theatrics from nervous politicians and generals as the rhetoric is turned up a notch or two.  NATO for instance is well aware of the fact that any kind of active military interference on their part could trigger a major global conflict.  Sane leaders tread softly, hoping and praying that they can persuade the aggressors to put a lid on it.

Why are they having a hard time? 

Aggression, once unleased, is like hate: it has to run its course.  Belligerents rarely head back to the negotiating table because none of their reasoning/excuses for what they have unleashed stands up to scrutiny.  In part it is about saving face because none of these characters want to go down in the history books as losers.

Vietnam was a textbook example of military and political blundering and I don’t think any historian has been able to be the right spin on it.  However, the fall of Saigon morphed into the books as a lasting American hurrah.  Airlifting hundreds of civilians to safety, active collaborators whose lives would have been in serious jeopardy if they had stayed or were left behind.  It inspired books and movies.  Who can forget the images from Afghanistan when desperate people tried to get on evacuation planes, running beside them on the runway as they taxied away, pleading, crying!

A total disregard for human lives and the rule of law.

The current batch of global troublemakers and tyrants have lulled themselves into an impression of being invincible.  It is the delusional aspect of ‘temporary’ superior power and that it will last!  In reality it is an awkward one-way path they’ve embarked upon and there is no going back.  Sane leaders on the other hand are well aware of the fact that not a single war has ever been decisive.  History shows that all tribes eventually retreat back within their own borders and only a handful are content to assimilate and join the invader.  Mexico for instance lost huge tracts of land to the USA and the lure for the invaded to throw in their lot with the conquerors probably had something to do with the fact that the grass was indeed greener.  We don’t see too many former Mexicans itching to get back to Mexico!

Without a certain level of aggression nothing happens.  But it doesn’t come with a governor! 

Without a certain amount of aggression we wouldn’t get up in the morning or we would be like the giant sloth, barely moving, hanging in there, “Please, not too much excitement.  Don’t startle me.”  Our levels of aggression have only increased over time, because it is the competition and the prospect of losing a dominant position that continues to occupy the political and military hearts and minds of nations.  In the natural world the behaviors that humans display don’t make any sense at all.  It is counterproductive and destructive.  It is that dreaded superior intelligence that has propelled Homo sapiens to the top of an imaginary peak.  We are saddled with a superiority complex that has no equal and it is not restrained by anything.  We try.  We talk endlessly about compassion, ethics, morality, mindfulness and of course we endlessly flog that love-thy-neighbor kind of thing when we’re not involved in yet another war or conflict and then all odds are off and we’re right back to scrapping and bashing in heads.  That aggression of ours has not improved our behaviors towards each other and the sad fact that we’re constantly devising better and more deadly ways to kill and destroy is not a positive sign.  Aggression is also blurring the lines that should define our humanity.  Bad attracts more attention than good. 

You can’t “right talk” aggression and it shows in the bombastic behaviors displayed by the likes of Trump, Putin and Netanyahu.  Most of us are stumped by the insouciant behavior of these bad actors and the pathetic lines emanating from their mouths.  Most of us when confronted by blatant and out-of-control aggression are at a loss as to what to do about it.  Bad actors are getting away with murder because none of our institutions are designed to deal with the worst mankind can bring to bear on itself.  Global conferences instigated to promote unity and a resolve to deal with global problems are in fact little more than pitiful efforts to deflect our true nature and intent, because none have been effective or have produced lasting results.  Aggression gets in the way every time. 

Aggression doesn’t like democracy.       

One of the reasons democracy around the world is fraying around the edges is that its principles go right against the grain of the evolutionary traits we have developed and aggression is one of the worst because it promotes dominance over other species, including our own.  It is not about equals, about fairness and equality.  That is the kind of window dressing we have designed for appearances sake.  Sound bites and optics rather than concrete action.

The lure behind aggression is easy to explain: it produces results if applied with sufficient force and determination.  Look at the victims of aggression and how most of them lack the manpower and strength to hit back.  The Caucasian race used slavery and colonialism to rapidly advance its wealth and global supremacy.  When we engaged in these deplorable practices our superiority couldn’t be denied and it persists to this day.  We don’t lift a finger to bring former colonies up to our level and status of affluence and competitiveness.  Our disdain for other cultures is legendary.  Lip service when it comes to extending proper respect and treatment.  The entire Middle East is a prime example of how they have been treated with total disregard and disrespect.  We dictate.  We invade.  We don’t listen.  We take and demand.

Aggressors don’t justify their actions because none will stand up in international courts or meet globally accepted moral and ethical standards.  They’re definitely not plagued by a guilty consciousness.  Basically they are painting themselves into an awkward corner because they can only “justify” their behavior by maintaining the upper hand.  Prime example: If the USA and Israel would withdraw from the Strait of Hormuz and stop their bombing raids, an international court may find them guilty of war crimes and liable for damages and compensation.  A heartfelt Mea Culpa from these bad actors?  Give your head a good shake.  No apologies will be forthcoming.  No reconciliation.  No restitution.  Nations playing the aggression card know that you’re either all in, or all out.

There is no cure.

Once bad political actors ignite the worst in us, stoking the fires of nationalism and patriotism, ramping up potential threats, blaming the usual predictable scapegoats and all of it delivered with a virulence that can’t fail to ignite the masses, and oh boy, when they do, does it ever get results!  It’s like striking a match to a tinder dry bonfire and setting it ablaze.  The worst mistake we can make is trying to rationalize this as a malaise that can be treated.  Aggression once unleashed in all its power takes the masses right back to primordial behaviors and instincts.  The antithesis that eventually sets in towards the end of every conflict or war resembles a bad hangover and I am reminded of images and documentaries of surrender, long lines of haggard looking individuals, defeat etched on their faces, but also relief.  That it is finally over.  No more killing.  No more shooting.  Like waking up from a nightmare.  All they want to do is to go home.

How nasty is aggression?

Our levels of aggression are all about exclusivity, exploitation, oppression and dominance.  Earth is home to millions of different lifeforms and none have evolved or behave like we do.  In the greater scheme of things we have turned into an anomaly because we exist at the expense of everything around us.  Our level of aggression is illogical, dangerous and unhealthy and it will destroy us.

Almost all nations are up to their eyeballs in debt to fuel this preposterous cycle of military buildup and aggression.  It doesn’t produce wealth.  It only detracts.  Funded by tax dollars that are mainly borrowed and which have become part of that infamous governance model we’re all addicted to: Deficit financing and spending which has turned into an out-of-control debt spiral.

The aggression gene is progressive and therefore deadly.  In record time our species has developed from a hunter-gatherer into a deadly, confrontational force that contributes nothing to the longevity of life on Earth and instead leaves behind a wanton path of destruction.  I do hope that I made some sense of the heading of this article. 

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BANNING AND BURNING

 

BANNING AND BURNING

 It is so much easier to ban and burn books than it is to ban assault rifles.

As a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities I am not only concerned about the erosion of democratic values all around the world, but also how our democratic minds are submitted to an unhealthy kind of censorship by banning books that are in the opinion of some educators, lawmakers and politicians, considered inappropriate.

First I want to take you back to 1812 and the first publications of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and the fairy tales they wrote to great acclaim: Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast, just to name a few examples of their prodigious output that stand out.  Some are now deemed unsuitable and too graphic, while others continue to be made into movies and musicals.  Our sensitivities often resemble the weather; changeable and hard to predict.

Of course you realize that Little Red Riding Hood couldn’t have been swallowed up in bits and pieces by the Big Bad Wolf, otherwise she couldn’t have been retrieved by the hunter in one piece!  The tale of Jonah and the Walrus is cut from a similar cloth.  We have always been imaginative in our fables and fairy tales and just about anything goes.  Some of the brothers Grimm tales are now considered ‘Dark’ and unsuitable for impressionable young minds.  Take a hard look at what has been coming out of Hollywood and even Disney these past couple of years and it makes you wonder if they didn’t get that particular memo as to what is suitable and appropriate.  The blood and gore drips from the screens.  It does come with some disclaimers and guidelines and they’re about as sincere and effective as any adult site asking for age verification that doesn’t require verifiable proof of age provided by an adult.  It is all voluntary.  A pang of conscience entering the mind of a minor for a few seconds before clicking—yes, I’m of age!  How many parents would seriously consider taking the devices away or constantly monitoring its uses?

So, why do we censor, who do we censor and who does the censoring?  Who are the gatekeepers of today’s morality squad and do their sensibilities actually qualify them for the job?  Who gets to decide what is appropriate to read and what is not?  In my humble opinion as a writer a book should only be considered inappropriate if the work in question inspires or promotes hate or demonizes people for being different.  One of the perks of living in a true democracy is the simple fact that an individual gets to decide.

Reading is not only about absorbing information, whether what you read is fiction or nonfiction, but how to interpret what we’re exposed to and that it may lead to a better understanding of a subject or topic and inspires critical thinking and original thought.  Pulling books from shelves and banning them, how does that promote a better understanding?  We broaden our intellectual horizons by considering all aspects and information of a particular subject or topic and not by being selective as to what we should or should not read, leading to pre-established opinions rather than reaching a conclusion based on considering all relevant information.  Even if some of that information treads on sensitive toes.

There is such a thing as age-appropriate and I will illustrate this with a simple example.  Take Das Kapital written by Karl Marx and Mein Kampf written by Adolf Hitler.  One an economic tract and the other an ideology expressed by one of history’s most loathsome villains.  Definitely not material for impressionable young minds and usually intended for serious scholars studying our past and the impact these two books had.  If available and signed out or purchased, should it come replete with a written request as to suitability, reason and purpose?  A background check?  Are certain books deemed to be as deadly as assault weapons and should therefore be subjected to a similar scrutiny?  A soundness of mind attested to by a certified psychologist?  Put on an official government watch list, red flagged as a potential risk?

Is turning ourselves into public mind keepers even healthy?  In many of my articles I challenge attitudes and human actions and activities.  Should I be banned?

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