Artistic Footprint

Please do not think of me as a calleous anarchist. I do not welcome war, pain, or suffering to anyone, I’m just brewing a perspective.

Here are a few things that I have noticed as changes in the military.

War is supposed to be shitty. It keeps us from wanting to go to it. In the old days, you didn’t even really have a choice. You were plucked out of your home and given a rifle, and dropped off at a beach and told “go kill something”

Those that did manage to survive, came home torn apart on the inside, and the wives, children, girlfriends and boyfriends all got a hands-on feel for what the war was like. Everyone suffered, even if it wasn’t you doing the shooting. People were physically and mentally crippled.

Obviously, this is the epitome of “shitty”, but The one good thing to come out of all that is that we’d understand the realities of war, and we truly honestly would not want it to happen again. Think “The War to End all Wars”

Times have changed now (well, for one side)

Take for example the Mujaheddin. These were Afghans who were used and abused by the U.S. and C.I.A. They were trained and armed by the Americans and used as henchmen to fight off the Commie Russians trying to invade Afghanistan. When the Americans were done with their side of the war, the Mujaheddin were literally left to starve in the desert. But they kept their guns All they knew was war and killing, and they’re fucking good at it. And now guess what? They didn’t like our abuse, they’ve watched how we live our lives and they disagree with it! They want their Caliphate back and they’re relentless in their pursuit. They’ve created an international guerilla tactic that we were never expecting. They are not stupid and arrogant. They’re trained, motivated, and their orders come from somewhere other than the chain of command.

Conversely, the Western soldier goes on “tours” of war. Many volunteer for the task and book return flights. They wear flak jackets and kevlar helmets and have state of the art surgeons and medics at their disposal. They have internet and hot meals and carry ipods and digital cameras. They have no desire to die, and don’t expect to either. They’ve got families and responsibilities back home to tend to. Their own president staged fake photo opportunties and pre emptive “job well done” banners.

Of course, now I feel like a fucking dick. Look I spent 3 years in the army, I’ve got friends who’ve been overseas and luckily they came back. I’m not saying that these soldiers are all “hooaahhh” assholes, or that they aren’t feeling the true shellshock of war, I’m not saying that having the best medical practice available is a bad thing. I’m simply saying… that there’s a big fucking difference between them and us, and then and now. Someone has to fucking say it. Look at the death toll?

We think of them as uncivilised, sand-dwelling “AlAALLAAHKBAR” devil worshippers. And in some ways, we’re right. They think of us as fat, gluttonnous, naked infidel “HOOAH!” pigs that treat women with respect. And… in some ways, they’re right. But is that enough of a reason to go to fucking war?!?!? Are you even sure you know who these people fucking are? what if Muslims are actually really nice people? What if you are an asshole? what if the Qur’an speaks nothing of Jihad? Have YOU read it?

It’s time we all put down the remotes, revolted against prime time, elected real politians, and read some fucking books.

The other thing I’d like to mention here is K.I.A. Remember the bond movies and the war movies and all that, where you watch an enemy soldier get shot in the lung, slump down and just die with a typical Steven Spielburg soundboard? That could not be the case. Getting shot in just about any part of your body doesn’t kill you instantly. Your brain lives for 4 long minutes without oxygen. Anyone who has experienced this usually never lived to tell the tale, but having severed a major artery can still render you conscious for hours of excruciating pain and morale depletion. A shot to the lung causes a pneumothorax, where one lung collapses and the other doesn’t. Your injured lung expands as you exhale and contracts as you inhale, called paradoxical movement. You physically cannot breathe, but still live for those 4 painful minutes. You’ve also got a magical organ called the spleen, which houses massive volumes of blood. When your blood pressure drops, it squishes like a sponge to increase volume and keep you alive, regardless of how far-gone you are. War is not a pretty thing, it’s not like the movies. (again I’d like to stress that I’ve never been to war nor wish to do so.)

The other thing I’d like to mention is robotic warfare. Consider this: you are a 9-5er living in a quaint suburb. You’ve got a family and a wife. You play golf on the weekends, host a barbecue or two. You work from a computer just like millions of other people. The thing that makes you different and special is that you are directly killing people in the comforts of your office. You are a robotic drone operator for the U.S. military. In early January, a U.S. drone fired missiles and killed 13 pakistani militants.

You know what? perhaps this is a reciprocated dosage to terrorists. And todays moms and girlfriends don’t have to cry over lost loved ones on a dangerous mission anymore. But this definately changes the definition of war. I’ve already mentioned that war sucks and truly wish we could all just get along. But that’s the beauty of diversity. It causes conflict. But conflict isn’t solved with computer software and joysticks.  It surely must be a violation of the Rules of Engagement which states that for a western, powerful nation with altruistic, peaceful values, war must be fair. You can’t open fire until fired upon. You can’t kill one man with a $2 million cruise missile. You also can not kill a man with a computer game. Where’s the honor? the respect? the truth of fighting for a cause? the justice of winning for a greater good? The bravery, comraderie, and courage under fire?

This is wrong.

There seems to be a clash between the public and private sectors of the western world. Clearly there is a history of Communist bashing,  but there are a few interesting omissions.

The US foreign policy has found a way to make money and generate markets for the “oh so very rich” to invest in, using public tax dollars to front the cash.

To go to war, you need a good few essentials. Soldiers, Weapons, Armour, and constructed bases. Oh yea and a reason to go too. But that’s not really that important. Traditionally, you’d assume that a few of these were bought and paid for by the US government using tax dollars – to assume that YES, your citizens DO want to go to war for a cause and are willing to pay for it.

Recently (and I mean like for the last 40 years or so) These machines of war have moved out of the public sector and into the private sector. Specifically boots on the ground and “defense contractors.” Dick Cheney, former US V.P. was the CEO of Halliburton, an oilfield production company headquartered in Texas. Halliburton received special treatment for the bid to supply infrastructure and oil to the Iraq war in 2003.

Blackwater, a private security firm, was hired as a defence contractor to work in Iraq. No longer were there men going to war because they wanted to and believed in the cause (which is another thing altogether, see this), but because they would be getting paid the big bucks to do so. Now gung-ho, stone cold, cocky killing machines were let to run rampant in Iraq. These “armed employees” of blackwater are considered by the company to be “armed independant contractors” which doesn’t sound particularily disciplined. (imagine being an Iraqi militant fighting for your life because of what you belive in, and some asshole tactician with a “modified for death” M-16 with greasy tattoos comes around and shoots you in the gut and screams “HOOAAA!”)

But that’s beside the point. What’s happening here is the U.S. government is creating wealth by hiring defense contractors, which cost a shitload more, to do their fighting and buiding and reconstructing and infrastructure. This uses tax-payer dollars to foot the contracting bill in order to pay for mercenaries and elaborate military bases.

There are Four things wrong with this that I see:

Number One: Honour. The most impactful difference between a paid individual and a volunteer is that the person volunteering (i.e. a “G-I” or serviceman) does their job with passion and honour because they work for a cause that they believe in, and feel proud to have made a difference. They bear their nations flag and are willing to die for the rights and freedoms of their families. First of all, I think it is outright disgusting that someone could tamper with that person and make them believe in a cause that doesn’t really exist where their lives are at risk, but secondly, someone who gets paid doesn’t give a flying fuck who they kill where or why, so long as they get paid. Cash for blood. The difference is that the volunteer will ensure a job well done because they actually WANT it that way. Paid employees only work as hard as their wage and only do what they’re told to keep their job.

Number Two: Reciprocation. We all know about the gap between rich and poor, and how it’s extremely top-heavy. But have you ever thought that you might have inadvertently INVESTED in your own problems? As a unit, the United States taxpayer made the call, went to war, and paid for it. Whether that’s what actually happened or not, it’s what is supposed to happen, and it’s how the rest of the world sees it. The issue is that the people who organized this little party decided to pay top dollar for everything and just sent the bill home. As opposed to using the traditional system, defense contractors made money. These people PLAN on war. Aeronautical industries like Lockheed, or Arms manufacturers like Colt, NEED war in order to make money.  These of course are just a few. weapons are just a teeny bit of what is needed to make war. Just so happens that there is a trend between politicians and defence contractors, and a country hell-bent on violence.

Number Three: “Security Contractors” is an edited definition for “mercenary.” Men who are paid employees of evil corporations like Blackwater who make dollars from bullets. They inherently care nothing for who they kill where or why, But simply to go on a military vacation and blow up shit. But that is nothing in comparison to the damage they do to their former soldier pals. The unregulated, cocky, overconfident and totally ignorant actions of these mercenaries has devastating effects on the servicemen of their country, who then must retaliate for their mistakes and clean up the mess they make. If you are a mercenary reading this, then FUCK YOU.

Number Four: Iraqis are a very passionate people, whether or not their beliefs are terrible or not, they view westerners as perverted, undisciplined, and gluttonous people. They hate our guts and the fact that we are on their soil is nothing short of total insult. Furthermore, we had no right to be there in the first place, but somehow snuck in with lies and misinformation. We barge into their homes in the night and steal their husbands and grandfathers, for years of inhuman torture with no conviction. One anonymous superior officer at the prison stated: “If I were treated that way, I’d be a terrorist.” We use “smart” bombs to take out whole buildings with the hopes that intelligence was right and yes there was one guy we wanted in there. Again even further, we are literally assimilating them into this perceived perfect world of a free democracy. While that is clearly an option for growth and stability, it is a cheap trick to signify an altruistic intent which we are all too familiar with. Our motives for this change is so that we can “trade/steal” their precious oil reserves, to wipe their country clean in order to exploit and mold it how we see fit.

But then what? what do the citizens get for their money? Surely not better healthcare or an improved education system. International security? think again. Anti-american sentiment is only growing from the inside out. Freedom? actually Bush completely obliterated Habeus Corpus with the new patriot act, which means that you could literally have done NOTHING wrong, and be plucked off your feet never to be seen again. Interrogated, tortured, “disappeared” or killed. And not have a legal right to see the evidence against you. Your families would post “missing” ads in the local grocery store.

My question is this: When you go to renovate your home or buy a used vehicle or something… you make a sound decision, right? you hire the right people, you watch what they do, you get fucking receipts. When you want WAR (which no one should want) you hire your countrymen, you understand the cause, you treat your enemies with honour and your wounded with compassion, and you see the results. When was the last time that happened?

How does one build an opinion without being termed “abrasive?” 10 bucks says there’s a person out there with the exact opposite opinion than you. How do you make yourself heard without making an ass of yourself? Do you cite more sources to prove a higher level of credibility, do you boast statements based on your educational background or applicable expertise? how does THAT INvalidate another’s perspective?

Well lets ask a more valuable question: would you appreciate the world more if EVERYONE believed the same as you?

isn’t that boring?

perhaps it’s more of a case of tolerance for culture and contrast vs. uniformity and direction.

I’m speaking of course of the religious vs. science sector. There are religious extremists that claim gays are inuman and radical thinking is punishable by a higher being. Just as there are people that believe that religion is sacking the human resolve to find true answers.

I for one agree with the atheist sector, but am trying to validate the motives of religion, which is ancient and itself quite evolutionary, if you will.

sensationalists and fanatics aside, the point is “the endless pursuit of truth”

the creationists believe in many or one deity, with a path for which everyone to follow, and every inch and second was planned and executed by that higher being.

the scientists believe in a logical sequence of numeric and definable situations that can be altered by ones environment, based on the accuracy and precision of an experiment.

For me, the turning point that makes me an atheist is this:

The religious system is based on ancient writings, providing
concessions for modern scientific advancement. a rulebook based on fate
and innevitability. The idea that “faith” is a sensational feeling of comfort and trust.
The scientific system is based on human judgement relative to experience and proof. It is
aware of its faults and compensates with debate and contemplation. it is
an evolving textbook based on wise credibility, welcoming disproving
evidence, should it be found. The idea that your “calculations” will provide you with the probability of success or failure.

“Religion is flawed only because man is flawed”

A continuation of the posts: Markets of Fear and The Effects of a Fearful Marketplace on the Blue Collar Community … and this is probably the hardest and least passionate post I’ve written because well… it’s about fashion… and somehow I’m going to write about conformity.

Is the biggest fear in the urban world “the fear of noncomformity”?

Style is a massive business. Humans have always found ways to express their bodies through tatoos, clothing, and jewellery. Now it has evolved for every age group, gender, intellect, wealth, and influence.

The paradox of individuality. You change your style for two reasons. Either you saw something you liked and incorporated that into your own, or you disliked something and decided to steer away from it.

There’s functional style and fashionable style.

We use style to advertise our values. smart, sexy, athletic, old, young, loyal, abrasive or passive. They say never judge a book by its cover, but I bet you can get a lot of information from what you see at first, because that’s what we WANT you to see!

You don’t usually see an Ed-hardy sportin’, UFC fuckup hanging out with a virgin tommy-GAPgirl, or a $1000 handbag, kick-me yappy dog entourage Parasuco Diva making out with a bearded Vintage-Tee nerd glassed-hipster, and for good reason.

Now the confomity part.

How do we get our styles? if you’re lucky, you develop your own sense of an image by your own tastes. But most likely, your image started when you went to school. When you listened to the backstreet boys or britney spears (If you’re a girl [hopefully]) or Blink 182, or your favourite sports player (if you’re a guy) in any case, these people make a career out of how they look and what they wear. They’re paid to, because they have the most direct influence on you. If Tom Delonge wore Atticus, so did you. If you’re into snowboarding and you like Shaun White, and he wore Burton, so did you. That is how you show the world what your interests are.

And the funny part is that nonconformity IS A STYLE!!! Guaranteed, just as there is a star wars convention, there are brand-less PC gaming nerds out there who hang out with eachother and discuss the cheatcodes to the newest digital contraception game, or the screenshots they have collected for COD 4.

And thus… ends my 3 post rant.

This is a continuation of the post: Markets of Fear.

How does fear control the marketplace? how does it work? are you the type of person that can’t fucking stand todays advertising because it seems way too fucking stupid? Are you often shocked by the ignorance of a phrase that comes out of someones mouth?

Have you noticed that this happens more often than not?

This is because of the endless cycle of an alliance of many important things with subtle hidden agendas. Like the education system, the economy, passive entertainment, ease of access, and conformity.

I’ll try to make this part about the education system seem the least bit like a conspiracy. Education is good, at the very least it provides life skills necessary to live in a civilized world. But beyond that, it can be entirely manipulated to acheive subtle nationwide goals. I do not speak of the entire system, but there are many people in this system that NEED their operation to work. They NEED things like videogames, reality TV, warehouse-style shopping centres, pop music, and fast food in order to manipulate you into a community of non-intellectuals, because it is the creation of a market that is highly malleable and easy to sell to. It’s easy to find a person like this, in fact we are all this type of person to some degree. But it is important not to blame the person. This gets nothing done. What is important is to stop this subliminal system of automaticity, to break the addiction of a poor quality of living, and instead, live a passionate life.

Nowadays we are exposed to labelling, advertising, idolization, and sponsorship. Without these, trade simply wouldn’t function. The problem is that the product advertised is not the same product sold.

The reason why sensational ideas of blue collar mutiny are non-fiction is because the blue collar, trades educated community, is more concerned with putting KFC on the table and keeping their kids away from drugs than with the burdens of politics and the correct product selection and necessity.

I don’t think that the biggest fear is of what we do not know. I think it’s the fear of noncomformity. I will continue this post with Conformity

So I decided to counterract the comical pessimism (or Juvenalian satire for you linguists) with this here List of 1000 Awesome Things.

I must admit that I feel quite uncomfortable with this conformity to the norm, but know this: the interesting thing I noticed in writing the Shitty things and Awesome things is that I was happy doing both. I laughed to myself as I noticed the bad as well as the good, and in doing so it seemed important to verbalize each point to recognize it’s importance.

Without further ado, here it is (in no particular order):

1. Getting drunk before a flight.
2. Having a beer in the shower.
3. Beer in general.
4. Popping bubble wrap.
5. Killing a pesky bug.
6. Waking up in a pool of drool.
7. Snowboarding.
8. Sex.
9. Lucid Dreams.
10. Hanging out with people that let you be yourself.
11. Big Dumps (powder snow)
12. Lying in a heap of clothes that just came out of the dryer.
13. Hammering nails into wood.
14. The smell of cedar.
15. Thunderstorms
16. Heavy Rain
17. Campfires.
18. Thai Food.
19. Mountaintops.
20. Ice cold water when you’re really thirsty.
21. Jumping into water at the perfect temperature.
22. Going over hills really fast.
23. Being on a flight and having 3 seats to yourself (only happened to me once)
24. Really good fucking guitar solos.
25. Flying in little airplanes.
26. Being so fucking happy that you feel giddy inside.
27. The tired and tingly feeling you get after a long hard day of work.
28. Breaking conversation to listen to a good part of a song.
29. Chuck Norris.
30. drinking and painting.
31. When you know someone loves you but they never say it.
32. When you know your life will never fail because a good friend won’t let that happen.
33. The feel of a PINT glass in your hand.
34. Lesbians.
35. Watchin the game and drinkin Beers.
36. Having a skilled Wingman.
37. Waking up in the morning beside a REALLY awesome chick.
38. Taking a sick day.
39. Watching everyone else go to work while you are out having fun.
40. Intimidating high school bratty kids.
41. Pipe Cleaners.
42. Windchimes.
43. Dogs.
44. Sex in the morning.
45. A self-induced, spontaneous laugh.
46. Hockey Night in Canada.
47. Ted.com.
48. Picking out a Huge Booger.
49. Egg Nog.
50. Pull through parking spots.
51. Farting when no one else is around.
52. The feel of a cold beer on ice in your hand.
53. Working on your car or anything mechanical.
54. Snow.
55. Catching someone picking their nose.
56. Moustaches
57. Turning up the volume on Van Halen.
58. Top Gun.
59. Huge unnecessary explosions in action movies.
60. Getting mail you actually want!
61. Cars with character.
62. Sex in hotel rooms.
63. Parties in hotel rooms.
64. Hour showers in hotel rooms.
65. Any hot tub in a mountain village.
66. Being an English speaking white male.
67. Being in the fucking zone.
68. Crazy drunken stories.
69. Fulfilling a stereotype that you do not posess.
70. Beer from the east.
71. Porn (including snowboard, biking, and surfing videos)
72. Being drunk enough to beat any fucker at pool.
73. Rebecca Romain Stamos.
74. Kate Bosworth
75. Kate Beckinsale.
76. Rachel McAdams.
77. Getting that picture that you know no-one else can get.
78. Street meet and pizza.
79. Shredding the Gnar.
80. Beer and Steak.
81. Massages.
82. Chicks that shred.
83. Watching people walk home with bags of shit tickets under their arms.
84. Drunken Irish dancing with friends.
85. Leashless dog parks.
86. Warm Cookies.
87. Garlic.
88. Scaring little children.
89. Hockey highlights.
90. Closing out a bar.
91. Fresh baked bread.
92. Having a trusty steed.
93. Laughing till you cry.
94. 24s of bottled buck-a-beer.
95. Buying Beer in Ontario.
96. Surf n’ Turf.
97. Mullets.
98. Women with Mullets.
99. Bob and Doug Mackenzie.
100. Fresh Asphalt.
101. Bacon.
102. Spooning.
103. Thwarting Someone’s evil Scheme.
104. Being on the Fucking Ball.
105. Switching from stinky board boots to cool, fresh skateshoes.
106. Shooting the moon in hearts.
107. Samuel Jackson, Bruce Willis, and Bennicio Del Torro.
108. Shorthanded goals.
109. Tumbleweeds.
110. Scars.
111. Calling in sick the day after st, Paddy’s day.
112. Cooking a chicken with a beer can shoved up its ass.
113. Getting paid to shit, eat, or sleep.
114. Drive-in Movie theatres.
115. Wiping snot on the thumb of your glove.
116. Peanut butter and Chocolate.
117. Watching birds walk.
118. Cans of beer that say 8 pack right on the rim.
119. Sleeping in the sun with your hat over your face.
120. Taking the Stairs.
121. Sittin in the back of the bus.
122. Chicks that drive jeeps.
123. Snatching free wireless.
124. Getting in a car through a window.
125. The feel of new shoes.
126. home-cooked meals from mom.
127. A Pile of shoes in the doorway of a really great party.
128. Wreck Beach in Vancouver.
129. The Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, Ab.
130. Having your beer cooled by Mother Earth.
131. Pulling into a crowded place as cliche as possible.
132. Restaurants that require an intricate procedure to order the best menu item.
133. Fireflies.
134. Chinese fire drills.
135. Muffin tops.
136. Skipping school.
137. Finding things you’ve been looking for, for a long time.
138. glitches in the english language that require you to repeat the last word you wrote (see above)
139. Beer league.
140. Moomoos.
141. Whoopi Cushions.
142. Reading through an old birthday card and finding 20 bucks.
143. Getting to leave school for any reason including being sick.
144. A real successful hand-fart
145. Giving a dynamite bum or dutch ovening someone.
146. Hairnation rock.
147. Being cozy and warm in a cold and wet place.
148. Cops that let you off the hook.
149. Vengeance.
150. Old people that still make out.
151. Roadtrips.
152. Taking flowers from a first-date’s garden and then pretending you went to the effort of buying them yourself.
153. Moms and Grandmas that go to their kids’ gigs.
154. Asserting dominance with flatulence.
155. TSN top 10
156. Red green
157. Forts and treehouses
158. Skicutting your own avalanche
159. Medieval times
160. The sound of ice cubes in a glass or a glass filling up
161. Anything with bbc and david attenborough
162. Driving barefoot
163. Kristen bell
164. Soundtracks to a massacre
165. Resting up after some great first aid
166. Watching thunderstorms
167. A real pint glass
168. Patio lanterns
169. Going straight to the front of the line of douchebag tourists at a bar you’re a local at
170. Drinking beer while cooking
171. Going for ice cream
172. Sex in cars
173. Hammocks
174. Sunroofs
175. Trailerpark drama
176. Community gardens
177. T-tops, muscle cars, el caminos
178. Eatin dinner on the front porch
179. Climbing trees
180. Kool aid
181. Barack Obama
182. Good old fashioned vandalism
183. Steven colbert; if you’re smart enough to not believe anything he says
184. Washing puppies

What makes YOU feel good?

World issues are obviously markettable on the premise of fear. The Y2k bug, 911, global warming, 2012, even paris hilton. These are all either fabricated, blown out of proportion, or not even that serious, but are advertised as such to create a market through fear.

the Y2k bug: Did it ever happen? no. but how many of you threw out your old VCRs and bought fancy schmancy new ones that could “manage the new digit of the year 2000″?

911: conspiracies aside, the Department of Homeland Security deemed it necessary to give itself a boost, using 911 as a sheild. Instantly, homephones were being wire-tapped, cameras were being installed, officials had more power, and interrigations became torture. All because they sold the fact that if these measures were not followed, another 911 could happen.

2012: Is the concept that the mayan calendar was not printed in the hopes that their civilization would last until now. And because of this simple fact, people have come to the conclusion that without the measurement of some ancient time, the world is doomed to collapse. And of course already we have seen the horrendous trailer for the movie “2012″ and I simply hope that it crumbled at the box office. But regardless it is already an attempt to make money off of fear. Soon no doubt we’ll have 2012 insurance!

Global warming: This one is interesting. Whether fear is used or not in order to change a market… wouldn’t it still only help us to reduce the greenhouse effect? how many of us are scientists who have proven global warming ourselves? how many of us latch on to the studies of a “scientist” simply because of their title?

now of course, global warming has been proven the world round, and we are to blame. I am not questioning that. What I am questioning, however, is… who is being tipped off? are we actually moving in the right direction? or are we falling for another ploy and buying into a market that actually has no comparible environmental impact?

Industries are changing. Some places are switching from coal to wind-generated. Concerned citizens are paying double for a hybrid car. We use “reusable” grocery bags at the grocery store. Drivers have started using public transit or riding bikes. These things are not “bad”. The problem is that we have instantly taken them as “good” and that is very dangerous, because we have not questioned their whereabouts, their credibility, their actual impact. Consider this: What if the toyota prius actually used more fuel than a GM hummer? A Hummer is American made and is transported locally to the consumer, who THEN looks like a douchebag who runs their life at 10mpg. The prius, interestingly enough could have been manufactured in Japan and sat on a boat for a month before coming to western shores. How much fuel did it use then? what do you do with the battery when it dies? was oil used to refine the componentry to produce this state-of-the art technology (like the hydrogen engine)?

I don’t know the answers. But I know that these questions should be asked. Because someone out there is making money off of our foolishness to instantly believe that we are saving our precious ecosystem…

This is the first of a three – part series: Blue Collars and Conformity

What is so wrong about 6 billion people having a perspective in world issues? Some say it is the idea that these opinions are where wars steep and brew. Genocides, highly motivated terrorism, religious wars. All examples of thousands of people fighting for ONE cause. I have been told that 6 billion opinionated people would be mortal suicide due to the amount of conflict simply by matter of consistency. I disagree. People following ideas of the masses, brainwashed into what is “right”, is what causes conflict. People who have their own evolved ideas would be more likely to debate amongst themselves than turn to arms. I truly believe that people who log their life experiences together to create their completely unique opinion will, of course, technically disagree with everyone else on some scale, But because of their uniqueness, the debate would simply be an exchange of information, to further expand their perspective rather than calling everyone else “wrong” and picking up a gun.

Let me just stress the point here that you don’t have to be educated to have perspective and intellect. But you are living in a world where you now exposed to a large amount of a wide spectrum of information every day. You must see things that you know will affect you. Changes in your marketplace should adjust how you predict your career structure, watching industries evolve can give you a feel for where things are going. Is the world expanding or contracting? are you working with more foreign people? why is our economy changing? who’s going to be in power? how can I make myself heard? These are all examples of you having an opinion. And if you noticed, YOU came up with it yourself! you didn’t get it from reality TV or corrupt news networks, or political lies. Your brain came up with these questions and answers as a survival tool to make yourself successful in the new human life system. It’s time you verbalized it and shared it with a friend. Don’t ever be discouraged to express your ideas. I enjoy testing out the limits of some people, to see how far they’d go to disprove me, so that I could learn from their ideas. “Devils Advocate” they call it. And for those of you more educated folk, PLEASE PLEASE don’t discourage us blue collars. Its better that these people care about the subtle parts of their lives than just continue on as a robot believing mass-media.

Consider two worlds, both with the population of 1 million. On planet 1, there are about 10 different communities, all with contrasting beliefs based on religion, science, politics, and economy. On planet 2, the same number of people have split into 1000 communities, again with contrasting beliefs. Both are bound to bash heads together at some point. The question is; which planet is more likely to resolve their differences diplomatically, and which one violently?

Whats happened here on Earth is that people have generalized themselves with ignorance, and given the job of confrontation to someone else so that they can live their lives conflict-free. I think this idea goes hand in hand with my concept of community. We already know that things like the International Criminal Court, NATO, and the UN, and even democracy are… quite literally jokes. I believe it’s because humans hit their threshold of governance, or span of control, long ago. People are far too complex to be controlled by a limited few. Read my next article, titled “Community“

What is Photography to me? Photography is getting up at ungodly hours to photograph a sunsirse or waiting on a mountaintop for a date with the moon. It is risking a step off the cliff for that other angle. It is the long hike to the top just to see what’s there. Photography to me is something that drives me to get up and see something. I have met many photographers who are like me, and who are completely different from me, but in their midst, I remember listening to them and hearing: “Hey, isn’t that an awesome shade of green in those trees?” or “the lens works a lot like a mechanical eye.”
I can’t really say how I picked up Photography. It happened while I was out with my Friends Kai and Lachlan, and I was using an obsolete sony point and shoot. Times haven’t changed much, I still only shoot with a modest camera, But I have learned amazing amounts of things along the way to produce my favourite shots.
I believe the true magic of my photography is that I bring a unique style, and that is what drives the contrast, colour, warmth, texture, and mood of a photo, to capture the awestrucken feeling of a  collossal panorama or to find the enthralling beauty and complexity in the expression on a dragonfly’s face. I sincerely feel for the picture I have captured. it can make me feel small in such an epic world, comfortable in the warmth of a sunset, mutual respect for a wild beast, or empathy for a small insect carrying out it’s business.
My goal is that you as well will feel something when you take a look at these photos. Perhaps a different feeling than mine, but if you find any sort of meaning in a photo like I have, I believe that connection from my eye to yours is the true art.

Click Here to View Photos

I think it’s time we got back to our roots. now I don’t mean like back to retro styles or the golden era. I mean the fucking stump of the family tree. When we got fresh with evolution and stood up on two feet.

as much as we don’t like to admit it, NOTHING about life has changed, nor will it. We will never be able to cure death or old age, and I don’t want to live in a world where that exists. So there’s part of the equation. Starts as life, ends as death. inbetween is still all the same. We still have to eat, socialize, sleep, fuck, breathe, enjoy. This has never changed, for any species. Humans have simply found a way to beat the challenge of life (not entirely true, there are LOTS of people living challenging lives but if you’re reading this, YOU’VE GOT INTERNET)

our shit swirls away so that we don’t have to deal with it.  We wear fuzzy down sweatters. We shop in an “endless” supply of food displayed for us to consume. Life is… pretty kush you could say. But stripped of all these comforts, we are still hunter-gatherers, with the same routine of eat, sleep, fuck.

So what are we doing now? how many of you struggled to find the time to read this? how many of you feel exhausted with the urban machine? well what are you doing… you’re following a social routine bound for “success” – lots of money, a big house, a secure retirement. But Chris McCandless said this pretty awesome quote: “a career is just a 21st century invention.”

Are we not just steering our global community towards an untimely death FASTER? for example if we’re going to suffocate in a toxic world due to the hype of global warming, is it not just going to happen FASTER if we keep looking towards that big comfy house and flash car? We’re always looking for something, what we have is never good enough. We always want MORE.

it’s time for us all to ssssssllllllllloooooooooowwwwwww ddddddddoooooowwwwwnnnnn…….. smell the fucking roses, make a mess and clean it up. Buy “un-pre-sliced” bagels! Stop giving into this broken system. Find a job that makes you feel like you’ll never work another day in your life. Do stuff that FEELS good and be the BEST at it! learn something cool from an elder who’s excited to give their life story!

George Costanza put life in a funny way:

The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A death. What’s that, a bonus?!?! I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you go live in an old age home. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day. You work forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, and you get ready for high school. You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities. You become a little baby, you go back, spend your last 9 months floating with luxuries like central heating, spa, room service on tap, then you finish off as an orgasm! Amen.”

- George Costanza

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