The Savage Philosopher

I am blown away of how we are attracted to stories and images of sex, tragedy, and beliefs. Another celebrity sex tape and I am left wondering why such a story so important to the human population? Is it simply our procreative instincts kicking in? Or something deep down in us that reflects our species worldview? Or maybe it is a welcome distraction… Maybe it is too much to ask to be curious why the president of the United States is in India, the impacts of a giant volcanic eruption in Indonesia, or debating melting over 3 million weapons currently held by Americans. When I compare and contrast events that may have a direct impact on my life, a celebrity sex tape doesn’t even register. I am impacted by trade agreements other countries. I am impacted by volcanoes spewing tons of ash into the atmosphere further the cooling of the planet. I am impacted by the fear in political discourse that may shape my kid’s future. Neuroscience teaches us that the brain deliberately attempts to co...

Are we doing it wrong? The current economy of the western world is based on the consumption of goods and services. Any product or service that is not in need on a repeatable basis is worth less than those that are. For instance; here are some products I use everyday that are based on only consumption. Disposable razors Single serving coffee Ball point pens Pencils Paper journals Drink bottles and cans The gasoline in my car that I used to get to work Sticky notes Notecards Paper Containers to hold my food from the grocery store Tinfoil Ziploc bags This is a simple list of common items I use almost everyday in my home and professional life. I am sure there are more, and this does not include some longer-term consumables like cell phone upgrades, computer upgrades, and car upgrades. Today I simply want to reflect that in our society we award consumption versus conservation. At this point, I am not saying that either one is better or worse only that we need to be aw...

Be warned, this post may offend. I wish that the visions of Ghandi and Dr. King were the mainstream belief systems of all the people in the world. Unfortunately, they are our inspired outliers. They lift us up in their vision because the truth of the matter is that we are savages. Humans, like all animals on this planet, fight for survival and resources. We are violent opportunist, and our ability to apply our skills has allowed us to remain on the top of the food chain. We will become prey the moment we do use our ability to apply violence. While this may not be the ideal version of the human race, it applies to the mass majority. The tools of our violence have evolved from fists to nuclear weapons. The purpose of the tools is to ensure our survivability. When you look at the human species from a global perspective we create all the violence because we are struggling to survive on a global scale. This struggle is played out on the micro and macro levels. The recent school sho...

Why do we dream? Our scientist say that dreams are combination of biological and psychological processes. That when we sleep or brain files away all the dynamic information from the day. The scientist also confesses that they know only a small portion of the information about the brain and how it works. And if dreaming or simply a mechanical process why do we feel that there is a certain mystery involved? They feel like a message. This is exactly how I felt this morning after waking up from a very complex dream. The dream seemed to be split between two parts. Part one I felt as if I was with a group of people who were moving, and much of the dream dealt with solidifying relationships before people left. The second dream dealt with getting lost by committing to do things I did not have a map for. But it ended with me finding a place as a reference point. In part one, it started with meeting four or five people in the parking lot getting ready to go drive into town. I remember hav...

The Frog. Moving back to America. I am currently moving back to America after spending five years overseas. Moving is hard anyway. Moving over an ocean with a family has an undescribable difficulty level. It has been done by many people before me, and will be done by many more after. None of that takes away from the personal stress of having to do it. And then to add complexity to the issue, I decided to buy a house. A thousand things to do. As with any move there are many things that need to be done. While still overseas, I need to worry about everything from closing out with the current landlord, shipping cars, insuring all the utilities are going to be paid, ensuring my current organisation has everything they need for me, and have a temporary place to stay before I fly out. And of course I am simultaneously doing all the paperwork required to buy a house back in the States. To accomplish everything, I need to rely on many people and things I don't have control over. Doing...