The Significance of Others

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

           Martin Luther King Jr.

On the day that America takes to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., we should all set aside time to not only celebrate the man, but most importantly to celebrate his principles.  He preached a message of non-violence towards the goal of equality for all men, women, and children.  When he preached this message, America applied this principles towards the civil rights movement of the time that advocated for equality of African-Americans and an end to segregation, yet this message of caring about your fellow man should never be lost.  The ability to care about people who live down the street from you, who live on the other side of the world, or who even live on an impoverished island nation that has just suffered a cataclysmic earthquake is the sign of the developed man.  All the great nations of the world were born out of its founders' ability to care about more than just themselves, and embrace the heightened responsibility one must develop to care about others.

The devastation that has occurred this past week in Haiti should show the world the importance of caring about others.  When people need help, there needs to be people who can help them.  If you are one of those people who can help then you need to do so.  Maybe your medical expertise would benefit the survivors.  Maybe your fluency in French could facilitate the need for supplies to Haiti.  Maybe your fluency in Spanish could aid in the support the Dominican Republic intends to provide.  Maybe all you can give is $10, and a message of hope.  Few know the ideal method for helping the people of Haiti, but that should not stop one from caring and enquiring about ways in which they can help.  The United States is currently the leading supplier of aid to Haiti, and this would make Dr. King proud.  America would be living up to the ideals its founding fathers held strongly to when they created the Federalist Papers and the Constitution, and not the vices they allowed by permitting slavery.

Man is imperfect and Dr. King knew this, he was not a perfect man, but we all need to understand that this imperfection permits the necessary struggle that is life.  Life was never meant to be one without challenges.  People are not meant live, so that they can succumb to atrophy from inactivity and deteriorate away.  Man was meant to strive for something great.  This journey should challenge ideas that you knew were true.  This journey should have setbacks, and this journey should require the assistance of many others.  At some point, and hopefully many points, in a person's life you should exceed the limits that you had previously set for yourself.  You should grow.

I mention the imperfections of life and the benefit of the struggle because that is what Dr. King stood for, and that is why the world loved him.  That is why we celebrate him now.  Thus, I hope everyone takes this Monday to not simply think about Dr. King.  We should think about Haiti now, and we should make a commitment to continue to care about impoverished people.  Once the cameras go away Haiti needs to still be on our radar.  We should think about Hurricane Katrina, and the frustration the people of New Orleans had because the did not feel that enough people cared about their plight.  We should not want that to occur again.  We should care about the Americans who cannot afford health care because they were laid off, or simply could no longer afford or were denied service due to a pre-existing condition.  We should care about our gay and lesbian neighbors who simply want the ability to legally get married.  We should care about the growing group of brave Iranians who are fighting for their freedom.  We should care about the groups of people who simply want to be heard and respected, and we should decide to listen and to care before tragedy strikes.  Haiti is destroyed to an unrecognizable degree now because no one was able to create a proper infrastructure with adequate building codes.  New Orleans was nearly wiped of the map because people did not care enough to fix the levees that were in need of repair.  Life gets harder for not only yourself, but also for everyone around you when you refuse to care.  You no longer are able to create something greater than yourself, but instead of forced to observe something that is totally beneath all of us:  unnecessary suffering.

The creation of something greater than yourself can only be accomplished by allowing yourself to care about others.  We embrace Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today not because he was a great man, but because he cared about people of all colors, creeds, and nationalities, and that created something greater than the man himself.  We celebrate the creation of something great, and one man with the assistance of millions of noble individuals allowed for this brilliance to occur.  The brilliance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was that he showed a way for all people to respect each other, and that intern allowed for us to respect ourselves.  This should never be forgotten.  You cannot truly respect yourself unless you peacefully strive to understand and respect that and those which surround you.

The World's Most Popular Americans

A friend of mine at work today stated that he felt the most known Americans throughout the world were four individuals:  Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, and Tiger Woods.  I made two additions in John F. Kennedy, and Barack Obama.  Of these six only John F. Kennedy sparked debate over his inclusion, and that was due to the amount of time that has passed since his death.  No one argued this list, and most struggled to think of people more popular.  Maybe Tom Cruise, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and someone else who does not come to mind at this time should be added to the list, but at the time they were not even thought of.  Therefore I feel this six are a very good list, and that is the most interesting aspect.

Of the six members, five of them are African-American and the one non-African American on this list is known the world over for fighting for the civil rights of African-Americans.  Additionally, all the members performed their respective tasks with style.  Michael Jordan became the face of basketball, and made it cool for people to shave their heads.  No one can argue the style and brilliance with which Michael Jackson ruled the pop music world or Muhammad Ali dominated the boxing ring.  Tiger Woods has redefined golf not only with his remarkable game, but also with the personalized Nike clothes and equipment he dons at each tournament.  John F. Kennedy heralded a new era of Presidential elegance that presidents the world over aim to duplicate.  President Barack Obama thus far has been his closest successor.  

This list, albeit a short one that originated from a conversation at work instead of extensive polling data, intrigued me because coincidentally it focused on style, supporting the underdog, and to a degree social justice.  People want fairness and they want said fairness to be implemented with an individualistic style.  Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali are not the best at their respective sports because they have won the most titles.  (They have not won the most titles)  They are the best because they were what their sports needed at the time, and they served their jobs with style.  Michael Jackson and Tiger Woods used their individual brilliance to redefine their sports.  Presidents Kennedy and Obama have both given the United States a new youthful, intelligent face to the world.  All of this includes style, but we should not forget that all of these people represented the ones without the strongest voices.

America's history with slavery is still something we are working to overcome, and although we may prefer to ignore the issue, it is fascinating how the ones who inspired this minority are the ones we remember the most.  A culture that has suffered the blight of slavery will frequently look for positive role models, due to the constant negative examples set by the institution and those who support it.  These six may all have been stylish and exemplary at their respective fields, but above all else they served as positive role models for those who needed them the most.  Coincidentally, people seem to feel that they may be the most popular Americans of today.

We should not be afraid to help or be the good example to those who need it the most.  You will be remembered for it.

Please feel free to comment on any additional Americans you feel should be added to the list.

Wack Arnold's

The Past

Like most American males under 30, I was a big fan of Chappelle's Show. Dave Chappelle had a humor that everyone could relate too, while still approaching controversial subjects with a humor that we all needed. One skit in particular "Wack Arnold's" I found quite amusing. In this skit he parodied the classis "Calvin's Got a Job" McDonald's commercials from the 90's. In these commercials Calvin was a struggling African-American youth with no job or life prospects, but then one day he got a job at McDonalds and everything became rosy. Calvin now had money to take his girlfriend out, and since he now had a job all the girls liked him. He started getting respect in his community. He no longer was on the corner selling drugs, or playing dice. The elderly people on his block found him to be a great example. His life was great and it was all due to McDonald's. That was the actual commercial, and in Chappelle's skit it shows this perspective, but continues further. It shows people making fun of him since working at McDonald's may not be the greatest career move. It shows him working more and more hours, and his girlfriend getting mad. He looses the respect of the elderly. In the end, he is a broken man.

I bring up this skit because McDonald's now has a website specifically for African-Americans, www.365black.com. It looks like Calvin not only got a job, but created a website. The website advocates how it is "Deeply rooted in the community!" and how they feel "African-American culture and achievement should be celebrated 365 days a year", thus the name. Now I do not know what McDonald's aims to achieve with this website, but something just is not right about it. Are African-Americans decided to not eat or work at McDonald's, and they need to curb this trend? Overall, it appears to be poor pandering to this demographic, and lazy propaganda. This just frustrating.

I thought my annoyance with McDonald's due to its distinctly race specific commercials could not get any worse, yet this website may just do it. Are African-Americans such a distinctly different ethnic group from everyday Americans that we demand commercials with an R&B vibe, and websites that advocate strong "roots" and mention the African Baobob tree? McDonald's attempts to include African-Americans in the McDonald's family by purporting stereotypes that will only lead to African-Americans being identified as "The Black Guy".  They will be the one who is different, yet can fit in, and that stereotype has many implications.  These ads and this website actually prevents African-Americans from being viewed as regular everyday people, and I find this sad and disappointing.  

This website and those bad commercials are a step backwards.

The Present

Thanks

 This week I set a goal for this site of earning 100 fans on Facebook and thanks to all of you I was able to easily surpass this number with two days to spare.  This made my day.  Accomplishing this goal means that the added effort I have exerted in the past week or so has started bearing fruit.  It means more people will read what I have written.  It means that now that this goal has been accomplished I can proceed with further goals and plans that I have for the site.  This is exciting.  I am watching my site grow, and that makes me happy.  For all of you who have decided to become a fan, I would like to let you know that there is more to come.  When you set goals and accomplish them growth is the obvious result.  Again, thanks for your help and support, and I hope you share, to a certain degree, some excitement about what is to come from The Knightly News.

Thanks,

Barrett Holmes Pitner

Posthumous Present

Often times I wonder why I have this blog.  Do I crave attention?  Do I yearn for it to lead into a book deal?  Am I bored?  Do I have too much time on my hands?  To all of these questions the answer is yes, but not a resounding yes.  I don't have a blog because I crave attention, but who doesn't like a little attention.  I think a book deal would be fantastic, but I do not have a blog with the sole hope that it leads to a book deal.  I do get bored, and I do have free time.  However, I have a blog because it is something I need to do, but I don't know why.

Earlier today at Barnes and Noble I ran across two books that further explained why I do what I do.  The first was Who is Mark Twain by Mark Twain and the second was Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut.  These are both a collection of unpublished essays and stories by both writers.  Mark Twain apparently had over a million pages of unpublished work upon his death, and I'm sure Kurt Vonnegut has plenty.  So the question of every writer, who holds himself in high regard, should be what to do with all the work that does not warrant immediate burning, yet does not fit in a book or essay you are working on?  The old answer used to be store it in a trunk and hope nobody ever sees it.  The new answer may be a blog.

A blog may be the new avenue to get out those ideas, observations, and controversial opinions that one only hopes people may get the chance to read once you've died.  It may not.  You can use it however you want.  You can use it as a diary.  You can hope that it is what allows you to reach your goals.  Who knows?  However, I will say that blogs are very much so hidden piles of work that only through diligent research are you able to find a series of entries worthy of compiling a book.  In a time, when it is incredibly easy to know an absurd amount of information about any individual it would be completely unfair if the public had to wait until the writers death for the publication of their random musings.

Our Present is their posthumous declarations.  

 

Why I Blog

Here is a great video by Andrew Sullivan about why he blogs.  This could very well explain the significance of the medium for most bloggers and readers.  Enjoy.

I wanted a place where I could say exactly what I wanted without the need for editors ... so I said jump in, why not, what the hell [and started blogging.]

Andrew Sullivan

Passing People on the Street

Tonight I decided to go on a drive.  It was one of those drives one goes on to clear ones mind.  While on my drive I passed two guys on the side of the interstate.  My first inclination was to stop and help them, but I was going too fast to do so without potentially causing an accident due to my desire to help.  Thus I kept on going, and soon forgot about the two men.  I did not feel bad that I forgot these two people who were obviously in need of help in a matter of seconds.  That is just life, many things happen in a blink of an eye, and sometimes you have to keep on going.

After driving a bit longer, and making a deposit at my bank, I stopped at the gas station.  Low and behold the two men were at the gas station, filling up a tank.  I did not want to help them at this time, but I knew I should.  Therefore, when one of the guys, who happened to be covered in sweat from walking over a mile to the gas station, asked me if I could give the two of them a ride to their truck I obliged.  I did not feel good about this, but knew it was something I needed to do.  

Before we left the gas station one of the guys said he was going to get some water, and I told him to get me one.  He said he would if he had enough money.  A minute later he returned with only one bottle of water, and said I could have it as long as I saved him a little.  With that the three of us left the gas station, and I took them to their truck on the side of the road.  During the drive they told me about how unfortunate their day had been, and I listened.  They were far worse of than myself, and I am far from rich.  When we reached their truck I gave the man back his water, which I did not even open, he needed it more than me, and I gave them five dollars.  That was the best I could do.  With that I pulled away and wished them luck on their trip home.

I am writing this not because I think I am special, or hope that whoever reads this will think that I am special or nice.  I mentioned this because I had varying reactions to these two guys.  My gut was to help them, but the practical part of me wanted not to.  When they asked me for help I wanted to say no, but my conscience would not let me.  I did clarify that they could not kill me, if I decided to give them a ride, and they felt that was a fair trade.  Basically, doing the right thing was not hard to do, but the decision to do so was the hardest part of all.  This fascinated me.  I hope this small action, makes a positive impact on these two guys.

Free School - University of the People

I like school, and I like free, so this could be perfect.  However, more than anything I hate the rising tuition costs in this country, and the need to essentially enter a debtors prison to obtain a college degree.  Therefore the University of the People could be the best solution to all our needs with their tiny registration fees and miniscule exam fees.  School may now cost hundreds instead of thousands.  This could be really good.  Check it out.  www.uopeople.org  

Founder Shai Reshef describes the University of the People as,

There are hundreds of millions of people around the world unable to afford higher education.  We are offering them an alternative.

Not only are their people who cannot afford higher education, which should include many Americans, there should be an even larger array of people who frankly do not feel the need to spend money on something they could get for free.  Food tastes better when it is free, so I hope the same applies to education.  Classes start in the fall of 2009.

Professors, Pragmatists, Philosophers, and Football

Johan Cruyff, as a player for Barcelona

My football season is over, and it has been over for about a month. It ended when my beloved Arsenal were eliminated by Manchester United in the Champions League semi-finals. I wanted to write this post about a month ago, but I decided that fury would not be a good motivation. So I decided to wait. I needed to see something more. Turns out I needed to see Barcelona. I needed to see the Champions League Finals, and I needed to see Barcelona win. I needed to see them do right, so that I could see what we did wrong.

For the entire season, everyone could see that Arsenal was missing something. Most said that the missing link was a defensive midfielder, others said that a central defender was the missing link, and some even said that the winter signing of Andrey Arshavin filled that missing piece, but I would argue against all of these. The missing piece was not a player, but was an ethos. As a team we tinkered with our style of play and our players too much. We appeared to have lost the core belief in our style of play, and frankly we all needed to see Barcelona win the greatest prize in European Club Football by using the style we desired. We needed to see what we were missing by seeing what they had.

What they had was a style. They had a style forged by one person, Johan Cruyff. As a player he revolutionized the game, and as a coach he revolutionized a club. As a manager in the late 80's and mid 90's, he introduced the Dutch style of 4-3-3 to the Spanish game and his Dream Team dominated Europe. In addition to his style generating trophies and championships, it also garnered applause the world over for its fluid attacking play. Cruyff in addition to applying his style to his Dream Team he infused it through the entire youth system of Barcelona Football Club. All the youth players at La Masia, Barcelona's youth facility, learned Cruyff's style and swore by it. Now, the youth team players of the 90's are the first team players of today who are dominating Europe not only at the club level, but also at the international level. Of this current Barcelona team at least eight players came from La Masia: Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Lionel Messi, Sergi Busquets, and Bojan Krkic. Of those eight, seven are Spanish, six have represented Spain at full international level, and three won the European Championships with Spain. Additionally, Pep Guardiola, the manager of this Barcelona squad, was the captain of Johan Cruyff's Dream Team. Essentially, the team had a style and many of its players grew up playing this style. This propelled them to victory, and this is what Arsenal lacks, but is close to achieving. They can achieve this success because the success does not reside solely in the style. It resides in three factors.

As I see it, all football managers need to be three things. They need to be professors. They need to be able to teach all the people at their club what they want and what they do. I think all Arsenal fans can agree that Arsene Wenger has succeeded in this category. Secondly, they need to be pragmatists. They need to know that they play to win the game. They do not play to develop players. I think Arsene and Arsenal missed this point this season, and this hurt them far more than the departures of Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva. Lastly, they need to be a philosopher. The need to have a method in which they desire to play the game. Some opt for a defensive method, some pick a style dependent on their opposition, some attack, and some lack a style all together. All of these are styles, but the existence of a style is not the key. The key is how strongly you adhere to your style. Do you stay with your style while it is not bearing you any fruit? Do you have the fortitude to follow the style you created for the duration of an entire season? These are the questions that matter and this is also where Arsenal failed this year. We tinkered too much. We played a 4-4-2, a 4-5-1, and a 4-4-1-1. This is not needed. When a team is constructed on the premise of fast fluid passing just like Barcelona and Arsenal you need to have a solid structure. This structure simply can start with the shape of play. Barcelona played a 4-3-3 every game, and we never knew what formation we would see from the Gunners. Barcelona's philosopher had the belief to remain with his philosophy for an entire season and Arsenal's did not. That can easily be the difference between a fourth and a first place finish, and it obviously was one of the factors this past season.

Our strength allowed us to win the games we were supposed to win, but could not propel us past our top opposition. Against the top, we tinkered and thus we faltered. We lost the games that mattered most, and some could blame the personnel on the field and some could blame the coaching. Frankly, the blame starts at the top, but the players need to be held accountable too. Coaches and players, both win and lose together.

So the season is over, and the off-season has begun and now Arsenal has to rebuild, but I do not think much rebuilding is in order. Some fringe players should leave, and a new defensive midfielder should arrive. If William Gallas leaves, then a new defender should be signed. For defense I think Daniel Van Buyten of Bayern Munich could be good. In midfield, Marcos Senna or Gareth Barry would be good. That is about it. Maybe we should sign another goalkeeper, but that really is not a major priority. However, above all else, Arsene Wenger needs to decide how he wants to play, and sign players who can play in that manner. He needs to stick to a shape and a style that he knows will win. That is what Barcelona has done, and that is what Arsenal could easily do. We have built up the youth program. Kieran Gibbs has been great this season, and Jack Wilshere could be a revelation next season. All we now need is the determination to play in the manner that we desire above all costs, and to possibly plug a couple of holes. This should not be an arduous task, but only the summer will tell. Barcelona did not have success last season, but they did this one, and they did not do much to achieve that. They simply got rid of a couple of players that were distractions and they hired a coach that understood how the club wanted to play football. That coach then stuck with that philosophy and belief for the entire season. They went from nothing to the best team in Europe because of that. Arsenal can do that and I believe that. I believe that because I saw it happen. I saw it happen by watching Barcelona.

It's better to fail with your own vision rather than following another man's vision.

Football is simple, but the most difficult thing is to play simple football.

Johan Cruyff

Human Nature

Ida - the 'missing link'

The last two weeks have been a very informative period in the understanding of human nature, and what events allowed for human evolution to progress in the manner in which we see it today.  Obviously all the answers did not occur in the past two weeks, but we can conclude that three major developments have arisen.  Firstly, thanks to the Island of Flores in Indonesia we became aware of island dwarfism in relation to humans for the first time.  Read more HERE and HERE.  Secondly, we got a firmer understanding between the relationships between modern humans and Neanderthals:  HERE.  Lastly we found Ida that may provide the missing evolutionary link between four legged mammals such as lemurs and upright standing mammals such as apes and modern humans:  HERE.  The month of May has been very revolutionary concerning human existence. 

With archeology and all other forms of history I feel it is important to acknowledge where we came from and then apply that knowledge to where we are today.  This month has aided immensely in this pursuit.  Island dwarfism has proven the lunacy of closed mindedness.  Obviously evolution takes thousands of years to show any dramatic affects, but you cannot overlook the fact that this species of humans diminished in stature and importance simply because it was not physically allowed to leave the confines of Flores Island.  If that does not advocate the benefit of leaving home and forging new adventures both mentally and physically then I do not know what else could.  This is inspirational based on the simplicity that is human nature.  If you do not grow, you shrink, and then you die.  It is very simple.

Next we learn that an archeologist in France by the name of Fernando Rozzi supposes that Neanderthals met a grizzly end by the hands of modern humans.  When humans migrated to Europe from Africa they intersected with Neanderthals, and that is all we knew for a while.  During this intersection Neanderthals died out and no one knew the cause.  The new theory proposed by M. Rozzi is that humans killed Neanderthals and possibly even ate them.  This makes sense to me.  Cro-Magnon man invaded Europe in large numbers, and quickly outnumbered Neanderthals.  The smaller factions of Neanderthals retreated from Cro-Magnon man, and then they went extinct.  Theories concerning interbreeding remain unfounded, so if they did not die out through assimilation then how did they disappear.  Frankly, it looks like they were not too popular with Cro-Magnon man.  Cro-Magnon arrives from Africa to set up a new life in Europe and when they get their another group of people is already there.  That will easily make Neanderthals unpopular.  Thus the greater population of Cro-Magnon man allowed them to dominate a stronger, yet comparably intelligent people.  The mob ruled and the days of Neanderthals were numbered.  Modern day humans killed them, used their bones for jewelry, and even participated in cannibalistic rituals this new theory supposes.  This seems to align with human nature.

Lastly, Ida exists.  She exists as the missing link in human evolution because she broke her wrist.  An upright walking lemur-esque animal needs a functioning wrist to climb trees and gather water.  The inability to do so thrust her off the beaten path, and to a premature death.  Most likely in the search for water she took a wrong turn and headed towards the volcanic lake whose suffocating gases caused her death and allowed her to be preserved in the sediments on the lake's floor.

Thus 47 million years ago, we learned to stand upright.  30,000 years ago we wiped out our competition and 17,000 years ago we started shrinking.  This info can mean many things to many people, but all I know is that I like to grow.  Additionally, total eradication of all competition may not be the best alternative to our problems.  We all can stand on our own two feet now and we need not forget that.  Learning from the past can improve our place in the future, and allow for a fuller understanding of who we are and where we live.  This has been an informative month, and that is human nature.

Island Living

On the island of Flores in Indonesia scientists believe that they have unearthed the remnants of actual living 'hobbits'. These 'hobbits' may not have resided in the shire or on Middle Earth, but all evidence is indicating that they lived on this remote island around 17,000 years ago and that they suffered from island dwarfism. These 'hobbits' or Homo floresiensis grew to about three feet tall and had disproportionately large feet. The size of their feet in proportion to their bodies makes it highly unlikely that they were adept at running at speed. Additionally, the size of their brains were about 30% smaller to that of humans. All of these distinctions can be attributed to island dwarfism.

Island dwarfism has been attributed to other species such as miniature hippos and mammoths, but this is the first time we have found any evidence of it existing in humans. The concept of island dwarfism is that due to the isolation of the species and the diminished food resources the species must adapt to survive in this limited environment thus it shrinks. In this situation in particular the species opted to be less of a human in order to survive. Since resources became scarce the species had to become less imposing. The hunting game on the island were small creatures around the size of a rabbit. A size that would not require much exertion to catch, but would require you to catch many if you wanted to feed a family of averaged sized humans. Homo floresiensis could not escape from the island. They could not find bigger game, so they adapted. The need to run at speed became an unneeded luxury since they could easily catch their prey, and the ability to grow to at the least five feet tall became an unwanted burden. Therefore they shrunk, and relinquished the ability to run at speed by keeping the size of their feet while their body shrank. This is evolution, but this discovery is much more than that.

When I read this article in The Independent all I could think of was Arthur Schopenhauer.

Arthur Schopenhauer

Schopenhauer has always struck me as living on an island: It is hard, if not nearly impossible, to summarize a philosopher's philosophy in a couple of sentences, but I will try. As far as I can tell Schopenhauer found the basic actions of daily human live futile, base and illogical, and determined that it would be better to remove himself from the equation. He did not remove himself from the equation by suicide, but instead from isolation. He felt that the wisest of men were the ones who could pass through life without the greatest of pains both physically and mentally. He felt life was meant to inflict pain and we should avoid that pain at all costs. Thus we should all become an island and find out what we really need. Since we no longer have the disturbances brought upon us by the rest of the world through our new found isolation, we should now be able to find and understand the inner us. I agree with this to a degree, but there is an obvious flaw in this logic. Yes, everyone needs their own space, but it is impossible to avoid the outside world forever. Thus far the only example of a human being who has successfully isolated himself from the rest of the world resulted in stunted growth, reduced brain size, and the inability to run. If people understood that this may be the alternative, they may learn to crave and love the pain and challenges that come with life. One of Schopenhauer's students came to this realization, and it changed his life.

Frederick Nietzsche, a devoted Schopenhauer follower of more than ten years, came to the realization that the challenges that life throws at you are worth living with plenty of life to live. For years he had shunned most of the outside world to get a better self-understanding, and this can be good, but eventually he realized that he needed to live in the world and not just his world. The ability to approach the world with a newly found vigor prompted him to create his Ubermenschen, or Superman, ideal which encourages people to immerse themselves in life instead of divorcing themselves from it. An Ubermenschen commonly was curious, artistic, sexually vigorous, courageous, ambitious, had dignity, strength of character, humor and independence. Often times they also worked in civil service. In essence they all should throw themselves into living, while remaining true to themselves throughout. This is a great ideal to aim for, yet we all must leave the island to do so.

Homo floresiensis stayed on the island and they evolved into a lesser human. Human beings should not feel the need to create their own islands so that they can expedite the process of creating smaller brains. The discovery of Homo floresiensis may be a major discovery towards the understanding of human evolution, but we all should take this major news and incrementally apply it to our daily lives.  We all should strive to grow and develop otherwise we become tiny men instead of supermen.

The foot of Homo floresiensis

Terror and Virtue

If the mainspring of popular government in peacetime is virtue, the mainspring of popular government in revolution is virtue and terror both: virtue, without which terror is disastrous; terror, without which virtue is powerless.  Terror is nothing but prompt, severe, inflexible justice. It is therefore an emanation of virtue; it is not so much a specific principle as a consequence of the general principle of democracy applied to the homeland's most pressing needs.

It has been said that terror was the mainspring of despotic government.  So does yours resemble despotism?

Let tyranny reign for a single day--the next day not a patriot will remain.  For how long will the rage of despots be called justice and the people's justice be called barbarity or rebellion?  How tender people are toward oppressors and how inexorable toward the oppressed!  Nothing could be more natural:  who does not hate crime cannot love virtue.

To punish the oppressors of humanity, that is clemency; to forgive them, that is barbarity.

Maximilien de Robespierre, Paris, 1794.

The Conversation

All day Wednesday I wanted to talk about the environment, and all day Thursday I wanted to talk about Louis Malle films, yet I did not do either.  I was distracted.  My mind could not focus.  The topic of the day was torture and that clouded my thoughts.  Torture, or waterboarding, clouded my thoughts, not because of the sensationalism of the issue, but instead because of how the topic was being framed and discussed.  It was being framed in terms concerning partisanship, which would have made sense six months ago, but now only equates to a pointless exercise.

Currently America has a two party system and that is what we are accustomed to, but the main difference now is that one party controls everything and the other controls nothing.  The Republican Party has already displayed their influence in Congress by voting against nearly everything the Democrats have proposed, and yet all of the proposals still passed.  Right now they can huff and puff all day long and the house is never going to fall down.  That is the reality of the times, yet we insist upon discussing major issues with the notion that their opinion will make any kind of a difference.  It all seems like a giant waste of time in my eyes.

 I could not understand why anyone cared about the Republicans opinions or advice concerning torture considering that they would not make a difference in the proceedings.  I was at a loss for words.  The obvious action would be for the Attorney General to investigate the actions of members of the previous administration to see if any wrong doing had occurred.  If these investigations lead to high ranking Bush officials, including the President, being tried for war crimes connected to torture, then that is the price people must pay for breaking the law.  It may not be pleasant or ideal, but countries must uphold their laws at every level.  It is very cut and dry.  It is not fun, but it is simple.  What I did not understand was that to a certain degree Democrats are afraid of a political climate without Republicans.

Without Republicans another party must rise, but what would that party look like.  This prospect could be frightening.  Additionally, without the check of the conservatives would the Democrats now go drunk with power?  Nobody knows what would happen, and deep down inside, I think many are afraid to find out.  Finding out would be a distraction from trying to save the economy, two wars, and the many other problems this country faces.  However, I contest that the Republican Party merely functions solely as a distraction in their current state.  They cannot do anything, yet they make tons of noise and take up precious time with their absurd logic.  

Thus the question posed to the people in power is should the current Republican distraction come from their lack of influence or their inevitable lack of existence.  I would base my decision without regard to the security of the Republican Party.  If torture is deemed illegal, and certain individuals are found guilty of promoting torture, then they must be punished.  They should be punished regardless of any previously high standing in society.  The government must uphold the law above all costs.  My answer is who cares about the Republican Party, uphold the law at all costs, and then deal with the aftermath.

Currently, the conversation is focused towards sustaining partisanship with an unfounded belief that partisanship allows for the balance governments need to survive.  Partisanship outweighs the law in the current discourse and this baffles me.  Republicans are fighting to save their own skin, and Democrats are afraid of a life without Republicans.  If both sides continue to behave how they are, then we all may witness a life where a national rule of law fails to exist.  I would much rather live in a society with an established rule of law and take my chances with the group that fills the Republican void, than keep the Republican Party and diminish the influence of our national laws.

The issue at hand is far larger than torture, and we all need to wake up and see that.

Things I Like - Isha Yoga

Around two years ago I was on a constant search for answers.  I wanted to know more about everything, and naively thought that my search for answers would lead to the answers I had hoped for.  To this day, I am not positive what I wanted my answers to be, but I know I wanted them to be miraculous and easy.  These seem to be the answers that most people search or hope for.  Along my journey, I bumped into a colleague who introduced me to Isha Yoga, and I am thankful for that.  Isha has not given me the answers to all of my questions, but I do find it helpful and therefore I like it.

When one thinks of yoga the first thing you think about is stretching.  Downward dogs, and other obscure positions immediately come to mind, and for most guys the yoga experience quickly starts to lose its appeal.  When I think of yoga, I think of almost an hour of stretching without the end reward of scoring a goal or kicking someone on the soccer field.  It can appear to lack masculinity, at first glance.  The reason it appears to lack masculinity at first is because it does.  Not only does it lack masculinity, but it also lacks femininity.  It is a practice that lacks a preferred gender, yet that is often overlooked in our culture.  Instead a feminine trait is attached to yoga, since for most yoga practitioners stretching is the main focus and that by and large is viewed as a more feminine activity.  This observation, however, has much do to with yoga, but little to do with Isha Yoga and that may be one of the main reasons why I find it so appealing.

Isha Yoga on the other hand is a practice that has a much larger emphasis on meditation, instead of flexibility.  Isha is an international non-for-profit, non-religious organization that works to spread the benefits of inner engineering or meditative practices.  The practices aim to make one more aware with the inner workings of their own body, thus inner engineering.  With all the issues that one gets bombarded with on a daily basis from external influences such as work, bills, traffic, noise, family, friends and ..., it would be nice to have some instructions to keep you focused on what actually allows you to tick.  You need a practice that will help you from getting lost amongst all the hustle and bustle.  Isha aims at helping you find that calm within the storm of everyday life, and a calm resides within yourself.  Isha's simple meditative practices, that at the most may preoccupy an hour of your day, can help you find that inner calm.

Thus I like Isha Yoga because it does not require much of my daily time, nor cost me an obscene amount of money, yet greatly increases my chances of going through my day, week, month, year, life with a calming smile instead of trepidation.

As of now my search for answers has only lead me to search within myself, and Isha on a daily basis prevents me from getting lost within the disorganization that can be human life.

For those of you who may be interested in finding out more about Isha, pleaase visit their website www.ishafoundation.org.

The Dream Continues

As I stated in this past Sunday's Sunday Sir I have always dreamed of earning an honorary degree, yet the revelations at Arizona State University concerning Barack Obama over the past week appeared to put a halt on my dreams.  If being President of the United States does not qualify one for earning an honorary degree, then my dreams were dashed.  President of the World is not available, and the only other option we be becoming a dictator and taking that honorary degree by force.  However, taking the degree by force would ruin all the joy I would receive if they actually gave it to me.  My dreams were crushed.  I was lost at see with Somali Pirates encircling me.  I needed a rescue.  Luckily ASU decided to make a U-turn, and save me.

They saved me not by giving out honorary degrees like they were going out of style or personally awarding one just to me.  Instead all they needed to do was say "we blew it" and that is exactly what they did.  With those three little words, I called Barack and he ordered the Navy Seals to "take out" those dangerous Somali Pirates and I was allowed another day to dream.  Thanks Barack and thanks ASU.  ASU, you blew it, and we all know.  Read about it HERE.  The great part is that you know it too.  Now that you are aware of your folly I can continue to dream about earning a degree without every having to go to school, the students of ASU can dream that they are getting a proper education from responsible adults, and the alumni can dream that their money is actually being used towards something productive.

ASU has created more dreams than they could have ever imagined because they realized that they "blew it" and all they needed to do was make a colossally boneheaded decision that made people lose all respect for them as individuals and as an institution for a couple of days.  I am not sure if that is a fair trade.  Only time will tell.  I am just glad that I can continue to have this dream.