Lifes Lessons, Lifestyle

Burning Man Debacle

You’re all thinking it so I’ll say it. There was a burning man debacle. It’s not the best of ideas to be camping with 70,000 compadres in the middle of the desert in an effort to appear kindred to a “counter culture” espousing the dichotomy of self-reliance and community while building art and posing for social media inspired images.

We’ll see if the enlightened brethren will be 2023 compliant in its mantra of “leaving no trace” when waterworks have been down for two days.

I’m reminded of the soccer stampedes costing lives and the spiritual escapades exhausting the unfit, and the spectators crushed at the stages of oversold concert venues. Despite the earnestness of desire to fulfill a cause or celebration, i’m reminded of the weakness in judgment within man’s condition. There is this bias in refuting or downplaying risk for experience as if the experience in and of itself is necessary for the edification of the being.

Like juveniles adamant to enshrine members through hazing, an art workshop cult asks naive campers to commune in the desert for a week thereby risking tax payer dollars and state assets to potentially secure their rescue.  

Lifes Lessons, Philosophy

Response To “Children Are Not Alright”

Researchers from the University of Calgary, McGill, and University of Toronto along with Children First Canada have concluded that the quality of life for children is on the decline. This is concerning and from what I’ve seen from our evolving society, I’m not surprised.

Here are the characteristics of trouble pertaining to the children’s experience

  1. Bullying
  2. Systemic racism and discrimination
  3. Limited physical activity and play
  4. Poverty
  5. Poor mental health

What confounds me most is the degree of negligence of adults within the lives of children which obviously would persist in order to facilitate the condition.

Are teachers turning a blind eye to bullying? Is there no mechanism to hold bullies to account within our modern liberal system of education? Are kids being exempted from physical education for unreasonable allowances? Are parents not restricting kids with their electronic gadgets? Are dads not showing up to work thereby failing to put groceries in the fridge? Why do parents divorce despite declaring the vow of “until death do us part” thereby in separation imposing two incomes for two households instead of one? How are kids being held accountable in a way to help them help themselves? What have adults done in the way of urban planning to facilitate places of play? And rural communities? Have adults become less inclined to volunteer within an environment of revelations of abominable conduct by those in the past provided stewardship? What outcome would one expect from kids playing violent video games instead of fielding balls at shortstop whilst enjoying the camaraderie of team play and good sportsmanship?

We’ve overextended ourselves as adults in theory at the expense of kids. In theory, that is because despite of the mantra that we are “working hard”, the unfortunate thing is that we are still putting two adults from a household on the job in a context of having gained technological advantages. 

The evidence is already among us with respect to the character of newer generations as they hit the workplace having been raised oftentimes by a single parent home devoid of the socialization inherent within the traditional nuclear family.    

Health

Exercise Benefits

Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins and adrenaline. These hormones when coupled produce a feeling of energized well being. You know this and you’ve asked yourself why you don’t exercise more often having just wrapped up a work out. Let’s examine benefits of exercise. 

Exercise physiologists speak less frequently regarding the motility of blood through the bloodstream which arises with an increased heart rate. The blood provides nourishment and oxygen to muscle fibers during exercise at a higher rate in accordance with increased muscular requirements. We’ve all come to learn from people close to us etiology arising from a sedentary lifestyle and heart disease unfortunately ranks. It stands to reason that the faster blood moves through the circulatory system that the less opportunity it has to deposit plaque. Additionally, regular exercise may prevent the opportunity for plaque to deposit. In fact, it’s recommended for sedentary individuals to check in with a doctor prior to taking up an exercise regiment because of the potential risk of breaking off plaque deposits within arterial walls when the circulatory system is not acclimatized to the stress of higher throughput.

Exercise will also enable you to burn calories at a higher rate thereby helping with weight management. The associated movement can assist the skeletal system with alignment through increased flexibility and strength. Active joints assist with the removal of metabolic waste thereby potentially reducing the chance of arthritic onset.   

People typically come into your life as a result of physical activity and the positivity surrounding the endeavor produces healthy topics for socialization.

Philosophy, Politics

Consquences Of Ignorance

There are consequences of ignorance. No kiddng right. Just look at the quagmire of the U.S political system and the influence of a degenerate by the name of Donald Trump. The vast majority of Americans do not possess a college education and there is a cultural gulf within the country because of the disparity. Donald Trump with his immoral and brash character represents the anti-establishment. It’s obvious that Donald Trump in the minds of the marginalized can do no wrong because he is symbolized as someone who gives them a voice to challenge the perceived “elite”. Certainly, there’s more to the phenomenon than a void in education because there is a contingent of well read Americans and even Canadians which were duped by this repugnant man.

The two party system and the mechanics of democracy put the populous oftentimes into a position of picking the lesser of two evils which then moves folks to rationalize bad as opposed to voting for good. The whole premise of the “American Dream” is then articulated within a system of complexity and compromise. Expatriates of the U.S. have made their case for departure as opposed to navigating a system enthralled with such compromise feeling isolated from influence directed to Washington by lobbyists of every cause thereby usurping principles related to the American Dream. This is the condition of the U.S. political system in which Donald Trump has been able to carve oxygen. It’s astonishing and will be regarded historically as a depressing period within the collective American psyche.    

Lifestyle, Philosophy

Decorum Technology and Human Spirit

You’ve thought it but you haven’t necessarily articulated it. It concerns you because it’s not really within your control. You deflect because it’s easier that way.  You hope that the effects are not material. What is “it” anyway?

“It” is the impersonal side of communicating through technology instead of the person in the like of the “no-reply”, the web chat box, email, or text message.  There are degrees but increasingly the expectation for some is that contacts be fully digitally engaged. Where do you stand? Do you prefer not to encounter a human “retort” to an outreach and therefore turn to your phone for a tone free text? A friend today disclosed that 90 per cent of his business is done by text seemingly because that is the expectation of customers. 

Are the 1-800 spam calls to blame? How about the prevalent self centred agendas of the legitimate sales person looking to drape his target market? How about the proliferation of answering services programmed with introductory propaganda prior to identifying an actionable keypad menu option. You know that the default zero has now been eliminated because no possible agent could possibly be well enough trained to handle every imaginable inquiry!%?      

An industry is bourn for those helping senior citizens. Vocabulary is narrowing. Cursive writing eludes curriculums. Folks walk through cross walks not destined for yoga class while texting in their spandex tights which have been stitched for pockets for the rare occasion that the phone is not hand held. 

You won’t be discussing the weather or having innocuous banter with strangers on your walk. They will be plugged in with Bluetooth enabling protection from the megaphone of those protesters stymied from achieving discourse through their tongue. Yup, that wicket at city hall has been replaced by the 311 app and you are not physically welcome to shine your grievance.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is the new catch acronym and regulation is surmised but are we not a little late? Imagine its form as we presuppose the sequestration of emotion.