“Truths be told": blog book intro

 

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 6^th 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 

Solutions? They exist. We persist in ignoring them at our own peril.

 "We have it in our power to begin the world over again."  - Thomas Paine   

“If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.” – Thomas Edison

"The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion." - Thomas Paine 

"The most formidable weapons against errors of every kind is reason.  I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall."  -- Thomas Paine  (1737-1809) US Founding father, pamphleteer, author

"Many Americans hunger for a different kind of society -- one based on principles of caring, ethical and spiritual sensitivity, and communal solidarity. Their need for meaning is just as intense as their need for economic security." - Michael Lerner, journalist

"We defend and we build a way of life, not for America alone, but for all mankind."  — Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"Whenever a people or an institution forget its hard beginnings, it is beginning to decay."   — Carl Sandburg

Subject: Watch "Humanity Today. The Great Transformation - Rethinking Humanity: Episode 5" on YouTube   https://youtu.be/ZPMNmZjdgz0    

“A whole world approach” needed to address bio and cyber security issues in context of AI.   C-span radio 10-22-21:  George Washington Univ Bio and Cyber security?

 "A whole world approach is needed to address bio-related challenges. This approach involves a multidimensional, integrated approach, recognizing the importance of the therapeutic relationship, acknowledging doctors' humanity, and viewing health as more than the absence of disease. It also emphasizes employing a range of treatment modalities."  BMJ Article:  Definition of whole person care in general practice in the English language literature: a systematic review 

Hayley Thomas1, Geoffrey Mitchell1, Justin Rich1, Megan Best. Correspondence to Dr Hayley Thomas; h.thomas@uq.edu.au

“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....” Jen Easterly. CISA director.  Oct. 29, 2021. [the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency is our nation’s newest federal agency established by the Trump Administration in 2018]. 

“Comprehensive, Holistic, whole of government, whole of society,..”  Then “resilience” panel “We are called to be the architects of tomorrow.  Not its victims.”  R. Buckminster Fuller  [Architects not victims?  Chapter title?]

A new world must be born, a world that would justify the sacrifices offered by humanity. This new world must be a world in which there shall be no exploitation of the weak by the strong, of the good by the evil; where there will be no humiliation of the poor by the violence of the rich; where the products of intellect, science and art will serve society for the betterment and beautification of life, and not the individuals for achieving wealth. This new world shall not be a world of the downtrodden and humiliated, but of free men and free nations, equal in dignity and respect." - Inventor, Nikola Tesla

"Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking; where it is absent, discussion is apt to become worse than useless." -- Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoi - (1828-1910) Russian writer Source: On Life and Essays on Religion

"One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days

is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the great struggle for independence."  -- Charles Austin Beard  (1874-1948) Professor at Columbia Univ. 1935

"In order to change an existing paradigm, you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete. That, in essence, is the higher service to which we are all being called." ~ Buckminster Fuller ~

"This focus on money and power may do wonders in the marketplace, but it creates a tremendous crisis in our society. People who have spent all day learning how to sell themselves and to manipulate others are in no position to form lasting friendships or intimate relationships... Many Americans hunger for a different kind of society -- one based on principles of caring, ethical and spiritual sensitivity, and communal solidarity. Their need for meaning is just as intense as their need for economic security."   Michael Lerner 

 The most important task humanity faces today is to understand the language of nature and apply it to our world of politics and law.  It is the only viable path to sustaining life on this planet, our freedoms and our own health and survival.  Nature’s systems and structures are the foundation and infrastructure upon which we stand to build a future capable of sustaining a future for our progeny.  And eventually making it to another planet before out planet’s expiration date.  Cw

Sustainability is about ecology, economics and equality.  Evolution yields connections, complexity, cooperation, and suitability.   cw

“All of our existing problems can be attributed to the same root cause and that is a total misunderstanding of how our systems and our bodies are interdependent and interconnected with the natural world.  Once we realize this and come to this holistic and scientific evidence -- based on fundamental truths -- we are ready to move on.” Steven Jay

"Many Americans hunger for a different kind of society -- one based on principles of caring, ethical and spiritual sensitivity, and communal solidarity. Their need for meaning is just as intense as their need for economic security." - Michael Lerner, journalist

“Mankind is facing a crossroad - one road leads to despair and utter hopelessness and the other to total extinction - I sincerely hope you graduates choose the right road”    Woody Allen, Mere Anarchy 

The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering the attitudes of their minds.”   Albert Scweitzer

"I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered."  Rev. Martin Luther King -

"We are here for local information gathering and local-Universe problem-solving in support of the integrity of eternally regenerative Universe.  That is a very extraordinary and important kind of a function we have."   Buckminster Fuller

“We are the product of the process of evolution, and ... we have become the process itself, through the emergence and evolution of our consciousness, our awareness, our capacity to imagine and anticipate the future, and to choose from among alternatives.”  Jonas Salk (1914-1995)

"I dread our own power and our own ambition; I dread our being too much dreaded. ... We may say that we shall not abuse this astonishing and hitherto unheard-of-power. But every other nation will think we shall abuse it. It is impossible but that, sooner or later, this state of things must produce a combination against us which may end in our ruin."  -- Edmund Burke   (1729-1797) Irish-born British statesman, parliamentary orator, and political thinker    Source: describing his fears for the former British Empire

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little"  Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear."

-- Herbert Sebastien Agar  (1897-1980)  Source: The Time for Greatness, 1942

The essence of life is problem solving… There are three ways of learning.  1. Imitation.  2. Trial and error.  3. Conceptualization.  Ones actions are based on knowledge, habit, beliefs and/or feelings. But they should be based on concepts like fundamental principles… Abiding by “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” like the Golden Rule. Cw

"By a declaration of rights, I mean one which shall stipulate freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of commerce against monopolies, trial by juries in all cases, no suspensions

of the habeas corpus, no standing armies. These are fetters against doing evil which no honest government should decline."  -- Thomas Jefferson  

"Man can find meaning in life, short and perilous as it is, only through devoting himself to society"   Albert Einstein

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, ...let us strive on to finish the work we are in, ...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." - Abraham Lincoln

"All of history attests that the centralization and concentration of power breed despotism." H.A.Scott Trask

"Let us not forget the scarcest resource of all: Time. We are running out of time."  Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general, United Nations

"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do." - John Ruskin

“[O]ne of the most refined (and rare) certainties of liberalism is that historical determinism does not exist. History has not been written so as to negate any further appeal. History is the work of men, and just as men can act rightly with measures that push history in the direction of progress and civilization, they can also err, and by conviction, apathy, or cowardice, allow history to slide into anarchy, impoverishment, obscurantism, and barbarism. The culture of democracy can gain new ground and consolidate the advances it has achieved. Or, it can watch its dominions shrink into nothingness, like Balzac's ‘peau de chagrin’. The future depends on us--on our ideas, our votes, and the decisions of those we put in power.   Mario Vargas Llosa, Liberalism in the New Millennium [2000]

You will only see or hear the phrase “world government” mentioned in two ways.  First to dismiss those who advocate the idea as hopelessly naive.  And second, to demonize anyone suspected of secretly plotting it’s evil creation.  “Global governance” first emerged in the 1970s  because of humanities growing interdependence and rapid technological advances foster recognition that certain problems defy solutions by a single state or a coalition of the willing.  Cw

World Government however, was a staple of informed debate and especially discussed in the United States.

It’s origins are unclear.  It is included in the most recent biblical translations.  Dante’s Monarchia in the 14th century, or Hugo Grotius’s work in the 17th century, or Immanuel Kant’s Perpetual Peace in the late 18th century also mention it.

The late Harold Jacobson’s 1984 Networks of Interdependence commented that the march toward a world government was woven into in the tapestries decorating the walls of the Palais des Nations in

Geneva— now the UN’s European Office but once the headquarters of the League of Nations.

It shouldn’t be hard to picture a process with humanity combining into ever larger and more stable units for the purpose of governance.  First the family, then the tribe, then city-state, and then the

nation—a process which presumably would eventually culminate in the entire world being combined in one political unit.

It’s hard to envision a Washington, DC where the idea of world government is a staple of public policy analysis.  But over 50 years ago it was.  A 1949 sense of

Congress resolution argued for “a fundamental objective of the foreign policy of the United States to support and strengthen the United Nations and to seek its development into a world federation.”

It was sponsored by 111 representatives, including two future presidents, John F. Kennedy and Gerald Ford, as well as the likes of such softies as Mike Mansfield, Henry Cabot Lodge, Christian

Herter, ”Scoop” Jackson, and Jacob Javits.  In the 1940s it was impossible to read periodicals, listen to the radio, or watch newsreels and not encounter the idea of world government. The cause had an unusual hero, Wendell WIlkie, the defeated 1940 Republican candidate for President.  In 1943 he published an unlikely best-seller (2 million copies!) called One World.   It attenuated the Republican Party’s isolationism and helped secure bipartisan approval of the United Nations.

The June 1945 signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco diminished the influence of those pushing for a ‘world Federation’ but one organization emerged. The United World Federalists (UWF) members were widely inspired by another best-seller, Emery Reves’s The Anatomy of Peace.  Reader’s Digest outlined its argument that the UN should be replaced by world law.

Grenville Clark, a Wall Street lawyer and friend of Roosevelt, teamed up with Harvard Law  Professor Louis Sohn to further this idea in what later became their classic World Peace through

World Law. 

Simultaneously, financier Bernard Baruch offered a visionary plan to place the nuclear fuel cycle under the UN at a time when the United States still enjoyed an atomic

monopoly.   Led by its president Robert M. Hutchins, the University of Chicago from 1945 to 1951 sponsored a prominent group of scholars in the Committee to Frame a World Constitution.

The movement included Nobel laureates and a scientific luminary like Albert Einstein as well as visible entertainers such as Ronald Reagan, E.B. White, and Oscar Hammerstein. 

Future Senators Alan Cranston and Harris Wofford sought to spread the message of world federalism among university students, and the Student Federalists became the largest non-partisan political organization in the country. Other prominent individuals associated with the world government idea included, at one time or another, Kurt Vonnegut, Walter Cronkite, H. G. Wells, Peter Ustinov, Supreme Court Justices William Douglas and Owen Roberts, Senator Estes Kefauver and Senator and future Vice-President Hubert Humphrey. And the list goes on.

Wide support evaporated by the early 1950s overshadowed by the Cold War and eclipsed by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s red scare.  This jump-started the fear of black helicopters and fostered the labeling world government advocates as pinko communists. Others on the left feared a top-down dystopia tyranny. Most European intellectuals focused on the continent’s reconstruction.  But a few pursued the universal federal idea, including Arnold Toynbee, Aldous Huxley, Bertrand Russell, and John Boyd Orr (the first head of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and 1949 Nobel Peace Prize laureate).  Led by the French banker Jean Monnet, Europeans intellectuals pursued a federal idea for the continent rather than one for the globe.

Aspirations about a world federal government were not absent from public discourse but they might as well have been.  In the late 1990s The World Federalist Association, the last prominent remnant of the original movement, hired John B. Anderson, a ten term Republican Congressman who ran as an independent candidate for President, when his party chose Ronald Reagan over him in 1980?  Then after the attacks on Sept 11, 2001, even the World Federalist Association yielded its name to popular opinion and became Citizens for Global Solutions  From time to time deep thinkers like Robert Wright (Non-Zero) and international relations theorist like Alexander Wendt suggest that “a world state” or world government “is inevitable.”  Dan Deudney wanted it because war is so dangerous.  International lawyer Richard Falk calls for an irrevocable transfer of sovereignty upwards.  But the idea of world government has been banned in sober discussions.  It is absent from classrooms.  And, certainly no young scholar would tempt a short her career by writing a dissertation about it.

Occasionally the term still is uttered by a mainstream academic for one of two reasons. First, the author wishes to demonstrate her realism and her scholarly bona fides and spell-out clearly what

she is not doing. Anne-Marie Slaughter began her insightful book, A New World Order, by stressing that “world government is both infeasible and undesirable.”  Second, the term may be

invoked as a functional equivalent of something else, usually Pax Americana—for instance, Michael Mandelbaum's book on US hegemony, The Case for Goliath: How America Acts As the

World's Government in the Twenty-first Century or Niall Ferguson’s paean to American Empire in his Colossus.  And any talk of global governance does not suggest an evolutionary process leading to the construction of new institutional legal structures able to provide global public goods and to address contemporary or future global threats. 

Scott Barrett’s insightful book, Why Cooperate?, puts it well: global governance is “organized volunteerism.” But NGOs, transnational networks, corporations and activists crossing borders will not eliminate poverty, prevent pandemics, reverse global warming, control WMD or halt mass murder in Darfur.

Conclusion:  We can’t keep going on this way and expecting a civilized outcome. 

The last current global economic and financial meltdown should  have highlighted the need for an ambitious vision.  Then the Covid pandemic.   But selfish individual governments have spent trillions of dollars,

Euros, and pounds to paper over the obvious cracks in the international system, and meanwhile international institutions have been largely invisible. It is unsettling to recall how feeble our academic expectations have become in comparison with earlier generations of analysts who did not shy away from elements of world government and robust intergovernmental organizations. At Bretton Woods, for example, John Maynard Keynes proposed a monetary fund with resources equivalent to 50% of world imports. The International Monetary Fund’s traditionally have amounted to less than 2%.   

Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy, and some talking heads mention a “new Bretton Woods,” but what about the old one debated in 1944?   An institution with 1/25th of what the 20th century’s most famous economist (Keyes) proposed is seen by some as too powerful.  And, virtually AWOL in the current crisis.   Is it really so far-fetched to imagine the global advance of inter-governmental economic agreements along the

lines that Europe has nurtured since the Second World War, including a global currency? Is it really so beyond the pale to imagine a third generation of international political organizations with some supranational features?

We need a Copernican moment on state sovereignty because anarchy still predicts much of international relations.  Like Copernicus, however, we could look at the same sun and planets that others have seen since 1648 but re frame the relations among them. Any good historian will know that the weak 13 original colonies during the American Revolution were operating under a contested and awkward Articles of

Confederation.  They then sought a “more perfect union” in Philadelphia  in 1787.   Now the world and the weak confederation of 192 UN member states require a “Philadelphia moment.”

It was highly unlikely the Obama administration will offer such a vision. Or Trump.  Or Biden…and now Trump again!!!  Something else is needed first. Something to overcome an appalling public ignorance, including most members of Congress, about why the UN confederation doesn’t work. That should be the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.  But organizations are unwilling to unite to achieve the funding needed from the business world…because governments are too indebted.  NGOs don’t have the money.  Only big businesses and billionaires have the 6 trillion dollars needed annually to achieve them by 2030. 

Why, despite its weaknesses, does it have a presence in every trouble spot and in every emerging issue that anyone can spot?  In the contemporary world, U.S. diplomats as well as the public need to understand the usefulness of setting global goals and standards. The value of seeking cooperative global programs (even those that are executed imperfectly).  And thinking in terms of global justice as a better way of avoiding war. 

But there remains to many Americans of the contemporary flat-earth society.  John Bolton’s and John Yoo’s who dismissed even “the benignly labeled ‘global governance’” in a  NY Times op-ed a decade ago.   As Dean Acheson once said “We need pragmatic idealists more concerned about the future of humanity than the outcome of the next election.”  

Consider Project 250.   Email   Project250@earthlink.net 

Truth Decay to Truthless: Trust requires faith in the Truth- and truth in faith.

 

Truth Decay to Truthless: Trust requires faith in the Truth- and truth in faith.   

On President Trump’s Inauguration Day in January 2017 Time magazine printed its cover story in the same style it did exactly 50 years earlier.  Back then instead of their cover page being a picture of a person or important discovery it only had a thin red border around a solid black page - with just three words “Is God Dead”.   Its January 2017 the only change in the cover page was the three words.  “Is Truth Dead”.  Ironically, both cover stories asked vital questions related to humanities virtues and future.

Without truth the devolution of trust will continue dividing humanity.  This is unsustainable!  Distrust breeds separation.  This is not new.  For a millennium most human minds have increasingly separated humanity from nature and other groups.  Now it separates us from each other and even our body’s health.  Too many people ignore their body’s immune system until too late.  Yet it is arguably our body’s first line of defense against humanities greatest killer.  Pathogens have always been, and they remain so today.  Oddly, the 100 trillion microbes on and in our body make up that first line of defense protecting our inner homeostasis (healthy balance).   Our mind’s beliefs must stop undermining this self-evident truth. 

Upon reading Time’s 2017 cover page my mind jumped to the answered...No!  Then came the remembrance of ‘self-evident truths’.   And the phrase “We hold these Truths to be self-evident”.   Then I read the Declaration of Independence again.  Most Americans know its most popular phrase “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” and remember fundamental truth of these “certain unalienable Rights”.  In my world view 30 other such rights are listed in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.   And these would need to be added to our U.S. Constitution if Americans were ever going to have “liberty and justice for all”.  Two fundamental elements needed and that every American has pledged before our flag hundreds of times.  But rarely ever work for.   American minds have persisted in ignoring this pledge.

But our mind’s thoughts determine most of our body’s feelings.  We might feel patriotic.  But such deceptive thoughts can lead our bodies to do many things with consequences that will not end well.   Wars, genocide, conspiracy theories, political polarization, and even to violence within our own nation, community, or family.   And contribute to other preventable, undesirable, unhealthy, and even lethal consequences, like depression, suicide, drug addiction, or obesity.

Jesus said, “the Truth will set you free”.    This spiritual truth is NOT on our mind.  Instead, our mind holds multiple untruths.  Concepts we have learned over time withing a culture or society that lacked a truthful view of reality.    

The most fundamental truth is that the mind is basically a tool that evolved in all human brains.  It evolved as the most advanced problem-solving tool on this planet.   It kept our human family and tribe alive and thriving.  It’s also true that all of us are all born with the same unalienable human rights.   

Functionally and reasonably back then, our minds divided us into specific, different, or ambiguous identities.  These distinctions originally aided in the growth of our tribe or group.   And different beliefs or inventions within that group either helped or hindered its growth.  Unfortunately, that growth in population was often associated with the evolution or extinction of other group identities.   Another fundamental principle of life is adapt or perish.  Adaptation was essential to every group’s survival.  Over time, many didn’t adapt fast enough. 

But now, it is time for everyone to adapt to the reality we have always existed in.  We all live on the same planet, and it is our home planet for now, offering all our needs and wants...but only if we take care of its basic life support systems it has given us since creation.   And to make this mental adaptation we our species must recognize that we are all 99.9% the same genetically.  And that .1% difference in our DNA is often greater within our own identity group - that between many of the others.

Given the current pace of change and the evolution of weapons, war, and pathogens, we must adapt quickly.  Because “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....” Jen Easterly. CISA director.  Oct. 29, 2021. [the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency is our nation’s newest federal agency established by the Trump Administration in 2018].

In Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet printed Feb. 1776 he offered the fundamental truth that individuals need others to survive and thrive [independence is an illusion].  And we are not angels.  Thus, “the origin and rise of government; namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world; here to is the design and end of government”  [maximizing]  “freedom and security”. 

This, however, is now unlikely in our world because it would mean speaking truth to power.  And speaking truth in some places could get someone arrested, imprisoned, tortured, or killed.  Without truth, governments information cannot be trusted.  And governments cannot trust other governments with information, simply because all governments are in constant competition to survive.   But without prioritizing the truth, that the protection of human rights and the environment is the most basic job of governments – how they function now is not unsustainable.  

Yes.  Alliances will form.  But without global unity in the fundamental purpose of government, they will continue to compete.  And their citizen masses will not be empowered to thrive in this inevitable shadow and competition, constant war, and growing debt none can sustainably afford.

In this light I now view the most important phrase in America’s declaration and war that separation us from the King.   And that declaration’s foundational reasoning or logic asserting ‘self-evident Truths’ can be found in the phrase “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” that came before those Truths.  

But the U.S. Constitution, created 11 years later has rarely codified and enforced any of these truths.  Thus, increasingly they have lost relevance.   And our persistent national prioritization of the U.S. Constitution and political parties over the freedoms and security “We the People” now for almost 250 years of elections and congresses we have still not achieved even one of the seven intentions in our U.S. Constitution’s preamble.  

Read’em and weep!  President Lincoln did.  And he called the Declaration our “Apple of Gold” and our Constitution its “Frame of Silver”.  He also said the Declaration was “for everyone, everywhere, for all time”.  

As a biologist, wrestler, and dancer I’ve learned and applied many fundamental principles about sustaining life, keeping things healthy, and the power of human agency that each of us have in our mind and body.  The power that is vital for forming and sustaining more perfect unions

As a biologist I grasp “the Laws of Nature”.  Religion I wrestled with in teaching Biology.  Until I discovered the one fundamental principle that every legitimate religion is founded on.  The golden rule! 

Now, sustaining life on this planet, and maybe humanity getting to other planets, is condensed into two simple ideals.  First, ‘take care of nature’, and second ‘take care of each other’.  Prioritizing these two simple but complicated task will empower our species with many opportunities to survive and thrive.   Another truth is that variations in our population is a “strength”.  Many minds must learn to ‘adapt’ to this reality or risk the survival of our species, or their particular clan.

The term “Truth Decay” was first introduced in the context of diminishing reliance on facts in public discourse by the RAND Corporation in their 2018 report titled “Truth Decay: An Initial Exploration of the Diminishing Role of Facts and Analysis in American Public Life.” Authored by Jennifer Kavanagh and Michael D. Rich, this report examines the increasing disagreement about facts, the blurring of lines between opinion and fact, the rise of opinion over fact, and declining trust in respected sources of factual information.

While the phrase “truth decay” may have appeared in other contexts prior to their publication, the 2018 RAND report is recognized for formally defining and analyzing the phenomenon as it pertains to contemporary societal and political issues.

In a new book “The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust.  Francis S. Collins, MD  C-SPAN interview   https://www.c-span.org/video/?538398-1/qa-francis-collins

Doctor Collins already knew the fundamental principles of life.  And that trust is based on truth, and science is the best means of seeking for truths.  I’m certain he would agree with the objective truth that Neil deGrasse Tyson suggested is the most universal truth.  It will continue to be far more reliable in building a global consensus given the vast number of different truths people have regarding their personal religious truths and their political truths.

But even Albert Einstein recognized the fundamental importance of both science and religion.  “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”, 1941.  

Science discovers what we can do.  Religion offers the ultimate reason for doing it.  With the capacity for every technology and spoken word capable of being used to either serve humanities needs or to murder us in mass numbers, we will need religions to walk their talk on the Golden Rule.  A fundamental truth linking the human mind and heart with devotion to a higher purpose – taking care of nature and each other.

The first question the C-Span interviewer asked Dr. Collins is about a bible verse ‘Mathew, Chapter 22, verse 37.  “And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 

Mathew Chapter 22, vs 37-39 “And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  It’s very clear that God did not want us just to be creatures of our emotions and other motivations (sex? Money?  Power?).  And the biblical the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel in in Genesis chapter 32:22–32), the angel is identified as God in other passages.

This ‘wrestling’ match was a significant event in Jacob's life that culminated in him being renamed Israel, meaning “he who struggles with God” or “God prevails.”  This can be seen as a moment of transformation, fulfilling Jacob’s desire to gain a new identity.  One that aligned with divine purpose and integrity.    It can also be interpreted as a symbolically profound inner struggle between Jacob’s mind and his body's feelings. 

From a psychological and spiritual perspective, Jacob may have been wrestling with his Identity and Guilt.  Because in much of his life he was a deceiver.  He took his brother Esau’s birthright and blessing through trickery.  This grappling event could represent an internal reckoning, with his struggling in coming to terms with who he was and who he wanted to become.  Almost all of us do this early in life.  

And/or it could have been Jacob’s fear of confrontation.  At this time Jacob was about to meet Esau after years of estrangement. He likely feared retribution and had to confront his own anxiety and the consequences of his past actions. Something we all do frequently in our own relationships with people and increasingly the environment.

I believe this desire is in each of us to find a purpose.  And for the transformation is our hearts so we can feel the suffering of others and help them.   And no longer be dominated by mental beliefs inconsistent with the world we see around us.   Instead of our mind creating its own ‘reality’ that often leads us to suffer.  And instead, use our mind’s inherent intellect and logic to benefit others instead of persisting in defending a variety of flawed beliefs or unique identities that causes suffering an even death in others with different identities.   Identities that our mind ‘sees’ as a threat to its own cherished identity or flawed beliefs. 

Unfortunately, we are evolutionary hard wiring to conserve energy.  And changing a belief is not easy.   We must learn to be the landlord of our mind.   Insist it solves problems related to harming nature or each other.

Finally, Jacob’s wrestling could symbolize his struggle to understand and accept his role in God’s plan.  A test of his faith, persistence, and willingness to engage directly with the divine given his limited time on earth.  This is often a struggle with faith and purpose that nearly every person hopes for. 

The founding fathers of our nation had a different definition of happiness than we have today.  They believed it was finding our bliss in using our strengths in best serving our communities or humanity’s needs.  We all want to make a difference.  That’s why we are here.

In essence, we will often have intense inner battles.  A struggle with forgiveness, understanding complex issues, or seeking a level of self-realization that may ultimately lead to a deeper relationship with others, nature, or our own passing.

 

A sustainable U.S. Constitution rewrite needed

Human intelligence appears to be incapable of believing it needs a rewrite for our nation, ideals, and citizens to survive and thrive.   ChatGPT offers some wisdom.  

Creating a sustainable replacement for the U.S. Constitution would require addressing both the document’s structure and principles to better reflect interconnectedness, environmental stewardship, and a broader sense of global responsibility. Here are some core elements a sustainable replacement might include:

1. Interdependence as a Foundational Principle: A new constitution would emphasize the interconnectedness of all life, explicitly recognizing that human actions impact the natural world, other species, and future generations. It would acknowledge that “independence” is a myth and embed the idea that well-being and prosperity are linked to collective and environmental health.

2. Rights for Nature: Similar to frameworks adopted in countries like Ecuador and New Zealand, a sustainable constitution would grant rights to ecosystems and natural entities, recognizing the intrinsic value of forests, rivers, and other ecosystems beyond their utility to humans. These rights would empower communities and courts to defend the environment against degradation and exploitation.

3. Holistic Human Rights: While retaining rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, a new constitution would expand these to include rights to health, clean water, food, housing, education, and a sustainable environment. It would affirm that these rights are universal and intergenerational, setting a mandate to ensure they are upheld for both current and future citizens.

4. Global and Environmental Accountability: A reimagined constitution would recognize global responsibilities, requiring policies and practices to be consistent with international climate, health, and environmental agreements. It would prioritize collaboration and coordination on issues that cross national boundaries, like pandemics, climate change, and ecosystem preservation.

5. Decision-Making Based on Science and Ethics: Rather than deferring to economic priorities alone, governance would be driven by science and ethical considerations, balancing short-term needs with long-term impacts. A “Council of Future Generations” or a similar body could be established to review policies through the lens of intergenerational equity, ensuring that decisions made today do not compromise the needs of tomorrow.

6. Direct Democracy and Participatory Governance: Empowering citizens to have a more direct role in decision-making would increase transparency and accountability. Mechanisms like citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting, and referenda could be enshrined to ensure that diverse voices are heard, especially in decisions impacting the environment and public health.

7. Adaptive, Living Document: Unlike the current Constitution, a sustainable constitution could be designed as a living document, reviewed regularly with mechanisms for iterative improvements. Periodic evaluations, potentially every decade, could allow for constitutional adjustments to address evolving challenges and incorporate emerging scientific knowledge and cultural shifts.

8. Redefined Economic Structures: A sustainable constitution would address economic sustainability directly, embedding principles that value ecological health, fair labor practices, and equitable distribution of resources. It might limit corporate power, emphasizing stakeholder (rather than shareholder) responsibility, and require corporations to act in ways that align with the public and environmental good.

9. Peace and Conflict Resolution: Instead of focusing on national defense alone, the constitution would prioritize peace-building and conflict prevention, dedicating resources to address root causes of conflict, such as resource scarcity, inequality, and ecological degradation.

10. Education for Sustainability: The constitution would enshrine education that fosters understanding of ecological systems, interdependence, and civic responsibility. This would ensure that future generations are equipped to make informed, sustainable choices that contribute to the well-being of all.

A sustainable replacement for the U.S. Constitution would need broad societal buy-in and would require an acknowledgment that existing governance structures have limits when it comes to addressing intergenerational and global challenges. It could be a foundational shift toward a society that values long-term stability, ecological health, and the well-being of all interconnected life.

“White men’s justice” or “Indian justice”? ChatGPT

 “White men’s justice” or “Indian justice” often reflect two different philosophical and cultural approaches to justice. Here’s a broad overview of these concepts based on traditional understandings:

White Men’s Justice (Western Justice System):

• Individualism: Western justice systems often prioritize individual rights and responsibilities, emphasizing a person’s actions and their direct consequences.

• Punitive Measures: There is usually a strong focus on punishment and retribution for wrongdoing, aiming to deter future offenses through penalties.

• Legal Formality: The Western justice system relies on written laws, standardized procedures, and formal institutions (e.g., courts and prisons) to maintain order and administer justice.

• Objective Judgment: Decisions are ideally based on objective, established laws and evidence, with a judge or jury determining guilt or innocence.

Indian Justice (Native American/Indigenous Justice Systems):

• Collectivism and Interdependence: Indigenous justice often emphasizes the interconnectedness of people within the community and sees wrongdoing as a breach in community harmony, affecting everyone.

• Restorative Measures: Indigenous justice focuses more on restoring balance and healing relationships rather than punishment. This might involve reconciliation, making amends, or restitution.

• Oral and Flexible Traditions: Indigenous approaches often use oral traditions and community-led processes rather than strict formal institutions. This flexibility allows the community to adapt justice to each situation’s unique context.

• Focus on Healing: Justice is often aimed at healing not only the victim and offender but also the entire community, seeing justice as a path to restore harmony and respect rather than simply enforcing laws.

These approaches highlight differences in worldview: Western justice systems tend to be more punitive and formal, while Indigenous justice systems lean toward restoration and community well-being. These distinctions can be generalized but vary widely within different groups and practices.

The masses! Cannot be trusted with the truth.

 ‘Masses are always breeding grounds of psychic epidemics.’ – Carl Jung

“[The masses] have never thirsted after truth. They demand illusions, and cannot do without them. They constantly give what is unreal precedence over what is real; they are almost as strongly influenced by what is untrue as by what is true. They have an evident tendency not to distinguish between the two.”  Sigmund Freud  (1856 to 1939) founding father of psychoanalysis.

"Any formal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession -- their ignorance.  -- Hendrik van Loon  (1882-1944) Dutch-American historian and journalist

“The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim. An individual in a crowd is a grain of sand amid other grains of sand, which the wind stirs up at will.” Gustave Le Bon   The Crowd: A Study Of The Popular Mind.  1895.  A leading French polymath whose areas of interest included anthropology, psychology, sociology, medicine, invention, and physics. Died in 1931. 

"It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority.  Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people."  -- Giordano Bruno   [Iordanus Brunus Nolanus] (1548-1600) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician, poet, astrologer.   Source: The Shadows of Ideas, Paris, 1582

"When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic." - Dresden James

The responsibility for wars falls solely upon the shoulders of these same masses of people, for they have all the necessary means to avert war in their own hands. In part by their apathy, in part by their passivity, and in part actively, these same masses of people make possible the catastrophes under which they themselves suffer more than anyone else. To stress this guilt on the part of the masses of people, to hold them solely responsible, means to take them seriously. On the other hand, to commiserate masses of people as victims, means to treat them as small, helpless children. The former is the attitude held by genuine freedom fighters; the latter that attitude held by power-thirsty politicians." : Wilhelm Reich, The Mass Psychology of Fascism

“The abolition of war is no longer an ethical question to be pondered solely by learned philosophers and ecclesiastics, but a hard core one for the decision of the masses whose survival is the issue. Many will tell you with mockery and ridicule that the abolition of war can only be a dream -  that it is the vague imagining of a visionary.  But we must go on or we will go under… We must have new thoughts, new ideas, new concepts.  We must break out of the straight jacket of the past.  We must have sufficient imagination and courage to translate the universal wish for peace - which is rapidly becoming a necessity - into actuality.”  General Douglas MacArthur July 5, 1961

"The nation is sick; trouble is in the land, confusion all around... But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century. Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee, the cry is always the same: 'We want to be free.'" -- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   (1929-1968), US civil rights leader. 3 April 1968

“There are two ideas of government. There are those who believe that if you just legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, that their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it.”   –  William Jennings Bryan, “Cross of Gold” speech at the 1896 Democratic  National Convention in Chicago

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."  -- Edward Bernays   (1891-1995) "Father" of modern public relations (PR) and director of the U.S. Committee on Public Information during World War I, on government propaganda  Source: writing in "Propaganda" from "Food & Water Journal'' (1928)

“There are many ways to handle public opinion, in which the ideology of capitalism has been grounded and brought to the level of myths. It is combination of false truths that are being repeated a million times, over the generations, and therefore become indisputable for many. They were designed to represent capitalism as credible and enlist the support and confidence of the masses. These myths are distributed and promoted via media tools, educational institutions, family traditions, church memberships, etc. Here are the most common of these myths.”  Lubov Lulko, Ten Myths About Capitalism

The Law of the Few. History is made by the few, whilst the masses toil at work. For example, the second major revolution in Sapiens’ history – the Agricultural Revolution (around 12,000 years ago) – enabled increased food production and massive population growth, but it forced that average farmer into monotonous hard labour. The fruits of the Agricultural Revolution were enjoyed by a few pampered elites, but who were freed up to make history. For Harari, the Agricultural Revolution was history’s biggest fraud. Yuval Noah Harari 2014

‘Resistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself.’ – Carl Jung

“That ‘the mind is mightier than the sword.’  It can literally believe ANYTHING!  LITERALLY ANYTHING!  And then willingly kill or die (or let the masses suffer) to defend what it believes.  And then choose not to do what it knows NEEDS to be done!   Consider the human, economic, and environmental costs related to obesity, smoking, war, genocide, ecocide, not feeding the hungry, not housing the homeless, not healing the sick…as a short list of examples (I have a file of others if you want them).  I have found admiration for those who do what needs to be done (and have a  special file for such ‘heroes’ to turn to when I start ‘feeling uncomfortable’ or losing my courage to tell people what they really need to know…instead of what makes them feel comfortable.  And I know righteousness rarely works.”  Cw  The 2nd thing I learned after 2001.