Freethinker's corner

    The battle against ingrained programming continues.

    Just when I believe the battle is won, the struggle over, I am returned to the beginning of the battle. How does one overcome what seems like embedded firmware?

    What is normal? Normal presents no challenges to perception. You see, and understand, and know what to expect from normal. Normal is easier to negotiate with. Normal does not leave you aghast and flailing.

    Abnormal is comprised of ideas and perceptions that are not familiar and have never been dealt with. Abnormal creates feelings of nausea and dread. The fight or flight reflex is sometimes brought to life.

    What the hell am I talking about?

    I am talking about LBGTQ.

    I have attempted to eradicate ingrained ideas about the LGBTQ community. This battle has gone on for several years. Many times success seems attained, only to evaporate. Firmware is described as “permanent software programmed into a read-only memory”.

    That seems to explain my difficulty.

    My position can be squelched only. I can accept abnormal only so long as it is perceived as an aberration, an anomaly not consistent with what seems my firmware.

    I not only feel uncomfortable with this view, I am uncomfortable that I am uncomfortable.

    If only there was a reboot feature.

Human society possesses surprising diversity. There are humans that I have been taught to believe normal, then there are many variations. Normal has always been, in my experiences, a heterosexual relationship, committed by the rite of marriage, to the formation of a family. This seems to provide great benefit, especially to those couples who would rather bind with those they desire than be coaxed by force to commit to another. The arrangement tempers the ability of the aggressive individual to dominate others.

    To keep a home means, among other things, establishing levels of sanitation and order. Everyday life proceeds more capably when things are where they are expected to be. A satisfactory level of sanitation contributes to the health of the family.

    Human society, however, is widely flawed. There are those amidst society that are slovenly. They do not value order. They are often ill due to poor hygiene. Their personal hygiene is neglected and their environment, both order and sanitation, are unsatisfactory. From day to day observations of their behavior, it is clear that the manner in which they live is either preferred or irrelevant.

    It is not just hoarders, but also those who let things drop where they may. Examples:
1. Newspapers and magazines stacked in various places in disarray.
2. Things, be they tools, or personal items, simply cast to the floor, not for disposal, but to keep.

    I cannot envision this level of apathy for order. Even if they are in a psychological depression, at least a modicum of order is necessary for continuity… but it is often lacking. From day to day, it is clear, that they are just fine with this condition. Nothing changes. If criticized, they become angry. If you ask for an explanation they seem not to understand what it is you are asking. Everything, the disorder, the unsanitary conditions, seems normal to them.

    These “derelicts” then, what are they? Are they devolving? They came from apes… are they returning? Civilization is always tenuous, without order and thought about the environment, civilization could very well evaporate. Perhaps this was the destination meant for humans all along, to become again, over and over, primitive creatures based on tooth and claw. Up and down, with no permanence. From ape to man and back again.

    When humans are born, they are born without obligation. They are born without having committed any crimes. They owe no one, as they have not, could not, have asked to be born. The parents owe the child that they have decided to create. They owe it nurturing, sustenance, emotional support. Legally, the parents are obligated to care for this child until it reaches a mature enough stage that it can care for itself.

    There is an evil religious cult that seeks to enslave your child for its purposes. In fact, there are more cults than the one. These cults seek to convince you and your child that you are born from evil, that you carry evil… they call it sin, in some cults. All of these lies have one goal, to shape your child, to mold your child’s mind, into a form that they can exploit.

    Disguised as pure, righteous, and moral, cults are self-perpetuating. All of the doctrine serves to guide the victim through threats and enticements to do the bidding of another human, a human cloaked in ‘holiness’. There are the threats and mental safeguards implanted by repetition into the minds of the unwary. If contrary, contradictory, information is encountered, the implanted safeguards react explosively. This mental virus can even cause violent actions. Sometimes, this virus can cause what seems like total insanity.

    Be reminded that you, as a human being, are not obligated by these ancient writings. You were not born in sin. You did not exist and so you did not, could not, ask to be born. You were born owing no one, with the exception of… yourself. You owe it to yourself to select the right path. You must examine the information you encounter. You must measure it, research it, to uncover its validity, or invalidity. You should be a skeptic in all things.

    As a human, you have limited resources. As a human, you have other humans upon which reliance must be sought. This is the way of humanity. There are people called scientists. They are not without error. Nevertheless, using the limited mental abilities of humankind, they do the best they can to discover the truth about existence. When they find an error in their workings, they set to work to correct that error. Using methods honed by scientists before them, they determine the validity of their assertions, or the invalidity. Rely on them. You cannot do all the work yourself.
    Beware of cults. All religions are cults of some sort. All are operated by humans. There are no gods behind the curtains. These humans seek to exploit you, mold you, use you. Choose non-belief.

    You can affect the subconscious. It can be molded ever so slowly into a form, for good or evil, by simple repetition. Whether for good or for evil can only be determined after the fact. Your ideas, your concepts, however nice in your thoughts may not translate as you might suppose in molding the subconscious. Also… will your imagined concept manifest as the whole, or only a part… with many other entities within that murky realm, sharing existence. Will the creation stand, remain, or melt away eventually, if not maintained.

    So, you decide to change your perspectives. You decide upon a path and begin the process of change by envisioning the way you’d like to be. The person you’d like to be. You make the first clumsy efforts to create the vision or method by which to achieve it. You decide the best way to change is by emulating that which you desire to become. Your hope is that by emulating that vision, that concept, that it will become a second nature… like that achieved when you learned to ride a bike: automatic. Just like riding a bike, you will never have to learn it again unless some delicate structure within your brain becomes damaged.

    Meaning the best, you begin. A concept is developed. The details are unimportant to this record. The plan is formed and implemented.

    As the days pass rapidly by, as they have a habit to do, you note subtle changes in your behavior. Many times, in exchanges, you notice yourself following, referencing, your new plan. Just as the religious may learn to “live in the spirit” so you do as well, only you do not follow an antiquated and barbaric tome, but rather some other concept that you prefer. Staying in that spirit strengthens that spirit. Centuries have proven this true… the religious must go through great efforts to cast off the spell weaved by their learned dogma.

    Let’s hope your concepts are feasible, possible. Crashing and burning is very painful. (This blog is purposely vague)

    There is so much doubt. Even those things that are decided, seem clouded by doubt.

    Humans question every examination in their search for truth. Is this efficient or is it even necessary to carry so much doubt?

    Humans develop rules based on observation, and even when no exception to those rules are noted, room is left for those exceptions. Logically this seems fine. Yet, in anticipation of these exceptions, much time is lost.

    Atheists it is said do not believe in the existence of gods. Why are they so afraid to say, there are no gods, or that of all the gods man has created… none exist?

    One wonders if this hesitation, which is claimed to be based on scientific soundness, is instead based on residual doubt caused by the intrusion of religious infection. All the while claiming they are atheists, they are simply agnostic, still displaying residual doubt from previous religious infection.

    On this world the only reason the concept of god or God exists is because of the existence of a life form that possesses adequate imagination to create it. Although ritual behavior may exist, no doubt caused by experience of the creature with results that seem to emanate from performing certain acts or motions… those motions, in the end, those rituals, seem without basis. Outcomes occur, regardless, at the same rates, even if no ritual is performed.

    I believe in the very final analysis that the reason Gods exist in the minds of these little human creatures is a basic need to have a sense of control over things uncontrollable. They experience surprising and frightening events and desiring to hold onto some degree of security and defense, create beings to battle or assuage those things, which being naturally produced, they have no power over. They desire a sense of safety, even though no safety exists.

    A human child seeks the security and reassurance of its parents. The child grows and ages into adult form, but is the inner child quelled? Instead of seeking its parents, which have a habit of dying, the adult human seeks some nebulous replacement. A seed planted by religious indoctrination while they are children provides the idea of a replacement parent. An invisible parent is sought, which they call god, since what they seek is a being so powerful that it can overcome all things.

    Is the conclusion then, that humans never achieve adulthood, or that the comforts provided by religion prevent the attainment of adulthood? Is the banishment of religion totally dependent upon humanity growing into adulthood?

Humans were created by evolution. If other races on other planets were also created by evolution, we might not want to meet those individuals. If they were designed along the same lines as humans, then tooth and claw would be the law. If that is the case, then they would not come here to greet or meet they would come here to defeat. Conquering other races perhaps even destroying them would be the rule they would follow if they were created by the same means as humans.

    Presently the universe is nearly inaccessible to humans because of the vast distances. When evolution is considered, the universe becomes even I imagine he just broke down didn’t he more formidable. Do humans really want to reveal themselves, do they want to reveal their actual their actual location.

The naivety of humans during the 50s and 60s when space exploration was beginning had many people desiring to meet other alien beings. Danger from those aliens was not a consideration. Obviously, they did not consider that one singular example of intelligent life that they know of: humanity. Considerations might have been different if humanity were a creation rather than an evolved creature. If they had considered themselves and the long journey to intelligence by humanity, the brutal and barbaric climb up the evolutionary ladder, instead of expectations of friendly visitations, people might have instead opted to stop transmitting any your waves of any kind that might expose their existence.

The chances that an alien civil would be able to visit to earth are very small. When you consider the enormous distances between the stars within this solar system it is clear that unless humanity is able to develop a spacecraft that can go faster than the speed of light that human colonization of space we’ll have to rely on a craft large enough to house generations. This spacecraft would probably have to be at least half the size of the moon if not larger. Noah’s ark would never do.

The people arriving on a generation sized ship would not even remember earth. If they were able to find a habitable planet and even that is a small possibility, they will have lived in their generation size ship for so long that it will be the only home they ever knew. They might be very reluctant to leave it. In that case the only hope humanity would have would be the very few people who had the courage to start new lives in an environment of which they have no knowledge. I guess that would be rather like those who set foot on the generation ship in the very beginning.

Where would they go? Even at the speed of light it has been said that it would take a lifetime to get to the closest planet. Who can say whether it would be A habitable planet? Great disappointment might be the result. What are the chances that the very first planet they go to see would be A suitable one? I believe the success possibility for such an endeavor would be very low.

Maybe humans might consider preserving their present planet for future generations. Perhaps they could limit population growth. Maybe they might instead put more effort into finding clean sources of energy. Instead of finding another planet which is a dream distant, very distant in time, they might realize instead that they are stuck here and should make the best of it.

One of the greatest threats to humanity that I can see, is the capitalistic mindset to pursue ever greater industrial production. It is my assertion that the horrible mess human beings are in now is the result of capitalism. Those in business are continually seeking more wealth. In seeking more and more wealth more and more resources are used. Fossil fuels must be discontinued. New ways of generating energy for human for human use must be found.

The ignorance that has allowed population growth, things like antiquated belief systems and poor education, are among the problems facing humanity. The very segment of population that cannot afford additional population growth, the poor, must be dealt with. How to do this is A puzzle. However, it is a puzzle that must be solved. Solutions must be empathy based. It is a problem that must be dealt with, but humans must not lose their humanity in the process. Education must be given priority.

I support human rights. I support sentient AI rights. If you are human, or sentient AI… I support equal rights for you. I will not declare allegiance to any specific groups within the whole. I will not declare myself for women’s rights (aren’t they human?), nor for any groups linked to race (They too, are most certainly human, aren’t they?).

I will support the rights of unionized workers. Without a union you have chosen to expose yourself to the whims of your employer. I do not support your rights though the government will offer minimal protections for you.

There is a class of people within society today who feel they have the right to force their religious beliefs upon others, do as they please when it comes to the law, or refuse to follow commonsense suggestions. I hereby label that set of humans as the “assholes”. There are many.

I do not support pure capitalism. I consider it heartless and inhuman. Capitalism tempered by Socialism, i.e… Democratic Socialism. Taxes should go to the needs of the people. It should not be used by corporations or the rich for their private needs. Taxes should never support religious institutions. Religious institutions are businesses and should pay tax like all other businesses.

I back efforts to turn around Global Climate Change. In my humble opinion, only the ignorant believe the climate changes that are occurring now are not caused by human activity. Businesses should clean up the messes they might make, the public should not have to finance them. Put cleanup in the budget. Put the funds in reserve so that even if a business goes under, the funds will be available for cleanup.

    Does age bring wisdom? I don’t know. How can wisdom be gauged? Sometimes wisdom does not come all at once but in increments. An epiphany will shed light on ignorance at times.

    I have come to the realization that the concept of groups is essential to understanding why the human condition rarely improves.

    Each group is intent on securing its outlook in its entirety when negotiating with other groups. What does this mean? It means the word negotiation, as in a negotiated settlement, is meaningless. No group comes away happy when there is a “negotiated” settlement. There is always animosity.

    Even groups seeking the best outcome to issues for the sake of humanity, seem unable to compromise even one little bit in their insistence of deriving every aspect of their demands. As a result, there will always be turmoil… there will always be war.

    The wisdom to see the truth in this matter, does nothing to alleviate the problem itself. The actual problem is over-coming “group” ideology.

    I imagine this reality has been arrived at by many with greater intellect than I. They have no solution because the only solution possible requires there to be only one group. If all people were united under one alliance then there would be no need for negotiation. If people could only realize that the group it belongs to is humanity and that everyone deserves certain rights and conditions, then maybe… But I’m dreaming. It could never happen. Even if something like an extraterrestrial invasion were to unite humanity, once that threat would abate (if it would), humans would separate again into different groups and begin to quarrel again.

    Evolution has secured human origin, existence, and will secure human end. Human nature will always be to align in groups as that has always meant safety, security. Now, when humanity could use a little less tooth and claw, it just doesn’t seem likely. Even overwhelming force will not change mental bearings. Underlying every “peace” will be a subsurface desire to serve self, serve a cause for groups of people, rather than maintain the peace for all to benefit fairly and equally.

    It will always be, for all groups, whether they admit it or not, “Either you’re for me, or against me”, with no half way, no give and take, just a surrender now or die. Show me hope.