The Technological Machinations of a False Reality

Much can be said of the title of my post, but the topic itself is simple, it concerns our reliance upon technology and the false realities we have created as such. The concern is that our society is slipping into a downward spiral toward a self perpetuating degradation of reality. What do I mean by this? Our reliance (including myself) upon those technological marvels have only increased ten fold and will only increase to the point where we have lost our sense of self and the natural beauty that is our reality. I foresee that there will no longer be a reality but a so called "virtual reality" that will come to be in the future.

If push come to shove and this were the case, have we thus lost our identities as human beings? Maybe not entirely true, but in reality, what makes us unique will be lost. How so? Simply said, our societal reliance said technological marvels are numbing our brains. It is turning it into putty (so to speak). We are consistently bombarded day by day with mindless dribble that fry our minds with junk that we do not need. It clouds our minds with superficial ideologies. It does not allow us to think for ourselves, instead it molds this false structure that we believe to be true, when in reality, is it? Our ability to create us as unique individuals has totally become crafted into an art. One after the other we are simply crafted down an assembly line and pushed into the world.

Is the media to blame or is our self susceptibility?? I would say a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B. The media is a multi billion dollar business, fine tuned and pruned to "take care" of the masses. It is the mechanism to which has so finely crafted an art of mind control. Now this may be an extreme, but perhaps it has taken the art so well that we do not even question it. Maybe I'm not giving us the benefit of the doubt... This may be true, but what else is true is that kids today do not think for themselves. I am appalled how children today do not know the simplest of information nor do they even care to know so. The ignorant nature of these kids reminds me how damned our future really is.

To think for ourselves?? Is that really so hard?? We follow a predetermined path and this is what disturbs me most. This generation does not have the capability to think for themselves. Does this apply to all? No, of course not, but I would say it is applicable to the majority. Our shortcomings (or should I say progressions) with technology and the inability to find oneself has caused this. One step, two steps, three steps, and before you know it we are lost in a false reality. A belief that all is well with the world when in reality, is it? Are you an individual or are you just another one of the molded masses eerily following what has been shoved into your mouths for what appears to be an eternity?? Questioning is something that I implore, but sometimes it is easier to just accept.

So I say this, we do live an easy life in comparison to our ancestors. Perhaps now is the time to go outside and take life for what it is. Think for oneself and do not let the pressure of others bully you into the belief that you are not an individual. Our individuality is what makes us human is it not? Every person on this Earth does not have the exact same strands of genes, nor were they raised in the exact same manner. This means that there are billions of unique personalities around the world that perhaps need to find self. This loss of dignity and self should not be something to let go of. Yes it may be strange, yes it may hurt, yes it may be frightening, but perhaps these are the emotions that we were created to feel. The full spectrum of the human experience. I say take a breath, look outside, escape from the fallacies that were created to stimulate the pleasurable centers of the brain, and thus render us completely useless. Most importantly, think.

A Continual Trend of Negligence

All basic ideals in this world seem to revolve around this ideology of so called religion. I will be the first to say that I am not a religious person. I consider myself a agnostic if anything. I also consider myself a partial Buddhist. I find Buddhist fundamentals the most intriguing as well as the most likely to what that higher being would want us humans to achieve. As said, I have a problem with organized religion for that one sole reason, the fact that it is organized and that it has strayed much from its' original roots.

My biggest problem lies in the two most persevering as well as wide spread religious denominations out there... I bet you all can guess what it is without me even saying it. I for one am more against Christianity than I am for Islam but both maintain their problems. I firmly believe that the origins of both were more humble in comparison to what they have become today. Furthermore, the beliefs of both religions have similarly righteous views that have been taken askew today. Some of these beliefs are of course outdated in our modern times.. You know those things about stoning women for certain behaviors, or cutting off someone's hand for stealing (eye for an eye). I digress.. The point I want to make is that the basic fundamentals of all religions basically preach the same ideology but expressed in different manners. All religions basically ask us to live a moral life. A morally righteous life is pretty simple in the grand scheme since every religions' definition of morally just is practically the same. Of course they do not want human kind to steal, kill, lie, or whatever it may be. It's a simple standard that has been set across human history, societies, and cultural as the "just" way to live.

Here's what gets me... The origins of all these religions preach just ways to live such as not killing and so on, and yet there has been so many religious wars. We all of course have heard of such overt wars as the crusades and of course not as overt "religious" wars as the current ones that we face today. What I can't comprehend is how far we have strayed from the origins of these religions. Now, I am not to say that I am completely knowledgeable of every religion around the world but judging by my experience and what I do know, isn't this all a contradiction? If religion asks you to stray away from violence why further propagate violence for your cause? This is the biggest issue that bothers me about organized religion most especially ones that like to preach non stop (I bet you all know which religion I am focusing on). I understand that by preaching to the people you are so called "saving" their souls but perhaps your religion isn't exactly the most righteous one for said person or groups of people. How can you force someone to believe in something, and if they do not follow, to do it by force?? Does that not repudiate every single value that you were taught in your holy books? The intentions may be pure but it leads to not so pure actions. These actions do not sanctify your name for your religion in fact it only taints the name even further.

What gets me more is this branding of religions as well. In our country, Islam is of course branded as a religion of so called "evil." Has anyone ever thought about researching the fundamentals of Islam before being so quick to judge? We all perceive the concepts of Islam as seen through the eyes of the media. The media in itself distorts the images of reality and thus plays us as fools. Those so called "extremists" or religious fundamentalists do not encompass all of Islam as a entity. In fact, they remain few and far in between. Terms such as "jihad" are openly thrown around when no one really has an idea what the original intentions of a jihad are. Why bother? I guess we just want to find a common enemy and focus all our intentions on said enemy, yet remaining ignorant in the process. This goes both ways as well as I know there are many a die hard Muslim that could say the same about a Christian and so on and so forth.

It's a truly paradoxical idea to me... I can't understand why people would say that they are true believers yet act so much against the fact. If you truly believed in your faith, you would not act the way that you do today. This frenzied ideology only increases with the crowd. As the numbers grow, the group mentality grows and the ideologies only become more and more twisted. It's like playing the game of telephone.. Perhaps the original intentions are still there but as the message goes down the line the original ideology gets twisted and taken out of proportion. Maybe I am wrong, but I firmly believe that people bring the worst of all religions... I believe that religion is necessary but in a sense, people as always have brought it into corruption..

Modernity and Death

With our current modernized world only further diving into the abyss of progression, what becomes of our own existence as we as humanity only further entrench ourselves as such? The problem with modernity and technology is the idea that our existence becomes further stretched from what we were created and capable of doing in the first place.

What do I mean by that? Simply put, the stresses and other burdens placed on us in our present society only further implement the eventual degradation of our society. Again I state that our bodies today is composed of our Neanderthal self. Not much has really changed. If you consider it, their stresses during that time mostly composed of searching for food. Consider the modern man and all of his burdens. He is compelled to succeed in society to not only climb the social strata, but to bask in wealth and to in a sense climb to the top of the so called "food chain." He has many options to consider, many options to weigh, many a burden to hold. Think of it this way, only in the past century has their been a considerable increase in diseases both mental as well as physical. This change in lifestyle is a huge impetus for such a problem. Modernity, technology, and progression has a advantage admittedly but it also carries its' problems.

Everything in life can be described as a double edged sword and I believe that this is no different. Furthermore, with the progression of our own demise comes the technological tools that will ultimately breed our own destruction. What I mean is said tools of destruction such as the nuclear bomb and what not. Arguably, humans are naturally violent and will fight in times of defense or in times of need, but violence on such a mass scale has never been conceived until this century. Taken in terms of time and space, not even a speck of human existence were we able to do such horrible things to each other. But now... In this massive age of technological advancement.. In one century, we have created weapons of mass destruction. Who knows what the future will hold? One second, and for all we know, we could all be obliterated into a speck of nothing.

Arguably, I am not suggesting that we return to our primordial days. I know that idea is obviously impossible. In reality, I am not suggesting a change in lifestyle. I know I couldn't do it, and I know no one else could do it. We are all entrenched in this superficial world as am I. All I'm suggesting is that we take a step back and look at our lives. What really is important? Look at the youth today, they bask themselves in a virtual world and let the outdoors go to waste. Again, I am guilty of such as well. We live in our technologies and cannot live without it. I firmly believe that a completely virtual world is basically our future. There exists no more reality as we view it. Reality merely becomes a figment of one's imagination. A creation. A projection. A fallacy.

A War Within

The tyrannies and atrocities currently, as well as for the past couple of decades, that are being committed in Africa is indeed a dynamic problem. Most of which are perpetuated by age old embittered battles of race, politics, and so on. This in itself can only be further amplified by the colonial powers, which leaves us to Africa today. In my past blog, I posed the question of how and why the nations that are in power today, ended up in power. How did those countries far surpass those such as the ones in the continent of Africa?? So here I pose another question, after independence, how is it that most African nations are still struggling when under the rule of their own people?? What has brought about their demise so to speak??

This is simply answered than most would like to think. Simply said, the answer to the question is one simple word: racial injustice. In this sense, a false sense of racial injustice perpetuated by common place stereotypes, mitigated by leaders. This sounds simpler said than done. Basically, if one were to rise up and rally a group of people, one must create a scapegoat in order to rally said troops. Hilter did it. So did other so called "radical" leaders throughout history. Yet again, it is not as simple as that.

Let's put it this way, as the colonial powers left their posts in the former colonies, they also left Africa with barely anything to stabilize themselves with. Structurally, Africa was a mess. Most importantly though, there was few and far between that could potentially lead the nations to prosperity. There were, of course, the couple that did have an education and that did take the opportunity to thus become tyrants within their nations. I will say it over and over again, education can make or break a group of people. In Africa's case, their lack of education has in a way brought about their demise.

With the tyrants in place and the majority of people uneducated, poor, starving, and everything in between, this sets up the most perfect situation for one to rule a nation. In this case, a handful to rule a continent. Tyrants are more or less and in this case a dictator. Perhaps in this sense, the worse of it's kind. Greed rules their power and they could not care about the welfare of their people. Perhaps to them, the injustice that they had faced calls for a bitter sort of rule, but this does not mean that the people should suffer for it.

For a dictator to come into power, one must need a catch. I guess in a way you could call it a scapegoat, but more or less, it is not such. In some cases, such as Nazi German, or even Rwanda, race became the biggest factor. Let me cite Rwanda as an example. The Hutus and Tutsis have and for hundreds of years prior to the genocide remained in absolute peace with each other. There was no antipathy, and nothing of that sort. In fact, they got along just fine. First off, the colonists did sort of stir up the beginnings of the racial strife that came in between the two, but it was only further increased by the tyrants themselves as well as the people.

These racial conflicts can only be mirrored by what occurred in the most infamous of genocides, the Holocaust. Similar to that, the Rwandan conflict used the Tutsi people as a scapegoat. The Hutu people claimed that the Tutsi minority held a monopoly of power and thus brought their country and their people to the ground. This similar formula as we all know was used during the regime of Nazi Germany. Has anything really changed? It seems that one event seems to only mirror the other and in the end, war never changes.....

A World Askew

Let me frame a hypothetical situation for you... Imagine a world in which Africa reigned supreme. Let's say that Africa was like Europe as it is today, or arguably, America. In this case, it would more or less be Africans ruling the world. Can you imagine a world where Africa is the center of commerce? The center of this Earth?? Perhaps I would not even be living here, but instead, in some country in Africa.

This is of course an unfathomable idea, but more importantly, a question can arise out of this fictional situation. How and why did we end up the way we did and how did they end up the way they did?? Most of which is purely a of game of chance so to speak.

As we all know, the beginnings of human species started on the continent of Africa. It was the cradle of civilization as we know it. From said cradle of human civilization, spread our ape like ancestors into the wild. As our early ancestors spread across the globe, separate evolutions occurred all at once. Some of our early ancestors ended up dying out, their kind too weak and unfit for said world. On the other hand, we as a species grew finding our ultimate niche.

You would think that the evolution of purely human traits such as reading and writing evolved in one location and spread to the rest, but in fact, most of these were independent inventions of our kind. Of course some of these more formal human traits did indeed spread via trade routes and what not, but it is amazing how such things as writing is a unique human evolution. There has been evidence of writing starting on its' own in such places as Mesopotamia, China, Egypt, etc. The question remains as to why would writing start in these places but not others?

This goes back to why and how some countries or continents excelled over the rest. Some of which developed the civilizations to be able to create the tool of writing, while others found it unnecessary to cultivate it into their civilization. Perhaps it was not needed in the more simplistic of societies, versus a more advanced one required such a tool. Again I may be going in circles, but such advancements as writing is what sort of propelled some of these civilizations to the power houses that they are today. Simply enough, what created the groundings for said civilizations to develop?

I give it a simple word, resources. The reason why certain boundaries on this planet are blessed with more of an abundance of pertinent resources is due to latitudinal and longitudinal boundaries. In sum, luck or chance more than anything else. If you were to cut the world into separate regions, especially in terms of latitude, some regions are more climatically enriched in comparison to others. Furthermore, it becomes easier for one civilization to communicate with others due to geographical boundaries. We as humans are best when in communication with other civilizations. It is an age old story, we learn and progress, as we learn to give to others as they progress. Simply put, the reason why some triumph over others is as simple as geographical boundaries. Luck of the Irish so to speak.

A Return to Normalcy

I watched this intriguing web series on vbs.tv about this man living out on the fringes of the arctic with his wife. He is hundreds and hundreds of miles from civilization, and of course, enjoys being as such. This man embraces the natural beauty that has been granted to us and thus lives off the land and the animals.

I had an epiphany of sorts while watching this... Why do we as men/women divulge ourselves in so much of our technological wonders? If you truly think about it, as we advance more and more in technology, it is only doing us more harm than anything else. Granted, fine, there has been advances in medicine that allow us so much more freedom and life. In reality though, is all of this really necessary? Wouldn't we be perfect content without all of this and living in an almost ignorant bliss?

Human civilization as a whole has only really been around for a blink of an eye. If you were to say that the entirety of earth's existence lay in one calendar year, our human existence has only been around for maybe the last minute before hitting the next year. In perspective, that is absolutely nothing compared to the whole of earth's life span to date. I guess the point I am trying to get at in this manner is we really don't matter do we? In the long run, our existence is merely a speck upon the spectrum that is the earth's life. Now, let's take that minute of human existence and divide it into parts. The twentieth century, or this last speck of technological marvels, is probably significantly less than a millisecond of that minute.

These tens of thousands of years of human evolution is really only a minute on earth's life span. We all know that is nothing. More importantly though is our evolution from a simple neanderthal to our current status as a homo sapien. As we evolved, obviously our structures have changed as well as our capabilities. What I mean by this is that, since our earliest conception as a homo sapien, our bodies and our structures have not quite changed significantly. What has changed significantly, on the other hand, is our lifestyles.

Put it this way, for the most part, we are genetically and biologically more accustomed to a life style of a hunter gatherer (perhaps even minor subsistence farming). Some may like to put it as a "caveman." What have we saturated ourselves with in this modern time?? We have way too much artificial crap that we insert into our bodies, stresses that should not even exist, no constant source of exercise, and the list continues. We as a civilization are so tied to our devices and our modern pleasures that we as a civilization have fallen far from our original ancestors and our natural being. I for one am not exempt from said situation... I enjoy all these modern pleasures and most definitely cannot live without it...

I am not proposing that we ditch all of our modern pleasures for we all know that this is impossible. What I am merely stating is that, in a way, these advantages of modernity are in a way pulling us away from our inner humanity. In fact, life would be so much simpler without all of that. The almost dire apocalyptic like situation we are in during these current times would have been completely avoided... Though, clearly.. it appears that progression is seemingly inevitable... Another question that begets a question....

The Why of Hunger

The politics of food is an interesting question. It is what makes the world go round, and hence why can make the best of men turn into beasts. The question is, at what point? What point can be food be taken as a political agenda, as a tool of war, and most importantly, as the fate of humanity?

These questions, among others, were consistently barraging my mind when I read this book entitled "Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty." It took a very methodological look at the problems regarding the starving and how more prominent nations can easily cure them of their woes, yet choose not to. Why is that? I guess humans are inherently greedy, in fact, I know they are. Of course they would want the best for their own kin over others. But when you're living in so much splendor and riches, isn't there a limit? I don't think humanity knows when to stop. Their greed creates this insatiable hunger that will never end, always wanting, never satisfied. So what of those that live in squalor? Those that live in such poverty that they are literally on the verge of death? Easier said than done.

Let's start off with the basics. What is food? Food is agriculture right? Thus it needs to be grown. Obviously, we all know that simple fact. The question is, how do you properly till a plot of land to its' maximum potential? After the fact, how do you maximize the market to it's full profit? How do you create a sustainable market? It all really is a vicious cycle. One part of it is symbiotic to the other, and thus if one fails, the whole system would most definitely crumble. This is especially hard in a continent like Africa with a almost non existent infrastructure. Let's take this step by step.

The first step in producing agriculture is obviously the growing of it. Africa is a diverse geographical continent ranging from more temperate zones to harsher more desert like zones (such as some parts of the Sahel). Of course with different geographical locations comes different strategies to maximize said plot of land. This is a problem when most Africans use a rather simplified form of farming. Not that this in itself is their fault, for they do not know any better. Farming to them is a simple matter. Most of which practice in swidden farming otherwise known as slash and burn farming. In theory, it is a practical way of growing one crop and rejuvenating the soil for the next. This is of course in theory. After time, swidden farming becomes impractical because all of the nutrients will eventually be depleted leaving the land a barren waste. It will take years for the soil to replenish itself thus it would be of no use. More importantly, if farmers live in a rather harsh zone, they obviously depend on the annual rains to give their crops the nutrients it desires. Of course, droughts are common among these lands, and thus famine will reign supreme. Yet again I digress, the main point I am trying to make here is that most farmers in Africa are completely unaware of proper farming techniques to maximize their land. This is not their fault, for this is only a more recent development among western societies, but again, this in itself can make or break the crops for that season.

We all know that after the crops have been tended to, it is now time to harvest your fields once it is fully grown. Harvesting isn't the big question, what is more important is what to do with your harvest. What do the people of Africa do with their harvest? First off, most Africans probably lack a surplus, so therefore, it goes right back to their family. Thus, it becomes food for them. There is a huge problem with this though, I shall explain that later. What happens to the farmer's surplus (those that are fortunate enough to have one)? This is biggest problem. Most countries in Africa does not have the infrastructure to support trade within their nations. In fact, most surpluses end up sitting there, rotting. What's the point then? What makes it worse is that trade subsidies with other countries are so ridiculously high that Africa has no chance of competing with them. America is especially guilty of this by pushing their surpluses as food aid to Africa rather than stimulating Africa's own economy. American farm subsidies have only increased throughout the years only further pushing Africa out of the picture. If you look at an average American farmer's income, it has only increased within the past few years. This is only further supplemented by the farm bill that was signed by President Bush, and again renewed only further buttressing the power of the American farmer. Who stands a chance against them?

This leads to food aid, and I mean massive amounts of food aid. You might as well take these surplus foods from the local farmers and give them as aid. Not only would it stimulate their economy but it would also be cheaper on our end. Why spend the additional costs to transport food all the way from America to Africa when you can simply buy the food from local farmers? Of course, the answer is always money. Farmers depend on these subsidies and these buyers of their surpluses to make their bank, but is it completely necessary to cut the local out of the picture? The huge juggernaut that is our economy will obviously supplant that of a poor nation. Furthermore, when African farmers are cut out of the picture, why would they even bother to farm anymore? They would much rather invest in other opportunities to make money since farming is such an intensive labor. This leads to the vicious cycle of aid. When farmers do not farm and thus cannot provide food for their families, they ask for aid. The US among other countries provide them with this food aid, and they are once again trapped in the cycle. Simply put, African farmers cannot compete against other large nations pumping the continent with aid to benefit their own wallets. With a poor infrastructure already, how do you expect them to do so?

I say, we let Africa stimulate their own economy. Let them trade from within to build up some form of infrastructure. You cannot completely eliminate other countries from providing aid, but you can cut back on the trade subsidies that are completely unfair to poor continents such as Africa. It's a monopoly really. We push Africans to fail and thus push them to depend on our food. They are not self sufficient whatsoever and thus are stuck on this cyclical vicious cycle of depending on food aid. It all becomes a survival game really. What is life when all you do is depend upon the next food aid to live? What is life when your whole existence is a fight to survive?

And this is one of many reasons why I am so passionate about Africa....

The Quandary of Aesthetics

I had an epiphany of sorts the other day, and I am still trying to figure out. This is the problem with these conundrums I burden my mind with, there really is no clear answers. Then again, when are there ever clear answers? Life would be way too simple and uncomplicated then. We would be living in a supreficial utopia of sorts.. Alas.. I digress...

The point I was going to discuss today deals with society's inherent infatuation with the idea of beauty. I am sure that our creator designed us genetically to have some inherent perceptions of beauty but the rest, I'm sure, is learned. What really makes beauty then? For a culture such as ours, this is most propagated by the media. In my opnion, this is of course the worse form to base said judgement. The media is a lie to the regular average joe. It makes us want to strive to always be better despite the fact that we, are of course, beautiful the way that we were made out to be. Now that sounded really cheesy, and of course, some people are born disfigured in some manner or form. Yet, I am a firm believer in the fact that whatever god there is up there, closes a door in one manner, but opens in another. This life is a test, and thus whateve precarious situation we may be in, we must live our lives to best of our ability. Yet again... I digress...

My biggest qualm has to do with the idea of plastic surgery. Plastic surgery has now become a very profitable business. Normal people as well as celebrities are shelling big bucks just to look "beautiful." How is beauty defined in that manner? You're selling yourself short, and taking the easy way out to make yourself "beautiful," when in reality, hell, you look more like Frankenstein. Even worse is you risk your health. How many botched plastic surgeries have there been? How many lawsuits have been made? I would like to bet millions. There is no easy way out in life, and how is selling yourself short a way to do so? I'm not going to lie and say that I am against all forms of plastic surgery, but if it is elective, then yes, I am firmly against that idea. If some poor soul got in a horrendous accident, thus needing plastic surgery to fully recover, then yes, I would not oppose the idea.

The media has to blame for all of this. It allows us to believe this fallacies about what beauty truly is. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so they say. I guess that is something that I believe in as well. Conceptions of beauty are never ephemeral. It varies between culture and culture, time and space. I wonder how universal ideologies of beauty is really. In any event, beauty in a western country is highly distorted. These conceptions of what is "thin" and what is "beautiful" or blown way out of proportion. As we all know, this is the premise for many of those eating disorders that plague our country as well as the world. Think of it this way, you should be so lucky to live the way you are, and be who you are. There are plenty of children around the world, starving, disease ridden, and dying. What are you to complain about? Has our shallowness really gotten the best of us? Has our infatuation with beauty really become this shallow and wreckless?

Ignorance is bliss...

Thus far, I've been gathering my topics from the vbs site because I find that site absolutely amazing and interesting. I will continue to plug for them: www.vbs.tv

This post is in relation to North Korea. What do you know about North Korea? Not much I suppose because I didn't either. All I really know is that it is a communist country that is very secluded from the rest of the world, and that their president is the infamous Kim Jong Il. I have personally never seen footage or images within the confines of the North Korean border until I watched the web documentary on North Korea via the VBS website. I must admit, I am quite intrigued...

North Korea seems to exemplify all of those previous communist countries, as well as present, except with a trajectory toward hell. I can only link what I view of North Korea to China since I am more familiar with the history of communism in China in comparison to, oh I don't know, the Soviet Union. As a whole, you can't even call China a pure communist country. I mean, it's ridiculous how much of a capitalist regime they run there. The days of the Great Leap Forward are way past, and as a whole, China is on a steady progress to ruling the world. Of course, they still have much to work on.

Like any other communist country, North Korea likes to put a veil over it's citizenry and glorify a nation that in reality is heading toward troubled times. Just like China, the cult of personality is fully implemented here. Idol worship of Kim Il Song and Kim Jung Il is common among the people just as it was with Mao Zedong in China. Literally, both are at the status of almost god like figures. The citizens of North Korea only seem to live for Kim Jung Il, almost to just propel this image of him even further.

Some of the footage I saw through VBS was quite intriguing in how much the citizenry of North Korea is brainwashed. It's ridiculous how unaware of everything they truly are. Simple things that we all take for granted, they have not got a clue. They are sated with what they have simply because they know no better. Not to mention, the government obviously encourages such satisfaction, keeping their citizens docile and thus obeying.

It's funny how grandiose they portray their country to be when in fact it is quite the opposite. When they showed propaganda footage of North Korea, it appeared to be technologically advanced and seemingly very modern looking. The real footage, on the other hand, showed run down buildings, crumbling exteriors, and more. I guess it's all part of the great propaganda machine that seems to perpetuate all communist countries. In a way, it all works very clockwork like a cog in a machine. The masses are given what they need to know and thus perpetually stuck in an almost trance like state. As the VBS report showed, no one in Korea knew anything about common popular culture knowledge. To me, this is quite shocking. China could have gone the same route, but now more than ever, China has taken capitalism to another level.

In addition, as the wheels of a Communist machine should work, of course, you have a very ethnocentric point of view as a whole. Meaning, "North Korea is the best," sort of ideology. The ideology that the North Korean people are the best in the world, and the most progressive. I guess it makes sense, you want your people to be docile, you want them to believe what you want them to believe. Thus creating the ambivalent masses that will follow your every lead. I guess in a sense, ignorance really is bliss. When you don't know any better, what else is there to compare to?


Oh the questions that haunt us all....

The First of Many....

Let me start by introducing myself... I am a Chinese American citizen. I am here to explore, raise points, and give thoughts about current situations in the world that I find intriguing. The media does tell us one thing, but they always forget to tell us the other. We all know this of course... I am just as biased as anyone else out there, therefore if I say I will try to maintain a neutral position, we all know that's a lie. Primarily, my education focuses upon the theory and history of Film and Anthropology. More specifically, I have a keen interest in the politics of third world countries. My greatest interest is in the continent of Africa... The dark continent as they like to say. This perception is a common misinterpretation. Yes, Africa is in troubled times, but behind all the bad is the good.

But for now... My focus shall be on Liberia... I watched the most intriguing web documentary about Liberia. If you would like to check it out, go to vbs.tv and find the "Vice Guide to Liberia." Here's a little background about Liberia: Liberia was originally started as a free state for all the recently freed slaves back in the mid 1800s. Ironically enough, as those freed slaves returned to Liberia, the same crimes that were committed against them was once again repeated to the natives of Liberia. Liberia is an intriguing name for such a country. Liberia is very akin to liberation, a nation of freed slaves. Furthermore, the capital of Liberia, Monrovia, was also named after our former president James Monroe. Liberia itself has many connections to the states, most of which still continues today.

Now let's fast forward to Liberia today. It is, by far, one of the worst countries in the world. It's ironic with a name like Liberia. The country's poverty and illiteracy rates are off the charts, devious crimes are committed on an hourly basis, rapes, cannibalism, you name it, they got it. After a twenty year civil war, Liberia is in a current states of "peace" as they like to call it, but really that term is relative. Violent eruptions can occur at any moment, and probably will do so. The UN currently holds the country in a very shaky stability, but they are reported to leave within the next year. What then? Will another civil war erupt? It appears most likely.

A most intriguing person in the Liberian civil war was a man named General Butt Naked. Now he is known as Joseph Blahyi. This man is indeed atrocious in all forms of the word. He raped, killed tens of thousands, and ate the flesh and blood of his victims. All for what? He has committed crimes unimaginable to the majority of us in a country so poor that none of us can equally fathom how life must be like living in such squalor. Yet, he asks for redemption. He asks for forgiveness. He has turned his eyes toward the sights of God. Now, I am not a religious person. I especially do not believe in Judeo-Christian religions, but here I am advocating his redemption. It is apparent that he feels sorrow for all the crimes that he has committed. He does not completely reject his past. He does state that he is a murderer, and the blood of his victims are still on his hands.

Now many would not forgive this man. It is ironic that he has a large group of followers many of which probably had family members slain down by his own hands. Can this man be forgiven? In a sense I believe so. He is now preaching for the well being of his people and his country. Although I may not be a religious advocate, religion is a way of life, and can be taken in a very positive direction (I'm not talking about Holy Wars). Joseph Blahyi perhaps can be the savior that his country asks of him in the sense that his inspirations can lead those that still commit themselves to a life of degradation for something better. As silly as it may sound, a light at the end of the tunnel, as I like to think of it.

I guess the point that I am trying to get at is this, with a country with absolutely no hope for a future whatsoever (or at least a very small chance of hope), a martyr is much needed. This man may be the incarnate of evil, but in a sense, he has lived what most of the Liberian people has lived through, thus he can relate to them. He was almost equally a warlord like any other, therefore, others would be able to sympathize with him and understand him more than any other. This man has much to prove for himself. Thankfully, he has the guidance of religion. Let me emphasize the religious aspect. If you know me, I am not an advocate of religion whatsoever. For the most part, I am against Judeo-Christian religions, but in this sense, I am for it. For one reason, and one reason only, it brings about the path to good versus the path straight to hell (well in a sense) that Liberia is currently headed toward. Christianity can be a positive force as it was for Joseph Blahyi, and as it can be for the people of Liberia. I'm not saying for all to convert, because, if anything, I am an advocate of native beliefs. What I'm saying is if all else fails, a belief in religion brings about the good in people. A religion plus a peaceful martyr can only bring about the best.

But that's just my two cents....