=====I have stated in other posts that I believe that an entirely neutral, scientific state should be formed somewhere in the world -- a state with allegiance only to the betterment of the planet and its inhabitants. Religion would have no place in the scientific state, nor would its views be sympathetic to religious need or ceremony, for religion is the natural enemy of objectivity and humanity. That having been said, I suggested that the scientific state be placed in what is now Palestine and Israel because of all the murder and devolution to civilization that religion has caused there. As a result of my statements, some people misunderstand my motivations and say that if I really saw to such an operation that I would be no better than those I am replacing. Misunderstanding is not without merit, as I forgot to mention that, in the hypothetical universe of my mind, the seizing of Palestine and Israel would be entirely non-lethal.
=====If it were possible to truly rally together all the great scientific minds of the world for this one cause, then such a task would probably have to be done before the founding of the actual state. When all the great scientific minds of the world are brought together in one place, the official scientific state or not, it opens the door to the development of new technologies. Technologies could be developed that made warfare largely non-lethal.
=====One of the first missions of the united scientific community would be to improve upon, and to develop, new non-lethal weapon technology. Improvements could be made to reduce the risks of death caused by the use of non-lethal weapons. Electrical and percussive stun weapons could be developed that were practical on the battlefield. New armors could be developed that made all who wore them largely impervious to lethal weapon attacks; so, it would be practical to engage an enemy, while using only non-lethal means, which was utilizing lethal force. Netting, restraining, and containing weapons and tactics could be developed that met the standards of practical military strategy. New radio and electromagnetic technologies could be developed that rendered missiles useless against either side. Fully automated and remotely controlled machines, armed with non-lethal weapons, could be developed to engage enemy forces that are too dangerous for a human army to handle. An entirely new method of warfare could be developed that would practically eliminate fatality, but maintain the desired result. Aside from technology, the formation of the scientific state would also reduce the risks of warfare in less direct ways.
=====No country in the world, regardless of might or strength, would want to engage a military force that would be, without question, the most technologically advanced in the history of civilization. Even if the scientific state used exclusively non-lethal means to fight any battles it might need to, all other countries would be aware of the unlikelihood of victory. Losing wars is not only bad because a nation loses the lives of its people, but because it leaves that nation vulnerable to invasion, occupation, and assimilation. The scientific state would be a growing state, like all nations are, so it would be no secret that it would eventually need to expand. The need to expand coupled with a technologically superior military and the opportunities created by military victory would make the scientific state a very uneasy target for the militaries of all other nations to consider.
=====The scientific state would not view the world as a group of governments, however. The scientific state would see the people of the world as separate from their governments. Food, aid, medical technologies, educational tools, and architectural advancements would be shared with the people of the world. Military technologies would not be shared with the governments of the world. For example, even if the scientific state were to be repeatedly attacked by the Unite States military, the scientific state would not cut the civilians of the United States off from the benefits of scientific advance. The people of the United States would be seen as a separate entity from the United States government and military. The scientific state would view all the civilians of every nation as world citizens. It is in this way that the scientific state would be truly neutral. It isn't difficult for one to surmise why the mere existence of such a state would generate the hostility, fear, and condemnation of many world powers -- no nation wants its people to feel as though they have some kind of power beyond the established government.
=====In these ways, and many ways unmentioned, the establishment of a scientific state in Palestine/Israel would not be comparable to the war that currently wages in the "Holy land." As few lives as technologically possible would be lost, on either side. The point of the invasion would not be to eliminate an enemy, but to secure land and relocate inhabitants who don't do anything with the land but kill one another. Once founded, the point of the scientific state would not be to oppress people with religion and justify murder, but to improve the over-all condition of the planet, and every species, in every conceivable way
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Universal Oneness or Universal Dumbness?
=====I often find myself meandering through MySpace profile after MySpace profile when I am bored. I read the profiles of my friends and then I read the profiles of their friends. When I read profiles, I don't just check out pictures to see how hot someone is or just look to see where they're from or scan the page to find out what colour their aura is or what Friends character they are. I actually read everything they put legitimate time into making known. I read "blogs," a word it is very painful for me to use -- yes, I do take myself that seriously, and I am that pretentious. I read bulletins and try to find pieces of art or literature that the people have created. I try to get an understanding of their beliefs and ideals. After I've done that, I will sometimes research interests or topics that the person made known and of which I had previously no knowledge. One of the most frequently made references by the MySpace user is the goal to "become one with the universe."
=====Granted, many of the people that proclaim the aspiration probably do so within a jocular context. Be they casual Buddhists, care-free fun-loving yuppies, politically-minded New-Agers, or just youths who have recently been exposed to many cultures, the humourous and playful connotations of universal oneness exists within a lot of social groups. Despite the lack of cold, hard sincerity, the concept still strikes an idealistic chord with many people.
=====I can, on some level, understand the need for a connection between the self and the Universe. I have a very significant interest in astronomy and the physical laws that make up the Universe. I study these things independently for no other reason than to be entertained and to understand my habitat in a broader sense. The more I learn and know about the Universe, the more my appetite for information grows. I take the time to read about things like gravity, relativity, time, space/time physics, and molecular science because I know that with each bit of information that I learn I increase my sources of general inspiration. I realize that the more that I know, the more weight the things that I say carry in conversation and debate. I realize that the more that I know, the more I can use that information to communicate new ideas and to stimulate the people that I care about to want to develop new ideas.
=====One of the things I have taken from my interest in astronomy is the understanding of how the Universe is made. To be clearer, I mean I understand what the Universe is made of and how those elements interact to create different cosmic phenomena. Without getting into specifics, the Universe is made of a series of reoccurring materials and laws. The same materials and laws that go into making a star also go into making a planet, a tree, or a human being. In essence, a human being is made of the same "stuff" as a star. As Carl Sagan once said, "[w]e are starstuff that knows it exists." In other words, even though stars are beautiful, giant, burning balls of inanimate gas, we, as an intelligent, sentient species, are made of the same materials and are of one like origin. Furthermore, the source of the materials that created the star is the same for the materials that created you or I. In the beginning of the creation of the Universe, but, in this case, more specifically, our Galaxy, all of the elements, atoms, energies, and laws of the cosmos swirled around and produced everything within it from the same cosmic soup. Since matter can never be created or destroyed, when a star dies and explodes, creating a nebula, whatever is formed from the materials within the nebula are essentially just that star all over again. Those materials will swirl around a center of gravity and can potentially create a whole new solar system. It is likely that that very process resulted in the creation of our own solar system. The materials that made the original star came from the same soup that created the galaxy; and, the same materials that and laws that created our galaxy came from the same soup as those that made every other galaxy. In this way, everything that exists within the Universe is invariably and eternally connected. Some people claim that the material world, including everything in the physical Universe, is an illusion; so, when they say "one with the Universe," they mean spiritually.
=====Spiritual oneness is a concept that is difficult for me to understand. I suppose greater understanding of the concept could be reached if a universal definition of the "spirit" could be established. Unfortunately, many different people will have many different ideas as to what the "spirit" is. For the sake of this piece, we will use the definition that is the most general -- "The part of a human being associated with the mind, will, and feelings" (The American Heritage Dictionary, definition 6.a.). I will alter that slightly and say that it doesn't just apply to human beings when one speaks of spiritual universal oneness. So, the spirit is the part of a being that makes up, or is comprised of, the intellect, drive, and emotion of that being. Some people might use the wording "core being" to define the same principal. In any event, the spirit, for the sake of this discussion, is essentially the consciousness of an entity. So, to attain spiritual universal oneness is to blend ones own consciousness with the consciousness of everything else in the universe. Once it is defined, spiritual universal oneness becomes a terrifying concept for me to comprehend. Forgetting, momentarily, that, despite what materials any object in the Universe is made of, only living creatures can have a consciousness -- thus greatly reducing the scope of such a "universal" oneness -- why would combining an individual's consciousness with that of another ever be a good thing?
=====Individuality is wholly defined by a person's unique perception and understanding. A being's consciousness is the corner stone to building unique insights and perceptions. An attempt to shed such individual perception or consciousness is an attempt to establish conformity. Conformity is essentially just mass likeness or sameness. If one shares the same consciousness with many other beings, then one is conforming to an established singularity. Concepts such as this can be found through-out history, and they are rarely good ideas. Specific examples are Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Communist China, Puritan New England, or any fundamentalist religious or political community. Establishment of conformity, or a single consciousness amongst a community, is necessary for the control and command of individuals. Individuals are dangerous to the function of mass control. Individuals have incredible intellectual, creative, and rebellious powers. Without individuality, there is no art, there is no rebellion, and there is no expression.
=====Human beings have the need to express themselves, because they understand that each person is comprised of their own individual perceptions and insights. By painting a picture, building a sculpture, or writing words on a page, a being invites everyone that sees the piece to take a glimpse into their own personal Universe. Each person looks at the Universe and comprehends that information in completely unique ways. In this way, on planet Earth alone, the existence of individuality makes it possible for there to be about six billion Universes -- six billion new worlds to explore and understand; six billion different takes on art and literature; six billion versions of one song. Without expression, everything we love as a species would immediately lose all meaning and passion. Without expression, life itself would serve no purpose.
=====Even if one argued that this singular universal consciousness would be comprised of all the different perceptions, they are losing sight of some inarguable facts. People, as a result of their individuality, can disagree. If two people have conflicting viewpoints, no matter how much empathy or understanding one has for the other person's argument, they can never truly understand one another completely and would negate one another in this singular consciousness. For example, you cannot think that cold-blooded murder is both right and wrong. Making such self-defeating arguments would be meaningless, and, regardless, there would be no reason to express the argument because there would be no reason for anyone to listen -- everything would already be of one mind.
=====Losing all expression, art, perception, and individuality is an extremely destructive and thoughtless goal. I cannot understand wanting such an existence for one's self.
=====If your goal is to be literally and physically one with the universe, well then, congratulations; your goal was accomplished at your conception -- actually, it was accomplished at the conception of the Universe itself. If your goal is to have one consciousness with every other consciousness in the Universe, well then, sorry; I pity those with such little regard for life, art, and individuality.
=====Granted, many of the people that proclaim the aspiration probably do so within a jocular context. Be they casual Buddhists, care-free fun-loving yuppies, politically-minded New-Agers, or just youths who have recently been exposed to many cultures, the humourous and playful connotations of universal oneness exists within a lot of social groups. Despite the lack of cold, hard sincerity, the concept still strikes an idealistic chord with many people.
=====I can, on some level, understand the need for a connection between the self and the Universe. I have a very significant interest in astronomy and the physical laws that make up the Universe. I study these things independently for no other reason than to be entertained and to understand my habitat in a broader sense. The more I learn and know about the Universe, the more my appetite for information grows. I take the time to read about things like gravity, relativity, time, space/time physics, and molecular science because I know that with each bit of information that I learn I increase my sources of general inspiration. I realize that the more that I know, the more weight the things that I say carry in conversation and debate. I realize that the more that I know, the more I can use that information to communicate new ideas and to stimulate the people that I care about to want to develop new ideas.
=====One of the things I have taken from my interest in astronomy is the understanding of how the Universe is made. To be clearer, I mean I understand what the Universe is made of and how those elements interact to create different cosmic phenomena. Without getting into specifics, the Universe is made of a series of reoccurring materials and laws. The same materials and laws that go into making a star also go into making a planet, a tree, or a human being. In essence, a human being is made of the same "stuff" as a star. As Carl Sagan once said, "[w]e are starstuff that knows it exists." In other words, even though stars are beautiful, giant, burning balls of inanimate gas, we, as an intelligent, sentient species, are made of the same materials and are of one like origin. Furthermore, the source of the materials that created the star is the same for the materials that created you or I. In the beginning of the creation of the Universe, but, in this case, more specifically, our Galaxy, all of the elements, atoms, energies, and laws of the cosmos swirled around and produced everything within it from the same cosmic soup. Since matter can never be created or destroyed, when a star dies and explodes, creating a nebula, whatever is formed from the materials within the nebula are essentially just that star all over again. Those materials will swirl around a center of gravity and can potentially create a whole new solar system. It is likely that that very process resulted in the creation of our own solar system. The materials that made the original star came from the same soup that created the galaxy; and, the same materials that and laws that created our galaxy came from the same soup as those that made every other galaxy. In this way, everything that exists within the Universe is invariably and eternally connected. Some people claim that the material world, including everything in the physical Universe, is an illusion; so, when they say "one with the Universe," they mean spiritually.
=====Spiritual oneness is a concept that is difficult for me to understand. I suppose greater understanding of the concept could be reached if a universal definition of the "spirit" could be established. Unfortunately, many different people will have many different ideas as to what the "spirit" is. For the sake of this piece, we will use the definition that is the most general -- "The part of a human being associated with the mind, will, and feelings" (The American Heritage Dictionary, definition 6.a.). I will alter that slightly and say that it doesn't just apply to human beings when one speaks of spiritual universal oneness. So, the spirit is the part of a being that makes up, or is comprised of, the intellect, drive, and emotion of that being. Some people might use the wording "core being" to define the same principal. In any event, the spirit, for the sake of this discussion, is essentially the consciousness of an entity. So, to attain spiritual universal oneness is to blend ones own consciousness with the consciousness of everything else in the universe. Once it is defined, spiritual universal oneness becomes a terrifying concept for me to comprehend. Forgetting, momentarily, that, despite what materials any object in the Universe is made of, only living creatures can have a consciousness -- thus greatly reducing the scope of such a "universal" oneness -- why would combining an individual's consciousness with that of another ever be a good thing?
=====Individuality is wholly defined by a person's unique perception and understanding. A being's consciousness is the corner stone to building unique insights and perceptions. An attempt to shed such individual perception or consciousness is an attempt to establish conformity. Conformity is essentially just mass likeness or sameness. If one shares the same consciousness with many other beings, then one is conforming to an established singularity. Concepts such as this can be found through-out history, and they are rarely good ideas. Specific examples are Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Communist China, Puritan New England, or any fundamentalist religious or political community. Establishment of conformity, or a single consciousness amongst a community, is necessary for the control and command of individuals. Individuals are dangerous to the function of mass control. Individuals have incredible intellectual, creative, and rebellious powers. Without individuality, there is no art, there is no rebellion, and there is no expression.
=====Human beings have the need to express themselves, because they understand that each person is comprised of their own individual perceptions and insights. By painting a picture, building a sculpture, or writing words on a page, a being invites everyone that sees the piece to take a glimpse into their own personal Universe. Each person looks at the Universe and comprehends that information in completely unique ways. In this way, on planet Earth alone, the existence of individuality makes it possible for there to be about six billion Universes -- six billion new worlds to explore and understand; six billion different takes on art and literature; six billion versions of one song. Without expression, everything we love as a species would immediately lose all meaning and passion. Without expression, life itself would serve no purpose.
=====Even if one argued that this singular universal consciousness would be comprised of all the different perceptions, they are losing sight of some inarguable facts. People, as a result of their individuality, can disagree. If two people have conflicting viewpoints, no matter how much empathy or understanding one has for the other person's argument, they can never truly understand one another completely and would negate one another in this singular consciousness. For example, you cannot think that cold-blooded murder is both right and wrong. Making such self-defeating arguments would be meaningless, and, regardless, there would be no reason to express the argument because there would be no reason for anyone to listen -- everything would already be of one mind.
=====Losing all expression, art, perception, and individuality is an extremely destructive and thoughtless goal. I cannot understand wanting such an existence for one's self.
=====If your goal is to be literally and physically one with the universe, well then, congratulations; your goal was accomplished at your conception -- actually, it was accomplished at the conception of the Universe itself. If your goal is to have one consciousness with every other consciousness in the Universe, well then, sorry; I pity those with such little regard for life, art, and individuality.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Scientific State (Part I)
=====Few things spiritually motivate the fundamentalist -- religious and pretty much every other kind, too -- like talk about the end of the world. Tonight I watched the two hour special on the History Channel chronicling human civilizations love affair with the Apocalypse. The show covered a lot of the scenarios and beliefs that surround the topic, but it largely centered itself within the beliefs presented by the Old and New Testaments.
=====From the time I was able to conceptualize death -- a moment I dont actually remember, but it must have been some time before the age of three -- until about the year 1998, I had a nagging fear of worldwide holocaust. The fear was much less severe after about the age of eleven, when the U.S.S.R. fell. Before that time, however, the fear was something that I contemplated at least once a day. I believe that this contemplation, when mixed with heredity, led to the clinical depression with which I would eventually be diagnoses. My strong belief in the inevitable devastation of the entire planet as well as everyone and everything I ever loved was fueled largely by my exposure to religion -- both Catholic and Protestant.
=====My fear of nuclear annihilation was lessened, by a very small amount, when I was about five years old. It was around this time that my mother married a Muslim. After seeing that religion could be different for different people, a concept not readily administered in church, I gained hope that religion could not only be optional, but fallible. In this sense, I suppose it was my search for hope that led me to become what some might consider an Atheist. I do not consider myself to be a true Atheist, but this is beside the point. This information is being given so that my perceptions can be understood more clearly. Had I not been exposed to the existence of Islam as a youth, I am pretty sure that I would have to have been institutionalized, eventually. Ironically, it would be the existence of Islam that would allow my fear of global holocaust to remain intact after the fall of the U.S.S.R.
=====Shortly before the fall of Soviet Russia, the United States began war on a new enemy. That enemy was Saddam Hussein. It was told to children, of which I was one, that Saddam Hussein was wholly evil, which he may be, and that he wanted to destroy the United States and Israel with powerful weapons. My brief moment of relief from the fear of seeing my family, and myself, be melted where they stood was swallowed whole by these teachings. It seemed as though I was really the only kid in my group of peers that had any legitimate fear or understanding of what my teachers were implying. To ease my stress over the situation, I rationalized that Iraq was by no means the world power that the U.S.S.R. was, at the time, and that they would probably not be able to acquire or use the rocket technology necessary to create a full-out nuclear war. This rationalization probably enabled me to maintain my sanity well into my teen years.
=====Today, my fear of global holocaust as facilitated by war is greatly diminished. If one were to estimate some percentages, it would probably read something like 100gbsp;between the ages of three and five, 85 etween the ages of five and ten, a brief period of near 0round the age of eleven, a return to fear of about 70 etween the ages of eleven and fifteen, a slight reduction with a fear of about 55 etween the ages of fifteen and nineteen, back to an area of around 0-5 etween the ages of nineteen and my present age. With an adult mind, I have a greater understanding of what people are actually willing to do and what they really want for themselves. Dictators want power and wealth. You cannot have power and wealth when you have destroyed everyone and everything. Fundamentalist groups, like Al-Qaeda, present a slightly scarier reality, when it comes to killing everything on principal, but dont possess the means necessary to carry out such a plan. Being as the only real threats to global annihilation are groups that wouldnt be able to fit the bill for such a task, my fear is basically nil.
=====It is amazing to me, though, that there are adults, around the world, who not only believe that the end of the world is coming, but that, through the power of their religion, they can bring it about. More specifically, I am talking about the Christians who believe in an Anti-Christ, and the fundamentalist Israeli Jews who they wish to aid in building the Third Temple on the ever-so-magical Temple Mount. These people believe that if they rebuild Salomons temple, which has been destroyed on two occasions, where the Dome of the Rock now stands, that it will usher in the events described in the Book of Revelations. In other words, God cannot, or will not, bring about events such as the coming of the Four Horsemen, the Rapture, the raising of the dead, or the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven, until these people construct a building. So, this means that not even an infallible God can escape becoming the victim of red-tape. Despite the humour of the situation, the bloodshed and war that it creates is not as funny -- not as funny. There has to be something darkly funny about a nation of adult human beings killing each other and their children over a game of Dungeons & Dragons.
=====It is clear to me that these people -- the Muslims, who have claim to the land through conquest, war and victory, the Jews, whose only claim to the land is biblical and barged in to claim half the country out of nowhere, and the Christians, who back the Jews and cause all sorts of trouble in a place they dont even belong -- are not responsible enough to be in possession of so much land, let alone a country.
=====In other postings I discussed how religion retards the growth of science and development. I believe it is time that a place existed in the world that was outside the grasps of the religious right. One might say that China and other forced Atheist states are already ahead of me. But, you see, China forces ideas on to its people, or it did, and it also retarded the development of many thought processes, arts, and sciences that the government saw as threatening. I am not talking about a communist, Atheist state. I am talking about a state that is established outside of all forms of developmental retardation. I am talking about a state in which all of the worlds scientists are automatically given citizenship, and, with that citizenship, the supplies, resources, and freedom to advance their ideas and research to levels it cannot reach while the religious or idealistic fundamentalist groups try to pin it down with unreasonable laws. Dont misunderstand; the religious right is only a part of such social retardation. Leftist fundamentalists also seek to retard certain helpful sciences. I am talking about a state free of all scientific limitation. I could fathom no better way for these religious fundamentalists, and religion itself, to atone for all the death, suffering, and developmental stagnation it has caused than by surrendering "The Holy Land" to such a cause.
=====I know what youre saying; "but, George, the son of God was born in that place! Moses led hundreds of thousands of slaves from Egypt across a desert for forty years to found that place! Mohammed talked to a winged man with a magic rock in that place! We cant just give it up!" My first response is, "Do you hear the words youre saying -- I mean, really hear them?" Then, I remember who Im speaking to and I offer compromises.
=====The first compromise I offer is the betterment of the planet in exchange for your patch of desert. Without limitations, science could probably advance five times as quickly as it does right now. That means that medical science, astronomical science, historical science, and biological science could go from the year 2006 to the year 2056 in the next ten years. That means that new medicines and vaccines, like a cure for AIDS and cancer, could, and probably would, be discovered and save millions of lives. That means that new strains of plants and food resources would be developed that save billions of lives. That means that we would better understand the universe and space-travel, and work on a possible solution to the overpopulation of the Earth. That means we could advance our understanding of the ecosystems of the world and better understand how to prevent human contamination and destruction of these environments and ultimately save billions more lives of all species, humans included. That means that we would develop better ways to produce the products that we need to sustain civilization that would reduce the negative affects on the environment. That means that the overall well-being of the entire planet, and all the lives that it harbors, would be greatly improved, just because the great scientific minds of the world were given a place to converge and study freely. I dont think any God would frown upon its creations being made healthier and stronger.
=====The second compromise I offer is automatic peace. If you people had nothing over which to fight, then you wouldnt be fighting. You could simply move the source of your religion from the material world into the supernatural world, where it belongs. You could hold your religion in your souls and in your hearts. Your religion could be one of spirit, not of rock, sand, concrete and dirt. If that was the case, it wouldnt make any difference what religion anyone was.
=====If the prospects of billions of saved lives and an end to fairy-tale wars doesnt interest you, and you believe you would eventually want to fight the new scientific state for the Holy Land, then I can still offer you one final compromise. That compromise would be unity. You guys could stop blowing each other up, for a little while, to unite against a common foe -- common sense. I would sleep well knowing that, because I chose to move in on the Holy Land, Christians, Jews and Muslims could band together as brothers in arms. Maybe such a union would lead to long-lasting understanding. Maybe such a union would lead to the idea of sharing these lands you have all dubbed equally holy; though, not so holy that killing people all over the place with in it is out of the question. Obviously, God hates chicks way more than murder. But, I digress. I was offering you the gift of unity as compromise, or trade, for the Holy Land.
=====I know little about what God wants. I leave that up to you people. If God is really into all the murder and hate you guys create, because people dont worship it like it wants them to, then I guess Im out of line. If God is into the harmony, health, peace and prosperity of its creations, despite what they believe, then I think Im well within my rights to lay claim to these lands.
=====I need two things from the rest of the world. I need places for the people that would be moved out of these areas to live, without any trouble. Africa, China, and South America, Im looking at you -- be a team player. Everyone would benefit equally from the nameless scientific state. The scientific state would not be shackled by government or religion. The scientific state could spread its discoveries and benefits all over the globe. I also need all of the worlds scientists to agree to migrate to this new state. Think of how much work could be accomplished if you didnt have all that bureaucratic red-tape around which to work. Scientific minds, more dedicated to the advancement of the field than to patriotic notion, from countries that ordinarily could never be brought together would be able to work side-by-side, sharing each others advancements. All of the worlds knowledge could be centralized in one neutral state. If the prospect of the Holy Land isnt your speed -- an idea I only propose because Im a jerk -- then find an island somewhere. Find any place that such a state could be established, and establish it. If the rest of the world can make these two concessions, this state should be established immediately.
=====I dont think anything could halt global holocaust quite like the all-around betterment of the entire planet and civilization. Consider all the fear and loss that could be avoided by the founding of the scientific state. Disasters would be better managed or avoided, hunger would be eliminated, and disease would be all but mastered. For the good of humanity, for the good of everything we know, even the good of all that is holy, this needs to be done.
=====From the time I was able to conceptualize death -- a moment I dont actually remember, but it must have been some time before the age of three -- until about the year 1998, I had a nagging fear of worldwide holocaust. The fear was much less severe after about the age of eleven, when the U.S.S.R. fell. Before that time, however, the fear was something that I contemplated at least once a day. I believe that this contemplation, when mixed with heredity, led to the clinical depression with which I would eventually be diagnoses. My strong belief in the inevitable devastation of the entire planet as well as everyone and everything I ever loved was fueled largely by my exposure to religion -- both Catholic and Protestant.
=====My fear of nuclear annihilation was lessened, by a very small amount, when I was about five years old. It was around this time that my mother married a Muslim. After seeing that religion could be different for different people, a concept not readily administered in church, I gained hope that religion could not only be optional, but fallible. In this sense, I suppose it was my search for hope that led me to become what some might consider an Atheist. I do not consider myself to be a true Atheist, but this is beside the point. This information is being given so that my perceptions can be understood more clearly. Had I not been exposed to the existence of Islam as a youth, I am pretty sure that I would have to have been institutionalized, eventually. Ironically, it would be the existence of Islam that would allow my fear of global holocaust to remain intact after the fall of the U.S.S.R.
=====Shortly before the fall of Soviet Russia, the United States began war on a new enemy. That enemy was Saddam Hussein. It was told to children, of which I was one, that Saddam Hussein was wholly evil, which he may be, and that he wanted to destroy the United States and Israel with powerful weapons. My brief moment of relief from the fear of seeing my family, and myself, be melted where they stood was swallowed whole by these teachings. It seemed as though I was really the only kid in my group of peers that had any legitimate fear or understanding of what my teachers were implying. To ease my stress over the situation, I rationalized that Iraq was by no means the world power that the U.S.S.R. was, at the time, and that they would probably not be able to acquire or use the rocket technology necessary to create a full-out nuclear war. This rationalization probably enabled me to maintain my sanity well into my teen years.
=====Today, my fear of global holocaust as facilitated by war is greatly diminished. If one were to estimate some percentages, it would probably read something like 100gbsp;between the ages of three and five, 85 etween the ages of five and ten, a brief period of near 0round the age of eleven, a return to fear of about 70 etween the ages of eleven and fifteen, a slight reduction with a fear of about 55 etween the ages of fifteen and nineteen, back to an area of around 0-5 etween the ages of nineteen and my present age. With an adult mind, I have a greater understanding of what people are actually willing to do and what they really want for themselves. Dictators want power and wealth. You cannot have power and wealth when you have destroyed everyone and everything. Fundamentalist groups, like Al-Qaeda, present a slightly scarier reality, when it comes to killing everything on principal, but dont possess the means necessary to carry out such a plan. Being as the only real threats to global annihilation are groups that wouldnt be able to fit the bill for such a task, my fear is basically nil.
=====It is amazing to me, though, that there are adults, around the world, who not only believe that the end of the world is coming, but that, through the power of their religion, they can bring it about. More specifically, I am talking about the Christians who believe in an Anti-Christ, and the fundamentalist Israeli Jews who they wish to aid in building the Third Temple on the ever-so-magical Temple Mount. These people believe that if they rebuild Salomons temple, which has been destroyed on two occasions, where the Dome of the Rock now stands, that it will usher in the events described in the Book of Revelations. In other words, God cannot, or will not, bring about events such as the coming of the Four Horsemen, the Rapture, the raising of the dead, or the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven, until these people construct a building. So, this means that not even an infallible God can escape becoming the victim of red-tape. Despite the humour of the situation, the bloodshed and war that it creates is not as funny -- not as funny. There has to be something darkly funny about a nation of adult human beings killing each other and their children over a game of Dungeons & Dragons.
=====It is clear to me that these people -- the Muslims, who have claim to the land through conquest, war and victory, the Jews, whose only claim to the land is biblical and barged in to claim half the country out of nowhere, and the Christians, who back the Jews and cause all sorts of trouble in a place they dont even belong -- are not responsible enough to be in possession of so much land, let alone a country.
=====In other postings I discussed how religion retards the growth of science and development. I believe it is time that a place existed in the world that was outside the grasps of the religious right. One might say that China and other forced Atheist states are already ahead of me. But, you see, China forces ideas on to its people, or it did, and it also retarded the development of many thought processes, arts, and sciences that the government saw as threatening. I am not talking about a communist, Atheist state. I am talking about a state that is established outside of all forms of developmental retardation. I am talking about a state in which all of the worlds scientists are automatically given citizenship, and, with that citizenship, the supplies, resources, and freedom to advance their ideas and research to levels it cannot reach while the religious or idealistic fundamentalist groups try to pin it down with unreasonable laws. Dont misunderstand; the religious right is only a part of such social retardation. Leftist fundamentalists also seek to retard certain helpful sciences. I am talking about a state free of all scientific limitation. I could fathom no better way for these religious fundamentalists, and religion itself, to atone for all the death, suffering, and developmental stagnation it has caused than by surrendering "The Holy Land" to such a cause.
=====I know what youre saying; "but, George, the son of God was born in that place! Moses led hundreds of thousands of slaves from Egypt across a desert for forty years to found that place! Mohammed talked to a winged man with a magic rock in that place! We cant just give it up!" My first response is, "Do you hear the words youre saying -- I mean, really hear them?" Then, I remember who Im speaking to and I offer compromises.
=====The first compromise I offer is the betterment of the planet in exchange for your patch of desert. Without limitations, science could probably advance five times as quickly as it does right now. That means that medical science, astronomical science, historical science, and biological science could go from the year 2006 to the year 2056 in the next ten years. That means that new medicines and vaccines, like a cure for AIDS and cancer, could, and probably would, be discovered and save millions of lives. That means that new strains of plants and food resources would be developed that save billions of lives. That means that we would better understand the universe and space-travel, and work on a possible solution to the overpopulation of the Earth. That means we could advance our understanding of the ecosystems of the world and better understand how to prevent human contamination and destruction of these environments and ultimately save billions more lives of all species, humans included. That means that we would develop better ways to produce the products that we need to sustain civilization that would reduce the negative affects on the environment. That means that the overall well-being of the entire planet, and all the lives that it harbors, would be greatly improved, just because the great scientific minds of the world were given a place to converge and study freely. I dont think any God would frown upon its creations being made healthier and stronger.
=====The second compromise I offer is automatic peace. If you people had nothing over which to fight, then you wouldnt be fighting. You could simply move the source of your religion from the material world into the supernatural world, where it belongs. You could hold your religion in your souls and in your hearts. Your religion could be one of spirit, not of rock, sand, concrete and dirt. If that was the case, it wouldnt make any difference what religion anyone was.
=====If the prospects of billions of saved lives and an end to fairy-tale wars doesnt interest you, and you believe you would eventually want to fight the new scientific state for the Holy Land, then I can still offer you one final compromise. That compromise would be unity. You guys could stop blowing each other up, for a little while, to unite against a common foe -- common sense. I would sleep well knowing that, because I chose to move in on the Holy Land, Christians, Jews and Muslims could band together as brothers in arms. Maybe such a union would lead to long-lasting understanding. Maybe such a union would lead to the idea of sharing these lands you have all dubbed equally holy; though, not so holy that killing people all over the place with in it is out of the question. Obviously, God hates chicks way more than murder. But, I digress. I was offering you the gift of unity as compromise, or trade, for the Holy Land.
=====I know little about what God wants. I leave that up to you people. If God is really into all the murder and hate you guys create, because people dont worship it like it wants them to, then I guess Im out of line. If God is into the harmony, health, peace and prosperity of its creations, despite what they believe, then I think Im well within my rights to lay claim to these lands.
=====I need two things from the rest of the world. I need places for the people that would be moved out of these areas to live, without any trouble. Africa, China, and South America, Im looking at you -- be a team player. Everyone would benefit equally from the nameless scientific state. The scientific state would not be shackled by government or religion. The scientific state could spread its discoveries and benefits all over the globe. I also need all of the worlds scientists to agree to migrate to this new state. Think of how much work could be accomplished if you didnt have all that bureaucratic red-tape around which to work. Scientific minds, more dedicated to the advancement of the field than to patriotic notion, from countries that ordinarily could never be brought together would be able to work side-by-side, sharing each others advancements. All of the worlds knowledge could be centralized in one neutral state. If the prospect of the Holy Land isnt your speed -- an idea I only propose because Im a jerk -- then find an island somewhere. Find any place that such a state could be established, and establish it. If the rest of the world can make these two concessions, this state should be established immediately.
=====I dont think anything could halt global holocaust quite like the all-around betterment of the entire planet and civilization. Consider all the fear and loss that could be avoided by the founding of the scientific state. Disasters would be better managed or avoided, hunger would be eliminated, and disease would be all but mastered. For the good of humanity, for the good of everything we know, even the good of all that is holy, this needs to be done.
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