Freethinker's corner

The Problem With Humanity… December 20, 2015

2015/12/20

Overpopulation. There are too many people, too few spaces, too few resources.

Leaving aside the moral decrepitude of human beings in general… humans have been too successful and have eliminated all natural predators. Population growth has been unchecked and proceeding with juggernaut speed… unstoppable.

Although humans have always fought over resources and living area, these struggles will gain new ferocity as the population continues unabated. Even now it has exceeded the sustainable level. Sure, humanity will continue for a while, but resources are rapidly being exhausted. Space is running out as well, evidenced by the inevitable extinction of any other species than human.

Talk is cheap. There are plenty of humans that have stated how the population bomb continues to tick. People look around, acknowledge the problem, then turn back to the task of making more people. At this point the solution is one nobody wants. To assume a sustainable population wherein all species would be guaranteed existence would require, in my humble opinion, the deaths of eighty percent of the human population. Establishing a no growth policy would aid in the establishment of quality of life. Deaths would be recorded and permits issued for replacements so that the “quality of life” level would not be exceeded. Actual growth of humanity would only happen when or if humans are able to establish off-world colonies. Space exploration should be a priority.
Black On White Mob Violence … December 20, 2015

2015/12/20

What’s this I hear about black on white mob violence? There are some who say this type of violence goes on frequently, regularly, in the major cities of the United States.

Why isn’t it reported in the media? Many say it is because media moguls consider that it might be inflammatory or racist to report it. Yet, if it is white on black it is reported ad infinitum.

This type of violence is frequent and increasing. The level of violence involved is horrendous. Nevertheless, you never hear about it. It doesn’t fit the narrative. The story the media is selling is that blacks are the victim. Victimhood is an important thing to maintain. Anyone that points out that whites are the victims of black racism brings cries of racist and racism to the reporter. Video after video is available documenting these incidents, but they are ignored.

Naysayers in mainstream media are numerous and loud. No one wants to become a target of this mob violence. If the public reacts in any way that opposes it the violence not only becomes more frequent but additionally vicious.

The problem is real and the solutions will be difficult, but what is the alternative? Should we deconstruct cities? Should we fence of certain areas to keep people separated? Will our cities become war zones as different factions fight for control? Maybe the “melting pot” was not a good idea after all?
Euthanasia Revisited … December 13, 2015

2015/12/13

January 12, 2015, I wrote:

“For the animals we keep as pets there has always been the option of euthanasia available to them to allow a death with dignity. Because of ancient religious beliefs euthanasia has always been denied humans because the religious feel that death should occur in the time decided by a deity. In my opinion a death with dignity should be available to those humans who, terminal and in insufferable pain, wish to terminate themselves. This will not cheapen life, for what is life, without quality of life. I think it can be looked upon as an enhancement.”

A question has occurred to me: Should only physical pain be the consideration? Many people suffer mental agony unending… depression, despair. Perhaps overwhelming poverty, loneliness, are the engines producing this non-physical agony.

After all the psychiatric administrations have been made, the poverty alleviated, and loneliness dispelled, what if the emptiness remains… what if nothing can be done?

What if the person is irretrievably despondent? At what point is the hat or towel tossed in and the situation pronounced “terminal”. What if continued existence meant only a maintenance of despondency? Each new day dreaded. Each repetitive action despised. Even the pleasures of eating become a drag. Nothing alleviates the gloom even for a moment. Everything disappoints. A mind lying in ruins facing life stoically, accepting that the misery will never cease and happiness will never transpire. Hopelessness. Should there be no escape for such a person? Does this go beyond the concept of euthanasia and enter the realm of suicide?

What if the body continues without malady. What if for all appearances a person appears otherwise healthy, but the mind is diseased? Should we administer “happy” drugs wherein the person floats blithely about in a near dream state? Like many who dope themselves up with illicit drugs, is this not simply an escape from reality? What if it results in a crash worse than the original malady?

What does it mean when one proclaims that a person “is in their right mind”? This is a condition, I presume, where a person supposedly has the means to direct their own affairs. If you are despondent for years on end… does that become your “right mind”? Do you have the wherewithal to decide whether or not to sip that cup of hemlock? Society may judge your condition as one of illness, rather than your normal state… they may lock you up in cushioned comfort… for your own good, mind you. You can then lounge around in perfect comfort while your mental misery continues… day, after day, after day. You are, after all, out of sight and mind of the public eye… forgotten, sidelined, marginalized, but kept safe.

So you starve yourself to end the misery. A feeding tube is administered… humans insist you must endure the mental nightmare, or are they human? Humans will keep a brain-dead empty vessel alive with machinery for years. What makes you think they will let you die as long as your mind thinks, even in misery? All you ask is they let you go, all they answer is … well, what do they answer anyway? Do they think they are acting morally? Do they think they are being sympathetic and caring? If they were to allow you to expire do they think they will have failed to act in a human manner? Do they act empathetically or do they act sadistically?

What if you, whatever you are, are tired of it all? What if there seems no way to cure what ails you? What if you have already slit your wrists but some well-meaning human has pulled you back from the brink? What if all your thoughts are continually directed at finding a way to turn out the lights forever? A way from which there is no escape. Wouldn’t it be nicer if an avenue were provided? Wouldn’t it be more human to understand and allow someone irretrievably mentally fatigued to have a means by which to say goodbye with grace? A person who just can’t take it any more, just can’t take it any more. Why bar the door? Let them go.

If a body can be so diseased or otherwise in agony incurable, why could not a mind be thus? It too, is made of mortal material. Mortal material in proper orientation is what manifests our perception of existence. If it becomes mangled in its orientation, and cannot be untangled, should we demand it continue? Who are we to insist that someone so afflicted must continue? Administer the cure. Allow an egress. Hold the door as a gesture of your understanding. Extend empathy even here.
Humans Inhumane … December 6, 2015

2015/12/06

War… nobody wants war, yet there are so many wars. If nobody wants it how come it keeps cropping up? Such cruelty from a species that possesses such capacity for empathy… there seems some disconnect. The malady of humans is the result of millions of years of evolution. The primitive drives are never left behind but carried forward despite each advance towards higher intellectual level. Each creature is driven to struggle to attain resources and space so as to provide for subsequent generations and never-ending growth. No human is innocent in this natural process. Just like rats that fight viciously with one another when population is high, so humans cannot resist the primitive urge to seek space.

The greatest tragedy of humanity is it knows… it knows what should be done, it knows who suffers, it knows the solutions, but does not act. Granted there are those that speak loudly of the tragedies of humanity, even offer solutions. They are not numerous enough, influential enough, to make much of a difference. The little good that is done is wiped away, as if it never existed, by the next self-induced calamity. In the end, the question that seems to matter to most is “What’s in it for me?”.

It seems that the human capacity for empathy is easily exceeded by avarice, by envy, by desire. We see the man starving on the sidewalk but remain reluctant to forgo one meal today so that he might eat once in three days. We read of a family in our newspaper that had their home destroyed by fire.They have no where to go and a number is listed for contributions. No, the lottery we play each week is more important, and besides, no one knows I don’t care… perhaps I didn’t see the article after all. The conscience of the average human must be light indeed, to be so easily swept aside.

I admit I am that average human… I care but do not act. I could give more, do more, but then… what’s in it for me? Would they reach out and help me when I’m in need? I have already in my many years seen that the answer to that question is a negative. So I am no better it seems in this regard, but I do care.

This is why we need Democratic Socialism. We possess the innate qualities to be humane, but also possess the power to ignore those empathetic qualities we possess. With Democratic Socialism our government will help our conscience do that which it should. Humans taking care of each other, that is the way it should be. Greed, avarice; both must take a back seat.
Capitalism and Greed … November 29, 2015

2015/11/29

My assertion is that capitalism is successful because it feeds the inherent greed of people. Capitalism, by itself is not the culprit. If the individual engaging in capitalism was not greedy and accumulating vast wealth while others around were living in squalor, then capitalism is a useful instrument for creating wealth. However, if the individual objects to being taxed at a higher rate by society, claiming instead that he/she should keep what is earned, no matter if it is far in excess of his/her needs and accumulates without investment in some large account, the greed is damaging to society and must be corrected.

Capitalism can produce wealth. There is no argument there. However, it is how that wealth is managed that is in dispute. If it accumulates and benefits no one except the generator it is detrimental to society. This is why I advocate a mixture of capitalism and socialism. Capitalism by itself can be stark and unforgiving. It can result in masses of people with no home, food, or hope. It can result in an economic division of classes. In this economic division you will have the rich and well to do and the poor, or slave class. If carried to its zenith, there will be no one existing between those two classes and the divide over time will increase. Some socialism in the mixture, enacted through higher taxation on higher wealth, tempers this inhuman divide. No one need live in abject poverty. Of course the greedy will object to this. Their human nature will guarantee that they will attempt to hide their wealth, cause them to seek to save more than that which they deserve. What good is it to have a billion dollars when you will never use it, all the while those around you have nothing. This is why I feel that Conservatives (read business) and libertarians (fools that think business will deal with them) are inhuman, compassionless barbarians.
The “Ick” Factor … November 22, 2015

2015/11/22

A lot of what humans believe is based on the “ick” factor. The “ick” factor is that unsavory feeling you get. It can be a feeling of revulsion or a pit in your stomach. A feeling of fear may also qualify. It is true that basing what you believe on a feeling is illogical, not in line with reason, but such feelings may have been responsible for the survival of the human species.

Meat that has putrefied in the sun may look unappetizing and so despite hunger you might bypass that meal and save yourself from certain poisoning. Some animals may have adapted to eating such putrid affair… humans have not.

That feeling that behind that bush a predator awaits… though there be no other indicators that an animal really is there, a number of human ancestors no doubt survived because they paid attention to that “feeling”.

Such feelings have served us well. Some today would have us ignore these feelings in the service of some self-interests they possess. Perhaps they wish to legalize a drug. Perhaps they want to marry their sibling. Maybe they want to insert their genitals into an anal opening.

I would advocate that the “ick” factor not be ignored. Despite the logical arguments against such factors perhaps not all the permutations have been observed yet. There may be reasons your feeling may be right, despite all of the logical reasoning against it. Even a new pharmaceutical drug sometimes does not reveal all its side effects until much later. Perhaps that behavior that seems so appropriate now will reveal itself at some point in the future as detrimental.

“Ick” factors vary from one individual to another. No one is obligated to adopt the behaviors of another. Toleration does not mean acceptance.
Censorship To Protect The Sensitive …

2015/11/21

For this new year approaching I have decided that censorship is necessary in my posts on Facebook. There are many people who cannot take the full caustic nature of reality and must be shielded from it. Therefore, upon determination of their sensitivity I will designate them in my “friends” as sensitive in nature and they simply will not see those issues, those posts, deemed possible ‘triggers’ of their psyche. HAVE A NICE DAY.
Humanity Sucks, Big Time … November 15, 2015

2015/11/15

There are many reasons why humanity just plain sucks. What? Of course this post is my opinion, and no I don’t want any criticism, constructive or otherwise. One of the main reasons it sucks for me is that over one-half of the human race has seemingly turned against the other half… for no good reason whatsoever. Although at most 18% of women claim the nefarious label “feminist”, they have convinced a majority of the rest of women that they have been oppressed, held back, discriminated against. Of course this isn’t true. They have created their own lives and problems and simply are unable to take responsibility themselves and so are blaming men. Knowing what I know, and I have looked deeply into the movement, it has changed me considerably. I don’t like it one bit.

The nature of society has always been gynocentric with men and women alike being concerned about the welfare of women, but women not caring a bit about the welfare of men. Even back in 1912 as the Titanic was sinking the cry was “Women and Children first”. Men sank with the boat. Note the headline remark: Women and Children Safe, but Few Notable Men.

Men have often been forced to enter military service via the draft. Women never have. Yet, when it comes time to honor the military dead the commemoration always reads: We honor the brave men and women. Men have died by the hundreds of thousands. How many women have died?

American Female Casualties of Wars
World War I: At least 359 servicewomen died, mostly from influenza and vehicle and aircraft accidents.
World War II: 543 died, mostly from vehicle and aircraft accidents. Sixteen Army nurses died from enemy fire.
Korean War: 17 died, mostly from vehicle or aircraft accidents.
Vietnam War: 8 died, one from hostile fire, one suicide, and the rest from vehicle and aircraft accidents.
Gulf War (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm): 16 died, mostly from vehicle and aircraft accidents and hostile fire.
Iraq war: 52 have died from hostile fire, and 378 have been wounded in action.

How many men? By asking this question I found out that they just list them as casualties, not keeping a separate count. but here is a comparison, just subtract the women above from those on the graph.

It’s the same way with news reports. If a mass accident occurs it will say something like 4000 people died including 20 women. They seem afraid, or reluctant to mention that men died. Feminism has cost women my respect. See the chart above? When that many women have died in service to our country perhaps I will respect their service.

Another thing that makes society suck is how many minorities have materialized, demanded, and received special privileges and considerations. Why, we even have one majority that demanded and received special minority privileges: women. What is really bad is you must not criticize these minorities in any way, or disagree with the ongoing narrative active at the time. A group called SJWs will attack you relentlessly, hounding you till you leave or are parroting the same lying propaganda they are. Keeps me separate, as I refuse to comply.

American society especially sucks. Capitalism is one thing, but it is carried to the extremes. No one can afford medical care in the United States. Yes, people go to hospitals. Yes, they have insurance. But the insurance only pays a percentage and even the amount that remains is so enormous that it means bankruptcy for many. Our retirement is in peril as a result. Doctors and hospitals are clearly in the process of killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Medical care should be free and a right of all people.

It makes me red-hot when someone asserts that social security is socialism, that Medicare is socialism, and that America is a Capitalist country. Believe me they do not know what it is they are saying. How stark and unforgiving would pure capitalism be? Think the homeless are numerous now? Think about half of America being homeless. But I forget, that’s what business wants… a willing crew of slaves to fill its needs.
Why Pretend To Forgive? … November 8, 2015

2015/11/08

Forgive thine enemy. What? Are you crazy?

Well, in any case, such forgiveness would be pretense, nothing more. You could state it clearly as loud as you want. You could claim it true and genuine forgiveness, but it would be a lie. Once deceived, once treated badly, you will forever be wary of the person. Things will never be the same.

In the name of God almighty, I forgive you! Don’t make me laugh, you can’t forgive them no matter how much you try. You could call up a thousand deities and forgiveness will still not be produced. Be it a betrayal of your trust or some act of violence, deceit, treachery, you will always suspect and never trust that person completely ever again.

Why pretend? You might not hate such a person, or you may, depending upon the act committed. If such a person entered the bedroom of your child and cut that child in half for no reason whatsoever you certainly are entitled to hate. It will certainly be understood when you never forgive. In fact, such an act will make even a stranger hate the person who has so viciously acted. Forgiveness will never occur to parent or stranger… and that is fine. No one need forgive or forget such acts of violence.

Yet even the mildest offense is never forgotten. An inadvertent omission of a friend from a list of invites to a party may permanently damage a friendship. Forgetting someone’s name could turn the tables later when the forgotten person is in charge of your next promotion. People tend to remember insults, slights, and violations while the good things are forgotten. Good news rarely makes the pages of a newspaper, television broadcast, or radio presentation. Who indeed finds interesting reading in a report that everything went as expected?

Personally, I remember every slight committed against me over the 50 plus years of my conscious remembered life. Yet, the kind things are only remembered with great effort, if at all. A human flaw I see many share. After all, I think evolution would have it no other way, as survival depends on not being fooled twice. What a dupe anyone would be judged to be if we fell for the same scam every time it was pulled.

Our lives are guided by reciprocity. If I do for you now, it is expected that you will do for me later. Allies depend on such reciprocity. Guard my back and I will guard yours. If an ally fails even once to reciprocate that ally becomes less trusted, less of an ally. That trust, once broken will never be as strong again. Like some cheap welding job, it will always be suspect.

Why do you suppose trust is so fragile? I suppose it might be because there are users. People who will use you when they need you, but will never be there for you when you are in need. I have met quite a number of users in my life. I remember them all… not fondly. I suspect such people are lacking in some human quality. Perhaps they lack sufficient mirror neurons in their brains to enable to see things from your point of view. They do not see the hurt they do. The compassion of such a person must be woefully lacking. They are unable to sympathize with your status. Even if you decide to never forgive such a person for their slights, they lack the capacity to realize that you have animosity for them. Such people must be always happy because they simply are unaware of those around them that they have trashed.

Since it is my belief that forgiveness is impossible, why pretend? Trust you may have had, but it will never be the same again. Humans are so fallible that it is a wonder how there are any friends or trust at all.
Don’t Let the Door Hit You…. November 4, 2015

2015/11/04

Well, that was a pleasant surprise, at least for me… Issue three, the marijuana initiative sponsored by the greedy and backed by the potheads went down to defeat in Ohio. I am surprised that there were that many good and decent people left in Ohio to vote this thing down.

Now, you people, yes you people that backed this issue… I beseech you to pack your bags and transport yourself to Colorado. Though Colorado is realizing now the dark side of this drug they are still open to it and will welcome you. I imagine a great deal of our crime experienced here from the drug trade will go with you. Druggies never are into just one drug.

Ohioans that can look reality in the eye without the cloak of a blue haze will remain in Ohio. With those seeking to dispel reality and live a fantasy world gone there will be about a third less people, but we will get along just fine without you.

DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT!