Friday, May 16, 2014

Unhinged and Uncensored

It started with an article from Men's Journal (Apr '14) followed by a nature DVD (Nature's Most Amazing Events, BBC) and last night, something unhinged in me.  I couldn't make it through the first disc as I experienced a profound loss in my gut like someone had just shot a hole though me with a 50 caliber handgun.

All of a sudden a whole bunch of thoughts and questions came out:
  • Why are our individuals stories and lives "So Important"?  
  • We have lost sight of the overarching cycles of nature.  
  • We have done too good a job creating lives where we are cushioned from the harshness of life and death and struggle.
  • Why should Everyone win?
  • Why are we fighting natural selection?
  • What right do we have to wreck havoc upon other creatures who for all intents and purposes know how to survive way better than we do?
  • Why have we created societal "norms (circuses)" that are so artificial?
  • Why is our reproduction unchecked?
  • Why are we trying to prolong our lives?
  • Maybe developing countries and their ensuing chaos is a truer way to live?
  • I am upset with our existence.
  • Are we using our brains enough to undo all the harm we've done to the earth?
  • Are any of us doing truly honest work?

3 comments:

  1. You asked a few questions which not a lot of people are even thinking about, let alone have the courage to say them out loud. The answers...they are all complicated - and we know the answers to a few of them. But I never really understood why are we trying to prolong our lives. Of course it's instinct, basically. But the question is: when do you rise with judgement above instinct?

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    Replies
    1. What struck me while watching the nature program was the extent that we humans have negotiated almost everything to our advantage. We are masters of it. We kill for sport! Intuitively, we may understand the black and white of life and death but as soon as it is happening to someone we know, all that can go out the door because now there is a personal story attached, creating need for an allowance, an exception and we, in the developed world, have the tools to sustain it. I certainly am guilty of it. We are able to use philosophy, reason, religion, ethics etc. to counter almost every argument. Human rights.

      An example: A staggering amount (some would argue unsustainable amount) of our health dollars in Canada is used to fund treatment for preventable diseases. At what point do you hold the individual accountable for their actions? Is it harsh to ask them to pay/co-pay for the results of their actions? Does such a "safety net" encourage behavior we really want to propagate? In nature, the weak gets picked off. We don't allow that anymore, only in truly dire circumstances and places.

      As usual, more questions and answers.

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