Views & Thoughts
Media influence; you decide
It seems to me, at least it is like this in the Netherlands, that people read or watch the media outlet of their choice, and only that media outlet. Are people censoring their own opinions? Or might it just be that any form of media inherently censors, or at least, subjectively decides on relevant information and newsworthyness. Read more…
Oscar Wilde Quote
All that I desire to point out is the general principle that life imitates art far more than art imitates life.
Oscar Wilde
And clearly, the more life turns to extremes, art seems to follow. Take music for example; we are currently applauding gangsters for displaying their criminality in their songs. Directly connected to life getting tougher while we are all growing more individual by the week? Wouldn’t know, do you?
Social Profit and Sustainability
And I think the word that leads to both is responsibility.
You are behaving responsible if the social profit of your business exceeds its cost.
You are behaving responsible if you minimize the footprint your business leaves behind.
Why is this something that people feel should be discussed? Because the laws and regulations were made before we had any awareness of the fact that pollution has a very long-term effect? It seems that way, and only when public opinion threatens to affect the bottom-line companies feel obliged to take action. The current green movement is just as much a marketing trend as the next thing but at least we are neutralizing our carbon footprint. It’s just too bad that there are all these other possible footprints that are not in the public eye.
For example, the electric company trying to sell me green power, but I still have a choice, when they’re convinced that is the best way, why leave us a choice at all? Or why doesn’t the government use the huge percentage of tax on our energy usage to make it ‘green’?
Same goes for social profitability; a business that can only thrive by exacting a cost on its social surroundings is not thriving at all; its costs are bigger than its profits. The gambling industry comes to mind for example.
I do understand that it’s very hard to determine what the social profits and costs of doing business are, at least in some cases. The Salvation Army for example, probably has a bigger social profit than cost, while a gambling club does not gain anyone but the owners anything. For all the businesses in between things can be more grey, but it being grey is no excuse for exacting it anyway.
Profit as the Goal
And why wouldn’t it be, profit is what makes the business world go round and what gets you that ferrari. (If that’s what confirm’s you’ve made it, even if it’s just for yourself.) But could it be that profit is not worth striving for in the long run? What if profit is just our current scorecard and only justifies its strive for it because its the only scorecard we have? I could be on the wrong track here, because clearly the strive for profit is the result of the events that have formed our world in the past few centuries, but I’m thinking stuff will keep happening and the world will change some more in the time to come.
Still, I think there is some middleground to be found. In the past, profit was there, ofcourse, but there were multiple other goals; honouring your god(s), bringing honour to your name/family/parents/father/mother or just provide for your tribe by bringing home a deer you’ve killed to be eaten. Sure enough, money seems to have replaced all these values, the few values we have left are remnants of the in my little world dominant christian background. Ofcourse some people still bring home money just to feed their family.
While we are sort of changing (evolving would imply this is a good/bad thing rather than just a change) towards a stage were money is just the best means to the goal we strive for, wether its happiness, material posession or some kind of transcendence. I still think its going to stick around for a lot longer. But that does not in any way mean we should just accept the current train of thought as written in stone.
It’s definitely not money that makes the world go round, it’s the effort people put in. For money ofcourse, but what would happen if you would think of another incentive?
Seth on Slack
Economic crisis; Seth figures you have plenty of time on your hands: why not spend it on something useful?!
He has two roads to accomplish this:
- Learn something
- Earn a following and reputation
Check out his post on his blog to read the entire thing, might give you something to do!
Als god een prutser is
Als god perfectie is, is de holocaust perfectie in het klein. Als god onfeilbaar is, zit er schoonheid in jouw niet te dragen pijn. Als god geen zonden heeft, is elke marteling in wezen een festijn. Als god geen fouten maakt, is de wereld wat hij hoort te zijn.
Maar wat nu als het niet zo is, als god bestaat uit weinig meer dan uiterlijke schijn? Als onfeilbaarheid geen schoonheid is, maar frustratie uit zijn opperwezenpijn? Of de hand van god twee linker handen zijn? God als schepper van leed en pijn? En wij zijn evenbeeld, prutsend in het klein?
http://honderd.volkskrantblog.nl/
De briljante auteur van dit stuk staat niet met naam en toenaam op zijn blog. Vandaar de link naar waar het stuk vandaan kwam.
Why I am an Agnostic
Is there a supernatural power—an arbitrary mind—an enthroned God—a supreme will that sways the tides and currents of the world—to which all causes bow? I do not deny. I do not know—but I do not believe. I believe that the natural is supreme—that from the infinite chain no link can be lost or broken—that there is no supernatural power that can answer prayer—no power that worship can persuade or change—no power that cares for man.
I believe that with infinite arms Nature embraces the all—that there is no interference—no chance—that behind every event are the necessary and countless causes, and that beyond every event will be and must be the necessary and countless effects.
Is there a God? I do not know. Is man immortal? I do not know. One thing I do know, and that is, that neither hope, nor fear, belief, nor denial, can change the fact. It is as it is, and it will be as it must be.
We can be as honest as we are ignorant. If we are, when asked what is beyond the horizon of the known, we must say that we do not know.
Pragmatic agnosticism
—the view that there is no proof of either the existence or nonexistence of any deity, but since any deity that may exist appears unconcerned for the universe or the welfare of its inhabitants, the question is largely academic anyway.