President Obama recently made a trip to the Middle East in a bid to start healing the long-festering wounds that have been scratched and picked upon for so many decades. I would like to add my 2 cents worth, although its only 2 Canadian cents, and probably not worth much...
In reading online debates and blogs, I find so many Americans think the atypical America-centric thinking.... "If you don't like our politics, then stay the hell out of it". Well, we would love to (I really don't follow the politics, of say, the Netherlands), but the fact is, when the US messes up, it takes the rest of the westernised world down with it. As sad as it is, nations like Canada, the UK, Japan, Australia, etc. must keep an eye on American politics.
I think that a lot of what is going on today is due to an America-centric system of thinking that leaves its children with very little knowledge of the outside world - knowledge which is required when these children become future leaders and make forays into foreign countries that may not require America's lofty presence.
America needs to start healing - not in the future, but today, It needs to heal its relations with the world and begin peaceful dialogue backed up with peaceful actions and reactions. I believe, in President Barak Obama, this sort of thinking is beginning to prevail, and inroads, although still small, are being paved. Also, Americans need to realise that, while they do have a wonderful country and culture worth preserving, they do not need to be involved in every single international dispute.
Consider this. Since WWII, America has invaded over two dozen sovereign countries, a staggering amount by any standards. That number, alone, should cause Americans to strongly think of the future and their foreign policies. Having said this, I must point out that there have been areas where America has taken the lead, and rightly so (Afghanistan comes to mind, as it was a necessary reaction to 9/11 and the introduction of a strong, anti-terrorism stand.) But if America continues on this path, wars with Iran, North Korea, and then Russia and China are all but inevitable. And it will drag the rest of the world down with it. America has a duty to the world to get its ducks in a row before more severe disaster strikes. Believe me, 9/11 will be nothing compared to what is to come if America continues on its previous path.
I think it needs to be said and repeated that America has so much to offer. I love America. I have many American friends, the great majority of whom are very kind, generous and caring, and many who are enlightened and free-thinking. But to sum up, there is serious work needed in the US - reconsideration of its international politics and foreign policies - a lot of which can start right at home by teaching children that America can't just go on simply believing it is the greatest country in the world and does no wrong, but merely part of a network of great countries that offer freedom and individuality and liberty. (There are bad countries, but no one country can claim to be the greatest as it is all subjective).
Learn about other nations, and America's place in the world. Why it is important to respect other's religions and values, however foreign and alien it may seem. America is among the greats in the world, and can become even greater if it began to realise these things and had a little more respect for and understanding of other cultures, for what they value in their own nation so strongly - free speech, liberty, justice for all, and the right for self-determination.
I expect the typical American reaction to this editorial, which is usually "f* off" and insults. A wise man once said violence (and in this case, name calling and profanity) is the last resort of a man with no other means of intelligent discourse, so I expect I will get that reaction to this. (Then again, my blog isn't exactly the New York Times. Instead of read by millions, it's unnoticed by billions!)
Long live a peaceful and enlightened America.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
THOUGHTS ON THE HUMAN BODY AND HUMAN RACE
Do you ever really think about how fragile and demanding the human body is? How much we take for granted without even realising how much maintenance we require? And how, despite all this, the human race continually finds new ways to kill itself?
Ponder this. The human body:
- requires a constant intake of oxygen, about every ten seconds. If it goes 45 seconds without this, the body begins to weaken, and eventually dies.
- Requires, on the average, three intakes of sustenance per day, in the form of protein and calories. Without this, after even a few hours of a missed meal, the body begins to feel weak and uncomfortable. Within days, it starts to shut down, and within a couple of weeks, it dies.
- Requires a constant intake of liquid. Physicians suggest 15 cups of liquid per day. After one day of no liquid, the body becomes dehydrated and will die after approximately one week.
- Is like a giant water balloon. You poke it, it leaks. You scratch it, it bleeds. You puncture it, it has a continuous outflow of its life-giving liquid, and if it is not treated immediately, it dies.
- Requires, in additon to all of the above, approximately THIRTY PERCENT of its lifespan resting and regenerating. After only ONE day of missed rest, the body weakens, becomes more prone to disease, and will eventually shut down on its own.
- Is continually in a state of battle against viral infections, diseases and maladies. Millions of bacterial agents are constantly attacking the body, trying to compromise its system. The body often loses the battle to these invaders, leading to death.
- Breaks, fractures and sprains with the slightest amount of pressure. These injuries often result in infection and if not treated with medicinal agents, can lead to death.
- Contains numerous organs that will likely fail during the course of a body's lifespan, leading to death.
- Needs continuous excercise to stay healthy. Without it, the human body will grow inefficient, become prone to life-taking disease and eventually die.
Considering all this maintenance, upkeep, constant battling of infections, viruses, disease, need for considerable rest, the human body is the most inefficient of all machines. Even if one does ALL the right things - has a great diet, excercise, proper medical treatment, rest, and lives in a clean and safe environment - the body is continually dying, and inevitably will shut down after about eighty years, which in the great scheme of things, is a very short time. Even a tortoise has a longer lifespan than a human. Trees can live to be thousands of years, but the human body rarely makes it to one century.
Why am I pointing this out? Perhaps it is because I watch too much science fiction and I believe that machines will ultimately someday become the predominant life form on Earth as they are so much more efficient. But then again, considering the human nature to kill, kill, kill all that it doesn't understand, we won't likely make it that far.
Yes, this is a pessimistic point of view, but perhaps it is also realistic. Even if there is only a 0.01 percent chance of humans self-destructing, it is STILL going to happen someday. Only if there was a ZERO percent chance would this not be possible.
So, consider the fragility of life, the shortness of life, and the fortune that we all have to be alive. Live each day as it is your last, because it very well could be. The human machine is unpredictable and who knows when it will give out on you.
Ponder this. The human body:
- requires a constant intake of oxygen, about every ten seconds. If it goes 45 seconds without this, the body begins to weaken, and eventually dies.
- Requires, on the average, three intakes of sustenance per day, in the form of protein and calories. Without this, after even a few hours of a missed meal, the body begins to feel weak and uncomfortable. Within days, it starts to shut down, and within a couple of weeks, it dies.
- Requires a constant intake of liquid. Physicians suggest 15 cups of liquid per day. After one day of no liquid, the body becomes dehydrated and will die after approximately one week.
- Is like a giant water balloon. You poke it, it leaks. You scratch it, it bleeds. You puncture it, it has a continuous outflow of its life-giving liquid, and if it is not treated immediately, it dies.
- Requires, in additon to all of the above, approximately THIRTY PERCENT of its lifespan resting and regenerating. After only ONE day of missed rest, the body weakens, becomes more prone to disease, and will eventually shut down on its own.
- Is continually in a state of battle against viral infections, diseases and maladies. Millions of bacterial agents are constantly attacking the body, trying to compromise its system. The body often loses the battle to these invaders, leading to death.
- Breaks, fractures and sprains with the slightest amount of pressure. These injuries often result in infection and if not treated with medicinal agents, can lead to death.
- Contains numerous organs that will likely fail during the course of a body's lifespan, leading to death.
- Needs continuous excercise to stay healthy. Without it, the human body will grow inefficient, become prone to life-taking disease and eventually die.
Considering all this maintenance, upkeep, constant battling of infections, viruses, disease, need for considerable rest, the human body is the most inefficient of all machines. Even if one does ALL the right things - has a great diet, excercise, proper medical treatment, rest, and lives in a clean and safe environment - the body is continually dying, and inevitably will shut down after about eighty years, which in the great scheme of things, is a very short time. Even a tortoise has a longer lifespan than a human. Trees can live to be thousands of years, but the human body rarely makes it to one century.
Why am I pointing this out? Perhaps it is because I watch too much science fiction and I believe that machines will ultimately someday become the predominant life form on Earth as they are so much more efficient. But then again, considering the human nature to kill, kill, kill all that it doesn't understand, we won't likely make it that far.
Yes, this is a pessimistic point of view, but perhaps it is also realistic. Even if there is only a 0.01 percent chance of humans self-destructing, it is STILL going to happen someday. Only if there was a ZERO percent chance would this not be possible.
So, consider the fragility of life, the shortness of life, and the fortune that we all have to be alive. Live each day as it is your last, because it very well could be. The human machine is unpredictable and who knows when it will give out on you.
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