Saw these recently and thought I share.
The first is from The Colbert Report. You'll have to click on 'playlist' to see the appropriate video.
The second is from The Ad Council.
***
I came across this and found it rather funny.
Enjoy.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
An interesting theory, I guess
I came across this article today and thought I'd share it. Scientist Eric Pianka has put forth the notion that the world is over-populated and that the human population needs to be reduced through the use of the ebola virus.
This reminded me of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six in which the main antagonist is striving for a greater balance between humanity and the world's natural environment much like Mr. Pianka. It's kind of strange how plots from Tom Clancy novels keep coming up. Perhaps the most famous was after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York which paralleled his book Debt of Honor in which a pilot crashed a plane into the Capital Building in Washington.
This reminded me of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six in which the main antagonist is striving for a greater balance between humanity and the world's natural environment much like Mr. Pianka. It's kind of strange how plots from Tom Clancy novels keep coming up. Perhaps the most famous was after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York which paralleled his book Debt of Honor in which a pilot crashed a plane into the Capital Building in Washington.
Monday, April 03, 2006
A tale of two movies
Sometimes I wonder where thoughts come from, especially those thoughts that flood the mind that are seemingly the opposite of what we are experiencing at the time. Take for instance this weekend.
On Saturday I finally got around to watching the new King Kong movie. I found myself thinking about the baseness of humanity a number of times throughout the picture. The old saying "man's inhumanity towards man" has entered the realm of cliche in my opinion and as such no longer invokes in us the necessary sadness and horror that such a saying is meant to illustrate.
There are numerous examples of man being cruel towards mankind that I don't think I need to recount them here. But I wonder if we've gotten any better as we've developed as people and as a community. The allusion that I rested upon in my thoughts was of mankind as a petulant child; kicking and screaming in an effort to get its own way. We destroy so much of the world around us in an effort to 'get ahead' or in the 'name of progress', high minded ideals to be sure. However we do the same things for reasons of greed, rage, vengeance, lust, selfishness, pettiness, etc.
I sat watching the movie and watched as a rich man told a poor hungry woman to sell herself so that she could eat rather than reaching out to a fellow human being in need. There was no sense of self sacrifice, no sense of comradeship or connection as human beings, no sense of equality. I watched as one man struggled for fame and fortune at the cost of twenty seven human lives. Only he mattered. I watched as mankind senselessly lashed out and killed a noble and trapped creature. The old addage "it's my way or the highway" comes to mind when humanity deals with everything else.
In many ways we are no better than animals, perhaps we're worse. I know that I'm being cynical and harsh but how else should we classify our actions when we purposefully do harm to others when we know that it is wrong?
I was thinking about what drives mankind and came up with the mind and the heart. The heart is the seat of love, compassion, mercy and hope. The mind is the seat of logic and reason. I can't say that one is necessarilly superior to the other but I think that both can be flawed when they don't work in concert. This doesn't mean a 50/50 relationship for I think that the heart needs to take the lead to give focus and direction to the mind. The mind can come up with a great many things such as airplanes, vaccines, philosophy, literature and a myriad of other useful items. It can also come up with bombs, biological weapons, racism, sexism and a myriad of other destructive items. But as I watched King Kong I couldn't help but notice the baseness of humanity laid bare displaying the blackness of our corrupt beings. The brain in essence charging ahead of the heart.
Another day, another thought.
On Sunday I went to see V For Vendetta. I was struck by the human nobility displayed in the film. I found it contrasting well with my thoughts concerning King Kong and rather than showcasing the faults of mankind it reminded me that mankind has the potential for strength of mind and heart. I couldn't help but be stirred as I watched the people come together as one, to speak as one, to act as one in defence of what was right and good.
I was reminded that while humanity has its faults, many of which are atrocious, we also have our strengths, many of which are a wonder to behold. While some people are greedy, some are generous. While some are filled with hate, some are filled with love. While some display nothing but apathy, some display nothing but compassion. While some are cruel, some are loving. While some destroy, some create. While some injure, some nurture. It's a constant struggle which is waged not only within our countries but also our communities and most importantly within ourselves.
Each day we all have choices to make, which goals we will serve. Some people are exceptional such as Mother Theresa who served goodness, kindness, love, mercy and hope. She gave of herself to help those who needed her the most. Some people are despicable such as Adolf Eichman who served death, hate, evil and despair. He too gave of himself in order to develop a more efficient method of killing millions of Jews as part of the Final Solution. In no way am I saying that we are all Eichman's but I'm also saying that we're not all Mother Theresa's either. Of course if we were then their examples would be meaningless.
Each of us, each day of our lives with each choice we make decides which manifistation of mankind would come to pass. Often the decisions are subconscious, often they are made in ignorance, often they are made with good intentions, often we choose the easy way, often we look the other way, often we stay silent.
In no way am I an example for what is right. I make mistakes every day. All I can do is try to do what is right and at the same time encourage those around me to do the same. Each of us needs to work at making the right choices today and tomorrow so that we can ensure a world for our children that is better than the world we inherited. For if we don't we won't have to look far for "if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror," to quote V.
On Saturday I finally got around to watching the new King Kong movie. I found myself thinking about the baseness of humanity a number of times throughout the picture. The old saying "man's inhumanity towards man" has entered the realm of cliche in my opinion and as such no longer invokes in us the necessary sadness and horror that such a saying is meant to illustrate.
There are numerous examples of man being cruel towards mankind that I don't think I need to recount them here. But I wonder if we've gotten any better as we've developed as people and as a community. The allusion that I rested upon in my thoughts was of mankind as a petulant child; kicking and screaming in an effort to get its own way. We destroy so much of the world around us in an effort to 'get ahead' or in the 'name of progress', high minded ideals to be sure. However we do the same things for reasons of greed, rage, vengeance, lust, selfishness, pettiness, etc.
I sat watching the movie and watched as a rich man told a poor hungry woman to sell herself so that she could eat rather than reaching out to a fellow human being in need. There was no sense of self sacrifice, no sense of comradeship or connection as human beings, no sense of equality. I watched as one man struggled for fame and fortune at the cost of twenty seven human lives. Only he mattered. I watched as mankind senselessly lashed out and killed a noble and trapped creature. The old addage "it's my way or the highway" comes to mind when humanity deals with everything else.
In many ways we are no better than animals, perhaps we're worse. I know that I'm being cynical and harsh but how else should we classify our actions when we purposefully do harm to others when we know that it is wrong?
I was thinking about what drives mankind and came up with the mind and the heart. The heart is the seat of love, compassion, mercy and hope. The mind is the seat of logic and reason. I can't say that one is necessarilly superior to the other but I think that both can be flawed when they don't work in concert. This doesn't mean a 50/50 relationship for I think that the heart needs to take the lead to give focus and direction to the mind. The mind can come up with a great many things such as airplanes, vaccines, philosophy, literature and a myriad of other useful items. It can also come up with bombs, biological weapons, racism, sexism and a myriad of other destructive items. But as I watched King Kong I couldn't help but notice the baseness of humanity laid bare displaying the blackness of our corrupt beings. The brain in essence charging ahead of the heart.
Another day, another thought.
On Sunday I went to see V For Vendetta. I was struck by the human nobility displayed in the film. I found it contrasting well with my thoughts concerning King Kong and rather than showcasing the faults of mankind it reminded me that mankind has the potential for strength of mind and heart. I couldn't help but be stirred as I watched the people come together as one, to speak as one, to act as one in defence of what was right and good.
I was reminded that while humanity has its faults, many of which are atrocious, we also have our strengths, many of which are a wonder to behold. While some people are greedy, some are generous. While some are filled with hate, some are filled with love. While some display nothing but apathy, some display nothing but compassion. While some are cruel, some are loving. While some destroy, some create. While some injure, some nurture. It's a constant struggle which is waged not only within our countries but also our communities and most importantly within ourselves.
Each day we all have choices to make, which goals we will serve. Some people are exceptional such as Mother Theresa who served goodness, kindness, love, mercy and hope. She gave of herself to help those who needed her the most. Some people are despicable such as Adolf Eichman who served death, hate, evil and despair. He too gave of himself in order to develop a more efficient method of killing millions of Jews as part of the Final Solution. In no way am I saying that we are all Eichman's but I'm also saying that we're not all Mother Theresa's either. Of course if we were then their examples would be meaningless.
Each of us, each day of our lives with each choice we make decides which manifistation of mankind would come to pass. Often the decisions are subconscious, often they are made in ignorance, often they are made with good intentions, often we choose the easy way, often we look the other way, often we stay silent.
In no way am I an example for what is right. I make mistakes every day. All I can do is try to do what is right and at the same time encourage those around me to do the same. Each of us needs to work at making the right choices today and tomorrow so that we can ensure a world for our children that is better than the world we inherited. For if we don't we won't have to look far for "if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror," to quote V.
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