Friday, June 11, 2004
What separates us from the animals?
Intelligence seems like an easy answer, but humans exist along a very broad spectrum of intellect; don't you suppose that a chimp or a dolphin would perform BETTER on tests of cognitive ability than a person with a very low IQ?
We have an infinite # of things that we've designed and built, from the wheel to the Mars landers; this is just an extension of the toolmaking ability that several other species possess, though, made possible as a result of our having opposable thumbs and the ability to stand on 2 legs to use them.
How about the ability to create? Have you ever seen the fabulous artistic constructions of the bower bird, or heard the haunting beauty of whalesong? If anything, some species have a HIGHER % of creative types than humans do.
Do animals dream? All mammals do, except for the spiny anteater.
What about the ability to speak? They've discovered in recent years that parrots do NOT just repeat sounds in a mechanical way, they actually DO understand the meanings of the words they use. Not all humans can speak, let's not forget, and most of them use sign language... which the great apes have proven quite skillful at.
A true understanding of death, and a protracted mourning for the departed, IS unusual in the animal world, but we've all seen pets mourn the passing of their loved ones for long stretches of time, and elephants recognize the bones of their loved ones, effortlessly distinguishing them from the bones of other animals and even other elephants, and they'll handle the bones, carry them around, and even try to hide them.
How about culture? The great apes and some of the more advanced marine mammals have it.
Self-awareness is often seen as unique to humans, but in fact chimps and some of the other great apes have been shown to possess it.
Some would say that animals don't have souls; I think that at least the more advanced creatures have souls, but of course there's no proof that even humans have souls, much less other creatures.
Perhaps the only real difference, in other words the one that isn't just a matter of degree, is that humans seek to understand things beyond our perceptions, as evidenced by religion, spirituality, metaphysics, etc; imagine what sorts of alterations we'll have to make to our worldview if we DO ever find evidence that animals, or even ONE other animal, has these sorts of thoughts.
We have an infinite # of things that we've designed and built, from the wheel to the Mars landers; this is just an extension of the toolmaking ability that several other species possess, though, made possible as a result of our having opposable thumbs and the ability to stand on 2 legs to use them.
How about the ability to create? Have you ever seen the fabulous artistic constructions of the bower bird, or heard the haunting beauty of whalesong? If anything, some species have a HIGHER % of creative types than humans do.
Do animals dream? All mammals do, except for the spiny anteater.
What about the ability to speak? They've discovered in recent years that parrots do NOT just repeat sounds in a mechanical way, they actually DO understand the meanings of the words they use. Not all humans can speak, let's not forget, and most of them use sign language... which the great apes have proven quite skillful at.
A true understanding of death, and a protracted mourning for the departed, IS unusual in the animal world, but we've all seen pets mourn the passing of their loved ones for long stretches of time, and elephants recognize the bones of their loved ones, effortlessly distinguishing them from the bones of other animals and even other elephants, and they'll handle the bones, carry them around, and even try to hide them.
How about culture? The great apes and some of the more advanced marine mammals have it.
Self-awareness is often seen as unique to humans, but in fact chimps and some of the other great apes have been shown to possess it.
Some would say that animals don't have souls; I think that at least the more advanced creatures have souls, but of course there's no proof that even humans have souls, much less other creatures.
Perhaps the only real difference, in other words the one that isn't just a matter of degree, is that humans seek to understand things beyond our perceptions, as evidenced by religion, spirituality, metaphysics, etc; imagine what sorts of alterations we'll have to make to our worldview if we DO ever find evidence that animals, or even ONE other animal, has these sorts of thoughts.
You know it's REAL love when
I was talking to a new male friend online today; he had his cam on, and I could see that he's very tall, slim, and good-looking. He was going on and on about his wife, making her sound like a goddess, and then he found a photo of them together and sent it through the IM; as you have most likely guessed, she's about 2 feet shorter than him, but probably still outweighs him, and is so homely that she looks like a GUY. Nevertheless, he WORSHIPS her. She's a lucky girl, not because he's so much more attractive than she is, but because he's clearly the sort of person who doesn't use looks as a deciding factor when forming emotional attachments, so she can be sure that he loves the REAL her; she won't have to worry about whether or not he'll still love her when she gets old, because he'll still see the inner her, which will still be the same at any age.
When you hear old men talk about wives that they've been with for decades, you often hear them say things like, "and she's even more beautiful than the day we met"; when love really IS blind, that's when you know it's REAL love.
When my husband sees me in sweatpants, a big t-shirt and unwashed hair, he pronounces me "hot"; this tells me that WE have the real thing... and gives me a reason to not kill him when he spills tomato sauce in the kitchen and then tracks it all over the carpet, lol.
When you hear old men talk about wives that they've been with for decades, you often hear them say things like, "and she's even more beautiful than the day we met"; when love really IS blind, that's when you know it's REAL love.
When my husband sees me in sweatpants, a big t-shirt and unwashed hair, he pronounces me "hot"; this tells me that WE have the real thing... and gives me a reason to not kill him when he spills tomato sauce in the kitchen and then tracks it all over the carpet, lol.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Nancy Reagan
Everyone else is posting about Ronald Reagan, for the obvious reason, but he's not the only one who needs reminders put out there about what sort of person he was; people have spent far too long misunderstanding Nancy Reagan, too.
How many times have you heard her referred to as "cold"? I never understood how someone who was always smiling radiantly could get called that; was it just that people couldn't find anything bad to say about her personality, so they fastened on her restrained elegance and called it "coldness"?
And how many times have you heard her excoriated for "the look," the expression of adoration with which she was so often seen looking at her husband? Why would it even OCCUR to people to think that a loving look from a wife somehow "had to" be fake, especially when the husband was someone so fantastically accomplished and widely liked by everyone who knew him?
When Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's reached the point where he was no longer a functioning person, people began to try to tell Nancy Reagan that she should put him in a care facility; she refused. When he became an invalid, they tried to tell her the same thing; she refused. When he ceased to speak or respond, and this went on for several YEARS before his passing, they tried to persuade her again; she refused. This great lady, although herself elderly and getting frail, never swerved from her determination to keep the man she loved in their home, where she cared for him herself.
Does anyone still think she was "cold," and that when she gave "the look" it was "fake"? If so, they might want to keep quiet about it, because Nancy Reagan has demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt that these accusations were not just groundless, but utterly ridiculous... and that anyone who believed them was a fool.
I hope with all my heart that, should *I* ever be called upon to make enormous sacrifices like she did, I'll be able to do them with some small fraction of the strength, courage and grace that she always showed, and withOUT the public disdain that she had to endure for so many years... this amazing woman who so perfectly personified the mythical woman behind the great man. In these sad days of disposable relationships, instant gratification, and running away at the first inkling of trouble, she's an inspiration to us all.
How many times have you heard her referred to as "cold"? I never understood how someone who was always smiling radiantly could get called that; was it just that people couldn't find anything bad to say about her personality, so they fastened on her restrained elegance and called it "coldness"?
And how many times have you heard her excoriated for "the look," the expression of adoration with which she was so often seen looking at her husband? Why would it even OCCUR to people to think that a loving look from a wife somehow "had to" be fake, especially when the husband was someone so fantastically accomplished and widely liked by everyone who knew him?
When Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's reached the point where he was no longer a functioning person, people began to try to tell Nancy Reagan that she should put him in a care facility; she refused. When he became an invalid, they tried to tell her the same thing; she refused. When he ceased to speak or respond, and this went on for several YEARS before his passing, they tried to persuade her again; she refused. This great lady, although herself elderly and getting frail, never swerved from her determination to keep the man she loved in their home, where she cared for him herself.
Does anyone still think she was "cold," and that when she gave "the look" it was "fake"? If so, they might want to keep quiet about it, because Nancy Reagan has demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt that these accusations were not just groundless, but utterly ridiculous... and that anyone who believed them was a fool.
I hope with all my heart that, should *I* ever be called upon to make enormous sacrifices like she did, I'll be able to do them with some small fraction of the strength, courage and grace that she always showed, and withOUT the public disdain that she had to endure for so many years... this amazing woman who so perfectly personified the mythical woman behind the great man. In these sad days of disposable relationships, instant gratification, and running away at the first inkling of trouble, she's an inspiration to us all.
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Anachronisms
Why do we still have salt AND pepper shakers? When's the last time you saw anyone USE pepper at a meal? I'm betting that my mother has pepper in HER shaker that predates my birth, lol, and I'm sure she's not the only one; people still feel compelled to buy the pepper and put some in the shaker, on the off chance that the mythical person who'll want to use it will one day show up. (For the record, all of MY shakers have SALT in them.)
Why do we still have those buttons going up from the cuffs of suit jackets, when the buttons don't even hold anything closed? Men USED to need those buttons so that they could wash their hands without taking off their jackets or wetting the ends (they'd unbutton the sleeves and fold them up), but why are they there NOW?
Why do we still have homes being built with "museum rooms" like front halls, living rooms and dining rooms, that go unused 99% of the time, while we have to jam ourselves into ever-tinier bedrooms EVERY DAY? Is it STILL so important to prove that we can "afford" to pay for unused space in our homes?
And speaking of unused space, why are we still spending a fortune, and flooding the environment and sewer systems with noxious chemicals, so that we can have a perfect patch of grass in front of our homes that we never set foot on? A lawn was originally a sign of wealth, that you had land you didn't need to plant food or graze animals on, but why are we still maniacally pursuing this ideal, especially in California where water is so precious?
Let's face it, we're an ODD culture.
Why do we still have those buttons going up from the cuffs of suit jackets, when the buttons don't even hold anything closed? Men USED to need those buttons so that they could wash their hands without taking off their jackets or wetting the ends (they'd unbutton the sleeves and fold them up), but why are they there NOW?
Why do we still have homes being built with "museum rooms" like front halls, living rooms and dining rooms, that go unused 99% of the time, while we have to jam ourselves into ever-tinier bedrooms EVERY DAY? Is it STILL so important to prove that we can "afford" to pay for unused space in our homes?
And speaking of unused space, why are we still spending a fortune, and flooding the environment and sewer systems with noxious chemicals, so that we can have a perfect patch of grass in front of our homes that we never set foot on? A lawn was originally a sign of wealth, that you had land you didn't need to plant food or graze animals on, but why are we still maniacally pursuing this ideal, especially in California where water is so precious?
Let's face it, we're an ODD culture.
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Do I LOOK like a doormat?
A friend of mine fancies herself as a budding entrepreneur; there's been no evidence so far that she can actually do anything but buy books and supplies, but my husband and I try to be encouraging. We had talked to her about the possibility of her selling some of her stuff on eBay, and had offered to help her with the text, as English is her 2nd language. Somehow, she took this kind offer as evidence of me having "welcome" written on my forehead, because she called me today and launched into a wordy monologue about what a BIG favor we could do for her, and what a big weight it would be off her mind, blah blah blah.... and, not being a fool, I grasped that she was going to try to get me to do something unreasonable by making it seem like I'd be a hero if I did it, and an uncaring person if I didn't.
She doesn't know me well yet, apparently, to think that that sort of tactic would work on me. (To be fair, she's used to getting things done by indirection, as her ex is a VERY dominant type, but that doesn't make it ok.)
Her brilliant idea was for my husband and I, not to just help her with the text for an auction, but to design the entire auction page AND run the auction from our own account... after which she thought we'd be willing to keep running auctions until the HUNDREDS of units she had sitting around were sold!! In return for all this time, effort and stress, dealing with buyer questions and then trying to wrestle payment from them and hoping not to get - feedbacks from any of them that would be on OUR account forever, she offered us "a share of the profits," which, for these items, would be so little that we'd be working for about a penny an hour.
I refused, of course, as politely as possible under the circumstances, and then she tried to convince me that it would be a good way for me to make a little $; I released some of my natural bluntness and told her that I didn't NEED the $, and that I'd NEVER work for pennies even if I DID need $, AND that I had neither the time nor the interest to become her marketing flunky.
I think she got the point, as she was over here today and never said a word about it.
You might not be able to tell from the ferocity of my rants, lol, but I'm a VERY nice person; I'm always doing something for someone, and I'm the one people count on when they're in trouble... and I'm happy to be that way. The downside of it is that people assume they can ask me to do the most ridiculous things, and they refuse to accept that I WILL say "no" and make it stick until I PROVE that I will. Heck, even my HUSBAND still hasn't grasped that I can't be manipulated or fast-talked into doing things; I guess hope really does spring eternal.
She doesn't know me well yet, apparently, to think that that sort of tactic would work on me. (To be fair, she's used to getting things done by indirection, as her ex is a VERY dominant type, but that doesn't make it ok.)
Her brilliant idea was for my husband and I, not to just help her with the text for an auction, but to design the entire auction page AND run the auction from our own account... after which she thought we'd be willing to keep running auctions until the HUNDREDS of units she had sitting around were sold!! In return for all this time, effort and stress, dealing with buyer questions and then trying to wrestle payment from them and hoping not to get - feedbacks from any of them that would be on OUR account forever, she offered us "a share of the profits," which, for these items, would be so little that we'd be working for about a penny an hour.
I refused, of course, as politely as possible under the circumstances, and then she tried to convince me that it would be a good way for me to make a little $; I released some of my natural bluntness and told her that I didn't NEED the $, and that I'd NEVER work for pennies even if I DID need $, AND that I had neither the time nor the interest to become her marketing flunky.
I think she got the point, as she was over here today and never said a word about it.
You might not be able to tell from the ferocity of my rants, lol, but I'm a VERY nice person; I'm always doing something for someone, and I'm the one people count on when they're in trouble... and I'm happy to be that way. The downside of it is that people assume they can ask me to do the most ridiculous things, and they refuse to accept that I WILL say "no" and make it stick until I PROVE that I will. Heck, even my HUSBAND still hasn't grasped that I can't be manipulated or fast-talked into doing things; I guess hope really does spring eternal.
Monday, June 07, 2004
"Feel" and "think" are NOT the same
Have you noticed that, in the past decade or so, the word "think" has been gradually replaced by the word "feel" when people are stating their views? Have you ever wondered WHY this substitution has been taking place? Is it because people think it makes their thoughts sound more intense and meaningful, or because they figure that no one will argue with them that way, or because we've just become too STUPID as a nation to know the difference between thoughts and feelings?
Do you think this is too trivial to worry about? Does it not matter that we sound like idiots to people from other cultures when we don't know how to use such basic words from our own language? Does it not matter that we internalize the words we hear and use, such that many people literally don't know what the dividing line is between thoughts and feelings any more? Think I'm exaggerating? Next time someone says something like, "I feel that blue is the best color for a suit," try telling them that their statement did NOT in fact describe a feeling-there's a 95% chance that they'll ARGUE the point.
No matter how strongly you feel about a thought, that does NOT make it a feeling; the word "feel" refers to emotions only, and emotions are things like anger and sadness, so it's correct to say "I feel angry" or "I feel sad," but it's NOT correct to say "I feel that 'Angel' is a good TV show" or "I feel like it's time to look for a new job"... you COULD correctly say "I feel unhappy at my job, so I think it's time to look for a new one," but that does NOT mean that you can correctly use the former sentence as "shorthand" for the latter, no matter how many times you hear other people do just that.
If you want to describe your emotional state, use "feel." If you want to refer to the ideas in your head, use "think." Strike a blow against the dumbing down of the English language; use these words correctly, and prod other people to do so... especially those smug self-righteous types who you KNOW do it to try to give their stupid thoughts greater weight.
Do you think this is too trivial to worry about? Does it not matter that we sound like idiots to people from other cultures when we don't know how to use such basic words from our own language? Does it not matter that we internalize the words we hear and use, such that many people literally don't know what the dividing line is between thoughts and feelings any more? Think I'm exaggerating? Next time someone says something like, "I feel that blue is the best color for a suit," try telling them that their statement did NOT in fact describe a feeling-there's a 95% chance that they'll ARGUE the point.
No matter how strongly you feel about a thought, that does NOT make it a feeling; the word "feel" refers to emotions only, and emotions are things like anger and sadness, so it's correct to say "I feel angry" or "I feel sad," but it's NOT correct to say "I feel that 'Angel' is a good TV show" or "I feel like it's time to look for a new job"... you COULD correctly say "I feel unhappy at my job, so I think it's time to look for a new one," but that does NOT mean that you can correctly use the former sentence as "shorthand" for the latter, no matter how many times you hear other people do just that.
If you want to describe your emotional state, use "feel." If you want to refer to the ideas in your head, use "think." Strike a blow against the dumbing down of the English language; use these words correctly, and prod other people to do so... especially those smug self-righteous types who you KNOW do it to try to give their stupid thoughts greater weight.
Sunday, June 06, 2004
Un-frigging-believable
As I've mentioned a time or 2, I was virtually obsessed with heavy metal in the 80's, so when my husband put on "100 Most Metal Moments" (a 5-part program currently in rotation on VH1), I was pretty interested... even though some of those guys have aged REALLY badly.
It turns out that NORWAY, of all places, has some really scary "black" or "death" metal bands, and the antics of at least 2 of them made the list (I missed some bits of the shows, sadly); Gorgoroth apparently celebrated playing a show in the pope's hometown by slaughtering a sheep on stage and having a mock crucifixion, and Mayhem had a member commit suicide by blowing his brains out, a 2nd member made a necklace out of his skull fragments, a 3rd member ate the dead guy's brains, and then a 4th member murdered HIM because he was jealous that that guy had a more evil reputation... and, supposedly, to "compete" with a guy from yet another Norwegian metal band, Emperor, who had stabbed someone to death. The murderer from Mayhem is apparently still making records from behind bars.
I'm NEVER going to Norway.
It turns out that NORWAY, of all places, has some really scary "black" or "death" metal bands, and the antics of at least 2 of them made the list (I missed some bits of the shows, sadly); Gorgoroth apparently celebrated playing a show in the pope's hometown by slaughtering a sheep on stage and having a mock crucifixion, and Mayhem had a member commit suicide by blowing his brains out, a 2nd member made a necklace out of his skull fragments, a 3rd member ate the dead guy's brains, and then a 4th member murdered HIM because he was jealous that that guy had a more evil reputation... and, supposedly, to "compete" with a guy from yet another Norwegian metal band, Emperor, who had stabbed someone to death. The murderer from Mayhem is apparently still making records from behind bars.
I'm NEVER going to Norway.
