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.

Morality

Today's class discussion was disgustingly difficult. As some were debating the issue of whether morals were "real" and "tangible", some sat quietly in their seats confused out of their minds. I on the other hand, was in the middle—took neither side, and occasionally thought out loud. Max brought about a really good question of whether cannibalism would have ever been justified in a world where humans were raised with having such beliefs. I have always disliked that question with a passion. If it ever came down to it, would a human being eat another human being in the name of survival? Which is the stronger driving factor for humans, morals or survival? Ultimately, I think it is survival as humans are known to be "self-interested". Self-interested meaning that humans are doing things for themselves, even if it does not seem so (e.g. feeding the hungry, at the same time hypothetically feeding yourself beta brainwaves to achieve the feeling of accomplishment). As beings who are "flawed", who is anyone to say which is the right way and which is the wrong way to live? Furthermore, who made up the rules and the laws of our land? That—is the million dollar question.

An average person beating another average person would definitely land both of them in jail. But unfortunately, the American society was raised upon the idea of the rich and famous being able to get away with anything and having the most influence. Therefore, I find the idea of celebrity feuds and which one gets to go to jail as entertainment—repugnant.

Is there such a thing?

Continuing with the topic of morality, there is not much more to say. There is literally not enough time in the world to civilly discuss morals so it is best to leave that topic for an ethics class. Although, the one thing I completely agree on is that picture above stating: "Morality - In America, it's not always as simple as black and white."

Why Humans?

Superiority...

Oliver caught my attention yesterday when he told the class about his greatest fear by comparing stars in space to humans on Earth. Immediately, it made me think of my regular drives from home to school. As I exit off the Minnesota highway and get half-way through Tudor road, there lies a stunning view of some snowcapped mountains. Every time I drive down Tudor road, I ponder upon these geographical giants as it never ceases to amaze me how tiny human beings are compared to these colossal, nature-induced contraptions. I often ask myself how there came to be so many of us (humans). Furthermore, I often ask myself how and why we consider ourselves the superior beings. If we are the superior beings, then why is it that we fear so much? Whether we fear spiders, heights, or confrontation, we should not label ourselves as superior because we fear. For example, a lion is more likely to overpower a human being as lions use their natural talents as predators of the wild, versus humans who more often than not, stand still in bone shaking fear waiting to be devoured. So my questions here are, are we at the mercy of the world, or is the world at our mercy?

 

 

Man Gone, What About Gorilla?

"With man gone will there be hope for gorilla?" I do not find this ambiguous question simple to answer. On the surface, if the human race were to become extinct, will a gorilla be able to live on its own? I saw this question in a post on blackboard and even after reading "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn (1995), I still do not know what it means. Thinking about it, if the nameless student did not show up for his regular meetings with Ishmael, would there be hope for Ishmael and his story to be told? Furthermore, if humans were to be wiped off the face of the Earth, who will take care of it? What will it transform into? When will evolution resume?