By Bertrand Russell, 1949
I am still reading the book, but one of the things which really inspire me push me to drop some notes first.
It is under the chapter of "The Role of Individuality". It talks about the value of individuality, how it changes through evolution of human.
In the beginning of human history, we considered the usefulness and how we struggled for basic living. At that time, our art was found in the tools, which meant they were dependent.
After several centuries we stepped into the Renaissance. We started to do something on an impulse. We started to appreciate art and the intrinsic value of things. We built up the art of life. For sure there were slaves, serfs and peasants, who were unable to have those luxuries - luxury was for aristocrats, bureaucracy and royal families. Yet many of us started to learn appreciation.
Time goes fast. After Industrialization and when we come to now, we have mass production. Primitive production, handicrafts or fine works have been substituted by mechanized products gradually. Capitalism slowly expanded to most countries - one could not deny that the so-called communist country China is now growing to be one of the largest capitalists.
We have started to forget the intrinsic value of a product, say a car, but we concern its monetary value. We have started to forget how it was made, how amazing the technology was involved during the production and how many people were involved to make a car - in fact most of the steps were now done by machines. We concern about how much the car is cost - the more expensive it is, the more precious it is.
Not only a product, but similar case is also applied to man. How much does one earn monthly? Does he/she have to work very hard to make money? How many hours per week does he/she have to work? People become materialistic. This change is obviously miserable. Money determines.
The writer gave an example about a scientist. He might have wanted to do a research on something, but owing to insufficient capital he had to do something else, which was sponsored by a company/the government/someone. He was no longer to be able to work independently, "but essentially part and parcel of some large organization." I agree the change is "very unfortunate". The writer said "for the things which a great man could do in solitude were apt to be more beneficial than those which he can only do with the help of the powers that be." Very pathetic. It becomes difficult to succeed in influencing human affairs, as we are now slaves as well by means of money. Slave of money, sounds like a shame.
The most impressive part in this chapter is what the writer said - "we know too much and feel too little. At least we feel too little of those creative emotions from which a good life springs."
We become realistic, materialistic and merciless. When the modern world brings us enormous things, we lose or forget probably the same amount of things. The writer Russell continued - "in regard to what is important we are passive; where we are active it is over trivialities." I think of Le Petit Prince. The prince said most people forget the meaning of life, the importance of manner and the essence of heart. They are the same. Russell talked about life - "if life is to be saved from boredom relieved only by disaster, means must be found of restoring individual initiative, not only in things that are trivial, but in the things that really matter."
One of the things I think that make man differ from most animals is we know appreciation. We feel, we think and we control. Certainly we have no choice to earn our living, yet I guess this is not the only meaning. Even we have a beautiful vase, it is valuable only when we really know the value.
Nevertheless after all this, I inevitably think pessimistically. However hard we insist on our faith or our beliefs, it seems that we are always unavoidably worn by time and experiences gradually.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Oil reserves
Recently I read some news about discovery of oil reserves in Australia and Cambodia. The latest piece is from Bangkok Post. (http://www.bangkokpost.com/
breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=112371)
Long time ago a piece of news said the Earth only remains enough coal and oil for us to use 30 years more. After that we will have no resources of those.
After knowing the new oil reservoirs, I am thinking that it is probably good to find new oil owing to the insufficient supply, but on the other hand we speed up the exploitation of the Earth resources.
I wonder, whether we are accerlating the progress of using up all the reserves in our planet, or we are discovering more potential reserves for us. Doubtlessly we are using the reserves much faster than the nature can build. It is out of the capacity.
In recent years, sustainability or sustainable development is advocated. If we search in Wikipedia, it will tell you "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" according to the Brundtland Report, a 1987 report from the United Nations.
Sometimes man tends to be contradictive. We know we have to save for the future, whereas we try to find more resources for us. When we discover, we use them; we do not often save anything. We have not really left time for the nature to recover - clearing large piece of forest, getting as much water as we can, digging as much oil or coal as we can and so on.
Definitely some scientists are developing new technology to meet our needs, and I believe they are doing their best. Nevertheless their pace is far slower than people consuming. That means before a solution is invented, we have already used up all we have and are starving.
The contradictory inspires me to think philosophically. Man tends to understand what it should or should not do, but it does not often follow. We blame ourselves, and sometimes we forgive our faults at the same time by saying this is our nature that we cannot vary. I am not very clear about this - some say we cannot vary our character, so we have to forgive and accept some of our faults, but sometimes we punish the wrongdoers; some say we know our character and defects, that's why we have to improve.
People probably have their own way to cope with their lives, yet there are still some general patterns. It is very interesting to acquaint these patterns, but sometimes it is those patterns that create questions, doubts, matters and problems.
Very hard to understand, yet I still have one question - can we just leave it to an explanation - "this is life"? Does it sound rather irresponsbile and dispirited if we always explain in this way?
Or, in fact we should not think that much, which is even more negative?
I do not think so, when we still have the capacity to go further, do more and discover more.
breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=112371)
Long time ago a piece of news said the Earth only remains enough coal and oil for us to use 30 years more. After that we will have no resources of those.
After knowing the new oil reservoirs, I am thinking that it is probably good to find new oil owing to the insufficient supply, but on the other hand we speed up the exploitation of the Earth resources.
I wonder, whether we are accerlating the progress of using up all the reserves in our planet, or we are discovering more potential reserves for us. Doubtlessly we are using the reserves much faster than the nature can build. It is out of the capacity.
In recent years, sustainability or sustainable development is advocated. If we search in Wikipedia, it will tell you "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" according to the Brundtland Report, a 1987 report from the United Nations.
Sometimes man tends to be contradictive. We know we have to save for the future, whereas we try to find more resources for us. When we discover, we use them; we do not often save anything. We have not really left time for the nature to recover - clearing large piece of forest, getting as much water as we can, digging as much oil or coal as we can and so on.
Definitely some scientists are developing new technology to meet our needs, and I believe they are doing their best. Nevertheless their pace is far slower than people consuming. That means before a solution is invented, we have already used up all we have and are starving.
The contradictory inspires me to think philosophically. Man tends to understand what it should or should not do, but it does not often follow. We blame ourselves, and sometimes we forgive our faults at the same time by saying this is our nature that we cannot vary. I am not very clear about this - some say we cannot vary our character, so we have to forgive and accept some of our faults, but sometimes we punish the wrongdoers; some say we know our character and defects, that's why we have to improve.
People probably have their own way to cope with their lives, yet there are still some general patterns. It is very interesting to acquaint these patterns, but sometimes it is those patterns that create questions, doubts, matters and problems.
Very hard to understand, yet I still have one question - can we just leave it to an explanation - "this is life"? Does it sound rather irresponsbile and dispirited if we always explain in this way?
Or, in fact we should not think that much, which is even more negative?
I do not think so, when we still have the capacity to go further, do more and discover more.
Child sex
I've read a piece of news about predators seeking child sex. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?
pid=20601080&sid=a6RbY.ZKJ3CE&refer=asia)
It is estimated that "50,000 children below the age of 18 work in Thailand's sex industry, and many more in neighboring Cambodia." There are many NGOs working on this issue, yet the problem still exists owing to the lack of law enforcement. Probably the government does not take it as a serious matter, or the government in fact could not help. The vicious power behind is probably so strong that the government could not supress, or even worse that the government is part of them.
There are countless ties behind.
One of the terrible things according to the news is the oldest prostitutes are teenagers. It means the other younger ones are only children. It is very hard and painful to imagine their tragic life.
Many social problems exist in contemporary world - especially in less developed countries, and most of them have been lasting for over decades. We all know the problems, yet we are unable to solve them.
Why? In man's world it seems never be possible to live peacefully. This makes something exciting, something interesting, something terrible, something gloomy and so on. I wonder this means life. C'est la vie.
Cambodia is the "worst country" for such crimes. It is one of the least developed countries in South-east Asia. Notwithstanding all those tragedies in this kingdom, this is my dearest lovely country.
Perhaps because all these countries like Cambodia are less developed, everything is more simple, decent and lovable.
pid=20601080&sid=a6RbY.ZKJ3CE&refer=asia)
It is estimated that "50,000 children below the age of 18 work in Thailand's sex industry, and many more in neighboring Cambodia." There are many NGOs working on this issue, yet the problem still exists owing to the lack of law enforcement. Probably the government does not take it as a serious matter, or the government in fact could not help. The vicious power behind is probably so strong that the government could not supress, or even worse that the government is part of them.
There are countless ties behind.
One of the terrible things according to the news is the oldest prostitutes are teenagers. It means the other younger ones are only children. It is very hard and painful to imagine their tragic life.
Many social problems exist in contemporary world - especially in less developed countries, and most of them have been lasting for over decades. We all know the problems, yet we are unable to solve them.
Why? In man's world it seems never be possible to live peacefully. This makes something exciting, something interesting, something terrible, something gloomy and so on. I wonder this means life. C'est la vie.
Cambodia is the "worst country" for such crimes. It is one of the least developed countries in South-east Asia. Notwithstanding all those tragedies in this kingdom, this is my dearest lovely country.
Perhaps because all these countries like Cambodia are less developed, everything is more simple, decent and lovable.
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