Category: Important Concepts
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Reflections on Hope
I want now to reflect on my hope for a mature culture. For more than twenty postings, I have suggested my ideas for a mature culture, not as a blueprint, but as a point of discussion. I strongly believe that, if we are to survive as a species, we must more towards maturity; we must…
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The Victory City Model — Why I Like It
For a number of months now, I have been presenting an extended series of postings on my vision of a mature society. Mainly I have done this as an invitation to the reader (and to myself) to undertake the thought experiment of what would life actually be like. I’ve often focused on the Victory City…
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Governance in a Mature Society, Part 4
Continuing the theme of governance in a mature society, my thoughts have changed little since the writing of my book Acedia; thus, I am mainly quoting from this source (pp. 204-205), with additional minor commentary as update. The best example of governance I have encountered is that of Gaian democracies (Madron, 2008). Madron notes that…
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Governance in a Mature Society, Part 3
Continuing the theme of governance in a mature society, my thoughts have changed little since the writing of my book Acedia; thus, I am mainly quoting from this source, with additional minor commentary as update. As I reflect on what I have written so far, in this long series of posts on the nature of…
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Governance in a Mature Society, Part 2
Continuing the theme of governance in a mature society, my thoughts have changed little since the writing of my book Acedia; thus, I am mainly quoting from this source, with additional minor commentary as update. . . . a mature culture would balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the group, not…
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Governance in a Mature Society, Part 1
The word govern comes from the Latin gubernare (to direct or guide) and from the Greek kybernan (to steer or pilot a ship). Essentially it means to rule with authority; in democracy, that authority is assigned by the people. Authority itself is power to make decisions and to give orders so as to accomplish a…
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The Nature of Burnout, Part 1
After a lot of work, I now have this blog set the way I want (mainly). The process has been deeply frustrating, reminiscent of Sometimes I Hate Technology, and illustrative of how I burnout — over-invested in life being the way I want to be, as compared with how it is. Burnout. A common phenomenon…
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The Nature of Power, Part 2
Much of this post, as with part 1, is a precis of The Parable Of The Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution by Andrew Schmookler (1984). For me, the book is a brilliant summary of our current cultural stuckness. If an expanding society willingly stops where its growth would infringe on others, it…
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The Nature of Power, Part 1
I’m going to continue with how I ended the last post — the need to manage power. I believe it is essential to do so. I also believe that the book The Parable Of The Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution (Andrew Schmookler, 1984) provides brilliant insight into the nature of power. I…
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Acedia and Evil
I’ve been reading some of the articles accessible through The Climate Mobilization website, especially those concerning what we are now learning about the risks of global warming, even at our current level. It is so much worse than I thought! And I regard myself as well-informed in this area. For me, the issues are so…
Awakening From Your Anger 