As a treat on this most mystical of celebratory days, a history of Halloween.
Category: Sociality
Humans naturally lack the compassion of other animals and are more gullible. These ubiquitous inclinations go a long way in explaining our way of life, and why our self-extinction is assured.
As American president, Donald Trump has irrefutably had a detrimental effect on all fabrics influenced by him: economic, political, diplomatic, military, environmental, societal. Yet this pathological liar is still believed by a loyal following. This extreme example demonstrates a more pervasive point.
In his books, Ishi Nobu conveys a system of knowledge: a consilience of all that humanity has garnered about Nature and the nature of reality. That system upends the philosophic matterism that has the scientific community in thrall. It also dispels the dogma that religions faithfully cling to.
The devastation of climate change is becoming more pronounced. This progression will accelerate during the 2020’s, with deaths from extreme weather, as well as water and food shortages, rising precipitously. Yet the trend of governments worldwide largely paying lip service to the growing crisis will also continue. Here’s why.
Feudalism flourished in western Europe between the 5th and 12th centuries. Lacking a centralized government, local lords had their fiefs. Society was caste-bound: strictly structured hierarchically.
The culmination of urban and computerized civilization is a level of rudeness unsurpassed in human history, short of armed conflict. Nowadays, human capacity for empathy is snuffed between strangers when the nature of contact is a request, no matter how politely put, to be respectful of others.
The birth rate boomed across the industrialized countries that fought in the 2nd World War: Germany, Japan, Britain and the United States, though the birthing take-off took off at different times. The war’s only tangible victor, the U.S., had particularly fervent fertility. The boomer generation was not as prosperous as they were proliferant. But they made themselves so by readily robbing the next generation.
Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 1737) is generally considered the greatest artisan of stringed instruments. His violins – Stradivarius – are particularly legendary. Working wood to one’s will so that it produces a superb sound is an almost mystical craft. The choice of wood is crucial. Stradivari’s secret was having a friend in fungus.
Competition is an evolutionary artifact for humans, who would be much better off as a species practicing cooperation instead. The Olympics are an epitome of supposedly innocent competition. Those involved, as competitor or spectator, enjoy the rushes of adrenalin and dopamine involved without question. Along with shots of biochemical stimulation come concomitant emotional complexes: of assumption, pride, and suspicion.
The mirror mechanism is a part of intelligence systems; stimulated when an animal acts or observes another performing the same action. Many animals have mirror mechanisms, including birds and primates. The mechanism provides the basis for empathy, as well as driving status-seeking.