Imagine an internet blackout like the one in Egypt in your country. Imagine all the people without internet in America, Japan, Brazil, China, Korea, India, Nepal, etc. Imagine no access for a day, a week, a month.
If you're like me, you know it would be painful at first. But you also imagine it would come as a sigh of relief, a breath of fresh air. The world's largest library and a major source of instant gratification gone, all of a sudden? It would be earth-shattering for some, those of use whose dependence on the internet borders on unhealthy. But (re)learning how to use time, engage with other media-technologies (including human bodies), reading a book (for goodness sake! - and NOT on a Kindle [I get Kindle spam from Amazon like everyday...it's starting to kind of piss me off]) might do us good.
Inspired by the situation in Egypt, I tried to imagine what an internet blackout might look for me, you, it, us. Below is a feeble semi-literate (I was gonna say semi-literary, but it comes across as more semi-literate) sci-media-fi imagining of such a scenario.
________________________________________________________________________________________
You're sitting in your cubicle at 10:39, gchatting with Beth two rows down.
Beth Johnson says:
did you see the latest duck-trapped-in-a-coal-mine meme?
its hillllarious
ILMAO!!!
What would people do without the internet? I'll tell you what they'd do - they'd go insane! If people didn't have enough incentive to take to the streets and depose our government after it started an unnecessary war, imagine that all the computer screens in all the offices of America suddenly went blank. "Can't get any work done here, so let's take the day off." People would be jumping for joy, clicking their heels in the air... "No work today, the internet's gone away!" On the commute home, you try to tweet about it, but Twitter's down, too. "The heck with it," you'd say, "maybe I'll just start a conversation with someone next to me on the bus..."
"Twitter's down. Can you believe it?"
"I know, I tried to access my facebook an hour ago. I can't even get Farmville to work on my iPad!"
Maybe you'd swap stories about your days at work, learn about each others' professions and go out for a drink to celebrate your day off. You decide to duck into the local sports bar, because, as fate would have it, you both live in the same neighborhood and you're both baseball fans. Who woulda thunk?
In the bar, you make a shocking discovery: the TV has been shut down, too. The bartender checks the plug. The lights are working fine, what the hell could be wrong? The whole Comcastic media conglomerate must be down. He flips through all 800 channels, hope growing dimmer with each flick. Instead of the crisp, HD hews of warm static electric reds greens and blues, a cold dark screen stares back, more like a black hole sucking in your fantasy football dreams.
Another drink? Sure. Why not substitute one addiction with another? When you get home, Lauren is pissed off that you've been out so late.
"Are you drunk? It's only 7:30!"
"Didn't you hear, hon? The internet's down! It was cause for celebration. Plus I met one of our neighbors, Pat. He's an IT guy for..."
"You know you still have to put the kids to bed."
"OK."
"Hey daddy, we couldn't watch TV tonight. Could you tell us a story?"
"Once upon a time..." The words struggle to come out at first, but soon you're lost in a maze of characters and plot twists and triumphant endings. But the kids are asleep before you can finish. "Maybe I should write that down..." And just as you contemplate taking pen to paper for the first time since college, Lauren entices you to snuggle. And you forget that second life, that other skin of video, wire and cold metal hard drives, as you drift into deeply contented dream-filled sleep, thankful for your family and the warmth of your cozy cuddle buddy.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Hive Mind and Singularity as Religion
My favorite podcast these days is To the Best of Our Knowledge from Wisconsin Public Radio. The January 23 episode "Hive Mind" is a great example of the show's interdisciplinary cross-section of knowledge, ranging from biology to technology, religion and sci-fi. Segment 3, an interview with Jaron Lanier (credited as the "founding father of virtual reality"), caught my attention because Lanier describes the mentality engendered by web 2.0 and its creators as a religion. He refers to this new "digital religion" as "singularitarian" or "post humanism," and it might also be called "hive mind." I'd like to call it technologism. The "religion" is based on the notion that humans and computers/machines/digital technology are essentially the same, and will be merged into a singular mind, which will allow for the immortality of humans and machines. This is theoretically opposed to humanism, which focuses on our unique traits as humans apart from animals or machines. Humanists believe that we our unique type of consciousness allows us to use rationality to care for one another and solve the unique problems endemic to the human condition.
How are these new moral, ethical, religious or spiritual debates about technology related to the more general pop-culture secular zeitgeist of consumerism/capitalism/cosmopolitanism?
Perhaps one could argue that this popular culture, combined with the rapid proliferation of technology in daily life, have left individuals and communities with a variety of problems and questions. For example, globalization gives rise to a dissonance between identities. And Larnier argues that social media, such as Facebook, demand constant maintenance (especially among younger users) to maintain social identity. This leads to both cognitive and behavioral dissonance, mainly in the sense that we are increasingly confused about life's big questions and distracted in our daily lives.
The truth is that I don't know the answer to the above question with any certainty, and the speculative ramble here is just a draft idea that will likely continue to be refined through debate and discourse. Moreover, the debate surrounding technologism and humanism (sparked in popular consciousness through movies like Star Trek with the Borg and The Matrix)) will be part of an ongoing debate as humans face more and more difficult decisions about the appropriate role of technology in our world as long as our current environment (natural and technological) persists.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Mindfulness and Circuits
Since the New Year, two serendipitous irresolutions have been bringing me joy and revitalization. These happenstance gifts came at just the right time, finding me before I could find them.
First, a friend brought back a set of guided mindfulness meditation CDs by Jon Kabat-Zinn from the States and shared them with me. More accurately, it is a 4-CD set of audio guided mindfulness exercises, including "Body Scan Meditation," "Mindfulness Yoga 1," "Sitting Meditation," and "Mindfulness Yoga 2." I just finished up the fourth CD (Mindfulness Yoga 2), and it's been a pleasure to go through the CDs one by one, trying each of the different techniques. The approach is gentle, and Zinns voice is warm and soothing (to the point of somnolence...I've gotten drowsy and almost nodded off during 2 of the 4 sessions.) Though I've got a long way to go with incorporating mindfulness into my daily life, I really like this simple and user-friendly format. As my jazz teacher used to say in high school, the more you learn about something the more you realize you don't know. In that regard, I've learned that I mostly seek mindlessness by habit. But I have also learned that it's possible to be conscious of which behaviors encourage mindlessness and which allow you to fully embrace the present moment. Even after just four sessions, I notice myself becoming more aware of moments in my daily routine that I would previously have ignored. Whereas I used to consider mindfulness a dull chore, I've found some joy in watching my thoughts or my body or tuning into the sky for a few moments. So I'm slowly discovering that mindfulness can be fun.
The second chance occurrence was an encounter with a friend of a friend who is traveling around the world studying electronic music and art. Her blog is here: http://korilisa.wordpress.com/ Can't really begin to describe how "cool" her work is, except that I'm filled with admiration (and the slightest bit of envy ;) for her. She's also interested in educating people and sharing what she knows in a way that's both generous and patient. So it was through this encounter that I built my first electronic instrument (with substantial help and instruction from her). It's a basic oscillator with standard components. Yesterday, I embarked on my second adventure by going and getting some more parts and then copying this how-to video: http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_3167_build-synthesizer.html. Though I've been interested in pursuing this sort of project for a long time, I've never gotten anything off the ground. Then, with a soldering iron thrust into my hands and all the bits and pieces laid out before my eyes, how could I say no? It just happened, and now I find myself getting excited about potentiometers and capacitors, words that I thought were just techno-babel for sci-fi movies a couple weeks ago.
Though both of these life-projects are in their nascent stages, I hope they will continue to bear fruit well into the future. They go to show that a little giving, a small random act of kindness, can (potentially) go a long way.
Finally, I can't help but drawing a connection between the two, even if I'm grasping at straws. The brain (which one might safely call "the mind") is itself a set of enormously complex circuits. In comparison, the circuits that I'm fiddling with on my newly purchased bread board are so simple as to be totally negligible. But the connection is that, just like a series of simple circuits or simple wave-forms that are added together to make complex circuits and complex wave-forms for music, the brain's circuits can be rewired and integrated to form new cognitive patterns. I'm kind of grossly delighted by the idea of soldering the self, unhinging one part of the mind and reconnecting it to another. This is much easier said than done, and takes a lot of effort, conscious planning and especially mindfulness to execute. But there is a kind of joy in looking at one's life as a circuit experiment, taking each isolated module and forging new connections. Isn't that what meaning is all about? For example, if I take my morning shower and merge it with singing, I might create an opera in my bathtub. Or if I connect my beers with books, (http://www.beersforbooks.org), or video games with education, I might be able to put a new spin on my so-called "vices." To me, this is the excitement of the 21st century. The possibility of creating an infinite number of new networks to bring fresh and creative solutions to human problems. The remixing and reconnecting of networks is, hopefully, still in its infancy. Just as I've managed to mix (perhaps haphazardly) circuits and mindfulness in this post, so too can any number of different ideas be re-bundled to provoke innovation and creativity.
As acknowledged above, there is a long way to go, and I'm certainly getting ahead of myself. The results of this kind of experimentation could also have devastating consequences (think of the hippies!), which underscores the need for a contemplative process to guide powerful tools and insights. For now, let me just say thanks to those who have helped make my January meaningful. Love to you all, and I hope you're enjoying the present and nurturing the future.
First, a friend brought back a set of guided mindfulness meditation CDs by Jon Kabat-Zinn from the States and shared them with me. More accurately, it is a 4-CD set of audio guided mindfulness exercises, including "Body Scan Meditation," "Mindfulness Yoga 1," "Sitting Meditation," and "Mindfulness Yoga 2." I just finished up the fourth CD (Mindfulness Yoga 2), and it's been a pleasure to go through the CDs one by one, trying each of the different techniques. The approach is gentle, and Zinns voice is warm and soothing (to the point of somnolence...I've gotten drowsy and almost nodded off during 2 of the 4 sessions.) Though I've got a long way to go with incorporating mindfulness into my daily life, I really like this simple and user-friendly format. As my jazz teacher used to say in high school, the more you learn about something the more you realize you don't know. In that regard, I've learned that I mostly seek mindlessness by habit. But I have also learned that it's possible to be conscious of which behaviors encourage mindlessness and which allow you to fully embrace the present moment. Even after just four sessions, I notice myself becoming more aware of moments in my daily routine that I would previously have ignored. Whereas I used to consider mindfulness a dull chore, I've found some joy in watching my thoughts or my body or tuning into the sky for a few moments. So I'm slowly discovering that mindfulness can be fun.
The second chance occurrence was an encounter with a friend of a friend who is traveling around the world studying electronic music and art. Her blog is here: http://korilisa.wordpress.com/ Can't really begin to describe how "cool" her work is, except that I'm filled with admiration (and the slightest bit of envy ;) for her. She's also interested in educating people and sharing what she knows in a way that's both generous and patient. So it was through this encounter that I built my first electronic instrument (with substantial help and instruction from her). It's a basic oscillator with standard components. Yesterday, I embarked on my second adventure by going and getting some more parts and then copying this how-to video: http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_3167_build-synthesizer.html. Though I've been interested in pursuing this sort of project for a long time, I've never gotten anything off the ground. Then, with a soldering iron thrust into my hands and all the bits and pieces laid out before my eyes, how could I say no? It just happened, and now I find myself getting excited about potentiometers and capacitors, words that I thought were just techno-babel for sci-fi movies a couple weeks ago.
Though both of these life-projects are in their nascent stages, I hope they will continue to bear fruit well into the future. They go to show that a little giving, a small random act of kindness, can (potentially) go a long way.
Finally, I can't help but drawing a connection between the two, even if I'm grasping at straws. The brain (which one might safely call "the mind") is itself a set of enormously complex circuits. In comparison, the circuits that I'm fiddling with on my newly purchased bread board are so simple as to be totally negligible. But the connection is that, just like a series of simple circuits or simple wave-forms that are added together to make complex circuits and complex wave-forms for music, the brain's circuits can be rewired and integrated to form new cognitive patterns. I'm kind of grossly delighted by the idea of soldering the self, unhinging one part of the mind and reconnecting it to another. This is much easier said than done, and takes a lot of effort, conscious planning and especially mindfulness to execute. But there is a kind of joy in looking at one's life as a circuit experiment, taking each isolated module and forging new connections. Isn't that what meaning is all about? For example, if I take my morning shower and merge it with singing, I might create an opera in my bathtub. Or if I connect my beers with books, (http://www.beersforbooks.org), or video games with education, I might be able to put a new spin on my so-called "vices." To me, this is the excitement of the 21st century. The possibility of creating an infinite number of new networks to bring fresh and creative solutions to human problems. The remixing and reconnecting of networks is, hopefully, still in its infancy. Just as I've managed to mix (perhaps haphazardly) circuits and mindfulness in this post, so too can any number of different ideas be re-bundled to provoke innovation and creativity.
As acknowledged above, there is a long way to go, and I'm certainly getting ahead of myself. The results of this kind of experimentation could also have devastating consequences (think of the hippies!), which underscores the need for a contemplative process to guide powerful tools and insights. For now, let me just say thanks to those who have helped make my January meaningful. Love to you all, and I hope you're enjoying the present and nurturing the future.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sounds of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Memorial Museum
I recently returned from a trip to visit family friends in Nagasaki with my sister. We had a great time: our friends were wonderfully generous hosts, and we packed in tons of sight-seeing. For the second time, I visited the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, a moving (disturbing and inspiring) experience. Upon entering the museum, I decided to make a mental note of the sounds I experienced throughout the exhibit hall, which commemorates the bombing and its aftermath. I divided the sounds into possible "tracks" for a recording, though they overlap as you walk through the museum. Here is what I noted:
1. Ticking clock. The first part of the exhibit highlights events leading up to the bombing on August 9, 1945.
2. Ominous music. Strings alternate between minor and dissonant harmonies. The next room commemorates the day of the bombing and the wasteland created around the epicenter.
3. Explanatory video. Accompanied by a 3D map of the city, this video explains the facts (historic and scientific) about the bombing and its immediate aftermath.
4. Tour guides (Japanese and Chinese). Two or three tour groups browsed the artifacts which document the effects of the bomb in different locations around the city. The intense energy at the hypocenter generated a massive blast of heat that caused stone tiles to blister and bubble, glass bottles to melt together, and shadows to be imprinted onto wooden houses and fences. Many of the deaths and injuries from the bomb were caused by severe burns, some of which developed much later after the attack. The long-term effects of radiation are also documented with explanations about various diseases caused by exposure, as well as a time-line of deaths caused by radiation-related illnesses. Tour guides give additional explanation to groups.
5. Survivor testimonials. Interactive TV monitors allow visitors to listen and watch survivors give their accounts of the bombing and make appeals for peace. My sister and I watched an account by a woman who was crushed in the rubble and suffered severe injuries. She spoke in Japanese, and we read English subtitles.
6. Museum closing announcement. The announcement was in Japanese, followed by English, accompanied by upbeat music.
One of the most valuable parts of the museum is a timeline of the nuclear age, which describes world events, the spread of nuclear weapons, and the spread of the peace movement worldwide. This is a great overview of the Cold War and anti-nuclear movement.
For more information about the museum in English, follow the link below.
http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/peace/english/index.html
1. Ticking clock. The first part of the exhibit highlights events leading up to the bombing on August 9, 1945.
2. Ominous music. Strings alternate between minor and dissonant harmonies. The next room commemorates the day of the bombing and the wasteland created around the epicenter.
3. Explanatory video. Accompanied by a 3D map of the city, this video explains the facts (historic and scientific) about the bombing and its immediate aftermath.
4. Tour guides (Japanese and Chinese). Two or three tour groups browsed the artifacts which document the effects of the bomb in different locations around the city. The intense energy at the hypocenter generated a massive blast of heat that caused stone tiles to blister and bubble, glass bottles to melt together, and shadows to be imprinted onto wooden houses and fences. Many of the deaths and injuries from the bomb were caused by severe burns, some of which developed much later after the attack. The long-term effects of radiation are also documented with explanations about various diseases caused by exposure, as well as a time-line of deaths caused by radiation-related illnesses. Tour guides give additional explanation to groups.
5. Survivor testimonials. Interactive TV monitors allow visitors to listen and watch survivors give their accounts of the bombing and make appeals for peace. My sister and I watched an account by a woman who was crushed in the rubble and suffered severe injuries. She spoke in Japanese, and we read English subtitles.
6. Museum closing announcement. The announcement was in Japanese, followed by English, accompanied by upbeat music.
One of the most valuable parts of the museum is a timeline of the nuclear age, which describes world events, the spread of nuclear weapons, and the spread of the peace movement worldwide. This is a great overview of the Cold War and anti-nuclear movement.
For more information about the museum in English, follow the link below.
http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/peace/english/index.html
Thursday, December 9, 2010
RescueTime and Privacy Concerns
I thought I'd go ahead and try the personal productivity manager, RescueTime, mentioned in a previous post. I thought this would be a good way for me to passively monitor my web browsing and computer usage. But I took a look at the privacy policy and got scared off.
What concerns me about RescueTime is that they are selling your information. Not your individual information, but the collective information collected from all of its users about their online behavior. According to their privacy policy: "We may sell, rent, or share information about user behavior in the aggregate only. For example, we could share information like, "which day of the week do people spend the most time in front of their computer?""
For starters, I thought the software was only a tool FOR ME. I didn't think it would collect my browsing information, let alone contribute it to a database and sell it. It's not the creation of a database of internet user behavior that I have a problem with. It's the fact that this information is monetized and used for a for-profit company. I'd be happy to participate in research where information about my computer use was recorded and aggregated into a database and analyzed. No problem. But selling the results from this research seems unethical. Why should only those who can pay know about people's computer habits?
Some might argue that this research is costly, requiring time, energy and money. But couldn't an open-source/crowd-source project with the same aim be just as effective? Why does this research have to result in a for-profit business model? Is there some free-ware out there that allows you to monitor your computer usage and keep the records for yourself? I wanna know!
What concerns me about RescueTime is that they are selling your information. Not your individual information, but the collective information collected from all of its users about their online behavior. According to their privacy policy: "We may sell, rent, or share information about user behavior in the aggregate only. For example, we could share information like, "which day of the week do people spend the most time in front of their computer?""
For starters, I thought the software was only a tool FOR ME. I didn't think it would collect my browsing information, let alone contribute it to a database and sell it. It's not the creation of a database of internet user behavior that I have a problem with. It's the fact that this information is monetized and used for a for-profit company. I'd be happy to participate in research where information about my computer use was recorded and aggregated into a database and analyzed. No problem. But selling the results from this research seems unethical. Why should only those who can pay know about people's computer habits?
Some might argue that this research is costly, requiring time, energy and money. But couldn't an open-source/crowd-source project with the same aim be just as effective? Why does this research have to result in a for-profit business model? Is there some free-ware out there that allows you to monitor your computer usage and keep the records for yourself? I wanna know!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Getting Ahead of the News Cycle
Today there was a protest in Shinjuku. According to early reports, about 160 people gathered to stop traffic, speak out against war, and voice their support for the citizens of Okinawa, who have again demonstrated through elections that they don't want the Futenma military base relocated within Okinawa. There were clowns:
A quick google search for 新宿デモ (Shinjuku demo) revealed some old links from a labor newspaper announcing the protest and giving directions to the event, along with a tangentially related blog post.
I had just heard about the demonstration this afternoon in an email from a Tokyo-based group, Takae Yuntaku. (They are working to prevent a U.S. military helipad from being built in the small Okinawan village of Takae). Info about the event appeared on various blogs:
http://takae.ti-da.net/
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hansentoteikounofesta09/
This was the sixth in a series of protests in favor of the abolition of the base. Here is some video from previous protests:
So I found out about the protest about an hour before it started. Then, as it was going on, a recent Facebook friend Tweeted out "good turnout for the protest. blocking traffic in shinjuku" or something to that effect, and it showed up on his facebook feed. Finally, I wanted to hear about the event. I turned on 素人の乱 (Shiroto no Ran)'s weekly webcast, and there was some mention of it, but mostly talking about AKB48 and how none of the girls are their type. So I checked another friend's facebook page who is active in independent media, and sure enough, he had updated it with some news and pictures from the protest.
I had heard about Twitter and other social networking sites being used to get ahead of the news cycle, but now this is the first time I've experienced it. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that there probably won't be much coverage of this event in the mainstream press. But amongst interested parties the news has come out quickly. From this experience, I can see how these social networks can give protesters a better sense of connection. Even though I couldn't make it to the protest, I feel better informed about and connected with those who did.
Where do I stand on the Futenma issue? Indeed it's complicated, but ultimately I must object to the indirect militarization of Japan. In Japan's constitution, Article 9 prohibits a standing military, although Japan maintains its own self-defense force. In effect, the U.S. military presence in Okinawa and throughout Japan amounts to a standing military. As tensions between North and South Korea escalate, the time is right for diplomacy, not war games. I find it difficult to speak out on this issue, especially since I know several people in the military. But as an American, I can't stand by in good conscience and allow the U.S. to become involved in an avoidable war with North Korea in the way of Iraq and Afghanistan. I didn't make it to the protest this week, but I will get the word out and try to make the next one.
12/7 update - video from the event. Thanks OurPlanet-TV!
A quick google search for 新宿デモ (Shinjuku demo) revealed some old links from a labor newspaper announcing the protest and giving directions to the event, along with a tangentially related blog post.
I had just heard about the demonstration this afternoon in an email from a Tokyo-based group, Takae Yuntaku. (They are working to prevent a U.S. military helipad from being built in the small Okinawan village of Takae). Info about the event appeared on various blogs:
http://takae.ti-da.net/
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hansentoteikounofesta09/
This was the sixth in a series of protests in favor of the abolition of the base. Here is some video from previous protests:
So I found out about the protest about an hour before it started. Then, as it was going on, a recent Facebook friend Tweeted out "good turnout for the protest. blocking traffic in shinjuku" or something to that effect, and it showed up on his facebook feed. Finally, I wanted to hear about the event. I turned on 素人の乱 (Shiroto no Ran)'s weekly webcast, and there was some mention of it, but mostly talking about AKB48 and how none of the girls are their type. So I checked another friend's facebook page who is active in independent media, and sure enough, he had updated it with some news and pictures from the protest.
I had heard about Twitter and other social networking sites being used to get ahead of the news cycle, but now this is the first time I've experienced it. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that there probably won't be much coverage of this event in the mainstream press. But amongst interested parties the news has come out quickly. From this experience, I can see how these social networks can give protesters a better sense of connection. Even though I couldn't make it to the protest, I feel better informed about and connected with those who did.
Where do I stand on the Futenma issue? Indeed it's complicated, but ultimately I must object to the indirect militarization of Japan. In Japan's constitution, Article 9 prohibits a standing military, although Japan maintains its own self-defense force. In effect, the U.S. military presence in Okinawa and throughout Japan amounts to a standing military. As tensions between North and South Korea escalate, the time is right for diplomacy, not war games. I find it difficult to speak out on this issue, especially since I know several people in the military. But as an American, I can't stand by in good conscience and allow the U.S. to become involved in an avoidable war with North Korea in the way of Iraq and Afghanistan. I didn't make it to the protest this week, but I will get the word out and try to make the next one.
12/7 update - video from the event. Thanks OurPlanet-TV!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
A Commitment to Nonviolence and Recycling
A Commitment to Non-Violence
Last week I was graced with what I like to call a "moment of lucidity" - a time when truth or beauty just present themselves out of nowhere. The revelation: a commitment to non-violence. As I see it, there are two types of violence: 1) physical violence 2) mental or emotional violence.
From this moment, I commit myself to refraining from physical violence toward human beings, and trying to spread this doctrine to create a more peaceful world. As for the second, more abstract forms of violence, it is more complicated, so I want to focus for now on just eliminating physical violence. By adhering to this basic principle, individuals can make a big change for peace.
I also commit myself to learning more about the ethics of war and peace. One of the classes that convinced me to major in religion was "War and Peace Through Religious Perspectives." I'd like to revisit the contents of this class, and gain a better understanding of how movements for pacifism and non-violence become successful in all wisdom traditions - from atheists to agnostics, from Jews to Jains.
Though it is easy for me to refrain from violence - my country doesn't have a draft (at the moment) and I don't live in a war-torn city or an area plagued by gang violence. But I want to use this commitment to non-violence to create social change through civil disobedience, and educating others about this possibility. If you can get a kid in South East D.C. to decide not to buy a gun, or a kid in Colorado to refrain from shooting up his classmates, you've done something important.
Later in the week, I was inspired by my great uncle, Ted Nace. He was recently arrested for protesting outside a shopping center against an Israeli cosmetics company which benefits from the exploitation of resources in Palestine. He's over 80 years old. Go Ted! You are a real inspiration.
You can see video of about his arrest here:
http://www.krdo.com/video/25943611/index.html
http://www.krdo.com/video/25935874/index.html
A Week of Recycling
On a slightly more practical note, I really, REALLY need to take out my recycling. This is a reminder to myself to get the schedule this week and remember to bring out my separated recyclables on the appropriate day. Also, I gotta start carrying my water bottle and stop buying PET bottles. They don't recycle well. I also gotta bring some clothes to the nearby recycle shop, or perhaps 素人の乱 (Shiroto no Ran)'s recycle shop.
Great podcast on "upcycling" (i.e. re-using) from "To The Best of Our Knowledge" last week. Check it out.
http://www.wpr.org/book/101121b.cfm
Another good one on consumerism:
http://www.wpr.org/book/091129a.cfm
Last week I was graced with what I like to call a "moment of lucidity" - a time when truth or beauty just present themselves out of nowhere. The revelation: a commitment to non-violence. As I see it, there are two types of violence: 1) physical violence 2) mental or emotional violence.
From this moment, I commit myself to refraining from physical violence toward human beings, and trying to spread this doctrine to create a more peaceful world. As for the second, more abstract forms of violence, it is more complicated, so I want to focus for now on just eliminating physical violence. By adhering to this basic principle, individuals can make a big change for peace.
I also commit myself to learning more about the ethics of war and peace. One of the classes that convinced me to major in religion was "War and Peace Through Religious Perspectives." I'd like to revisit the contents of this class, and gain a better understanding of how movements for pacifism and non-violence become successful in all wisdom traditions - from atheists to agnostics, from Jews to Jains.
Though it is easy for me to refrain from violence - my country doesn't have a draft (at the moment) and I don't live in a war-torn city or an area plagued by gang violence. But I want to use this commitment to non-violence to create social change through civil disobedience, and educating others about this possibility. If you can get a kid in South East D.C. to decide not to buy a gun, or a kid in Colorado to refrain from shooting up his classmates, you've done something important.
Later in the week, I was inspired by my great uncle, Ted Nace. He was recently arrested for protesting outside a shopping center against an Israeli cosmetics company which benefits from the exploitation of resources in Palestine. He's over 80 years old. Go Ted! You are a real inspiration.
You can see video of about his arrest here:
http://www.krdo.com/video/25943611/index.html
http://www.krdo.com/video/25935874/index.html
A Week of Recycling
On a slightly more practical note, I really, REALLY need to take out my recycling. This is a reminder to myself to get the schedule this week and remember to bring out my separated recyclables on the appropriate day. Also, I gotta start carrying my water bottle and stop buying PET bottles. They don't recycle well. I also gotta bring some clothes to the nearby recycle shop, or perhaps 素人の乱 (Shiroto no Ran)'s recycle shop.
Great podcast on "upcycling" (i.e. re-using) from "To The Best of Our Knowledge" last week. Check it out.
http://www.wpr.org/book/101121b.cfm
Another good one on consumerism:
http://www.wpr.org/book/091129a.cfm
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