History of Humanity

Artist: Chris Dyer

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about our history as a species, especially as it relates to past and present social structures, kingdoms, tribes, etcetera.  In recent months I’ve been rather obsessed with the English monarchy, tracing the lineage and historical events back through the dynasties all the way to the Saxon era: late 800AD – 1075AD.  My plan is to eventually re-explore all those societies and cultures we were forced to learn about but probably did not enjoy during our adolescence, ending with the factions of authority and social structure seen around the world today; particularly conflicting social ideologies that currently cause so much havoc.  My goal is to trace the state of our collective mind throughout our evolution to this current point in time in the hope of discovering for myself not only what makes us tick but also where we might be heading in the future.  I suppose the reason I mention all this is that in light of recent events (Osama Bin Laden being found and killed by the American special forces) I find that it is in our best interest to explore this constant need we as humans have to hate, kill, control, defend, capture, and lead.  My cousin sent me an article the other day that I found extremely interesting. The author discusses the America we see through the media & what we’ve been taught in school vs. the America that actually exists in terms of the agenda our government is always trying to fulfill which took shape after WWII, namely, act as the economic and military powerhouse of the world and continue to secure our perceived interests in certain areas: i.e. foreign markets, oil, land, import/export etc.  We've played a pivotal role in the creation of international councils, convened not only to promote world peace and collaboration, but also to assist in the maintaining of these agendas which belong to today’s most powerful nations.  I for one believe that the divvying up of power which took place after WWII and America's rise in the years that followed is at the heart of our current social issues, among other things of course, but especially as they relate to the world's perception of this country.  In the end, I hope to explore the ultimate culprit which led us, as a species, to this point in our history- (organized religion)- and the need we have to believe in something greater than ourselves. Before we can hope to progress we must understand how and why we’ve come to believe what we believe, then we must understand how this has shaped our perspective on the world; and finally we must recognize how our beliefs have affected our ability and our need to control the planet and all its inhabitants…. more to come!      

Beyond Petroleum... no, seriously....

I read an article yesterday about the state of BP affairs. In it, the writer chronicles the company's rebound after an explosion of the Deep Water Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico a year ago today. Apparently the oil company (thanks, in part, to the staggering rise in oil prices) was able to show 5.6 billion in profits last quarter in addition to acquiring new drill prospects in many areas around the world including the Gulf. According to this article, BP- “the leading lease holder in the Gulf”- has a permit to drill one new well and probably plans to drill more.  It’s ironic that the company who very nearly destroyed the Gulf's ecosystem can become a major “owner” of that ecosystem in the same year. I take some comfort in the fact that BP did an entire executive overhaul after the spill, however one still has to wonder if the case is as simple as: "out with the old and in with the new".  Have the engineers and executives at BP really learned how to drill a well without causing such havoc in the deep ocean?  In my opinion BP still has a lot to prove in the way of getting back its prior reputation, and with relief funds being applied very slowly I’m not entirely sure Gulf Coast communities will ever embrace the oil giant again.  CEO Bob Dudley told investors:  "BP has not — and will not — shy away from its responsibilities," He was also quoted saying "We need to earn back your trust, along with that of state and federal leaders and the trust of Gulf Coast residents and customers, We are determined we will once again restore that trust, and I realize this requires action, not words."  Well, with $20 billion set aside for reparations and only 3.8 billion actually given I find this statement sorely lacking in sincerity. So the question I keep asking myself is: When will we move beyond that which has been monopolized by politics and industry? Furthermore I wonder what happened to BP’s premise years ago that it was trying to go “Beyond Petroleum” I personally see them going head first up petroleum’s ass, over and over again. it really isn’t surprising to see they quite cleverly pulled the wool over the public’s eyes.

Drilling for oil and gas is a risky business; one that has ushered in a new era of prosperity for our species. Personally I don’t think our dependence on fossil fuels should be stripped away completely; however I find it incredibly foolhardy for an intelligent species to leave itself open to all the hazards posed by this industry without trying to create possible solutions and back up methods to alleviate the inevitable strain it has wrought on the world- socially, economically, and ecologically.  To date the scientists of the world have yet to find a contender to take on fossil fuels in the energy market, at least not in the broad sense. Although there has been a surprising starter effort to shift some of the world’s focus to other energy sources such as wind and solar power, plus new bio fuels and electric cars. I, myself, work for the Oil Industry and one of my co-workers raised an interesting point. In the case of electric cars it seems the “problem” is just being shifted to another area. The electricity that fuels the car still comes from the plant which runs on fossil fuels so I suppose in some cases (automobiles) there really isn’t a way to solve the issue.  I did read about another extensive research project that is working to convert certain algae and other bio materials into fuel for cars, it was quite interesting and my hope is that it will continue to yield positive results. In the future however, if our species can only rise above the bullshit being fed to it, I would love to see some type of harmonious marriage between green energy and fossil fuel energy, further, I don’t necessarily believe nuclear power is the way to do this because as we see in the case of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant the significant risk that poses is too great unless we learn how to better prepare for such unforeseen circumstances as earthquakes and other geo & weather anomalies. I think it’s time to really rack our scientific brains and find alternative fuels and power sources that have minimal risk factors.  Because if our species ever hopes to live long enough to leave this planet when it finally does become uninhabitable we seriously need to get to work.

My name is Liz.
I've always believed that self expression, or just expression for that matter is a huge part of our humanity & diverse culture.  Of course with mediums like the internet and social media our species has found a very efficient way to overload the senses with all the "expression" it can muster.  Some of it insightful and enlightening; and some of it downright confusing or- for lack of a better word- dumb.   I will do my best to avoid the latter, however I believe we as humans can learn from all forms of expression.  Negative, positive, dumb, inspiring, it's all relevant as it helps us understand our fellow man.  So, it is with that goal and the advice of a very dear friend in mind that I've decided to create my own form of expression in this blog. 

I’ve always been fascinated with our evolution as a species both from a scientific aspect and the more theoretical one dubbed: “human nature”.  Being a true believer in cause and effect and the science of evolution it’s amazing to me how far we’ve come.  Human’s have inhabited this planet for what is equivalent to 3 seconds on a 24 hour clock (the 24 hour clock being the span of Earth’s history) and so far we’ve learned how to harness this planet’s resources, spread communications across its vast surface, conquer the atmosphere with planes and rockets, and build industries, governments and societies that stand intact and prosperous for centuries at a time.  We’ve managed to face our fear of the unknown and that which is different than our individual selves allowing us to rise almost completely above the perils of racism, slavery and oppression.  Of course one could point out that oppression still exists, however in my opinion it’s been quite largely eradicated considering that this is the first time in recorded history where a world government exists which helps to foster peace and collaboration among nations (even those where oppression is still prevalent).  My point here is that as far as we’ve come, there is still a very long way to go and while we struggle individually to make sense of our lives and collectively to progress as a species my fervent hope is that some day, thanks to those who are willing to express their inner selves and bring perspective and love to their fellows by communicating and working together we will advance to the point of being in true communion with each other, this world, and all those who cross our path.