The average person now spends 93 percent of their life indoors…This is a catastrophe, the final nail in the coffin for the human soul. You live nearly all your life in a fake world: artificial lighting instead of the warmth of sunlight or the cool of moonlight or the darkness of night itself. Artificial climate rather than the wild beauty of real weather…All the surfaces you touch are things like plastic, nylon, and faux leather instead of meadow, wood, and stream. Fake fireplaces; wax fruit. The atmosphere you inhabit is now asphyxiating with artificial smells — mostly chemicals…instead of cut grass, wood smoke, and salt air…In place of the cry of the hawk, the thunder of a waterfall, and the comfort of crickets, your world spews out artificial sounds…Dear God, even the plants in your little bubble are fake. They give no oxygen; instead the plastic off-gases toxins…This is a life for people in a science fiction novel…Living in an artificial world is like spending your life wrapped in plastic wrap. – John Eldredge writing in Get Your Life Back.
Author Archives: Darrick Dean
Fake Living
Tiananmen: 30 Years Later
…tanks eventually burst through burning debris and headed down the avenue towards Tiananmen. Afterward, I went into the street to comfort some of the locals. Their faces were filled with horror and voices with anguished cries. Various sources suggest that death casualties among the locals ranged several hundred to several thousand – but no one knows for sure because of the communist government’s tight control of information. In a span of just a few short hours, I witnessed the spark of freedom, and saw it extinguished. – Fred Gedrich
If you are too young to remember the Tiananmen Square Massacre, then please read this. The situation in China hasn’t improved in the succeeding decades. Remember that when you hear people defending the Chinese government.
Ready for Steampunk Fantasy?
There has been a parade of mind-numbingly similar dystopian films out of Hollywood. Here’s one from Russia that would give them a run for their money. Abigail takes the typical dystopian scenario and infuses it with fantasy and a bit of steampunk. Not sure why they filmed this in English only to dub using different English, but impressive film nonetheless. Especially with a budget a tiny fraction of the typical, over-priced, dull fest we’re used to.
Unearthing our Past, to Understand our Future
Let’s face it, when many people take a position on one issue or another, they often don’t put a lot of thought into it. Instead, we go with whoever sounds the best, ignited our emotions, happens to agree with our philosophy, worldview, or politics — these are the lazy reasons we employ in allowing others to buy our allegiance. Yes, we’re all busy, so much to do, but why take a stand without digging a little deeper? Why not pause, allow the emotions to calm, and think with the goal of finding the truth?
One topic that could use this wisdom are the debates on climate change. Is man causing the climate to change, or isn’t he? You know what I found? Most people — anointed experts included — leave out the overwhelming majority of climate data, yet try to convince us of their model. Let me explain.
Towards the Distant Horizon
Need a virtual vacation? Go exploring in the wide expanses of the Pacific and learn about the cultures that learned how to travel thousands of miles across open water, centuries before GPS, using the stars, wind, and waves.
There are three sorts of people; those who are alive, those who are dead, and those who are at sea. – Anacharsis
Erasing History
When Land-O-Lakes began to remove the Native American woman from its products, they talked around why, only saying it was to better represent their farmers and customers. Most people suspect it was also in response to activists claiming the image was racist, and perhaps the American Psychological Association’s Fake Science claiming such images have “a negative impact on the self-esteem of American Indian children.”
Turns out the artist, Patrick DesJarlait was a Native American himself. He painted the iconic woman, named Mia, to represent a real native. His son, who has protested other images and icons that he felt weren’t a positive reflection of natives, also confirms Mia is not racist or a stereotype.
He also noted,
Mia’s vanishing has prompted a social media meme: ‘They Got Rid of The Indian and Kept the Land.’ That isn’t too far from the truth. Mia, the stereotype that wasn’t, leaves behind a landscape voided of identity and history. For those of us who are American Indian, it’s a history that is all too familiar.
#SaveMia
The madness continues (6/20/19)…
Quaker Foods is removing the image of the woman from its Aunt Jemima brands, stating, “We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype.”
However, the original Aunt Jemima on the products was freed slave Nancy Green. Green has been called a “trailblazing corporate model,” a “talented entrepreneur” and “transitional symbol.” Green also “transformed Aunt Jemima from a strictly racist, commercial cipher into a symbol of friendliness and hospitality.”
Just as with Land ‘O Lakes erasing the Native American woman from their products — even though she was drawn by a Native American to honor his ancestors — more companies are choosing to give in to false claims of racism. “Aunt Jemima” began as a racial stereotype, but symbols can change, and Green changed it.
Mia, the native woman, wasn’t a real person, but Nancy Green was. Both, however, have had their stories whitewashed from society.
Isn’t that ironic?
Destroy Covid-19, Not Society
I keep wondering why people don’t take all viruses as seriously as covid-19. We (the public in general) treat the many influenza, pneumonia, and cold viruses, and other bio-organisms, as they are mere annoyances. They are very dangerous to the elderly or people with other conditions. People would be appalled if the media gave a daily death count concerning these. Covid-19 is scary because it’s new, not because it’s introducing a type of threat we’ve never seen before. We need to address covid-19, but be aware of collateral damage. What we do should be rooted in our knowledge of the virus, how it threatens, and who it threatens. Surgical strikes are needed, not a blanket approach that could throw society into chaos that make the past week or two look normal. Then we will see the medical system, and much more, collapse. What will the death toll be then?
#BeSafe #BeVigilant
See also:
Data Shows Our Fight Against Coronavirus May Be Worse Than The Disease
Copper Destroys Viruses and Bacteria. Why Isn’t It Everywhere?
Wuhan Coronavirus Death Rate Far Lower than Thought, with 1.4 Percent Mortality from COVID-19
How Many Laws Are WuFlu Crisis Making People Realize Are Very Dumb?
Thoughts on Corona Chaos
I found it odd when a school said it was going to disinfect their rooms and buildings over the weekend. I was wondering, “Why don’t schools take those precautions all through flu season? Why do we just choose to suffer through yearly flu and cold outbreaks?”
We stopped taking influenza serious (and viruses in general) even though most influenza strains are dangerous to people whose immune system are compromised by other factors, or if they are elderly (much like the current corona virus strain). Our anti-viral medications are no where near the level of advancement they should be. One would think these would be high-profit drugs for companies to produce. With all the money politicians take from Big Pharma, maybe they should expect more out of them than vacation junkets?
Having said all that, I think the many people quoting high mortality rates for the corona virus (covid-19 or SARS-CoV-2), may be causing unnecessary panic.
First, don’t get me wrong, we should be taking steps to squash this disease outbreak. Would our efforts be so drastic had we already had a more serious perspective on diseases as I mentioned? No, probably not. Certainly not with the economic and social havoc that has been occurring.
Weight of Memory: Vietnam
Ken Burns’ series, The Vietnam War is possibly one of the best, and most important, documentaries I have seen.
Knowing our history — and I repeat myself — is critical in one’s understanding of the world they live in. The Weight of Memory left to us by our collective past teaches, guides, and warns us.
Nearly fifty years have passed since the end of the Vietnam War. Sadly, those who have been born since really don’t know as much about that era as they think, and this is a danger.
Will Rome Have to Fall Again?
The Medieval era has always been a fascinating time to study. This is where the modern era was born. Our industry and commerce, our government and arts, our science and technology, all took root in those days. The myth of it being a “dark age” didn’t come until later, from revisionists trying to make their era look better.
With the corruption and malaise of Rome — that only served to maintain the elite — swept away, progress had begun again. Then, and now, calamity befalls the people when they don’t keep its rulers in check, when they cease paying attention to what conspiring their leaders are engaged in. Too busy accepting handouts like the Roman citizens, only to be surprised at the barbarians at their gates. Turns out the barbarians weren’t so barbaric. They built a resilient new civilization better than the last. The fall of Rome was a long time coming, just as our leaders didn’t begin their downward spiral yesterday. Continue reading
Darrick Dean 