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Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment
Dear Group Members,
I am sending you an Article to read. This is about the link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues. Can you (and your colleagues) help me in circulating this message among the right people?
Thank you,
Sushil Yadav
[ My background is given in the first letter ( letter No. 1 ) under the
topic " Correspondence with neuroscientists " on the website :
www.netshooter.com/emotion ]
MAIN ARTICLE & EXPERIMENT
Please note : The article has been written in short sentences rather than paragraph-form because it is about subjective experience / emotion/ reduction of thought.
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.
Subject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel.
Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet.
Subject : Environment can never be saved as long as cities exist.
Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking.
If there are no gaps there is no emotion.
Today people are thinking all the time and are mistaking thought (words/ language) for emotion.
When society switches-over from physical work (agriculture) to mental work (scientific/ industrial/ financial/ fast visuals/ fast words ) the speed of thinking keeps on accelerating and the gaps between thinking go on decreasing.
There comes a time when there are almost no gaps.
People become incapable of experiencing/ tolerating gaps.
Emotion ends.
Man becomes machine.
A society that speeds up mentally experiences every mental slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.
A ( travelling )society that speeds up physically experiences every physical slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.
A society that entertains itself daily experiences every non-entertaining moment as Depression / Anxiety.
FAST VISUALS /WORDS MAKE SLOW EMOTIONS EXTINCT.
SCIENTIFIC /INDUSTRIAL /FINANCIAL THINKING DESTROYS EMOTIONAL CIRCUITS.
A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY CANNOT FEEL PAIN / REMORSE / EMPATHY.
A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY WILL ALWAYS BE CRUEL TO ANIMALS/ TREES/ AIR/
WATER/ LAND AND TO ITSELF.
I am trying to get the following experiment conducted in a psychophysiology/ bio-chemistry laboratory.
There is a link between visual / verbal speed ( in perception, memory,
imagery ) and the bio-chemical state of the brain and the body.
Emotion can intensify / sustain only when visual and verbal processing
associated with the emotion slows down ( stops / freezes ).
The degree of difficulty of an emotion depends upon the degree of
freezing (of visuals and words ) required to intensify and sustain that
particular emotion.
Experiment:
Subjects (preferably actors specialising in tragedy / tragic roles )
will be asked to watch a silent video film showing any of the
following:-
(1) Human suffering.
(2) Animal suffering.
(3) Suffering ( Destruction ) of Air / Water / Land / Trees.
Subjects will be asked to intensify and sustain the subjective feeling of pain/ grief for the sufferer.
The chemical changes associated with the emotion in the body(blood) would be measured by appropriate methods.
The silent video film will be shown at different speeds :
(1) 125% of actual speed.
(2) Actual/real speed.
(3) 75% of actual speed.
(4) 50% of actual speed.
(5) 25% of actual speed.
Results :
(1) Intensity of emotion increases with the decrease in visual speed.
(2) Intensity of emotion is maximum when visual speed is minimum (25%
of actual speed)
(3) The amount of chemical change associated with the emotion in the
body(blood) will be found to increase with the decrease in visual speed.
(4) The chemical change is maximum when visual speed is minimum.
(5) The amount of chemical change will increase with the decrease in
breathing rate. Breathing becomes so slow and non-rhythmic that it stops
for some time at the inhalation/ exhalation stages.
The above co-relations will be valid for all subjects -even for those who cannot feel pain/ grief. Such subjects will experience emotion associated with boredom/ discomfort/ restlessness/ irritability/ uneasiness. The chemicals released will be different but the co-relation between visual speed and amount of chemical will be same( the breathing rates will be different/ fast).
All subjects will experience some kind of emotion.
[If scientists can discover 4000 different chemicals in cigarette-smoke then they can certainly detect the few chemicals released in blood when we experience higher-level emotions like pain, empathy, compassion, remorse etc… ]
In the 2nd stage of experiment we shall replace the silent video film with a Narrator ( Audio only ) and repeat the procedure thereby establishing the link between intensity of emotion and verbal speed. The narrator will slow down verbal speed by-- speaking slowly, stretching words, repetition of words/ sentences & making use of
pause/ silence between words.
Please note:
(1) A THINKING MIND CANNOT INTENSIFY / SUSTAIN ANY EMOTION.
While this statement is generally true for all emotions, it is
particularly true for all painful emotions.
(2) In a society in which visual ( verbal ) speed and breathing- rates
are fast , pain / remorse / empathy cannot be experienced. It is
impossible.
PROOF.
Proof of the link between pain and slow visuals / words :-
In the last century man has made thousands of movies / films on various
themes / subjects. Whenever pain / tragedy is shown in any film the
visuals ( scenes ) and words ( dialogues ) are always slowed down. In
many films tragedy is shown in slow motion. At the most intense moment
of pain the films almost become static / stationary.
Tragedy-films provide direct proof / evidence of the link between pain
and slowness.
Pain can intensify / sustain only when visual ( and verbal ) speed slows
down( stops/ freezes).
CHANGE IN VISUAL SPEED OVER THE YEARS
One thousand years ago visuals would change only when man physically
moved himself to a new place or when other people ( animals / birds )
and objects ( clouds / water ) physically moved themselves before him.
Today man sits in front of TV / Computer and watches the rapidly
changing visuals / audio.
He sits in a vehicle ( car / train / bus ) and as it moves he watches
the rapidly changing visuals.
He turns the pages of a book / newspaper / magazine and sees many
visuals / text in a short span.
CHANGE IN VERBAL SPEED OVER THE YEARS
In ancient times verbal processing was “live” in nature—ie it happened when people actually spoke.
Today there is non-stop verbal processing inside the mind through print and electronic media ( newspapers, books, magazines, radio, television, computer etc…) as a result of which the verbal content & speed has increased thousands of times.
The speed of visuals ( and words ) has increased so much during the last
one hundred years that today the human brain has become incapable of
focussing on slow visuals /words through perception, memory, imagery.
If we cannot focus on slow visuals / words we cannot experience emotions
associated with slow visuals /words.
Before the advent of Industrial Revolution Man's thinking was primarily
limited to :
(a) visual processing ( slow visuals )
(b) verbal / language processing ( slow words )
Today there are many kinds of fast thinking :
(1) visual processing ( fast visuals )
(2) verbal / language processing ( fast words )
(3) Scientific / Technical thinking ( fast )
(4) Industrial thinking ( fast )
(5) Business thinking ( fast )
(3), (4) & (5) ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NUMBERS / SYMBOLS / EQUATIONS /
GRAPHS /CIRCUITS / DIAGRAMS / MONEY / ACCOUNTING etc…
As long as the mind is doing this kind of thinking it cannot feel any
emotion - not an iota of emotion.
In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
In a thinking ( scientific / industrial ) society emotion itself becomes extinct.
EMOTION IS WHAT REMAINS IN THE MIND WHEN VISUAL /VERBAL PROCESSING SLOWS
DOWN (STOPS/ FREEZES )
There are certain categories of people who feel more emotion (subjective experience ) than others.
If we attempt to understand why (and how ) they feel more emotion we can learn a lot about emotion.
Writers, poets, actors, painters ( and other artists )
WRITERS
Writers do verbal ( and associated visual) processing whole day- every day.
They do slow verbal ( and associated visual) processing every day.
(A novel that we read in 2 hours might have taken 2 years to write. This is also the reason why the reader can never feel the intensity & duration of emotion experienced by the writer )
POETS
Poets do verbal ( and associated visual ) processing whole day- every day.
There is more emotion in poetry than in prose.
This happens because there are very few words ( and associated visuals ) in poetry than in any other kind of writing.
There is a very high degree of freezing / slowing down of visuals & words in poetry.
ACTORS
Actors do verbal ( and associated visual ) processing whole day- every day. During shooting / rehearsal they repeat the dialogues ( words ) again and again ( the associated visuals / scenes also get repeated along with the dialogues )
PAINTERS
Painters do visual ( and associated verbal ) processing whole day- every day.
They do extremely slow visual processing - The visual on the canvas changes only when the painter adds to what already exists on the canvas.
There are some important points to be noted :
All these people do visual & verbal processing - whole day - every day.
They do slow visual & verbal processing.
They do not do scientific / industrial / business processing whole day - every day.
Most of the city people doing mental work either do this kind of mental processing which is associated with NUMBERS / SYMBOLS/ Equations / Graphs / CIRCUITS / DIAGRAMS / MONEY / ACCOUNTING etc… or they do fast visual ( verbal ) processing whole day - every day.
This kind of thinking ( processing ) has come into existence only during the last 200 years and has destroyed our emotional ability ( circuits ).
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF ( SUBJECTIVE ) INTENSITY OF EMOTION IS ALMOST ALWAYS
WRONG.
Suppose the maximum intensity(and duration) of a particular emotion that
can be experienced by any human being is 100 units.
Let us suppose the maximum intensity(and duration) of that particular emotion ever
experienced by two people A & B in their entire life is :
A - 100units
B - 20 units
Now suppose A & B are made subjects on a particular day and are asked
to feel that particular emotion under experimental conditions ( or
outside the laboratory ) and the intensity &duration they actually experience is
:
A - 90 units
B - 18 units
If A &B are then asked to indicate the intensity &duration of emotion on a scale
of 0 -10 their response is likely to be ;
A - 9
B - 9
Who is right and who is wrong ?
A is right.
B is wrong - B is wrong by a wide margin - B has experienced an
intensity(and duration) of 18 units out of a maximum of 100 units and his correct /
actual score should be 1.8
Self- assessment ( self rating ) can be accurate only if people have
the capacity to experience the highest intensity &duration ( units ) of the
particular emotion under study.
Because of physical work and slow visual/verbal processing in small(slow)agriculture based societies of the past, the mind used to experience a state of emotion all the time. If we read one thousand-year-old literature we will not come across the term "boredom" -the concept of boredom did not exist in slow societies. There were long gaps between different visuals and between words/ sentences -and people had the ability to experience/ tolerate the gaps -it was normal for them.
Emotion can intensify / sustain only when visual / verbal processing slows down ( stops / freezes ). In an Industrial (thinking) society people experience very little emotion because of fast ( visual / verbal / scientific / industrial / business ) thinking
Suppose the maximum intensity and duration of a particular emotion ( for most people ) in a fast society has reduced to 5 units ( from 100 units that people used to experience in earlier /slower societies ).
If such people experience 4 units of emotion they will give themselves a
rating /score of 8 on a scale of 0-10 whereas their actual score should
be 0.4
IN A FAST SOCIETY SLOW EMOTIONS BECOME EXTINCT.
IQ Vs EQ
IQ always has an element of change in it – IQ is about trying to make/ discover/ invent something new all the time.
Change is an inherent feature of IQ.
IQ is also about thinking more in less time—it involves speeding up of mind. Someone who does more mathematics in less time is considered more intelligent in mathematics. IQ is about change and speed.
EQ is about sustainment of the same feeling/experience over a period of time. When we experience any higher-level emotion for 10 minutes we experience the same feeling( subjective experience) over and over again for 10 minutes.
The( same) feeling can sustain only if there is Repetition.
EQ involves Repetition—Constancy—Sameness.
IQ and EQ are contradictory.
IQ and EQ are opposites.
IQ and EQ are inversely proportional.
(1) A thinking species destroys the planet.
(2) Animals lived on earth for billions of years (in very large numbers)
without destroying nature.
(3) They did not destroy nature because their thinking / activity was
limited to searching for food for one time only.
(4) Man has existed on earth in large numbers for only a few thousand
years / a few hundred years.
(5) Within this short period Man has destroyed the environment.
(6) This destruction took place because of Man's thinking.
(7) When man thinks he makes things.
(8) When he makes things he kills animals / trees / air / water / land.
( Nothing can be made without killing these five elements of nature ).
(9) A thinking species destroys the planet.
MENTAL WORK IS INJURIOUS TO THE MIND AND PLANET.
There is no higher purpose behind work.
People do not work because they want to work.
People work because they cannot stop working.
People cannot stop physical activity and mental activity (simultaneously) for even 2 minutes.
For most people it is a choice between physical and mental work.
The switch-over from physical work to mental work is disastrous for the planet.
Man can do the same physical work every day.
Man cannot do the same mental work every day.
When man used to do physical work ( farming and related activities ) he could do the same repetitive work day after day- generation after generation.
After the Industrial Revolution when man switched-over to mental work he
began a never ending process of making new machines / things / products--
a process which can only end with the complete destruction of environment ( planet ).
The nature of mental work is such that man has to do new mental work every day- in fact he has to do new mental work every moment- Man cannot repeat in the next moment the mental work that he has already done in the previous moment.
A mathematician cannot solve the same problem of mathematics every day- once he has solved it he will be forced to take up a new( unsolved) problem. Even when he is solving one particular problem he has to move from one step to another - there is a continuous change involved -- there is no constancy at any stage.
An engineer cannot design the same machine again and again –once he has made a machine he will try to make changes/ design a new one.
A writer cannot write the same article every day- he will be forced to write something new every day/ every moment (This is also the reason behind endless discussions/ debates/ arguments).
Change is an inherent feature of mental work.
Since change is an inherent feature of mental work - a society that does mental work can never be at peace with itself – it is impossible.
A society that does mental work will always be restless.
Only those societies that do physical work [agriculture and related activities] can find contentment and peace.
AS LONG AS CITIES EXIST WE CAN NEITHER SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT NOR THE MIND.
To save the ( remaining ) environment from destruction man will have to
return back to physical work ( smaller communities ).
To save the mind from mental diseases man will have to return back to
physical work ( smaller communities ).
Discussions, Debates and Arguments.
Let us examine how much discussion we are collectively having in Industrial Society every day.
Millions of pages in print – newspapers / books / magazines.
Millions of web-pages on internet every day.
Now add to this all the conversation (discussion) we are having through radio / television / telephone and several other media every day.
And add to this all the discussion we are having through face-to-face interaction.
The volume of discussion per individual in one week is greater than the total discussion someone living in pre-industrial society would have in his entire life.
There is too much discussion in modern society.
Discussion is not solving our problems – discussion itself has become a problem – a gigantic problem.
A society that does mental work will discuss itself to destruction [extinction]
A society that does mental work will argue itself to destruction [extinction]
A society that does mental work will debate itself to destruction [extinction]
A society that does mental work can never stop discussions / debates / arguments – it is impossible.
It will discuss / debate / argue till the last moment of it’s existence.
Please don’t discuss so much.
Please don’t argue so much.
Please don’t debate so much.
Discussions / Debates / Arguments – these are creations of a society that has switched-over from physical work to mental work.
Discussions / Debates / Arguments – these are diseases of a society that has switched-over from physical work to mental work.
Discussions / debates / arguments can end only in agriculture-based societies that do physical work.
We cannot do physical-work and mental-work simultaneously.
There is an inverse relationship between physical-work and mental-work.
If one is high [more] the other has got to be low [less]
If we want to do physical work we have to reduce mental activity by the same proportion.
If we want to do mental work we have to reduce physical activity by the same proportion.
There is very little discussion / debate / argument in societies that do physical work - ie, agriculture-based societies - And this is the reason why they are millions of times saner than industrial societies.
There was a time when Man knew nothing about the number of species and
millions of species existed.
Today Man knows the names of millions of species and nothing is left of
the species.
It took millions of years for millions of species to slowly come into existence on earth - and man has decimated all other species.
After destroying millions of highly-developed species on earth Man is today searching for a few molecules of life in outer-space.
If a few microbes, a few molecules of methane / water are found on Mars - it becomes the newspaper headline.
They call it progress.
The following is about to come true.
Nature can exist
(1) before man.
(2) after man.
(3) not with man.
Environment can be saved only if we stop production of most [ more than
99% ] of the consumer goods we are making today.
ENVIRONMENT CANNOT BE SAVED BY RECYCLING
TRYING TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT BY RECYCLING IS LIKE SHOOTING SOMEONE
10,000 TIMES AND THEN TRYING TO SAVE HIM BY TAKING OUT ONE BULLET.
Time is running out for this planet.
We are in the last 20 years.
Yours Sincerely,
Sushil Yadav
www.netshooter.com/emotion
Please note :
Fast emotions =emotions associated with fast visuals/fast words/fast breathing/fast heart-rate.
Slow emotions=emotions associated with slow visuals/slow words/slow breathing/slow heart-rate.
Rate of thinking=number of visuals/words processed per minute.
Gaps between thinking =gaps between visuals/ words/ sentences.
I am seeking help from volunteers in spreading this message far and wide.
I am sending you an Article to read. This is about the link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues. Can you (and your colleagues) help me in circulating this message among the right people?
Thank you,
Sushil Yadav
[ My background is given in the first letter ( letter No. 1 ) under the
topic " Correspondence with neuroscientists " on the website :
www.netshooter.com/emotion ]
MAIN ARTICLE & EXPERIMENT
Please note : The article has been written in short sentences rather than paragraph-form because it is about subjective experience / emotion/ reduction of thought.
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.
Subject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel.
Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet.
Subject : Environment can never be saved as long as cities exist.
Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking.
If there are no gaps there is no emotion.
Today people are thinking all the time and are mistaking thought (words/ language) for emotion.
When society switches-over from physical work (agriculture) to mental work (scientific/ industrial/ financial/ fast visuals/ fast words ) the speed of thinking keeps on accelerating and the gaps between thinking go on decreasing.
There comes a time when there are almost no gaps.
People become incapable of experiencing/ tolerating gaps.
Emotion ends.
Man becomes machine.
A society that speeds up mentally experiences every mental slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.
A ( travelling )society that speeds up physically experiences every physical slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.
A society that entertains itself daily experiences every non-entertaining moment as Depression / Anxiety.
FAST VISUALS /WORDS MAKE SLOW EMOTIONS EXTINCT.
SCIENTIFIC /INDUSTRIAL /FINANCIAL THINKING DESTROYS EMOTIONAL CIRCUITS.
A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY CANNOT FEEL PAIN / REMORSE / EMPATHY.
A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY WILL ALWAYS BE CRUEL TO ANIMALS/ TREES/ AIR/
WATER/ LAND AND TO ITSELF.
I am trying to get the following experiment conducted in a psychophysiology/ bio-chemistry laboratory.
There is a link between visual / verbal speed ( in perception, memory,
imagery ) and the bio-chemical state of the brain and the body.
Emotion can intensify / sustain only when visual and verbal processing
associated with the emotion slows down ( stops / freezes ).
The degree of difficulty of an emotion depends upon the degree of
freezing (of visuals and words ) required to intensify and sustain that
particular emotion.
Experiment:
Subjects (preferably actors specialising in tragedy / tragic roles )
will be asked to watch a silent video film showing any of the
following:-
(1) Human suffering.
(2) Animal suffering.
(3) Suffering ( Destruction ) of Air / Water / Land / Trees.
Subjects will be asked to intensify and sustain the subjective feeling of pain/ grief for the sufferer.
The chemical changes associated with the emotion in the body(blood) would be measured by appropriate methods.
The silent video film will be shown at different speeds :
(1) 125% of actual speed.
(2) Actual/real speed.
(3) 75% of actual speed.
(4) 50% of actual speed.
(5) 25% of actual speed.
Results :
(1) Intensity of emotion increases with the decrease in visual speed.
(2) Intensity of emotion is maximum when visual speed is minimum (25%
of actual speed)
(3) The amount of chemical change associated with the emotion in the
body(blood) will be found to increase with the decrease in visual speed.
(4) The chemical change is maximum when visual speed is minimum.
(5) The amount of chemical change will increase with the decrease in
breathing rate. Breathing becomes so slow and non-rhythmic that it stops
for some time at the inhalation/ exhalation stages.
The above co-relations will be valid for all subjects -even for those who cannot feel pain/ grief. Such subjects will experience emotion associated with boredom/ discomfort/ restlessness/ irritability/ uneasiness. The chemicals released will be different but the co-relation between visual speed and amount of chemical will be same( the breathing rates will be different/ fast).
All subjects will experience some kind of emotion.
[If scientists can discover 4000 different chemicals in cigarette-smoke then they can certainly detect the few chemicals released in blood when we experience higher-level emotions like pain, empathy, compassion, remorse etc… ]
In the 2nd stage of experiment we shall replace the silent video film with a Narrator ( Audio only ) and repeat the procedure thereby establishing the link between intensity of emotion and verbal speed. The narrator will slow down verbal speed by-- speaking slowly, stretching words, repetition of words/ sentences & making use of
pause/ silence between words.
Please note:
(1) A THINKING MIND CANNOT INTENSIFY / SUSTAIN ANY EMOTION.
While this statement is generally true for all emotions, it is
particularly true for all painful emotions.
(2) In a society in which visual ( verbal ) speed and breathing- rates
are fast , pain / remorse / empathy cannot be experienced. It is
impossible.
PROOF.
Proof of the link between pain and slow visuals / words :-
In the last century man has made thousands of movies / films on various
themes / subjects. Whenever pain / tragedy is shown in any film the
visuals ( scenes ) and words ( dialogues ) are always slowed down. In
many films tragedy is shown in slow motion. At the most intense moment
of pain the films almost become static / stationary.
Tragedy-films provide direct proof / evidence of the link between pain
and slowness.
Pain can intensify / sustain only when visual ( and verbal ) speed slows
down( stops/ freezes).
CHANGE IN VISUAL SPEED OVER THE YEARS
One thousand years ago visuals would change only when man physically
moved himself to a new place or when other people ( animals / birds )
and objects ( clouds / water ) physically moved themselves before him.
Today man sits in front of TV / Computer and watches the rapidly
changing visuals / audio.
He sits in a vehicle ( car / train / bus ) and as it moves he watches
the rapidly changing visuals.
He turns the pages of a book / newspaper / magazine and sees many
visuals / text in a short span.
CHANGE IN VERBAL SPEED OVER THE YEARS
In ancient times verbal processing was “live” in nature—ie it happened when people actually spoke.
Today there is non-stop verbal processing inside the mind through print and electronic media ( newspapers, books, magazines, radio, television, computer etc…) as a result of which the verbal content & speed has increased thousands of times.
The speed of visuals ( and words ) has increased so much during the last
one hundred years that today the human brain has become incapable of
focussing on slow visuals /words through perception, memory, imagery.
If we cannot focus on slow visuals / words we cannot experience emotions
associated with slow visuals /words.
Before the advent of Industrial Revolution Man's thinking was primarily
limited to :
(a) visual processing ( slow visuals )
(b) verbal / language processing ( slow words )
Today there are many kinds of fast thinking :
(1) visual processing ( fast visuals )
(2) verbal / language processing ( fast words )
(3) Scientific / Technical thinking ( fast )
(4) Industrial thinking ( fast )
(5) Business thinking ( fast )
(3), (4) & (5) ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NUMBERS / SYMBOLS / EQUATIONS /
GRAPHS /CIRCUITS / DIAGRAMS / MONEY / ACCOUNTING etc…
As long as the mind is doing this kind of thinking it cannot feel any
emotion - not an iota of emotion.
In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
In a thinking ( scientific / industrial ) society emotion itself becomes extinct.
EMOTION IS WHAT REMAINS IN THE MIND WHEN VISUAL /VERBAL PROCESSING SLOWS
DOWN (STOPS/ FREEZES )
There are certain categories of people who feel more emotion (subjective experience ) than others.
If we attempt to understand why (and how ) they feel more emotion we can learn a lot about emotion.
Writers, poets, actors, painters ( and other artists )
WRITERS
Writers do verbal ( and associated visual) processing whole day- every day.
They do slow verbal ( and associated visual) processing every day.
(A novel that we read in 2 hours might have taken 2 years to write. This is also the reason why the reader can never feel the intensity & duration of emotion experienced by the writer )
POETS
Poets do verbal ( and associated visual ) processing whole day- every day.
There is more emotion in poetry than in prose.
This happens because there are very few words ( and associated visuals ) in poetry than in any other kind of writing.
There is a very high degree of freezing / slowing down of visuals & words in poetry.
ACTORS
Actors do verbal ( and associated visual ) processing whole day- every day. During shooting / rehearsal they repeat the dialogues ( words ) again and again ( the associated visuals / scenes also get repeated along with the dialogues )
PAINTERS
Painters do visual ( and associated verbal ) processing whole day- every day.
They do extremely slow visual processing - The visual on the canvas changes only when the painter adds to what already exists on the canvas.
There are some important points to be noted :
All these people do visual & verbal processing - whole day - every day.
They do slow visual & verbal processing.
They do not do scientific / industrial / business processing whole day - every day.
Most of the city people doing mental work either do this kind of mental processing which is associated with NUMBERS / SYMBOLS/ Equations / Graphs / CIRCUITS / DIAGRAMS / MONEY / ACCOUNTING etc… or they do fast visual ( verbal ) processing whole day - every day.
This kind of thinking ( processing ) has come into existence only during the last 200 years and has destroyed our emotional ability ( circuits ).
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF ( SUBJECTIVE ) INTENSITY OF EMOTION IS ALMOST ALWAYS
WRONG.
Suppose the maximum intensity(and duration) of a particular emotion that
can be experienced by any human being is 100 units.
Let us suppose the maximum intensity(and duration) of that particular emotion ever
experienced by two people A & B in their entire life is :
A - 100units
B - 20 units
Now suppose A & B are made subjects on a particular day and are asked
to feel that particular emotion under experimental conditions ( or
outside the laboratory ) and the intensity &duration they actually experience is
:
A - 90 units
B - 18 units
If A &B are then asked to indicate the intensity &duration of emotion on a scale
of 0 -10 their response is likely to be ;
A - 9
B - 9
Who is right and who is wrong ?
A is right.
B is wrong - B is wrong by a wide margin - B has experienced an
intensity(and duration) of 18 units out of a maximum of 100 units and his correct /
actual score should be 1.8
Self- assessment ( self rating ) can be accurate only if people have
the capacity to experience the highest intensity &duration ( units ) of the
particular emotion under study.
Because of physical work and slow visual/verbal processing in small(slow)agriculture based societies of the past, the mind used to experience a state of emotion all the time. If we read one thousand-year-old literature we will not come across the term "boredom" -the concept of boredom did not exist in slow societies. There were long gaps between different visuals and between words/ sentences -and people had the ability to experience/ tolerate the gaps -it was normal for them.
Emotion can intensify / sustain only when visual / verbal processing slows down ( stops / freezes ). In an Industrial (thinking) society people experience very little emotion because of fast ( visual / verbal / scientific / industrial / business ) thinking
Suppose the maximum intensity and duration of a particular emotion ( for most people ) in a fast society has reduced to 5 units ( from 100 units that people used to experience in earlier /slower societies ).
If such people experience 4 units of emotion they will give themselves a
rating /score of 8 on a scale of 0-10 whereas their actual score should
be 0.4
IN A FAST SOCIETY SLOW EMOTIONS BECOME EXTINCT.
IQ Vs EQ
IQ always has an element of change in it – IQ is about trying to make/ discover/ invent something new all the time.
Change is an inherent feature of IQ.
IQ is also about thinking more in less time—it involves speeding up of mind. Someone who does more mathematics in less time is considered more intelligent in mathematics. IQ is about change and speed.
EQ is about sustainment of the same feeling/experience over a period of time. When we experience any higher-level emotion for 10 minutes we experience the same feeling( subjective experience) over and over again for 10 minutes.
The( same) feeling can sustain only if there is Repetition.
EQ involves Repetition—Constancy—Sameness.
IQ and EQ are contradictory.
IQ and EQ are opposites.
IQ and EQ are inversely proportional.
(1) A thinking species destroys the planet.
(2) Animals lived on earth for billions of years (in very large numbers)
without destroying nature.
(3) They did not destroy nature because their thinking / activity was
limited to searching for food for one time only.
(4) Man has existed on earth in large numbers for only a few thousand
years / a few hundred years.
(5) Within this short period Man has destroyed the environment.
(6) This destruction took place because of Man's thinking.
(7) When man thinks he makes things.
(8) When he makes things he kills animals / trees / air / water / land.
( Nothing can be made without killing these five elements of nature ).
(9) A thinking species destroys the planet.
MENTAL WORK IS INJURIOUS TO THE MIND AND PLANET.
There is no higher purpose behind work.
People do not work because they want to work.
People work because they cannot stop working.
People cannot stop physical activity and mental activity (simultaneously) for even 2 minutes.
For most people it is a choice between physical and mental work.
The switch-over from physical work to mental work is disastrous for the planet.
Man can do the same physical work every day.
Man cannot do the same mental work every day.
When man used to do physical work ( farming and related activities ) he could do the same repetitive work day after day- generation after generation.
After the Industrial Revolution when man switched-over to mental work he
began a never ending process of making new machines / things / products--
a process which can only end with the complete destruction of environment ( planet ).
The nature of mental work is such that man has to do new mental work every day- in fact he has to do new mental work every moment- Man cannot repeat in the next moment the mental work that he has already done in the previous moment.
A mathematician cannot solve the same problem of mathematics every day- once he has solved it he will be forced to take up a new( unsolved) problem. Even when he is solving one particular problem he has to move from one step to another - there is a continuous change involved -- there is no constancy at any stage.
An engineer cannot design the same machine again and again –once he has made a machine he will try to make changes/ design a new one.
A writer cannot write the same article every day- he will be forced to write something new every day/ every moment (This is also the reason behind endless discussions/ debates/ arguments).
Change is an inherent feature of mental work.
Since change is an inherent feature of mental work - a society that does mental work can never be at peace with itself – it is impossible.
A society that does mental work will always be restless.
Only those societies that do physical work [agriculture and related activities] can find contentment and peace.
AS LONG AS CITIES EXIST WE CAN NEITHER SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT NOR THE MIND.
To save the ( remaining ) environment from destruction man will have to
return back to physical work ( smaller communities ).
To save the mind from mental diseases man will have to return back to
physical work ( smaller communities ).
Discussions, Debates and Arguments.
Let us examine how much discussion we are collectively having in Industrial Society every day.
Millions of pages in print – newspapers / books / magazines.
Millions of web-pages on internet every day.
Now add to this all the conversation (discussion) we are having through radio / television / telephone and several other media every day.
And add to this all the discussion we are having through face-to-face interaction.
The volume of discussion per individual in one week is greater than the total discussion someone living in pre-industrial society would have in his entire life.
There is too much discussion in modern society.
Discussion is not solving our problems – discussion itself has become a problem – a gigantic problem.
A society that does mental work will discuss itself to destruction [extinction]
A society that does mental work will argue itself to destruction [extinction]
A society that does mental work will debate itself to destruction [extinction]
A society that does mental work can never stop discussions / debates / arguments – it is impossible.
It will discuss / debate / argue till the last moment of it’s existence.
Please don’t discuss so much.
Please don’t argue so much.
Please don’t debate so much.
Discussions / Debates / Arguments – these are creations of a society that has switched-over from physical work to mental work.
Discussions / Debates / Arguments – these are diseases of a society that has switched-over from physical work to mental work.
Discussions / debates / arguments can end only in agriculture-based societies that do physical work.
We cannot do physical-work and mental-work simultaneously.
There is an inverse relationship between physical-work and mental-work.
If one is high [more] the other has got to be low [less]
If we want to do physical work we have to reduce mental activity by the same proportion.
If we want to do mental work we have to reduce physical activity by the same proportion.
There is very little discussion / debate / argument in societies that do physical work - ie, agriculture-based societies - And this is the reason why they are millions of times saner than industrial societies.
There was a time when Man knew nothing about the number of species and
millions of species existed.
Today Man knows the names of millions of species and nothing is left of
the species.
It took millions of years for millions of species to slowly come into existence on earth - and man has decimated all other species.
After destroying millions of highly-developed species on earth Man is today searching for a few molecules of life in outer-space.
If a few microbes, a few molecules of methane / water are found on Mars - it becomes the newspaper headline.
They call it progress.
The following is about to come true.
Nature can exist
(1) before man.
(2) after man.
(3) not with man.
Environment can be saved only if we stop production of most [ more than
99% ] of the consumer goods we are making today.
ENVIRONMENT CANNOT BE SAVED BY RECYCLING
TRYING TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT BY RECYCLING IS LIKE SHOOTING SOMEONE
10,000 TIMES AND THEN TRYING TO SAVE HIM BY TAKING OUT ONE BULLET.
Time is running out for this planet.
We are in the last 20 years.
Yours Sincerely,
Sushil Yadav
www.netshooter.com/emotion
Please note :
Fast emotions =emotions associated with fast visuals/fast words/fast breathing/fast heart-rate.
Slow emotions=emotions associated with slow visuals/slow words/slow breathing/slow heart-rate.
Rate of thinking=number of visuals/words processed per minute.
Gaps between thinking =gaps between visuals/ words/ sentences.
I am seeking help from volunteers in spreading this message far and wide.
0
Comments
Welcome to our community, Mr. Yadav.
I'll get right on it.
Regarding Industrialization there is an important point to be noted. Modern Industrial Society has existed for 100 years - 200 years - 300 years. When we compare this period with the total duration for which human society has existed on earth this period is so short - so small that it almost does'nt exist. It is almost zero.
Material things don't bring peace and happiness. Today billions of people have got things which even Kings did not have in the past. Car, computer, television, fridge, telephone - no King ever had these things. But people are still restless and unhappy. The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems - besides destroying the environment. Our Minds cannot be spiritual or peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be spiritual or peaceful if we destroy Nature.
Consumerist-Lifestyle is just not sustainable. If we do not immediately return to living a very simple and frugal life then very soon there will be no human life on earth.
sushil yadav
Sushil,
I've had this very same thought regarding the Industrial Revolution. If one thinks about all the millinea(sp?) Man has been on the Earth - and how in such a short time (during the IR) we've managed to destroy the Earth - it's really mind boggling.
But, to say that we must all return to a more simple form of life, IMHO, just isn't going to happen.
In fact, I don't believe that even if, as a species, we are hit with the facts of "If everyone doesn't start living a simple life, no cars, no electricity, etc. - in five years the Earth will die." - people would take it seriously. We've become a species too fickle, too addicted to technology - to accept anything other than "The World Revolves Around Me".
Sad - but I think there are some people taking steps to ensure there is something left for the folks here in the next 100 years. I just hope we continue making steps forward.
-bf
The threat to the destruction of our Planet used to be thought as coming from Nuclear destruction brought about through mankinds love of War, now I suspect it is slightly more insidious and likely to be a slower process brought about through pollution, CO2 emissions, cutting down rainforests etc...
I have a little more faith in Mankind's natural survival instinct, with the massive increase in fuel prices and the natural disasters that have befallen our Planet in recent times, have resulted in far more focus on this whole issue of our enviroment. I believe that We will run things pretty close to the wire but in the end good sense will prevail. In the meanwhile it is the responsibility of the individual to play their part by recycling and doing what we are all doing now, carrying on keeping this issue "Live" by discussing this subject and putting pressure in what ever way we can in our respective societies.
You have made good points however Sushil !!
Abe,
Obviously you don't watch enough American reality television.
That might change your views of what we're capable of as humans...
-bf
Our attention spans are increased I believe. Look at how many hours people spend on the internet or playing video games. The hand-eye coordination kids have now is unbelievable. Their understanding of new things comes quicker and they are smarter and mor einformed than generations of the past. Not everyone wants to live a spiritual life., It is up to the parents to instill these values, not society's. The big problem with beng too spiritual is certain people capatalize on this and people end becoming sheeple. I say let's work on cleaner ways of doing things and focus on space exploration and ocean exploration. Simple luxuries today may not have been simple before but that's how things are. I know, from experience, how the world can overcome us but I wouldn't change a thing. I wake up everyday looking forward to the next advancement in technology. I look at technology with the eyes and excitement of a child. I wouldn't want to go back in time and live 100 years ago. Most of the people would be cavemen who I couldn't even have an intelligent conversation with.
Think Positive.
Psychologists say -- Think Positive.
Politicians say – Think Positive.
Economists say – Think Positive.
Scientists say – Think Positive.
Everyone says – Think Positive.
Arctic ice is melting – Glaciers are melting – Rivers are drying up.
Think Positive.
Fish population in Oceans is down to 1/3 of what it was 100 years ago.
Think Positive.
Pollution levels are going sky-high and valley-deep.
Think Positive.
There used to be millions of members in most species of Animals and Birds. Now they are down to thousands and hundreds.
Think Positive.
Weather is getting more and more irregular and unpredictable.
Think Positive.
Thinking positive is the height of insanity.
Thinking positive is the height of abnormality.
This is a world that has become completely incapable of feeling Pain, Compassion, Remorse and Guilt.
The planet is getting destroyed moment by moment – and people are thinking positive.
Very soon there will be 1 Animal and 1 Tree left in this world – and people will still be thinking positive.
They will be holding Seminars, Conferences and Global-Summits to save the Environment.
sushil yadav
My point exactly.
-bf
Is a house a natural construct? Materials manipulated to conform to an ideal/purpose.
Is a bird's nest a natural construct? Materials manipulated to conform to an ideal/purpose.
We're not so different to our feathered friends.
i used to think of humanity as a cancer on this world for much the same reasons you've listed. This is the height of arrogance. We are at best the flu. The Earth has survived for billions of years with meteors, supervolcanoes, ice-ages etc, including mass (up to 90% of species) extinctions. Man is still a part of the Earth no matter how 'advanced' we become and as such we will change the Earth - as all species do to a greater or lesser degree (co-evolution - for better or worse (a human concept). We may screw the planet up for centuries/millenia and kill half the world's species and ourselves in the process but the Earth has survived worse and will survive us try as we might.
i'm not advocating we do nothing just we have to be realistic in our ambitions and keep things in perspective.
excellent point about keeping things in perspective. as without the advancements in technology how would you propose to get out the message in the first place.
also is it not just man's "ego" that allows us to believe that we could destroy this planet/universe. i tend to agree with twobitbob that we are more or less a flu or parisite in our current forms that will eventually be cleansed from this planet one way or another anyway and it is what we do now in our current forms that will ultimately decide our own fates as well as the fates of others.
the last man standing with the last tree will still think positive as long as he still clings
to "ego".
if nothing could or can be done about the current state of affairs on our planet than why do we continue to try? is it not spirituallity and a belief in the posibility of peace and understanding on a global basis one of the main goals of the buddhist philosophy.
from some of the books that i have read by Thich Nhat Hanh does he not write about how we can only correct the wrongs that have been done and continue to be done to our planet
through peace and understanding on a global basis?
and the only way to achieve this goal is one individual at a time which is a very slow process,
so the question thus becomes is there enough time left for us to make a difference and come together on a global basis to make the changes that will be required?
as for myself i try everyday to make a difference.
And may I add that pessimism is far from the ideal mindset to approach any problem. It may be that we are trying too little, too late. So what? We could just give up and the whole process of degradation will simply speed up. A form of species suicide. What is more, there is no convincing evidence that it is too late.
From my own pov, which I sometimes arrogantly call 'Buddhist', pessimism is, also, far from Right View.
We can never save the environment by doing something.
It is overactivity that has destroyed environment in the first place.
Human-species is the only one out of millions of species that has indulged in overactivity on this planet [ And for that very reason the human species is going to exist on earth for the least amount of time]
And it is not Mild Overactivity – It is Excessive Overactivity – Exponential Overactivity.
We cannot save the environment by doing something.
We can only save it by doing less of what we have been doing - much less of what we have been doing.
If we want to save environment we will have to reduce human activity [overactivity] by 99%.
sushil yadav
Sushil,
We can save the enviroment by doing things. This I have proven to myself. When I first moved into my house. My yard was a total disaster, No Plants and no wild life. While it has taken a lot of hard work and understanding. My yard has once again become a haven for birds, insects, and plants. As well As providng food and Medicine for me and my family.
If it wasn't for some of the technology of today, Such as Solar lights and pumps and Knowledge. The Knowledge I used, made it possible for me to do this with out chemicals or heavy machinery. I would not havebeen able to provided a home/ resting place for some of this planets species. As well as provided a way for clearing some of the pollution out of the air. If we all do a little something. We can not only save our mother for our children. But we can help prevent the total extinction of all who reside here.
Hawk
What you and other people like you are doing is very good and needs to be appreciated.
The problem is - Billions of people are destroying the environment.
Only a few thousand are trying to save it.
People who are trying to save are able to save / create a few thousand hectares of Forest every year.
Whereas the Consumerist, Industrial Society is collectively destroying millions of hectares of Forest every year.
The mathematics is very simple.
What we are destroying is much - much greater than what we are saving.
The rate of destruction is so high - the situation is so alarming that it will be all over in the next 15 - 20 years.
sushil yadav
*PORTIONS OF THIS THREAD HAVE BEEN DELETED FOR REASONS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED VIA PRIVATE MESSAGE, WITH THE POSTER.*
Even with the portion of this post that was deleted, what are you suggesting?
Thousands of people, every day, sit around and make comments about how we're destroying the Earth - and nothing is being done about it.
Millions of people, who know that we're destroying the planet, still consume goods, throw their garbage into their garbage cans, still drive to work, still work for industries that create huge amounts of waste, still go to the hospital even though Nature has dictated that it's time for them to leave ... ...
And what do you propose? What do you propose that is realistic? Or is this just to point out the obvious?
Or are you simply suggesting that Humanity kill itself and then everything will be okay?
That's not going to happen. Nature and Fate have wreaked havoc on millions and billions of life forms even before Man stepped into the picture.
Earth wasn't even inhabitable in it's early stages. Some scientists think that another planet smashed into Earth and a chunk of that collision later became our Moon.
Once life was established, Nature has had a hand in destroying millions and millions of life forms - before Man ever stepped into the picture.
You make some great points - without great solutions. Nature over the course of her control of this planet has killed more animals, more species, more races, more off-spring than Man could ever hope to catch up with.
So..... what do you we?
-bf
-bf
I think that what you are noticing is that 'civilisation' is a black hole which gobbles up resources. This is a direct consequence of city culture. A city does not produce basics: it transforms raw materials which it does not, itself, own. Alternatively, the city will exchange goods for money, a clever confidence trick.
You are entirely right to notice that over-population is the single most poisonous aspect of our city culture and, I foresee, will be the proximate cause of its collapse. When the Green Parties of Europe tried to include population limitation in their various manifestoes, the howls of outrage went up. Unrestricted procreation would seem to rank high in the list of "rights" that people claim as natural or "inalienable".
Nevertheless, whilst it may appear that humanity trying to save the planet equates to cancer cells trying to save a body, I say again that pessimism is not a useful way forward.
Here in Ventura County Ca. we have a large number of Strcitly Organic Farmers and Free Range Farms. The Farmers found out that not only was it cost effective to grow organic. But they have less problems with pests than in other places in California.
So while you say there are only a few thousand trying to save the earth. That is truly all it takes to start and eventually spread. All we need to do is spread the knowledge and let people on Earth know that not only is it going to help thier pocket books, but it doesn't take an act of God so to speak to do the right thing.
Moonlgt,
I'm not arguing that point. I agree with you that change has to start somewhere.
My only point is sitting around pining about how Humans have ruined everything - does... does... ummmm....??? I'm still trying to figure that out.
Taking a fatalistic view of just "let's kill everyone in the world and it will become a better place" just seems ... not very positive or realistic to me.
-bf
It's not very productive. That I do admit. But there will always be people who will be negative. I was only trying to point out that there is a positive side to the issue that was orginally posted. Other than the total anilation of the human race.
See how good we are together!
If it was up to you and I - we'd have things straightened out in a minute!
-bf
All,
What in this world is not impermanent? What 'world' itself is not impermanent? Where can permanence be found? These very questions lead one on a quest, commissioned by the Lord Buddha himself, to discover just what is worth clinging to. Our Holy Grail(s) - Eternal happiness, Permanence, Self. At the end of this quest we just may very well find that, "Sabbe dhamma nalam abhinivesaya." That is, "Nothing whatsoever should be clung to." If 'mankind' were a disease, what would be the cure? What purgative would release us from our suffering? The Buddha once had this to say for those with the wisdom to understand:
"Monks, doctors give a purgative for warding off diseases caused by bile, diseases caused by phlegm, diseases caused by the internal wind property. There is a purging there; I don't say that there's not, but it sometimes succeeds and sometimes fails. So I will teach you the noble purgative that always succeeds and never fails, a purgative whereby beings subject to birth are freed from birth; beings subject to aging are freed from aging; beings subject to death are freed from death; beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair are freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak."
"As you say, lord," the monks responded.
The Blessed One said: "Now, what is the noble purgative that always succeeds and never fails, a purgative whereby beings subject to birth are freed from birth; beings subject to aging are freed from aging; beings subject to death are freed from death; beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair are freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair?
"In one who has right view, wrong view is purged away, and the many evil, unskillful mental qualities that come into play in dependence on wrong view are purged away as well, while the many skillful mental qualities that depend on right view go to the culmination of their development.
"In one who has right resolve, wrong resolve is purged away...
"In one who has right speech, wrong speech is purged away...
"In one who has right action, wrong action is purged away...
"In one who has right livelihood, wrong livelihood is purged away...
"In one who has right effort, wrong effort is purged away...
"In one who has right mindfulness, wrong mindfulness is purged away...
"In one who has right concentration, wrong concentration is purged away...
"In one who has right knowledge, wrong knowledge is purged away...
"In one who has right release, wrong release is purged away, and the many evil, unskillful mental qualities that come into play in dependence on wrong release are purged away as well, while the many skillful mental qualities that depend on right release go to the culmination of their development.
"This, monks, is the noble purgative that always succeeds and never fails, a purgative whereby beings subject to birth are freed from birth; beings subject to aging are freed from aging; beings subject to death are freed from death; beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair are freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair."
- Virecana Sutta: AN X.108
Jason
You have made some interesting points indeed. BUT...what is your solution to all the problems you have raised? Reducing human activity is such a broad statement. Do we simply destroy our metropolisis and all live out in the country? (What do you do with 6 billion people then?) Abruptly stop using automobiles?
You yourself have typed your ideas on a computer. A computer that was made in an industrial factory; A factory that only harms the environment more!
I believe in helping the environment. But I also believe in moderation as well. I don't say 'damned be progress and technology'! I am all in favor of alternative energy sources and fuels.
The Earth will survive just as it has in the past. Whether it be metors, ice ages, or Dark Ages, the world will continue.
technology is meant to make it easier so why is everything more complex than ever.. more stress, more pain and less of what matters, education doesn't teach anything useful and its exams are nothing than speculative about ppl's abilities. Jobs are doing stuff for others which largely isn't needed at all. Why should anyone have to package millions of ppls lunchs in their lifetime? instead of just getting their own.. baffles me
i just wanna do simple things in a simple world with simple ppl.. and thats impossible due to this stress,stereotypes and prejudices of this world.. there is freedom in that we can do what we want.. but theres no escaping the world and the pathetic excuse that has evolved as our culture.
We will indeed destroy ourselves.. and that is killing the planet.. the planet will never be truelly destroyed and neither will we.. but we've polluted and hurt what could be so much more beautiful. Whether humans are around after the earth is one thing.
For instance, at one time 90% of the species on Earth were destroyed, wiped out, extinct, gone forever. That was no doing of ours. We weren't even around back then. Extinction is a natural process even when that extinction is perpetrated by another species. We humans almost went extinct in the darkest times of the Middle Ages when plagues destroyed 1/3 of humans.
That brings me to another point. The use of the word 'natural'. Everything is natural. That pile of dog feces in your yard...all natural. The green toxic, glow in the dark stuff is all natural. If it's in nature, it is a part of nature. That includes humans and our machines and buildings. After all, the materials to make those are all found in nature. Look around your house and do find something that you would call 'all natural'.
If anything, like the dinosaurs, we humans are just another surface pest to the Earth. The planet will keep doing it's thing and most likely, like our great scaly predecessors, it will wipe us out too. And we will be nothing but a bunch of bones that the next group of arrogant superior animals will prod at.
It's not that I am against a cleaner environment, but when such a ridiculously extremist liberal view is taken, credibility becomes a bit shady.
Palzang
Palzang
Ah! The happy days of the Plague! Varying estimates from 1/3rd to 1/2 of the population wiped out within a few years. War for 3/4 of the century in Europe. Religious fanaticism.
All very similar to ourselves, I agree. Plus, we have holes in the ozone layer (remember those? funny how they have slipped off the front or inside pages) and global warming.
The Earth may recover. The human race may not.
Palzang
Following today's reprt from Sir Nicholas Stern, we still have to listen to self-serving and self-satisfied 'fat cats' denying what we can all see happening even in our own gardens: I have a spring fuschia which has come back into full bloom! It is very beautiful but is a real harbinger of doom.
So you're saying that because world-scale disasters have happened without human contribution, that people should just not care whether we contribute to one now??? Or that, since things have been 'worse' in the past that we should change our behaviors in a way which may avert worldwide catastrophe. That's downright irresponsible & foolish (sorry). On that logic, I should just start drinking, smoking & neglect my health in general, because diseases & death happen despite refraining from all these things.
Look, we are making a mess of things. We are living lifestyles which are untenable & will eventually lead to an energy crisis & food crisis. Millions, if not billions, could die in a very short time period. Shouldn't we do everything we can (within reason) to try and find solutions to these problems we are creating on a daily basis? Sure, a meteor or some other unforeseen disaster might wipe out our whole planet. But it might not either. That means we should act as though it won't & if it does, then it does.
Sorry, but I just can't morally justify that kind of attitude.
_/\_
metta
The use of atomic fission and fusion is of another order. We are all aware that the waste from peaceful use of this power will take centuries to become safe and its disposal is now a major headache. CFCs in aerosols are a major cause of ozone depletion and we now know that CO2 from combustion of refined petroleum creates a greenhouse effect by remaining as a reflective layer in the atmosphere.
These are the results of human action. They are within the scope of action by the human community to increase or reduce. The choice is ours and, like so much else in this world that depends on human will, we cannot avoid outcomes resulting from our action or inaction. It is true that the non-human processes that control variations of climate have brought about the great ice ages and the little ones, such as that in Europe in the 16th to 18th centuries, or the droughts and heatwaves that hit the Americas earlier than that. The point here is that our own actions are re-inforcing any such processes. The question is: are we already too late or is there time to roll back the devastation that we see all around us?
No, not everything IS natural. There is a byproduct of the pulp and paper industry, for example, that does not occur in nature. When pulpwood is bleached with chlorine it creates chemical compounds called organochlorines, one of which is Dioxin, and these chemicals are flushed out of the plant into whichever stream or river upon which the plant is situated. Organochlorines do NOT occur naturally in the environment and nature doesn't know what to do with them. They are also bioaccumulative, which means that levels of them are found in larger and larger quantities the further up the food chain you go. The highest levels recorded are in human breast milk.
Dioxin is a much, much deadlier substance than even plutonium, which I will get to in a second. When the environment encounters dioxin it doesn't know what to do with it and the result includes things like extremely fragile bird's eggs and the very rapid diminishment of male genitalia in frogs until they are no longer able to reproduce. It appears that nature's reaction to these compounds has been to assume, if I may anthropomorphize for a moment, that the environment has become hostile to life and is thus creating a situation in which the most vulnerable species can no longer reproduce. This is not natural and has never occurred before in the history of the planet.
Uranium, which is mined from the deepest recesses of the earth to produce plutonium to fuel nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons, is a natural substance all right. But its natural environment is beneath the earth's surface, not above it, since it is deadly to all life on the face of the earth. The only reasons it has been introduced to the surface of the planet is because humanity has mismanaged the vast energy resources found here and because of the folly of war.
You have more research to do before you disparage environmentalists who are doing massive amounts of work on your behalf, even though you're completely ungrateful for it.
Nickidoodle Jellybean
Palzang
Nickidoodle Jellybean
But then if not for modern technology I wouldn't even exist. My Mom had a congenital heart condition that would have killed her at an early age had she not undergone an advanced surgery when she was a child.
In a way, I'm the child of modernity
Nickidoodle Jellybean
Palzang
Nickidoodle Jellybean
Palzang