The Green Dilemma

Let’s talk about the problems with “Going green.” First off, the government can never regulate it without absolute expectation to fail. As stated, “America must take the lead in solving the world’s big problem,” there is no funds. No doubt more levied taxes would pay for it, but with the taxpayers already swamped with an immense national debt, there is no way for them to afford any more expenditures. On average, each American, not taxpayer, would already have to pay over 50 grand to simply break even on the national debt. With an average household containing, recorded by the most recent 2012 census, 2.5 persons, that means that each household (not taxpayer) would have to pay over $250,000 to break even on national debt. Now, would it be responsible or smart to “Take charge on solving the world’s big problem,”? With an increasing inflation rate, the US dollar is losing more and more power in the world. If we have less spending power worldwide, even if we revolutionized biofuel, there would be no profit margin. With no profit margin there can be no incentive to do it.

If companies are forced to “Shoulder the financial burden,” then they will simply shut down. With already crippling levels of Government regulation on business, decreasing the profit margin greatly, how can we expect the government to force a business to shoulder a financial burden like that? If we allow the government to “Limit the people,” , then we slip away from capitalism and right into the hand of socialism. But that’s not all bad, I suppose, it worked out really well for Greece. Even more, if we slip even further into straight Marxist Communism, that may even work as well for us as it did for the Soviet Union. Is it right to force an oil company to shut down because we have started down the path to biofuels? Think of all the jobs in the oil field. This would greatly increase the unemployment rate, cripple the economy, and turn the United States upside down; essentially sending us into a depression worse than that of the Great Depression. The “Economy will crumble,” is an understatement.

As stated, “locally produced biofuels would require ‘500 million acres of U.S. land.’” How do we go about obtaining more land? Do we buy the border of Canada? It’s just simply not feasible from either side of practicality or monetarily. “The selling of the green economy involves much economic make-believe,”, this in an understatement. If we analyze Source B, we can find that in Singapore there are, “4 million rides per day on the public transit system while there are only 3 million private auto trips.” This may be a result of the, “$10,000 for a midsize car permit,”. In other words, its costs this much to buy a permit to buy a car. Would it be fair, in the United States, for the government to levy such a tax and tell us what we can or cannot buy? Even more, the 10 grand goes back into the public transit system.

In conclusion, going Green, while good in theory, is just simply undoable in the current state; that is without completely destroying the economy. Until we “run out of natural resources,”, we should continue using what we have and know. Natural resources may run out, and if they do then green energy would be the answer; but the thing out the Earth is; it regulates itself. While we have turned to green energy when our resources have run out, there will be a many year span until more oil is stored under the crust. Then, when there is a surplus again, people will revert back to oil fuel mainly because it’s easy, profitable, and universal. We are reaching an era when (between massive generation spans) we shall fluxuate between green energy and fossil fuel energy.

Altruism v. Carnality

Let's delve somewhat deep into the human conscious and analyze the ideas of love, conscious, philosophy of the mind, altruism, carnality, infatuation, and lust. There are two main ideas in the Altruism v. Carnality case, Empiricism and Rationalism. Empiricism, conjured by John Locke, is the idea that all men are born with a "Blank slate" and thus all information in our minds is learned, not hardwired into us. Now, a certain branch of Rationalism (Especially the realm of Thomas Hobbes, the branch we'll deal with) states exactly the opposite. Thomas Hobbes theorized that all men are born with "Human" or "Carnal Nature" and thus we are born evil and grow evil. Locke and Hobbes are both key in our understanding of ourselves (regardless of which position we take), we must either acknowledge our nature in carnality or completely disregard it.

When we break down our own minds and the thought processes that are central to our own individuality, we begin to find that such things of carnality. Even if we don't realize we are acting selfishly, we subconsciously are. Apply Newton's Third Law of Motion, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Charitable donations will always come back to the altruist; or he will benefit in some way. Therefore, if some action is returned or something gained in return, the altruistic act then becomes self-centered and becomes that of Carnality. This means that no matter how well we seem to think we know ourselves, we haven't even drilled passed the surface of our own complexity. Due to religious and scientific output throughout the world, people have been forced to stop and question (for the first time in recorded history) what he or she believes. When this happens, we lean towards the option that gains us more in the long run. We are reluctant to disregard previously held notions for fear of them being correct, and thus making us wrong. If we are wrong, then we lost something, and because we are all somewhat narcissistic as well carnal, we all want to gain not lose.

I won't go into political theory on this matter, but in considering and analyzing the human conscious we learn that we are only aware of what our deepest memories and thoughts wish for us to be aware. If we look objectively we can easily see it. Imagine the case of two young lovers, both madly in love with one another; each jealous of the other. When any person of the opposite sex admires their significant other, naturally they get angry. Jealousy is just another form of carnality. When we have worked hard to attain something, we do not entertain the idea of someone waltzing in and taking it. This aspect of "infatual" self-defense comes naturally to every human beings. Because we love someone, we are jealous of them; so what happens when we have no one?

Commonly, it can be understood that individuals that do not know love (or those that have a personal disregard to other's emotions) tend not to fall into happy relationships. Because happiness does not find them right off, they develop the sense of cynicism against the world, and with this cynicism comes a very ascetic lifestyle (even if temporary). Those that become ascetic often lean into a state of mind regarding envy. They desire what everyone else has, and why shouldn't they; it's only fair after all. This developed sense of ascetic envy then leads to quick and hard infatuation periods with persons they would most often not associate with. As this progresses, they begin to receive the notion that they are in love. By entertaining such thoughts coupled with the knowledge that the other person does not feel the same in return, the ascetic cynic begins to regress further into deeper states of the previous and thus begins to develop a sense of lust.

Infatuation, Love, and Lust are three things that are very loosely connected and one can easily become the other if not treated correctly. But from this analysis, we can conclude that all human beings are carnal because there is always incentive to act out of individual self-interest where we would otherwise act out of the better interest of others. As we grow, we become more and more carnal, and there is no way around it. Because everything comes back in some way, there is no way to determine a truly altruistic action, thus eliminating the ideals of altruism all together. This leaves the idea of carnality and cynicism. Two things that will surely govern the human race so long as there is action to be performed.

Bateman-Scarcity Principle

Alright then let's get straight to it. Every guy fears at least one thing when it comes to the realm of women, the dreaded "Friend-zone." As of yet, no one has found a way around it, that is, as of yet as I said. We just have to apply some lesser, objective science to the subject at hand and we may begin to solve this riddle and unravel this mess altogether. First off, what is the Bateman Principle? Well, in Biology there is something called Bateman's Principle, and it's a pretty straight forward theory that we can apply here. Bateman's Principle states that in the area of reproduction females almost always invest more time and energy into producing offspring. Sounds like lunacy when you hear it, but think about it, women have a limited number of sex cells, while males have virtually limitless sex cells, and thereby have unlimited opportunities for the creation of offspring. Because the females have less resources here, they will commit more resources in other areas such as time and thought. This may explain why women are always making jurisdictions about men before they even begin talking to them. Top physical condition, good looking, etc... Smarts? Well that's a secondary attribute. Every woman wants a good looking man, and visa versa for guys. So, if women commit more resources such as time, into the creation of offspring, what does that mean to you?

I'm glad you asked. Because women commit more resources to this, all you have to do is make yourself more valuable to her. (Note: do not change everything about yourself because that would just be irrational and STUPID) however think about it, if you would just go for a walk or something to slim down a bit, etc... things like that won't go unnoticed. Also, apply scarcity. As human beings, we always desire things that we cannot easily attain (i.e. Diamonds, gold, gemstones, etc...) and why? They are valuable because not many people have them. Humans are the same way, a faithful partner will not be open, and therefore scarce. So, if you talk to the person on a daily basis, slowly start to become slightly reclusive, not too much, but just the right amount. Not only will this make you more "valuable" to her, but it will also give her time to postulate your perks and what you bring to the table, where she may not have noticed them with you around all the time. I'm not saying this will work, but hey, its worth a shot, right? Just be careful, after all, you don't want to make a fool of yourself and lose all chances as well as a friendship. Give it a shot, but remember, you heard it here first.

Sinceritus Probita

Let's be frank, in today's world there is no such thing as virtue. "Sinceritus Probita" simply means True Virtue. In this insert, I hope to issue a sense of hope to those wandering in the hopelessness of the dark nights. We all know the famous words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, "It's better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all," but does anyone really believe that? I mean, true, loss is feature of life. Still though, where does the line between love, infatuation, and lust get drawn? Frankly, there is no line between any of them. Unfortunately, I can't issue sound advice about relationships as I have never been in one; I can however, issue advice from observation. Due to my permanent standing as the "Math and Science guy," I have never known the warm embrace of someone that has loved me (outside my family) and while this perturbs me and upsets me a wee bit, I am unable to change it. Through these things, I have been able to study other's relationships from the most immaculate in nature to the most infinitesimal "flings." If there is but one thing I have learned from my continual studies; it's that teenagers have the attention span of a mentally challenged goldfish.

Lisa Hoffman said it best when she said, "Love is like π; natural, irrational, and very important." But seriously, how can this be applied? Well, I'm rather glad you asked. Relationships, or rather love in general, is much like a skill learned over time (with the exception that every person has love hardwired into their heads from birth), with practice comes near perfection. I borrowed Bateman's Principle as well as the Scarcity Principle in an attempt to make a scientific observation about the dreaded "Friendzone" and such. While it still goes untested, I have a good feeling about it. Check it out too, but I digress, we have to understand ourselves before we can ever hope to understand others. To find happiness, we should stop looking without, and start looking within.

How can you expect anyone else to love you if you don't first love yourself? Here's an idea, put God first, seconded only by yourself, THEN everyone else. We keep running around in circles trying so hard to find someone that completes us, but more often than not, we are either to afraid to make that first move or we just end up back at the starting position. We typically pass "Go" but don't collect the $100. Let's face it, if there ever existed a race of creatures in the universe that was accident prone and was absolutely terrible at everything, it'd be us. We are a cluttered race with the natural tendency to muck up everything we set our hands against, sad truth. We are always so ready to accept the next big thing without thinking for ourselves what WE want, only what media and society tells us we want. With all these soap operas and television shows that promote premarital sex and all these other things that would typically go against our morals, can anyone else see why we are so messed up? I sure can.

Imagine the current crush your heart is telling you that you love, imagine being with them. Now, that'll never happen unless you take that first step! Even if something goes wrong, or nothing goes at all, you can always fall back on Lord Tennyson's words which I leave you here again, "It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all." Think about those words, think about your life, make that first step, and if it doesn't work out, keep your head held high first and foremost. People can only beat you up, if you let them. Don't be a doormat, be a pillar that holds up the house.

Tsukuyomi

A reoccurring thought plagues me; how are we so condescending of one another, as well, why is it that we abandon our moral systems in the sight of something that isn't even remotely important? This post has two parts, a segment for the guys and one for the girls. But before that, allow me to stress the importance of this article; this is not a "How to" for dating or winning over the opposite sex, its simply a compilation of thoughts that have come to me time and time again like flashbacks to a desolate war-zone. Here are my thoughts:

First off, to the guys; stop looking for everything with your sex drive. Everyone knows that teenage and young adult males have a rigorous libido, but seriously, stop. If you treat everything like a walking piece of meat, then you are going to be a "sexed up", disease ridden, lonely guy. Women are to be respected, they have ideas, morals, and beliefs, some are just willing to put them aside for you because you said all the right things. It's not about who "gets the most action" because in the long run, no one really keeps score. I'm not saying that sex is a bad thing, its perfectly natural, but apply some restraint for God sake. What's the point of looking for happiness if all you seek is the "Restless sheet syndrome." You give the good guys a bad name, and to top it off even further than that, you take a good girl that believes in you, puts her faith in you, and destroy her! Honestly, there is no pride nor comfort in what you do. If you stop and think about it, simply treat women with some respect. You go around stealing all the good girls, breaking them, and leaving the good guys lonely because all those girls now want is people like you, and honestly, you aren't much to look at. Good guys, keep doing what you're doing, there will come a day when the other guys break down and aren't the "fittest" thus knocking them off the marital food chain. Its simple Darwinian Evolution; the fittest will be the guys with the biggest hearts and the best degree. Natural competition will favor you then, and you will reign supreme.

Now then, to all the gals; first off if you would dress with some integrity then a lot of guys wouldn't let their overactive sex drive come unraveled at the seams. If you leave nothing to the absolutely mind boggling powers of the imagination, then you are doing yourselves no favors. Not saying that either side is more responsible for the mess than the other, what I am saying is this: both sides are playing fast and loose with the rule book. And with more and more teenage pregnancies and school dropouts seeking employment in a society where you need a BA or BS to work at McDonald's, it isn't good. The less than reputable girls are making a bad name for the entire female population, making guys think that all women are "sluts" and that sex is an easy hand out. News flash: YOU CAN CONTROL IT! Our population is at an all time high and with the economic times becoming worse by the day, more teenage parents are definitely NOT needed in today's day and age. Show some restraint, if for any other reason than self-respect. Is that really hard? To the good girls, I say nothing but Kudos. You're perseverance in this time is nothing less than saintly. I commend the good ones on both sides. While it may seem like the "Good guys" may only want the less than reputable girls, it isn't true in the least. Personally, I've always wanted a pretty, smart, caring, good girl. But all they want is the jerk guys. Its a vicious cycle.

The cycle is vicious; Good girls want jerks, the jerks want the sluts, the sluts want the good guys, and the good guys want the good girls. The cycle never ends so it seems. Especially in an overly materialistic world. To those that are reading this, I'm assuming that you're the good side of either grouping. I commend you to look where you haven't looked yet. If you're in high school, quit caring about what your friends will think and how it will make you look, ask that person out! Who knows where it will lead, and even if it never happens, what have you lost? If anything you've gained a little self worth  self-respect  and perhaps the admiration of the other person. Seriously, go for it.