Discussion Question #5

(On Ronald Trosper's Lecture - Resilience and Sustainability of the Northwest Coast Indigenous Institutions)

Ronald Trosper’s idea of communal sharing of resources painted a pretty picture of how communities should operate, although impractical in today’s global society. I agree that everyone prospers when a group works together. Our last few days of team building are perfect examples of this.

No doubt pooling resources mitigates individual desires to exploit shared resources. Exploiting any resource when you are not the sole proprietor just doesn’t make sense, period. Actually, exploiting your resources never makes sense, period. Long-term sustainability, anyone? More to my point, why would someone work above and beyond his or her communal responsibility when there is no personal gain? Human nature works like this: I’ll help you- so you can help me. When someone has a vested interest in another’s success, of course they want him or her to prosper, because that means you also prosper. There is always a transfer of “payment” no matter how good the intentions of the seller are, even if payment is “this will make me feel good about myself”.

Additionally, how do you keep freeloaders from exploiting the system? Trosper’s suggestion of public ridicule may work on a small-scale community, when one’s reputation is all he has to live by. But how can we use this model to solve modern day problems? Fox News, SNL and the Colbert Report are trying their best, but are the leaders really listening? Maybe if globally people started implementing this mentality locally Trosper’s idea of communal sharing could succeed. Still, what is the most effective way to send this message to the global community?

An interesting take away message from tonight’s lectures is the idea of publically disclosed wealth. The North-West Coast native communities found increased accountability with increased transparency. Even though completely unrealistic, I am curious to know how this would change the accountability of corporate America? If multi-million, and even multi-billionaire CEO’s, in their race for supremacy had to justify their accumulated wealth, would they choose differently? Would they be more generous with their ludicrous salaries?

Discussion Question #4

(On Jean Jaques Rousseau's Discourse on the Origins of Inequality)

Rousseau claims that the creation of society is the root of inequality. Not inequality in the sense of physical inequality, which is present throughout nature and something we cannot control. But rather, it is the moral or social inequality that has created a massive separation among humans. Through the introduction of civilization ‘savage man’s’ desire for self-preservation has morphed into an obsessive need for self-perfection. It is true that humanities constant need for self-perfection has brought the ‘savage man’ out of the forest and into our “cushy” modern day society. Yet, has humanity’s progress actually created a better society? Is de-evolution realistically possible? But, more importantly is equality an achievable goal? For, I am not prepared to go back to the forest, and run around naked; I like my life. Even though I consider myself a good person, I must accept that in our modern civilization some inequalities are unavoidable. What would Rousseau have to say to me?

Discussion Question #3

(On Daniel Quinn’s Novel Ishmael – I highly recommend this book!)

Daniel Quinn brings to light many interesting concepts in his novel Ishmael. His highly amusing character selection of a wise gorilla as the “teacher” and a human as his “pupil” is also highly ironic; due to the fact humans are to have evolved from primates. We usually consider ourselves above our primitive cousins, and have nothing to learn from them. Yet, here is a wise gorilla teaching humankind how to save the world by living in harmony with natural law. Yet, the God-like complex of the “taker” civilization has humanity believing the world is ours to conquer. Why are we so afraid of natural law? Why MUST we conquer and control everything? AND, here’s the kicker – we cannot survive without nature. We may be powerful but we are not immortal. We have consciousness – but we are not above nature.

Is the “taker” civilization destructive enough to stop evolution in its tracks, or will equilibrium eventually be achieved with or without our support? If humans are just a blip in the evolutionary process what will our successors evolve into? What human traits are worth keeping?

Discussion Question #2

(On Genesis - Christianity's Creation Myth)

Because life on earth can be confusing place at the best of times humankind attempts to make sense of this world in different ways. One way that humanity has made sense of life is through the art of storytelling. In Genesis 1-11 Yaweh, the God of all creation gave humans the ability to achieve whatever they plan (11-6). Next, Yaweh decided to scatter his people all over the world, and give them different languages so they could not understand each other. Could it be that Yaweh intended his/her creations to achieve their goals independent of one another as different civilizations? Or is it possible that Yaweh, similar to the Raven in Native American legends, is a curious trickster interested in testing the abilities of his creation?

I find creation myths, like Genesis and The Raven and the First men intriguing. I am amazed by the imagination of the authors. More often than not these legends seem far-fetched, and unlikely, however creative they are. That being said, they do serve the purpose of preserving culture, while creatively imparting life lessons. However, in our modern world is the message from Genesis effective? In the future will there still be a place for organized religion? Will there ever be a time on earth with one united global civilization?

Discussion Question #1

As a collective, the human race likes to separate our unique species from the rest of the natural world. Most of “us” turn our noses up to animalistic behavior, as we are far too civilized to engage in such crude behavior. Why is it that we see ourselves as separate, or above nature? If you think about it, we the “highly evolved” human race are in fact animals. We pride ourselves on being the top of the food chain, yet we are not particularly well equipped physically for such an accomplishment.

When you think about it, we are actually quite vulnerable. Although we may be physically unequipped animals, there is one thing that sets us apart from the rest of the natural world. It has nothing to do with our physical capabilities, but rather our mental capacities. Research has shown that the human race possesses a high degree of intellect – comparatively – although at times one could argue against this point. We possess self-awareness and rationality. We have capacity for language and ability to make decisions based on personal experiences and imparted knowledge. However, does this make the human race superior? Are we really separate from nature? What would the world look like if we were all to embrace our natural roots – even just a little bit? I am not talking about going back to live in caves – but is it really necessarily for us to have multiple cars, pave the entire planet, and fill every free space with retail opportunities?

Why are we as a collective more interested in possession, rather than experiences? What needs to happen for humankind to put aside their egos, drop out of the bigger, better, fancier, more expensive competition and figure out what is best for the collective rather than the individual? We see ourselves as separate from nature, yet the ironic twist of fate is we cannot survive without water, air, food – we cannot survive without what we are trying so hard to get rid of in our pursuit of pleasure.

Quest September Block - Cornerstone

Class is back in session! I recently finished my first block (class) of the 2010-2011 academic year at Quest University Canada. During the month of september I had the privilege of studying our 'Cornerstone' class with Dr. Megan (long e) Bulloch. The theme of the class is human's and nature, AND how the stories that define "our" culture define our perceptions and behaviours to "our" environment. ("our" being collectively and culturally, or as a country, community, family or individual)

Cornerstone was an amazing course! Hands down the best class I have taken at Quest so far. I am going to post some of my assignments from the class - mainly the 5 discussion questions I wrote. They are fairly short and "sweet"(as in to the point!) that provoke the reader to think a little bit about their actions as a human in nature.

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Peace, love and laughter y'all!

Writing Assignment #3 - My Most Treasured Possession

My most treasured possession is my family. Not that I can actually possess them, however my life would not be the same without them. Through the challenges and adventures I have encountered so far in my life I have come to realize it is the experiences, and the people who help define the memories, that make life truly rich. Investing in my family, whether they are part of my lineage, or connected to me through the bonds of friendship, will continue to be my best “financial” decision. Family, in its simplicity, does not require any monetary commitments. The investment required is purely emotional. Emotional investments come with their own set of risks; however, the benefits I continually receive from my family far outweigh any benefits an inanimate object could ever provide.

We have become a society obsessed with buying things, yet these objects will never replace our connection to other human beings. Objects are purely objects. The only life they have is the one we give them. Cars, bikes and motor vehicles get old, rusty and eventually fall apart. Trinkets take up space on a shelf gathering dust. And, clothing hangs in a closet - in one season and out the next. Family has life a life of its own. The individuals that make up your family help make the stories of your lifetime. Yet, just like cars, trinkets, and clothing if we don’t make time to nurture the relationship, the connections will get rusty, fall apart and eventually discarded. The memories will last, yet they will sit upon a shelf collecting dust. And, plans for the future will drift to the back of your mind just waiting to become an actual experience. Family takes effort, but you will find that what you put into the relationship will equal what you take away.

As I moved past the superficial ties to inanimate objects, and into the marrow of life I repeatedly find my family as the source off all that I cherish. My family has supported me through the hard times, celebrated me in the good, and allowed me to do the same in return. Hard times would be a lot harder without the support of family. Similarly, successful ventures would not mean as much if not shared amongst loved ones. With the help of my family, I have been creating an emotional tapestry of memories as vibrant as a rainbow in the sky after a thunderstorm. I will cherish these memories, experiences and people until the day I die - a day I welcome, in due time, because I know that I will live an amazing life because I choose to cherish family and experiences over possessions.