Saturday, August 28, 2010

Real Change Changes Everything

Einstein is frequently attributed with the observation that "Madness is doing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different result," but if he did, it probably would be more likely for him to observe, that "Genius is doing different things, realizing that that is what makes a difference." The whole essence of genius, is making the complex, simple, and not the simple, more complex, as was also attributed to Einstein, and every genius before him.

However, the latter creates more jobs to explain what the original source said, and thus the need for "experts," to interpret what such great ones said, or meant -- as though they had an even superior understanding of what the genius meant to say, but failed to. And so in every previous, earlier times, broad classes of people were created to mediate between the knowledge and what "the masses" could hope to understand -- primarily because they didn't have access to all the information, or even, a lot of it.

That's how much the world has changed -- already. In publications, one was always limited to the understanding of the publisher/editor/writer, which were those intermediaries who communicated what the "genius" understood. But what was actually the case, is that the information had to be reduced, and was invariably limited by the understanding, of those who only knew "words" as their livelihood as "scribes," or writers, who often "knew" nothing else, and so it was often enough, that the words just had the "ring of truth," rather than was actually true.

What changed, was that most people became better writers, because the new word processors, made public and personal writing accessible to virtually every "educated" person, and not just limited to the rare few who could produce perfect copy to the satisfaction of dictatorial editors, who thought it much less important that anybody else could understand what the author meant to say -- than what the editor wanted them to.

It is the most common use and abuse of power -- to control what another person thinks, by controlling what they think can be thought. The power to edit, in this manner, becomes the power to censor and suppress, what one chooses others to know or don't know, and in the hands of the ambitious and ruthless, easily and invariably becomes co-opted and corrupted -- because they "know better" for everybody else. That is in fact, "their job," yet they would claim, that power seemed to corrupt everybody else and every other profession but them, acting in their endless and noble pursuit of objectivity and the truth.

However, they are not good enough writers or liars, not to be betrayed by everything they say -- other than their rigorous professions of innocence, which are not obvious to anybody else. And so most of their writing and efforts, go to promoting that image of themselves -- rather than the service of allowing the audience to know anybody or anything else -- but the limits of their personal vanities and delusions.

And so while they are very fond of generalizing what people are like, we only get to know what they think everybody is like -- and nothing is permitted beyond.

Collectively, such people were fond in their past roles as essential middlemen, or intermediaries necessary for communications from one closed and specialized group with any other. But all that changed, with the reversal of the trend to increasing narrow and exclusive specialization, as allowed by the development of a more universal communications network -- which is the primary great change omitted in most lists of great changes, because it is so pervasive and fundamental -- of destroying such barriers and limitations. That change is still rocking the world.

Predictably, the greatest victims of such changes, are the old perpetuators and defenders of the way things used to be -- with themselves at the top, or at least in indispensable roles, as the exclusive ones allowed to perform the "brain surgeries" of information exchanges. The most populous of this class, are familiarly, those who work in compulsory education -- which should seem an anachronism in these times.

When people want to learn, just like people want to eat, why should there be a force-feeding of what a self-selected group of "professionals," be allowed over any other kind of learning -- which may even be superior to the required learning, which is more often the case now, than the officially sanctioned education.

Almost all child prodigies have to be home-schooled -- not to become resocialized and brainwashed as the "average," and told they cannot do what their teachers tell them is impossible or impermissible to do -- "at their age," as though mere seniority should be the basis or merit and recognition (reward). That may be the union teachers' reality, but it is not the whole, or even the best, of reality -- that will undoubtedly limit the future prospects, possibilities and vision for any society but the present troubled, unviable, unsustainable one.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Alternate Realities

Those who have never known anything but their one "reality," cannot even begin to imagine that there can be any other -- and that is the value of presenting many different realities as their introduction to the world, as children. From an early age, most are capable of recognizing that their can be other existences than the one they know. The ability to hold these many different experiences, is what gives them perspective -- and the possibility of different outcomes, rather than just being indoctrinated with the certainty and fatality of one -- and that is the discovery and joy of living.

But in the drive and ambition for power, many think it is desirable only to have one way of thinking and viewing the world, as the political and social "correctness" -- which they feel they alone should have the right to determine for everybody else. In fact, they think it is their duty and role in life -- because everybody else is less capable than they are, otherwise, they would not be in the positions they are in, as proof of their moral and intellectual superiority and desserts.

So it is very important in such societies, that the social order and hierarchy are preserved -- above all else, as the primary function and duty of each citizen -- and there is no higher power, no higher authority than listening to the "correct" people, and doing what they have determined, everyone else should do.

If they even hear of any other information, other than what they have been told by the duly certified authorities, they completely shut down, and go into complete denial that there can be anything possible but what they have been told is the only truth, and they must suppress all others. That was life in the olden times, which many have come to prefer over having to make their own choices. In fact, organizations and associations exist to relieve them of such choices, now and forevermore -- if they simply vote to allow them to make all those choices for them.

Only a few live such sheltered lives now -- with the rare exceptions of a few 'identities" who still feel safe and emboldened as a member of a group with superior numbers and force, to impose their will on all the others, to make it their right -- because they can, because that is the only way they know -- and it doesn't matter what they call it. They are most likely to call it a "Democracy" -- as though the people thought of it themselves, and truly wanted from all the choices, although they only knew the one, and were taught to summarily reject any other.

Those are authoritarian (totalitarian) societies, even if the people believe, there is no better place to live, under better conditions, than the only one they have ever known, and will be allowed to know.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

The Future is Not Bright

Hawaii is probably past the point of no return. With each opportunity and election, it becomes clearer that hope is no longer possible -- that people will wake up and realize that something horrifically wrong has taken over the community and culture -- and the best propagandists, are being hired to justify and rationalize these prejudices, biases and provincialism.

This is the Talibanization of countries in this day and age, in which a small minority can terrorize and control the rest -- because of these hatreds.

And that is best exemplified by the fate of Hawaii's flagship store, The Banana Republic.

Even the worst of despots know that if you are going to set up the battle of Us against Them, you need to be coming from a position of strength vis a vis the rest of the world, and not just because you look like one another. That's why Japan now also has a difficult time -- after decades of excluding foreigners from participation in their society. The entrenched status quo just gets older -- and then demands that the younger generation follow them into the grave.

The prognosis is not good for societies and cultures that self-isolate and self-discriminate in a world in which all those traits for which Hawaii prides itself, have long become moot issues everywhere else, but which still is successfully demagogued by the Hawaii institutions, including, and especially, the schools and media, as their imagined and presumed superiority over the others. (That's also characteristic of the problem.)

Hawaii is totally dependent on the rest of the world, while produces nothing of essential value for the rest of the world, and is deluded by demagogic leaders that they are a shining example for the rest of the world -- and the rest of the world has to go to them for their pristine beaches, and so-called "Aloha" which this very publically-acceptable mentality is the very height of hypocrisy.

The future is not bright for the communities that export their best and brightest, while importing lawyers to take complete control of their society -- even if they call themselves "Democrats."

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

You're Not Doing Me Any Favors By Voting For Me

What the citizens have to realize is that they are not doing the Republicans any favors by voting for alternatives, they're doing themselves a favor.

The Democrats would have them believe that they are doing themselves a favor by having no choices -- as though the objective of government, is to have no choices.

That's why the people have to pay 4 times as much for everything as their fellow citizens elsewhere -- who have these choices. That's fundamentally what being an American is -- the right to have choices, and the protection not to eliminate those choices, which is what the Hawaii Democratic Party and the unions then enforce, when members vote to let someone else do all their thinking and talking for them, henceforth.

While they may obtain more money in that manner, they give up their freedom to determine themselves how best to get that job done, and ultimately how to live their own lives, and then they complain mightily, of all the stupid rules and policies their elected spokespersons, have decided for them. That's how all those arbitrary rules and regulations come about -- they voted to allow all that to happen, and then, are convinced, they have no choice but to seek the protection from their own oppression from those who constrain them.

So the real choice is to conform to these predetermined choices and fates, or to choose to retain one's freedom always to choose again -- and not once having chosen, they give up the right to think, speak and vote for themselves ever again. Undoubtedly one can make that choice, but that is not the only "choice," they have, and their victory, is not to have any real choices anymore -- but only those dictated to them by others, at some long forgotten "vote" when they supposedly gave up all their rights, choices and freedoms -- as the Democratic thing to do.

There's a reason for the government people get. Freedom and choice, are the greatest values, and not merely being well paid, to oppress everyone else, and ultimately oneself -- in eliminating all choices.