A friend recently told me something scary and … sad. Something I am still trying to digest and ponder. Something which haunts me. He recently participated in mock “job interviews” of some college journalism students. One of the questions he asked them was “What’s the purpose of government?”.
Tag: order
“Avengers: Infinity War” Is A Cosmic Battle of Individualism vs. Collectivism
Thanos’ collectivism expresses itself in a backwards view of the world which many viewers may not immediately catch on to. Despite the film’s scenes on the devastated and once-populated Titan (which attempt to make Thanos’ mission seem sympathetic and reasonable) there are literally zero cases where eliminating half of a population by genocide improves productivity and wellbeing for the other half.
An Ill-Conceived Idea
We have been operating with a roadmap (The DOI and the Constitution, among other tent poles) that tends to institutionalize the weaknesses of humankind rather than to remedy them. The idea of POTUS, in particular, signaled the controversial poor choice to retain a monarch (although not hereditary) but then to vest in that monarch saintly responsibilities. It was wishful thinking.
Government: The God of Statism
AronRa, a popular outspoken atelatheist, whose work (in general) I love, defines a religion as “a faith-based belief system, including the notion that some element of self, be it memories or consciousness …a soul, perhaps… continues beyond the death of the physical body; transcends and survives that…”. I see no mention of belief in a god being a requirement for something to be a religion. But, do they really not believe in a god?
California Secession: A Good Start
On April 23, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla approved language for a 2020 ballot proposal submitted by the Yes California Independence Campaign. The proposal will — assuming the campaign can collect and submit signatures from 365,880 registered voters by October — kick off a process already widely known as “Calexit” (after the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” from the European Union).
You Get to Make the Rules
It’s a rush when you remember your agency. It’s also a weight of responsibility. Most of the time, most things are efficiently outsourced to common practice. But when it’s not working or doesn’t feel right, don’t forget you can do whatever the heck you want.
Know Thyself, Sell Thyself
It takes a lot of work to discover these things about yourself, and it’s never really done. You can’t do it just with books or thinking either. You’ve gotta try stuff and put yourself in contexts that provide feedback. You keep trying anything that you don’t absolutely hate, and then seeing how much it pays in knowledge, growth, fun, or money.
Jobs and AI
I am a survivor of the Expert Systems rage of the mid-80s. Every trade journal of every industry that even had a trickle of data processing was touting the next coming of Expert Systems. ES were premised on taking the most experienced, most expert of your business’s humans, then making a killer app with your tiny desktop computers that would cross-examine your clerks to make sure they answered all of the questions that your top guru would ask.
Why The Revolutionaries Are (Also) the Villains of Les Miserables
I recently rewatched the great 2011 film adaption of this movie, and I frequently dip back into the film’s excellent song soundtrack. But after some observation, I have a controversial opinion on the revolutionaries: while they are revolting against an unjust system, they’re not much worth our sympathy. There are a few reasons why the revolutionaries are also villains (of a sort) of this story. These also happen to be some of the reasons why in most wars, the revolutionaries are just as guilty as the state they’re revolting against.
How I’m Fighting Hurry
In the last four years, I have spent a lot of time rushing from one thing to another. By choice, I have brought in a lot of challenges and opportunities into my life. Ever-changing conditions, urgency, and “hurry” come with the territory. I’m alright with being hasty when I need it, but I don’t want my attention and time filled with rush. Here are some ways I’m keeping hurry from dominating my attention and time