Change Perception, Change Reality, Change the Future

A program in Brazil could be changing their future for the better.  The gist of it is that they give out small payments to families who meet certain goals; children in school, make it to doctor's visits, etc.  This idea is simple and amazing.

Stick with me on this, as most of you know how completely against charity and the like I am.

This isn't just throwing money at the poor, giving people cash does nothing but make them weak and dependent.  That does no good for anyone.  What they are doing is putting a hard value on improving your children's lives.  When these poor people see that there is another way and that way has value, they are willing to give it a shot.  A year later, when their children aren't dying of preventable diseases, have put on healthy weight and are performing well in school, they understand that these seemingly small things, a lot that we take for granted, can completely change your world.

Their kids aren't having to leave school to find work to help support the family.  They are learning more and going on to universities and learning skills that can get them higher paying work so that the whole family doesn't have to scrape by.

Similar programs are working all over the world.

Here in the good ol' U S of A, we've lost sight of the basics amidst the flash and ease of technology.  Why learn how to properly spell words if spell check will snag it and fix it for you?  Who needs math if there are calculators that can take care of it?  I'm not going to take this the direction of vilifying technology, because I dig it and I think it's an example of how we really can evolve and become better.

At my core, I suppose I could be categorized as a trans-humanist.  Technological advances are one way we can transcend our current weaknesses and become more.  They are not the only way.  And we cannot forget the basic tools that our learning and advances are built on.  They are too important.

Idiocracy was an interesting look at the future.  It wasn't the best but I'm looking at ideas here, not reviewing movies.  It is basically about what the world will look like if the intelligent people continue to have few children and the stupid people continue to breed unchecked.

I don't know that it is the intelligence level of the 'trailer park folk' that the movie uses as an example so much as the pattern of life children in a poor environment develop.  Their parents feel inadequate, which they likely are, and rant drunkenly about how all of these people with better jobs, educations, etc. are what is wrong with the world.  "They don't do any real work, they just sit back on their educations and let other, real, honest people do the work."  Not always true and not something you should be pushing into your children's minds.   I understand that manual labor and unskilled jobs are important to the continuation of our society at this point, but the people with the ability and will to do more are not lazy or dishonest, they are simply intelligent and able.  They may also be dishonest and lazy, but it doesn't hold true for every one of them.

Society seems to vilify ability, I've seen it everywhere.  You have those bitter people who don't make the top of the pecking order because someone else is better at something and they throw around petty excuses and accusations; well, she's just sleeping with so-and-so, he plays golf with the boss and so he got the promotion, his dad was a big mucky-muck somewhere so he got this benefit.  The problem here is that these people standing around in their little groups complaining about other people are wasting that time when they could be improving themselves.  I'm as guilty of this as anyone, I'm sure.

The above examples could all be true, she could be sleeping with so-and-so and I'm sure he's playing golf with the boss.  The fact is, those people are using the skills they have to get ahead.  I may not agree with method, but I can't fault them for it.  That is how things work in the society we've built.  When everything is a competition you have to use every advantage you have to get where you need to go.  There are no rules, only results.  You want that job?  Do everything in your power to get it.  Don't have any power?  Get some.  It isn't hard.  Build relationships, learn new skills, whatever it takes.  Knowledge is power.  So are social connections.  Did someone get that job because they know more than you? Because they are friends with people who have influence?  Does it matter?  The result is the same, they got the job using the talents they have to work with.

I'm not sure how this spun so far out of control, poor planning on my part and the early hour, perhaps.

To move this all back into the original perspective somewhat, making the future better isn't as difficult as you might think.  The payments the Brazilian government hands out aren't huge sums of money, but it is enough to raise people up and its real strength is the value it puts on making the little changes that make everything else fall into place.

Change the way someone looks at the world and you have changed reality for that person.  Change reality for enough people and it becomes the agreed upon world.  Change the world, change the future.

Further interesting reading: Prometheus Rising and Quantum Psychology: How Brain Software Programs You and Your World both by Robert Anton Wilson and both life changing.

Happy Wednesday,

~H

Dunbar, Numbers, Monkeys and a New Society

Dunbar's number, sometimes known as the Monkey-sphere, is a theoretical number denoting the amount of social connections a primate (like us) can reasonably maintain based on the size of the neocortex.

What does this mean?  It means you can only see a certain amount of people, somewhere around 150 on average, as actual people.  Everyone else is a thing that serves a purpose, fills a role or doesn't, in your mind, exist as a true being.  I mentioned yesterday that you could order a hundred strangers to 'take that hill!', knowing full well most of them are unlikely to make it back alive.  But doing the same with your family or people close to you is not the same thing.

The movie "The Box" provides an interesting example of an extreme of this; in The Box is a button.  Press the button, you receive $1 million. However, someone you don't know dies.  Do you do it?  I haven't seen the movie, but I saw the Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode it was based on, so I can't speak for it's quality.  The idea is awesome.  I would do it in a heartbeat.  It has nothing to do with greed or anything, I could use the money, there are no negative effects on me, and I place no inherent worth in any single human life (other than the cool mil this button would fetch me).  My friends and loved ones have worth, but beyond that you're just another number taking up space and resources that could possibly be better spent elsewhere.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this and I'm betting a lot more people than would ever admit it agree with me, deep down in those places Jack Nicholson says you don't talk about at parties.

The Dunbar's number theory makes a solid attempt at explaining why we are this way.  The above links go a lot deeper than my little examples, but I think I touched on the broad strokes.  It's interesting reading either way.

Another controversial theory based on generational warfare concerning the fourth generation of warfare, claims that the best defense against this type of warfare is small, tight-knit communities where everyone recognizes everyone else and is trained in what to do in case of strangers.  It seems a little extreme, but if that's the way the world goes, then we need to be prepared to adapt.  Generational warfare isn't a totally accepted concept, but I think it has some merits.  There are a lot of arguments within it's supporters as to what denotes a generational shift and other facets.  Still, fascinating.

Now that our background is semi-established, I'll move on to my point.

If we possess only the capacity to view, at most, a couple hundred other primates as actual people, perhaps the entire notion of nations needs to go the way of the dodo.  We could take 50 males, 50 females and make little self-sufficient communities that would have significant room to grow and thrive.  When things get too big, people can split off, taking what they need to start anew and leave.  Every community could have diplomats who move between settlements and trade goods, make exchanges of personnel to avoid the problems inbreeding cause and share scientific and other advances.

It sounds a little crazy, but after one generation of births, people would be used to it and it might just make for a better future.

What we're doing now is essentially what we've been doing since the dawn of civilisation.  Things have changed and grown somewhat, but the general idea is still the same.  With the internet we could continue to communicate as a species and it would provide another way to share advances.

Travel could still be allowed; a picture, itinerary and bio of the travelers could be sent ahead and people whose entire job is to play tour guide could show them around, teach local customs and make sure all the best sights aren't missed.

I haven't thought it all the way through, and I'd like to have some sort of software simulation to run and see how it might turn out.

It seems like too big of a shift in what we know for it to happen, as resistant to change as our species is.  It was a fun thought exercise, though.

Thoughts?  Questions?  Refinements?

Modern Madness

As most (if not all) of you know, a disturbed young man shot a bunch of people, including a child, a judge and a congresswoman, in Tucson, AZ.  I've read a lot of the stuff thrown up on the interwebs about the whole fiasco.  Various interviews with local law enforcement and his teachers, commentary and things regarding the reactionary legislation they are drumming up in Congress.  (More commentary.)

It's a lot to take in, and I have mixed feelings on the whole situation.

On one hand, you have this deranged kid who had difficulty dealing with reality and even forming coherent thoughts.  On the other, you have my intense disapproval of extremists in all their forms; left, right, up, down, religious, political, social, etc.  I promised myself when I started this thing that I wouldn't throw more attention at the people who thrive on it, so I won't be linking stories and such that refer to them,  but there are a lot of them, and they are prime examples of what is inherently wrong with our country.

There's that rambling again...

So, you have this kid, obviously not right in the head and somehow with access to a good deal of extended capacity magazines for his weapons.  Now they are complaining about gun laws and this Pima Co. sheriff is complaining further this morning (sorry, I couldn't find a link, it was on CNN today) that they are working on a law that allows teachers and students to carry concealed on campus in Arizona.  I'm not really sure why that piece of legislation even needs to exist.  I don't agree with his tireless rant against guns, but I do agree with his view that colleges and universities should set their own policy regarding students and faculty carrying weapons.

They are also complaining about a former governor and vice-presidential candidate who posted gun sights on pictures of 20 fellow politicos with whom she didn't agree.  Once again, she and others are free to post and say anything they want.  To me, it shows how unfit they are to be handing out advice to anyone or governing their own households, much less states or nations.  Government needs to move away from the extremes they have moved between over the years and allow reason and logic to rule.  It certainly hasn't been tried yet.

Those using violence, hatred and division to sell books, influence elections and line their pockets are doing nothing but damage to America and its future.  There are more productive, and less divisive, ways to change the world.

Without a doubt the best way to get people worked up and on your side is to find a difference between them and whatever it is you're up against and then make that your crusade.  The lefties are proposing something that you think is unreasonable?  Call it socialist or, worse, communist and watch the "real Americans" rally to your cause without thought or research into the proposition.  I know I've fallen into some of those traps a time or two in my 30 years from both sides.  It's one of the problems with being a centrist, I try and listen to both sides, but when you start throwing around words like socialist and communist and I get all antsy.  All that McCarthyism from the 50s still gets me riled up, it seems.

However, what this does is divides the population instead of bringing our considerable combined might to bear on whatever the problem may be...  It's counter-productive.  While I believe that the creative process is hindered by group-think, I also believe that once a course is set teamwork rules the day.  As such, the strong should lead the weak, giving them direction, guidance and praise for a job well done.  When people are working at their capacity and accomplishing things, they are generally happier than people who try and move above and beyond their abilities and constantly fail or people who are working well below capacity and drift through life feeling as if they are wasting their time.  I see it every day on all three fronts.

In most groups, people fall into natural roles and find a niche where they can contribute.  The problems begin when groups get too big and people stop seeing others as human beings and more as two-dimensional things.  

It's easy to send the faceless masses off into the world to fight your wars, but try sending your brother, son or mother out there.  It changes your perspective and suddenly it's a real person you're shuffling off to danger.

It's easy to hate all 'them Muslim terrorists'.  It's harder to hate Adnan the turnip farmer who stores weapons on his land because someone threatened his family.

It's easy to hate the lefties, the right wing crazies or the commies.  It isn't the same when there is a person attached to the label.  A real live person, not the media representation of another talking head or shot of stock footage.  I'm sure the woman I mentioned earlier is a wonderful mother and person.  I detest who she is on TV and in the news.  She appears uneducated, close-minded and vindictive.  Intellectually closed off and incurious.  No way to go through life.

I'm not sure how I got here from where I started, but it's been a fun little trek.

In the end, we, as a nation, need to find some way to move forward together instead of all this constant infighting.  We continually lose face on the world stage and our efforts to police the world and throw our money away on countries that we have no business supporting when we have plenty of problems that could be helped with the money being wasted.  But, that's a rant for another day.

As the late, great George Carlin said in closing, "take care of yourself and take care of someone else."

Questions? Comments?

Inaugural Post

Welcome!

I figure I'll get the blog's title explanation out of the way first:

1. I ramble. A lot.  I move from topic to topic as the mood strikes and I didn't feel like pigeon-holing myself into one topic.  Mostly because I don't want to have multiple blogs.  I have Facebook for sharing news with friends, twitter for whatever it's for and this, now, to publish my longer thoughts and the like.

2. The Cave part.  I'm opinionated and I rarely bother to sugarcoat things.  This keeps life interesting and for some reason most people don't hate me for it.  The ones that do, however, REALLY hate me.  I don't care.  Also, one day I would like to live in a cave on a mountain where people would travel to seek my wisdom.  It's a long shot, but it's possible.  We'll see how things turn out.

I can't promise you anything here, I don't have a central focus in mind.  I know that I will talk about things that interest me and can't be contained by a status update; movies, games, sports entertainment, politics, religion, philosophy and life.  I have a lot to say most of the time and most of it only goes as far as the room I'm in.  I'd like to change that.  It isn't all gold, but every now and again some real gems pop out of my head.  Hopefully, someone will read them here.

I'm going to distance this as much as possible from my work life.  That's for work and the things I write there.  I'm going to distance this from my family as much as possible as well.  That's for Facebook updates and such.

This is for opinions, thoughts, ideas and the like.  I hope you enjoy your time here.