Over the years, when there’s been conflict between groups – like what’s been in the news lately, I’ve thought of a lesson from watching pet gerbils. About what sparks conflict in situations where both sides avow nonviolence. And when, in fact, there’s been peaceful coexistence.
I remember reading the book Small Is Beautiful in grad school. About rethinking “when enough is enough.” Does more = happiness? Does “choice” = “freedom?” Is “more, more, more” sustainable?
Freedom of choice can be a luxury, especially when so many people around the world have few choices in navigating life.
And then there’re the more prosaic decisions or choices. Like what to eat, as in ordering from an expansive restaurant menu. Or pondering all the different salad dressings in a grocery store aisle.
Continue reading if choice = freedom, are > choices always better?
There’s something about beacons (and lighthouses) – guides in the void.
I regularly chat with an aspiring screenwriter about writing stories, narrative arcs, TV streaming series & films, … So, recently the ‘Beacon 23’ series returned to MGM+ for a second season. I watched the first season on Amazon Prime.
• Space.com > “‘Beacon 23′ series returns to MGM+ on April 7 with glowing blue rocks and alien artifacts” – Season one was short on action but loaded with compelling personalities whose shifting alliances and motivations made for some intriguing confrontations. [1]
That got me musing about “broken souls” and contours of conflict.
Continue reading Beacons & broken souls – the challenge of modernity
So, the recent congressional hearing Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis reminded me of social media’s ongoing saga of good, bad & ugly – both its direct impact and parallel political drama. Perhaps there’s a path forward with collaborative bills, updates to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, …
Continue reading the social media problem – 230 bloody hands
“Enraged & engaged.” Is it all just about anger and money (power)?
This year (2024) I’ve already got unsolicited (and somewhat puzzling) emails from novice political candidates in other, far away states. Likely cranked out by the tens of thousands from compiled, commercial mailing lists. The contents always have a dire tone.
The latest one used the political trope of “I’m a fighter,” as if any other advocacy is a cop-out. As if everything’s a smackdown. As if political worthiness is only gauged as a warrior (in a righteous cause).
Continue reading more anger does not equal a vision
I had an interesting chat last week with a member at my health club. Not just about sports. At one point, we agreed that not knowing what we don’t know is an issue. He said, “I can tell that you’re a thinker.” [2] Is that unusual?
So, this recent article (below) caught my attention.
Continue reading ‘Good’ thinking is hard work – intellectual traits
In today’s milieu of polarization, is there any path to acceptance of attitudes between different groups on controversial topics? And decisions and behaviors related to health? Particularly “when logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead.”
• phys.org > “Study shows testimonials can open acceptance to differing opinions on controversial topics” by University of Kansas (October 11, 2023) – Movies and larger productions have long known the influence of an engaging story on audiences.
Continue reading building attitudinal acceptance – personal testimonials
Can space travel – at least orbiting the Earth – cause cognitive shifts? Really be transformative – have lasting impact? [1]
Generally, studies note variability in the experience. And not all astronauts experience the overview effect.
(Wiki) Author [“space philosopher”] Frank White, who in the 1980s coined the term overview effect after interviewing many astronauts, …
Yaden et al. observed that cultural differences, including differences in religious and social identity, affect the ways in which the effect is experienced and interpreted. Expressions range from the religious, to the “vaguely spiritual”, to the naturalistic, to calls to social duty.
Wiki even notes that there’s some research on whether immersive virtual reality simulations might “induce the overview effect in earthbound participants.”
This Big Think article is a personal perspective by astronaut Ron Garan.
Continue reading The overview effectAn arbitration is an informal hearing. That may be why attorneys believe that they can tell the arbitrator what they think they can prove through an expert at trial. Sometimes they ask the arbitrator to use his/her expertise as a substitute for expert evidence that should have been presented. An arbitration, as informal as if may be, is still a forum for litigating factual disputes. The arbitrator cannot speculate as to the brilliant testimony of an expert nor can s/he substitute his or her judgment on issues requiring expert testimony.
The new statute of limitations on personal injury actions sets a trap for the lax personal injury practitioner in auto injury cases. The statute of limitations on a personal injury action has recently been extended to two years. Up to this recent change, it had been one year for longer than most attorneys can remember. The new Cal. Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1 states, “Within two years: An action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. [EFFECTIVE 1/1/2003. Added September 10, 2002 (SB 688) (Chapter 448).]”