A doomsday rant (sort of):
Ford has a new car. It has a 400 horsepower power plant which means it will go real fast. . . . Where will it take you real fast and WHAT WILL YOU BREATHE when you get there? Who cares; it impresses the "babes", feels cool when you accelerate and gives you "status" and power which is necessary to survive; right? Survive to do what? Get rich; be safe; start a family; have power; have food; have a house; get attention from the opposite sex to boost your ego; make a "name" for yourself; compensate for your lack of maleness / femalness . . . this list goes on and on. Come on children, GET REAL. What do you really need to survive? Think now . . . this is a real challenge: Air, water, food, shelter, emotional support, love, spiritual health, a sense of belonging, laughter, safety and the knowledge that you will be remembered when you pass away. So you're getting all this from a machine? . . .Ok.
Now consider this: As a culture, we use things to support our images of ourselves, but this gluttonous binge that started soon after the original agreements in 1776 is way out of control and has long since passed the point of absurdity. A large portion of the population of the US has become so hedonistic and self indulgent that they are blinded to all avenues of inquiry. When it is suggested that petrochemicals may be harmful, the messengers are routinely burned in effigy by the laissez-faire as if, as harbingers of impending disaster, these messengers are members of some kind of criminal organization daring to even suggest that unrestrained gratification of the senses might be harmful. I think the size of the hedonist culture is gradually shrinking, but not fast enough; and as those of you who have taken the time to read will know, the rich are getting richer faster now than any time in the history of the US, while unemployment statistics are manipulated and communicated specifically to mislead the "average" US working person . . . anyone out there ever read 1984 by Orwell? The unemployment news is doublespeak. Not all is lost, however. If (and this is a big IF), as a culture, we can somehow promote equal educational opportunity for ALL by vastly improving the public education system (by funding it instead of war) and making college education available to ALL outside of the internet; we stand a pretty good chance of turning things around. This change combined with the fact that through instant communication via the internet people can collaborate things can change for the better . . . unless, of course, some large gluttonous self serving idea stealing software corporation run by a loud-mouthed jackass who dances around like a monkey gains complete control of the internet and educational institutions through software patents, bribery and legalistic techno-babble. Ok, so I'm digressing - deal with it.
