Reality - Page 2
Reality
One might say one man's fantasy is another's reality and visa
versa, and that might be so, however, there is reality beyond
that, let's call it universal reality.
That is not to say, however, that reality is the same for
everyone, although in some cases it might be. Reality is
existence, but the existence might vary in intensity among us;
that is to say that even within reality there is difference of
intensity - that old normal distribution again.
Below I have taken on the task of listing realities as I see
them. They are not hard and fast, as they are contemplation;
but in many cases I think they are hard and fast; they are what
we are. Can they change? Can they be modified? Probably,
but to what extent?
One might say one man's fantasy is another's reality and visa
versa, and that might be so, however, there is reality beyond
that, let's call it universal reality.
That is not to say, however, that reality is the same for
everyone, although in some cases it might be. Reality is
existence, but the existence might vary in intensity among us;
that is to say that even within reality there is difference of
intensity - that old normal distribution again.
Below I have taken on the task of listing realities as I see
them. They are not hard and fast, as they are contemplation;
but in many cases I think they are hard and fast; they are what
we are. Can they change? Can they be modified? Probably,
but to what extent?
Traditional Reality
1. There is violence within man; there will always be violence within
man. Some embrace it; some abhor it, but even those who abhor
have the capability within them.
2. Man is an animal and thus has within him a predilection for self
defense and self interest. Self interest will not always prevail, but it
is always there and will probably predominate when the chips are
down.
3. Some people are stupid, and lack the capability to learn, some
can't even to function effectively. All people are ignorant in some
ways; some are more ignorant than others, probably because the
ability to think is not evenly shared among us.
4. Call them the laws of nature. We don't know them all and maybe
we never will, but they exist and effect everything we do. Obvious
ones such as gravity, and the effects of the sun and moon upon the
earth. There are also physical laws, or effects, such as friction, our
need to breathe, eat and drink water, the creation of oxygen, carbon
dioxide and existence of other chemicals. Minerals exist as well,
and the earth is ruled by wind and water currents. These and more
are basic realities of life, and no politician will ever repeal them,
much as he might like to.
5. Physical conditions and experience shape human personality
and create different cultural realities within us, making us different
from one another. The more different the conditions the greater the
differences among us. This does not mean that man can not
change when his conditions change, but otherwise physical
conditions and experience will continue to shape man and spawn
differences.
6. We employ words with which to communicate; they have evolved
over time. But they are imprecise and can have different meanings
to different people and under different circumstance, causing
misunderstandings. When words are translated from one
language to another those misunderstandings are multiplied.
7. Men and women are different, women being designed for
carrying babies; that will never change. That has nothing to do with
their rights to do what they want (although some disagree with that),
but it does make them different; among other things is their
capability for nurturing; it is significant and important.
8. Chinese wisdom: if you give a man a fish he will eat for a day; if
you teach him to fish he will feed himself for a life time. Related is
the old tale - more wisdom - of the goose that laid the golden egg;
and how about the adage that you can lead a horse to water, but you
can't make it drink? These are examples of ancient wisdom that
show how little has changed in human nature (despite that some
reject that term out of hand). Much reality that deals with incentive
and envy. (Of course some more trivial "wisdom" is wrong; we are
easily misled). But reality is often something that has existed and
been recognized forever.
9. The Bible's seven virtues and seven deadly sins are applicable,
to my way of thinking. Despite how else one might view the Bible -
they are reality.
10. I consider Maslow's theory of motivation pretty much reality, as
do I Professor Tytler's life cycle of empire; Murphy's Law too.
11. Differences among people; physical, mental, emotional and
moral; exist, and that will not change. This is another reality that can
be represented as normal distribution.
12. The desire for power over others strongly exists among some,
less among others, but for those with the desire - the need? - it is a
very strong driver. Fame, fortune and popularity are similar drivers,
more important to some than to others. But one way or another
those four, along with the seven deadly sins, pretty much shape the
lives of most men.
13. Nations can not long maintain stability - or sovereignty - if
expenditures continue to exceed resources over a period of time.
Resulting instability can take a number of forms, from collapse to
loss of control, and ultimately, sovereignty.
14. There is not enough of anything for everyone to have everything
they want of it, or think they deserve.
15. Emotion and perception will almost always trump facts and
knowledge.
16. Incentive - motivation - is still the most important element of
success, save perhaps luck. An environment that encourages
motivation can be developed externally, but motivation must come
from within. With increased expectation, motivation has taken
somewhat of a back seat - especially among the young, most
notably students, who are particularly heavy into expectation.
17. Searching for reality in entertainment - or from politicians for that
matter - has no possibility of success; entertainment and politicians
trade in fantasy, not reality.
1. There is violence within man; there will always be violence within
man. Some embrace it; some abhor it, but even those who abhor
have the capability within them.
2. Man is an animal and thus has within him a predilection for self
defense and self interest. Self interest will not always prevail, but it
is always there and will probably predominate when the chips are
down.
3. Some people are stupid, and lack the capability to learn, some
can't even to function effectively. All people are ignorant in some
ways; some are more ignorant than others, probably because the
ability to think is not evenly shared among us.
4. Call them the laws of nature. We don't know them all and maybe
we never will, but they exist and effect everything we do. Obvious
ones such as gravity, and the effects of the sun and moon upon the
earth. There are also physical laws, or effects, such as friction, our
need to breathe, eat and drink water, the creation of oxygen, carbon
dioxide and existence of other chemicals. Minerals exist as well,
and the earth is ruled by wind and water currents. These and more
are basic realities of life, and no politician will ever repeal them,
much as he might like to.
5. Physical conditions and experience shape human personality
and create different cultural realities within us, making us different
from one another. The more different the conditions the greater the
differences among us. This does not mean that man can not
change when his conditions change, but otherwise physical
conditions and experience will continue to shape man and spawn
differences.
6. We employ words with which to communicate; they have evolved
over time. But they are imprecise and can have different meanings
to different people and under different circumstance, causing
misunderstandings. When words are translated from one
language to another those misunderstandings are multiplied.
7. Men and women are different, women being designed for
carrying babies; that will never change. That has nothing to do with
their rights to do what they want (although some disagree with that),
but it does make them different; among other things is their
capability for nurturing; it is significant and important.
8. Chinese wisdom: if you give a man a fish he will eat for a day; if
you teach him to fish he will feed himself for a life time. Related is
the old tale - more wisdom - of the goose that laid the golden egg;
and how about the adage that you can lead a horse to water, but you
can't make it drink? These are examples of ancient wisdom that
show how little has changed in human nature (despite that some
reject that term out of hand). Much reality that deals with incentive
and envy. (Of course some more trivial "wisdom" is wrong; we are
easily misled). But reality is often something that has existed and
been recognized forever.
9. The Bible's seven virtues and seven deadly sins are applicable,
to my way of thinking. Despite how else one might view the Bible -
they are reality.
10. I consider Maslow's theory of motivation pretty much reality, as
do I Professor Tytler's life cycle of empire; Murphy's Law too.
11. Differences among people; physical, mental, emotional and
moral; exist, and that will not change. This is another reality that can
be represented as normal distribution.
12. The desire for power over others strongly exists among some,
less among others, but for those with the desire - the need? - it is a
very strong driver. Fame, fortune and popularity are similar drivers,
more important to some than to others. But one way or another
those four, along with the seven deadly sins, pretty much shape the
lives of most men.
13. Nations can not long maintain stability - or sovereignty - if
expenditures continue to exceed resources over a period of time.
Resulting instability can take a number of forms, from collapse to
loss of control, and ultimately, sovereignty.
14. There is not enough of anything for everyone to have everything
they want of it, or think they deserve.
15. Emotion and perception will almost always trump facts and
knowledge.
16. Incentive - motivation - is still the most important element of
success, save perhaps luck. An environment that encourages
motivation can be developed externally, but motivation must come
from within. With increased expectation, motivation has taken
somewhat of a back seat - especially among the young, most
notably students, who are particularly heavy into expectation.
17. Searching for reality in entertainment - or from politicians for that
matter - has no possibility of success; entertainment and politicians
trade in fantasy, not reality.
Modern Reality
1. No matter how much we might want it otherwise, wars
among man are not going away. National populations might
decide not to support them - or have anything to do with them,
but we cannot wish them away. For all that eschew war, there
will always be those that find it in their interest to wage it - for
their own reasons - usually selfish - and usually having more to
do with power than ideology.
2. In much of the world might still makes right, and willingness
to compromise or hold back is taken as a sign of weakness.
This is unfortunate, but that doesn't change it, nor will it provide
a defense against those willing and able to use violence in a
cause they support.
3. Poverty, as has been recognized since antiquity, is still
among us, and continues to be an unfortunate reality. Wishing
it away is not reality. Nor is throwing money arbitrarily at those
who live in it, as in so doing it will inevitably be exploited by
those that can and are willing to do so. Meanwhile the
disruption caused by inciting the poor is causing increased
chaos, particularly when coupled by successful corruption of
law enforcement.
4. The difference between war and crime (discussed by Martin
van Creveld in The Transformation of War) is becoming
increasingly blurred. Historically war was waged between state
armies; the growing incidences of guerrillas, terrorists or
professional enforcers is changing the landscape.
5. Tribalism in many forms is alive and well, and growing
populations of refugees, often tribal, are disrupting state
sovereignties.
6. Pseudo-democracies are proliferating, often resulting in
failed nation states; more stable nation states are also
demonstrating increasing weaknesses.
7. The combination of a flood of personal and state wealth on
one side and grinding poverty on the other has created
stresses that are threatening stability throughout the world.
8. Dependence upon commodities, including water,
accompanied by growing shortages, both real and contrived,
are causing increased stress among the people and states of
the world.
9. Martin van Cleveld (The Transformation of War): "They
(terrorists) all have this in common, that they are dissatisfied
with the existing order and determined to use violence to alter
it." This sounds much like Kaplan's anarchy (The Coming
Anarchy). The reality: there are many, many more people who
are dissatisfied than there are that are satisfied, and
regardless of what changes come, they are likely to remain that
way, and some number will always resort to terrorism;
destruction after all is much simpler than construction, and
dissatisfaction is a natural state for many of us.
10. George Friedman (The Next 100 Years) makes a cogent
point pertaining to reality and that is that geopolitics are mostly
determined by events and not human actors, but are also
dominated by location and resources. Essential reality, he
argues, depends on reaction to things often outside the control
of governments and politicians.
11. A point of faith throughout modern history has been the
growth of the world's population, and all that entails. There is
current consensus, however, that population growth is slowing,
and population will peak in about 2050, if current trends hold.
This will be something that has not been confronted in modern
times, and will present new challenges.
12. Ernest Gellner: "Industrial society is the only society ever to
live by and rely on sustained and perpetual growth, on
expected and continuous improvement. Not surprisingly, it was
the first society to invent the concept and ideal of progress, of
continuous improvement. Its favored mode of social control is
universal Danegeld, buying off social aggression with material
enhancement; its greatest weakness is its inability to survive
any temporary reduction of the social bribery fund, and to
weather the loss of legitimacy which befalls it if the cornucopia
becomes temporarily jammed and the flow falters."
13. The contentiousness of people has been exacerbated
throughout the world by the combination of availability of
money, electronic communications, and democratic freedoms
and rights. The exacerbation is frequently generated by
factions, particularly tribal factions, that want more autonomy,
meaning usually that their leaders thirst for more power. This
is discussed extensively by Kilcullen and is more example of
the coming anarchy addressed by Kaplan. When dominated by
dictatorial leaders, such inclinations are subordinated, but
when encouraged by talk of rights and sovereign leadership of
the people it can get out of hand, particularly when confronted
by corrupt leadership. Sometimes people herd like chickens.
1. No matter how much we might want it otherwise, wars
among man are not going away. National populations might
decide not to support them - or have anything to do with them,
but we cannot wish them away. For all that eschew war, there
will always be those that find it in their interest to wage it - for
their own reasons - usually selfish - and usually having more to
do with power than ideology.
2. In much of the world might still makes right, and willingness
to compromise or hold back is taken as a sign of weakness.
This is unfortunate, but that doesn't change it, nor will it provide
a defense against those willing and able to use violence in a
cause they support.
3. Poverty, as has been recognized since antiquity, is still
among us, and continues to be an unfortunate reality. Wishing
it away is not reality. Nor is throwing money arbitrarily at those
who live in it, as in so doing it will inevitably be exploited by
those that can and are willing to do so. Meanwhile the
disruption caused by inciting the poor is causing increased
chaos, particularly when coupled by successful corruption of
law enforcement.
4. The difference between war and crime (discussed by Martin
van Creveld in The Transformation of War) is becoming
increasingly blurred. Historically war was waged between state
armies; the growing incidences of guerrillas, terrorists or
professional enforcers is changing the landscape.
5. Tribalism in many forms is alive and well, and growing
populations of refugees, often tribal, are disrupting state
sovereignties.
6. Pseudo-democracies are proliferating, often resulting in
failed nation states; more stable nation states are also
demonstrating increasing weaknesses.
7. The combination of a flood of personal and state wealth on
one side and grinding poverty on the other has created
stresses that are threatening stability throughout the world.
8. Dependence upon commodities, including water,
accompanied by growing shortages, both real and contrived,
are causing increased stress among the people and states of
the world.
9. Martin van Cleveld (The Transformation of War): "They
(terrorists) all have this in common, that they are dissatisfied
with the existing order and determined to use violence to alter
it." This sounds much like Kaplan's anarchy (The Coming
Anarchy). The reality: there are many, many more people who
are dissatisfied than there are that are satisfied, and
regardless of what changes come, they are likely to remain that
way, and some number will always resort to terrorism;
destruction after all is much simpler than construction, and
dissatisfaction is a natural state for many of us.
10. George Friedman (The Next 100 Years) makes a cogent
point pertaining to reality and that is that geopolitics are mostly
determined by events and not human actors, but are also
dominated by location and resources. Essential reality, he
argues, depends on reaction to things often outside the control
of governments and politicians.
11. A point of faith throughout modern history has been the
growth of the world's population, and all that entails. There is
current consensus, however, that population growth is slowing,
and population will peak in about 2050, if current trends hold.
This will be something that has not been confronted in modern
times, and will present new challenges.
12. Ernest Gellner: "Industrial society is the only society ever to
live by and rely on sustained and perpetual growth, on
expected and continuous improvement. Not surprisingly, it was
the first society to invent the concept and ideal of progress, of
continuous improvement. Its favored mode of social control is
universal Danegeld, buying off social aggression with material
enhancement; its greatest weakness is its inability to survive
any temporary reduction of the social bribery fund, and to
weather the loss of legitimacy which befalls it if the cornucopia
becomes temporarily jammed and the flow falters."
13. The contentiousness of people has been exacerbated
throughout the world by the combination of availability of
money, electronic communications, and democratic freedoms
and rights. The exacerbation is frequently generated by
factions, particularly tribal factions, that want more autonomy,
meaning usually that their leaders thirst for more power. This
is discussed extensively by Kilcullen and is more example of
the coming anarchy addressed by Kaplan. When dominated by
dictatorial leaders, such inclinations are subordinated, but
when encouraged by talk of rights and sovereign leadership of
the people it can get out of hand, particularly when confronted
by corrupt leadership. Sometimes people herd like chickens.
My rather negative view
of life is quite apparent.
Old age? Nah, I have
pretty much always been
that way.
of life is quite apparent.
Old age? Nah, I have
pretty much always been
that way.