Paper Street

From Science: “If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm.” -James Hansen, NASA chief climatologist

You see, it is not that we won’t survive at our current levels of lifestyle. There is no doubt we will. But the endless chaos that will surely ensue when <em>billions</em> begin to suffer from the effects of climate change: sea levels destroying cities (don’t just think about, say, Brazil, but think, say, Venice, or Miami), whole populations starving because there is a lack of food (production of ‘biofuels’ has demolished global corn and wheat supplies to the point where there is a major shortage of staple foods around the world), and endless wars over precious resources like timber, water, and what’s left of the world’s oil.

It’s not that I feel guilty about living the way I do. In fact, I don’t. I like living in North America. Having shared a 400-sq-ft public housing apartment with a family of 8, I don’t ever want to go back to that kind of life. I don’t envy the populations in China, or India, or Africa, or South America. I fear their lifestlye. And it is because of this very fear, that I even begin to contemplate such ‘grandiose’ issues like the environment. I am afraid that if we don’t do anything now, when we still have the luxury to, then we won’t ever be able to have the kind of lifestyle we’re having now. We could be living in a golden age, and never be able to turn back again – and there ain’t no amount of money in the world that will solve it.

You sociologists think you know everything. You think studying humans like lab rats will make the world a better place? What gives you the moral superiority to say that the rest of us should accept some deviant behaviour? On what grounds do you tell me what culture I should follow? Why do you think everything is wrong about the world? Why must everything you say be the worst case scenario?

We don’t make progress by studying our own culture, and making up theories about why the crime rate changes. Let’s face it, for all you guys say about society, and group mentality, and culture, you don’t have the slightest clue what your neighbour’s going to do tomorrow. If you don’t know how one person thinks, how do you expect us to believe you when you say the world’s going to collapse because of Capitalism?

How much do you think you’re accomplishing when you’re standing outside the WTO meeting, and yelling your lungs out? Very productive use of your time. Capitalism gives the world jobs. The world’s richest countries all run a capitalist system. Why? Because it’s the easiest. It’s the fastest growing. It’s the most productive. It gives people the opportunity to get rich. Sure, you have to be lucky, and sure, you’re not always going to succeed – but what’s a few failures going to do to put down a truly dedicated individual?

You think Sam Walton got rich because he was privileged? Why do you think people like Walmart, or Ikea? Capitalism breeds good entrepreneurship. You live comfortably in a Capitalist economy, and you hardly know what it does for you. Sociology keeps telling us what we are doing wrong. Well, do you ever consider what we got right?

Division of labour lets us produce more food per area than ever before. Forget organic or subsistence or alternative farming. Can you really feed the world’s poor by cutting back the food output from your farms?

No, and here’s the truth. It benefitsd all parties to have free trade. Even if the labour standards aren’t the greatest, and the environmental record isn’t stellar. By promoting a global free market, humanity is gaining more as a whole.

Yeah, we have problems with the environment. There are human rights issues all around the world. The economy isn’t in the best of shapes. But what of the alternatives? The Great Socialist experiment has already failed. The socialist nations are in as much trouble as the capitalist nations. Sure, Europe has a great Social Safety Net – but that doesn’t mean the United States has bad standards. The US isn’t lagging behind in healthcare standards, and the EU is certainly no more powerful than the US. The communist experiment has collapsed, and the world’s foremost emerging economy, China, is fully taking advantage of the Free Market.

Does Capitalism ‘exploit’ workers? You can look at this both ways. The capitalist economy does indeed bring capital to the places with the lowest wages and the lowest taxes. And people get paid very little. Here’s the catch: they’re desparate to be paid. So yes, they get paid little, compared to our ‘extravagant’ wages here, but they’re also more desparate for what little they can get. In that sense, the capitalist economy brings jobs to those who want it and need it the most.

Should companies ‘exploit’ the poor? Until the governments say no, there’s no reason the corporations should disadvantage themselves. If you’re so concerned, get the governments to change. The power is with the people, after all. Then you’ll see, maybe it isn’t so bad after all. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to make a living.

Have you read the news lately? There is a global rice and wheat shortage; Japan is having trouble filling its grocery stores with butter; oil prices are at an all time high while the oil companies are making record profits; there is an island of plastic waste in the middle of the Pacific Ocean reported to be at least twice the size of Texas; global fish species like wild salmon are projected to be gone by the end of the century; meanwhile, the United States is in the process of approving the biggest ever military funding budget for their continual war in Iraq.

Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me. We are so disengaged with the political process, we are so enamoured by our Capitalist-Consumerist culture that none of this concerns us. Some of you unfortunate souls whose lifestyles depend on the consumer mindset in the capitalist economy may have heard me rant to the death about why you need to rethink your life. I think people like you are the scourge of this planet.

So you think earning more money will make you happier? You think living in a bigger house will make you more comfortable? You think owning a bigger car, with your brand name clothes and your designer sunglasses makes you better? You are the reason why there is still widespread poverty in places all over the world. Get off your high horse, and take a look around. It’s not all about your earning power, and not all about the prestigious schools, and your fancy degrees.

Your consumerism is driving the capitalist corporate empire to conquer and enslave millions of workers in the developing world. Your insistence on paying bottom dollar is making the multi-billion-dollar corporations richer, while making the peasant-class factory worker in China suffer for mere dollars a day.

In the midst of consuming your ‘goods’, throwing out your junk plastic, eating your expensive meats, you are clogging up the oceans, sawing through forests, and killing tha atmosphere. Have you no self respect?

Do you think just because you are born into the wealthiest class of humanity, that you deserve to be treated like a prince? Your very existence goes against every principle that has allowed humans to survive and become a dominant species. No, it is not normal for you to live using hundreds of times more resources than your counterparts across the world. Having more money doesn’t mean you are entitled to waste it on useless consumer crap.

Listen to me. People like you need to change. No, you need to lead the change. Having spent your life in luxurious and lavish conditions, you now have the moral obligation to lead the revolution.

Why do people starve, when we produce more goods than we can sell? Why do people work in sweatshops for pennies an hour, when someone across the ocean sitting at a computer terminal can earn millions in an instant for trading imaginary capital? Why do people die of diseases that already have cures and vaccines? Why should you be on the priviledged side? Do you have any idea what you’ve done just by living the way you’re used to?

Do you really think you’re doing the world a service by learning from these ridiculous educational institutions? Do you think you’re contributing to the world by developing more technology that will end up being more waste and more pollution in the end?

I hope you’ve opened your eyes.

Upon researching some sources for my architecture essay, I stumbled upon an interesting quote. Unfortunately I’m not going to source it because I believe it will create bias (based on the title of the article, subcategory, and type of website) so if you are dying to know where I sourced this please contact me directly.

I’m curious to hear what views people have with regards to this quote. Please share your opinion.

“In addition to the simple fact of the universe, the nature of the universe also makes more sense if it were created by a God. We naturally believe that behind every work of art is an artist, that behind every invention is an inventor, that behind every building is an architect. When we see evidence of intelligent design (even imperfect or incomplete) we suspect that there was an intelligent designer. And the same applies to the universe in all its incredible complexity and inter-connectedness. The delicate balances in physical and biological laws can be seen as strong evidence for an Intelligent Designer–God.”

(Suggestion: because religion is an “opinonated” subject, let’s not argue who is “right” but instead share our own personal experiences.)

I once heard it said that science is just business research.

Chris Wheeler

Even for me, when I hear the word “atheist” I almost immediately get the image of a person who is cold, emotionless, and calculating. However, the thought that believing is the equivalent of being a kind and moral person is incredibly unfair in my eyes. To be perceived that I am less kind, less moral, less spiritual and instead more cold, more calculating -and God forbid- more rational just because I don’t believe in God is unfair. Even if I was, there are millions out there that are genuinely good people who just happen to not be attached to a faith. While religion tends to be about human decency and can often serve as a great motivator for such behavior, I feel it is not a necessary part of it.

I don’t want to be told that I can’t comprehend the full extent of something like love or compassion without believing in a God. I don’t want to be told that I have a lower set of morals than someone else automatically because they belong to a certain group that I am not. An entire history of humanity, of the terrible actions that people have done things in the names of their deities, is a clear indication against that.

I know there are people who say that there are always people who do things in the name of a religion that don’t necessarily represent the good ideals of what the majority of believers believe. I can certainly reciprocate that sentiment. However, wouldn’t you hold that true for any group of people? There are certainly good people who are from different faiths from you. There are also good people who are atheists. And of course, for any set of beliefs there are the bad people.

So what is it that makes someone good? Take two people with the similar moral principles but different faiths. Who is “right?” What is the distinction, what is the reason for one to believe in the holiness of Jesus and the other that he was merely a good man. Am I worser man, if I am good person who does not believe in God, than the man who has questionable virtues but believes? Or the man who is “barely” religious but still makes the occasional effort to come to church? What is the line where you make that distinction? Should there be a line at all?

Countries such as Japan are predominantly non-religious (most cases of “religion” are matter of tradition rather than “real” faith). A substantial percentage of certain European countries such as Great Britain and the majority of Sweden identify themselves as “non-religious.” Yet, the people there seem to be doing fine. Society is not plummeting on itself. Are all these people worse off as a result of not believing? Are they missing out on something better?

Ask: why do you believe what you believe? What is it that makes you right? Why is it that you, say as a Christian, believe that Jesus was sent to save humanity; rather than what the Jews believe: that he was otherwise; and what the Muslims believe: that he was a distinguished prophet?

Ask: why in the entire history of humanity embroiled in religion, why you choose to believe in your faith and not others. If its because your faith doesn’t allow for the worship of other faiths is there another reason? Monotheism is hardly something new in the history of religion.

Do you feel a spiritual connection with what you believe? Why? How is your experience different from those of other faiths? Religion has an indisputable psychological impact regardless of what faith it is. I’ve had my own experiences with this. But when does an experience separate itself from a psychological phenomenon to something truly externally induced?

Ask yourself: how much influence on you it may have had on you as a child growing up in a certain environment, perhaps with a certain set of rules, perhaps where other views were never mentioned. Would you have grown up as a Jew if you were born a Jew? A Christian if you were born a Christian? A Buddhist if you were born a Buddhist? Statistically, the answer would seem to be yes. So if that is the case, what is the veracity of your belief? The question that keeps on coming back is: Why do you believe what you believe?

And at the end of all this. Even if it your faith that makes you feel higher, more enlightened. Why do you think that it’s true?
Just because something is comfortable doesn’t make it true. Can you even imagine where we would be if we took everything comfortable as truth? Not somewhere good, that’s for sure.

My goal in saying all this is not to say that I’m right. I just feel that these are important things that people should ask themselves to know what their faith is truly grounded in.

In my mind, if faith is something so important that it demands this much respect, you owe it to yourself to break yourself away from societal tradition, family expectations, psychological or environmental influences from growing up, and the such which may have influenced you to believe in a certain way, and learn to approach religion in a way that is as pure as possible. As Thomas Jefferson said:

“Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. “

I ask all these questions, question all these beliefs, because I have an intense respect for the idea of faith. The only way to approach faith is to remove these bondings from yourself and ask yourself why you believe, and if they for any other reasons that aren’t purely your own.

To believe only in religion and nothing else, is to be naive.
To believe only in science and nothing else, is also to be naive.

Why is it that people are “proud” to be white-washed?

To begin, I need to describe my background. Both my parents are from South Korea, however they arrived here both when they were young – my mom when she was in grade 7, and my dad when he was in grade 10. Both my parents speak in fluent Korean, however my mother actually has no distinguishable accent when she speaks in English, and my father only has a subtle accent too. At home, they speak to each other with whatever language comes out first, and speak mostly in English to me and my sister.

Culture wise: my dad is very involved in the Korean-Canadian community, involving most of his volunteer work and business interaction within this community. He however is very open minded, and not even close to the average traditional Korean. Both my parents would shock other Koreans with how open-minded their method of parenting is. And actually, from what I hear, my parents are surprisingly less strict than some “white” (for a lack of a better word) parents I’ve met.

As a result, my upbringing wasn’t very “Korean” at all. English has become my primary language spoken at home, and I’ve lost most of my Korean language knowledge. I can still understand fundamental basic conversations and pronounce written words, however my speaking confidence has drastically reduced to almost nothing.

Culturally, my beliefs and social interaction are completely Westernized, so much that people blindingly call me “white”. At first, I took this as a compliment but then realized how ridiculous it is to be proud of this sort of thing. I personally am extremely proud to be who I am, and the best part is that I am stuck between two cultures. And why would this be so great? Because I can choose take the best of the two worlds.

I believe that I became Westernized because I truly believe in most of their mindsets and ideologies. To me, they simply make more sense. Similar in the way that my parents became Westernized – not because they were “brain-washed” I mean “white-washed”, but because they experienced both cultures and chose what worked out best.

Now it bothers me, when I hear people say things like “thank you” when someone says something like “ha ha, you’re so white-washed”. I understand at times it could be just a joke because sometimes I joke too, but it bothers me when people truly believe that being white-washed is a great thing.

Being white-washed means you are culturally naive. While you are actually part of both cultures, you chose to destroy one aspect of you and deny its existence, while letting the other take over. And is being white-washed a choice? Where it once was, you’ve blindingly let it take over who you are.

When someone says “oh, we totally didn’t notice you were Asian” is the same thing as someone saying “oh, we totally didn’t notice you were Black.” Is it a good thing? What’s wrong with being Asian? What’s wrong with being Black? Why does a portion of us believe that saying we are “white” is a compliment, and something to be proud of?

My suggestion is that we accept who we are. As most of you who know me notice, I personally am not very fond of the Korean social culture, mindsets, and ideologies. That is to say however, that I am still proud to be of Korean roots.

And I do not believe that I am “white-washed” at all. What I do believe, is that I have chosen to become more “Westernized” because of my choice to live that type of lifestyle.

We can choose our culture, but we cannot change our roots. To deny one’s roots is to deny who you are are as a person. Just suck it up, and be proud… that regardless of culture, you are who you are.

And I love it.

Note: I’m not saying it’s bad to be white, I’m just saying it’s ridiculous to blind yourself of one culture, if you are part of both. This includes being culture fundamentalists. Arrogant fobs make me angry too.

Why are we, as part of the youth culture, so obsessed with alcohol? This is a question that has been troubling me ever since I had my first sip of the stuff.

Why, despite everything that is wrong with alcohol – the proven toxicity, addictiveness, physical disorientation, obvious harms to others (e.g. drinking and driving), foul taste – why do we persist in consuming it in such vast quantities?

A friend of mine once said that alcohol is useful as a loosener. That when you’re ‘under the influence’, you do things that you normally wouldn’t do. Is that true? And if it is, is that really the best reason we’ve got for drinking at every social gathering we attend?

Now, some may find me pretentious, or condescending, or even plain arrogant, but I will make no apologies if I offend your habits. This is merely my opinion, drawn from my own experiences, which I believe are quite enough for me to grasp a decent point of view. I think you will find that it is necessary for me to describe my own experiences in order for me to continue.

In my experiences with alcohol, I have found myself immune to any state of mental alteration. After consuming enough alcohol to hurl repeatedly, I have found myself to be completely rational and remarkably clear-headed. I am able to make decisions in my head, and upon reflection, those decisions are in fact no different that what I would have made if I were completely ’sober’. I, being one who prides myself on rational thought, believe this not to be an anomaly, but in fact, the default state under which a person is affected by alcohol. Alcohol does not alter your state of mind.

Then, why do people act so differently after consuming massive amounts of this toxin?

The answer, I believe, lies in our sober states of mind. Societal pressures cause people to conform. Peer pressure, notably, causes people to become someone they aren’t. It causes people to change themselves, or, more accurately, hide themselves, in order to belong to the elite groups in society. We put up layers and layers of facades until we barely recognize ourselves, just so we ‘fit in’. It leaves no room for embarrassment, no room for a ‘mistake’ in the eyes of society. The pressure would build up if we were all to hide ourselves, forever, just to have a decent life. People would go insane.

To solve the problem, society has also devised a convenient way for people to unmask themselves. A convenient excuse – that is, alcohol. I’m sure most of you reading this have all tried, at some point in time, some form of alcohol. Now, what is it that you feel? Think hard. You feel a buzz, perhaps, and then you become a little bit dizzy. After a lot of it, you start to lose your balance. Then, you can hardly walk. Finally, have enough, and you’ve physically disabled yourself, unable to move and speak properly. Most of the effects of alcohol are physical. They act on the nervous system as the alcohol interrupts the signals from the brain, which is why you feel dizzy and lose your balance. Now, some sources contend that alcohol affects mental capacity, and ‘euphoria’, ‘excitement’, and ‘confusion’ are often listed as effects of alcohol. But think about it – how would they seriously measure ‘euphoria’ anyway? Tell someone to take a few drinks and ask them if they’re happy?

So I will confidently say that alcohol has minimal effects on mental capacity (of course, when you’re comatose, it’s irrelevant how your mental capacity was affected – so I will not deal with the extremes here). In fact, I am trying to say that all the supposed mental effects of alcohol are in fact, psychological, and caused by ‘flawed’ social interaction.

As I was saying, alcohol is an excuse. It’s an excuse for letting yourself do whatever you want. Of course, that implies that you don’t already do whatever you want when you’re sober. I’m sure we’ve all had that feeling. Sometimes, we just want to do something outrageous, but we stop ourselves, because it would be ‘inappropriate’, or ‘embarrassing’. But who is it that decides whatever you’re doing is inappropriate? Clearly, this is a case of societal conformation. When you’ve consumed some alcohol, and you’re beginning to lose physical control of your body, it’s not so big a leap as to say you also lost mental control. So you begin to do some things you don’t normally do when you’re fully in control of your body.

When you’re under the influence, you don’t become someone different. You don’t suddenly have bursts of inspiration that gives you crazy new ideas. The ideas had to come from somewhere – more than likely, it was already in you. So you decided one day you’d do something crazy, but you can’t do it while you’re sober, because people will think you’re a nut. What if you’re drunk? We have a great way of treating people when they’re drunk – we act as if they’re toddlers.

Did you see what Bob did last night?

Yeah, that was nuts! Man, he’s so crazy!

Oh yeah, he had a lot to drink at the party – he was totally smashed.

Haha, we should invite him over for some drinks one day. That was crazy!

I have heard conversations like these far too often. Is it indicative of the alcohol, or my friend ‘Bob’ that something crazy happened at the party? I would argue that ‘Bob’ always wanted to do something crazy, but because he knew on some level (conscious or unconscious), that if he did the crazy thing while drunk, people would admire him rather than chastise him. That is the reason why alcohol appears to affect our decision making. I like to believe that humans are very rational beings – and that everything we do has a justified reason, on some level or other. We make a conscious decision to do something because we know there will be no consequences. It’s a psychological phenomena, not an alcohol-related physical phenomenon.

I, for one, have consciously removed myself from the societal loophole. I’ve gotten myself drunk in a completely rational state of mind, under little to no societal pressures, and my mental capacities were not affected at all. It’s a matter of faith on the alcohol. If you believe it will set you free, then it will. But if you are like me, and you don’t believe that alcohol has any such effects, then all you’ll get is some physical disorientation. Alcohol is nothing more than the greatest placebo of modern society.

Will a couple of beers really ‘loosen us up’ for the party? Or do we simply believe so strongly in that concept, that it becomes inevitable? To me, it all seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you have nothing to hide, alcohol does nothing.

We bask ourselves with the word “maturity” in situations where it doesn’t apply. Yes “maturity” has its rightful use to describe us in the world of understanding – but do we actually become “mature” as we grow older? Is it a mere word to distinguish all adults from children, keep them in their “rightful place”? Do we calm down and become ‘mature’ with age, or do we learn to become a convention of what we believe maturity to be?