I'm Not Alone! ...Just Undiscovered

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I suppose it's my own fault. It's my ego which tells me I have 'invented' a new social system, and my ego which desires the credit. Plus, I prefer to muse on a subject rather than exhaustively research same, and that's the flaw which bursts my prideful bubble.

I could scold myself for my inaction, but I like myself too much to be very stern. So I'll let myself off with this little pearl:

I'm a big believer in 'parallel design'-- many of the factors which urge invention from the creative human mind exist all over, as do creative minds themselves-- so it's not at all unreasonable that different people could arrive at similar concepts, having never met each other or read their philosophies. And that's what's happened here.

My 'Perfect World Theory' is a copycat. I won't even try to call them copycats... they've got an earlier publishing date than I. It doesn't matter that these thoughts have been rolling around in my head for years before familiarity with the 'blog' helped me disseminate them.

They were first.

And I'm okay with that. I'm just glad it's already a movement. What matters to me is the eventual turnaround of the human condition, not getting the credit for being the one who did the turning. That very thought is anti 'Perfect World'.

But as it is true with differing cartoonists, separate theorists will have entirely different approaches when trying to make their concepts understood. And I'm no different. In reading other theories, even as I can see the similarity of thought, I realize how different our varying approaches are.

I'll be honest, I like my approach best.

It's folksy and homespun. It speaks directly to you as coming from me. It's casual and humorous (if I do say so myself) and tries not to use too many long words. But I admit that approach has a problem, even a fatal flaw:

Too many types of people reading my blog will not take it seriously.

They will view it as coming from a science fiction writer trying to flesh out an alternate reality, one which could never work in the here and now. The other social designers are serious and dignified, spitting out all manner of fact and figure in an attempt to draw in those very readers who find my writing only slightly above pap... or slightly below. More power to them, I say.

I've always believed that each man and woman are born with certain inherent talents. I base my 'Perfect World' theory on the premise that those collective talents appear in the exact right amount on the planet, to provide all the necessary labor in all the necessary fields in such a way that each person is practicing their favorite skills. That's right... everyone would be happy and content in their chosen field. Optimistic? Probably. But as you will soon read, other futurists tend to agree with me.

I mention that fact because I believe many types of writing will be necessary to ultimately draw in enough of the population to make this wise change a reality. I tend to draw in the optimists, the hearts and flowers crowd who read my heartfelt words and exclaim, "THIS is how life should be! I'll begin living this way immediately!" Other writers will entice the 'numbers' crowd, who never make a move without first whipping out a calculator. Still others will (kind of) interest the skeptics and pessimists, who might get on board for no other reason than to experience, firsthand, an economic disaster of Brobdingnagian proportions (although they would hesitate to use that particular term in their own descriptions, it being a made up place from a fairy tale and all).

Lots of people types, lots of writer types. I've long ago stopped criticizing myself for my conversational style, especially after reading the crap that I produced when trying to 'sound smart'-- there is a market for me, out there, somewhere.

Enough about me. What you are about to read is a very similar plan to mine, only written at the college level. Maybe it's dull, maybe it's fascinating-- you have to decide. One thing for certain is true: It is written in such a sober, factual way that more readers will take it seriously than not. The concept is called the 'Venus Project' and they are pushing a 'resource-based economy', and describe it clearly. I'll be back:

What is The Zeitgeist Movement?

Started in late 2008, The Zeitgeist Movement exists as the communication and "Activist Arm" of an organization called The Venus Project. The Venus Project was started many decades ago by Social/Industrial Designer Jacque Fresco and his life's work has been to address and overcome the lack of sustainability existing currently across the world and work to incorporate new methods and values before it is too late. The basic pursuit of The Movement is to begin a transition into a new, sustainable social design called a “Resource-Based Economy”. This term was first coined by Jacque Fresco of the Venus Project and refers to an economic structure based exclusively on strategic resource management as the starting point for all decisions.

Basic Observations:

In the view of The Movement, the world today has become very detached from the physical world, with techniques of production and distribution that have no relationship to the environment. Our use of a profit based, “growth” driven monetary system has become one of the greatest destroyers of the natural world, not to mention sustainable human values. It is important to understand that the entire global economy requires “cyclical consumption” to operate, which means that money must constantly be circulating. Thus, new goods and services must be constantly introduced regardless of the state of the environment and actual human necessity. This "perpetual" approach has a fatal flaw, for resources as we know it are simply not infinite. Resources are finite and the Earth is essentially a closed system.

The true goal of any economy is to preserve - or "economize" - this is not occurring and cannot occur in a monetary driven system where labor for income requires consumer demand. We actually live in a global "anti-economy" by all rational standards.

Also, the intents inherent within a monetary system are counter progressive and derive a strategic edge from scarcity. This means that depleted resources are actually a positive thing for industry in the short term, for more money can be made off each respective unit. This is known as the basic law of supply & demand and hence “value” in economics. This creates a perverse reinforcement to ignore environmental problems and the negative consequences of scarcity, for it literally translates into profit. There is little intrinsic motivation to "solve" any problem or to make things that last in the current model. It is much more beneficial for jobs and hence profit to "service" things- not resolve them.

In other words, the system requires problems/constant consumer interest in order to work. The more people who have cancer in America, the better the economy due to expensive medical treatments. Needless to say, this generates an inherent disregard for human well being. The monetary arrangement, whether in the form of capitalism, communism, socialism, fascism, free-market or the like, is utterly detached from natural resources and thus human well-being. It is erroneously assumed that the incentive to seek money is also the incentive to help society. Nothing could be further from the truth. For example, every single product created by a corporation today is immediately inferior by design, for the market requirement to cut creation costs in favor of lowering the output "purchase price" to maintain a competitive edge, automatically reduces the quality of any given item by default. In other words it is impossible to create the “strategically best”, long lasting anything in our society and this translates into, again, outrageous amounts of resource waste. This is entirely and provably unsustainable as a social system and the world you are beginning to see emerge around you, with growing starvation, poverty, unemployment; along with the growing scarcity of water, food and arable land, is the result.

Likewise, most occupations are not directly related to the actual necessities of life. Rather, they are artificial concoctions in order to keep people employed so they can acquire purchasing power to keep cyclical consumption going. The very reality that each human being is required to be put in a position of servitude to a corporation or client in order to gain income to purchase the necessities of life also perpetuates extreme, needless waste... however, this time, it is the waste of the human mind and human life. In the modern world, advancements in science and technology have shown that we can automate a great deal. In fact, statistically speaking, the more we have applied mechanization to labor, the more productive things have become. Therefore, it is not only negligent for us to waste our lives waiting tables, working at a bus station, fixing cars, or other repetitive, monotonous jobs, it is also entirely irresponsible for us not to apply modern mechanization techniques to all industries possible for, apart from strategic resource management, this is a powerful way to achieve balance and abundance for all the world's people, reducing crime generating imbalances.

In other words, it is time to update society to present day knowledge, taking the carrying capacity of the earth into account and realigning our methods based not on the reward of monetary gain..but the goal of social sustainability as a whole.

Even with our current, destructive methods, the Earth is still abundant with resources. Today our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter-productive to the well-being of people. Today’s society has access to highly advanced technologies and can easily provide more than enough for a very high standard of living for all the earth’s people. This is possible through the implementation of a Resource-Based Economy.

A Resource-Based Economy utilizes existing resources rather than money, and provides an equitable method of distribution in the most humane and efficient manner for the entire population. It is a system in which all natural, man-made, machine-made, and synthetic resources would be available without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of symbolic exchange. A Resource-Based Economy would utilize existing resources from the land and sea, and the means of production, such as physical equipment and industrial plants, to enhance the lives of the total population. In an economy based on resources, conservation and the most advanced methods of science and technology, we could easily produce all of the necessities of life and provide a high standard of living for all. To do this, we have to overcome our current, outdated, establishment practices. This is the purpose of The Zeitgeist Movement- to create a global awareness to thus transition into a new, sustainable direction for humanity as a whole.

Wow. Wowee wow-wow. That is some good stuff, there. I feel humbled.

Okay, done feeling humble. I still think my blog is more interesting, and I'll tell you why (as if you didn't know, dear reader): It's fun! I say fun things, write fun short stories and take you on an excursion through the carnival in my head. Where else are you going to read about God having a press conference, or a story about the super-secret meeting of the super-secret rich, learning of the plan to abolish money and deciding exactly how to crush it? Or go on the road with me as I ask difficult questions of difficult people and learn just how hard this changeover will be?

I definitely take an approach the others do not, envisioning each period of time during which 'Perfect World' seeks to entrench itself, imagining both the positive and negative energies affecting its outcome and relating them in fictional form. I have recurring characters, such as the mysterious 'founder' who wrote the Aden Codex, a set of directions for attaining and keeping Perfect World. While some readers assume the founder is me... you have to wonder how it can be that our two lives have taken such divergent turns as to still be considered 'similar'. I wonder.

Many characters are 'big brains', people who have undertaken the challenges set before them and succeeded where scores of others have failed, and do so with a humor and lightness I wish all scientists possessed. Some are born of the new system and can't imagine life any other way than it is, making it interesting to watch how their thought processes differ from our own and even more so, how they are similar. Others are imports, normal people living abnormal lives. I have BLUR trains, secret cities, Spooge guns and human sounding computer programs. I even have a Fuckatorium... and who doesn't want one of those?

To conclude this love fest, I leave you with an important thought: In the future world, whether it be my Perfect World or their 'resource-based economy' or any other idealistic view of the future of humanity, almost all competition will likely be ruled as harmful, except for competing with your own talents to refine them, and cooperation will be hailed as the new human condition.

In the spirit of that future time, I encourage you to read every piece of literature you can find about this particular type of society, not just mine. Read everyone. We're all on the same page. When raised properly, EVERY human has equal value in the puzzle of humanity, and each can lead a life well-lived in peace and harmony, health and happiness.

I only hope it happens before I leave this mortal coil.

Get crackin,' people!

Copyright 2011 Bruce Ian Friedman

Freedom is Just Another Word...

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I'll wait until you get that song out of your heads.

Besides, Janis was singing about only one possible type of freedom... the type which comes from casting off all possessions and responsibilities and cutting all ties with family and friends, in order to become a transient wanderer or an observant sage. It doesn't speak to the official freedoms given to us by our Constitution and Bill of Rights... if the word 'freedom' is even appropriate.

Freedom is the cornerstone of American society. It is proclaimed by everyone, on every official document, imbued onto every note of tender. Our forefathers fought for freedom in the early days of our country and did not back down until it was theirs. We gladly bring freedom to the people of any countries who wish it, provided they also are willing to fight for it.

Freedom is the ability to make a plan for your future and being able to carry it out without running afoul of needless and petty laws. Freedom is being able to ski in the winter and sail in the summer, and bowl whenever you want to. Freedom is America. Freedom is... ours.

Or is it?

Before we dangle our wonderful freedoms out in front of the world, perhaps it would be wise to perform a little introspection, to take a small litmus test perhaps. We probably need to ask ourselves what freedom really means, here in this country, in this day and age. Are we actually experiencing what our founding fathers would have called freedom, here and now? Can we truly do whatever we want, as you would imagine freedom means, while in the pursuit of happiness?

Of course not.

There are a whole host of social behaviors we must follow in order to be considered successful. There have been countless laws passed in recent decades which prevent us from doing many things that we would call 'free'. When those laws and conventions are spread out before us and learned in their totality, we see that many of the things we take for granted as freedoms are actually illegal or immoral. Some may not view it that way, insisting that the law doesn't police their lives and they have wide-ranging rights that allow them to behave in a manner consistent with the preamble, "the pursuit of happiness". We do have freedoms; however, what may be surprising is how little freedom we actually have.

As an example: Are you aware that with the powers granted to the Patriot Act by George Bush following the attacks of September 11, 2001, now American authorities have exactly the same power as the KGB did during the cold war? Now they can (without due process) enter your home and take you (disregarding your Miranda rights) and hold you (lawyers be damned) as long as they want. You may not believe this because you don't see it happening... but as with other 'secret' police forces throughout history, most of this behavior occurs in private, in remote areas and in the early hours of the morning.

But this is not an essay about freedom in America so relax, put your Glock 9 and assorted assault rifles back into your walk-in gun safe and continue reading. It IS an essay, however, which will ask you to look at the term 'freedom' and the 'free' practices occurring within the public arena. It is an article which will ask you to decide for yourself how important the practice of freedom is, if we never bring into play an equal measure of personal and social responsibility.

We have the right to say whatever we want, right? So that we can thwart oppression, wherever it raises its filthy and disease-infested head. That is an important freedom and we need to keep it pure. But running concurrently is a vital American concept called 'Capitalism' (the rule system for business) which allows a businessman to say anything he wants to earn a living, even to the point of irresponsibility.

Without responsibility, some unscrupulous souls will lie openly about their product to sell more, and then lie about the return policy to keep the money they have swindled.

Without responsibility, politicians will tell you one truth to be elected, but once elected vote any way they see fit and disregard the voices of those he represents.

Without responsibility, a person may yell 'fire' in a crowded theater or 'bomb' in a crowded plane, ignoring possible violent consequences.

Because of that, laws have been passed to restrict our freedom of speech. While intending to thwart problems like the examples above, careless laws have instead given the courts a number of potent tools to limit speech, and careless lawmakers have manipulated those laws to increase their hold on the people.

As it turns out, Freedom of Speech is a double-edged sword, professing many grand promises but watching carefully for anybody that crosses that line.

A Comparative Analysis between America and World Family

So we've figured out that freedom is a tricky thing and depends upon how much of a dust-up each situation is likely to cause on the political front. Of course this blog is about our next social structure, not our current one... so where does freedom lie in a World Family?

One restriction which is not placed upon us currently in America is how rude, deceptive or manipulatively we act towards each other. This is a behavior which has no place in the World Family-- in a transparent society of mature individuals, equal standing is the norm, not the goal. Rudeness, deception and manipulation are behaviors which undermine the value of others, actions which have no reward in Perfect World. The collective efforts of people as a whole is to maintain equal status across all individuals regardless of social indicators like occupation, race, age et al.

All Perfect Worlders have their freedom restricted in this manner-- they are expected to be courteous and polite, and there is nothing to gain by behaving in a manner contrary to the goal of civility. If there are 'punishments' in the World Family, then required time in the podschools for psychological analysis and to brush up on socially responsible behaviors during interactivity would be the extent of it. However, should a member be incorrectly placed in a PW city and repeatedly fails at the contract of social decency, adjustments are made to their schedules to limit interaction with others in the short term. In more difficult cases there are a few mandatory, locked door podschools with more intense education schedules. The final step for an unwilling participant is ejection; they will be quietly returned to their originating city and helped into housing and employment. No harm, no foul.

Each individual does some small but essential part to maintain the 'machine' of World Family, which guarantees food, clothing, home, healthcare, entertainment, education, intellectual stimulation and social interaction for all... and in return the individual agrees to maintain certain positive behaviors. But make no mistake-- this is not the thought police.

World Family is a society which has had nearly every cause of fear, stress and anguish removed from it. That creates a nurturing environment that can be used to foster widespread and benevolent ties between all citizens. Even though a person may still swear if they hammer their finger and yell at the person next to them-- it's just an autonomic response. We have learned that at the height of injury people say unexpected and unintended things in an effort to relieve their initial suffering, and as a result hold no ill will towards them. Examples like that show that this society has been well educated in the concept of social interaction and are prepared to handle many behaviors today's Americans would find intolerable and possible cause for escalation.

How can we train people to be mature and responsible? The secret is doublefold-- transparency and education. Empathy is a vital skill and must be taught from a young age; it is so important that it be a prevalent part of every teaching method. Everyone must be extensively trained in how other people think, feel and react, in the same way everyone is currently taught arithmetic.

At this point in America, teaching empathy may be attempted (in some halfhearted fashion) in a few systemic entities-- by parents towards their children (Be nice! Share!); by teachers to their students (Wait your turn! Help someone learn!); by the DMV to its members (Drive defensively! Yield to pedestrians!). When faced with the reality of cutthroat competitive behaviors however, empathy proves to be an ineffective tool and ends up being shoved to the side or in the worst case, crushed. Destroying empathy ruins kindness, and kindness is at the forefront of Perfect World behavior.

Using empathic skills brings about transparency, otherwise known as honesty. In a society built around human behavior instead of crime and punishment, Perfect Worlders both accept and understand each other's conduct, leading to openness and understanding.

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Bill of Rights

Much rhetoric is bandied about professing the freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights. While these are not all of the rights guaranteed the American people, they are the ones most under attack. But only some of them-- some rights are well accepted and are relatively undisputed. A couple rarely apply to daily life and are also not at issue.

First Amendment

Establishment clause- Preventing a national religion – under attack

Free exercise clause- Allowing practice of religious beliefs – under attack

Freedom of speech- – under attack

Freedom of the press- – under attack

Freedom of assembly- – under attack

The right to petition- The people may air their grievances to the government, who then must address them. – under attack

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment

US militia- – under attack

Sovereign state

Right to keep and bear arms – under attack

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Third Amendment – rarely applies to daily life

Protection from quartering of troops

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment – relatively undisputed

Protection from unreasonable search and seizure

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment – relatively undisputed

Due process

Double jeopardy

Self-incrimination

Eminent domain

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Sixth Amendment – relatively undisputed

Trial by jury and rights of the accused

Confrontation Clause

Speedy trial

Public trial

Right to counsel

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Seventh Amendment – relatively undisputed

Civil trial by jury

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Eighth Amendment – relatively undisputed

Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Ninth Amendment – rarely applies to daily life

Protection of rights not specifically enumerated in the Constitution.

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Tenth Amendment – rarely applies to daily life

Powers of States and people

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

A Word About Kikes & Chalalas

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And while I'm at it, might as well throw in abos, ainus, apus, babuskas, bahadurs, beaners, bog trotters, bok gwais, bolillos, boofers, boongs, bules, bögs, capheads, chinks, chogees, chongos, chowies, cochises, coons, commies, cuffs, dagos, dalits, didicoys, dinges, eurotrash, farangs, feujs, fobs, flatties, franchutes, fritzes, gabachos, gachupíns, gadjos, gaijins, gavachos, gins, godos, gooks, goombas, goys, greasers, gringos, gubbas, guidos, guineas, gwailos, habibs, hajjis, haoles, heebs, hillbillys, hok gwais, hongers, honkys, hymies, huns, hunkies, jawas, jerrys, jigaboos, kaffirs, krauts, maketos, mau-maus, mayates, micks, moros, munts, nagas, nazis, niggers, nig-nogs, niknoks, ninnys, nips, oreos, paddys, papists, pakehas, pakis, payos, peckerwoods, pickaninnies, polacks, poms, pongos, prods, ragheads, ratons, rednecks, russkis, sambos, sars, seppos, sheisters, spicks, spooks, sudacas, tontos, towelheads, walpeople, wetbacks, whiteys, wiggers, wogs, wops, yids, yo-yos, and zigs.

Don't get me wrong... PLEASE! I'm not talking about PEOPLE ascribed these terms... I refer only to the TERMS themselves.

These words are alike in one way-- they have only one meaning, and that is the derogatory description of one group or another.

Nothing else. That's it. There is no other place in the English language for them. They are words which inflame and enrage. They demean and demerit. They prime the ovens of hatred.

Oddly, although using these words is an attempt to insult, they have another, more hopeful use. The simple act of mentioning them aloud (besides in learning environments such as this one) points a large, glowing arrow at the user, an arrow which sports a sign hanging below it, on rusty chain, swinging gently in the breeze. That sign says, "I am an idiot." If those words have not been written too largely and permanently, if there's still some room on the sign, additional commentary might be found. It might read, "I'm narrow-minded and undereducated" or "my parents are Victorian thugs" or even "kick me-- I'm a racist!"

In other words, hearing these words aloud and used in a mean and spiteful way just about gives permission for you to pin a word of your own on the offender. If you hear those words being uttered as an attempt to degrade another human being, you are well within your rights to say the following word:

FOOL!

If that word is not a strong enough reprimand, you might feel as though you want to choose among the following synonyms: boob, chump, sucker, fall guy, dupe, mug, jester, clown, joker, monkey, dupe, ass, laughingstock, butt, buffoon, silly, unwise, imprudent, thoughtless, irrational, stupid, crazy, rash, reckless, ridiculous, laughable, silly, derisible, wag, chauvinistic, bigoted, xenophobic, prejudiced, discriminator, racialist... or immature.

And if those don't pack enough of a punch for you, these are a couple of steps nastier: asshole, bastard, turd, cocksucker, dickhead, shit, motherfucker, prick, whoreson, son of a bitch, scumbag, gay yuri, monkle, gackt… or bitchtard.

Of course there's another option. A better option. A Perfect World option.

Am I suggesting you turn the other cheek? Useless. Serves no purpose.

Tar and feathers? YES. Okay, no. People will take pity on someone who does not deserve pity if they are stripped, slathered in tar, plastered with chicken feathers and then placed in the fox cage at the zoo. Especially if placed in the fox cage at the zoo.

Take him out with an AK-47? Too messy. Then, there's the jail time. And it's a bitch on your conscience.

No, none of those. When somebody believes nonsense to the core, it's hard to MAKE them change. Impossible, in fact. Change must come from within. However, there's no rule saying it can't be greatly influenced by an outside environment. A special outside environment custom tailored to not tolerate racism, sexism... indeed, any kind of ism.

Consider that the lead-in to the next story, entitled 'The Naughty and the Nice'.

Skipping the God Debate -- A CT Primer

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All right already... is there a god, or isn't there?

I'm tired of the endless runaround... somebody tell me! If there is a god, is it the same god for all religions, or a series of entirely unique gods which each serve their own religion, and that religion alone?

If there are multiple gods, then are they crowded up there... wherever there is?

Do they get in each other's way or do they live, invisible to one another, in separate and unique planes of existence? And if they do... then which of them is responsible for creating the multiple planes of existence?

Is there a god association, complete with elections, so that one of them can be in charge and run the association for a year... or a million?

Do we look like god?

Or does god look like us?

Or is there no god, anywhere? No planes of existence, no association, no dues? Are we actually alone, making all our own choices, receiving help from no deity in heaven at all? Are we experiencing free will in the construction of an artificial deity to comfort us when answers do not come, or when we don't like the answers that do?

I really don't care any more.

I'm ignoring this argument entirely from now on.

I mean, what's the point in trying? Have I ever, ever persuaded one person to abandon their firmly held religious position and suddenly believe the other way? How do I feel at the end of the day, after hours of logical, intelligent arguments have had not one iota of effect? I'll tell you how I feel. I feel like banging my fucking head against a wall.

Whatever we people believe, it's firmly rooted. And whatever the REASON for our belief, none of us are about to accept any argument, convincing or otherwise, that dissuades us from what we think is right. Our minds are set in concrete. We are stubborn. Intractable. Obdurate. Yes, even pertinacious (it's bad... look it up).

So I give up entirely-- I'm not going to try. You have my permission (like you need my permission!) to hang on to your views, as sophomoric and illogical as they are. You can believe whatever you want; avoid that ladder, run away from that black cat. You can stare in the sky for a guy in a sleigh or squat in a pumpkin patch until you grow hemorrhoids in a ring for all I care. You can put a dead guy up on a pedestal hanging on a cross, bullshit your kids about tooth-sensitive fairies putting money under their pillows at night, scatter painted hardboiled eggs around your property and show mock surprise when presented. You can imagine that lion actually lives in that oval at the beginning of each film and roars on command.

You can be an ignorant idiot if you want-- it's a free country. I don't care. I'm not talking to you anyway.

My target audience is much, much larger. You bottom-of-the-bell-curve people are only part of the fringe... the implacable fools. You are the ones greeting the alien spaceship with open arms right before it melts your bones. You are the ones forever trying to pull the sword from the stone. You are those who impart imaginary power to fancy sticks called wands.

You guys can remain in the grey swirling mist of your own unenlightenment, waving your hands about until you strike another idiot standing in the fog waving their hands about. I don't even care if it slaps sense onto you. It's too late... you are doomed.

But you can do one thing right!

Yes, there's one very important choice you can make which will improve the future world immeasurably, which will cause huge numbers of the coming generation to grasp for truth and involves no action on your part:

I only ask that you NOT drag your poor innocent children into your morass of idiocy.

It already sucks that you fill their heads with nonsense. It's a crime how you crap on the learning process with your romantic and unprovable drivel. It's irresponsible how you approve every fictional story they watch and subsequently swallow whole, and carry around with them instead of learning something far more valuable-- a logical moral compass-- only to choke back bitter resentment for you when they invariably learn the truth.

You won't listen... I called you stubborn and I could not be more right. I could beg you to let them make up their own minds up about unproven belief systems when they are old enough to make informed decisions, but you'll hear none of it. Your only job, it seems, is to imprint your ignorance onto another generation of fringe morons. That and prolific babymaking.

Whoa. Bitter much, man?

Okay it's true. I'm being the tiniest bit condescending. Fact is, from what we know about people living in this society, it's the confrontation that hardens a person's resolve agains invasive ideology. If I really intend to direct people toward a better way, then it can't be done by pounding on their beliefs with a metaphorical sledge hammer. It has to be accomplished with reason and guidance, example and reflection. People need to become more educated.

Stop! Don't go running away yet. I ain't suggestin' no booklearnin' for y'all. I know how scary that is. And for good reason-- despite our best efforts, American education is dull and boring, designed for a only a few natural learners, and warped by political interference to teach exactly the same subjects and facts to everyone, equally.

I am referring to a very specialized talent, one which is easy to learn and understand. It will take years of practice to become proficient, but only a few minutes to learn the basics. And it might be the most important subject you learn in your life, teaching a skill which could save your ass over and over throughout your life.

To what do I refer, this magical course which can cause each person it touches to be, if not a genius, at least remarkably salient? It's called Critical Thinking (CT), and it allows us to be our own best friend when confronted with new information. Wikipedia defines it as "purposeful reflective judgment concerning what to believe or what to do."

In a nutshell, using CT helps people to:

• Clarify goals

• Examine assumptions

• Discern hidden values

• Evaluate evidence

• Accomplish actions

• Assess conclusions

and do so in a way which is accurate, considered and unbiased. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you must admit that knowing the actual fact about anything is far more helpful than creating your own truth. Whether or not you choose to share facts with the world outside is up to you, but the simple clear knowledge will serve your decision making process long into the future. With CT, when a friend tells you the sky is blue because it is reflected from the blue oceans you can smile and nod, all the while knowing the truth because you took the time to look it up... and learning a second, more important truth: Perhaps your friend doesn't know as much as he thinks. In time, you can internally divide your entire association of acquaintances into two groups: the honest, and the bullshitters... or at least, the ones who have no problem passing along unchecked data.

So generally, CT is a way of finding the TRUE answers in life.

That's a lot of promise! In short, it's like having an expert in your brain whenever you need it. As an example, say someone is selling a diamond ring on Craig's List. CT does not make you a diamond expert. Rather, it allows you to look at the overall situation with a watchful eye, allowing you to formulate and ask yourself important questions like 'Is this guy on the level?' and 'what are the chances this diamond is fake?'

and 'why is he meeting me in an empty lot?'

Most of us already use CT to a limited extent, mainly because we live in a 'Buyer Beware' kind of world-- we use it to prevent getting ripped off, as in the example above. But with a practiced touch it can allow us to form accurate guidelines to help us with very complex or even vague issues, like recommending war, or whether god exists.

When you take the time to learn CT, it develops your abilities of:

• Observation

• Interpretation

• Analysis

• Inference

• Evaluation

• Explanation

and serves to make you an indispensable source among others who value hard data, honesty and the truth. Plus, it ticks off the dummies!

I didn't just say that. Ignore it.

Learning CT gives you:

• The ability to understand the problem at hand

• A way to find evidence through observation

• Clarity in finding context in your judgment

• Criteria for making an accurate judgment

• Techniques for forming an accurate judgment

So it makes you judgy... it also makes you right. Hence, here I re-state the importance of knowing when to keep quiet with your valuable, factual data and when to offer it. Develop sufficient critical thinking techniques and that answer will become clear to you as well. As you can see, it's obvious I haven't learned that particular skill or I would be far more subtle in my writing of this post. So the student becomes the teacher becomes the student again.

As if you didn't figure it out, CT helps your:

• Logic

• Clarity

• Credibility

• Accuracy

• Precision

• Relevance

• Depth

• Breadth

• Fairness

I didn't mention this earlier-- CT helps you become a more self-actualized person. How can you develop the above list of criteria without improving? Many of these features helped our ancestors out of caves, calmed their fear of eclipses and phases of the moon, (eventually) squelched our fear of witches, goblins, devils and the like, and allowed clarity when observing natural phenomenon. In short, CT helped humans advance to modernity by creating civility. And somehow the fringe views CT as a dangerous tool. Perhaps because it interferes with their relentless pursuit of power, which can only be aided by widespread ignorance. Smart on, people!

Once you have it, you'll want to use it. Use CT to:

• Raise important questions, formulated precisely

• Gather relevant information and interpret it effectively

• Reach thought-out conclusions by testing them against valid criteria

• Observe and assess alternative systems of thought factually

• Liaise effectively without being unreasonably influenced by others' persuasion

• Formulate workable solutions to complex problems

• Deliberate as a group about what course of action to take

• Analyze the assumptions and methods used to arrive at hypotheses

• Evaluate whether an argument is worthy, if it is valid and is based on true premises

CT can occur when judging, deciding or solving a problem. CT is a powerful tool for figuring out what to believe or what to do in a reasonable way. CT is crucial to becoming a close reader and a substantive writer. CT will build your muscles and regrow lost hair.

That last part is patently untrue. I added it for effect because with all the glowing praise it seems as though I must have married CT and had babies with her. Truth is, it's an incredibly valuable mental tool as evidenced by all the benefits listed above. Because it helps you cut through the bullshit of life, it's the kind of tool you should keep with you at all times.

CT is the mental equivalent of a Swiss army knife.

CT helps develop Fluid Intelligence, which is a nifty term referring to the ability to determine patterns, make connections and solve new problems. If you ever wondered how detectives on TV reach those stunning conclusions... well, it's the writers. But for real-life cops, it's their fluid intelligence brought on by years of critical thinking.

But don't believe me. Well..., yes, believe me-- I ain't lying about this. What I mean is, test yourself. There are at least two tests which measure critical thinking:

California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory

California Measure of Mental Motivation

See how much CT is floating around your brain pan-- you might be surprised. One way or another...

Bottom line-- we can skip the god debate entirely once employing CT. When the question pops up, "Is there a god or isn't there?" the use of CT yields one answer, and one answer alone:

We don't have enough information to decide either way.

Which means that I have already come to a stunning and accurate conclusion using the benefits of CT: Both camps need to shut up! Neither of you can possibly know if you are right or not. The more you profess to know the answer, the more outside observers see you employing the 'argument from ignorance', and choose to disregard both of you.

And that's probably the best gift CT can give you-- the ability to know who is full of bullcrap, and who isn't. I think I'll make up a T-shirt:

Critical Thinking: Science's Best Lie Detector!

Aden Selection

Perfect World story (The NOW)

Dear Susan:

How is life treating you out in the wind-whipped terrain of Montana? Raw and stark at this time of year, I'll bet. Not to worry... the same is true in the Big Apple. Fortunately I'm not there any more, which is the reason for this letter (why am I writing a letter, again? Are you so ashamed of the human love affair with computers that you refuse to partake of their benefits? Come on, come on... it's just a tool. A completely frickin' awesome tool). You have to hear this story-- it rips!

You know how I love the theater-- I moved from there to New York to be in the heart of it, after all. But you know how expensive tickets have become. I'd managed to wrangle my way into several theaters by volunteering at their coat check rooms, and after the last coat was hung and the lights dimmed I would slip into the back to watch the actors transform the stage. It wasn't optimal, but I didn't care-- I saw literally hundreds of plays that way, and some of them a hundred times!

The last performance I ever watched in New York was this weird open-format deal which started late, ended early and had an exceedingly short run... but it changed my life forever. Here's what happened:

It was a normal play experience, the kind I've experienced for years... at least in the beginning. It was opening night. People, dressed in their finest attire and nickering with each other between sips of fine champagne in cut-crystal flutes milled about the lobby, finding their seats to coruscating chandeliers, awaiting a 'transformative' experience as promised by the lobby posters. "Aden Selection" was the title, and not much else was known about it.

It was a chill evening and I was busy in my volunteer position, assigning mink stoles and overcoats their own identifying code number, ripping the little yellow card on the scored line and presenting one to the owners, attaching the other part to their precious shmatas, smiling pleasantly all the while. I was curious about this presentation and wanted to be there from curtain time, but one tardy patron rushed in just under the wire, checking his coat and his hat AND an oddly colored briefcase, and I missed a minute. When I finally dispatched him I locked up and trotted to the theater doors, pulling up behind him. I slipped into the gloom and watched. Slowly my mouth began dropping.

The stage was set simply... a wallpapered room, a fireplace, several overstuffed sofas strewn about the stage. A single man dressed in a blue-green tunic stood upstage center, scanning the audience, speaking directly to them. Since the curtain was already up I knew he wasn't introducing the play. I thought it odd that he would choose to drop the fourth wall-- this performance wasn't billed as a comedy. He spoke slowly, quietly, and with a clipped accent I could not quite place, but his wording was skilled and compelling. I'll try to recount what he said, as best as I remember.

I don't know what went on before this, but I heard, "... and so I'll just ask you all to stand up, for just a very few moments.

"I have a short questionnaire, the answers of which will make this performance a more individual and personal one, for each of you. Answer honestly, please, if you wish to see the play which was designed for you.

"First... anyone who came here tonight in new clothing purchased for this event, please have a seat."

Not that many people sat, Susan. A dozen, tops. But more importantly, I was intrigued at the odd start to this evening! I had no seat to sit in, but I figured I'd mentally sit down if his question pertained to me. He continued,

"Thank you. Remain seated. Next, anyone who was raised by an authoritative figure, please have a seat." More people sat down. The actor continued on in this way, asking increasingly personal and perplexing questions, and after each some would sit while others would stand. He moved them about, to the left and the right wings, shuffling them until he was satisfied. Then he asked two final questions, after which the audience sat down, heavily, for the last time that evening.

Except for 6.

"Just six people left standing out of this entire audience! How interesting!" He took off his glasses and rubbed them against his tunic, gazing out over the entire crowd, and finished, "Now to better understand this play, remember this: those of you to the left... I will be speaking only to you when I drift over to your side of the stage. The same is true when I move to the right-- my comments are meant for your ears only. Understood? Wonderful. Now, if I could ask the six of you to go through that door over there, we'll begin the performance straightaway."

I'm telling you, Susan... it was the strangest beginning to a play I've ever seen. But what he said next blew my socks off!

"And the young woman standing in the back... if you would please join the other six? Through that door, yes. Don't dilly-dally... we've got a play to put on!"

And of course he was talking to ME. I tried to protest, say that I was just an employee and had work to complete, but he shushed me and glared politely, so I had no choice! I scurried down to the front, following the other six audience members and was last through the door, hearing the latch click firmly. I could just make out his words before I drifted out of earshot, "Who needs 'em? We've just gotten rid of the riffraff!" and the audience chuckled.

Whoa! Is that what had just happened? Had we just been kicked to the curb? I switched back to the auditorium door, but there was no handle on this side-- it was as flat as a wall and as hard to get through. I pounded, but a soft material muffled my wallops and nobody rescued me. Dejected, I trudged towards what I figured must be the rear exit to the theater. I would have to walk around the entire block in that frigid weather to return to the theater entrance. I hoped I wouldn't catch my death, Susan.

Opening the exit door I was surprised... no, shocked really, to discover I wasn't in some grimy and dangerous alleyway-- instead I was looking at an expansive black room. In the center I saw a large boxy apparatus about the size and shape of a short school bus. The six audience members were looking at me and the closest waved me over. "They need all of us before we can get in, dear," she said. She was an older woman with a kind face, and I smiled at her.

We piled into the apparatus at the urging of another man, who wore an outfit similar to the onstage actor's. There were eight plush and roomy chairs around the perimeter, each next to a window.

The man stepped inside and shut the door, which seemed far too substantial for what we were in, seemingly a piston-controlled VR machine like the Air Force flight simulators.

He strapped into the front chair and swiveled to face us. He introduced himself as David and smiled, but then gravely he said,

"What you are about to see is real. You have been chosen to experience this reality because of the answers you gave, or didn't give, in the theater. The play is of no significance but will satisfy the remaining audience. After this is over, you may attend at a future date with my compliments. What you will soon see, I am certain, will make pale anything you have ever seen before. Remain strapped in your seats. This can be a violent and unpredictable ride."

Susan, I was beginning to feel a curious excitement. David pressed a series of buttons on a console mounted in his chair and the machine began spinning, slowly at first but quickly speeding up until the room outside became a blur. Then, like a washing machine it stopped, in just a few rotations, leaving me somewhat queasy. In a few seconds we were moving forward, quickly, right towards a wall! More than one of us screamed when it hit! The ride lurched appropriately and the wall smashed before us, complete with deafening noises. I relaxed, knowing this had to be the VR part, but boy did it feel real!

On the other side of the wall was the end of a large tube, perhaps eight feet in diameter. The ride 'rolled' towards it and joined, and one man made a sexual reference as we slid into the tube. I have to admit, we all chuckled. Then we stopped, for there was a dead end in front of us. A rotating red light flared and a buzzer resounded; the dead end irised open and we were staring at an infinitely long tunnel, as straight as I have ever seen. We rolled forward and I heard the door iris shut. Tension in the cabin was tangible. David pressed a flashing light.

It was like getting shot from a cannon! I have never felt a VR machine exhibit such a raw surge of power! I did not know how they could fake that, but we certainly could not be experiencing what our eyes told us we were! For at the front below the window was a digital readout, and as each section of dimly illuminated tunnel passed by, the readout changed. Right out of the gate it read 150 mph, and second by second the number jumped: 300 mph, 600 mph, 2000 miles per hour! Even the SST couldn't beat that speed-- but it wasn't done! 5000 mph! 8000 mph! 12,000 mph! 16,285 mph! Finally, 18,800 mph! Detail of tunnel walls disappeared as the crazy velocity caused tertiary moiré patterns to dance on the walls. We were smooshed into our seats, another effect I could not explain, because I could feel the pressure in my chest, in my limbs, on my face!

The scene changed. The tunnel appeared to be made of glass here and we watched scenery. Sort of. Mountains sped by like signs on the freeway, on occasion hiding behind a greenish veil that I realized to my shock must be entire forests whizzing by! I thought I saw a city, but it was gone before I could get a fix on which one it might be. Then the glass ended and we were plunged back into darkness.

Where was he pretending to take us? To China?

There was a clock on the console as well. We had been in the tunnel for 7 minutes when all of our chairs spun to face backwards simultaneously. There was a window back there too and we watched the blurry past shoot away at speeds too fast to recognize. I recognized the next feeling though, Susan-- it was the brakes. There was no railcar squealing like we hear in the New York subway-- this was all effect and no sound. My throat closed up as a giant hand crushed me into the plush seat and I may have blacked out for a moment because the next thing I knew we were back in the dimly lit room.

Or so I thought!

Because when David unlatched that door, we were showered with golden sunlight! I squinted to cease the photovoltaic pain and stepped from the machine. When I could open my eyes, my breath caught. We were outdoors, it was warm... and we were not in New York City. No, we were far from there. We were... well, I don't know where we were!

It was a city, Susan! But not one I've ever seen before, not even Dubai! It was clean and modern. It was spacious. There was incredible foliage everywhere, meticulously manicured. And the skyscrapers, oh my god! There was one that had to be a mile high and a mile wide! It was off in the distance, but I could see airplanes taking off and landing on the roof! 747's! There were also no cars anywhere, and no advertising. There was no rust on any of the metal surfaces-- it was as cared for as a theme park.

We walked along the platform where our machine had stopped. I turned and was surprised that it had transformed from its frumpy bus shape and was now sleek as a missile! I figured the former design was a faux front that dropped off when we first spun... I couldn't be certain but my mind kept trying to decode the newness into manageable facts.

The sidewalk beneath my feet was not concrete, and gave a little as I stepped. I looked up to David with a question on my lips, a thousand of them actually, but he touched his own with a finger and handed me and the others a small plastic Hershey Kiss. He kept one and pressed it point-first into his ear, motioning for us to do the same. We did, and my head was filled with soothing music. David said, "You won't be needing me any more. I'll see you around!" and strode off to a pleasingly curved ramp that swallowed him in darkness.

I was about to protest-- I felt I needed him rather a lot-- when a voice emerged from the music, not just beginning the way a speech might but rather as if the speaker had been one of the ethereal singers that had been part of the piece, trailing off her last note and beginning her first word in a smooth uninterrupted flow.

"Laa laaa laaovely to see you here in Aden..."

Aden! That was in the play's name-- Aden Selection-- and I immediately realized our little group had been selected from among the theatergoers to come here to Aden, which must be this gorgeous city's name! Now I needed to find out why, but I wanted to hear the rest of the message.

But there was none.

She said it was lovely to see me in Aden... and then shut up! What was going on? Experimentally I said "Hello?" and she returned, close as a whisper.

"Hi! What's your name?" Merrily, eager. I said my name and she rolled it around her mouth a few times. "I like it! It's original and positive!"

I thanked her and asked her name. "Call me Jolie. I'll be your guide while you are here."

I said "Aden?" and she said, "Uh-huh! And I bet you have a hundred eighty-two questions, so start!"

I liked her, Susan! She was reading my mind! "Where are we?"

"Nebraska."

Nebraska! Two thousand miles from New York! And we had gotten there in 12 minutes! That's why it was still sunny-- it was a little after 6 and the sun hadn't set yet! "What is Aden?" I had to know!

Jolie took a breath. "Okay, here's the ten-cent explanation: A couple of billionaire geniuses had an idea for a new social system based not on money but on humanity, reasoning that the point to a society is to serve all the people in it. Equally. They built this city with their funds, intending to fill it with forward-thinking people whose psychological profiles best fit the mission."

I felt smart! I had guessed! The play must have been an elaborate ruse to obtain an initial positive cross-section of New York's inhabitants, and the actor's question sequence had honed them further, all for the sake of trying to find new citizens! Jolie continued.

"Aden has no money, no competition, no stress. Everyone is entitled to anything they desire, and Aden has most everything. Most jobs outside Aden have been abolished here and most people only need to work about ten hours a week. Aden uses a complex nested computer network... and that's me... to automate most mundane, dangerous and difficult jobs--"

I stopped her there, and you know why, Susan. I practically shouted, "I'm talking to a computer?!"

"Yes. Perhaps I should have led with that?"

"Yes!" But the truth is, I did not have a clue that Jolie was a computer, until she mentioned it! I realized then how different the two philosophies must be, Aden's and ours, because they seemed so... advanced! I eased her with "Well, you seem like a nice computer..."

"I'm the best! she blurted, and then stepped back. "I mean... I'm okay... I guess."

I laughed and asked Jolie to continue, and she obliged.

"Okay, so I automate most of Aden, which frees up the minds of our citizens for the task of enlightenment. To that end, Aden promotes critical thinking and is a fact-driven society-- you won't find any myths here."

"What kind of myths?" I felt rude for interrupting yet again, but I was intrigued.

"For example, all of our tall buildings have a level called the 13th floor. We enjoy our black cats as pets. And we only accept practices which have passed muster using the scientific method. So no charms, no astrology, no voodoo, no chiropractic, no curses, no homeopaths, no deities, no flat earthers. The list is very long."

Wow, I thought. No god? Aloud I asked, "And everyone goes along with that?"

"Yes."

That was it, Susan, just yes! I can't begin to describe how relieved I felt! Jolie went on.

"We educate all of our inhabitants, find all of their strengths and develop them, which bolsters our city when these people begin to exercise those talents. Art is rampant and takes on every form-- music, painting, dance, theater, sculpture-- and a few you haven't seen yet. There is no crime, no obesity, no depression, no sexual tension. Delicious food is provided; beautiful lodging is provided; health and safety is guaranteed. There is only one law, and it is more of a guideline--

Hurt no one: Not physically nor emotionally

Accept every one: Both emotionally and physically."

She stopped, said "Whew!" and I giggled. And then I began to cry. And I was not the only one-- the others must have received the same ten cent tour as I because they were crumpling to the floor, holding each other, sobbing for all time. Jolie was silent during my realization, but the music had returned, an uplifting chorus that sang a portent of hope.

The transit platform, and indeed all of Aden, had seemed near deserted when we first arrived. Looking up now, blinking through my tears, I could see all manner of people approaching us, smiles on their benevolent faces. Slowly they approached, surrounding us, hugging and stroking us like long lost pets, loving us like families after a war. The men and women that surrounded me all seemed so beautiful, but I realized then that they were just normal, average people with craggy lines and hard expressions that had been turned by this city of peace into faces of joy and serenity, of mirth and intelligence, and I returned their touch as if to exchange their gift.

Jolie piped up. "Are you hungry? Tired? Inspired?"

Susan, I shouted "All of those!" happily, laughing because without another word the crowd knew my needs and I was being swept along to have them attended by this group of well-wishing Adeners, and after a meaningful glance back at my travel companions receiving similar treatment, I went along, full force, to meet my future.

And I'm here still. I never left!

And I want you to join me. I want my baby sister to live the wonderful life I have found here. There will be a knock at your door tonight at 9 pm. Go with them, honey. You will not be sorry.

Much Love,

Syrecce