In
the Universe, there are things that exist, things that "are"
or "be." There are also things that are not, but we needn't
worry about them, at least today. There is also an argument against
there actually being proof of existence, of anything at all, but I
think you and I can properly assume that some things exist, merely
because we exist. Perhaps Rene Descartes would agree with us. This we
must just shove in the background and forget about for now. We need
to talk about actual reality, as we understand it, in as much as you
and I can agree upon.
There are
"things" in the Universe and at least some of these things
"do" something, by which we mean alter the Universe in some
way that wouldn't have happened without energy being expended. It
might be a comet gassing off, it might be the process of
photosynthesis, it might be a politician speaking into a microphone.
Most things are "doing" something. Trees, cells, suns,
galaxies, even your coffee table, chock full of "coffee table
information" is decaying. So are you, look in the mirror. Action
happens.
For the most
part, the things that are and do are living systems. This doesn't
necessarily have anything to do with life or being alive. So a galaxy
is a living system and so are you. So is your liver, so are your red
blood cells, so is your DNA, and so on. You may explore this dynamism
as far into the micro and macro as you wish, it doesn't change much.
Most living systems in the Universe also follow a time line of
existence. To our knowledge, there is nothing that always was nor is
there something that will always be. All things "come into
existence" via various means. All things "exist" in
that they are around for a time, call it a "life time" if
you like. All things decay and "cease to exist" in that
they no longer "are" what ever it was that made them
"them." For instance, you were born, you are now alive and
someday you will be dead. These presumptions too we much agree upon.
Furthermore, we must agree that most natural systems follow this
rough bell curve time line: X is born, X lives, X dies, where X is
any living system, in whole or in part.
This dynamism
essentially means that all things are in a constant state of change.
As our only concept of time is achieved by moving forward through it
from within our existence, the future is the only possible place
where change can be recognized. Therefore, as naturally as we don't
expect the past to change we must also deal with unavoidable change
in the future. (This is an argument unto itself, explaining how
conservatism is unnatural, but this doesn't mean that liberalism is
the answer either, because we seek balance found only between these
opposites.)
Now, realize that
words are things in the Universe too, because you can spit them out
and change everything. Organizing those words into things like social
movements, political ideologies, religions, companies or even
restaurant menus, turns what were mere things into living systems.
This is the power we have as these creatures that can create. There
are dangers in trying to steer these living systems, rather than
letting them live out their life spans. Conservatism was born, it
lived a while, let's let it die. Same for Liberalism. For some
reason, humans deny the nature of the universe and try to push back
against it. In this effort the outside edges of definitions become
extreme. Alt-Right and Alt-Left are more reaction than solution. A
political living system with only two extremes becomes a palindrome,
a snake head eating the head on the opposite side.
I think right
now in America there are a bunch of baffled people, peeking out their
windows at gathering crowds of the seething duped. The solution is
complex, nothing less than an overhaul of what you think it means to
govern. The only thing I can presume about the future with any
accuracy is that which nature repeats: all systems break down without
change, success is found in the mean, between extremes. I happen to
believe that because we are creatures able to create, that we a.) do
that and b.) do it well, accepting the responsibility to ourselves
and each other.
The
majority of Americans are not now running about defacing mosques,
harassing Mexicans or grabbing women by the pussy. However, what's
going to happen when it's time to build the wall? What's going to
happen when it's time to clearly identify those Muslims that have
their proper paperwork in order? In terms of political pendulum
swinging, I think our grandfather clock is stuck. Of course the only
result, the result that happens, usually every eight years, will be
that the pendulum will swing equally violently the other way. What is
that going to mean? Personally, I'm hoping for the end of money,
governmental servitude, labour for gruel and a chicken coop to sleep
in. I might be setting my sights a little high, it's my prerogative.
The majority of Americans are victims of a living system that has
been hijacked to make the rich richer, by defying nature.
Unfortunately, it's only the extremists that are aware of this
reality. Conspiracy theorists find their fodder in the fringes and as
truth will out it's only a question of time before everyone learns
that truth. I think everyone accepts this conspiracy as real, they
simply shrug and say, "Yeah, but what are ya gonna do about it?"
It's a fair
question. The answer is "something."
Consider the following before doing something:
1. Folks don't
think about the bell curve nature of existence. Folks don't realize
that things like morals, governments, cultures and corporations are
living systems, susceptible to the laws of nature. Nature exemplifies
the mean by way of cooperation over competition. Living systems must
work together to succeed over other living systems. From the micro to
the macro, these living systems go on seemingly forever,
interconnected. All living systems are subject to the same laws of
existence. Read:
Conservatism is Unnatural
2. As beings able
to create and change living systems, it can be argued that we have
doing so as our purpose, our reason for being. It could even be
argued that it would be natural for us to have "birthed"
our ability to create and it might remain for a time before
disappearing, as it seems, most things do. Wouldn't it make sense for
us to make use of our powers while we have them? What would it mean
to do so correctly? The only way we can fairly define "correctly"
is to find consensus, which would likely rest in the mean. Read:
Live Life Properly: How philosophy can save the world.
3. Some of the
living systems we've designed have flaws the fly in the face of the
laws of nature. In the living system of American politics, for
example, the semantic deception of dialectical theses lead to
extremes continuously pushing away from the middle. This stretches
out the mean, thankfully expanding opportunities for finding balance,
yet with only two options to choose from, the median is always a
short lived fulcrum. The populace don't see it this way, they are
either right or left, Republican or Democrat, Conservative or
Liberal, etc. They don't believe they have been socially engineered,
rather they believe that their living system is merely more correctly
in tune with what is required, than is your living system. In any
dialectical living system, when you are only given two possible
things to be, extremes will occur in times of competition and reduce
during times of cooperation. The most forward momentum, the most good
and the most right will be accomplished during times of cooperation.
So why not aim for this mean, rather than one of two exact opposites?
Read:
The Semantic Deception of Dialectical Theses.
4. Opinions and
beliefs are subjective. Information is debatable. Truth and fact are
not. Unless you're an American. Then entirely fictitious creations of
human imagination become reality to be espoused upon and then
defended by the creators when the rest of us say, "Hey, wait a
minute! That's not true." This is a recipe for disaster. In the
first place it comes only from people for whom the truth doesn't
work. If the truth is in the way of an agenda, the agenda is, for
lack of a better phrase, "Not conducive to reality." People
who spend there creative agendas dreaming up "alternative facts"
to substantiate their agendas are one of two things: 1.) Liars, who
know they're lying, don't care and will continue to push forward, or
2.) Liars, who don't know they're lying, which makes them mentally
ill and not only unfit to make indelible marks upon reality via
elected office, but quite likely to be unfit for life at all. Nature
has no interest in masturbation. These people are entirely self
serving, with or without cognisance. They are entirely competitive,
even their cooperation is competitive. Read:
Truth and Fact: You think, it's rare.
Now, everything I have just said is a valid source of good change. If you believe it isn't, congratulations on being in the minority of people that can understand such complex issues, most Americans can't even see the problem. However, you are incorrect. Please change your mind or do your best to cease making indelible marks upon reality. You are counterproductive. It would be most beneficial to the future if you had never existed in the first place.
If, however, you agree with everything stated above, that's great, especially if you previously had an opposing position, or no position, prior to reading the above article. It's not enough to agree. You have to push back against these counterproductive ideologies. It's going to be difficult, resistance always is. But to sin by silence makes us cowards. Let's not be cowards. Let's be at the forefront of a Reasonable Revolution, a revolution of reason. I can think of no time when it was more needed.
I'll be there with you. I've been talking about this problem for over ten years now, right here on this blog. It took an army of idiots putting an idiot in charge for everyone to realize I was right and this is a good thing, but it's only the start. Good luck...
