What do you see when you look at the world? Do you see nature? Do you see people? Do you see a tiny planet in the vast reaches of space? Do you see your town or city? Do you see your country? I'm guessing that if you are reading this blog, you have a reasonably decent life that allows you to afford internet access or at the very least computer knowledge. It is also my guess that when you imagine other human life around the planet, you think of similarly civilized places filled with people who have similar perceptions of reality. This is how I think, so I am assuming you think the same. A week ago, I stumbled upon a documentary series called The Vice Guide to Liberia and all of that changed. I was already sifting through heavy pictures of the Haitian wreckage, but the compounded poverty there seemed like a pin prick to a sword hack when I saw what Liberia was like.
Now, it wasn't that I was ignorant to these things, like I thought the whole world was rainbows, unicorns and butterflies, but I had not bothered to look into it like I have now. I knew about the war in Darfur, but I had honestly never seen any pictures. I've read about Rwanda and Congo, but it all seemed so distant. I believe this documentary did a great job of shoving a little more reality in my face. I watched to the point of sheer stupification at the human tragedy that has befallen hundreds of thousands of living, breathing people. There is a sense of dread that comes over you when you realize that these people are no different than yourself, but they are thrust into a situation where all they can do to cope with their limited education and wealth is live like animals.
Their standards are warped because all they've ever known is tragedy. 70% of the female population has been raped. Their rappers rap about AIDS. There have been three civil wars. Soldiers drank the blood of innocent children to become powerful. They're all waiting for the eventual withdrawal of the UN in a year, which will undoubtedly signal the beginning of a forth war. This is hell. It exists here on Earth and there is nothing you can do about it. The humility I feel for my advantaged life is profound. I am grateful for my education, my safety, my skills and my family. Take them all away and I would be no different than any one of the desperate and vicious citizens of this wrecked country.
Parts 7 and 8 have yet to be released. They will be in the coming week.
25 January 2010
23 January 2010
Explanations for Common Misunderstandings About Evolution
Evolution is a heady concept to consider, so it is understandable that some people may not have the entire story in their mind when they start to think about it and hash it out. Many religions dismiss evolution outright, but they do so based on the fact that it contradicts their teachings, not because there is no evidence. On the contrary, the evidence for evolution is overwhelming, which leaves those religions with two courses of action: either acknowledge evolution, but give it a religious justification or discredit it. In the wake of this reasoning, I've seen many people refute evolution with various fallacies or even misattribute it based off of faulty knowledge. These misunderstandings don't come just from the religious individuals, but also from the insufficiently educated ones. Here are some common misunderstandings that I've heard, along with explanations for the truth.
1. Evolution is "just a theory."
One must first make the distinction between evolution and the Theory of Evolution. Evolution is real; this much cannot be disputed. It is a fact that only the most willfully ignorant can deny. The Theory of Evolution is a set of scientific observations that describe how evolution actually works. The difference between these two is similar to gravity and the Theory of Gravity. We know that gravity exists; to deny it transcends idiocy. The Theory of Gravity explains how gravity actually works by citing physical laws and scientific evidence. In science, a theory is an explanatory statement that fits the evidence that exists and is real. So, to say that evolution is "just a theory" is like starving to death because your orange juice carton told you to "concentrate." If you use it as an argument, you're basically trying to use semantics that you don't even understand in the first place.
2. Evolution is "survival of the fittest."
There are many things wrong with this idea. First, it is a huge misnomer when applied to evolution because "on a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero." (Chuck Palahniuk) In fact, I wince every time someone mentions the Darwin Awards. Evolution is simply the "change in the genetic material of a population of organisms through successive generations." (Wikipedia) Even if you look at evolution through the scope of some cosmic competition, it is the most adaptive species to the challenge-du-jour that continue evolving, not the strongest, fittest, or smartest. One would hesitate to call cockroaches any of those adjectives, yet we can easily see them surviving simply through their adaptability. And even then, they wont be around millions of years from now; they'll have evolved into something else.
3. Species evolve for specific purposes.
To assume that a species evolved in a certain direction is to insinuate that there is a guiding meta-intelligence that oversees the process. Evolution is not guided by any intelligence, but its randomness is hidden by history, so it appears to be systematic and intentional. If you've heard the expression describing a bunch of monkeys on typewriters eventually coming up with Shakespeare, evolution works in pretty much the same way, except all the unfit manuscripts have been thrown out and we only end up seeing the ones that add up to Hamlet and King Lear. Given the evidence we're able to see, we would be lead to believe that monkeys ONLY produce Shakespeare. We must remember that there have been many species that existed on this planet for which we have absolutely no evidence of. If they existed for a reason, why are they gone without a trace? All one needs to do is observe the chaos involved in mammal egg fertilization to realize the amount of randomness involved in nature. Millions of sperm thrown at a single egg and only one gets in. Think of those odds. On one hand, it is a one-in-300-million chance. On the other hand, it was inevitable that at least one succeeded.
4. "If we evolved from monkeys, why do monkeys still exist?"
We did not evolve from "monkeys," rather, we share a common primate ancestor with the monkeys of today. We both evolved from the same now-extinct animal. Through a process called speciation , this ancestor evolved into different variations of itself; it branched. One branch became gorillas and other exotic monkeys while another branch became another type of primate, one that eventually speciated further into chimps, bonobos and humans.
5. Charles Darwin discovered evolution.
The idea of evolution was not original when Darwin published The Origin of Species. A few biologists before him had already come up with similar theories, like Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who conjectured that all species are descended from common ancestors. Alfred Russel Wallace also contributed a lot to Darwin's ideas, providing theories to correlate the ones that Darwin already held. As is often the case in academia, it is usually the author who takes the ideas of those before him and correlates them into a concise theory who gets the credit for the discovery. People think that if the idea came from a single source, then discrediting that source is the key to unraveling the whole theory, but you cannot do that in academia. Evidence comes from many different places, which is exactly what makes it evidence in the first place.
6. There is a "missing link" that ties mammals to reptiles.
Creationists like to hold on to this point as one that supposedly cripples the notion of evolution being true. However, this is essentially the same argument as the monkey one. Challengers use a half-cocked understanding of the evolutionary process to pose a question that can simply be answered with, "That's not how evolution works." Instead of looking for a point where mammals evolved from reptiles, one should be looking for a common ancestor that existed before either family was speciated . Also keep in mind that just because fossils exist doesn't mean that every organism that ever existed has left evidence that survived the hundreds of millions of years it took for us to discover it. There is, however, evidence of our shared ancestry within our embryonic stages during gestation. Mammals and reptiles share similar embryonic forms before they go on to develop class-specific features.
7. Life cannot come from non-life.
One of the most compelling scientific theories (that happens to be extremely poignant) to emerge over the last 60 years helps to explain the basics of how life came about: the chaos theory. I'll take a stab at it in a few sentences. The amount of randomness in the world is staggering if you know how to look for it. No two waves in the ocean are ever the same, nor are any two ripples in a pond, nor any two splashes in a puddle. If you rack up billiard balls and strike the first with a cue, it is possible to predict how the first will move, then as it crashes into the second, it is fairly likely you can predict how that one will go as well. However, the further down the line, as the balls crash into each other, the more unpredictable the results become. No two breaks are the same. So now, when you consider that all we are, as organisms, are just a few basic elements working together in a basic fashion, realize that all it takes is a single "spark" of the right atoms coming together at the right time under the right conditions to create life. Give this process a few billion years to happen, just once in all the chaos, and I'm sure at the end you just might win your high school science fair.
1. Evolution is "just a theory."
One must first make the distinction between evolution and the Theory of Evolution. Evolution is real; this much cannot be disputed. It is a fact that only the most willfully ignorant can deny. The Theory of Evolution is a set of scientific observations that describe how evolution actually works. The difference between these two is similar to gravity and the Theory of Gravity. We know that gravity exists; to deny it transcends idiocy. The Theory of Gravity explains how gravity actually works by citing physical laws and scientific evidence. In science, a theory is an explanatory statement that fits the evidence that exists and is real. So, to say that evolution is "just a theory" is like starving to death because your orange juice carton told you to "concentrate." If you use it as an argument, you're basically trying to use semantics that you don't even understand in the first place.
2. Evolution is "survival of the fittest."
There are many things wrong with this idea. First, it is a huge misnomer when applied to evolution because "on a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero." (Chuck Palahniuk) In fact, I wince every time someone mentions the Darwin Awards. Evolution is simply the "change in the genetic material of a population of organisms through successive generations." (Wikipedia) Even if you look at evolution through the scope of some cosmic competition, it is the most adaptive species to the challenge-du-jour that continue evolving, not the strongest, fittest, or smartest. One would hesitate to call cockroaches any of those adjectives, yet we can easily see them surviving simply through their adaptability. And even then, they wont be around millions of years from now; they'll have evolved into something else.
3. Species evolve for specific purposes.
To assume that a species evolved in a certain direction is to insinuate that there is a guiding meta-intelligence that oversees the process. Evolution is not guided by any intelligence, but its randomness is hidden by history, so it appears to be systematic and intentional. If you've heard the expression describing a bunch of monkeys on typewriters eventually coming up with Shakespeare, evolution works in pretty much the same way, except all the unfit manuscripts have been thrown out and we only end up seeing the ones that add up to Hamlet and King Lear. Given the evidence we're able to see, we would be lead to believe that monkeys ONLY produce Shakespeare. We must remember that there have been many species that existed on this planet for which we have absolutely no evidence of. If they existed for a reason, why are they gone without a trace? All one needs to do is observe the chaos involved in mammal egg fertilization to realize the amount of randomness involved in nature. Millions of sperm thrown at a single egg and only one gets in. Think of those odds. On one hand, it is a one-in-300-million chance. On the other hand, it was inevitable that at least one succeeded.
4. "If we evolved from monkeys, why do monkeys still exist?"
We did not evolve from "monkeys," rather, we share a common primate ancestor with the monkeys of today. We both evolved from the same now-extinct animal. Through a process called speciation , this ancestor evolved into different variations of itself; it branched. One branch became gorillas and other exotic monkeys while another branch became another type of primate, one that eventually speciated further into chimps, bonobos and humans.
5. Charles Darwin discovered evolution.
The idea of evolution was not original when Darwin published The Origin of Species. A few biologists before him had already come up with similar theories, like Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who conjectured that all species are descended from common ancestors. Alfred Russel Wallace also contributed a lot to Darwin's ideas, providing theories to correlate the ones that Darwin already held. As is often the case in academia, it is usually the author who takes the ideas of those before him and correlates them into a concise theory who gets the credit for the discovery. People think that if the idea came from a single source, then discrediting that source is the key to unraveling the whole theory, but you cannot do that in academia. Evidence comes from many different places, which is exactly what makes it evidence in the first place.
6. There is a "missing link" that ties mammals to reptiles.
Creationists like to hold on to this point as one that supposedly cripples the notion of evolution being true. However, this is essentially the same argument as the monkey one. Challengers use a half-cocked understanding of the evolutionary process to pose a question that can simply be answered with, "That's not how evolution works." Instead of looking for a point where mammals evolved from reptiles, one should be looking for a common ancestor that existed before either family was speciated . Also keep in mind that just because fossils exist doesn't mean that every organism that ever existed has left evidence that survived the hundreds of millions of years it took for us to discover it. There is, however, evidence of our shared ancestry within our embryonic stages during gestation. Mammals and reptiles share similar embryonic forms before they go on to develop class-specific features.
7. Life cannot come from non-life.
One of the most compelling scientific theories (that happens to be extremely poignant) to emerge over the last 60 years helps to explain the basics of how life came about: the chaos theory. I'll take a stab at it in a few sentences. The amount of randomness in the world is staggering if you know how to look for it. No two waves in the ocean are ever the same, nor are any two ripples in a pond, nor any two splashes in a puddle. If you rack up billiard balls and strike the first with a cue, it is possible to predict how the first will move, then as it crashes into the second, it is fairly likely you can predict how that one will go as well. However, the further down the line, as the balls crash into each other, the more unpredictable the results become. No two breaks are the same. So now, when you consider that all we are, as organisms, are just a few basic elements working together in a basic fashion, realize that all it takes is a single "spark" of the right atoms coming together at the right time under the right conditions to create life. Give this process a few billion years to happen, just once in all the chaos, and I'm sure at the end you just might win your high school science fair.
22 January 2010
Climbing Calm
When I was a lil' scamp, my age just out of the single digits and my skin tan from the sunlight I so frequently bathed in, I once visited the Squaw Valley ski resort in Lake Tahoe. This was on a summer vacation with my family, so there was no snow to speak of, but they did have one attraction that was promising; the rock wall. I had never climbed before, but my favorite comic book character was Spider-Man, so you can bet your lucky pennies that I was excited to give it a go. When they strapped me in a harness and sent me up the wall, I was quick, never stalling as I scaled it to the top. They lowered me down to the ground and I was already rearing to go again. That day, I went up and down the wall 3 times before I was told by my aunt that we had to leave. That night, as I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, my mind was excitedly racing as I kept replaying the day's events in my head. I wouldn't go climbing again for many, many years.
Up until last year, there were a number of reasons why I didn't like to work out. I can't stand repetitions. I don't want to look like the nerd who has vain aspirations of being covered in muscles. I don't even like muscles. I'm not comfortable being so out of shape surrounded by Adonises. I look awkward. Somewhere along the line, something changed. I have always been a later bloomer, but 26 years is a little long to wait to finally get interested in fitness. When I landed my job, I finally resolved to join a gym, especially with the cold weather approaching. The first gym I looked at, a couple blocks away from my apartment, was fairly boring, packed with people and expensive. The second gym I looked at, just as far from my front door, was much more my speed. While both gyms had weights, treadmills, a lap pool and classes, this one had basketball courts and a rock climbing wall. Sold.
I started climbing again on the first day of my membership. Given the amount of time since I had last climbed, it is safe to say that I remembered nothing. The instructor working there showed me how to put on a harness and tie myself into the ropes. With a few tips for the climb ahead of me, she sent me up the wall. I'd like to say that I was graceful and quick, but after watching so many other newbies climb since then, I can't say that I was any better; a wobbly, unstable mess. I managed to reach the top, but I was so exhausted coming down that I hit the ground on my ass because I couldn't support myself. What a difference a decade and a half makes. I managed to climb the wall twice more that day, knowing two things: I was having fun and I knew I could get better.
In the coming weeks, some clarity would come to me about climbing technique. It is all in your legs; if you use your arms to lift yourself, you'll get burned out. Strength is important, but there is always a way to pull off a move without it. Now, a rock wall looks like this (sorry for crappy cell phone picture):
The surface is rough with various features that provide a variety of different types of climbs (face, chimney, overhang) and a number of holds that provide you with something to grasp on to and stand on. While the placement of the holds may seem quite random and often dense, you will only use them all if you're an absolute beginner. As you get more and more skilled, you will follow specific routes that consist of same-color holds ("all orange holds") or holds marked with specific tape patterns ("all black and pink tape"). The routes have funky names and each has a specific rating from 5.6 to 5.12 and up. Just to give some perspective, 5.10 is what the bulk of the experienced climbers do. Serious sportsmen go higher. Wikipedia says 5.15b is the hardest rated climb in the world, but that is outside.
Climbing, to me, is more than just a workout. It is a challenge in both discipline and problem solving. There is also an element of overcoming fear that, while I trust the ropes to support me, always motivates me to stay focused and determined. Whenever I fail, I come back twice as eager to overcome a tough move. I work for weeks trying to piece together a smooth run on every new route that I attempt. I go to bed imagining each move of the latest route, anticipating the next time I can get back on the wall and smoothly complete a maneuver that has been giving me trouble. I'm currently a 5.9 climber and I love that no matter how good I get, there is always much more to learn. Additionally, every step I take to a higher difficulty seems to require more and more strength that I gain naturally through climbing.
Fitness-wise, I am more than pleased with my progress. I'm still skinny, but I am relatively muscular now and this has increased my self-esteem dramatically. Since I stay away from the weights, my expectations are modest, but if I ever seem to hit some resistance with what my strength will allow me to do on a climb, it is never more than a week before I am able to push through it.
This is my endorsement of climbing as both a mode of fitness and a hobby. There is something beautiful about perfect technique, which is just another goal to achieve on the face of a wall filled with hundreds of holds and hundreds of possibilities. Along the way, there are challenges, puzzles, obstacles and tests, and every one of them can be overcome. Every day I go, I realize the progress I make. On some days it may be just smoothing out the moves I make up the wall, on others I complete new routes and increase my difficulty. It adds up to satisfaction and ambition all at once. Even on the worst day when I seem to take a step back, I learn the techniques to work when I have no more strength left. It is the discipline that I've been looking for for most of my adult life and I am so happy to have found it again.
Up until last year, there were a number of reasons why I didn't like to work out. I can't stand repetitions. I don't want to look like the nerd who has vain aspirations of being covered in muscles. I don't even like muscles. I'm not comfortable being so out of shape surrounded by Adonises. I look awkward. Somewhere along the line, something changed. I have always been a later bloomer, but 26 years is a little long to wait to finally get interested in fitness. When I landed my job, I finally resolved to join a gym, especially with the cold weather approaching. The first gym I looked at, a couple blocks away from my apartment, was fairly boring, packed with people and expensive. The second gym I looked at, just as far from my front door, was much more my speed. While both gyms had weights, treadmills, a lap pool and classes, this one had basketball courts and a rock climbing wall. Sold.
I started climbing again on the first day of my membership. Given the amount of time since I had last climbed, it is safe to say that I remembered nothing. The instructor working there showed me how to put on a harness and tie myself into the ropes. With a few tips for the climb ahead of me, she sent me up the wall. I'd like to say that I was graceful and quick, but after watching so many other newbies climb since then, I can't say that I was any better; a wobbly, unstable mess. I managed to reach the top, but I was so exhausted coming down that I hit the ground on my ass because I couldn't support myself. What a difference a decade and a half makes. I managed to climb the wall twice more that day, knowing two things: I was having fun and I knew I could get better.
In the coming weeks, some clarity would come to me about climbing technique. It is all in your legs; if you use your arms to lift yourself, you'll get burned out. Strength is important, but there is always a way to pull off a move without it. Now, a rock wall looks like this (sorry for crappy cell phone picture):
The surface is rough with various features that provide a variety of different types of climbs (face, chimney, overhang) and a number of holds that provide you with something to grasp on to and stand on. While the placement of the holds may seem quite random and often dense, you will only use them all if you're an absolute beginner. As you get more and more skilled, you will follow specific routes that consist of same-color holds ("all orange holds") or holds marked with specific tape patterns ("all black and pink tape"). The routes have funky names and each has a specific rating from 5.6 to 5.12 and up. Just to give some perspective, 5.10 is what the bulk of the experienced climbers do. Serious sportsmen go higher. Wikipedia says 5.15b is the hardest rated climb in the world, but that is outside.
Climbing, to me, is more than just a workout. It is a challenge in both discipline and problem solving. There is also an element of overcoming fear that, while I trust the ropes to support me, always motivates me to stay focused and determined. Whenever I fail, I come back twice as eager to overcome a tough move. I work for weeks trying to piece together a smooth run on every new route that I attempt. I go to bed imagining each move of the latest route, anticipating the next time I can get back on the wall and smoothly complete a maneuver that has been giving me trouble. I'm currently a 5.9 climber and I love that no matter how good I get, there is always much more to learn. Additionally, every step I take to a higher difficulty seems to require more and more strength that I gain naturally through climbing.
Fitness-wise, I am more than pleased with my progress. I'm still skinny, but I am relatively muscular now and this has increased my self-esteem dramatically. Since I stay away from the weights, my expectations are modest, but if I ever seem to hit some resistance with what my strength will allow me to do on a climb, it is never more than a week before I am able to push through it.
This is my endorsement of climbing as both a mode of fitness and a hobby. There is something beautiful about perfect technique, which is just another goal to achieve on the face of a wall filled with hundreds of holds and hundreds of possibilities. Along the way, there are challenges, puzzles, obstacles and tests, and every one of them can be overcome. Every day I go, I realize the progress I make. On some days it may be just smoothing out the moves I make up the wall, on others I complete new routes and increase my difficulty. It adds up to satisfaction and ambition all at once. Even on the worst day when I seem to take a step back, I learn the techniques to work when I have no more strength left. It is the discipline that I've been looking for for most of my adult life and I am so happy to have found it again.
18 January 2010
You Don't Get To Invoke God With Haiti
I'm sorry, however you were intending on using your god to justify, explain, comfort or heal what has happened in Haiti is irrelevant. You don't get to do it, not in this instance. Not when 100,000 people have been crushed to death and more are starving, fighting and sifting through the wreckage. God has no place in any argument or salvation. Let's start with the basics. How on Earth do you think god can help the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere that has just been gutted by a massive earthquake? There is no room for god here, only the goodwill of Man. There are so many contradictions that refute the existence of god within 100 miles of Port-au-Prince right now that to claim he is anywhere near is to laugh in the face of your own faith.
Was god present when the earthquake hit and destroyed so many lives? Was he present only in the lives of those who were spared? They are suffering through the hardships of their loss and the threat of slow starvation. They are fighting in the street over looted goods. The local Bishop died, does that mean he didn't pray hard enough? Were they without god to begin with, thus deserved the disaster? How will bringing god to them help when they're already a dominantly religious society? These people believed and now half of them are praying harder while the other half are burning their bibles out of disgust. This god of yours is a sick joke that only salts the wounds of a downtrodden Haiti.
The Salvation Army claims that they will fight the disaster with god. Which god exactly? The same one that told this charity to pull all of their support from New York City homeless shelters if gay marriage legalization was even considered? Was it the god that let the earthquake happen in the first place, providing a platform for fine organizations like the Salvation Army and World Vision to swoop in and proselytize to a reeling and depressed population? The opportunistic bastards. When something this terrible happens to the world, any invocation of god is a losing proposition. Here are your choices:
1) Did it to punish everyone. So, what about all the good people who died? What about that 11 year old girl who died after being rescued? "Please don't let me die," were her last words.
2) Could not stop it from happening. However, he didn't bother to warn anyone. He just stood by and watched. Why is he worth worshiping again?
3) Caused it as a beacon to missionaries. Well, that certainly worked. Now you get to inherit a wretched and broken populace. They'll give more to your church and pray for salvation from the god that has just forsaken them.
4) Saved those he favored. Like all the prisoners who escaped and the gangs who have been looting?
5) Issued a test of faith. Yes, a huge earthquake that affected millions is a test of your personal faith.
6) Worked in one of his mysterious ways again. Anyone seeking meaning from such a tragedy is squeezing every last ounce of juice from the confirmation bias.
I understand that to many, faith is a very personal proposition, but no matter what you may think, the conclusion that god exists is by some extension an evil one. There is no right side of this tragedy. When something of this magnitude happens naturally, there is no justifying the existence of a vengeful or loving god because neither exists. At this point, you're either fooling yourself, worshiping out of fear or spiritually implicit in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. There is no way to win.
Let's recap: An earthquake struck the poorest and most vulnerable country (its capitol and largest city no less) on this side of the Earth and killed thousands of people (possibly 100,000 - possibly more). In addition to the loss of life, people have lost nearly every possession they once owned and the government has been rendered impotent. The resulting inhumanity consists of thousands of bodies piled in the road, mass graves filled with unclaimed bodies, looters ransacking stores and clashing with each other over the ownership of stolen goods, thousands struggling for survival and dignity, men removing bodies from coffins so their own relatives can be laid to rest, and doctors performing "Gettysburg" surgery on patients with hacksaws. God has no place here.
The only thing that will save Haiti is human compassion. Money donated to reputable secular charities will do the most good. Fund the work of a doctor or a rescue crew, not the motive of some flawed, useless deity.
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If you're looking for a charity, I suggest Direct Relief International. They have a 99% efficiency rating, which means 99 cents out of every dollar will go towards the effort. They are one of only two charities given a 5-star rating by Forbes for the last 5 years straight. Also, do not donate items; money will be far more efficient. We saw with the tsunami relief that item donations actually prevented a lot of the most useful items from being used because they were piled under mountains of useless items. If you're wondering, my heathen ass donated $50.
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Do you realize what it means when I say there is no god? I am also saying that there is no supernatural, no design, no purpose and no path. It means that every time someone has screamed into the sky, "Why?" There has never been an answer. The thousands of dead Haitians are not victims but consequential results of a billion factors, none of which include a motive or moral justification. They deserve every ounce of our sympathy. Does it help or hurt to know this? It doesn't matter.
I'm pretty sure what you're thinking. If it has happened to me, I would be looking for answers. Well, as it so happens, I have been in a fairly devastating earthquake. January 19th, 1994, 4:19am. Los Angeles woke up to the earth shaking beneath it. Four hours before, my friend Alex and I had fallen asleep beneath the television after playing games on my Sega Genesis. At some point, I woke up and dragged Alex to the couch bed to sleep because he didn't look comfortable sprawled out on the carpet. I went back to sleep myself, but my eyes opened in the silent darkness. I had just a moment of blank existence to ponder before the house started rocking around me. When it stopped, I took Alex outside to the cul-de-sac where my family and the neighbors had collected. We lost a lot of things in that quake. The TV that Alex and I had earlier been sleeping under had fallen right on its face. The tower dressers that flanked my parents' bed had crashed to the floor after my dad fell out of bed and scrambled back in. There was a lot to be thankful for, but who should I be thanking?
There was no divine influence that I could feel, only drowsiness and a sense of responsibility for my younger friend. I did not feel blessed to have my house torn apart, my soccer trophies smashed and my family's heirlooms in the china cabinet shattered. If you're looking for the guiding hand of god, you're not appreciating what it means to be alive.
Was god present when the earthquake hit and destroyed so many lives? Was he present only in the lives of those who were spared? They are suffering through the hardships of their loss and the threat of slow starvation. They are fighting in the street over looted goods. The local Bishop died, does that mean he didn't pray hard enough? Were they without god to begin with, thus deserved the disaster? How will bringing god to them help when they're already a dominantly religious society? These people believed and now half of them are praying harder while the other half are burning their bibles out of disgust. This god of yours is a sick joke that only salts the wounds of a downtrodden Haiti.
The Salvation Army claims that they will fight the disaster with god. Which god exactly? The same one that told this charity to pull all of their support from New York City homeless shelters if gay marriage legalization was even considered? Was it the god that let the earthquake happen in the first place, providing a platform for fine organizations like the Salvation Army and World Vision to swoop in and proselytize to a reeling and depressed population? The opportunistic bastards. When something this terrible happens to the world, any invocation of god is a losing proposition. Here are your choices:
1) Did it to punish everyone. So, what about all the good people who died? What about that 11 year old girl who died after being rescued? "Please don't let me die," were her last words.
2) Could not stop it from happening. However, he didn't bother to warn anyone. He just stood by and watched. Why is he worth worshiping again?
3) Caused it as a beacon to missionaries. Well, that certainly worked. Now you get to inherit a wretched and broken populace. They'll give more to your church and pray for salvation from the god that has just forsaken them.
4) Saved those he favored. Like all the prisoners who escaped and the gangs who have been looting?
5) Issued a test of faith. Yes, a huge earthquake that affected millions is a test of your personal faith.
6) Worked in one of his mysterious ways again. Anyone seeking meaning from such a tragedy is squeezing every last ounce of juice from the confirmation bias.
I understand that to many, faith is a very personal proposition, but no matter what you may think, the conclusion that god exists is by some extension an evil one. There is no right side of this tragedy. When something of this magnitude happens naturally, there is no justifying the existence of a vengeful or loving god because neither exists. At this point, you're either fooling yourself, worshiping out of fear or spiritually implicit in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. There is no way to win.
Let's recap: An earthquake struck the poorest and most vulnerable country (its capitol and largest city no less) on this side of the Earth and killed thousands of people (possibly 100,000 - possibly more). In addition to the loss of life, people have lost nearly every possession they once owned and the government has been rendered impotent. The resulting inhumanity consists of thousands of bodies piled in the road, mass graves filled with unclaimed bodies, looters ransacking stores and clashing with each other over the ownership of stolen goods, thousands struggling for survival and dignity, men removing bodies from coffins so their own relatives can be laid to rest, and doctors performing "Gettysburg" surgery on patients with hacksaws. God has no place here.
The only thing that will save Haiti is human compassion. Money donated to reputable secular charities will do the most good. Fund the work of a doctor or a rescue crew, not the motive of some flawed, useless deity.
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If you're looking for a charity, I suggest Direct Relief International. They have a 99% efficiency rating, which means 99 cents out of every dollar will go towards the effort. They are one of only two charities given a 5-star rating by Forbes for the last 5 years straight. Also, do not donate items; money will be far more efficient. We saw with the tsunami relief that item donations actually prevented a lot of the most useful items from being used because they were piled under mountains of useless items. If you're wondering, my heathen ass donated $50.
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Do you realize what it means when I say there is no god? I am also saying that there is no supernatural, no design, no purpose and no path. It means that every time someone has screamed into the sky, "Why?" There has never been an answer. The thousands of dead Haitians are not victims but consequential results of a billion factors, none of which include a motive or moral justification. They deserve every ounce of our sympathy. Does it help or hurt to know this? It doesn't matter.
I'm pretty sure what you're thinking. If it has happened to me, I would be looking for answers. Well, as it so happens, I have been in a fairly devastating earthquake. January 19th, 1994, 4:19am. Los Angeles woke up to the earth shaking beneath it. Four hours before, my friend Alex and I had fallen asleep beneath the television after playing games on my Sega Genesis. At some point, I woke up and dragged Alex to the couch bed to sleep because he didn't look comfortable sprawled out on the carpet. I went back to sleep myself, but my eyes opened in the silent darkness. I had just a moment of blank existence to ponder before the house started rocking around me. When it stopped, I took Alex outside to the cul-de-sac where my family and the neighbors had collected. We lost a lot of things in that quake. The TV that Alex and I had earlier been sleeping under had fallen right on its face. The tower dressers that flanked my parents' bed had crashed to the floor after my dad fell out of bed and scrambled back in. There was a lot to be thankful for, but who should I be thanking?
There was no divine influence that I could feel, only drowsiness and a sense of responsibility for my younger friend. I did not feel blessed to have my house torn apart, my soccer trophies smashed and my family's heirlooms in the china cabinet shattered. If you're looking for the guiding hand of god, you're not appreciating what it means to be alive.
17 January 2010
Chaos, Mathematics, Nature and Evolution
Got an hour? Watch these 6 videos:
This program beautifully explains many of the concepts that I've been trying to organize in my head about evolution, probabilities, predictions, and existence. Please find the time to check it out, because your mind will be blown.
This program beautifully explains many of the concepts that I've been trying to organize in my head about evolution, probabilities, predictions, and existence. Please find the time to check it out, because your mind will be blown.
14 January 2010
Your Faithful Blogger
I apologize for no update today, but I spent all my creative juices writing a guest blog post for The Solitary Panda. To make up for it, I present you with a picture of myself, taken for Time Out New York magazine. I've taken better pictures, but I've also taken much much worse...
My sisters will be proud to know that I dressed myself.
My sisters will be proud to know that I dressed myself.
11 January 2010
Rant: Liberalism Double-Take
Reading a book about political philosophy written in 1944 certainly turns one's labeling process on its ear. Today, Socialism is a very liberal concept, but it used to be exactly what liberals despised. I feel completely confused, wondering if I've just lost touch with the heart of the argument for liberalism. I wonder if others who consider themselves to be liberal are able to make the distinction, if I am just aimlessly guessing at why people justify things. I've always considered myself a liberal, but I've certainly changed how I feel about the limits of state control. Let me put it this way: before I realized that corporations held as much power as they do, I was a total fan of the free market. I embraced the freedom of expression and of commerce. Now, I want someone to protect me from the big companies who can control the markets. Liberalism, if handled correctly, contains the answers to what ails me, but it hasn't been handled well at all, so now I am stuck calling myself a liberal while also seeking comfort in the state's power.
This is a crisis of philosophy, so I'm hoping that writing it out will provide some catharsis.
Let's go back to the roots. Liberalism (or, the doctrine that should be subscribed to by anyone who correctly calls themselves a liberal) pretty much dictates a hands-off approach on all matters from the government. Including public utilities, the rule of law, and national security, the government policies serve the individual. The United States was founded under very liberal ideals. The term, "small government," may be associated with conservatives these days, but it is at the core of what liberalism stands for. (The problem is that conservatives are proponents of protectionist policies at the same time they want small government.) When I hear people complaining that the damn liberals are trying to take away their rights, I see a little awkwardness. A true liberal would typically support second amendment rights while opposing national healthcare. Granted, they would also oppose war while fighting for the separation of church and state. So, what I see in today's modern political landscape of the USA is no true liberal party (outside of the Libertarians, who are represented by fucking wackjobs) that really represents liberalism.
Now, the real crux of what liberalism stands for is the lack of societal planning. The reason for this is simple; if one man gets his way, there are a hundred other men who get the raw deal. We are driven to plan because we see an ideal society or a problem that needs fixing, but every man's utopia is grounded in the limits one must impose to obtain it. This is why liberalism is simultaneously difficult to maintain and easy to misunderstand; a liberal society will always be suboptimal to an idealist of a particular slant and, eventually, someone is going to want to patch up the holes. One should know that there is never a "common good." The very fact that you may disagree with me or with anyone should spell this out quite clearly. The problem is that right now people WANT a plan; when you're down and out, you want a path through the darkness. This makes us vulnerable to totalitarian ideas.
"Ah," says my co-worker who is twice my age, "now you're starting to see." Yes, yes, I see. What we have here in the States are two parties twisted to the same degree, differing only in the means they use to reach their ends. Both have a plan and they are trying to impose it on the population. In this sense, a party supermajority is actually a bad thing, regardless of it is your party that has it.
Protectionist policies are a form of societal planning. To impose any such policy is to say, "We have achieved this much, now we must ensure that we do not lose it." How noble, yet how damaging. Any teenager will tell you to keep your hands off of their personal development, as you should any societal system. Any person who has lived a full, interesting life will tell you that the great victories would not have happened without the losses that paved their way. The liberal way goes much the same; allowing the natural forces of free economy to dip and rise, accepting the loss of a standard for the emergence of a new custom, progression. I see that protectionist policies have shaped the corporatist world we live in from the beginning of the last century, and now liberalism is a dream... a crazy dream to even the sane.
Well, I've never denied being a bit nutty.
This is a crisis of philosophy, so I'm hoping that writing it out will provide some catharsis.
Let's go back to the roots. Liberalism (or, the doctrine that should be subscribed to by anyone who correctly calls themselves a liberal) pretty much dictates a hands-off approach on all matters from the government. Including public utilities, the rule of law, and national security, the government policies serve the individual. The United States was founded under very liberal ideals. The term, "small government," may be associated with conservatives these days, but it is at the core of what liberalism stands for. (The problem is that conservatives are proponents of protectionist policies at the same time they want small government.) When I hear people complaining that the damn liberals are trying to take away their rights, I see a little awkwardness. A true liberal would typically support second amendment rights while opposing national healthcare. Granted, they would also oppose war while fighting for the separation of church and state. So, what I see in today's modern political landscape of the USA is no true liberal party (outside of the Libertarians, who are represented by fucking wackjobs) that really represents liberalism.
Now, the real crux of what liberalism stands for is the lack of societal planning. The reason for this is simple; if one man gets his way, there are a hundred other men who get the raw deal. We are driven to plan because we see an ideal society or a problem that needs fixing, but every man's utopia is grounded in the limits one must impose to obtain it. This is why liberalism is simultaneously difficult to maintain and easy to misunderstand; a liberal society will always be suboptimal to an idealist of a particular slant and, eventually, someone is going to want to patch up the holes. One should know that there is never a "common good." The very fact that you may disagree with me or with anyone should spell this out quite clearly. The problem is that right now people WANT a plan; when you're down and out, you want a path through the darkness. This makes us vulnerable to totalitarian ideas.
"Ah," says my co-worker who is twice my age, "now you're starting to see." Yes, yes, I see. What we have here in the States are two parties twisted to the same degree, differing only in the means they use to reach their ends. Both have a plan and they are trying to impose it on the population. In this sense, a party supermajority is actually a bad thing, regardless of it is your party that has it.
Protectionist policies are a form of societal planning. To impose any such policy is to say, "We have achieved this much, now we must ensure that we do not lose it." How noble, yet how damaging. Any teenager will tell you to keep your hands off of their personal development, as you should any societal system. Any person who has lived a full, interesting life will tell you that the great victories would not have happened without the losses that paved their way. The liberal way goes much the same; allowing the natural forces of free economy to dip and rise, accepting the loss of a standard for the emergence of a new custom, progression. I see that protectionist policies have shaped the corporatist world we live in from the beginning of the last century, and now liberalism is a dream... a crazy dream to even the sane.
Well, I've never denied being a bit nutty.
09 January 2010
10-Minute Beat Poem
Tim Minchin is one of today's most brilliant comedians and he bases his humor largely on the ignorance of others. This little gem is not only a scathing piece of commentary, but also a great performance and a wonderful assemblage of the English language. I'm guess that if you are a fan of the message I try to send out, you've probably already heard of him, but here is hoping that this is relevant. I know I've personally watched this a few times and even read the lyrics once to myself, simply because it is so good and inspiring (as a writer and thinker).
08 January 2010
The Blog Post That Never Happened
The one that got away! I had a fairly decent setup for a good blog post, but none of my plans worked out. I recently appeared in Time Out New York magazine, in a feature called "Friends With Benefits." Not surprisingly, the subject was about people looking for friends to have casual sex with. Basically, they interviewed me and took my picture, then published a little article about me online and in the magazine. I had to answer the following questions: What are your views about sex? What are you looking for in a "friend?" What makes you good in bed? What is your favorite position? I gave wordy answers, filled with metaphors, puns and figures of speech. The photo shoot was quick and painless; I was just told to "look sexy" and pose. When the article was published about a month ago, my friends told me that I was the best candidate out of the 11 people who were listed, but I did not receive a single valid response!
Well, let's back up a little bit here. I had a lot of ideas about what could happen with this situation. First of all, I have tried online dating before and let me tell you, I am terrible at it. I am sure there are plenty of guys who have the whole digital personals things figured out, but I fail miserably. What? You don't want to date a skinny nerd who thinks a lot about psychology and politics? It is hard enough speaking for yourself, so I figured that having a magazine speak for me would increase my chances of, minimally, validating my attractive values. In hindsight, I was wrong, but it was enough to fuel a ton of fantasies leading up to the publication (and subsequent barren wasteland of responses).
I did get a nice professional picture of myself out of it. I had never been photographed professionally before (aside from, possibly, the creepy guy lurking around me when I was wearing my top hat in the city a couple years ago), so that was one of the reasons why I accepted the invitation to be in the feature. If you must know how I ever came to be invited to appear in this feature, well here's the brief story: This was the second time they've run the feature. The first time, they put out a call for people who wanted to be included and a friend of mine responded. She was accepted and appeared in the magazine when the feature ran, resulting in many responses. Of course, she had a kinky outfit on and appeared in a mask with a paddle. Maybe my clean cut good-guy look wasn't naughty enough. Then again, I don't have breasts and a vagina. Anyways, this friend was subsequently asked if she knew anyone who would like to appear in the second coming of this feature and she approached me. Now you know that story.
I even got my buddy William involved in the feature. They asked me if I knew anyone and I was quick to point out my friend. Nothing will score you points with friends more than getting them laid. He's more of a sweet teddy bear type, and generally goes for different women than me, so I figured he was not competition. His ad said he liked to be pampered after sex, including cuddling and spooning where he was the little spoon. How adorably honest, but alas, he did not get any responses either. We sat, William and I, commiserating about our total failure to attract women for the purpose of casual sex.
Had this ploy succeeded, I would have had a blog post filled with the adventures of meeting people with the specific pretext of eventually having casual sex. I'm usually remiss about the research I have to do for some of the ideas I get, but I could totally get behind this one. It would have been spectacular.
The catch with this whole situation is that I never really needed the article to meet someone cool, sexy, and fun. I feel sorta silly for ever feeling like it was necessary.
Well, let's back up a little bit here. I had a lot of ideas about what could happen with this situation. First of all, I have tried online dating before and let me tell you, I am terrible at it. I am sure there are plenty of guys who have the whole digital personals things figured out, but I fail miserably. What? You don't want to date a skinny nerd who thinks a lot about psychology and politics? It is hard enough speaking for yourself, so I figured that having a magazine speak for me would increase my chances of, minimally, validating my attractive values. In hindsight, I was wrong, but it was enough to fuel a ton of fantasies leading up to the publication (and subsequent barren wasteland of responses).
I did get a nice professional picture of myself out of it. I had never been photographed professionally before (aside from, possibly, the creepy guy lurking around me when I was wearing my top hat in the city a couple years ago), so that was one of the reasons why I accepted the invitation to be in the feature. If you must know how I ever came to be invited to appear in this feature, well here's the brief story: This was the second time they've run the feature. The first time, they put out a call for people who wanted to be included and a friend of mine responded. She was accepted and appeared in the magazine when the feature ran, resulting in many responses. Of course, she had a kinky outfit on and appeared in a mask with a paddle. Maybe my clean cut good-guy look wasn't naughty enough. Then again, I don't have breasts and a vagina. Anyways, this friend was subsequently asked if she knew anyone who would like to appear in the second coming of this feature and she approached me. Now you know that story.
I even got my buddy William involved in the feature. They asked me if I knew anyone and I was quick to point out my friend. Nothing will score you points with friends more than getting them laid. He's more of a sweet teddy bear type, and generally goes for different women than me, so I figured he was not competition. His ad said he liked to be pampered after sex, including cuddling and spooning where he was the little spoon. How adorably honest, but alas, he did not get any responses either. We sat, William and I, commiserating about our total failure to attract women for the purpose of casual sex.
Had this ploy succeeded, I would have had a blog post filled with the adventures of meeting people with the specific pretext of eventually having casual sex. I'm usually remiss about the research I have to do for some of the ideas I get, but I could totally get behind this one. It would have been spectacular.
The catch with this whole situation is that I never really needed the article to meet someone cool, sexy, and fun. I feel sorta silly for ever feeling like it was necessary.
05 January 2010
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
The debate du jour within my noggin is that between individualism and socialism. I define individualism as the policy of promoting individual liberties ahead of any organisation. Conversely, socialism is the policy of structuring rights in a fashion that manufactures peace and fairness through practicality. I have previously identified myself as a Socialist, and I still do to some extent, but I cannot let that be said without also noting that I wish it were possible to be a Libertarian. It is not possible because I feel that a sudden shift to Libertarian principles would simply break the world we've created. I know that I do not want more of the same, but I also know that the route to utopia requires a brief pit stop in hell.
Individual freedom can be found at the heart of all progress. When a person is encouraged to stand out, is given the freedom to do as they please, the result is unprecedented movement and evolution. New discoveries are made because everyone is looking for a better this and a better that. When a market is flooded, new ones arise. When an idea is published, it is built upon and developed until it is either overtaken or it overtakes. What I'm describing is a glorious world of fertile ideas, similar to the environment of the Internet in its infancy. When people are allowed to follow their hearts, they take the world with them.
Enter corporatism. Enter regulations and protections. Enter all the things we put in place because we are afraid that the same freedom that gave us this new world is the same freedom that will scoff it away. We get off at the first stop, unwilling to travel any further, satisfied with how far we've come already. We lay claim to the product of our ambitions, accepting it as earned, unwilling to face the notion that as far as we've come, it could all slip away. Though, could it be that the sentimentality we feel leads us to drive away the world we loved too much to set free?
And what of socialism? What is so bad about it? Collectivism is a safety measure, intended for those seeking stability and strength. It is for when you've been skating miles above the Earth for years, you hit a rough patch, and now all you want to feel is the unmoving solid ground beneath your feet. Socialism is a refuge from all the forces that threaten to strip away what little you have left. The beaten and tired should want it, if only just for a reprieve.
If our current instability had come from individualism simply showing its dark underbelly, my prescription would be another healthy dose of more individualism. These things, we are taught, correct themselves. The problem is that we are not here in this recession because individualism took a wrong turn, but because we bastardized it long ago. Now, all of the greed and jealousy that grew on both sides of the protections has finally driven us into the ground. We know we need a change, but I must be clear that a reversion back to pure individual freedom is impossible without an intervention of the socialist variety.
Case in point: Net Neutrality. Enforcing the concept of Net Neutrality is, essentially, a socialist agenda. The government will be stepping in to regulate businesses operating the communication lines of the Internet. The theoretical counter to this action is insisting that the markets remain free and to let competition work its magic. This would be ideal if the markets hadn't already been taken over by entities propelled by other non-related regulations. That is to say that we've created a monster (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, etc.) and to leave it in charge of a free market would be like handing the keys of the city over to Godzilla. No, in order for a truly free market to flourish, we must first take the step of abolishing the monopolies - socialist interference.
The Libertarian agenda is pure and innocent, like a pre-teen boy, which also makes it premature when facing these dirty, mature problems we have before us. We can learn from it, though. Imagine a skate boarder riding down a large hill. As he loses stability, his board starts to wobble side-to-side. The wobble is small at first and then increases, the board swerving wildly before the rider can no longer balance and bails. The board's movement can be seen in the nature of the ideological movements within this country. While 12 years ago, both the Republicans and the Democrats were viewed as two colors of the same centrist agenda, today, we have rising popularity amongst hardcore Conservatives, dead red Libertarians, and liberals-turned-Socialists. We're becoming more fundamentalist, fracturing, dividing.
Let's recap: First, we create this amazing world with the freedom of individuality. When we stop to look at the progress we've made, we become intolerable of its necessary evils because we see perfection as a possibility. In an attempt to preserve that progress, we institute rules to diminish what we perceive as negative effects. This, in time, chokes off the creativity and drive that got us here in the first place, and it also allows those who benefited from the initial progress to solidify their hold on the market. These institutions become pillars of our society, they become too big to fail. To revert back to the original individualism concept would require the abolishment of the rules they used to obtain their grasp. Let me explain how far-reaching this idea is.
Copyright laws need to go. Regulations of public communication lines need to go. Banking and lending restrictions need to go. We're talking wild wild West here. This is why we can't have nice things. When we obtain some amount of achievement, we coddle it and protect it, but that is exactly what kills it. The evolution of our society can be found in our cultural cannibalism, but we have so many regulations in place that say we cannot use something because someone else owns it. The Internet has grown to such great utility because it was a lawless place where freedom used to take precedence over ownership. Now we have powerful corporations, borne of the protections in place to preserve the benefits of creation, assaulting that freedom with lawsuits and sovereignty. Liberalism's rise inevitably leads to its downfall.
And in order for any return to individualism to happen, I feel it is necessary for the government to wrest control of some issues first. We must take shelter under the wing of stability while we lick our wounds and prepare to venture out for another go. I repeat; socialism should only be a temporary reprieve. During that time, the government should protect the markets and the individuals as it breaks down the walls it built within itself. Destroy health care rackets, IP firms, telecom monopolies, and mega banks. Sweep the legs of those who profited from protections. Even the playing field before restarting the game. Then, when all are equal below it, the government must sacrifice its power by abolishing all remaining protections and its ability to define them. In my wildest dreams.
Individual freedom can be found at the heart of all progress. When a person is encouraged to stand out, is given the freedom to do as they please, the result is unprecedented movement and evolution. New discoveries are made because everyone is looking for a better this and a better that. When a market is flooded, new ones arise. When an idea is published, it is built upon and developed until it is either overtaken or it overtakes. What I'm describing is a glorious world of fertile ideas, similar to the environment of the Internet in its infancy. When people are allowed to follow their hearts, they take the world with them.
Enter corporatism. Enter regulations and protections. Enter all the things we put in place because we are afraid that the same freedom that gave us this new world is the same freedom that will scoff it away. We get off at the first stop, unwilling to travel any further, satisfied with how far we've come already. We lay claim to the product of our ambitions, accepting it as earned, unwilling to face the notion that as far as we've come, it could all slip away. Though, could it be that the sentimentality we feel leads us to drive away the world we loved too much to set free?
And what of socialism? What is so bad about it? Collectivism is a safety measure, intended for those seeking stability and strength. It is for when you've been skating miles above the Earth for years, you hit a rough patch, and now all you want to feel is the unmoving solid ground beneath your feet. Socialism is a refuge from all the forces that threaten to strip away what little you have left. The beaten and tired should want it, if only just for a reprieve.
If our current instability had come from individualism simply showing its dark underbelly, my prescription would be another healthy dose of more individualism. These things, we are taught, correct themselves. The problem is that we are not here in this recession because individualism took a wrong turn, but because we bastardized it long ago. Now, all of the greed and jealousy that grew on both sides of the protections has finally driven us into the ground. We know we need a change, but I must be clear that a reversion back to pure individual freedom is impossible without an intervention of the socialist variety.
Case in point: Net Neutrality. Enforcing the concept of Net Neutrality is, essentially, a socialist agenda. The government will be stepping in to regulate businesses operating the communication lines of the Internet. The theoretical counter to this action is insisting that the markets remain free and to let competition work its magic. This would be ideal if the markets hadn't already been taken over by entities propelled by other non-related regulations. That is to say that we've created a monster (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, etc.) and to leave it in charge of a free market would be like handing the keys of the city over to Godzilla. No, in order for a truly free market to flourish, we must first take the step of abolishing the monopolies - socialist interference.
The Libertarian agenda is pure and innocent, like a pre-teen boy, which also makes it premature when facing these dirty, mature problems we have before us. We can learn from it, though. Imagine a skate boarder riding down a large hill. As he loses stability, his board starts to wobble side-to-side. The wobble is small at first and then increases, the board swerving wildly before the rider can no longer balance and bails. The board's movement can be seen in the nature of the ideological movements within this country. While 12 years ago, both the Republicans and the Democrats were viewed as two colors of the same centrist agenda, today, we have rising popularity amongst hardcore Conservatives, dead red Libertarians, and liberals-turned-Socialists. We're becoming more fundamentalist, fracturing, dividing.
Let's recap: First, we create this amazing world with the freedom of individuality. When we stop to look at the progress we've made, we become intolerable of its necessary evils because we see perfection as a possibility. In an attempt to preserve that progress, we institute rules to diminish what we perceive as negative effects. This, in time, chokes off the creativity and drive that got us here in the first place, and it also allows those who benefited from the initial progress to solidify their hold on the market. These institutions become pillars of our society, they become too big to fail. To revert back to the original individualism concept would require the abolishment of the rules they used to obtain their grasp. Let me explain how far-reaching this idea is.
Copyright laws need to go. Regulations of public communication lines need to go. Banking and lending restrictions need to go. We're talking wild wild West here. This is why we can't have nice things. When we obtain some amount of achievement, we coddle it and protect it, but that is exactly what kills it. The evolution of our society can be found in our cultural cannibalism, but we have so many regulations in place that say we cannot use something because someone else owns it. The Internet has grown to such great utility because it was a lawless place where freedom used to take precedence over ownership. Now we have powerful corporations, borne of the protections in place to preserve the benefits of creation, assaulting that freedom with lawsuits and sovereignty. Liberalism's rise inevitably leads to its downfall.
And in order for any return to individualism to happen, I feel it is necessary for the government to wrest control of some issues first. We must take shelter under the wing of stability while we lick our wounds and prepare to venture out for another go. I repeat; socialism should only be a temporary reprieve. During that time, the government should protect the markets and the individuals as it breaks down the walls it built within itself. Destroy health care rackets, IP firms, telecom monopolies, and mega banks. Sweep the legs of those who profited from protections. Even the playing field before restarting the game. Then, when all are equal below it, the government must sacrifice its power by abolishing all remaining protections and its ability to define them. In my wildest dreams.
01 January 2010
8 Habits for Reclaiming Your Finances and Your Life
I used to want everything that I could rest my eyes on. I chased after the sports car, the stereo, the big TV, the ultimate computer, and the spacious apartment in the city. I saw myself as successful and ambitious when I managed to acquire these things, but they never stopped me from wanting more. I battled anxiety from constantly expanding expectations of myself along with the stress of stretching my money as far as it could go without any room for error. Through it all, I did not see it as a bad way to live; I accepted myself as a driven perfectionist, classically tormented by the crux of symbolic martyrdom. In short, I was an idiot. I purposefully disregarded common sense because I felt that it made me look like a misunderstood genius. All it took was losing the job I hated in the first place to shove reality in my face.
In the months following my firing, I depleted my immediate savings and my retirement plan. As I struggled to downsize my life before all of my money ran out, I gradually conditioned myself to do without all the extra goodies that I been accustomed to. Before long, the nature of my previous ambitions revealed itself to me. The hardship that my shallowness was causing helped me realize what my priorities should have been. Then, just as I was about to completely hit the bottom of my finances, I was offered my old job back. While my slide down the muddy slope of vanity was halted by this sudden lucky turn, my view of money had already changed considerably. As I got back on my feet, I developed a few habits to better take care of the money that I earned. To my surprise, the daunting inward look at my spending practices has not only resulted in a more secure future for myself, but it has also contributed to a much healthier self image. These are the practices I used to escape 2009 with not only more money in my pocket than ever before, but also more confidence and maturity:
1) Use a tool to monitor your income and spending closely.
The first step to getting your finances back on track is to take stock of everything that is going on with your money. I've found that the easiest and most honest way to do this is through Mint.com. It is a site which aggregates all of your financial account information into one interface and presents you with easy to understand numbers and graphs. You'll be able to see in plain visual language that you spent more than you earned last month and it will motivate you to be vigilant in preventing this in the future. Numbers don't lie and if you are really interested in improving your spending practices, this step is imperative in understanding where you are and where you need to be.
Before I started using Mint.com, I had simply been doing the equivalent of dropping stones in a well to measure the water level. Frankly, I was afraid that if I looked too closely, I couldn't cope with the truth. Like every problem, a hole in your pocket doesn't go away if you pretend it isn't there. The tension of living paycheck to paycheck was like frantically laying rail road tracks before a speeding steam engine. As any old-timer will tell you: stress can kill. I resolved to finally take responsibility for the leaks in my spending by acknowledging them. The rest was easy. Once you see in plain sight all the things that detract from your wealth, I promise that you will act quickly to shore them up.
2) Set budgets for your extra expenses.
This sounds elementary, but its simplicity is the root of its deception. Many people figure that a little treat here and there won't hurt their budget. They also figure that if they go over budget by a few dollars, it won't have much of an impact in the long run. Once in a while, this is not that big of a problem, but there are two aspects of human nature that exacerbate these allowances. First, we always conveniently forget about the last time we allowed ourselves a little reprieve, even if it was the previous afternoon. This makes us prone to repeating our mistake over and over because we don't regard it as a mistake. Second, we gradually desensitize ourselves to the budgets we intentionally betray. The first month could be a couple bucks over budget, but since that didn't break the bank, we figure we can push it even further the next month. All of this must stop.
I have measured out all of my expenses, including the ones that are necessary every month (rent, mobile and internet). About three times a week, I check my spending in various categories: entertainment, food, purchased goods, etc. If I am beyond the point I should be for the month (for instance, on the 15th of the month, you should be below half of the budget), then I set a hard mental block to remind myself that I cannot spend any more money for those things until next month. This might sound like I'm purposefully torturing myself, but the less you consume, the more you realize how little consumption is necessary. More on that later.
3) Plan your shopping trips.
The key to staying within your budget is to plan your shopping trips; do not just stumble into a store because the window display was calling to you. Measure your spending at home before you swipe your card. Beside emergency expenses, impulse buying is the number one destroyer of financial discipline. Now, when I use the word discipline, I don't want you to imagine leather whips and dog collars. Rather, think of a skilled martial artist who understands that the key to his success is simplicity and self-control. If keeping up with the latest fashion is one of the pillars of your existence, don't feel like these tips can never work for you. Instead, take this as an opportunity to refine your ritual of shopping. Then, the next time someone compliments you on your new top, you can be proud of your purchase instead of feeling guilty about the financial burden it represents.
When it comes to fashion, I am about as hip as a Hasid. That doesn't mean that I don't like nice clothes. Before I go shopping, I measure out what I need (2 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, one packet of underwear, no single item to exceed $60, total budget of $200) and I stick to it. So far, I've been very proud of the results: I make purchases that I am more confident with and my closet represents me, not some habit. Taking control of your finances is not about living like a hobo on middle class wages, it is about understanding the role of materialism in your life and assigning it an appropriate priority.
4) Put aside 10-20% of your income in savings or investments.
When my parents first told me that I should be saving 20% of my paycheck, I defiantly proclaimed that I would have to shutter myself in my apartment, never go out and eat rice three times a day. I denounced their advice, complaining that I would have to give up my youth if I ever wanted to adapt to this so-called responsible living. Years after my tantrum, I currently save 40% of my paycheck every month. Did I mention that I am also a lot happier and more secure than I've ever been? There is no real secret, I've just built my budget around this saving strategy. In fact, aside from the standard monthly expenses that I incur as a function of living, my 40% is the only untouchable budget that I have. 10 or 20% should not be a problem for the average person.
What is there to do with all this extra money? Most people will tell you to invest it, to "make your money work for you," or to put it away for retirement. This concept may be a bit too abstract or risky for some people, as it is with me, so I'll tell you what I do with my extra money. In this volatile economy, my savings account represents freedom. In a time when people are scared to lose their job, they put up with shitty bosses, limited freedoms and insulting budget cuts. These savings are my insurance against that. After 6 months of working at my current job, I can be laid off tomorrow and still survive for another half a year before I absolutely have to find another. Or, if I stay another year at this job, I'll have enough saved up to start my own business, which I have been looking to do for 6 years. This saved up money is peace-of-mind, a de-stresser. Investments are risky, but this is my rock.
5) Do not buy things you don't really need.
This sounds like a no-brainer, but I intend to give a couple good examples. Let's begin with your TV. You don't need it. You also don't need the cable service that brings you all of your favorite shows. I used to think that I couldn't live without it, but I've managed to do just that for the last 6 months. That's right; half a year without any television. How do I get entertainment without it? I have Netflix, Hulu and, if all else fails, piracy. It doesn't kill me to watch Dexter the day after it airs. I only pay for internet service from my cable company now. Other things you simply don't need are subscriptions, a telephone land line (I just use my cell phone since I'm only home in the evenings and weekends anyways), CD's, DVD's, books, an extra car, or basically anything you find yourself not touching for months at a time. You may be keeping it around in case you need it, but this type of precautionary hoarding is just rampant consumerism designed to hinder your resourcefulness. Live with less and learn to make do.
Be aware of advertising, store displays and sales; understand what they are trying to do. Stores naturally value your money over their inventory, and they try to use your emotions to get you to agree with this. The key is to resist unplanned purchases for an hour, or even a day, to let your emotions peek over a proposed purchase and slowly decline. If you still feel like buying something after fully considering it without an emotional imperative, there must be a really good justification for it. Otherwise, I'm sure you can survive without it.
6) Do not use credit cards.
Credit cards are very tempting these days. Free vacations, chances to win prizes every time you spend, airline miles; all promotions designed to get you to essentially pay more than you have to for everything you buy. Beyond the interest that you pay, you are changing the dynamic of your expenditures. Debt is a very powerful device that can ravage your sense of security. It is best to avoid it completely. The simplest and least taxing way to pay for anything is to save up for it and buy it outright. You can even save money on some items if you pay entirely in cash. It may sound tacky to toss out the phrase, "debt is slavery," but I have stared into the abyss, and it stared back. Living with someone who constantly dragged an anchor of debt around with them has been revelatory; they could not do anything with their life that they wanted to because their debt required them to constantly make money in order to pay their bills. It was torture and I would not recommend it to anyone.
What good is credit rating anyways? It is only useful to obtain more credit. There will inevitably be times when you want to purchase things that are impossible to save up for and a decent credit rating will be necessary. This is where big ticket items come into play. My bed and TV (when I had it) were purchased using store financing. My two cars from when I lived in California were also purchased through the financing department. Paying off these types of debts has two advantages over credit cards and bank loans. First, you know how much you owe every month. This can be factored into your budget with ease. Second, you can often purchase items for no interest at all. This allows you to increase your credit rating in a disciplined manner without exposing yourself to scalping banks and credit agencies who can raise your rates on a whim. Still, the pressure to keep room in your budget for an extended period of time in order to pay off these purchases is subtly oppressive.
7) Spend your extra money on experiences, not things.
The most important lesson I've learned about self image is that the things you buy do not make you more interesting, cultured or attractive. Rather, it is the extraordinary experiences you have, the ones you can turn into stories and battle scars, that round you out. For years, I felt hollow, wondering why with all of my "success" I was still so socially inept. It is only after I've turned the corner that I now see that what was doing wrong. It was not a concerted effort that got me to where I am, but I know exactly how I got here: I stopped nesting and I started flying. I traveled to Europe, I took up hobbies, I went skydiving, I learned about the world around me. I feel like a more interesting person and it shows in the quality of interactions I have these days. Now, what does any of this have to do with gaining control of your finances?
Things get old. They break or become obsolete. You'll waste money maintaining, upgrading or replacing them, or you'll simply buy them, use them for a short amount of time, and forget them. They become part of a collection with no practical use except to remind you of the money you once had in your pocket that you no longer do. Experiences, on the other hand, live forever as valuable, fulfilling, character-building memories. On a more practical plane, you often plan these experiences; whether it is a ticket to a concert or a trip to the Caribbean. The planning process allows you to budget for your experiences and space them out enough to where they do not become a burden. In turn, living a more exciting life makes the process of saving money non-tedious. I used to feel anxious when I would spend all weekend doing nothing, as if life were passing me by. Now I enjoy those weekends as much as my busy ones. The habit of saving money has turned relaxing into a productive activity instead of a slothful one.
8) Never budget for the most you can afford, leave yourself room for error.
When they calculate a mortgage or a loan, lenders will take your total monthly income and come up with a number that represents the most you can borrow. That will determine your loan amount and pay schedule. Because this calculation is so simple, not many people stop to consider how dangerous this little dance really is. All you normally see is a hassle-free negotiation and that nice new home or car waiting for you after it is over. The detail to understand about this situation is that your financial comfort is never taken into consideration. You are going to end up with the biggest loan possible, making your payment obligation a stressful burden for the lifetime of your debt. When you combine this with the unfortunate human planning ability (we suck at it), it isn't hard to see why so many people are filing for bankruptcy these days. All it takes is one little slip-up and you can find yourself deep in debt.
When you plan your expenses, include overhead for unforeseen events. Make sure that you can easily absorb the cost of a new commitment because you cannot tell what surprises the future holds for you. This is probably the hardest habit to pick up because only you can be honest with yourself. Nobody can tell the future, not even nifty finance software, so it is up to you to tell yourself what the odds are that you could lose your job, break up with your partner, get injured or have a kid; anything that will impact your ability to pay for the things you are trying to buy. It is difficult to resist claiming the best that your money can get you, but if you've ever been stressed about being able to make a single payment, it should remind you to use temperance the next time you take the plunge.
In the months following my firing, I depleted my immediate savings and my retirement plan. As I struggled to downsize my life before all of my money ran out, I gradually conditioned myself to do without all the extra goodies that I been accustomed to. Before long, the nature of my previous ambitions revealed itself to me. The hardship that my shallowness was causing helped me realize what my priorities should have been. Then, just as I was about to completely hit the bottom of my finances, I was offered my old job back. While my slide down the muddy slope of vanity was halted by this sudden lucky turn, my view of money had already changed considerably. As I got back on my feet, I developed a few habits to better take care of the money that I earned. To my surprise, the daunting inward look at my spending practices has not only resulted in a more secure future for myself, but it has also contributed to a much healthier self image. These are the practices I used to escape 2009 with not only more money in my pocket than ever before, but also more confidence and maturity:
1) Use a tool to monitor your income and spending closely.
The first step to getting your finances back on track is to take stock of everything that is going on with your money. I've found that the easiest and most honest way to do this is through Mint.com. It is a site which aggregates all of your financial account information into one interface and presents you with easy to understand numbers and graphs. You'll be able to see in plain visual language that you spent more than you earned last month and it will motivate you to be vigilant in preventing this in the future. Numbers don't lie and if you are really interested in improving your spending practices, this step is imperative in understanding where you are and where you need to be.
Before I started using Mint.com, I had simply been doing the equivalent of dropping stones in a well to measure the water level. Frankly, I was afraid that if I looked too closely, I couldn't cope with the truth. Like every problem, a hole in your pocket doesn't go away if you pretend it isn't there. The tension of living paycheck to paycheck was like frantically laying rail road tracks before a speeding steam engine. As any old-timer will tell you: stress can kill. I resolved to finally take responsibility for the leaks in my spending by acknowledging them. The rest was easy. Once you see in plain sight all the things that detract from your wealth, I promise that you will act quickly to shore them up.
2) Set budgets for your extra expenses.
This sounds elementary, but its simplicity is the root of its deception. Many people figure that a little treat here and there won't hurt their budget. They also figure that if they go over budget by a few dollars, it won't have much of an impact in the long run. Once in a while, this is not that big of a problem, but there are two aspects of human nature that exacerbate these allowances. First, we always conveniently forget about the last time we allowed ourselves a little reprieve, even if it was the previous afternoon. This makes us prone to repeating our mistake over and over because we don't regard it as a mistake. Second, we gradually desensitize ourselves to the budgets we intentionally betray. The first month could be a couple bucks over budget, but since that didn't break the bank, we figure we can push it even further the next month. All of this must stop.
I have measured out all of my expenses, including the ones that are necessary every month (rent, mobile and internet). About three times a week, I check my spending in various categories: entertainment, food, purchased goods, etc. If I am beyond the point I should be for the month (for instance, on the 15th of the month, you should be below half of the budget), then I set a hard mental block to remind myself that I cannot spend any more money for those things until next month. This might sound like I'm purposefully torturing myself, but the less you consume, the more you realize how little consumption is necessary. More on that later.
3) Plan your shopping trips.
The key to staying within your budget is to plan your shopping trips; do not just stumble into a store because the window display was calling to you. Measure your spending at home before you swipe your card. Beside emergency expenses, impulse buying is the number one destroyer of financial discipline. Now, when I use the word discipline, I don't want you to imagine leather whips and dog collars. Rather, think of a skilled martial artist who understands that the key to his success is simplicity and self-control. If keeping up with the latest fashion is one of the pillars of your existence, don't feel like these tips can never work for you. Instead, take this as an opportunity to refine your ritual of shopping. Then, the next time someone compliments you on your new top, you can be proud of your purchase instead of feeling guilty about the financial burden it represents.
When it comes to fashion, I am about as hip as a Hasid. That doesn't mean that I don't like nice clothes. Before I go shopping, I measure out what I need (2 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, one packet of underwear, no single item to exceed $60, total budget of $200) and I stick to it. So far, I've been very proud of the results: I make purchases that I am more confident with and my closet represents me, not some habit. Taking control of your finances is not about living like a hobo on middle class wages, it is about understanding the role of materialism in your life and assigning it an appropriate priority.
4) Put aside 10-20% of your income in savings or investments.
When my parents first told me that I should be saving 20% of my paycheck, I defiantly proclaimed that I would have to shutter myself in my apartment, never go out and eat rice three times a day. I denounced their advice, complaining that I would have to give up my youth if I ever wanted to adapt to this so-called responsible living. Years after my tantrum, I currently save 40% of my paycheck every month. Did I mention that I am also a lot happier and more secure than I've ever been? There is no real secret, I've just built my budget around this saving strategy. In fact, aside from the standard monthly expenses that I incur as a function of living, my 40% is the only untouchable budget that I have. 10 or 20% should not be a problem for the average person.
What is there to do with all this extra money? Most people will tell you to invest it, to "make your money work for you," or to put it away for retirement. This concept may be a bit too abstract or risky for some people, as it is with me, so I'll tell you what I do with my extra money. In this volatile economy, my savings account represents freedom. In a time when people are scared to lose their job, they put up with shitty bosses, limited freedoms and insulting budget cuts. These savings are my insurance against that. After 6 months of working at my current job, I can be laid off tomorrow and still survive for another half a year before I absolutely have to find another. Or, if I stay another year at this job, I'll have enough saved up to start my own business, which I have been looking to do for 6 years. This saved up money is peace-of-mind, a de-stresser. Investments are risky, but this is my rock.
5) Do not buy things you don't really need.
This sounds like a no-brainer, but I intend to give a couple good examples. Let's begin with your TV. You don't need it. You also don't need the cable service that brings you all of your favorite shows. I used to think that I couldn't live without it, but I've managed to do just that for the last 6 months. That's right; half a year without any television. How do I get entertainment without it? I have Netflix, Hulu and, if all else fails, piracy. It doesn't kill me to watch Dexter the day after it airs. I only pay for internet service from my cable company now. Other things you simply don't need are subscriptions, a telephone land line (I just use my cell phone since I'm only home in the evenings and weekends anyways), CD's, DVD's, books, an extra car, or basically anything you find yourself not touching for months at a time. You may be keeping it around in case you need it, but this type of precautionary hoarding is just rampant consumerism designed to hinder your resourcefulness. Live with less and learn to make do.
Be aware of advertising, store displays and sales; understand what they are trying to do. Stores naturally value your money over their inventory, and they try to use your emotions to get you to agree with this. The key is to resist unplanned purchases for an hour, or even a day, to let your emotions peek over a proposed purchase and slowly decline. If you still feel like buying something after fully considering it without an emotional imperative, there must be a really good justification for it. Otherwise, I'm sure you can survive without it.
6) Do not use credit cards.
Credit cards are very tempting these days. Free vacations, chances to win prizes every time you spend, airline miles; all promotions designed to get you to essentially pay more than you have to for everything you buy. Beyond the interest that you pay, you are changing the dynamic of your expenditures. Debt is a very powerful device that can ravage your sense of security. It is best to avoid it completely. The simplest and least taxing way to pay for anything is to save up for it and buy it outright. You can even save money on some items if you pay entirely in cash. It may sound tacky to toss out the phrase, "debt is slavery," but I have stared into the abyss, and it stared back. Living with someone who constantly dragged an anchor of debt around with them has been revelatory; they could not do anything with their life that they wanted to because their debt required them to constantly make money in order to pay their bills. It was torture and I would not recommend it to anyone.
What good is credit rating anyways? It is only useful to obtain more credit. There will inevitably be times when you want to purchase things that are impossible to save up for and a decent credit rating will be necessary. This is where big ticket items come into play. My bed and TV (when I had it) were purchased using store financing. My two cars from when I lived in California were also purchased through the financing department. Paying off these types of debts has two advantages over credit cards and bank loans. First, you know how much you owe every month. This can be factored into your budget with ease. Second, you can often purchase items for no interest at all. This allows you to increase your credit rating in a disciplined manner without exposing yourself to scalping banks and credit agencies who can raise your rates on a whim. Still, the pressure to keep room in your budget for an extended period of time in order to pay off these purchases is subtly oppressive.
7) Spend your extra money on experiences, not things.
The most important lesson I've learned about self image is that the things you buy do not make you more interesting, cultured or attractive. Rather, it is the extraordinary experiences you have, the ones you can turn into stories and battle scars, that round you out. For years, I felt hollow, wondering why with all of my "success" I was still so socially inept. It is only after I've turned the corner that I now see that what was doing wrong. It was not a concerted effort that got me to where I am, but I know exactly how I got here: I stopped nesting and I started flying. I traveled to Europe, I took up hobbies, I went skydiving, I learned about the world around me. I feel like a more interesting person and it shows in the quality of interactions I have these days. Now, what does any of this have to do with gaining control of your finances?
Things get old. They break or become obsolete. You'll waste money maintaining, upgrading or replacing them, or you'll simply buy them, use them for a short amount of time, and forget them. They become part of a collection with no practical use except to remind you of the money you once had in your pocket that you no longer do. Experiences, on the other hand, live forever as valuable, fulfilling, character-building memories. On a more practical plane, you often plan these experiences; whether it is a ticket to a concert or a trip to the Caribbean. The planning process allows you to budget for your experiences and space them out enough to where they do not become a burden. In turn, living a more exciting life makes the process of saving money non-tedious. I used to feel anxious when I would spend all weekend doing nothing, as if life were passing me by. Now I enjoy those weekends as much as my busy ones. The habit of saving money has turned relaxing into a productive activity instead of a slothful one.
8) Never budget for the most you can afford, leave yourself room for error.
When they calculate a mortgage or a loan, lenders will take your total monthly income and come up with a number that represents the most you can borrow. That will determine your loan amount and pay schedule. Because this calculation is so simple, not many people stop to consider how dangerous this little dance really is. All you normally see is a hassle-free negotiation and that nice new home or car waiting for you after it is over. The detail to understand about this situation is that your financial comfort is never taken into consideration. You are going to end up with the biggest loan possible, making your payment obligation a stressful burden for the lifetime of your debt. When you combine this with the unfortunate human planning ability (we suck at it), it isn't hard to see why so many people are filing for bankruptcy these days. All it takes is one little slip-up and you can find yourself deep in debt.
When you plan your expenses, include overhead for unforeseen events. Make sure that you can easily absorb the cost of a new commitment because you cannot tell what surprises the future holds for you. This is probably the hardest habit to pick up because only you can be honest with yourself. Nobody can tell the future, not even nifty finance software, so it is up to you to tell yourself what the odds are that you could lose your job, break up with your partner, get injured or have a kid; anything that will impact your ability to pay for the things you are trying to buy. It is difficult to resist claiming the best that your money can get you, but if you've ever been stressed about being able to make a single payment, it should remind you to use temperance the next time you take the plunge.
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