Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023Liked by Greg Olear
Thank you, Greg. Very sad.
The problem is that evolution cannot see the future. So DNA is designed to produce a wide range of offspring, from greedy to charitable, to cover all possible futures. Survival of the fittest works the same way across the universe, I suspect.
This is why the "L" factor (lifetime of an advanced civilisation) in the Drake Equation (estimating the number of advanced civilisations now in the galaxy) is generally believed to be only 100-200 years, before the greed or carelessness of each civilisation destroys itself.
We are doing it right now with CO2 via the greed of capitalism.
Explicitly, in Star Trek the Next Generation, humans have mostly left greed behind, and that possible society is like the one described by you.
Until advanced societies treat GREED AS A MENTAL ILLNESS, they will be unstable, and will soon destroy themselves.
But don't worry, after men (males) are gone, the earth will heal itself in 100,000 years or so.
Why is health insurance inexplicably linked to employment? And other unfathomable questions! The status quo sucks. Great piece Greg & Ronlyn. Thank you ❤️
Quite frankly, to keep you trapped. I remember one of my first job's in the late 80's. They had a conference about our Health Insurance. They were trying to explain Pre-Existing conditions. They said if we were diagnosed with a disease while using their insurance and then left the company, the health insurance at your new company could deny you coverage because you had a "pre-existing condition". Absolute insanity! I only stayed at that company for 1 year. They treated their employees as if they were insolent children. Unfortunately, some of my co-workers were trapped there because they, or their families, had pre-existing conditions they were being treated for and they knew they would lose their healthcare coverage if they left. As a side note, treating employees as if they are children leads to them doing the bare minimum to get by. That means the company is not going to be as successful as it could've been if it had treated its employees with respect. The "pre-existing condition" rule has the same affect.
Yes, ACA eliminated pre-existing conditions. BUT, our friends on the other side of the aisle tried to reverse that. If they weren't so inept, they may have done so - in keeping with their cruelty.
Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023Liked by Greg Olear
Up until now the billionaire overlords have been writing the story, but it's our story, so we need to take it back. Future chapters will suck if we don't.
Yes, Yes, and Yes. I love what you wrote here. And what Ronlyn Domingue wrote in her books. The TRUE meaning of Socialism was made clear when I traveled to Amsterdam. I was with a large group of 30-something's. Our tour guide pointed out that in their society, every person is equal. No one has much more than anyone else. She showed us two houses that appeared to be very similar. She said a Doctor lived in one and a store clerk lived in the other. We immediately questioned why the Doctor would not live in a mansion (so naive). Her explanation was that the people get to decide how they can best contribute to society without the pressure of how much they will be paid hanging over their heads. We have been told all of our lives that success is measured by how much money you accumulate. And this really misses the point of what we are supposed to be doing. I would like to see a society made up of people who contribute whatever makes them feel fulfilled without the worry of money, healthcare, food insecurity... That is where I see our world moving toward.
This is how it should be. I don't object to some people making a little more. I think that's good, in general. It rewards hard work and talent. But second-generation heirs fucking us all over b/c they want to keep their hoard of cash? Absurd.
I agree. Greed and hoarding of vast amounts of money and objects, coupled with an abject refusal to contribute a portion of that wealth to have a humane society, is the problem.
Let's also not forget that corporations are using inflation to price gouge too. We hear that inflation is slowing, but as I have become the household grocery shopper, I notice things continue to go up in price, even from week to week. "Corporations Ave Evil," is a good bumper sticker, but doesn't really DO anything about the problem. But, as sure as Autumn will start tomorrow morning at 1:50 AM CT in the Northern Hemisphere, we will have to go through The Great Collapse before anything useful for the general populace is achieved. On the one hand, I wish I was about thirty years younger, so I had the stamina to do more, and on the other, a part of me is glad that I probably won't live to see it happen.
Ronlyn Domingue should really not be surprised by people reacting to her fiction in what I think is a very stupid way. I see it a lot in regard to movies; people just can't seem to get their minds in a place where they can relate what they're reading/seeing with the world as it is today. "Suspension of Disbelief" has flown the coop, along with hyperbole. Literal interpretation of everything is apparently all the rage. "The Sinner:" No. Survivor, season 103: Yes, SO MUCH, yes! The continuing WGA and SAG/AFTRA strike will make a lot of people happy because they're going to get even MORE "reality" shows to watch -- "The Golden Bachelor" is coming! Jesus Fucking Christ!
People are dumbasses about a lot of things, like accepting what the US, a now shithole country, offers in the way of healthcare, poverty, violence, racism, and all the rest, and calling it "American Exceptionalism." I'm too damned old to go anywhere else, but the aforementioned thirty years ago? Oh yeah, I'd be the hell out of here in a heartbeat, and I expect Amsterdam would have had a new citizen.
Well said Steve! Half the population of this world appears peerless in vacuous idiocy! American exceptionalism, colonialism, coupled with the evils of pure greed has led to me spending as much time around this spinning stone and usually loving the benefits of socialism. One of the fabulous realities George Carlin said always comes to mind “ When you’re born into this world, you’re given a ticket to the freak show. If you’re born in America you get a front row seat.”
2) The current issue (31-10) of Wired Magazine. The cover reads "Dear AI Overlords, Don't F*ck This Up."
Then, in my view is the applicability of the Drake Equation. It's a guide to the possible number of intelligent species in the universe:
N = R* • fp • ne • fl • fi •fc • L
Where
N = number of civilizations with which humans could communicate
R* = rate of star formation
fp = fraction of stars that have planets
ne = average number of planets that could support life per star that has planets
fl = fraction of life-supporting planets that actually develop life
fi = fraction of planets where life becomes intelligent
fc = fraction of intelligent civilizations that develop advanced communication
L = average length of time that civilizations are able to communicate
To the Drake equation I would add one more variable "S" — sustainability. All the variables prior to L we have achieved or have been provided for us. Perhaps like some other civilizations on other worlds, we might not sustain ourselves long enough to ever communicate with other species given the rate at which we are hellbent on destroying ourselves.
There should be another P word inserted here. That word is predator and it's derivation, predatorial. Or more to the point, being predatorial. You can tell by what is being consumed and sometimes how that energy is acquired. The real truth is that the Universe as we know it is predatorial...everything gets energy from something...after that, it is a matter of degree within the process of acquisition.
Now we have come to the time of predatorial politicians...i.e., our favorite bad guy. He is scheming every moment to steal your attention and your money or equivalent resources...that's both sides of the carnival show barker coin. He's full of success and bluff, but there is a dark side to the horror show that can follow.
So, when predators overtake institutions, many of which were once the hallmarks of civilization, we all feel a certain chill. That chill is death whispering to us over our left shoulder that if we don't successfully defend ourselves, we are merely prey for the future. What we once relied upon to save us may not have the capabilities in this time and place to stop that particular predator.
We are bolstered by the fact that we are a problem-solving, inventive nation. We are limited by time.
There was a lead AP story yesterday with the headline "Earth is outside its 'safe operating space for humanity' in most key measurements." And this includes everyone. Everyone.
My favorite dog died night before last. The sadness of losing something alive that had such a wonderful touch with humans has made me more than sensitive to what we are facing and how much we have to lose right now, in these moments leading to our future.
Thanks, Patrick. The dog was my youngest daughter's, but I was close to her from the beginning and have been that way ever since. She developed heart problems late in life.
If I write more about the above sentence, I’ll sound over the top (as usual.)
Voices like yours and Ronlyn’s ring out Iike village bells in times like these. After that podcast was over, both your voices were companions. Please Thank her for us and have a vacation in nirvana on all of us. ❤️
Greg. Your own writing evolved into a community. I'm saying that for You. You need to hear it. How precious you are, listening to us.
Did anyone ever say how precious and needed, loved you are? I know they have.
You are...the bee's knees.
Thanks so much for saying that.
[insert giant heart emoji, but sincerely]
What Kindness is Great said Greg. I never fail to learn something from your musings. 👍.
Thank you, Greg. Very sad.
The problem is that evolution cannot see the future. So DNA is designed to produce a wide range of offspring, from greedy to charitable, to cover all possible futures. Survival of the fittest works the same way across the universe, I suspect.
This is why the "L" factor (lifetime of an advanced civilisation) in the Drake Equation (estimating the number of advanced civilisations now in the galaxy) is generally believed to be only 100-200 years, before the greed or carelessness of each civilisation destroys itself.
We are doing it right now with CO2 via the greed of capitalism.
Explicitly, in Star Trek the Next Generation, humans have mostly left greed behind, and that possible society is like the one described by you.
Until advanced societies treat GREED AS A MENTAL ILLNESS, they will be unstable, and will soon destroy themselves.
But don't worry, after men (males) are gone, the earth will heal itself in 100,000 years or so.
We know areas rebound when humans are removed from the equation.
I have been fixating on the concept of "greed as mental illness" since I read this hours ago. Thanks for this!
Greed is having a million times as much as the poor and still feeling you don't have enough.
Greed is amplified by addiction to "more"
Greed is amplified by worrying that "someone will take your wealth away"
------------
GREED is truly the most terrible challenge of our times, and capitalism is its tool, its means to power and more greed.
Greed is a (contagious) mental illness, an unfillable hole, a hunger that denies justice, a brutal expression of broken egos.
Greed is having a million times as much as the poor and still feeling you don't have enough.
Greed consumes the earth without respite, and is a cancer on humanity.
Greed destroys us and our children and their future.
Greed is death.
Greg, your writing helps me understand our world. Thank you. Today’s article featuring Ronlyn Domingue was prescient and frightening.
Thanks, Helen!
Why is health insurance inexplicably linked to employment? And other unfathomable questions! The status quo sucks. Great piece Greg & Ronlyn. Thank you ❤️
Quite frankly, to keep you trapped. I remember one of my first job's in the late 80's. They had a conference about our Health Insurance. They were trying to explain Pre-Existing conditions. They said if we were diagnosed with a disease while using their insurance and then left the company, the health insurance at your new company could deny you coverage because you had a "pre-existing condition". Absolute insanity! I only stayed at that company for 1 year. They treated their employees as if they were insolent children. Unfortunately, some of my co-workers were trapped there because they, or their families, had pre-existing conditions they were being treated for and they knew they would lose their healthcare coverage if they left. As a side note, treating employees as if they are children leads to them doing the bare minimum to get by. That means the company is not going to be as successful as it could've been if it had treated its employees with respect. The "pre-existing condition" rule has the same affect.
Agreed, it traps. How many people would start small businesses and thrive if not for the health care bill? Anti-entrepreneurship. Disgraceful.
I think the ACA got rid of pre-existing conditions, no? Not that anyone lauds that.
Yes, ACA eliminated pre-existing conditions. BUT, our friends on the other side of the aisle tried to reverse that. If they weren't so inept, they may have done so - in keeping with their cruelty.
It's anti-entrepreneur. Among other things. It's so awful. Least common denominator stuff.
Up until now the billionaire overlords have been writing the story, but it's our story, so we need to take it back. Future chapters will suck if we don't.
Amen! Well said, Rick.
Yes, Yes, and Yes. I love what you wrote here. And what Ronlyn Domingue wrote in her books. The TRUE meaning of Socialism was made clear when I traveled to Amsterdam. I was with a large group of 30-something's. Our tour guide pointed out that in their society, every person is equal. No one has much more than anyone else. She showed us two houses that appeared to be very similar. She said a Doctor lived in one and a store clerk lived in the other. We immediately questioned why the Doctor would not live in a mansion (so naive). Her explanation was that the people get to decide how they can best contribute to society without the pressure of how much they will be paid hanging over their heads. We have been told all of our lives that success is measured by how much money you accumulate. And this really misses the point of what we are supposed to be doing. I would like to see a society made up of people who contribute whatever makes them feel fulfilled without the worry of money, healthcare, food insecurity... That is where I see our world moving toward.
Msy the Force be with you.
And you as well, my friend!
This is how it should be. I don't object to some people making a little more. I think that's good, in general. It rewards hard work and talent. But second-generation heirs fucking us all over b/c they want to keep their hoard of cash? Absurd.
I agree. Greed and hoarding of vast amounts of money and objects, coupled with an abject refusal to contribute a portion of that wealth to have a humane society, is the problem.
Let's also not forget that corporations are using inflation to price gouge too. We hear that inflation is slowing, but as I have become the household grocery shopper, I notice things continue to go up in price, even from week to week. "Corporations Ave Evil," is a good bumper sticker, but doesn't really DO anything about the problem. But, as sure as Autumn will start tomorrow morning at 1:50 AM CT in the Northern Hemisphere, we will have to go through The Great Collapse before anything useful for the general populace is achieved. On the one hand, I wish I was about thirty years younger, so I had the stamina to do more, and on the other, a part of me is glad that I probably won't live to see it happen.
Ronlyn Domingue should really not be surprised by people reacting to her fiction in what I think is a very stupid way. I see it a lot in regard to movies; people just can't seem to get their minds in a place where they can relate what they're reading/seeing with the world as it is today. "Suspension of Disbelief" has flown the coop, along with hyperbole. Literal interpretation of everything is apparently all the rage. "The Sinner:" No. Survivor, season 103: Yes, SO MUCH, yes! The continuing WGA and SAG/AFTRA strike will make a lot of people happy because they're going to get even MORE "reality" shows to watch -- "The Golden Bachelor" is coming! Jesus Fucking Christ!
People are dumbasses about a lot of things, like accepting what the US, a now shithole country, offers in the way of healthcare, poverty, violence, racism, and all the rest, and calling it "American Exceptionalism." I'm too damned old to go anywhere else, but the aforementioned thirty years ago? Oh yeah, I'd be the hell out of here in a heartbeat, and I expect Amsterdam would have had a new citizen.
Well said Steve! Half the population of this world appears peerless in vacuous idiocy! American exceptionalism, colonialism, coupled with the evils of pure greed has led to me spending as much time around this spinning stone and usually loving the benefits of socialism. One of the fabulous realities George Carlin said always comes to mind “ When you’re born into this world, you’re given a ticket to the freak show. If you’re born in America you get a front row seat.”
As usual, Steve, a perfect comment. No notes. Love it!
Great show tonight, too! I love when you have Pete on -- he's so truthfully blunt, and I love that about him.
Thanks for watching! I love him. It's always a pleasure and privilege to have him on.
We all need to be
P-HACKERS
Another tour de force!
One article and one magazine that jive to some extent with your article:
1) https://slate.com/technology/2023/08/chatgpt-vs-algorithms-class.html
2) The current issue (31-10) of Wired Magazine. The cover reads "Dear AI Overlords, Don't F*ck This Up."
Then, in my view is the applicability of the Drake Equation. It's a guide to the possible number of intelligent species in the universe:
N = R* • fp • ne • fl • fi •fc • L
Where
N = number of civilizations with which humans could communicate
R* = rate of star formation
fp = fraction of stars that have planets
ne = average number of planets that could support life per star that has planets
fl = fraction of life-supporting planets that actually develop life
fi = fraction of planets where life becomes intelligent
fc = fraction of intelligent civilizations that develop advanced communication
L = average length of time that civilizations are able to communicate
To the Drake equation I would add one more variable "S" — sustainability. All the variables prior to L we have achieved or have been provided for us. Perhaps like some other civilizations on other worlds, we might not sustain ourselves long enough to ever communicate with other species given the rate at which we are hellbent on destroying ourselves.
There should be another P word inserted here. That word is predator and it's derivation, predatorial. Or more to the point, being predatorial. You can tell by what is being consumed and sometimes how that energy is acquired. The real truth is that the Universe as we know it is predatorial...everything gets energy from something...after that, it is a matter of degree within the process of acquisition.
Now we have come to the time of predatorial politicians...i.e., our favorite bad guy. He is scheming every moment to steal your attention and your money or equivalent resources...that's both sides of the carnival show barker coin. He's full of success and bluff, but there is a dark side to the horror show that can follow.
So, when predators overtake institutions, many of which were once the hallmarks of civilization, we all feel a certain chill. That chill is death whispering to us over our left shoulder that if we don't successfully defend ourselves, we are merely prey for the future. What we once relied upon to save us may not have the capabilities in this time and place to stop that particular predator.
We are bolstered by the fact that we are a problem-solving, inventive nation. We are limited by time.
There was a lead AP story yesterday with the headline "Earth is outside its 'safe operating space for humanity' in most key measurements." And this includes everyone. Everyone.
My favorite dog died night before last. The sadness of losing something alive that had such a wonderful touch with humans has made me more than sensitive to what we are facing and how much we have to lose right now, in these moments leading to our future.
Thanks, Greg, for the solace you provide.
Sorry to hear of the loss of a loved companion William!
Thanks, Patrick. The dog was my youngest daughter's, but I was close to her from the beginning and have been that way ever since. She developed heart problems late in life.
We are lemmings dying to run off the face of our world.
Thank God for you Greg.
If I write more about the above sentence, I’ll sound over the top (as usual.)
Voices like yours and Ronlyn’s ring out Iike village bells in times like these. After that podcast was over, both your voices were companions. Please Thank her for us and have a vacation in nirvana on all of us. ❤️