We are all earthlings.
As earthlings our collective goal is ultimately survival; survival for the individual and for the group.
As humans, we have (unjustifiably) divided ourselves from the rest of the animal population. For humans, it’s no longer about survival ... it’s about being the best; having the best; even at the expense of those people and other animals who are still solely grasping for survival.
Watch this movie. It will ruin any shred of the pleasant ignorance or denial that so many people have conveniently held on to. We all live in reality though; and this, unfortunately, is reality.
This clip is only a few minutes long. I watched the entire 1.5 hour movie, and I encourage you to as well.
Showing posts with label World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World. Show all posts
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Power of Perspectives
It’s a powerful feeling to believe in something strongly; so strongly that you cannot be swayed by anyone who believes differently or may try to convince you that you’re wrong.
It’s a powerful sort of epiphany when one realises why another may have such a strong belief in something that you may not believe in yourself; it is possible to understand why someone has a different belief to you, even though you still may not share that belief.
Maybe people should stop concentrating – or at least concentrate less – on the more trivial, materialistic things in life, and concentrate more on contributing for a better world, or work on their passion; although these may be interconnected. More often than not it seems one’s strengths come in the form of what they are passionate about; when they abide by their own beliefs and values.
A person might see the world for what it really is; they may desire – crave – change. An overwhelmingly strong sense of compassion and determination is what may drive them to reach their full potential and achieve this wish.
My point is that as people learn more about the nature and origin of other peoples’ beliefs, their views of the world may change. By this, I do not mean what they believe (although this can change as well, but for my point, they do not change), but they may develop a deeper, more complex understanding of the world, its elements and issues, and why different people think the way they do.
Personally, I believe that everyone could potentially share the same beliefs; what is lacking, or restricting this unity, is simply (or not so simply) different education, lack of education, cultural origin and other factors perhaps out of the control of many individuals.
What I’d want, in an ideal world, would be for all those with the opportunity and knowledge to contribute their skills to assisting others less fortunate (although perhaps not less happy in ways), and building a happier, healthier world; and to realise that the economy is not a significant attribute to this ‘happiness’ or ‘health’.
It’s a powerful sort of epiphany when one realises why another may have such a strong belief in something that you may not believe in yourself; it is possible to understand why someone has a different belief to you, even though you still may not share that belief.
Maybe people should stop concentrating – or at least concentrate less – on the more trivial, materialistic things in life, and concentrate more on contributing for a better world, or work on their passion; although these may be interconnected. More often than not it seems one’s strengths come in the form of what they are passionate about; when they abide by their own beliefs and values.
A person might see the world for what it really is; they may desire – crave – change. An overwhelmingly strong sense of compassion and determination is what may drive them to reach their full potential and achieve this wish.
My point is that as people learn more about the nature and origin of other peoples’ beliefs, their views of the world may change. By this, I do not mean what they believe (although this can change as well, but for my point, they do not change), but they may develop a deeper, more complex understanding of the world, its elements and issues, and why different people think the way they do.
Personally, I believe that everyone could potentially share the same beliefs; what is lacking, or restricting this unity, is simply (or not so simply) different education, lack of education, cultural origin and other factors perhaps out of the control of many individuals.
What I’d want, in an ideal world, would be for all those with the opportunity and knowledge to contribute their skills to assisting others less fortunate (although perhaps not less happy in ways), and building a happier, healthier world; and to realise that the economy is not a significant attribute to this ‘happiness’ or ‘health’.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Bee Victorious
Aerodynamically, it should be impossible for bees to fly.
This was, in actual fact, the belief until a more recent scientific study seeking to explain how the apparently impossible flight of bees occurs every day. (For more information on this study please visit http://media.caltech.edu/press_releases/12772)
Bees are responsible for pollination. Without bees, plants would find it much more difficult to reproduce.
The importance of bees:
Bee pollination of crops, something that most farmers rely heavily on, is responsible for as much as 30% of the US food supply. That doesn’t even consider what they mean for the rest of the world...
Just to raise the point even higher, here’s a list of the crops etc that require pollination from bees entirely or at least partially: Alfalfa, buckwheat, clover, Apple, apricot, avocado, berry, cherry, citrus, kiwi, mango, passion fruit, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, prune, Almond, cashew, chestnut, coconut, macadamia, cotton, flax, rape, safflower, soybeans, sunflower, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collard, cucumber, dill, eggplant, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lima beans, mustard, onion, parsley, pepper, pumpkin, radish, rutabaga, squash, turnip, beans, cantaloupe, cucumbers, muckmelon, pumpkin, squash, watermelon, eggplant, lima beans, peppers. (and yes, some of these I haven’t even heard of...)
....To think this is all carried out by a small, rather fragile looking group (rather large in number, although decreasing) of insects.
Even scarier, to think that the majority of the credit for the diversity and health of the biosphere goes to a creature which, apparently, should find it impossible to even travel to carry out the job...
So when it comes down to it, it’d be fair to say our lives are based on something which shouldn’t be possible. Pretty amazing, huh?
What’s the point of my telling you this? It’s not about existence, not about survival; it’s about dreams. As Mary Kay Ash once said;
“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.”
What led me to think about all this? The fact that recently I’ve discovered how awesome bees are, combined with my thoughts, and a brief discussion today, about people achieving their dreams, and how, funnily enough, bees indirectly enable this.
The power of thought and mind is such a huge thing when it comes to facing the challenges between people and their dreams. Unfortunately, unlike the unknowing bees, knowledge brings with it the power of disbelief; we are each our own worst critic, and our disbelief in ourself is the biggest obstacle we have to overcome.
This is an awesome quote as well;
“Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try.”
If people didn’t have dreams; goals; a vision; what would be the point of life? It is the people who have followed their passions and chased their dreams who have, in the past, made the biggest differences in the world, however big or small those dreams have been.
Take inspiration from the bee; ignore anyone or anything that says your dream is unattainable.
This was, in actual fact, the belief until a more recent scientific study seeking to explain how the apparently impossible flight of bees occurs every day. (For more information on this study please visit http://media.caltech.edu/press_releases/12772)
Bees are responsible for pollination. Without bees, plants would find it much more difficult to reproduce.
The importance of bees:
Bee pollination of crops, something that most farmers rely heavily on, is responsible for as much as 30% of the US food supply. That doesn’t even consider what they mean for the rest of the world...
Just to raise the point even higher, here’s a list of the crops etc that require pollination from bees entirely or at least partially: Alfalfa, buckwheat, clover, Apple, apricot, avocado, berry, cherry, citrus, kiwi, mango, passion fruit, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, prune, Almond, cashew, chestnut, coconut, macadamia, cotton, flax, rape, safflower, soybeans, sunflower, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collard, cucumber, dill, eggplant, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lima beans, mustard, onion, parsley, pepper, pumpkin, radish, rutabaga, squash, turnip, beans, cantaloupe, cucumbers, muckmelon, pumpkin, squash, watermelon, eggplant, lima beans, peppers. (and yes, some of these I haven’t even heard of...)
....To think this is all carried out by a small, rather fragile looking group (rather large in number, although decreasing) of insects.
Even scarier, to think that the majority of the credit for the diversity and health of the biosphere goes to a creature which, apparently, should find it impossible to even travel to carry out the job...
So when it comes down to it, it’d be fair to say our lives are based on something which shouldn’t be possible. Pretty amazing, huh?
What’s the point of my telling you this? It’s not about existence, not about survival; it’s about dreams. As Mary Kay Ash once said;
“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.”
What led me to think about all this? The fact that recently I’ve discovered how awesome bees are, combined with my thoughts, and a brief discussion today, about people achieving their dreams, and how, funnily enough, bees indirectly enable this.
The power of thought and mind is such a huge thing when it comes to facing the challenges between people and their dreams. Unfortunately, unlike the unknowing bees, knowledge brings with it the power of disbelief; we are each our own worst critic, and our disbelief in ourself is the biggest obstacle we have to overcome.
This is an awesome quote as well;
“Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try.”
If people didn’t have dreams; goals; a vision; what would be the point of life? It is the people who have followed their passions and chased their dreams who have, in the past, made the biggest differences in the world, however big or small those dreams have been.
Take inspiration from the bee; ignore anyone or anything that says your dream is unattainable.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Worst Human Epidemic?
Will egotism kill the human race?
Population control.
As defined by the ever awesome Wikipedia;
"the practice of artificially altering the size of any animal population besides humans. It typically refers to the act of limiting the size of an animal population so that it remains manageable, as opposed to the act of protecting a species from excessive rates of extinction, which is referred to as conservation biology."
This is typically done through 'animal euthanasia' (culling??) and neutering.
I think it's safe to say, however, that the population number, and growth, to be most feared is our own ... the human population continues to grow ... more and more people suffer from poverty, disease and abuse ... the pollution from overcrowded cities ... and perhaps the most hypocritical part of it all is that we are endangering other species through environmental / habitat destruction to support our own growth.
The question is (more rhetorical than anything): why, when many people (scientists and politicians perhaps..) express such a keen interest in maintaining the health and general welfare of the environment and wildlife populations, do so many see such measures on the human population as a crime or 'unthinkable'?
I present to you a couple of images, retrieved from google, depicting the consequences of human population growth:
Not really difficult to interpret these graphs, but for the sake of getting the message across, it's obvious that if human population growth continues the way it is, the consequences for the planet will be dire.
A quote which I think emphasises an important issue of population growth which is perhaps less considered than it should be in an age where technological advancements are strengthening our desire to live longer and stronger, defying age, and in turn cementing our opinion that we are superior;
"While the human population grows, the earth's size and resources remain the same. Technology can increase the amount of food that can be produced on a piece of land, but it cannot increase the amount of land and water on the planet."
Furthermore, I believe this particular paragraph;
"Environmental problems are aggravated by population explosions. More people means more resources and energy are consumed and more pollution is created and more waste is sent to landfills. More land is needed to grow crops and build houses. More trees are cut down for new homes. More cars are built, more fossil fuels are used, and more gases are released into the environment. More natural wilderness areas or beautiful landscapes are destroyed to provide resources and cropland. In short, population growth makes other environmental problems harder to solve."
sums up well my thoughts on why it is less important to settle the debate on climate change / global warming than it is to act on changing our behaviour for the problems we know and agree exist.
I highly recommend you read this article
Population control.
As defined by the ever awesome Wikipedia;
"the practice of artificially altering the size of any animal population besides humans. It typically refers to the act of limiting the size of an animal population so that it remains manageable, as opposed to the act of protecting a species from excessive rates of extinction, which is referred to as conservation biology."
This is typically done through 'animal euthanasia' (culling??) and neutering.
I think it's safe to say, however, that the population number, and growth, to be most feared is our own ... the human population continues to grow ... more and more people suffer from poverty, disease and abuse ... the pollution from overcrowded cities ... and perhaps the most hypocritical part of it all is that we are endangering other species through environmental / habitat destruction to support our own growth.
The question is (more rhetorical than anything): why, when many people (scientists and politicians perhaps..) express such a keen interest in maintaining the health and general welfare of the environment and wildlife populations, do so many see such measures on the human population as a crime or 'unthinkable'?
I present to you a couple of images, retrieved from google, depicting the consequences of human population growth:
Not really difficult to interpret these graphs, but for the sake of getting the message across, it's obvious that if human population growth continues the way it is, the consequences for the planet will be dire.
A quote which I think emphasises an important issue of population growth which is perhaps less considered than it should be in an age where technological advancements are strengthening our desire to live longer and stronger, defying age, and in turn cementing our opinion that we are superior;
"While the human population grows, the earth's size and resources remain the same. Technology can increase the amount of food that can be produced on a piece of land, but it cannot increase the amount of land and water on the planet."
Furthermore, I believe this particular paragraph;
"Environmental problems are aggravated by population explosions. More people means more resources and energy are consumed and more pollution is created and more waste is sent to landfills. More land is needed to grow crops and build houses. More trees are cut down for new homes. More cars are built, more fossil fuels are used, and more gases are released into the environment. More natural wilderness areas or beautiful landscapes are destroyed to provide resources and cropland. In short, population growth makes other environmental problems harder to solve."
sums up well my thoughts on why it is less important to settle the debate on climate change / global warming than it is to act on changing our behaviour for the problems we know and agree exist.
I highly recommend you read this article
Monday, October 4, 2010
Happy World Animal Day!
World Animal Day certainly seems a fitting topic for a blog observing and, in some ways, attempting to analyse the world; animals are a crucial part of the world and its atmosphere.. and no, I don't necessarily mean 'atmosphere' in terms of the gases circulating the globe.. I'm talking about the general emotional experience on Earth.
Animals are therapeutic. They're protective; they're nurturing. They're loyal. They (mostly) love unconditionally. They're intelligent.. much more so than many humans will give them credit for.
A youtube search for 'animal heroes' is simple proof of how incredible they are, and can be. Here's a video detailing the Animal Heroes of 2006 - Animals that have saved human lives and showed outstanding bravery, courage and intelligence:
It also seems fitting to include a few awesome quotes:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Ghandi
"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway." - Mary Kay Ash
"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people." - W. C. Fields
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." - Josh Billings
Finally, the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare - please read and sign the petition - it takes just a few moments of your time.
www.udaw.org
http://www.animalsmatter.org/en/campaign_resources/
And finally (for real this time!) a thought to ponder...
"One interesting finding is that 99% of Australians are against cruelty to animals, yet 98% eat animals and fish that come from cruel, intensive farming practices!" (A Pound of Flesh, http://www.scribd.com/doc/26880337/APF-VVSQ)
As Ghandi says.. 'you must be the change you want to see in the world'.
Here's to all animals
Animals are therapeutic. They're protective; they're nurturing. They're loyal. They (mostly) love unconditionally. They're intelligent.. much more so than many humans will give them credit for.
A youtube search for 'animal heroes' is simple proof of how incredible they are, and can be. Here's a video detailing the Animal Heroes of 2006 - Animals that have saved human lives and showed outstanding bravery, courage and intelligence:
It also seems fitting to include a few awesome quotes:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Ghandi
"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway." - Mary Kay Ash
"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people." - W. C. Fields
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." - Josh Billings
Finally, the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare - please read and sign the petition - it takes just a few moments of your time.
www.udaw.org
http://www.animalsmatter.org/en/campaign_resources/
And finally (for real this time!) a thought to ponder...
As Ghandi says.. 'you must be the change you want to see in the world'.
Here's to all animals
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Video everyone should see and learn from
Are her words not true? Why is it that governments and people with the power and ability discuss and debate to no end without acting, or at the most with minimal action? Is it based on convenience and keeping the people happy, thereby keeping their power? What is the point of having the power if it isn't going to be applied to anything?
Some questions to consider..
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