Gaia Community: Dan's Blog

Book review: How to Re-Imagine the World

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 07:39:11 -0000

cross-posted from The Electric Mirror. I thought the Zaadz community might find this interesting, In his latest book, How to Re-Imagine the World: A Pocket Guide for Practical Visionaries, Anthony Weston presents advice on how to "think outside the box" in regards to social change. From the back cover,

Who says we can't change the world? In fact the world is already being transformed, right under our feet. Whole new social and political systems are becoming possible, from "re-localization" to electronically-enabled global democracy. Work, marriage, our relation to the natural world -- everything is changing in many ways at once. This book outlines a way to step up to the challenge: the way of creativity. Here you will find imaginative tools -- specific, focused, and shareable techniques to cultivate new ideas, to find new openings, to re-invent the world and prepare for both the best and the worst...

I suppose I had high hopes for this book. I'm not sure why, exactly; maybe because I liked the cover art. I don't know. But, unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. Although the book isn't specifically about politics, Weston's progressivist ideals do shine through, which didn't really bother me. I was just disappointed with the fact that Weston doesn't really demonstrate how his advice could be adopted by anyone who does not share his political perspective, and that his intended audience is obviously limited to people who already agree with him. Also, much of the book seems not to offer advice on how to come up with new ideas, but instead advice on how to come up with ideas similar to the author's. However, the crux of what I object to in this book can be summed up in this excerpt:

Beneath the problems that often seem so "given" lie cultural norms and practices and ultimately whole worldviews. Our problems have contexts, backgrounds, roots. These in turn can be shifted and reconstructed. Problems can be circumvented or at least reshaped so that they arise in more manageable forms. Go deep. The word "radical" itself comes from the Latin "radix", root. For the most creative leverage we sometimes need to work at the roots.

My objection to this is subtle, but significant. Weston seems to be implying that the best way to deal with big problems is to destroy or alter the roots of the problem, which seems perfectly rational. However, I think that this is ultimately unwise. I don't think that uprooting cultural norms, practices, and worldviews solves problems because those cultural institutions are not analogous to weeds. Saying that uprooting our cultural institutions will solve our cultural problems is like saying that destroying or shifting the foundation of a house will fix the leaking roof. Granted, Weston did not say "destroy" or "uproot". He used the words "shift" and "reconstruct". But how can you reconstruct if you do not first deconstruct? And what exactly does "shift" mean? For example, is it possible to shift the roots of a tree to another location without first uprooting it? The way I interpret it, a "radical" is someone who calls for a return to the roots and a strengthening of the roots, not for an alteration of the roots. I'm all for thinking outside the box, but I am not in favor of discarding the box altogether. If you discard the box, what do you have left to think outside of? "The box" is our point of orientation, our roots. It is like our home. It is where we return to at the end of the day. It's like the idea of a "comfort zone". Venturing outside of one's comfort zone is important and necessary if one is to live a meaningful and fulfilling life, but you can't live your entire life outside of that comfort zone. At some point you have to have something to return to. This makes me think of the relationship between imagination and memory. It's hard to imagine a future that would be any different from the past if you don't remember what the past was like to begin with. Likewise, it's hard to imagine new ways of thinking, new "worldviews", without having an understanding of those of the past. As the saying goes, "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." But even beyond repeating history, understanding the past is necessary in order to avoid re-inventing the wheel over and over again. In order to re-imagine the world, it is necessary to know how the world has already been imagined. Anyway, I think I may have gone off on a tangent. Overall, I think the book presents some interesting ideas on how to think about the future. I wouldn't call it "radical", but it certainly is a good reminder to continually ask, "what if?"

Short: The Unblinking Gaze of My French Fried Mind

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:22:35 -0000

I made this short with some friends to submit to a small film festival put on by The Second City. Alas, 'twas not accepted for the festival. However, it was accepted by YouTube! I hope you enjoy it.

My New Blog!

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 05:12:07 -0000

This is the first video from my new blog at Polysemy, The Electric Mirror. Check it out. I'm so friggin' excited about this thing. It's going to be awesome. (If your having trouble playing the video on this page, as I am, then just visit the blog itself. It works there.)

Click To Play

New Polysemy Podcast (and Blog Platform)

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:55:11 -0000

Part 3 of our discussion about Joshua Bell is live. And, in my opinion, it's the best podcast yet. We even touch briefly on Ken Wilber's definition of art (for all you Wilber heads out there). We also have a brand new blog platform, Wordpress! Polysemy has bid Blogger adieu, and a paradigm shift of blog awesomeness has occurred.

Also, don't tell anyone I told you, but a new Polysemy blog is about to launch soon soon soon. I won't ruin the surprise, but I will say that it will be full of multimedia goodness, and very little text. Yay for audio and video!

New Polysemy Podcast

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:11:56 -0000

Part 2 of the Joshua Bell experiment discussion is up on the Woodshed. Check it out!

Quote of the Day

Mon, 28 May 2007 17:48:51 -0000

This is from the song "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" by Joanna Newsom, on her album "The Milk-Eyed Mender". I'm not sure exactly what I like about. It's a thinker, in a very mysterious and spacious way. Anyway, here it is,

"There are some mornings when the sky looks like a road."
zaadz quote link.

POLYSEMY PODCAST!!!

Wed, 16 May 2007 23:34:22 -0000

Hey everybody! The first ever Polysemy Podcast is up! Produced by yours truly. Check it out!
It's a recording of a conversation between Matthew Dallman, Victoria Lansford, Thom Morgan, and myself about Joshua Bell playing at a Washington DC subway stop.

Rant #846294937

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:27:23 -0000

Ok, I went to the grocery store yesterday. It wasn't a Whole Foods or any fancy grocery store like that, just a plain ol' mainstream grocery store. I was in the produce section, and above each of the stands was a flat-screen tv hanging from the ceiling. On each tv was some generic, 2-minute cooking show or something like that. Something to make people buy more food, right. Innocent enough.

So, for a moment, I was behind one of these tv's, so I couldn't see the screen, but I could hear it. It was some quick talk show kind of thing. The topic seemed to be something like "how to be more effective at work". A woman was talking to another about tips for the workplace, or something like that, and the first tip she gave was "smile". Cool, smiling is good. I have nothing against smiling. But then she adds, "even if you don't feel like it." Ok, I may disagree with this, but that's ok, no big deal. Then, she explains why, "because when you smile, you actually set off a chemical reaction in your brain that makes you feel happy." Well, I could argue with this, but maybe she has a point. I find the quasi-scientific explanation of happiness to be a little irritating, but whatever. If people want to try to find happiness by smiling even though they feel like shit, then they're free to do that. And I don't really care that much anyway. I just want to get some food and go home.

But then, she concludes with this line, "and studies have proven that happy people are more productive." I couldn't believe what I had just heard. "Studies have proven that happy people are more productive." I wanted to shove a spoon into my eye. "Studies have proven that happy people are more productive." The assumtions on which this statement is based are so disgusting it makes me want to kill someone.

The idea that happiness is not an end in itself, but rather, a means to increase productivity makes me want to vomit. I don't care how many "studies" have "proven" this. What the hell is the point of living if happiness falls below productivity on the priorities list? What is the point of productivity? What exactly are we producing that is so important that happiness is secondary?

Granted, the glorification of productivity is not an unpopular thing in modern society, especially in America. There may even be some people reading this who don't understand why I'm getting so upset. But, think about it. When you are on your deathbed, are you going to be thinking, "at least I got a lot of stuff done"?

What is the point of living? Why are we here? Is it simply to get things done? Is the quantity of our accomplishments a measure of the quality of our lives? Goddamnit! What the hell is going on?!

Ok, deep breath... inhale... exhale... </rant>

Leaving Boulder

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:00:02 -0000

Hello friends. This post is for all my Boulder buddies. I'm moving to Chicago in exactly one week, and I want to see all my Boulder friends before I go. Drop me a line if you want to meetup. There might be a small going-away party somewhere. We'll see.

Zaadz QaR: What is one book that has changed your life? How?

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:31:32 -0000

Walden by Henry David Thoreau, without a doubt. I first read it (or selections from it) during my sophomore year of highschool, and that year I tried to replicate Thoreau's experiment in my own life (to the extent that I could while living in my parents house and attending school). I tried to simplify, simplify, simplify as much as I could in as many areas of my life as I could, and I kept a journal, recording my reflections on my experience and my thoughts on Thoreau's words.

I also read some of Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays around that time and several times since then, but his work hasn't impacted me as much. Emerson's thoughts, while powerful, are essentially abstract. Thoreau is more concrete. He walked his talk, and that's what inspires me so much.

My position on global warming: I don't care

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 21:33:12 -0000

Is global warming happening? Is it man made? From my perspective, it doesn't really matter. There are a million other reasons to be stewardly towards the environment we live in, not the least of which is the fact that it's the environment we live in.

It's like the big hoopla about cigarettes causing cancer. Smoking is unhealthy, regardless of whether or not it causes cancer. But for most people, that isn't enough of a motivation to quit. Most people aren't really aware of their bodies and minds enough to notice all the negative effects that smoking has. It's an addiction, so unless a bunch of scientists tell them that it's going to kill them, most people will just ignore its effects. And even if they decide to quit, it's most likely only because the scientists scared them into it, not because they actually desire freedom from their addiction. Their motivation is their fear of death, not their desire for a fuller life.

Same with the environment. Most people aren't aware of their surroundings enough to notice how unhealthy it is. We'd rather just continue living our lives the way we are now because it takes too much effort to change. We're addicted to our way of life, and now a bunch of scientists are scaring the shit out of us with their apocalyptic prophesies, again arousing (and thus feeding) our profound fear of death.

Personally, I would rather die than live in fear. Live free or die. That's my motto. (And if you believe in reincarnation, as I do, then even death won't release you from your fear. So, actually, my motto is just: Live free). I want to make the environment (and the world) a better place not because I'm afraid it will end if I don't, but because I wish to live in a world where I can live life to the fullest. Just like I want to make my body (and my mind) as healthy as I can not because a healthy body can delay death the longest, but because I wish to have a vessel through which I can live life to the fullest. I wish to live free of the limits of an unhealthy body, and free of the limits of an unhealthy environment.

In light of that, I don't see global warming as an issue of any importance. Global warming is a symptom of a deeper issue.

New Blog

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 04:08:40 -0000

cross-posted from the (w)hole:

Yo. Readers. 'Sup.

I gots good news, and I gots bad news.

Bad news: ... Just kidding! I don't have any bad news! Everything's perfect and flowery!

Good news: I'm working on a new blog right now that I plan to launch sometime in the coming weeks. It's about my "college" education. In fact, that's the name of the blog, My "College" Education. "College" is in quotation marks because I'm not actually in college. The blog is about what I'm doing instead of going to college.

The skinny: After dropping out of 3 different colleges, I've come to realize that school isn't really working out, and so, my parents have agreed to give me a loan to fund a self-directed education in place of college. So, I'm creating this blog to keep track of and share the things I'm doing. There's more to it than that, but that's the gist.

To kick it off, I'm writing three manifesto-ish, mission statement-y posts that will have permanent links on the top of the sidebar. The titles: "What is the purpose of this blog?", "My educational history and philosophy", and "My life goals". Once I have these three posts written, and the sidebar all fixed up the way I like it, then the blog will officially lauch. WOOHOO! EDUCATION!

Update 2/26/07: I've decided to keep my new blog somewhat private, at least for now. If you really want to see it, then email me and I'll send you a link. But I won't be advertising it anymore or linking to it.

Happy Valentine's Day

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:43:43 -0000

cross-posted from the (w)hole

Well, it's Valentine's Day, and I'm back in Boulder, sitting here with my computer, at a friend's house, where I am residing temporarily, lonely, lonely, lonely. It's snowing outside. It's been snowing since I returned on Sunday, more or less. I feel like listening to Elliot Smith and drinking a glass of red wine, perhaps splattering some ink into my sketchbook.

Anway, my Valentine's gift to you, my beautiful readers, is a short poem I wrote a couple weeks ago while I was in Austin after reading many many poems out of Charles Bukowski's Love is a Dog from Hell, which my friend recommended to me. I think I'll just call it "Fan the Flame". Here 'tis...

If I had a woman
with a torch in her hand,
I would never be afraid
of the dark.

Instead,
I would crave it.

If she was a witch
with fire in her eyes,
I would never be afraid
of the moon.

Instead,
I would study it.

If she was invisible
and burned only in my heart,
I would never be afraid
of the fire in my own eyes.

Instead,
I would fan the flame.

Travelblog 5: Almost Done

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 07:48:58 -0000

I'm in Dallas right now, festering in my parents' house. I'll be flying back to Colorado on Sunday. This trip is almost over. Thank God.

I've learned a lot during this trip. A lot about myself, a lot about others. One big thing I learned is that I really do not enjoy hitchhiking. In fact, I hate it. I hate waiting for hours on the side of the road with my thumb out and a fake smile on my face. I hate being stuck inside cars with fundamentalist Christians trying to save my soul. I hate listening to truckers tell me about all the times they've been arrested. I hate drivers falling asleep at the wheel while I'm in the back seat. I hate sleeping in gas stations. I hate truckstop restaraunts. I hate being stranded in the middle of nowhere. I hate having no idea what's going to happen next. And most of all, I hate the feeling of powerlessness that comes from being completely dependent on complete strangers.

That's not to say that I regret taking this trip. Like I said, I've learned a lot. But I won't be doing it again anytime soon. It's been far more exhausting than fun. I sort of expected that this might happen, and it has. So now I know just how much I hate hitchhiking. No longer must I wonder what it would be like, or if I would like it. No longer must I fantasize about the freedom and excitement of hittin' the road with nothing but a cardboard sign and an extra pair of socks. For I know now just how much it truly sucks balls. And I feel content putting this experience behind me.

Travelblog 4: Departing New Orleans for Austin Tomorrow

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 01:27:05 -0000

... but I won't be hitchhiking. I'll be on a Greyhound. I'm pretty sick right now and my motivation level for hitching is low.

I kinda wanted to stay in New Orleans a little longer. There're some more people that I wanted to see. But this trip has been kicking my ass, and to be honest, I just want to go home. I'll stay in Austin for a few days, then maybe Dallas for a day or two, and then fly back to Denver. Or maybe I'll skip Dallas and just fly back from Austin.

My family is in Dallas, and I didn't visit during Christmas, so I feel kind of obligated to visit now. But I really don't want to. I don't know. I'll figure it out when I get to Austin.

Travelblog 3: I'm in Nawlins (New Orleans).

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:13:26 -0000

I arrived in New Orleans yesterday evening after a very frustrating week on the road. I'm currently staying at the home of a high school buddy of mine who goes to school here. I think I'm going to stay here through the weekend and then go to Austin for a while, and then to Dallas, and then fly back to Denver. Fly? yes. Hitchhiking is exhausting, and I'm predicting that, by the time I get to Dallas, I will have had my fill of hitching. But maybe not. We'll see.

Travelblog 2: Still in Chicago

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 21:04:57 -0000

I'll be departing tomorrow morning for New Orleans.

Travelblog 1: Boulder to Chicago

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:49:44 -0000

cross-posted from the (w)hole

The first leg of my hitchhiking journey, Boulder to Chicago, has been completed and I am now chillin' in the Windy City (the town which is to become my home in the coming months).

The first day of my trip was a dud. There was a heavy snowstorm in the Boulder/Denver area, which made things difficult. I started in Boulder, got a ride to dowtown Denver, took a bus to I-76, stuck my thumb out for a while, walked to a gas station, got a ride to a truckstop, tried to get a ride there unsuccessfully, took a taxi to a Greyhound station with the intention to get a ticket to get me just outside of Denver where it would be easier to catch a ride, but decided against it and hopped on the bus back to Boulder.

The next day, the weather was much better, and my friend Lindsey gave me a ride out to I-76, just outside the city, where hitching would be much easier. I barely stuck my thumb out before I had a ride. A guy in a big pickup truck pulled over and said that he was only going about ten miles up 76, but I got in anyway even though it was a short ride. He was a former leader of a motorcycle gang turned preacher at an Anglican church, or something like that, and he asked me if I believed in Jesus Christ. I told him that I try to keep an open mind around religious matters. He didn't respond. He dropped me off at a good exit with plenty of traffic and plenty of room for cars to pull over. I stood on the corner with my sign, which read "It's a long walk to Chicago. No ride is too short!" (a bit wordy, I know), and stuck my thumb out. I waited for about forty-five minutes with no luck. So I went to the gas station to warm up and go to the bathroom. Then, back to the corner. I waited for another forty-five minutes or so, no luck.

I thought that maybe people might be seeing the word "Chicago" on my sign and instantly thinking "Oh, I'm not going that far" and driving past. So I put my sign down, and within two minutes, I had a ride. The guy pulled over and asked me where I was headed. I said "Chicago, but I'll go as far east as you can take me." "Ok," he said, and I got into his big blue Suburban.

He didn't say where he was going. In fact, he didn't say anything, and neither did I. I didn't want to speak unless spoken to, cuz, you know, it's important to be extra polite when hitching. But he never said anything. We just sat in silence. No music, no talking. Just the sound of tire hitting pavement and wind hitting windshield, and the occassional ticking of the turn signal when we changed lanes. About an hour into this, I saw a big yellow sign that read, "Correctional Facility. Do not stop for hitchhikers." It was the first of many. This made me increasingly nervous, seeing these signs and not knowing where this guy was planning to drop me off.

Suddenly, he took an exit, right after we passed yet another big yellow sign. To my relief, he said, "I'm just gonna stop for lunch," and we pulled into a gas station with a Quizno's. We ate lunch silently, then as we were walking back to his car, I asked, "So what's your final destination?"
"South Bend," he said, "It's just a couple hours past Chicago."
"Oh, wow. and you don't mind taking me all the way to Chicago?"
"No."
"Well, thanks man, I really appreciate it."

And that was that. I had a ride all the way to Chicago. And thank God, because after those yellow signs had ended, some new anti-hitchhiking signs popped up in their place when we hit Nebraska. About every ten to twenty miles, there was a sign with a picture of a hand with it's thumb out with a big red line through it, as if hitchhiking was like smoking at a gas station, all the way through Nebraska. I remembered that I had read somewhere that this part of the country was notoriously difficult for hitchhikers, but it didn't really sink in until I saw these signs, one after another. I felt that I had truly lucked out in getting a ride straight through all of this.

More stuff happenned after that, but I'll write about it later.

No Email

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:33:59 -0000

Howdy Friends,
I won't be on the computer much for the next month, so if you need to contact me, call my cell phone.
Peace Out !
Dan

Check it out, I'm female.

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:53:12 -0000

Your results:
You are Mystique

Mystique		60%
Dark Phoenix		59%
Poison Ivy		57%
Venom		57%
Apocalypse		51%
Catwoman		46%
Magneto		45%
The Joker		44%
Juggernaut		44%
Green Goblin		40%
Mr. Freeze		40%
Dr. Doom		38%
Kingpin		33%
Lex Luthor		28%
Two-Face		28%
Riddler		18%

Sometimes motherly, sometimes a beautiful companion, but most of the time a deceiving vixen.

Click here to take the Super Villain Personality Test
Your results:
You are Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman		70%
Supergirl		70%
Spider-Man		65%
The Flash		65%
Iron Man		55%
Hulk		55%
Superman		50%
Green Lantern		50%
Batman		45%
Robin		40%
Catwoman		40%

You are a beautiful princess
with great strength of character.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...