A free
blog book (last edited 12-6-24)
“Truths” be told: Don’t believe everything you think!
Cognitive solutions to our failing the Seven Cs (Constitution,
Covid, Conflict, Climate, Capitalism, Culture, Corruption).
Truth Decay is humanities greatest threat. Combined with our mind’s willingness to mass
murder and die defending flawed beliefs.
"The intuitive mind is a
sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the
servant and has forgotten the gift." Albert Einstein
[As you read please
find edits or more rational ideas an provide your honest feedback. Exposing
flaws in my logic is strongly desired. chuck@igc.org]
Book
summary:
Everything in the known universe consists
of systems and structures that have operated
on fundamental principles for billions of years. Eventually life emerged on earth with
biological systems and structures that were engineered from these same universal
principles. The human mind evolved next with
its unique capacity for solving problems.
This enabled our species to survive and thrive like no other. This
unique intelligence capacity eventually started making changes to earth’s
systems and structures. These are
leading to unsustainable disruptions for most higher life forms that had been
well adapted to Earths existing life support systems.
Our creative
mental capacity unfortunately and unintentionally yielded unsustainable alternative
principles. Humanities flawed principles
are clearly evident today when assessed when compared against self-evident
truths. Yet our species has also reached
a pivotal point capable of using “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” to
create and sustain a homeostatic ‘garden of Eden’ on Earth for millennia to
come. Or ending what limited civilization
that some of humanity selfishly achieved.
If our minds persist in rejecting this reality and
continue accelerating the technological evolution of engineered weapons, war,
pathogens, environmental deterioration, truth decay, and political polarization
- then it will be our own technological power and flawed thinking and beliefs
that inevitably end in a cascades of debilitating disruption and deadly
scenarios threatening everyone and all other living things on earth.
Fundamentally, it has been our species mental resistance to moving beyond
our reverence for nationalism, specific
religions, unsustainable economic systems, polarizing political ideologies, and
our arrogant beliefs in untruths and lack of collective wisdom that will
inevitably cause catastrophic consequences.
When living things fail to adapt to a changing
environment their capacity to survive and thrive ends. Humanity now faces many unprecedented and unparalleled
accelerating dilemmas. Dilemmas that
will increasingly threatens both our freedoms and security, mostly because we
believe we are independent. And
foolishly maintain this delusional principle in our personal, national, and
global governance systems. Without
urgent global transformational changes in these governing systems, people will increasingly
be killed in wars, genocides, violent extremism, preventable pandemics, climate
disasters while others kill themselves by undisciplined unhealthy mental,
physical, and spiritual habits as our lack of trust in essential institutions
falls from untruths. And our failure to grasp this reality is collective
madness.
"Madness
is rare in individuals, but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the
rule." -- Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900)
Only the Truth can set us free - from these persistent
dilemmas. And the great Truth is that
everything is connected, interdependent, and vulnerable. And only a global effort at restoring objective
truth, taking care of nature (our planet’s life support systems), and each
other (following the Golden Rule) will save us.
Karen Armstrong (author and scholar) accepts her 2008
TED Prize and talks about how the Abrahamic religions -- Islam, Judaism,
Christianity - being diverted from the moral purpose they share to foster
compassion. i.e. The Golden Rule! That was first
propounded by Confucius 5 centuries before Christ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8idmgp4icq4 21 minutes.
Paradoxically, our sciences and technologies have provided much of
humanity with basic, needs, comforts and protections, yet humanity has been increasingly undermining most
of those same vital elements by increasingly separating ourselves
from compassion for others. Meanwhile, our
global economy is capable of ensuring everyone’s basic needs, and minimum
comforts and protections with existing technologies and solutions that our
species has had for millennium.
“Science without religion is lame, religion
without science is blind.” Albert Einstein
The most functional and sustainable systems we have
engineered so far here on earth and in space were made with the use of unambiguous
words. And most of these systems and
structures are capable of supporting a quality of life that all humanity can
enjoy and build on. But only if this
goal is our species’ highest priority .
But it is not. Why?
Simply because our minds have engineered governance systems using
ambiguous words and alternative
principles that worked well for some. But not all. These ambiguous worlds emerged from our human
Pleistocene brain’s genetic addiction to religious and political ideologies that
enabled some human populations to grow more powerful than other groups. And eventually into powerful and weak
nations. But now many nations are increasingly
polarized internally while externally nations are forming potentially warring
camps that are fixated on defending - or changing - the current world order. An order that is in truth unsustainable. And everywhere these are divisions based on the
delusional principle of independence as minds firmly but falsely believe that
independence an unambiguous word. They interpret
it to mean totally separate. That belief
is literally killing us and the environment.
In reality “Everything is connected, everything is
interdependent, so everything is vulnerable.... And that’s why this has to be
a more than whole of government, a more than whole of nation [effort]. It
really has to be a global effort....” These were the words of CISA
Director Jen Easterly Oct. 29, 2021. The
Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency is the United States newest federal
agency established in 2018. She is
still there. And our planet’s environment remains
our most fundamental and essential infrastructure!
"There will be
no Homeland Security until we realize that the entire planet is our homeland.
Every sentient being in the world must feel secure." - John Perkins
There is no need to define the word ‘Everything’. It is an autological word meaning exactly what it is. There
is no exaggeration in Easterly’s quote. Everything
(including all of us) is vulnerable unless humanity works together soon to
achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that can best address the
underlying causes of most threats our species face.
Thus far we are yet to collectively abide by the two most profound sets
of law in the known
universe. These laws were expressed in
the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence as “the Laws of Nature
and Nature’s God”. And unless we can unite
as a species to protect nature (our basic life support infrastructure) and the
inalienable rights of everyone, everywhere, for all time (see Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, and now the 17 SDGs) civilization as we know it
will collide violently with reality. I
have no doubt that some humans will survive.
But billions will likely perish, and almost all will physically and
mentally suffer unnecessarily. ‘We the
people’ need to love our children, and their children, more than we hate our
enemies.
“Liberty and Justice for all” is
the only sane path to humanity surviving and thriving sustainably with maximized freedoms and
security for “ourselves and our Posterity”.
Nature will always get the last vote - until we find other means of
sustaining nature and ourselves on another planet, and eventually in a younger
solar system.
The key to stepping onto this path of restoration and
preservation is in using our minds for their original purpose. Solving problems instead of defending our favorite
identity or our flawed political and religious ideologies that our minds invented. And now hold as divisive personal truths. The one sided self-evident truths are in the laws of
nature and the Golden Rule (the fundamental principle of every major religion). Our mind’s addiction to other beliefs, feelings,
or principles is narrow minded and within this decade - suicidal.
Following these two simple but fundamental law sets must urgently become the primary task of our minds and our actions. Matching
our mind, body, and soul to inspiring our species passions to achieve health and
wealth for all (instead of funding suicidal grievances) to achieve our true
salvation.
“Science without religion is
lame, religion without science is blind.” Albert Einstein
Defeating Truth Decay and its disrupting consequences must become humanities highest priority. By applying the “Truths” “We hold” to be “self-evident”
for engineering the global protection of inalienable human rights and the
environment. Instead, we have put the
rights of nations and corporations above them.
For over 400 years this has violated the fundamental principles within
”The Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”.
Principles that can enable humanity to achieve unprecedented sustainable
freedoms and maximum security. Must
chose empirical evidence over imperial truths.
Moderation in temper is always a virtue, but moderation in principle is
always a vice.
– Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man [1791]
Books are either a window through which readers can view
other worlds
and experiences -- or, a mirror reflecting your own experiences and
identities. The
intention of this book is to be a door to virtuous actions. Specific actions urgently needed in this
increasingly troubled world in which ‘we the people’ have collectively allowed
governments and corporations to endanger us all. United we stand a chance. Divided, we won’t. And humanity will continue to accelerate into
further chaos. As you read the following
paragraphs and quotes, I urge you to memorize this first one. And keep it forward in your mind as you make daily
decisions. Sustaining life on this Goldilocks
planet depends on it.
“Everything is
connected, everything is interdependent, so everything is vulnerable.... And
that’s why this has to be a...global effort....” CISA Director,
Jen Easterly 2021
“The only thing this visionary publication is missing is the formula
to make Congress politically functional with the capacity to achieve what is
scientifically possible and desperately needed.” Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and
Astrobiology 2023-2032’. A report by the U.S. National Academy of
Sciences
“We are called to
be the architects of tomorrow. Not its
victims.”
R. Buckminster
Fuller
If you already know and
act on the vital importance of these three quotes you can stop reading and get back
to work of transforming humanities most urgent and important mission of living
in harmony with each other and with nature.
"We must learn
to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." - Martin
Luther King Jr.
"Either we all
live in a decent world, or nobody does." - George Orwell
A warning.
Within each of the six ‘C’ chapters that follow the first two (chapter
1 details our U.S. Constitution’s flaws and chapter 2 our cognitive fix) there may be significant events referenced in greater
detail from other ‘C’ chapters. This
duplication may be annoying, but they expand on the irreversible connections and
interdependence evidenced in each chapter. Because in our mind we separate things. This
mental separation of issues prevents our mind from grasping the need for a
global effort. An effort capable of
infusing future generations with well-endowed love, health, and harmonious laws
engineered to protect “liberty and justice for all’ given the non-zero sum game
that governs our lives.
“For too long, we
have neglected to recognize the links of interdependence. And now, the systems that govern our world
are breaking down, no longer serving any of us.
There is an urgent need to reconnect to nature, to foster harmony and
tear down the structures that are built on one dominating the other. Human over nature. Man over woman. One part of humanity over another. Structures that result in conflict, loss of
democratic space and human rights, injustice, over-consumption by some, lack of
resources for many. Loss of
biodiversity. Pollution, and a changing climate. Structures that endanger the
Web of Life, our health and welfare. We
need cooperation and trust instead of competition and suspicion, well-being for
nature and for all living beings instead of a focus on personal wealth and
power. The good news is that these
systems were built by humans, and we have the power to change them.”
—From Right
Livelihood Award Presentation, 2023
There is an abundance of pertinent quotes
within each ‘C’ chapter to assure you that the ‘truths’ presented in this
book are not this author’s creation. They
originated from wise souls with levels of intelligence and experiences most of
us will ever attain. Any corrections or
additions to these that you wish to offer, or corrections to the assertions I make
will be greatly appreciated and seriously considered. Within this context I offer someone else’s
parable.
Two young fish swims by an old fish, and the old fish
asks “How’s the water boys? The younger fish reply, “Its fine!” and swim
past. One then looks at the other and asks,
“What’s water?”
Why do we usually overlook or ignore the obvious? [Chapter 2]
Introduction:
There are moments
in life when a realization based on objective truth can forever alter one’s mind and life by sparking a
new perspective/concept/context. My first was in 6th grade when I
saw documentary war footage of starved naked bodies piled behind barbed wire in
Hitler’s concentration camps immediately after World War II. Instantly I no longer felt that my father’s
rope and wire lashing were so horrific.
Another realization occurred decades later when I learned that even without
wars, genocides, or natural disasters -- over 40,000 children (under the age of
five) died every 24 hours from easily preventable malnutrition and related
infectious diseases. This
was more than a dozen times the rate of the Holocaust. And apply named the ‘hidden holocaust’. And with each of these child deaths, ten more
innocent children lived on with permanent mental or physical disabilities.
Worse yet, these most
valued infant lives perished when humanity had simple, plentiful, affordable,
and effective solutions to end this most terrifying of all adult human
experiences. The only truthful
definition of terrorism is the fear of losing a child. Or every child in the
family. In this reality my life’s
purpose became clear. It was all
preventable. As with the unacceptable damage we humans (mostly us
wealthy folks) do to the environment. In
tandem these two preventable sources of death, suffering, and nature’s ruination
became my two highest global priorities -- until my wife gave birth to our
first child.
Another
reality was inspired by the words of Astronaut
Rusty Weikart when he stated that
we must live “as crew members
on spaceship earth not just passengers.” Earth was now ‘my’ planet, and I committed to
maximizing my agency in making it ‘work for everyone’ as Bucky Fuller, another
personal hero suggested.
Still other realizations soon
provoked my mind’s change in thinking and actions that were needed. When I learned that this hidden hunger holocaust
was not the result of too many people in the world and not enough food, but simply
the lack of “political will”, I had to stop using ‘over-population’ as a
primary cause of human suffering and environmental destruction. And recant my
vow to my mother during the first oil crisis to never get involved in
politics.
In high school, college, and then
teaching high school classrooms after college I had assumed that
over-population was the world’s #1 problem.
I had often and passionately defended that untruth to others. But knowing that being truthful to others was
essential to being a good, reliable, and trustworthy person, I was angered. Why had I been taught this falsehood without
thinking twice in teaching it to others?
I still know many other very
smart people (some close friends) who still believe that the earth is
overpopulated. And no matter what empirical
evidence I provide to them, only one individual may now be in doubt. Why is that?
The others continue to represent my
hypothesis that the smarter someone is - the harder it is for them to change
their mind. But I didn’t begin to study
this cognitive concern until Bush beat Gore in the 2000 presidential election. And with Donald Trump’s election in 2016 I
dove deep into studying human cognition factors. You can Google such factors or just go to
chapter two of this blog book and find most.
Those who persist in believing in
‘overpopulation’ are correct, because they assume one condition
that is false. They make the assumption that every person in the
world was wastefully consuming resources as the top five percent of humanity. If that
were true, then yes! The earth would be
overpopulated. But in the real world, it’s
the wasteful human overconsumption patterns of ‘we the wealthy top 20% in the
world (and often obese)’ that are largely the environmental problem.
“There are some
persons who, by habit acquired in youth, or by ill guidance, or foolish desire,
or perverse inclinations, are so strongly attached and bound to an error or
false view that they refuse to relinquish it, and it is grievous to them to
hear any notion to the contrary, and they become unpracticed in hearing the
truth.” Aristotle, Metaphysics.
“A man with a
conviction is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he turns away.
Show him facts or figures and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic and he
fails to see your point. We have all experienced the futility of trying to
change a strong conviction, especially if the convinced person has some
investment in his belief. We are familiar with the variety of ingenious
defenses with which people protect their convictions, managing to keep them
unscathed through the most devastating attacks.
But man’s resourcefulness goes beyond simply protecting a belief. Suppose an
individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has
a commitment to this belief, that he has taken irrevocable actions because of
it; finally, suppose that he is presented with evidence, unequivocal and
undeniable evidence, that his belief is wrong: what will happen? The individual
will frequently emerge, not only unshaken, but even more convinced of the truth
of his beliefs than ever before. Indeed, he may even show a new fervor about
convincing and converting other people to his view.” ― Leon
Festinger, When
Prophecy Fails: A Social & Psychological Study of a Modern Group that
Predicted the Destruction of the World
And if those who can afford to
abide by the laws of nature - and the golden rule- our planet could sustainably
feed ten times the number it now has, simply by using the technologies that already
exist. Statistically, this could be
done by leaving most of the five continents and surrounding oceans relatively
unpopulated. To see the methods and math
go to [ I ADD WEBSITE LINK***].
Then I learned years later
that the greatest source of human deaths authorized by governments was not wars
between them. I was shocked. I had just assumed it was war because I’d
never been taught differently. Most people logically hate war and want peace. But few ever discussed the lethality of
poverty. And I had never been taught that
the last century death totals from genocides were greater than the war related
deaths. When I learned that governments were
killing their own people in genocides that caused more deaths than wars, I
started questioning many other assumptions I’d considered as “the truth”.
The best stats I’ve found
suggest that during the last century approximately 100 million soldiers and
civilians died in wars. And within that
same century approximately 180 million civilians were murdered in genocides by
their own governments. While disagreement
remains about which post-1945 massacres constituted genocide –most experts
estimate there were over 30 genocides between 1945 and 1999. And others have happened since then. And more are being committed now. Extremely
frightening is the certainty that more are now being planned. And
now bioengineered viruses can target specific DNA groups and even specific profiles. And this is now exponentially easier using
enhanced Artificial Intelligence. So
much for humanities commitment to ‘Never Again!’.
The greatest killers? Few
people know that Smallpox alone had killed more people (over 300 million) in
only 70 years of the last century. That
was more deaths than all the wars, revolutions, murders, and genocides
combined! And malaria may have killed up
to 500 million in the last century. With
biosecurity issues today remaining the greatest threats we inevitably
face. Never underestimate the value of your immune
system and the golden rule.
Other profound realizations
have since entered my mind involving the realms of economics, sex, politics,
health, religion, and the environment.
And now most importantly – these realizations all are coming together as
the final frontier, which I believe is human cognition.
"The human
mind suffers from three delusions: it thinks it can do more than it can, it
thinks it knows more than it does, and it thinks it understands more than it
has." Nassim Nicholas Taleb
And a key question to
consider for each of us is, “Are we a human having a spiritual experience. Or a spirit having a human experience?”
There will always be more to
learn. But many things about the human
mind are certain. And there are two things
vitally important for us to learn and accept.
First, all humans have the same physical needs. But almost
everyone has different wants and beliefs.
This is a fundamental principle!
A law of nature! A first principle!
A self-evident truth!
Second, is the human mind’s
capacity to believe anything! Literally
anything. And then justify that belief
by committing murder or mass murder of people, that sometimes comes with a willingness
to die doing it.
This second fundamental principle starts a
list of other flaws of the human mind with the concepts that our minds have
created over the last 3000 to 5000 years of so-called human ‘progress’ or
‘civilization’.
“The moment a person forms a theory his imagination sees in every object
only the traits which favor that theory.”
– Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Charles Thompson
[September 20, 1787]
Throughout this book these
and other realizations I’ve gleaned from the voices and writings of wise souls who
have frequently changed my mind, motivations, and many of my personal actions
in hope of making a difference so much needed in our world today. My intention for this book and its collection
of self-evident truths, fundamental principles, first principles, and other profoundly
useful concepts that others have discovered – is to inform, inspire, and effectively
motivate you (and larger populations) to change beliefs and take actions that
are urgently needed. And to do this soon!
Consider joining the 2-5-0 Project concluding Chapter 2.
Thus, the greatest barrier to
this happening may be the unwillingness that one has to change one’s mind. Altering a belief or concept that a mind has firmly
held for a long time is not easy. But it
can happen with sufficient motivation within any individual and/or family intending
to survive, thrive, and sustain human life on this planet.
“Put first things first, and second things
are thrown in. Put second things first, and you lose both first and second
things.” C.S.
Lewis "God in the Dock"
Hold this quote
in the context of solving our most urgent and important personal and global
problems, as well as humanities greatest threats. It is based on our need to
abide by “Truths” that we hold “to be
self-evident”. To put these fundamental
principles first (thus, the term ‘First principles). I’m hopeful that any
logical mind can see how this C.S. Lewis quote can apply to every aspect of
anyone’s spiritual truth(s).
First principles are the foundational concepts or assumptions that cannot be deduced from any other propositions or assumptions.
They serve as the basic building blocks for reasoning and understanding in
various fields. In science, first
principles are the fundamental laws or principles that serve as the basis for
our understanding of the natural world. In both cases, first principles are
considered the fundamental building blocks of knowledge, and they play a
crucial role in guiding our thinking and shaping our understanding of the
world. By understanding and applying
first principles, one can gain deeper insights and develop more robust
solutions to complex challenges.
Here are a few key aspects:
1.
Basic
Assumptions: First principles are the fundamental
truths or assumptions on which another knowledge is built.
2. Problem-Solving: In
problem-solving, breaking down complex problems into their most basic
elements can lead to innovative solutions.
This method is often associated with thinkers like Aristotle and modern
innovators like Elon Musk.
3. Science and Philosophy: In
science, first principles are often physical laws or axioms, while in
philosophy, they are the fundamental concepts that underpin a system of
thought.
4. Analytical Thinking: The process of reasoning from first
principles involves stripping away assumptions and biases to get to the core of
a problem or concept.
C.S. Lewis's quote, "Put first things
first and second things are thrown in; put second things first and you lose
both first and second things," aligns well with the concept of first
principles. Here are four that relate:
1. Prioritization of Fundamentals:
Both ideas emphasize the importance of focusing on the most fundamental
elements or priorities. Lewis's advice suggests that by prioritizing the most
important or fundamental aspects of life (or a problem), secondary benefits or
outcomes will naturally follow.
2. Consequences of Misplaced Priorities:
Lewis warns that if you focus on less important or secondary things first, you
risk losing both the primary and secondary benefits. This mirrors the idea that
without a strong foundation (first principles), any further reasoning or
outcomes (second things) are likely to fail.
3. Efficient Problem-Solving: In
problem-solving, first principles thinking requires identifying and addressing
the core issues before dealing with less critical aspects. This ensures that
solutions are built on a solid foundation, much like Lewis's idea of putting
first things first to secure both primary and secondary successes.
4. Clarity and Focus: Both concepts
stress the need for clarity and focus on what truly matters. By concentrating
on the most fundamental principles or priorities, one can avoid distractions
and inefficiencies, leading to more effective and meaningful outcomes.
In "God in the Dock," C.S. Lewis interprets the quote "Put first things first and second
things are thrown in; put second things first and you lose both first and
second things" within a spiritual and moral context. Here’s
a deeper look at his interpretation:
1. Spiritual Prioritization: Lewis argues that when people prioritize
their relationship with God (the "first thing"), they not only
fulfill their spiritual needs but also find that other aspects of life (the
"second things") fall into place. Conversely, if they prioritize
worldly matters over their spiritual life, they end up losing both the peace
and fulfillment that come from a strong spiritual foundation, as well as the
satisfaction in worldly matters.
2. Holistic Well-being/health: According to Lewis, putting God first
leads to a holistic sense of well-being. It means aligning one's life with
higher moral and spiritual values, which subsequently enhances other areas of
life, such as relationships, work, and personal contentment.
3. Misplaced Focus: Lewis points out that when people chase
after secondary things like wealth, fame, or pleasure as their primary goals,
they often find these pursuits unfulfilling and may even harm their spiritual
and moral integrity, thereby losing both the spiritual and material benefits.
4. Intrinsic Order: The idea suggests an intrinsic order to
life and human fulfillment, where spiritual and moral priorities form the
necessary foundation for a well-rounded and meaningful life. Ignoring this
order results in chaos and dissatisfaction.
Lewis’s interpretation is
rooted in his belief that a proper orientation toward the divine or the
ultimate truth is essential for achieving true happiness and fulfillment in all
aspects of life.
Personal beliefs to reconsider:
The first belief I invite you
to reconsider is an unquestioned or unexamined belief that most of us have so engrained
in our minds that we never think about it.
It is the human concept of ‘independence’. In reality, independence is an illusion that
creates endless problems for everyone and everything. Proof of this will be throughout each chapter
of this book.
The second fundamentally
flawed believe that I still wrestle with (while still experiencing it as who I
am) is that “I am not my mind.” My mind
is only that voice in my head that can help me solve certain problems or create
far more by believing something that isn’t true, or defending my mind’s belief
that the voice IS who I am.
While who I really am is what I’m actually
committed to. Solving problems, Both big and small that are related
living on this troubled planet with its unimaginable but mostly preventable
human suffering and the unsustainable destruction its vital life support
systems we all need.
Or am I more committed to
‘being right’. And defending wise ideas
and attempting to undermine flawed concepts. Being right’ in an argument is fun. But
rarely effective in changing minds which is essential to solving particular underlying
problems. Like human laws, actions, and
attitudes that driving so much preventable death, disease, and destruction.
Each of us as a human ‘being’
has the power to use that ‘mind voice’ to focus on solving problems -- instead
of just justifying a belief or defending one in ‘just being right.’
Ask yourself this question...
“Is that voice in my head actually who I am?”
Or is it something you have, and can control? Yes, I mean that voice speaking to you right
now - as you read and evaluate the usefulness of this concept. Yes, that voice that is your mind speaking –
from your brain - that is now receiving and interpreting these words via your
eyes and ears- and now judging this concept and how if fits or challenges your
existing concepts/beliefs.
Hopefully your mind is at
least curious about this ‘Who am I?’ question/concept. More likely it is already wanting to debate it. Or perhaps is just annoyed with it. But I’ll assert that if ‘who you really are’
– is truly seeking answers to humanity’s gravest problems, then I’m hoping you
will keep reading.
Find out what it really
needed is for humanity to finally harmonize in actions to create heaven on
earth - with a human engineered global governing system with sustainable structures
for benefiting all those needs that all humans have. Especially those whom we love and the health
of nature that we will need for the generations to follow.
Then, consider joining with
other wise souls to effectively advocate for and work for the prevention of most
human problems – as long as you can while breathing on or above this miracle
planet.
Particularly the growing
range of existential problems our human family now faces.
As
a biologist I believe that our mind is our special tool (or God’s gift?) that
evolved to solve problems. We can use
it for wrestling with ideas and prioritizing actions to best enable us all to best
survive and thrive now and for generations to come.
Unfortunately,
most minds today are easily distracted.
Being entertained or defending flawed or delusional concepts, or tribal
truths that will continue to drive divisions between us while the most obvious threatening
problems, some easy to solve, go unresolved.
Too many minds
remain devoted to ‘being right’, feeling righteous, or
just thinking about things that make them ‘feel good’ or distracted from what
they don’t want to do. Or maybe making
themselves and their family wealthy.
Wealth may be power, but it can’t ensure one’s health. Health of mind, body and spirit may require some
wealth. But too often people seek wealth
instead of putting health as their highest priority.
Wealth
can be used to protect ourselves and those we love or agree with, but it can
also be taken from them by theft. We may purchase what we want, but not get or
achieve what we really need to sustain wealth and health in a city, county,
nation or world where ill health anywhere can be a financial drain or health threat
everywhere.
But
like anything, it can be put to great good, wasted, inflict collateral damage
attempting to do good, bad, create fun, hurt feelings, avoid responsibilities, continue
bad habits doing great harm to self, others, or the environment. We rarely put our devotion to health above
wealth. Health of mind, body, spirit,
family, community, environment, economics, culture, citizenship, or global
sustainability.
Our
mind falsely believes that wealth will keep us happy and comfortable while our
health will be OK without much effort or discipline. This is a grave error. Because at the same time other minds are
engineering advanced weapons systems to protect a majority or minority, or defending
polarizing deviations between political, religious, or economic principles - rather
than seeking and applying objective truths.
"The third tool of discipline or
technique of dealing with the pain of problem-solving, which must continually
be employed if our lives are to be healthy and our spirits are to grow, is
dedication to the truth. Superficially, this should be obvious. For truth is
reality. That which is false is unreal. The more clearly we see the reality of
the world, the better equipped we are to deal with the world. The less clearly
we see the reality of the world — the more our minds are
befuddled by falsehood, misconceptions and illusions — the less able we will be
to determine correct courses of action and make wise decisions. Our view of
reality is like a map with which to negotiate the terrain of life. If the map
is true and accurate, we will generally know where we are, and if we have
decided where we want to go, we will generally know how to get there. If the
map is false and inaccurate, we generally will be lost."
M. Scott Peck, The
Road Less Traveled [1978]
Consider
for a moment the possibility that who you really are is not what you think,
feel or believe. You have real thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
But are these really ‘who’ you are, or what ‘you’ are seriously most committed
to protecting? Your mind’s beliefs? Your job? Your comforts? Or feeling good about your favorite religion,
political party, nationality, race, economic opinion, and/or philosophy making you
believe and feel you are superior to others?
Or
defending the U.S. Constitution?
Why
not defend everyone’s ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’? Or meeting your basic needs and those of
others you love. These are specifically
prioritized within our Declaration of Independence. And the
“Liberty and Justice for all” that most Americans have pledged to the U.S. flag
hundreds of times. Or the health of our
species? And humanities collective
capacity to survive and thrive sustainably in maximizing freedom, security,
wealth, and health for all, everywhere, for all time?
People can and will
continue being typical individuals in selfish cultures that values individualism. This is an unsustainable
trajectory.
If
your mind has evolved enough to devote some time and energy to forward this
‘health for all’ goal, please share this free book with anyone who might value
the same. If not, why? Do you believe you cannot make a difference? Or think that things will get better if we
just elect the right person as president and sufficient numbers of the right people
in the House and Senate? Or do you
believe your wealth will protect you and your loved ones from the coming chaos?
Wealth
will not protect anyone if humanities collective mindset fails to grasp and
apply the essence of the two basic sets of laws offered in the first sentence
of the Declaration of Independence - “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God”. Too many people, including myself, have long ignored
this most profoundly valuable phrase for too long. Why is it so hard to grasp the truth in the most
basic survival value of taking care of nature while taking care of each
other?
Here
lies the futility of our nation spending trillions of dollars to protect our freedoms
and security with increasingly dysfunctional national and global governance
systems because they are based on the delusion of independence in an
irreversibly vulnerable and interdependent global reality. Both systems have persistently failed to bring
nations and people together to cooperate and consistently collaborate in
protecting the inalienable human rights listed in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, believing independence is real.
The
two declarations, the Declaration of independence and the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, are the most genuinely useful historic documents. They won’t create utopia. But together they do offer the wisdom that
could enable our species to survive and thrive far into the future. Ignoring
them only ensures humanity will continue tumbling head long into increasing global
polycrisis and endless chaos. From space
our currently lawless global order looks a lot like insanity given the accelerating
number of unsustainable trends that most of us, our governments, and too many corporations
are perilously ignoring. Yet at the same
time deep concern and desperation within most of humanity continues to grow.
“We have met the enemy and He is
us.” Walt
Kelly. Pogo
“Chaos or Community: Where do we
go from here?” MLK’s last book in 1967
Chapter one: Flaws of the U.S. Constitution
