Loose ends

September 26, 2014 //
0

This morning I came across a Stratfor analysis.
Two brief excerpts:

“This influence, especially among Sunni locals in not just Iraq but also Syria, will be critical if Turkey is going to be able to manage the jihadist threat long after the United States declares mission accomplished and moves on.”
“Not only does Turkey feel that it will have to deal with the mess in Syria long after other stakeholders have moved on, it also knows that the United States expects Turkey to manage the Syrians as well as other regional matters. Turkey has not forgotten how, during the days of President Turgut Ozal, Ankara cut Iraq’s export pipeline in 1990 at the behest of the United States in the run-up to the 1991 Gulf War but was later left with the aftermath as promises of aid disappeared with the subsequent change of U.S. administrations. This bitter experience informed Turkey’s 2003 decision to refuse Washington access to Turkish territory for a northern invasion of Iraq. At the same time Turkey is deeply worried about being caught between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who are engaged in a vicious proxy sectarian war.”

Am I wrong in detecting here a fresh understanding?
About the need for genuine effort to tie all loose ends that were caused while solving a problem before declaring that problem solved?

You can read the whole article here, it is well worth the effort:

“Turkey Must Tread Carefully Against Islamic State is republished with permission of Stratfor.”

 

 

 

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Categories politics, Respect Mutual., The kind of world we live in

Changes

September 26, 2014 //
0

 

 

So, what’s it gonna be?

Pursue your dreams no matter what?
Give up completely and join the ranks indiscriminately?

Use discretion and common sense, join your fellows in their efforts to bring about changes that will help the entire community, do your best to ‘make yourself a better human being’?

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Categories Psychology, Respect Mutual., The kind of world we live in

Of truth and onions.

September 25, 2014 //
0

Some people find them both ‘stinky’, some-other ‘delicious’ but the fact of the matter is that both are essential.
No one can live in complete falsehood and it is extremely hard to put up a decent meal without using any onions.

There is more.
Truth, exactly like onions, comes in layers.
You peel one, think your knowledge has deepened, peel another one, then another one… and end up having nothing….
The onion is gone and if you dig deep enough into any problem you reach a level which seems incomprehensible for a rational mind – the only visible explanation being pure hazard, something we are not yet prepared to accept.
Not even one of the most gifted scientific minds: ““All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together.
We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.”  Max Planck” After he discovered that the world is made up of small bits and pieces (quanta) coming together, at first, in a purely haphazardous way, he still needs to find out what lies in between those bits and pieces. So strong that need that he had to come up with a ‘spiritual’ explanation if he couldn’t find a rational/scientific one that didn’t involve pure chance.

And the third thing that truth and onions have in common is man.
Or, more exactly, a self-conscious observer/operator to search for the truth while gorging on peeled onions.

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Categories Psychology, Respect Mutual., The kind of world we live in

Care-i treaba cu democratia.

September 25, 2014 //
0

Ce se intampla acum in spatiul politic, si nu doar la noi, nu mai este de mult democratie ci dominatia/manipularea gloatei.
Democratia autentica nu se rezuma la dreptul de a vota, asta este doar ultimul gest dintr-un proces cu adevarat democratic.
Democratia reala incepe cu posibilitatea fiecaruia dintre noi (nu doar dreptul ci posibilitatea reala) de afla realitatea si de a-si spune si raspandi parerea despre ce se intampla in jurul lui.
Abia dupa ce fiecare dintre noi afla cat mai multe dintre cele ce se intampla in jurul sau si ce parere au ceilalti despre ce se intampla, abia atunci poate alege in cunostinta de cauza.
Si inca ceva. Democratia nu este despre a cauta cea mai buna solutie posibila – nu ai cum sa determini care este aceea, poti afla cel mult care este parerea unei majoritati despre ce considera ea a fi cea mai buna solutie – ci doar despre a nu face greseli evitabile.
Asta este rolul circulatiei libere a informatiei, sa nu tot repetam aceleasi greseli la nesfarsit. E imposibil ca un grup de oameni sa cada de acord asupra unei solutii care sa ii multumeasca pe toti, este foarte usor insa ca acel grup de oameni sa realizeze ca ceva le va face rau. Cu conditia ca informatiile despre acel lucru sa nu fie blocate/manipulate pe undeva/de cineva.

Heidegger spune la un moment dat ca nimeni nu poate formula o fraza astfel incat informatia din acea spunere sa fie perfect corecta si ca ‘adevarul’ consta, de fapt, in onestitatea celui care face declaratia respectiva. In primul rand fata de sine insusi. Dar asta nu inseamna ca ceilalti nu au obligatia, tot fata de ei insisi, de a verifica.

“The Essence of Truth must count as one of Heidegger’s most important works, for nowhere else does he give a comparably thorough explanation of what is arguably the most fundamental and abiding theme of his entire philosophy, namely the difference between truth as the “unhiddenness of beings” and truth as the “correctness of propositions”. For Heidegger, it is by neglecting the former primordial concept of truth in favor of the latter derivative concept that Western philosophy, beginning already with Plato, took off on its “metaphysical” course towards the bankruptcy of the present day.”

http://books.google.ro/books/about/The_Essence_of_Truth.html?id=6s8FYTDw9TYC&redir_esc=y

 

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Categories Psychology, Respect Mutual., Tara din care traim

Legislation versus Education

September 23, 2014 //
0

“Radar gun targets texting and driving.”

So what should we do?
Invent a technological remedy to a problem arisen from improper use of technology or convincingly educate the users about the consequences of their bad habit?

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Categories Psychology, Respect Mutual., The kind of world we live in

Intelectualii intre ei

September 23, 2014 //
0

Acuma ca unul dintre jurnalisti s-a hotarat sa dea cu batul in balta s-a gandit si un filozof ca trebuie neaparat sa ia pozitie.

Si cum sa faci ca mesajul tau sa fie cat mai ‘percutant’?
Sa spui pur si simplu ce ai pe suflet: ‘Nu cred ca Ponta este potrivit pentru a fi presedintele Romaniei!’ si sa lasi eventuala autoritate morala de care te bucuri sa isi faca efectul?
Pueril…
Nu mai bine starnesti o disputa publica? Te iei de cineva foarte cunoscut si, de preferinta, cat mai pasnic – ca sa nu mai trebuiasca sa faci fata vre-unui eventual contraatac.
Beligan e bun? Perfect!

“Puterea talentului dvs., puterea mintii dvs. nu va satisfaceau. Ca si acum, voiati sa fiti in preajma celeilalte puteri, oricit e ea de trecatoare prin comparatie cu puterea prestigiului dvs. profesional. Voiati, ca si acum, sa fiti mai curind pe scena stabilor, decit pe aceea a colegilor dvs.”

Foarte interesant. O fi facut cineva socoteala cate functii publice a ocupat Plesu si sub cate culori politice?

Minima moralia…

PS 1. Nici mie nu-mi place Ponta. Dar asta nu este motiv sa ma apuc sa-mi pun poalele in cap.

PS 2. Uite ca socoteala din targ nu se potriveste cu cea de acasa. Intelectualitatea, sau macar o parte din ea, nu mai accepta pasivitatea in care au incercat diversi ‘atotputernici si a-toate-stiutori’ sa o inghesuie:

“Este firesc ca într-o societate deschisă să existe pluralism de idei, de opinii și de opțiuni de orice natură și este la fel de firesc ca oamenii, în special cei care reprezintă repere pentru societate, să accepte și să respecte faptul că cineva gândește și se manifestă altfel decât ei”

Interesant. “Un grup de actori si cantareti” ii explica unui filozof cum sta treaba cu diversitatea de opinii…

 

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Categories Pamflet, politics, Psychology, Respect Mutual., Tara din care traim

Un ziarist si foarte multe dileme.

September 23, 2014 //
1

Un ziarist se declara ofiter acoperit.

Si acum incep dilemele.

O fi fost, n-o fi fost… si in orice caz, ce l-a apucat?
E sincer sau l-a pus cineva?

Ce interese sunt in joc si nu cumva ranile produse victimelor colaterale (prestigiul armatei, gradul de incredere al populatiei in mass media) se vor dovedi a fi extrem de periculoase, in final chiar si pentru cei care poate ca vor castiga ceva pe termen scurt?

Ce e de facut?
Punerea lui sub acuzare pentru ‘diseminare de informatii confidentiale sau secrete de stat’ nu constituie cumva cea mai buna confirmare a spuselor sale?

 

Pe net tot umbla poza aia cu ‘1984 nu era menit sa fie un indreptar pentru dictatori’:

Cred totusi ca ar trebui sa luam in considerare si romanul mai putin cunoscutului dar mult mai ‘perenului’ Josef Toman:

 

Chiar asa?!? Dar copiii, nepotii… daca de ceilalti oameni nu ne mai pasa poate macar de urmasii nostrii sa avem grija… cand vine puhoiul e greu de spus cine mai scapa si cine nu… degeaba le construim cuiburi in varful copacului daca viitura duce tot dealul la vale…

 

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Categories politics, Psychology, Respect Mutual., Tara din care traim

What’s the real meaning of this?

September 23, 2014 //
1

buda publica.

Just received this in my mail.
Please take a second look.

Now tell me what’s forcing the voters to use the ground level cabin?

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Categories politics, Psychology, Respect Mutual., The kind of world we live in, The world as described in jokes

A tip

September 21, 2014 //
1

Ever felt like eating something but didn’t want to ‘impose’ on your stomach nor worsen your calorie intake?

Grab a cucumber, no longer than 3 to 4 inches, peel it if not extra-fresh, salt it lightly and gorge on it.

Drink a glass of cold water.

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Categories Food

‘Simple economic reason’ versus ‘common sense’.

September 19, 2014 //
0

reason vs comon sense

To an employer, simple economic reason tells him to extract as much work as possible from his employees.
To an employee, the same attitude tells him to ‘resist’, to make himself as ‘scarce’ as possible without giving the employer obvious reasons to fire him.

Add modern technology to all this and here is what you get: employees locking themselves into toilets booths and surfing the internet on their smartphones while employers counteract by installing access control machinery in the ‘rest areas’.
“Not more than 6 (six) minutes a day and a $20 gift card if you don’t go there at all”.

How about a more complex understanding of the whole business?
Can we see economic contracts (work related ones included) as a form of cooperation instead of mindless/ruthless/mutually crippling competition?

Fair sport versus ‘no holds bared fight’?

Or am I too naive?

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Categories 1989 and the Global Financial Crisises., Economy, Psychology, Respect Mutual., The kind of world we live in
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