Issue 282 Bound by Greed February 28, 2014

Have you heard of a person bound by Greed? We are bound by greed as it is part of the virtue of selfishness. Greed is capable of creating great things in society that can be a positive. But it is all a manner of what you do with it.

Greed: Typically greed is considered a negative, and it can be if it is left uncontrolled. It is neither an emotion nor a vice. It is an inbred fault in our human design. It is a disease that cannot be gotten rid of. It is selfishness, desire, gluttony and more. It cannot be escaped. We have greed bread into our very core.

Examples: Let's think about the civil rights movements. Are they not motivated by a form of greed? The desire to gain rights and privileges in society is a form of greed for rights and privileges are another form of wealth are they not? Those in favor of civil rights are just as greedy as those who stand above those seeking those rights. Those who already hold the status of a first class citizen do not wish to loose that power and authority as the status quo is shaken to its very core. Both sides are greedy.

It is again the same in war. We know that those invading another country do it for the acquisition of money, power, natural resources, and other various means including religion. But are not the defenders just as greedy trying to keep their territory all to themselves? They are greedy as their very survival as a nation and a people hinges on protecting their rights and privileges acquired through their society and their culture.

Good greed versus bad greed: Greed to protect oneself from harm and to gain freedom is good. However, greed at the expense of someone else is bad. This is where a moral compass comes in. A person without a moral compass will obey the worst forms of greed and sacrifice all for the sack of gaining power and wealth. Those with a moral compass will however think upon their actions and choose the best method that does not sacrifice the other parts of their humanity to do so. So what is greed?

Conclusion: Greed is the natural survival instinct that we all share. The same goes with gluttony, lust and other terms we would like to distance ourselves from. However, Ayn Rand summed it all up into a simple word "selfishness." Unchecked the aspects of selfishness like greed will run rampant as we all fight like the animals we are to maintain our safety and security. However, a moral compass and a set of values will help protect against this. With these checks upon ourselves we can protect ourselves from becoming inhuman monsters which enables all of our ambitions to finally counteract each other peacefully rather than violently as mankind's nature dictates. We are bound by greed and our only cure is self control. Good luck.

Issue 281 Ends Justify the Means? February 27, 2014

Do the ends really justify the means? Can they ever be justified? I don't think so. Time for another discussion.

Means to an end: We have always heard the phrase ends justify the means, but that is not true. Does sacrificing ones friendships, family or another person’s livelihood really justify an end result? Of course not. For one, you are isolating yourself if you sacrifice your family and friends. If you sacrifice another person’s livelihood, then you should hopefully feel guilty (otherwise you are probably pond scum). So you can isolate yourself, you can harm others, but in the end, was it worth it? Was it worth the sacrifice to harm all those people and yourself? It becomes easier if you are affecting total strangers, but that can only happen if we forget to place ourselves in that very same position that we will be placing them in. Even then, there is no guarantee that the end result will be the desired one, let alone reached. So again, is it all worth the sacrifice?

Risk versus this mentality: There is a big difference between the ends justifying the means and risk itself. Risk is something that is calculated and meant to gain something significant without loss if at all possible. The mind set of the "ends justifying the means" means you are willing sacrifice all for the end result. So if you fail in risk, then you did not properly prep for the possibility of failure. With ends justifying the means, it means just continue sacrificing everything until the desired result is gained.

Us today: I feel like most of the United States if not the world has fallen into this cruel and heartless mind set. Sorry to say, but the Wall street bail outs should not have happened for there should have never been need of such crappily written laws if the banks actually thought about the sacrifices they would have to make to achieve their wealth. Much of welfare I feel would not be necessary if parents thought about addiction to drugs, alcoholism, and proper spending choices over their own immediate gratification. This too is ends justifying the means, taking a small immediate happiness now at the sacrifice of the future of the household. If politicians thought about how their laws and taxes affected businesses, and the economy, we all might be a lot richer rather than perpetuating divisions in society to maintain political power. Sad is it not?

Conclusion: Our society, while technologically advanced, has regressed socially. We no longer use calculated risks, but instead use a mentality of acceptable sacrifices to get what we want. I cannot accept such a mind set which is why I plead with you, be conscious of how you achieve your goals in life. The journey to your goal is equally if not more important than the goal itself.

Issue 280 No choice but to think February 26, 2014

You thought you had a choice didn't you. Maybe you thought you can just skim by and not even have to work a single brain cell. Sorry buddy, flex them brain cells, cause you got no choice and never did.

You're always thinking: Our brain is a wondrous organ. It operates our entire body and keeps it working for as long as we last. It stores memories and allows us to process information. We take in so much of the world around us and yet we don't even realize the brain is working on our behalf to understand it all. But we are not vegetables. We have to move and feel emotion. Survival is paramount and thus is human interaction. Human interaction breeds conversation and thus you think some more. There is no excuse to be had as you will be forced to think no matter what.

What should you think about?: That's right; I'm asking, what should we all think about. The weather is good for thinking about when to go out based on what outside activities we wish to do. What food to eat based on what your body needs is another. But what about things that are not mundane. Not fun or happy. Things that can make you sad or depressed. These things need to be thought about too. Locking yourself away and thinking just about what you can see hear and feel is not enough. You must think of the things that keep you from being ignorant and thus taken advantage of. You may not like it, but people naturally seek to control and manipulate others. As such, you must counter those acts to control you with deep and purposeful thought.

Power of thought: Dreams are a collection of ideas given form. But all these ideas are thoughts. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not originally want to be a civil rights leader. He was uncomfortable with the "thought" of having so many rely on him and his leadership. But he had no choice but to think. That thought process was on how to lead the civil rights movement to success in uniting the people of all races, colors, and creeds in America. He was forced to think and thus looked to examples like Gandhi and Jesus Christ who also had no choice but to think.

George Washington was forced to think. He had a fiery temper when angered, but it was out of frustration and failure. Washington's thought process went from a British officer, to General of the Continental army and finally (yet reluctantly) as President of the United States. His faith guided his thoughts. Martha his wife guided his thoughts. The future of the nation and what was needed to protect and preserve it were his guide posts in his thought processes. President Washington had no choice but to think.

Conclusion: We have no choice but to think. There is no excuse for ignorance and the bliss that follows for that is tantamount to slavery. It is slavery not to think as then we allow others to make decisions for us in the same manner as a parent to a new born child. Thomas Jefferson said it best when he wrote that letter to his son: "question with boldness, for surely God wants inspired questions over blind faith..." This quote means question everything! Do not be satisfied with the answers that are given, but think on the answers given and the information you have acquired. Thinking is a virtue and a freedom that is impossible to take away. You may question God, any authority, and even your own beliefs for you are meant to. It refreshes and secures yourself from ignorance and protects you from those that would abuse your lack of knowledge. Questioning is thinking, and coming up with life's answers is also thinking. Stop doubting yourself with thoughts of "my ideas mean nothing" for your thoughts hold value to you. You will think and you will not be given a choice in that, but it is up to you to determine what to think and as such what has enough value to think about.

Issue 279 Created equal February 25, 2014

 
We are created equal. It does not matter if you think God did it, a bunch of gods, aliens or a spontaneous spark that created life. The fact is that we are born equals. However, life is what removes that equality. Let's discuss.

Created: When we are born, we have no knowledge of the world or anything save for basic survival instincts. We are dependant on others for survival, and are just starting to grasp that we are even alive in the first place. This ignorance of social clicks, race, hatred and even pride and love are what helps keep that equality for a time. You own nothing when you are born for you have no say over your own affairs. As such when sperm hits the egg, you’re created as an equal to everyone else.

Unequal: What makes us unequal are life's circumstances. A person hitting the lottery, a man gains social status, a person commits a crime and goes to jail. Every choice and action determines our value in the world. Artificial things like race, nationality and such can and will cause divisions. Not to mention some negative choices can be turned into positives, while positive ones can be turned into negatives. So after birth, once you begin to learn about the world around you and the circumstances in life that you are born into, you stop being equal and start being an individual.

Return to equality: There is one great equalizer that returns all to equality. That equalizer is death. Just as we are born ignorant which keeps us equal for a time, we just simply die. Death is the only guarantee we have in this life and makes us all return to equality once again as we participate in the cycle of life and death. We cannot escape, with the sole solace being that we can at least try to leave some sort of legacy behind. It cannot be stopped for in death, you cannot take your money and power with you.

Conclusion: That's right, you're born equal, and return to equality in death. If you believe in heaven as I do, prepare yourself as God is the sole ruler there and what God says goes. In death you have no power and in life you acquire power over yourself. These accumulations of power over ones own will is what grants us inequality. As such, while God created us as equals, we have acquired the ability to be unequal, and that inequality being the freedom of choice is freedom itself. Keep rising above what life hands you all.

Issue 278 The General Welfare February 24, 2014

The General Welfare clause is from Article 1 section 8 of the United States Constitution. In this wording, people have taken it to mean providing welfare to the poor, the downtrodden and others who are deemed a charity case. But that is entirely different than what it was intended to mean. Let’s look at the modernist view versus the actual meaning.

Modernist view: As stated above, the modernists' takes the wording and takes it to mean that anyone who would need some sort of aid deserves to be helped by the Federal government. The reason they take it to mean this way is because the section states "to provide for the general welfare." Modern people take welfare to mean handouts and thus they use it to justify their argument that the Federal government should provide some sort of relief to the needy.

Actual meaning: Let's read the whole clause within Section 8:

"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States."

Firstly this does not specify what welfare is. Welfare then did not have the exact same meaning it does today. Welfare today is a handout by a government to help the poor stay afloat (though sometimes it is abused). However, the welfare of the past was more akin to advocating good acts and deeds and things they felt were important. So things like the purchase of the Louisiana territory can be considered part of the general welfare for it expanded the United States and gave us a major shipping rout and ports on the Mississippi river. Marriage and charitable exceptions in the tax code are another example, as the American Republic saw these acts as a benefit to society. So, general welfare is less about giving tax dollars away, and more about purchasing and advocating for positive things in society. The word welfare is in reference to how people are fairing while general means everyone as a collective group. As such, the acts that occurred through this clause must be applicable to everyone’s welfare and benefit.

Conclusion: Never has this clause been meant to serve as a justification for the Federal government to overstep its authority and provide direct aid to American citizens. With all respect to the modernist thinkers, the only place where any welfare should be distributed is at the local level exclusively. The Federal government, and even the State governments can and have always provided blanket approaches to provide welfare aid, but as you can tell by the history of the welfare apparatus, it does not work. Our founders envisioned a nation based on laws and separations of powers. It is not only the Federal government that has its powers split internally, but also to divide up the responsibility of which level of government does what. Local handles the poor, execution of State and Federal laws when applicable and basic infrastructure. States were to take care of writing criminal law, enforce law in places between towns and cities and restrict or promote growth of population centers by determining their territorial limits. Finally, the Federal government handled all foreign trade and relations, common defense and other specific matters as listed in the United States Constitution. There is more to all three levels of government, but you get the general idea. Basically, welfare of the individual is out of the purview of the Federal government’s power. So that's it. Hope you enjoyed the explanation of what that clause really means and use it to get America back on the right track.

Issue 277 Future of actors/artists February 21, 2014

Yesterday it was all about cinema, but today it is the actors and artists themselves. Here are the trends and my predictions for their future.

Effects artists: With the advent of digital technology many traditional effects and make-up artist lost their jobs in the movie industry. As such, they moved on to alternative businesses where they can make use of their craft. Effects artists have been helping the military recreate battlefields and combat situations to highest possible degree minus death itself. They are also using their craft for shows on Broadway and circuses. Basically live performances are gaining new talent with respect to stage design and execution of their craft. Stunt men and women now fill niche roles in live performances as well. In addition, they may help car safety and other scientists study the effects of car crashes and such on the human body by replicating the disasters in the lab. Make-up artists have Halloween, and the day of the dead celebrations as money makers as they turn ordinary people and Six Flags workers into monsters and ghouls. Let us not forget that they too aid in live performances as they can do the make-up of actors and performers who prefer the stage over film. Basically, the misfortune of the people in cinema has been a boon to all of us and classical performance industry and peoples every day lives.

Actors: With my prediction that film will slowly replace these men and women with digitized avatars they will gravitate back to the stage like Broadway, and similar theaters. Movie houses are struggling, but the traditional stage still stands firm with its actors and story lines. Therefore, the raw talent of these actors and actresses will still be seen on stage, but in a more traditional setting over some movie. Others may gravitate to voice acting as some of the early avatars may be too electronic or emotionless to be useful. With that in mind we may see more actors switch to voice acting as well. Even radio is a place for actors to practice their craft as they can take part in radio dramas like the recent radio theater about Sir Frances Drake the pirate, titled "Under Drakes Flag." So actors will not disappear at all, but merely change where they will show up to light up the stage.

Movie theaters: To stay relevant, movie theaters will need to adapt. Already, some are doing simulcast events for plays, and even business conferences. But this may not be enough. So they will need to adapt to have stage performances as well. I expect to see small rock concerts, and plays being held in the same venue which can easily be converted into a movie theater as well. They even may become auction houses as well for items that can fit through the stage door. All this will make up for that lost revenue from a slowly dying film industry that seems to not quite get it yet.

Conclusion: Just like vinyl records, actors, make-up artists and other movie professionals are here to stay. They will gain niche roles and wow us with their presence once again. Sure we may have a more traditional movie with actors now and again in the same way that we have black and white and silent movies from time to time. But let us face it, the entertainment industry in my opinion is changing for the better as I believe these evolutionary changes will make talent more valuable while at the same time giving the masses even better stories to watch and unfold.

Issue 276 Future of Cinema February 20, 2014

The future of cinema is being altered as we speak. Soon actors will be redundant just as the same way scenery is being made redundant via digital technology. So how is this all going to work?

Digital scenes: Already, many movies use digital backgrounds for their movies. This cuts down dramatically on production costs and man power. Now, television shows are experimenting with the same technology (like Sci-Fi’s Sanctuary) as it not only improves, but is becoming so inexpensive that a person with a cell phone camera and some digital editing equipment can use the same technology and techniques on the cheap. Soon, location shoots may become simply stored file footage to be manipulated by digital artists. This thus relegates old, traditional shoots to places they have no file footage on, or for documentarians.

Digital actors: Even now, actors can be replaced by digital ones. Slowly but surely as using actors becomes more expensive, movie companies are going to be looking into alternatives to bring people to the box office. Most go to movies now for the actors, but a growing trend has people watching movies for the story line like in the old days. Many of the highest grossing films are digital animation like the Toy Story films, Cars and the like. We will see further development of this as we can make avatars that look like real people, but with the advantage of having them do their own stunts. There is even technology that can have them have their own unique voices, sing and even interact with people via programs. This will be similar to the digital girlfriends and the Vocaloids (digital avatars that sing) that have become popular in Asian countries. As such, these digital actors and singers may even have their own followings in the same way as a traditional actor would. All this will cut costs on development over time and thus cause a dramatic changeover in the movie industry.

Who gets paid the big bucks: With actors and actresses all but done away with on the big screen, digital affects artists who use digital tools will gain the big bucks. This will be especially so with those who own a particular digital actor. Those who own a digital actor are those who created an avatar with a particular personality. So their ownership makes these digital agents very important. The better an artist is at the quality of the movie or avatar the more money they make (let alone popularity). Also, writers will get a major boost as it is their stories that are being told, not the actors who are making the movie popular. As such, the writers themselves will become as big as actors are today as well.

Conclusion: This is one of the scenarios I see coming with the age of digital cinema. As the movie industry needs to get more people into theaters (a dying business unto itself) they will switch to making cheaper movies that can be easily put on television as well. So cheap and effective movies are going to be the norm. Digitizing as much as possible is what is helping to make this possible. It is going to be interesting seeing how the entertainment industry adapts to our changing world.