Progress is a Comfortable Disease

“Progress is a comfortable disease--” an excerpt from a piece by E.E. Cummings.

In literary survey courses it has been said many times that poets and science fiction writers are our modern-day prophets. Despite all the economical, political, social, and religious leaders and experts of our day, it is the writers who have so perfectly painted our future with the grim and mysterious certainty of a Grecian oracle. Stories such as Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde are just a few works that come to mind. These writers didn’t portray the future with statistics, logical predictions based on current trends, or even on biblical apocalyptic chapters. No, instead they spoke of the deep underlying truths of the human condition, of the values and ideologies that set our species apart from the rest of existence. To put it more plainly, Maya Angelou once said, “I’m not interested in facts, but truths.”

The human race has come a long way since the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages, since the primal cultures, since the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and even the Industrial Revolution--allegedly. We study the bones and archaeological ruins of ancient cultures, with the self-inflated presumption that we are the most superior of all creatures to walk the earth because we exist and they do not. That is faulty thinking, in my opinion. To illustrate the point I’m getting at let me say this: rats might also exist in the bottom of a dank and slimy pit, but just because the rest of creation isn’t stupid enough to go into the pit, does that make the rat superior in its seclusion? No, I’m not suggesting alternative dimensions or some sort of parallel existence. That type of thinking gives me a headache anyway. But what I’m saying is simply because we exist at a time another creature does not, is that really ground enough to assume we are superior? Or could it be cause to suggest we are in fact inferior because we are still here?

In the age of primal cultures, beasts were hunted with respect and honor and only the ones who gave themselves to the hunter were ever caught. Following, was a ritual of sadness and thanksgiving for the beast that had sacrificed itself. Today farms raise livestock by the thousands, in deplorable conditions, then slaughter them by the thousands. Yet world hunger is rampant. Today cancer and AIDS are uncontrollable, and obesity claims more than half the industrialized world. The number of oxygen-burning, carbon-belching factories and machinery multiplies daily, while the vast forests of the Amazon are being decimated.

We killed God and in his absence we decided that we must be gods. I recently heard an atheist mocking Christianity: “When I hear from the Bible the words of God saying ‘I am,’ I simply smile and say, ‘I am too.’” It is this stifling egoism and short-sightedness that prevents us from seeing the universe as it actually is--infinite. We surround ourselves in our own little bubble, blind ourselves with our pride so we cannot see anything outside of our sphere, then declare that we must be gods since there is nothing greater than us in existence. Yet we are destroying our planet, clogging our arteries, and dying before we’ve reached the age of 80. We walk outside and are mesmerized by the starry hosts above and are vexed by the moral low within this world. We have progressed to the point that we proclaim ourselves gods, yet cannot explain our world.

The irony of our predicament is further realized at the end of E.E. Cummings piece when the narrator becomes so sick of the human condition of existence that he ends by lightly saying, "There's a hell of a universe next door, let's go."

Could the problem then be a human problem? What if we were the ones left behind to wallow in our misery because it was we who were inferior? Could there actually be a condition called sin? Is this actually beyond our control? Are we living in the midst of a self-created destruction?

Every year the human race grows smarter while leaving wisdom at the door.

Thus the saying proves true for another generation: "Progress is a comfortable disease..."

But that is only half true. Progress is also a terminal disease.

Thank You Washington

Today the House shot down the bailout plan. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the plan would save America, but the very reason some of these representatives voted against it infuriates me. Lines like "too risky this close to the election," have been common place over the week. We all assume they simply mean the presidential election, but do they? Well, as for me, I don't buy it.

There have been protests against this bailout, mostly by people who don't even understand what the other alternative really would be. There are a number of ignorant Americans who seem to think that the major banks and investment companies can go belly-up and yet will not effect the common America. Everyone is to blame for this crisis and the fact that the government is now needing to intervene due to stupid financial decisions is a necessary evil. But it is indeed necessary.

For those who aren't aware, these companies keep the economy afloat. Anyway, now as a result there are reps. voting against the bailout simply because their position in the House of Representatives might be jeopardized.

So here's a little thank you note to all the self-consumed leaders of our country who are doing such a good job at ensuring their own job security. Thank you for reminding us why we are in this situation in the first place.

How America Lost the American Dream

I'm no economist. I'm not even that familiar with all the inner workings of a bank, let alone a national economy. But it doesn't take a veteran Wall Street analyst to say we're in trouble. Last night President Bush formally announced his bailout plan for the American economy, although it's been whispered of in the paper for nearly a week now. Not only that, but this is going to be the biggest bailout in US history. This has never occured before...not during the Great Depression or before, and certainly not since. The fact is this: the US economy is on hard times. So hard, in fact, that the government is being forced to take drastic measures to save it. But that's not anything new. Here's another fact: the rest of the world isn't much better.

I'm not proposing a different sort of bailout plan or whatever, but I am going to pinpoint the problem. American spending. Since it's founding in 1776, America has amassed a national debt of roughly $7 trillion. Most of it has been since the second World War. Here's a fun fact: at the rate our government is spending, $1 billion is spent every 8 hours and 20 minutes. That's roughly $3 billion a day. Now multiply that number by 365 and tell me you're not astounded.

An even larger problem, is t he American public at large doesn't attempt to reduce spending either. Credit cards, loans, mortgages...sound familiar? Americans simply love credit. It's vital to our culture. It is absolutely necessary if we wish to maintain our current lifestyles, completely inconsistent with our income. But now the housing market is going south. Now the dollar is worthless overseas. It used to not be this bad, but I was recently in the UK. The US dollar is barely half of the UK pound. And the Euro is worth about 50% more than the US dollar. But here's the crazy part. We think we have it so bad, but they've always had a higher cost of living. Especially gasoline. A glance at a European gas station sign and you'd think they're the same, but don't forget, they sell in Litres over there. Thus a sign in Europe advertising petrol for 4.25 would basically be $8.50 per gallon. But that's nothing new. They've had it worse than we have. The difference? They're not a credit-happy nation. Sure they have credit cards; who doesn't? But they don't use them like they're going out of style. They don't overextend themselves on loans that they can only pay by counting their pennies and working overtime on the weekends.

Another sad example of American spending vs. our European counterparts is fuel consumption. Care to guess the average fuel economy of an American car? It's about 25. A European car? About 45. And they don't drive nearly as much as Americans do anyway. Buses, metros, taxis, and cross-country railways are the norm over there. In the US we have a hernia if we have to ride the public transportation system.

It's sad but true, in my opinion. The fall of the American economy is a self-created destruction. We did this to ourselves. Whoever talked big about the American dream and saying it was available for all was certainly right, but did they mention at what cost? Apparently not. Well, here it is. A $700 billion bailout. Will it work? Maybe for a few months. If you recall after the Wall Street crash at the beginning of the Depression, there was also a bailout. Stocks rebounded and spirits were high...then it dropped again and didn't stop.

So no. I don't think the bailout will work. It will make people shut up for a while. Maybe even for a year. But the fact that this very economy is based so heavily on credit and money it doesn't even have is going to be it's downfall.

This is how America lost the American dream. Unfortunately, I think the American dream is also how America lost itself.

CNN vs FOX

Anyone who gets caught up in the realm of politics will no doubt realize that his preferred news station will, whether intentionally or not, send a message to those around him about his own political views and affiliations. To summarize it briefly, CNN (often referred to as the Communist News Network) is typically the "liberal" station whereas Fox is typically the "conservative" station. These aren't self-proclaimed descriptions, but just general descriptions that have come about from the viewers and have turned into ongoing stereotypes.

Anyway, I first want to just state this: I don't consider myself a supporter or viewer of any one of these stations. In fact, I rarely watch news on television. I've found that the best way to get a realistic idea of what is going on, especially overseas, is to look up a random assortment of blogs by freelance journalists...you'll usually get a well-rounded view once you take ALL of them into account, and none of them are being censored by big corporations.

The point of this blog, however, is to simply point out the short-sightedness and naivete of those who honestly view their favored news station as the lone beacon of light in a world corrupted by political injustice and media bias. I'm certainly not disagreeing with those summaries, but I am definitely attacking the presumption made by some that one of these stations is somehow holier, more truthful, or just more reliable than the others.

Here is my point: CNN and Fox, along with the whole mess of other stations, are all guilty of media bias, slanted viewpoints, as well as censorship. If you honestly believe what the news is telling you is the truth, then I pity you and this blog is directed right at you.

Most of the time, the attacks I hear are directed at CNN from Fox-lovers. Albeit, their is "trash-talking" from both sides, but for whatever reason I've heard more coming out of the Fox corner. So I suppose this blog is an attempt to show people that there is no such thing as an entirely uncorrupted news agency.

Has anyone heard of Monsanto? Most probably have not. I don't have time to go into great detail, but basically Monsanto is a company that uses BGH (bovine growth hormone), injected into dairy cows, to maximize milk production. This is all fine and good but there is some speculation, as well as some facts, that strongly suggest this has some dangerous side-effects for humans. But of course, nothing too serious...just cancer (note the sarcasm). An article was going to be published and aired by Fox, but Monsanto contacted them, demanding the script be altered and threatening to sue the station if this content was aired. Fox gave in. To make a long story short, the journalists who worked on the story didn't like this fact and fought it until they too were dealt with--they were fired. Thus the mega-corporation has its way, buying off a news agency to not air anything that might be damaging to their company.

There are numerous articles all over the Web on this particular story and I assure you it's only one of many. I also realize CNN has their share of dirt as well, and my intent here is not to bash Fox. I'm not in to bashing anyone for that matter. I'm just sick of these self-inflated people who try to go around preaching Fox as if it were godsent.

The fact is this and I don't think anyone would argue with it: this world is a corrupt and fallen world. It is full of selfish human beings. So with this in mind, do you honestly think there is a news agency out there who will always tell you the truth regardless of its own image? That will stand up to mega-corporations even when lawsuits are pending? That will tell you the truth simply because it's the right thing to do?

Wake up people...

A Different View, A New Blog, An Explanation

"A Different View" isn't just another political blog that falls inline with a particular party. It isn't a vain attempt at originality, trying to be different by only talking about the most controversial issues. It isn't meant to bash, needlessly criticize, or attack anyone. These are simply my thoughts, put into the form of a blog. Through the years, I've discovered my own personal beliefs and reasoning has actually set me apart from both of the two major political parties in the US.

It's difficult to summarize me without making generalizations, which as Alexander Dumas so bluntly put it, "all generalizations are bad, even this one." My aim is to present my thoughts and views of the world around us. Whether you think they are biased is up to you, but I can assure you they won't always hold true to a particular party line, so you'd be safer not trying to categorize me. Thus I consider myself independent. I get too much flak whenever I try to claim either side of the spectrum.

So how do you understand what I believe and who I am? Read my blog: A Different View.