Strings, threads and themes

I listen to a lot of audiobooks on various subjects... mostly non-fiction, and have taken the time to convert a good many articles and wikipedia pages to mp3 format using a text-to-speech program from a company called Spesoft. I downloaded the software (for free) from their website, though I can see paying for upgraded versions of this product going forward under certain conditions.

Last night, I listened back to back to an article about "Denisova" man and "woman X," then "The Port Huron Statement." It was supposed to be just a casual listen while I slowly fell asleep (since my 22 month-old hid my mp3 player with the book I'm listening to on) but it inspired me in a couple ways I had yet to think of. The world has changed so much that new ideas of how to combine systems of logic and theories seem incredibly obvious, though difficult to articulate.

The theory I was left with after being tinged by both audiofiles was this: People have practically completely intermingled the genetics of the several species we all arose from. Racial differences are no longer remotely acceptable as either a means to form in-group/out-group dynamics, or a glossed-over knowledge we dare not refer to in pointing out our many different tendencies.

According to the Denisova article, this pleistocene species has closer genomic ties to certain members of our species than others. Not only is the subject related closely with neanderthal man and other apes, but it illustrates the connectivity between all the species of "mankind," as well as their links to our current understanding of race.

One of the reasons there may be no "missing link" is that all the links survived on to today, and are preserved in the variety of human being the world over.

This notion, while accompanied by all sorts of divisive possibility, at least makes clear the importance of preserving as much of the entire cultural history of "humanity" as possible. Thus meaning we should keep all aspects of human culture as fresh and untainted as possible, while affording every opportunity for free men and women the world over to decide how they wish to view themselves, and govern the areas immediately within their scope of understanding.

The tendency I've had over the years has been to think of each society that's passed into history as having failed in some way to achieve what it is our society today can accomplish. That is no longer tenable as a logical notion to me. We're just not that good at running the world in the present day.

The Port Huron Statement spelled out numerous vital initiatives to be address by a serious people wishing to survive long into the future. The notions, unfortunately have found rivals among those who would wish to lord over the mass of humanity in some form of egotistical paternalism (or megalomania) by which the common human is incapable of leading a life of determination.

By now, however, I think it's clear just what it means to say "knowledge is power." Knowledge allays fear.

My job, as I see it, is to try to scoop up all those considered by the power elite to be the "wrong kind of people" to know about the world, and teach them all I know about the creation of the universe and the development of the Sun in our Galaxy. Once there, the formation of complex molecules follows the creation of the planets, and life springs forward to today.

This knowledge is the strongest tool I believe I can use in my effort to build something my progeny will be able to look back and be proud of.

A friend of mine and I went out a few years ago to bar in a town in Florida that neither of us had been to before. Within minutes of walking into the place I recognized a few people that I had met before in my travels around this State.

My friend said "Man you know a ton of people, you should run for office or something."

To which I responded, "I know a lot, but their all the wrong people!"

We shared a laugh and went on to marvel at the beauty of the State we both call home. But, the memory of that thought keeps burning inside me. What if we all could realize exactly what and where we are in the sea of existence, and how much better could we make the world if we understood all the ways we've tried in the past to bring peace to our families and balance in the order of life?

This is what I intend to find out. At the very least, my effort will be recorded and serve as an example to anyone with similar aspirations.

more to come...

The Denisova Man article by David Reich:
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/neandertals/neandertal_dna/denisova-nuclear-genome-reich-2010.html

Text of the Port Huron Statement:
http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Resources/Primary/Manifestos/SDS_Port_Huron.html