More Unedited Ranting

I recently sent this off to my representatives in the nation's capitol in hopes of illuminating and influencing them somewhat on the issue of energy:

I would very much like to offer some information along with my opinion about a couple issues surrounding this topic. First, let me acknowledge that I was alerted to the possibility of using coal-to-liquid-fuel (GTL) technology by MoveOn.org, and was surprised that this is open for discussion. I can only hope that it signals a change in direction that something of this nature is being considered. Secondly, I have recently read Joshua Tickell's book "Biodiesel America" and if you haven't read it or taken advantage of his knowledge and insight in some manner, I strongly urge you to do so. He has succinctly very well laid out information and choices, as well as evaluations of many fuel sources. Next, I very much believe that we have taken too many haphazard steps in securing sustainable, clean sources for energy and fuels. Consequently, we find ourselves in quite a bind and seeking more desperately than if we had begun a serious, earnest quest for alternatives sooner. Hopefully we have learned from this and will take the time to evaluate the possibilities and outcomes of the options we have at this time. It is clear that a number of these are untenable, that we need more than they have to offer. To whit, BioDiesel, GTL, and Ethanol are all fuels we can use and control which, with proper oversight, can be ours into the future. Likewise, Biomass, Geothermal, Wind, Solar, and Hydro power sources can be used in conjunction with each other to meet our needs. I list these specifically so that it is clear that I am referring to our renewable, sustainable resources. Finally, we need to diversify and decentralize our grid both to make it more reliable and less subject to failure (through attack or overuse), as well as to keep consumers closer and more involved in the regulation and production of our own energy.

How Different....

For the longest time I thought that to be different, one needed to demonstrate a difference, to make it obvious for all to see. I thought one had to act crazy, look really weird, or have something noticeably off about ones' self to set one apart and make others aware of it. It's crap, it is just a way to justify needing attention, craving to be noticed. I was younger, and I didn't really know the rationalisation behind why I thought that was the way to individuality. What was happening is that I was fooling myself into thinking that, in order to cover the truth from myself. I didn't want to accept or admit that I was looking for someone to accept me. It was a way to test people, to see if they would see me through all the "difference" and still want to know me. Once I saw this, I was highly amused at the irony: I wanted people to see me, even though I was disguising myself. I wanted them to decode who I actually was, and like me even though I couldn't just be me and let them know me.

In fact, being "different" has become mainstream, something that everyone is trying to do, because it's "in". I think in part this is because there are so many of us now, we are so crowded together and homogenized. Being different truly only means that you are so, not that anyone else needs to know; there is no badge that one wears, and being seen as so does not make it any more valid. The only true way to be different-to have that actual uniqueness-is to be ones' self. There is no one else in the world who can do that, and that is truly different.

Discriminating Tastes

Let me offer one simple post here, everyone can follow this and I promise I'll be straightforward. Discrimination is discrimination, prejudice is prejudice, and bigotry is bigotry-and they are all the same. It's very obvious that whatever you call it, "reverse-racism" or "double-back flip, half-gainer", however you adorn it, it is what it really is. It doesn't matter if it's "reverse-" or "positive-", because that's just one more way of having a prejudice in the very language of discrimination. Being race/class/sex/etc.-ist is discriminatory and being bigoted is having a prejudice. None of it is good or acceptable and there's no need to complicate it.

That's it.

Stockholm is Everywhere.

I will argue that what has been described as "Stockholm Syndrome" is a common and necessary part of society, indeed a vital part of being human in any culture. It is widely recognised that the mechanisms behind this psychological condition apply to not only hostage situations but commonplace, everyday relationships as well. The reason for the ubiquity and necessity of this dissociation of mind and reality is twofold: there are societal forces coercing us to accept lifestyles which it also pushes us to resist and there is a natural predisposition towards insanity in the human psyche.

Throughout evolutionary history there have been adaptations, made by individuals and groups, which maintain homeostasis with the surrounding environment. That includes other peoples, other societies, and so there had to be a way to overcome the essential differences in encountering these foreign cultures. To whit, if one were to join another culture, by choice or by force, one needs to have some way of dealing with the new expectations and duties. This is important since the taking of prisoners and slaves is historically near-unanimous throughout all societies. The ability to empathize and excuse one's captors is vital in situations where escape is not an option. Not only does this facilitate physical self-preservation, but also as a mental measure. The constant rebellion against a situation, such as a rejection of ones' status or role, will lead to an increasing pressure upon the mind of the person. This will become unbearable if that individual cannot change that situation, even if only within his or her own mind. Imagine you believe yourself to be better than everyone around you and yet you are treated worse because of societal expectations. That belief will persist within your own mind, inescapably reminding you that you are not fulfilling your duty or potential. Not losing one's mind from all these conflicting stresses and messages is indispensable, especially in the daily life of modern times.

I mention the inherent instability of the human mind, and I do need to explain. I mean by this the capacity for deception: lies, to self and others. The ability to deceive others can be seen as an evolutionary adaptation, something that will contribute to survival. The capacity for self-deception, however, is different. It would seem to actually be contrary to ones' interest in most cases. To not be sure that ones' perceptions are accurate, means that one can never be sure that what one thinks is real actually is. This seems to be a maladaption, unless we factor in the nature of human culture, where this ability becomes useful and, as I've said, necessary.

Defeat Is In the Air

There are times when I've felt like a loser: like I didn't know what to do, that I owed something to someone else, or "they are right and I am wrong." These are all ways that I've felt less than myself-basically feeling sorry for myself. Of course this isn't all the time, I'm like most others in that I have "highs and lows", but I have found something about those low times. When I feel like there is no hope, or I've screwed up beyond redemption, like some other is better than me or has "shown me up", it's not the end until I think it is.

What I'm talking about here is being in a state of helplessness, or feeling vanquished. The concept of defeat is only with in the acceptance of the confines of win/lose, or "zero-sum", thinking. One can only be defeated if one believes in it. When you refuse to stop struggling even though you lie broken and crying at the feet of those who wish you harm, when your mind is still saying, "I'll get through this, I can make it!", you are still winning. When you refuse to slink off with your head down, when someone has taken their best shot and you simply carry on, there is nothing of defeat about you. How can you be beaten when you don't give up? It is only in your attitude, thinking that "once X happens, then all is lost" is just a way of cheating one's self. In essence, the only way to be beaten is to think so; the only one who can defeat you is you. Once again, it is thinking that makes reality and truth.