Human Growth

There is a monumental problem in the world—overpopulation. There is an apparent argument about producing more food than what humans are capable of consuming that was brought up in Daniel Quinn’s (1996) book, The Story of B. The problem was stated to have started ten thousand years ago when a group of humans decided to live the Taker way of agriculture. The short video clip below is of Daniel Quinn himself, explaining why things are falling apart through totalitarian agriculture:

 

The Wooden Mask Speaks

Indonesian Mask

When I see a mask like the one above, I think “traditional.” I grew up in Hawaii and I would see a mask like this a lot whether at a local neighborhood barbeque, or at a fancy Hawaiian restaurant, one like it would be there. This mask is traditional in a sense that it was made with a purpose from people who value culture and significance. If this mask were to speak to me, I think it would tell me the stories of how it came to be, what type of people made it: who, what, when, where, why, and how? This mask is hollowed out where the eyes on a face should be—symbolic in a way that to see out of it may provide a medium to see into another world, hence to have the sense of a raised awareness to one's surroundings. Therefore, does a mask like this truly hold the power it is believed to have according to its creator, or is it just a bunch of propaganda?

The Way of the Taker or the Leaver?

What is a Taker? A Taker is a culture that thrives on an excessive amount of resources—much like how most humans are living today. What is a Leaver? A Leaver is a culture that thrives on a reasonable amount of resources—much like how most humans used to live, ten thousand years ago. Therefore, I ponder upon this statement: Takers accumulate knowledge from what works well for things, Leavers accumulate knowledge from what works well for people.

Since Takers accumulate knowledge from what works well for things, I believe that the Taker way is for improvement. To the Taker people, what has worked well in the past, must be altered in the present, and will be working better in the future. In the mindset of the Taker people, if something is working but not good enough, find a way to fix it.

Taker

 

As for Leavers who accumulate knowledge from what works well for people, I believe that the Taker way is for maintenance. To the Leaver people, what has worked well in the past, must be practiced in the present, and will be successful in the future. In the mindset of the Leaver people, if it is not broken, it does not need fixing.

Leaver

 

On the note of improvement versus maintenance, which is the better way to live? Is there even a better choice? Which way will benefit mankind the most? Daniel Quinn (1992) the author of Ishmael, clearly states the answer to the preceding questions, “There is no one right way to live (p. 60).”

The Way of the Hunter

How would it feel to be able to sense a submerged seal from far away using nothing but basic human instinct? Is it possible and how? Larry, a Native Alaskan Tribal Elder blew away the minds of several people the day he spoke to us about the ability of humans to connect with other beings in a spiritual way. The idea that any human is able to learn the same skill that Larry possesses is astounding ; it is a puzzling idea that got me thinking of how today’s society is so far detached from our own basic human abilities making it so sad  because humans do not know much of what they are capable of. On that note, there is no way a baby can be born today and taught these intrinsically  known skills as it is born into a “modernized” culture. Lesson here is: our potential as humans is limited according to our ancestors’ knowledge; save the “primitive way,”—and save mankind.

Kony 2012

 This is a post on a comment that was made about the disbelievers of the "KONY 2012" cause:

"Well, the only real solution to finding out if it is true or not is for individuals to make the trip to Uganda and see it for themselves...This one is getting more attention now because it's sort of a new thing for people even though it's been around for a while. I'm really interested and will respect those who actually make an effort to take the trip and not just put up fliers and posters about it on a given date. Seriously though, I constantly hear Americans asking the President to bring the troops home and now, Americans are going the other way. News flash: Although a superpower, America is not big enough to blanket the entire world. I'm all for world peace, but I wonder if it's even possible. On a side note, I want the news to spread to see if the massive amounts of posts about "KONY 2012" will crash Facebook! Lol 'nuff said." (Almeida, 2012)

   And here is a person strengthening the above argument:

  Sadly, we Americans, rather we as people, are extremely gullible. Scam or not, it goes to show that a bunch of people out there have good in themselves.

Sustainability

Recycle...

I wonder if anybody is aware of the sustainability issue here at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In Ishmael, sustainability was touched upon specifically—on the topic of ethics and how it relates to sustainability. I was attending a student government meeting last Friday and there was a referendum on the floor concerning the removal of the sustainability committee and replacing said committee with a student paid position. The proposed student paid position would hold the title of Director of Sustainability, which is already taken by a faculty member at the Office of Sustainability. Although it was made clear that these two positions are different, the cons more than outweigh the pros. Anyway to make a two hour story short, I will not go into the specifics. The vote was not in favor of the removal of the committee by one. Therefore, it goes to show that money—although a great motivator, it is not a necessary tool for those who have a true desire to help. The issue: although given the opportunity, students still forget to recycle. Solution: to place recycling bins next to every trash bin on campus.

Flow - The Blue Gold of the Earth

So I went to the movie showing of "Flow" presented by USUAA's Sustainability Committee and I was shocked. Fun fact: $2 worth of water can supply 5 families for a year in Africa. Although the $2 figure seems like nothing to us, some of those poor families cannot even afford it. What's even worse is that the big corporations control water over there. Can you believe that? The movie asks the important question of whether it is ethical to charge for water or not. The movie also compares water with air. Should people be charged for air? Personally, I'd ask the question: should people be charged for food? In my personal opinion, I think the movie should have phrased that question in a different way. Since water is regulated, filtered, and manufactured, I do--yes I do believe that the government should charge for water. There is always a choice of drinking water from lakes, but that isn't very safe at all. Anyway, the prominent problem in Africa needs to be resolved. Hopefully, the people in Africa can resolve the issue.