Archive for November, 2008

Population Tolerance

     Now I suppose this is a rather obvious observation, yet one that I believe needs to be stated.  While some may say the following is a prediction, one cannot dispute the fact that the Homo Sapient population on the planet Earth has more than doubled in my brief lifetime, and apparently (as I see it), as the population increases, our tolerance of one another’s shortcomings decreases directly proportional to the increase in technology, and the decrease of our personal space.

With the decrease of our personal space comes an increase in our apprehension and our own personal desire to preserve what we have.  If we were only trying to preserve what we have that would not be as big a problem as the one we have.  We want more – greed, and it is greed for wealth, or power, or both, that is the underlying force of all the ills on this planet.

Lets start with one, because it deals directly with existence.  One need only view the many homicides in the United States each day, or count the number of homicides during any twenty-four period on the planet to acknowledge a truth:  We kill, and not only do we kill every other thing on this planet, we kill each other.

What to do……..what to do.

Here is a start.  "Thou shall not kill."  Yes I know, this is from the Bible.  It is quoted here only to indicate how long ago we understood this to be a truth.  Therefore, it is the law-of-the-land of most (not all) groups of individuals on Earth.  Yet, one way or another, we justify the killing of another.  This one simple dichotomy is but a microcosm, a sample of how we know something is wrong yet justify the action, and if we cannot establish an honest justification, we succumb to retribution (greed).  The question is:  How can we say to another not to kill – ever, when we justify the killing of another?

I am often told that not all things are black-and-white, yet we all know this is just another justification, thus allowing us, so it is thought, to manipulate the personal (group) desires, irrespective of the truth, which here is:  "….one shall not kill another."

A new question arises:  If we cannot take a life when one kills another, what shall we do as punishment?  To punish, a killing needs to take place.  Yes, I am proposing prevention.  Law enforcement does not prevent crime.  Rather, law enforcement captures, after the killing has occurred.  Some tell us that the punishment is a deterrent – this is just not true (unless you manipulate the facts).