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Critical Thought about Senseless Contradictions

Archive for February, 2008

Food! It’s what’s for dinner…

February 29th, 2008

Food, it’s what’s for dinner…

Independence is an illusion. Our organic world dictates our dependence on things outside of us to maintain the life within. Whether air, water, food, or shelter, the maintenance of our lives depends on environmental resources.

Money, it’s how we pay for dinner…

Money represents time. We exchange our time for a unit of trade called money. We give our time to enterprise and receive money commensurate with the value attributed to the work. We use the money (our time) to buy resources that will maintain our life.

Economy, it’s why we eat dinner…

Economy comes from two greek words meaning household law. It’s what I call, the law of the pantry. In ancient times, the steward economized (dispensed) the resources of the household to its members using wisdom to ensure there would be neither unmanageable surplus nor unpleasant shortfall. The proper dispensing of resources ensure the household is maintained in good order. Poor economical choices would spell certain trouble and possible disaster.

Based on these definitions, we could state the following: our lives are » More: Food! It’s what’s for dinner…

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Posted in Biotechnology, Environment, Food

Privacy is an Illusion…

February 28th, 2008

We live inside a biosphere called Earth. Within this bubble are bacteria that can help or harm. There are animals that can serve or kill. There are insects that can be useful or pests. And there are people who want to preserve life and others who don’t.

Therefore we govern these variables to maintain balance. WE are the government as much as WE are the environment. We cannot alienate ourselves into an US versus THEM attitude.

I live in an environment where there are certain ones whose sole duty is to watch for any foreign intruder and deal with them. I don’t even know who these soldiers are and I know only vaguely » More: Privacy is an Illusion…

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Posted in Environment, Government, Internet, Technology

Tags: government intrusion Internet privacy

Environmental Themes…

February 21st, 2008

Anthropocentrism – The world-view espoused by a bunch of egocentrics.

Biocentrism – The world-view espoused by egocentrics who think they’re enlightened.

Ecocentristm – The world-view espoused by egocentrics who think they are more clever than Biocentrics.

Envirocentrism – The world-view espoused by really, Really clever, attention-craving egocentrics.

Interdependency – A fancy way of saying that each one of us is unique…just like everyone else.
Overconsumption and Overpopulation – What you fear can happen if you believe Nature can’t take care of herself.
Geological vs. Human Time – A good way to see how significant mankind really is since we’ve made such an impact in such a short time.
Environmental Language – Spin, double-speak, politico. See also, ‘forked tongue’.

Of course I am having fun with this but don’t assume my definitions are untrue. These five themes are revisited by all groups on both sides of the environment centered debates. An example can be heard among our current presidential contenders and their groupies.

The challenge of making sense of all this is demanding, as mentioned by fellow classmate Antonio Guerrero in his post on Interdependency. But like all large calculations, reducing the equation to the simplest terms can be a useful first step. » More: Environmental Themes…

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Posted in environmentalism, Population Growth

Tags: anthropocentrism biocentrism ecocentrism environmentalism over-consumption over-population

The Sierra Club

February 18th, 2008

The trading post had been raided and several people killed; in the name of conservation. Chief Tenaya and his tribe, renegades among their own people, were feeling the encroachment of the miners and settlers closing in. Through retaliation, they sought to conserve the land they called Ahwanee. The year was 1851.

The miners and early American settlers had their own definition of conservation. So they captured and drove the Chief and his Paiute renegades from the land and, as was customary among 18th century Europeans, renamed the land. The name chosen was » More: The Sierra Club

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Posted in Conservationism, Environment, Simple Living

Tags: conservation sierra club yosemite

The Universe…

February 15th, 2008

The microscopic world so small
The super macro high and tall
Unreachable they seem at best
Such reason cannot stop man’s quest

From subatomic particles
To Galaxies in constant swirls
For movement most centrifugal
Yet life of meaning hardly full

From small to large the search goes on
From high to low, from short to long
Though man conceives eternity
When in the dark it’s hard to see

For depth of soul has not been plumbed
And height of Spirit not yet climbed
Except for One whose overall
Who can’t be named by man so small

Such mystery, how can it be?
Yet one who tastes will surely see
Reality experienced
Yet not explained by common sense

The living know though can’t explain
The life beyond the space/time plain
They see by their experience
The life beyond the human fence

The wheel of life in cyclic flow
Science does this life man show
Yet wheel within the wheel is dim
To those with conscience marred by sin

And with the light within comes truth
Yet not for lofty heads comes forth
As water fills the empty cup
So humble souls the truth fills up

The wheel within the wheel is seen
Experienced beyond the mind
It lies within the deepest part
The likes of which some never find.

- by D. McPheeters

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Posted in environmentalism, Mystery of Life, Simple Living

Tags: environmental poetry mystery poem universe

Ecofriendly School lunches…

February 14th, 2008

Soc 333 – Assignment 2
1/23/08

Analyzing Environmental Issues
School Lunches: How to Make Cafeteria Food Better for Kids and the Environment

My favorite subject in my mid-1960’s grade school – next to recess – was lunchtime! Remember school lunches; those hot, colorful dishes served on large plastic platters and a carton of milk on the side? Included in the super low price was the promise that you were receiving all the nutrients necessary for a healthy mind and body. You knew this because the head of the school cafeteria was a Nutritionist. Such a title guaranteed you the most balanced and carefully planned diet available anywhere. You felt sorry for those poor kids who could not afford the hot lunch program and had to bring a brown bag from home with some cold, soggy sandwich. How could those brown baggers’ mothers live with their conscience? Hot school lunches were on par with Airline food and Hospital meals. People in the know were planning and preparing menus every week. We’re talking about » More: Ecofriendly School lunches…

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Posted in Education, Environment, Health

Tags: Education Environment nutrition school lunch

Simple Living with a twist…

February 13th, 2008

I’ve enjoyed the thoughtful comments from the class (Soc 333 on Sociology of Environment) concerning the simple living movement. However, I noted some inconsistencies due either to misunderstanding or circular reasoning. I wish to clarify two of them.

First, simple living is not the reduction of Man-made items. From beginning of time, man has made his shelter and clothing and containers for food and weapons to secure food. It might be better stated that Man should continue to progress by making new items in » More: Simple Living with a twist…

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Posted in Environment, Simple Living, Sustainability

Tags: Environment Simple Living Sustainability synthesis

Man-made is not the problem…

February 12th, 2008

Hi Asa, you ask a great question regarding sustainability of population growth.

I have to be careful about believing statements without verifying research. Actually, the entire world population could stand shoulder to shoulder in Jackson County, Florida and still leave over 1/2 the » More: Man-made is not the problem…

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Posted in Population Growth, Sustainability

Tags: future Population Growth Sustainability

We are “Human Beings” (not ‘human doings’)

February 12th, 2008

1. “How deep the ruts of tradition and conformity!” (Thoreau, Walden, paragraph 6 of Conclusion)

The Simple Living movement recognizes the superficiality of present day society which, though formed with mankind’s happiness in view, has not succeeded in achieving it. Thoreau, who saw through the facade from nearly every angle, said it best when he penned, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” (Economy, paragraph 9). His view of the modern world’s pursuit of luxuries was a “positive hindrance to the elevation of mankind.” (Ibid, paragraph 19). He had come to realize that ‘being’ was more important then ‘doing’ but that society had only framed a universe for the latter rather than the former. The Simple Living movement therefore, is interested in » More: We are “Human Beings” (not ‘human doings’)

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Posted in Environment, environmentalism, Health, Simple Living

Tags: buddhism Environment Simple Living stress Thoreau walden

Environmentalism: New paradigm or new religion?

February 12th, 2008

Environmentalism is not my religion yet I am in favor of the proper care of our environment. The American Heritage dictionary* defines this topic as follows: en·vi·ron·men·tal·ism…

Advocacy for or work toward protecting the natural environment from destruction or pollution.
The theory that environment rather than heredity is the primary influence on intellectual growth and cultural development.

The etymology is from the French verb environner, to surround. Therefore I understand the environment to be any surrounding in which I find myself whether my physical body on a most personal level or planet earth on the macro scale. Based on this understanding I am indeed an environmentalist on a most intrinsic level since I am a living being and by nature must preserve my environment.

However, environmentalism is not my religion. I do not worship my » More: Environmentalism: New paradigm or new religion?

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Posted in Environment, environmentalism

Tags: environmentalism environmentalist