The good life

Living here in a small town is very pleasant. The local folks are engaged in the practice of survival, that is, participating in community activities in various holiday celebrations, neighborly exchanges of small gifts and visitations, and multi-generational family gatherings. There is a positive air covering the town!

Nevertheless, only because few residents want to talk about it or still watch broadcast news and have ignored social media’s tendency to fawn upon itself, it is almost possible to separate community from national and world catastrophe. One forgets how pleasant normal life can be.

It’s amazing how many hobbies surface during the holidays. A service organization is building a tiny house for a veteran; the quilting club is turning out quilts for sale; several folks make their own holiday greeting cards – some quite exquisite; many choirs perform musical events around the county; there are Santa events in most public service agencies. Even Nosey Mole was seen wearing a Santa hat.

Appropriately, if not conveniently, the weather outside is frightful but the fire is so delightful, and since we’ve no place to go let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

There is no doubt that a human’s emotional survival skills have evolved with significant intensity and purpose. Let us pray that increased disorder will not test them further.

Ancient Mariner

Forget Trump – watch Google

The identity of the evil dictator in the Matrix movie is now revealed: Google. Modern, top-of-the-line scientists have agreed that Homo sapiens will eventually vanish because science has discovered a way for AI to determine when to be pregnant and with what genome – without human intervention [perhaps these new creatures are the ones that will travel the universe as aliens]. But until then, it is Google’s intention to make humans no more in control of their lives than garden flowers can decide whose garden they will be planted in. The Axios article below gives the details:

“Google Gemini 2.0 — a major upgrade to the core workings of Google’s AI that the company launched today — is designed to help generative AI move from answering users’ questions to taking action on its own, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis tells Axios.

  • “We were always working towards agent-based systems,” Hassabis said. “From the beginning, they were able to plan and then carry out actions and achieve objectives.”
  • Hassabis said AI systems that can act as semi-autonomous agents also represent an important intermediate step on the path toward artificial general intelligence (AGI) — AI that can match or surpass human capabilities.
  • “If we think about the path to AGI, then obviously you need a system that can reason, break down problems and carry out actions in the world,” he said.”

Up to one-third of today’s stock market trades are run by computers without human intervention. But mariner wonders how a national or global economy would operate when the decisions are made by AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). This direction is so unfathomable that no one can predict human interactivity in the future – but it is inevitable.

It is as if we were a neanderthal person swooped up in a time bubble and dropped on today’s Times Square . . . .

Armageddon proceeds.

Ancient Mariner

A new kind of war

On occasion, mariner has opined that bullet wars are passé. The term ‘bullet wars’ means using explosives and physical destruction even to the point of genocide. In today’s headline news (https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2024/12/03/romania-tiktok-and-the-future-of-democracy-00192427 ), a very clear example of a ‘modern’ war is occurring in Romania where the voting population has been swamped by political misinformation via TikTok. The result is that an anti European Union, anti NATO candidate likely will receive a winning vote in the upcoming election. That candidate is virtually unknown Călin Georgescu who, by the way, is a friend of Vladimir Putin. He may win the election despite the protests both of liberal and conservative parties in Romania. The weapon: social media – not bullets and not even much campaign cash.

The ramifications if Georgescu wins are troublesome. The map of the European Union below tells the story:

Note that Ukraine is sandwiched between Russia and Romania. Further, the EU and its military arm NATO are growing old and disruptions to that union could swing the general western world into a difficult situation.

In the United States, while Constitutional processes barely survived, there is no question that it was social media that undercut the liberal block of voters. What is different about the US is that this nation is much richer than Romania so big money had to play a role.

1. War is hell     2. Democracy starts in the local community, not on the smartphone.

Armageddon proceeds.

Ancient Mariner

It all started with small business

Mariner has noticed that a number of magazines, newspapers and other opinion-based sources are unifying behind articles about whose fault it is that led us into our social/political dilemma. Some in mariner’s family blame it all on Norman Rockwell whose art taught everyone how to live a Victorian life in modern times, that is, instead of using each homeowner’s yard for purposeful needs (everything from growing food to utilities for children and others who may need space) instead keeping precision lawns and trimmed shrubbery so they could pretend they are rich just like the Victorian oligarchs.

Others blame the Ivy League social structure which was a very clubby way to help the wealthier families possess the best colleges, get the power-linked jobs and live in the best neighborhoods (The Villages in Florida or huge estates in Hawaii) just like the Victorians.

Mariner’s regular readers know he blames the economic structure of the Federal and state Governments who squashed the ability for middle and lower classes to make a fair living amid all the plutocracy.

But things wouldn’t change without a growing imbalance, would they? Back in the earliest times, change was provoked when one army beat another army – killing and destroying along the way. Just as too many guns kill children in schools, too many guns around the world still provoke ‘bullet style’ wars in many countries when there are many other ways to disrupt a nation even more effectively (destroy computer networks, power grids, even influence elections, etc.)

History teaches that there is a finite link between change and consternation. The North American Indian blamed white people; Mayans and most of South America blame Spaniards; Biblical Jews blame the Greeks, Romans and Iranians; Formosans blame the Japanese and Chinese; South Korea could, if it chose, blame the United States.

But it all began when a few nomadic travelers left Africa to grow more wheat than they needed and traded or sold the extra so they could stay where they were, own property, and did not have to migrate from place to place to find supper. Now there were two classes: business and migrant.

Today there are many variations of each but they all started with small business around the Mediterranean.

Ancient Mariner

Interview with Nosey Mole

Among the headers of his posts at the top of the post page, mariner had a description of who he was, the reason for writing and an explanation of how three alter egos would influence his posts.  This description has been deleted several times so mariner stopped repairing it.

Nevertheless, the philosophical futurist Guru remains with us as does the skeptical Amos. The oft-frightened Chicken Little has passed away and is replaced by Nosey Mole, a reclusive alter ego who lives underground but pops up now and then to see what is happening. Mariner visited Nosey to get an understanding of his view versus that of Chicken Little:

“Welcome to the blog, Nosey. Have you settled in?”

“Yes, I have a fine set of tunnels under the root stems of your iris bed and under the Pecan tree” Nosey replied. “There are lots of grubs and the clay soil holds up well for the tunnels”.

Mariner asked what the difference was between Chicken Little and Nosey. “The main difference,” Nosey replied, “is that Chicken Little was an alarmist. Say ‘Boo’ and he would race back to his hen house. I, on the other hand, am a survivalist. For example, if I lived in the Northwest, I would be baked by the wildfires; in the South, my tunnels would become sewer lines; God forbid I should live in the Middle East or Ukraine – bombs aren’t good for tunnels. So I took this job in Iowa where nothing extreme happens.”

“What current issues do you worry about most?” mariner asked. Nosey said he ignores all the brouhaha about Trump and the democrats and further that the social issues will not be resolved under any circumstances. “What I worry about is me. What’s going to happen to discretionary funding (Social Security, Obama Care, Medicaid, support for retirees, Childcare, etc.)?”

Nosey continued, “I keep a close eye on my savings and budget, stay out of debt and make sure my insurance policies are in good shape. “Further,” he continued, “I’m not confident about the US economy because no one controls it. I want to see more tax constraints on corporations and venture capitalists.”

“How do you feel about the working class issues?” mariner asked. Nosey replied, “Right now, the government has the largest deficit in history and there aren’t enough natural resources to go around so the government won’t help – those folks better learn how to make tunnels.”¹

Mariner thanked Nosey for his honesty. Nosey quickly dropped back into his tunnel.

Indeed, Nosey is a survivalist. Like Chicken Little, he has a constant fear for which there seems to be no solution. His solution is ‘every person is on their own’. No doubt this alter ego occasionally may color mariner’s posts.

¹Note mariner’s recent theme of participating in community, family and supporting both with one’s own contribution. As Nosey suggests, this model may be the only way out.

Ancient Mariner

 

A new pet word

Seasoned readers know that mariner has a world class linguist as a friend. One of our pastimes is collecting words that catch our fancy. Most of them are American slurs like ‘jeetjet?’, or the word may be a ridiculously long and convoluted word like ‘hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia which happens to mean fear of long words. Mariner has a new one: peer. As an adverb, it is someone going to the bathroom; as a verb, it is someone looking with timidity; as a noun, it is someone who is equal to others; as a proper noun, it is the name of Gynt’s fancy hotel room. In British usage, being a peer suggests one belongs to an upper class rank like Duke or Lord; in the United States, it means that a person is accepted and equal in a group of others with similar circumstances – as in the democratic phrase ‘All men are created equal’ which, of course, has never been true.

Mariner came upon ‘peer’ nestled in psychological essays. The essays suggested that the desire to be a peer is a strong need to sustain the ego and is a core survival skill. One quickly can identify with this urge especially in school rooms; if classmates are not openly friendly, an individual may have doubts about their own worth in this peer group. A nuanced suggestion is that ‘peer pressure’ is at the foundation of human behavior in that it is a desire to have others accept the individual as a social member and to be part of the tribe’s protection against harm. So while the ego is sensitive to group acceptance, it also is the motivation for achievement AKA defender of the tribe.

Throw the word ‘peer’ into the political mixing bowl and one can see what drives social conflict. It has become common knowledge that MAGA emerged from a labor class that for half a century has been underpaid, lost guaranteed benefits and ultimately was not considered as successful as college graduates. Talk about peer pressure – from the white collar world!

To survive, the ego must be satisfied. it finds others who share the person’s disgruntlement and together launch counter attacks against those who deny their equality.

It turns out not all humans are peers and, will a computer ever be a peer to a human?

Armageddon proceeds.

Ancient Mariner

Where have all the humans gone, long time passing . . .

Evolution constructed a species that took 300,000 years to evolve into a super smart, super perceptive and superbly protective creature. With these sensitivities, humans were able to unite their efforts to develop civilizations far beyond the imagination of their ancestors. In this new century, however, where have all the humans gone? What has taken their place are argumentative Capuchin monkeys and threats of species diminution by computers. Is it time to begin another evolution cycle?

In the midst of today’s confusion, destruction and kleptomania, the future cannot be discerned. But there may be ways to apply a healing salve. Will our inherent sensitivities be heard?

The tools are at hand – literally. The future is in the hands of our hands. Suppose two families with intensely different political views, or two socially prejudiced views live next door to one another. One morning one family brings the neighbor’s trash collection can from the curb back to the neighbor’s house without coming into contact with that family. What does this gesture using the hands imply? Is it a salve? Will it promote a different tone between the families?

Suppose one neighbor learns that another neighbor has had expensive medical bills or has become incapacitated in some way. What happens if the hands make a gift dinner or cut the lawn? Is that a salve? Even if it is, will it reduce confrontation?

Suppose you have a sweet corn field. You harvest the ears, clean them, then drive around town giving them all away free to neighbors. Is this a salve? Will salves work?

An excellent example of hand-produced salve is the reputation the Amish have for building barns. The entire community gets together to help one farmer build his barn. That is a handful of hands! But just as good an example is Habitat for Humanity. It has been proven that both these building efforts, using many freewill hands, calms the waters of life for both sides – those assisting and those receiving.

Mariner is a personal witness to all the above examples.

Instead of focusing on differences, try using the hands. It’s magic! Instead of yielding to fomenting headlines, look for simple hand gestures that apply a salve to those around you. Become sensitive to fellow humans who will appreciate a helping hand. Let’s not regress to being Capuchin monkeys.

Ancient Mariner.

 

 

The new world ain’t so bad

As many, many voters have done, mariner has shut down news in its entirety. Not only that, he has removed television in general from his options. He and his wife spend one evening each week on a ‘date’ to watch British mysteries together. Other than that, the television sits dark in its corner.

After a few days of dysfunction, one begins to fill in the space with other options – everything from talking more often with family members, to reading books, to crosswords, to reading magazines, even to stopping to talk to neighbors more frequently. Did the reader know they could still go to the movies?

Slowly, the brain turns to other things not thought of in a long time; there’s that attic door lock that has needed fixing for years; building a clear report of family assets, budget patterns and tax detail; tossing out one million four hundred pieces of 8½x11 paper that has been cordoned off for most of one’s life; gifted non-viewers may recall knitting, crocheting, painting and writing. Two friends of mariner make jewelry.

There is time to restart your attendance to community organizations and social events. If he wanted, mariner could go to a square-dancing club; even if he wanted to go, his knees and vertigo would make a mess of things.

How long has it been since the reader washed their dog? Does that trip to a lifelong friend nine states away seem more likely? The point one realizes is that an awful lot of life has been missed while opting for television to fill one’s day.

Brain scientists say an inactive brain goes south faster than an active brain – that is, if the brain has to learn new facts or skills on a daily basis, the brain may likely go southwest – a longer trip.

Speaking from his own experience, gearing up a daily to-do list and be willing to execute it is as difficult as gearing up a heavy 18-wheeler.

But the good side is a feeling of being an independent person, not attracted and seduced by television and, if one is committed to becoming a busy individual, one may lose track of the smartphone once in a while.

Remember: psychologists say that happiness comes automatically if one is active in the community, loves one’s family and graciously works at supporting the least of us.

Ancient Mariner

Bats, Beavers and Bears

Regular readers know that in his younger years mariner spent some time as a preacher. One sermon he wanted to preach but never did because it would be confusing to the congregation, was a sermon about the common relationship between bats, beavers, bears and humans. Without needing to sustain a congregation’s comprehension, he may try to deliver it in essay format.

* * *

This topic rests upon the definition of survival, behavior and faith. They all are identical, come from the same set of brain cells and are managed in the subconscious mind except when rituals are performed. This phenomenon is identical in bats, beavers, bears and humans – and virtually all creatures in the animal world. If one is a zoologist, the common term is survival; if one is a psychiatrist/sociologist, the common term is behavior; if one is a theologian, the common term is faith.

Some explanation of brain function may be helpful. As a machine, the brain performs the same functions for BBB&H and other warmblooded creatures as well. The mastermind that induced brain function is evolution, a very slow operator that takes many, many lifetimes to change genome reasoning gene by gene to keep pace as environmental reality shifts. If one could watch long enough, they would see the subtle similarity as bats behave as bats, beavers behave as beavers, etc.

In the human brain, evolution took a strange turn and added a frontal lobe to the pre-wired, automatic decision maker housed in the subconscious. The frontal lobe has a brand new function: humans can imagine stuff that doesn’t exist. This puts a strain on the subconscious engine that actually makes human decisions. Humans can easily imagine that a fantasy actually is real and live by it even though it has nothing to do with survival. The bats, beavers and bears are fortunate in this regard.

The term ‘ritual’ is simply a visible, three-dimensional act executed by the subconscious decision maker. It is an act to sustain survival. A bat decides to look for a cave, a beaver decides to build a dam, a bear looks for a den. Humans, with their artificially enhanced reality will look for shelter as well, but with distorted judgment. It is only the destitute and very poor who know that their decision is based solely on survival.

The second perspective, social behavior, is a montage of experiences among family, community and core personality. The core personality is found in the genome and provides the primary actions for survival but how a human behaves in public, under stress, confrontation, and accountability is a montage of ingrained behaviors externally induced to survive.

So the human frontal lobe, along with the fantasy that each human owns the planet and its natural processes, that community bonding isn’t as important as driving the interstates to new fantasies, that money measures surviveability, has led to a third category needed to describe the ethics of surviveability: faith.

Bats, beavers and bears don’t need nor can induce faith beyond a simple behavioral principal that allows them to take advantage of unusual situations. For example, a bear may depend on a human. Humans, however,  can  interpret reality many different ways. Humans often have the imagination to leverage reality beyond the rules of existence provided by evolution.

The subconscious decision maker, for all it’s sophistication, is swayed by the constant barrage of confrontations caused by wishes for glory, adventure and self-serving behavior. Reality has become a circus of convoluted survival values. Which value is a genuine risk to survival?

Enter faith. In addition to subconscious survival decisions, humans have a tool called ideology to help separate the wheat from the chaff. Ideology has many concentrations. For example, there is theological, political, communal, economic and whimsy. The advantage of faith is that it lays an organized value system over reality by which to measure decisions that are genuinely about survival. Unfortunately, the subconscious decision maker doesn’t accept these decisions; ideology is strictly a preoccupation of the frontal lobes. Unless a human convinces themselves that their ideology is the actual reality, humans tend to drift in and out of ideological allegiance depending on its convenience. Hence the need for divine forgiveness for habitual sinners.

Given all these machinations, the subconscious decision maker doesn’t wander far from it’s genome instructions. Survival, care for loved ones and concern for it’s tribe are the core reality. The extent to which the circus realities of the frontal lobe cause nuisance and disruption to our subconscious survival skill places great pressure on the true interpretation of reality. Just ask the bats, beavers and bears how much.

Ancient Mariner