E² Manifesto for high school change

There is one force above all which those of the status quo fear most. The old world order of greed, oppression and dominance is under the most unrelenting of threats. This is the threat that comes from the swelling power of the youth. Youth is change manifest. The young are the physical embodiment of transformation. The elders which perpetuate the old world order are eliminated by the liberating certainty of mortality. Mortality makes room for morality. History reveals that change occurs when the youth are no longer distracted or discouraged. Alas, there are those who work tirelessly to distract us. The system is in place to divert and deter us from reaching our true potential.

A Generation Apart

The average youth will put hours of labour into accumulating the wealth necessary to purchase a particular article of brand name clothing. In a discussion many youth can articulately argue the advantages of a one prime time television show over another. We can channel the immense resource of youthful passion and knowledge to eliminate the great sickness of greed, ignorance, inequality and isolation that our world suffers from. Imagine if you will a world in which the youth culture cultivated a consciousness that favoured knowledge of social issues and subsequent action over knowledge of commodities and apathy. Imagine still, the effort invoked to perpetuate the superficial consumer culture was diverted to actions aimed at positive change throughout society. A vast generation of human beings would emerge into “adulthood” with a true sense of their importance in the shaping of the future. We would have ingrained in their minds an awareness of their remarkable might to positively influence nothing less then the world itself.

The Loneliest Crowd

Whether or not the world must change is not a question in much contention among the youth. The fundamental flaws in our society are evident day to day. A multitude of malformed and manipulated ideals pervades our society to its core. Words such as freedom, justice and equality are seldom used appropriately. As youth we are the forgotten oppressed. We are treated as non-humans and given little to no real choice or voice of our own. It is no wonder so many of us become so frustrated with the system we are subjected to that we rebel against it. The time has come to stand and fight. To do so, we must unite.

How will the youth awaken from their entertainment induced slumber? The appealing bed of blind consumption prevents us from mustering our true strength. How will we create an unstoppable avalanche of the unappeased and unpleased? The answer lies in the most fundamental of modern ailments: alienation. The youth are divided superficially by the same divisions that plagued our ancestors and currently plague our elders. Class, race, region, nationality, gender and sexuality are imposed divisions that we are unfortunately accustomed to. With so many seemingly entrenched divisions it may appear like an overwhelming task to join the youth in a movement for change. However, there are many organizations that seem to excel in their ability to create a united group of seemingly divided individuals and factions. Corporations develop brands that gain power through recognition. Gangs wear colours to distinguish and define themselves. Cults, whether they are fascist and militaristic in nature or religious, use symbols and sayings to foster a sense of connection amongst members. Many may recoil at the very mention of these organizations. However, within their ability to create unity lay the key to the unlocking the flood gates of a youthful revolution in consciousness. Ideally, the individual youth within society would come to the realization that by uniting with other like minded youth, positive change may occur. Yet, this is unlikely to transpire spontaneously. Thus, we must adopt the very methods that are used to divide us in order that we may truly unite.

Our Suppression and Succession

As youth we are subjected to a particularly authoritarian form of education and existence. Those within the secondary school system or that have experienced such systems are all too aware of the lack of voice they possess in shaping the course of their educational experience. Therefore, it is here we find the ideal location for the beginning of the change. Within the secondary school system our clothing is regulated, our freedom of movement and our very ability to legitimately question authority is stifled. There is a parent’s council in which parents have a great say in policy formation. There are department heads where teachers bring forth their concerns and suggestions. Furthermore, there is the administration which acts by no less then decree to rule as it sees fit. However, students are given a pathetic organization that is made to sound important. One must not forget the various versions of the student council which has the esteemed pleasure of organizing dances and spirit days under strict guidelines set out by the prison warden administration. It is no wonder so many youth lose their passion for humanity’s progress and simply concede to the weight of the world. However, we must not be overcome by the weight of the world for then it will be the world that changes us. There will be no fundamental transformation of humanity if we cannot escape the relentless brainwashing we endure. Imagine a society in which the norm was not to submit to the will of authority simply because of titles or status but instead where all were welcome to engage in the formation of decisions through the employment of reason, logic and morality. The phrase, “because I said so” will be something that none will obey and all will laugh at. This is what we may be able to lay the groundwork for in our reformation of the power structure of the secondary school. As humans we should settle for nothing less.

The Name of Change

There is power in a name if only to be recognized. A name which is simple and not overly constrained by specific meanings provides the organization with a firm base. In this regard the name E² acts sufficiently as both the name and symbol for youthful change. E² can be said to stand for An End to the End. Hence, E² aims to put an end to the end of the world by changing the very way that humans treat each other and their surroundings. As vague as this name may be, its versatility allows the organization to address a multitude of social issues. With this name and symbol the organization can become highly visible without much cost or effort. Interaction amongst all students occurs primarily in the halls between classes and at lunch. Therefore, with a roll of green painters tape and a permanent marker, members can receive a green band around the shoulder strap of their back pack. On this green band an E² can be marked. Those founding members must simply communicate to new members a statement of vague intent for the organization. Youth rights and human progression are at the fore of this intent. The organization should utilize the vast multitude of Internet networking available and word of mouth to organize and mobilize. Every member should be given a means to bring up issues which they feel the organization should deal with. Whether there is initially a key issue within the school for E² to address or not, the organization will be in place for when there is. Furthermore, we must find in sympathetic elders support and guidance when necessary or available. We must remain flexible and inclusive in order to adapt to what will be undoubtedly a severe reaction by the status quo to our very existence.

Historical Precedent

In years past the seed of this vision was planted haphazardly in what might seem to some the arid soil of the high school. On the surface apathy and selfishness seemed to be the only socially acceptable forms of expression. Yet, to the astonishment of many, a miraculous growth was achieved. The creation of a visible group led to a school wide interest. The initial mystery of the green bands and E² made for excellent publicity. The idea spread through the intricate networking of friends and acquaintances bringing in people of all manner of association. Soon, a majority of those involved in the student government were involved and dedicated to the ideals. Although, for most students the understanding of the ideals behind the organization were not apparent, for them it was the connection they felt to even the most unknown student that formed the true meaning of E². As the strength of E² grew so too an immediate purpose emerged. The principle of this high school was making decrees and proclamations that left many students upset and even staff pondering how such actions were warranted. Strict clothing policies led to the suspension of even the most studious of youth. Those who came in late spent the rest of the entire class filing in complicated forms and justifying what was often a mere misfortune. This prompted members of E² to hold a meeting and two members who had access to the principle through the student government set meeting. At this meeting a plan for the formation of a student union with an equal say to that of the parent’s council was purposed. Although, this was promptly and inexplicable rejected by the principle, the ensuing pressure created by the vast network E² had developed caused the principle to resign and a more lenient and understanding principle to take that place. While, this example may not exhibit a broad societal change, it proves positive change is possible through simple organization. Furthermore, those who participated and witnessed the events that unfolded were shown the true power of social organization in the face of the historically exclusive structures of society and power. The power which they witnessed and felt was something which left a profound mark on their consciousness.

The stage is set my friends. Our battleground is the high school, yet the war is being waged throughout all of society. We must begin to take our stand and develop our skills in order to enact real change. Through E² we will create a vast base, physical and mental, for a new and more humane society to be built. We, the youth, have the choice to follow down the path of the miserable and the mundane that was laid out before us, or we can blaze a new trail for us and every new generation to follow.

Clap your hands and sing along to the futility...

Futile.

It is a word that comes to mind when we sit back and take a hard look at the myriad of problems our world faces today. Many of us when asked, “what can we do about these problems?”, may tend to say well as it seems nothing. Despite this general feeling of futility, there are those who still struggle against the many plights that plague our world. Yet, there are so many of us which fall into a third category, ignorant. I presume that none of the people who take the time to read this blog fall into this category. However, we encounter these, as I like to call them, unfortunates everyday. They pass us on the street, say hello to us in class or at work and live out their lives in the preverbal dark. Here is the question we must pose, “how can they live their lives unaware of the massive problems that are all around us?” If we could answer this question we could make people more aware of the true situation and interconnected fate all of humanity has. I believe that if people became truly aware of many of the injustices we face in this society and others around the world then there is a chance for a united movement against them.

Let’s begin to answer this question the best we can. I believe that many people consciously and unconsciously avoid acknowledging the many problems the world faces. Quite, often this avoidance is a result of compassion fatigue. A condition where those faced with the overwhelming state of affairs decide that it is too much and retreat to a mindset where they feel safe. In addition to this, we have those who believe that the world is fair and those who work hard and look out for themselves will be fine. They neglect to acknowledge history, economics, politics and a pile of evidence too humorously large to mention. They are the ones who can’t see the forest from the trees. There are of course those who are compassionate, reasonable people who simply have not been exposed to ideas of social injustice or notions of revolutionary change.

In general, a lack of motivation and education are two of the primary reasons for society’s inability to enact powerful, positive change upon the world. How do we motivate people to make a difference in the world especially if they are like us living in the comfortable bubble of middle class life? I might mention this comfortable bubble is precariously thin and poised to burst anytime now. However, that is something which can be addressed at a later time or can be discovered on your own by opening a history book to read about the precursors to the Great Depression of the 1930’s or the economic collapse that occurred in the 70’s. Let us couple that with depleting resources, environmental and political instability and we are all set to party in the near future. However, without becoming too alarmist let’s address the issue of motivating and educating the good people of society to both recognize and act on the problems at hand. Overt education of the public via traditional means of books, documentaries and lecture series often miss a large demographic who prefer to distract themselves from their otherwise mundane lives. What is a good way to motivate the comfortable and educate the easily distractible? The first thing that pops into my mind is music.

You may be asking, “but Frank how can music help to educate and motivate people to change the way they live and stand up for the many injustices and inequalities that cause so many more of the problems the world faces?” To put it simply, music moves us. It has the power to unite people in movements of social change. Allow me to use historical examples. I think we can all agree that if it has been done many times before, it can be done again. Perhaps we face some new obstacles and will have to alter the methods slightly, but nevertheless, it can be done. Lets begin with the civil rights movement in the United States. This as you all know was a movement for racial equality in much of the segregated unconstitutional south. The movement was headed in great part by a large student population that found support in the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. Much of the civil rights sentiment was reflected in the music of the era. The march songs became hit tracks throughout the nation. Those who participated in the sit-ins or bus rides would sing songs that everyone would end up hearing. Music acted as a sort of adhesive which held and brought more people together to achieve equality. If we move on to the 60’s and 70’s hippie movement and the protests against the Vietnam War are surrounded in popular music. The whole continent was full of music that brought awareness and harnessed the outright anger and frustration people had with the situation. Anyone who has heard Neil Young’s Four Dead on Ohio or seen the movie Forest Gump will know that much of the music of these times was inspirational and educational. These are but two of the examples through which music has been used as a tool for social progression.

Today popular music is more often then not a means through which people distract themselves. They use music as an escape. It becomes all that much easier when the majority of music people are exposed to can only function in that way. This is not to say that music as an escape is wrong or negative inherently. There is good to be found in that type of music. However, change is required and not having the music to reflect the despair which we face is highly dangerous. It distracts so many of us. You may find the pressure to accumulate wealth and the pervasive isolation caused by the structure of society overwhelming. At work you see hard working people in their 40’s struggling to get by and provide for a family while the boss is parked out front in a $100,000 car. You come home to realize you are going to be doing this for the greatly portion of your relatively short time on this earth. Instead of sitting down and thinking about how that is just wrong. How our lives should not be manipulated that way. You don’t think about how things don’t have to be the way they are. Instead you flick on your ipod and lay down listening to the most relaxing music you can muster up. Sure it serves its function but imagine what we could do if we all didn’t just put up with so much crap? Instead of watching mind numbing useless television we took that 3 hours of our day to get together with other people in similar situations to discuss what needs to be done. Imagine. For humanity’s sake IMAGINE a better world! Then go ahead and think about how we could make it happen.

Here is a short list of music that might just inspire you rather then distract you. It may make you think a bit more. It may also entertain you. I am not trying to impose this music on you. Instead, I am trying to expose you to music that you may not otherwise get a chance to hear. This isn’t the full list, so if you are interested in more by all means contact me. Thank you to Mr. Mike, Macall and Franchise who assisted me greatly in putting together this list and my thoughts.

Rock:

Matthew Good - Lullaby for a new world order - Blue skies over badlands
A Perfect Circle - Counting Bodies like Sheep
NIN - Everyday is exactly the same - Right where it belongs
Tool - Lateralus
Buffalo Springfield - What’s that sound?
Tragically Hip - Fireworks
Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall
Neil Young - Four Dead in Ohio -Let's Impeach the President
John Lennon - Imagine - Working Class Hero
CCR - Fortunate son
Bob Marley - War/ No More Trouble - Redemption Song
The Beatles - Revolution - Taxman

Rap:

Immortal Technique- Leaving the Past - The Poverty of Philosophy - Impeach the President - Caught in the Hustle
Deltron 3030 - Turbulance (remix) - Virus
Public Enemy - He Got Game
Dead Prez - Propaganda - Animal Farm
The Fugees - The Beast

Post-Pacifism and the Neo-Individual

It is a precarious situation we find ourselves in today. We are indeed on the brink of adulthood in a world at the brink of destruction. The great majority of us see the terrible injustices and tragedies that swirl around us. I doubt there are very many people at all that can genuinely, honestly, sincerely claim that the world will be fine on the course its on. Nevertheless, there is little actual change occurring in the world. Sure some celebrities do some junk and some charities make nice differences, but where is the actual fundamental change? How come we can’t even fix ourselves? Apathy? Ignorance? Jealousy? Greed? Malice? I have a feeling these are but symptoms of an even more pervasive potent perpetrator. I believe it is our form of individualism. Every institution that helps shape your life and character are focused on producing a particular type of capitalist individualism. We are taught that you have to rely on yourself. Work by yourself. Be yourself. Keep to yourself. It is your life what are you going to do with it? Will you become rich and successful? Will you become something great? Our mentality is that life is a game played alone. It is a do-it-yourself world out there. Sure you have friends and family but they are simply a support to the star…us. Our network of emotional empathetic connection to community, society and humanity is pathetically outstretched barely beyond a list of 50 close friends and relatives.

Imagine now that you were socially conditioned to feel a connection to your fellow human beings. You were not conditioned to compete with each other. It will not be a matter of survival of the fittest individual but instead a matter of the happiness of the interconnected community. You would work hard to make sure you could help yourself and others. The burden of tragedy would be spread across the community and the joy of prosperity would be shared by all.

Our current construction of the idea of individualism is incorrect. It overlooks much of the fundamental make up of the human being. Who we are as an individual is not a construction of internal processes but instead a collaboration of external experiences. Who you are is dependent on what you have done, where you live, and most importantly who you know. We cannot begin to separate the individual from the social. Humans are social creatures. Try physically isolating yourself from people for more then 12 hours. You will become agitated, even angry with angst for a connection to someone. Long term research done by Scandinavian, Japanese, and American institutions show that you are 2 to 5 times more likely to die if you have poor social connections. 2 to 5 times more likely to die of anything! Many studies prove that there is on average no increase in happiness when you get more money above a middle-class income. Instead, many prove that social connections are a source of true happiness. There is a power to a sense of social connectedness and community that our current way of thinking typically overlooks.

Perhaps then it is not a positive idea to believe that if everyone does their best, they will do fine. Work hard for your money. Money is not an end. It is not even a means to an end. So if money doesn't bring happiness then why is the majority of our waking lives spent in pursuit of it or spending it? I believe there is a better way to organize and prioritize the preciously brief lives we lead. We serve our companies like we should serve our communities. We should get to know one another and throw out the idea that we must get more before someone else takes it all. If there was an economic collapse today, what do you think would happen? Would we all get together and decide how we can sustain our community? Or instead, would we all loot and riot and fight to try and scoop up as much as we can to help ourselves and in the process forsake so many? I am thinking in the current mindset, we will do the latter.

What the world needs is a new set of ideals. The world needs for us to start defining the individual more broadly. I am not self contained. I rely on every one of you for an enumerable number of things. We should not have to deal with this world alone. Why not make it easier and work together? This is a very idealist point of view but maybe that is something that is lacking in this world. We are far too pacified. I think of this age as the one of pacifism. We allow the world to control the conditions of our existence without ever genuinely considering options. Let us shift the paradigm of our existence into an age of post-pacifism and create a neo-individual that understands that we are all connected to each other. True happiness can only be achieved through others. Tomorrow sit down and have a meaningful conversation with someone. You will get a glimpse of what I mean.

Truth and Objectivity

What is the truth? How do we reach it? When we reach the truth, how do we know what we have is the truth? How do we know this is the final truth, and it will not ultimately be replaced by the true final truth?

These questions are complicated, and are able to go out on tangents that seem to go on forever. But yet we still wish to attain the truth, simply because we feel that it will help us solve something, if not everything. To use science as an example, we put science in such high esteem. To us, science represents that which is true, whether it be through laws, formulae, or scientific theory. However, as we have seen time and time again, theories are being trumped one after the other. Until the Copernican Revolution, it was fact, it was truth, that we lived in a geocentric universe. Until the theory of relativity was established, and later disregarded by quantum theory (which is presently being taken over by a hybrid of the two), Newtonian physics was the pinnacle of science. To put it into perspective, physics that was developed in the 16th and 17th century was able to get a man into space. And although much of Newton's theory still holds in certain areas, it is not accepted universally. Anything that we think is developed to its extreme usually gets revoked and replaced, by something that isnt necessarily described as more true - it is touted as THE truth.

Therefore , should we continue searching for the truth knowing that it will only be replaced by something, bigger, better, more efficient, with more explanatory power? That obviously doesnt follow, because it can be compared to the classic example of whether or not the sun will rise tomorrow. Just because it has risen everyday since the beginning of time doesnt prove that it will rise tomorrow. It does give a heck of a probability, but doenst give proof. Similiarly, we cannot validly claim that any new theory will for sure be replaced by another. And that brings me to my next point, of how do we know what we have eventually reached is the truth?

There is no fine print at the end of the theory ensuring us that it is 100%, government certified truth. So should we stop seeking the truth? I would like to think that the pursuit should continue. To explain my reason for this, let's move our discussion away from sceintific theory to a more social aspect of truth as a fact. The classic example would be comparing say a German textbook on World War II to an American textbook of the same war. There are discrepancies, sometimes major, but students from each individual country will learn that fact or that truth.

A solution one would often proclaim is that a textbook written by an impartial bystander outside of the situation would elimiante the negative, and expose the truth. I would like to argue that there is no such thing as objectivity. We are never able to completely take ourselves out of a situation, and then report or critique on it. It is impossible to give an 'objective' opinion, if objectivity in this sense means that the person giving the opinion is completely void of any knowledge of the situation. Not only is this impractical, since it is not possible to comment on something unless there is some background knowledge present, but it also ridiculous to assume someone with no knowledge of the situation can input something tangible and useful. So for a person to comment on the war, objectively, would be somewhat impossible. That person, as neutral as Sweden, would still have background information, and as irrelevant as it may seem, something as simple as their upbringing, or where they learned to become a historian, that latency of knowledge will influence (even subconsciously) theyre interpretation of the truth.

I have now said that truth is seemingly unattainable, since even if we reach it, we wont know we have reached it, and that there is no objective standpoint where one can stand and proclaim that something is true, yet I insist we still search for the truth. If truth exisits, it can be found. Can I prove that truth exists? There's not a chance, but I can only hope that it does. But to know that you possess the truth would require knowledge greater than any man can ever know. And although no one will ever reach the truth, the way to get there is full of discovery and exploration that would have otherwise been void if it werent for this pursuit.

I guess that in this brief (and somewhat lacking) defence of the pursuit of truth, two things emerge. The first, is what I have argued at the end - that we must continue to search for truth, not to find it, but to find what is on the path. Although the pirate may never reach the island where 'X' marks the spot, the experience, and lesser treasure discovered on the way helps those who travel closely behind him. The second emergence, is to simply question what you are given as true. How do you know it is true? I have argued that we dont know truth. We may think we do, and that helps us live an easier life, but in the end, we dont know that it is actually true. Is it true that the sun rose this morning? For all we know, God just turned on a light, but going with the 'truth' that the sun rose is definitely more acceptable and probably reliable. In other words, lets questions the truths that run our lives. I doubt we will ever find the truth that we are looking for, but atleast our path there will lead the way to something great. I promise.

Unnatural Nature

Let me begin by asking you a question. What do you think of when I say the word nature? What do you picture in your mind?

Trees, streams, deer, rocks no doubt.

Now let me ask you what connotations the word nature has? What do you associate with the concept of nature? Take your time to think...

I think it would be fair to assume you associate nature and the natural with being pristine, healthy, harmonious, and benevolent. All of these are notions of nature that we all have. Why not? Nature is of course natural. Natural is correct. We buy products deemed natural because we believe these are in some way more beneficial or proper for consumption. If you see a shampoo that is deemed “all natural” would you not buy this instead of the no doubt chemically engineered counterpart?

We idealize the weekend getaway spot as somewhere to relax and reconnect with our long lost friend nature. Nature is beautiful. That is simply true is it not?

Is it possible though that this view of nature is something that is in fact constructed? Could it be that this shared understanding of the world is in fact a shared construction of the world?
I believe that our shared view of nature is in fact one of many concepts we falsely hold to be true. We seldom stop to ask ourselves “why?” these days. Why is the most important question we can ask. The way we think should not be exempt from that fundamentally important question… why?

Before I continue on this expedition for public recognition of the importance of internal investigation, I must refute my earlier assumptions of the idealized notion of nature.
If nature is so clean and pristine then why can most of us not eat a dish that has even the most miniscule hair in it? Would it not be more succinct with nature to eat our foods raw just as our animal brethren do? I think it is naive to believe that every thing natural is beneficial. What of the ravaging diseases our wonderful natural world bestows upon us? Leprosy and Ebola are as natural as the fresh spring water stream your precious bottled water comes from. Sure, camping is relaxing and fun but do you witness the wolf meticulously removing the flesh from a young fawn? Even more importantly, would you find camping so relaxing had you not had your immaculate, luxurious, unnatural palace to return to?

I take it you are getting the point. We must recognize that our conceptions of the world around us are often instilled in us unknowingly. Even our tendency to simply accept things for the way they are simply because that is the way they are, is learned. Most knowledge we acquire is based on assumptions. The history book says it happened this way, therefore, it did. Who wrote that book? Why is that version given to us?

If anything, I hope this little exercise in analysis has motivated you to question some fundamental aspects of your everyday life. Perhaps you are questioning the tradition of makeup, or the ritualistic consumption of media and products. If you can start to question simple things and understand that we are conditioned to think certain ways then you are beginning to understand the rules of the game. If you know the rules of the game, you can play the game to win. Sounds vague doesn’t it. It is. But my friends, that will be a topic of discussion for next time. In a segment I like to call: The game of life, who really wins and why?

Human beings are human beings no matter where you are

This is just an offshoot of the brilliant piece entitled "13 Theses". Each statement created a plethora of responses - some in accord with the thesis, others against it, and some using it merely as a launching point. I'm sure that in one way or another we have all written a madatory essay on a theme presented there.

Although I'm sure that I could elaborate on all of them, and I'm sure that there are blogs dedicated solely to one of these 13 topics, I have chosen to talk about one, simply because it came up somewhat unexpectedly in a conversation last night. The thesis I am talking about is #9 - The other is just another. Before I get into the conversation I had that sparked my mind with respect to this comment I must first look at the phrase itself. "The other is just another." The problem with this phrase is it is neither true or false. If the other is just another, then there really is no other, just one of us, but another would imply there being something else, i.e. the other. But we just agreed that there is no other. To put it differently, "A is equal to not A". Not really important for the discussion at hand, just something to get your mind around.

Despite that preamble, I do agree with the statement, and the brief explanation that followed. I think a better representation of that thesis could be found in the explanation where it was said, "Human beings are human beings no matter where you are." I would like to try to bring this issue into the light with a scenario one of my best friends confronted myself and another one of my best friends with:

My sister and I have an incredibly rich uncle. The exact amount is insignificant, but to give it some maginitude, lets say $15 billion, whose estate will be left solely to my sister and myself as soon as he dies. One day I walk into my uncle's house, go to the washroom, see my uncle taking a bath, and hit him over the head, leaving him unconscious, and drowning. I leave immediately, knowing full well what I have done. My sister arrives at the house, and sees our uncle lying in a bathtub of blood and water, and has the opportunity to save his life, simply by pulling his head out of the water. Question #1: If she doesn't save our uncle, who is more at fault - my sister or me?

Let's, for the sake of argument, assume that I am at fault the worst. My sister is looking at the dying body of my uncle, knowing that a minimal action by her can save his life. Question #2: Is my sister still a murderer for not saving our unlce?

To keep the discussion going (and I'm sure many would agree), let's say that, yes, she is a murderer. Then (here's the kicker), Question #3: My sister is watching television, and up pops an advertisement for World Vision, saying that all she has to do is give $1 a day to save the dying child on the screen. Is she a murderer for not helping this child?

And we come back to the original thesis of The other is just another, or Human beings are human beings no matter where you are. Let's change the scenario a little. In front of me there is a starving child, who will die in the next 10 seconds. All I have to do to save him/her is snap my fingers. Also in front of me is a tv screen with a child in let's say Africa, similar in stature, starving, who will also die in 10 seconds, but I have the ability to save him/her by snapping my fingers. Both of these children will die, and I can only choose one to live. The strange thing about human nature is that (obviously) we want to save both, but we can only save one and 99% of the time we will choose the one in front of us. Why does proximity have a weight on our compassion?

More questions to ponder: What if I killed my uncle to use the share of my inheritance ($7.5 billion) to help homeless people, or reduce poverty, or aid research for AIDS or cancer? Is that unethical? $7.5 billion can go a long way, and my uncle was doing nothing of the sort to help the unfortunate to the extent that I would have done. Was I wrong to kill him?

Let's say there are 6 dying people in front of me. All of the same age, have all accomplished the same things in their lives. In other words they are equal to the defintion. Now let's say that I only have the power to save 5 of the 6 people. Does that make me a murderer because I cant save the 6th person?

Now let's say that there are 5 dying children, who I can save, and in my saving them I am giving them a minimally satisfying life. By that I mean, there is nothing extravagant whatsoever. Most will not be able to achieve much with their lives at all. But let's say that the less I give to one, the more I can give to the another, to the point where I can give 1 child all the opportunity in the world, but the other 4 must die. Is that unethical? If that seems incredibly wrong off the bat, well, how ethical am I being if all I am giving these kids is the bare bones?

Granted, a lot of these scenarios are unrealistic, yet they still raise interesting moral questions. Where are my responsibilities? To whom do I more? Less? These are just some things to get your head around. We all have the ability to do a lot, yet we choose not to. Are we all murderers because we aren't helping the impoverished with every breath we take? The reason why all of these questions are so hard to answer is because human beings are human beings no matter where you are. That premise is what makes life so hard. But you know what I'd rather take the hard life and attempt to answer the tough questions than the alternative: imagine the premise is false and we are not all the same. How easy would those questions be to answer? How disgusting would that be?

What Makes a Leader?

Let’s for a second reflect. Let us reflect on a word that we hold in such great esteem that we use it sparsely to describe someone who is great. What are the characteristics that make a leader? What does a leader possess that others don’t, that make us follow them, blindly at times, and give them more respect than the others?

I would like to argue that there is one thing that separates itself from other qualities, and dictates what a leader should be – charismatic. Charisma makes a leader. However, it is not sufficient, but definitely necessary. A charismatic person in themselves does not constitute a leader, but it is a skill necessary in order to become/be one. The best example that I can give, is Seinfeld. The show (more often than not) gives one of the characters adopting to a phase of life different from their own, and we (as the viewers) see it as appealing, not because it is the CORRECT way to live our life, but because the way it is presented is beautifully done. To name a couple examples: (1) the episode where George decides to do the opposite, because if everything he has done thus far in his life is wrong, the opposite must be true; (2) Festivus. Again (by George, or rather Frank Constanza), the commercial aspects of Christmas are taken into question, and we (again, as viewers) saw this as revolutionary. Furthermore, we caught onto the slogan “A Festivus for the rest-of-us;” (3) and the “stealing my move” episode presented by Jerry towards Putty, about Putty using Jerry’s move in bed with Elaine (which I hope everyone realizes is just a satirical comment used by Jerry about others stealing his routine about situational comedy). As an audience, we thought, YES, this is true, we must change ourselves, and use this as an opening to evaluate others, contending that they must not steal our ideas to achieve a seemingly meaningless end, but moreover, must hold this to protect ourselves, our interests, and our future.

Brash? I agree. It is a stretch, but the basis is still present. Go with me on this. What did Seinfeld have that made us question ourselves? It had the charisma of Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine. It appealed to the openness of the audience (i.e. “we as the audience will allow for creative freedom to stretch the truth, in order that we can relate to the situation”), the medium of comedy, and finally the hilarity of the premise in the first case. We ate it up. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying let’s examine it for a second. If (ex. Case 1), someone came to you and said do the opposite of what you’re doing, you would tell them to go to hell. If (ex. Case 2) someone said reject Christmas because it is becoming commercial you would ponder for a moment, but then conform almost immediately, thinking it was another socialist plot against what you have done all your life. And finally, if (ex. Case 3) someone postulated that you should only be original, you would probably agree with it, hesitate, knowing that it is “mooching” that is at the core of capitalism, and possibly stop, but more likely realize, no, this guy is a pothead. But no – we did not blow these ideas off so quickly when Elaine Benes offered them. We thought a bit harder. And thus, I have reached my conclusion. Although Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer may have been charismatic, that is not sufficient in itself, to drive us towards believing every thing they said, but it did catch our attention. It made us stop for a second.

Hitler made the Germans stop for second. JFK made the Americans stop for a second. John Lennon made the music industry and much of its audience stop for a second. And nevertheless, no matter how ruthless (or beneficial) the actions of each of the individuals may have been, they were all leaders. Hitler was a hell of a leader. He made the Germans at the time believe that the superior race (the Aryans), were blonde-hair, blue-eyed, built, masculine men. This coming from a short dark-haired man. But the guy was charismatic, that’s how he got his point across. (Please don’t look into the fact that me calling Hitler a hell of a leader condone his actions/violence against millions of Jews as a commendable person…let’s get real. It only supports my view that charisma promotes those aspects of a leader.) I could continue the examples with JFK and John Lennon, but I believe those are more apparent.

Charisma, ladies and gentlemen. Charisma. It never loses meaning, yet becomes increasingly difficult to define. It is difficult to put into words, yet we all know what it is. It describes those around us who we admire, yet we cannot assume the same trait as readily. It pulls at all of our emotions to the point where we don’t know what to believe. It is a powerful magnet.

So what is the point of all of this? Food for thought, I guess. I’m not really sure. Maybe it’s a message to say, be weary of those who you follow since it may just be a ploy that you can avoid if you maneuver around their charisma. Maybe it’s a cry to those of you who have the ability to lead, but are lacking a certain factor, i.e. charisma. Either way, you are in one category, or the other. But remember: in any project, any argument you wish to win, or any attempt to grab attention, charisma is undoubtedly the key.

The way the world is.

This is something many of you have probably heard before. I thought this was done in an interesting way. Take a look and be motivated. Perhaps, with some work, the numbers may change favourably someday.

http://www.luccaco.com/miniatureearth/miniature_earth.htm

The world as we should see it

I am a firm believer that there is a purpose to life. This purpose is not universal, instead it is personal. Personally, I believe we are unimaginably lucky. First of all, we are in existence. Events unfolded to bring us into existence beginning in time immemorial. We were each born into a family that is well off. We were born healthy in body and mind. We were given the opportunity to flourish and grow into well educated people. In the grand scale of things, we won the lottery. I am not sure exactly where I am going with this. All I know is that we are the lucky few in this world that get this opportunity. Why would we squander it? Read this article. It is fairly short. People should be more like that.

http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay.htm

Life's beaten path lacks a view

The future holds untold tales of the magnificent and the minuscule. There is something enormously hope inspiring in the immeasurable potential which the vast future holds. As youth we more often then not, see this potential as infinite. As we emerge from this time of wonder and hope into an age of harsh reality and seemingly ever increasing responsibility, we tend to lose our youthful air of optimism. It seems to be swept away in the quickening current of the modern lifestyle. I see all that I love dearly in humanity eroded gradually and almost inevitably by the everyday world. All those things that I find awe inspiring and fundamentally beautiful seem to be lost by even the best examples to the world. Curiosity, dreams, hopes, passion, desire for a better world, are just a few of those beautiful things. I would most simply describe this beauty as youth in a metaphysical form.

We lose morale in our struggle against the mundane and typical work-to-live formula. It seems our everyday encounter with the 9-5 engrains a notion of inevitability into our minds. The archetypal existence of the capitalist worker bee becomes so familiar to us that we see it as the safe route. This would undoubtedly and truthfully be the safest route to take in life. However, as comforting as this safety is, it acts not unlike the comforter does when you pull it up over your head to hide from the frightening and mysterious darkness.

In fact I like that metaphor. The path of the archetypal existence is just like pulling the comforter over your head. It provides us with a comfort but prevents us from what could be a much more fulfilling existence, an existence full of potential. Now, I must say that this an observation made in generalities. I do not doubt that some of the most fulfilling lives have been lived in the most basic and typical ways. Despite the idea of fulfilment being almost completely relative to the desires of the individual, I am going to argue that most often then not, those who find themselves unfulfilled in life have taken all the right steps, just down the wrong path.
The path I speak of is that of the mundane. A self absorbed, numbed, tunnel vision existence, which seems to be the direct product of our modern Western society. There I go using the broadest terms possible again. I am aware of this, but I have confidence in the intelligence of those reading this. I am referring specifically to the institutions of influence that shape our view of what is normal. The one that I see is the most powerful source of this hegemonic influence in all of our lives. It works hand in hand with the culture of our time reflecting and reinforcing all the while shaping it. It is a symbiotic relationship of sorts.

This influence that our culture undergoes helps reinforce this consistent loss of youth in us. Those of us currently in our studies at university are at a major cross road. We can decide what we wish to do with our limitless potential and new found knowledge. We can take new paths or even make them. We can stay true to our ideals and make real impacts on not only those immediately around us, but impacts that resonate throughout humanity and stretch forth across time. Do not doubt for a second that this is possible. No matter how logical or well reasoned an argument about the future is, it is never certain. There are many who would doubt one person’s potential for greatness. There are also those who would argue the futility of resistance against taking the beaten path. These are only a few of the many who have lost that spark of youth.

The goal of this posting was to help inspire the desire to retain that spark. Perhaps, it may have even rekindled that spark. Please, if anything just be aware that the world will slowly and very subtly wear your gleaming former self down. Do not give in to the pressures of the world. Do not forfeit your goals and aspirations to follow the beaten path. Reach self actualization, and then turn around to see the young you smile as proud as can be.

Collective hot air propels the winds of change

It is amazing how a single conversation can connect to another and then spiral around connecting others with idea's and thoughts all but lost in the reaches of the mind and time. I found myself tonight with a rare moment of free time to contemplate these conversations I had and put them into words here on the site.

This 'idea cultivation' begins when I am walking through a graffiti splashed storm sewer big enough to drive a transport truck down. The fleeting night light is compounded as we begin to delve into the depths of the sewer. The purpose of the mission is much less noble then the conversation that arose on the way there. The member of E² I mentioned last post was there his name is J. Fro. Fresh from from his trip he had a new perspective. Perhaps it was not new but it was new to me. We discussed our plans for success in the future. As we discussed these we found we both had the typical North American dream of wealth. However, we both realized that this was essentially a means to try and change the world. We had our ‘game plans’ laid out. We need money to make a difference. His goal was to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity he had being able to live and grow up in North America and to take his wealth of knowledge, money and connections back with him to impact his home country of Tanzania.

Immediately I began to think about the many friends and acquaintances I personally have that have in some way or another the goal to make a difference in the world. Some have fantastic goals while others practical. Nevertheless, they are out there. Out there, struggling to reach this elusive goal of positive change and subsequent self -actualization.

These things are not necessarily news to everyone. But, how often do these people struggle alone in vain to accomplish these things. Perhaps E² could provide them with a network of people who are all striving for a similar (but not necessarily the same) goal. For example, J. Fro is attempting to publish a book. This is one of his many possible paths to success. Success with which, he plans to make a difference. I realized I had an aunt who has published before and also one who helps artists get government grants. Through, the networking, J. Fro might have an easier time getting his book published.
I really believe all of us should put forth our ideas for things we can do as a group to try change things and, how we individually would like to do our part. Who knows who might read it and who they might know? If you feel like it, throw out some ideas. If not for anything else, just try it for interest’s sake.

Grounded

In the recent days my mind has gone from contemplating the vices of this world on the grand scale of things, to dissecting my very own shortcomings. Perhaps the two things actually relate on different levels and in many ways. The whole idea of making a positive difference in the world forced me to realize I must first practice what I figurtivly, preach. How... ? I began to review my lifestyle and much to my dismay I found much of it wasteful and frivolous. A few things started to sink in. I found myself thinking about a close friend and founding member of E² who has taken a trip to his country of origin, Tanzania. I had a few brief conversations with him before he left for his month long trip. In these conversations I gathered that the purpose of these trips to a land that is more then just physically on the other side of the world, was not to lay in the sun and get a tan. Instead, the trip was something meant to realign him with the reality of the world. He described it as a "simpler place". A place away from the clutter and over comfort of our "utopian" western world. This type of reality check is something that I would recommend to everyone. I have been attempting my own. Although, I am unable to do anything as dramatic as travel across the globe. With me, the next best thing to reality is the confines of my imaginative mind.

So to get to the point, I gave up alcohol. Well, to make things a little more clear, I gave up buying alcohol. The point of this sacrifice (if you can rightfully call it that) is not to abstain from alcohol, but instead to reallocate funds from a completely frivolous luxury to a much more practical endeavour. I thought to myself, "at my worst, I spent nearly 25 dollars a week on alcohol alone. " I imagined myself living a life where 25 dollars a week would be like winning the lottery. A life in someplace like Tanzania, where that much money for one person could make a world of difference. This analysis of my situation led me to the World Vision Canada website. Here, with my sporadic burst of inspiration I decided to sponsor a child. So, I did. I figure for 35 dolllars a month a kid will be able to eat and will get some education and all I lose is some damage to my liver, a hang over in the morning and another superficial connection with the "crowd". It is true this is only a minor step towards shedding my hypocritical ways. However, the feeling I get from this blows the doors off of any slight euphoria I found at the bottom of a bottle. I am keeping in mind now that this is just a step. As my financial situation betters so will my contribution. Furthermore, I am making sure not to fall pray to simply making a slight donation every month and feeling I have made a difference. I must not lose my resolve. None of us should lose it. There is much greater possibility for positive change out there. Imagine our message of awareness and change found its way far enough that multi-billion dollar corporations shed a few profit percentage points and donated to a worthy cause. There is a lot that can be done if we all just wake up and realize that we don’t need everything we have.

The death of a muse, the reincarnation of a resolve

During the school year I placed a great deal of faith on the ever hope inspiring summer. I had faith that time would be more plentiful then ever and my many aspirations and goals could be realized. As many of you now know this is not the case. The reality of the real world begets the destruction of our aspirations. The common saying, "welcome to the real world" doesn't happen in the real world, in the real world no one has the time to formally welcome you. It’s straight out of the frying pan into the fiery depths of reality. Money is essential, work is inevitable, the mundane is inescapable and time is irreplaceable. These are just a few of the harsh truths that we all come to realize as we make the transition from the nearly fairy tale world of the young. These are all thoughts that seem to skim past my consciousness as I meander through my day at work. Then I start to make some realizations. I am going to throw out some existential blabber here but its just to make you think. What is reality? Who defines it? Inarguably much of our reality is defined by none other then ourselves. Now this is either trough our state of mind or through our outright actions that shape it. Either way reality is an ambiguous term. It is something malleable. It is something we can change.

The key here is to actually believe that. Our culture, generation, society, whatever you want to call it. We... we have been conditioned unconditionally since birth to believe that the way things are, is the way they must be because that’s the way they are. It is that type of circular argument that keeps us all chained down to this current reality. So how do we escape this condition that we suffer from? This conditioning that has made us believe change on a major scale is futile? Much of you with level heads and you who are full of logic and reason will exclaim that it simply IS futile and over enthusiastic. However, this discussion is not meant to be about that. Our goal here is to figure out "why" we believe that is reality is the default one. That, "this is just the way things are" is sufficient explanation for the world’s state of affairs. If we discover "why" this is common belief then we have a fighting chance to help change that.

I constantly make the same arguments for what needs to be done to exact [positive change throughout society. Although action is a necessity, the direct action of many charitable organizations is something that has been done many times before. It is not working. A group of a few extremely hard working people can make a difference. However they are just a few. The key is to change attitudes. We need to make people believe in the world and themselves again. What better way then to lead by example.

I now purpose a second step in our plan to make a difference. However, this time we need full participation among as many people as we can get. No half assed poster making. (I have a whole bunch extra if anyone wants some to put up wherever.) This time I purpose we do an internet campaign. I hate to suggest it but I say we hit everyone up with our own brand of chain letter. Perhaps couple that with a word of mouth campaign. These are just suggestions to be worked on. I was thinking that the chain letter/campaign could be a challenge proposal. Perhaps we should come up with a challenge for people to educate themselves and another or to participate in making a difference in their day to day or in an organization. We could promote our discussion site and our way of life and thinking. There are limitless possibilities. Just think about how many people are on your msn list. Now take that number and multiply it by the few of us that frequent this site. That alone is a lot of people. Put that to the power of whatever amount of people they send it too and we have ourselves a wild fire of positive change. Take my idea into consideration. Perhaps throw me some ideas of how to go about this letter. Let’s see what we can do.

Operation Smash and grab.

Well my friends, we successfully placed posters throughout our old stomping grounds. The local highschool was covered with a bunch of posters to get those young minds working. Working in a more unconventional way that is. The posters were an attempt to get people to question the education system and the other systems which shape them. I think it might go over fairly well. Only time will tell now. If you woudl like to see a copy of the posters or want to put them up near you just leave me a comment and I will get in touch with you. Well, thats all for now. The summer has taken alot out of me as you can tell. I just hope the real world doesn't grind my spirits down as it does far too often with far too many.

It's poster time

Well, it would seem that living in the working world provides me with very little time to sit a contemplate the inner workings of things. It provides me even less time to post or further this cause. I have no time now for deep analyisis of society. Instead I am going to attempt to produce a series of posters packed to the brim witha simple effective message. I am going to attemp to make ones that attack the mindset of extreme capitalism and individualism. I would love to hear suggestions. I will let everyone know how this goes. I suppose it will be almost impossible to find out if they provide any effect. Nevertheless, I am going to throw it out there. Talk to you all later.