The value of life

Society still hierarchize the value of life. I would like to propose that this "societal policy setting" is a direction at the root of several human pains and evils.

While most of us agree that in general we should not attribute a hierarchy to life, we all know that when it comes to loved ones we will do everything to support them. It is a noble human trait in itself at an individual level, so that one gets the best available environment for our loved ones.

The problem is when a society applies the same policy setting.

We are making progress in this respect as we are working toward eliminating racial and sexist hierarchies: the time is unfortunately not gone yet of putting more value to a specific race or sex but we are improving in terms of society.

\However, still present is societal hierarchy applied to other attributes.

Case in point:

As a society we still prioritize functions: more energy will be invested to save a president than a construction worker.

We still prioritize productivity: by investing more energy to save a middle-aged man than an elderly person.

We still prioritized those who do what we hold as appropriate: by investing more energy in saving a non-obese or on-smoker than an obese or smoker respectively.

And let's not forget the wild card, we still prioritized one with money.

The impact on the individual self-esteem (and consequences thereof) are enormous: the knowledge that society as a whole cares more or less depending on certain attributes is of tragic consequences, either as an unhealthy driver or as the ultimate deprecating power.

I would like to argue that a societal policy without a hierarchy of life value would solve fundamental lack of trust in individuals which ultimately drives a long serial of urges such as lust of power, abuse, materialism, competitive meanness, etc.

One more meaning to Global Village

Continent, countries, provinces, regions, towns, sectors... and their governmental legitimity...all with good intentions but mountains of laws and their red tapes can't cover it all. The rising of "shared consumption", the capacity through internet to exchange goods based on trust (a rating that is attributed to you) is to the image of one's place in the "historical" village. However, this time our honesty rating or absence thereof will be built and known by people who will never meet you but will engage into trading with you.

By exchanging a book that you read for one you are interested in, people who share something with you will learn about you. They will learn to which degree they can trust and for what, in a way equivalent to your credit score but this time at a people level: accountability at the level of your action, and because it is computationable, also for the sum of your actions.

What you do and do not do becomes your e-profile.

Once again, after thousand years of innocence we are to become accountable!

Citizen complacency and The Government of Canada

The daily importance for each and everyone of us to work on the development of ethics, value , and compassion can never be blindly and entirely delegated to a third party, even if it is the government you elected. Here is an example of where we end up as a society when we limit our involvement to a vote every 4 years.

Former diplomats speak out the Conservative government's treatment of Richard Colvin, who spoke out on the treatment of Canadian detainees in Afghanistan

The Letter

The issues raised by the Richard Colvin affair are profound. Colvin, a Foreign Service Officer dedicated to discharging his responsibilities to the best of his ability under difficult circumstances, was unfairly subjected to personal attacks as a result of his testimony provided in response to a summons from a parliamentary committee.

While criticism of his testimony was perfectly legitimate, aspersions cast on his personal integrity were not. A fundamental requirement of a Foreign Service Officer is that he or she report on a given situation as observed or understood. It is only in this way that any government can draw conclusions knowledgeably and make its considered decisions, even if at variance with the reports received. The Colvin affair risks creating a climate in which Officers may be more inclined to report what they believe headquarters wants to hear, rather than facts and perceptions deemed unpalatable.

Serge April, Marc Baudouin, Michael D. Bell, Rod Bell, Eric Bergbusch, Fred Bild, Marius Bujold, Robert Collette, Jacques Crête, Brian Davis, Anne Marie Doyle, Paul Durand, James Elliott, Nick Etheridge, Marc Faguy, Robert Fowler, John M Fraser, James George, Donald Gilchrist, Stan Gooch, John Graham, Nick Hare, Jean-Paul Hubert, David Hutchings, Jeremy Kinsman, Rick Kholer, Gabriel Lessard, Daniel Marchand, Patricia Marsden-Dole, Émile Martel, François Mathys, Carolyn McAskie, John Mundy, John Noble, Gar Pardy, Gordon Riddell, Jacques Roy, Michael Shenstone, Joseph Stanford, Howard Strauss, William Warden, Peter Walker, Christopher Westdal, Jack Whittleton, Tim Williams, Ron Willson

Former Canadian ambassadors

The three highest value/cost ratio of all human enterprises at this point in time are according to the annual expert conference "BRAIN" (in decreasing order):

1- Provide vitamin to children populations of the world that have deficiencies

2- Allow true free trade which means stop support to own national sectors and allow developing countries for their export goods to follow the price establishing process enjoyed by the developed OECD countries

3- Girls and women education

To take care of global warming comes at rank 14.

When are we starting?

Note: well aware of this the gene engineering fashion well aware of this number 1 easy target tried to justify itself to the world, especially to the Europeans, by pretending gene engineering would solve the world vitamins deficiencies. They did not succeed. 

Into humanity

As we grow from embryo to old age we move from the ME to the mother to the parents, the close family, to the extended family, the road, the school to the town progressively acquiring knowledge and abilities that extend toward our fellow humans. This natural flow to include all humans and our environment is met for most of us by many walls as we grow into adulthood.

Some of these "bumps on the road" are of an individual nature, some are more structural. Among these it is structural hurdles particularly such as re

ligion, gender, races, social niveau, nationalism, corporate appartenance that can build unhealthy dependances as they feed on our strong need to "belong". 

Unfortunately we rarely do a full cost/value of this 

"appartenance deal" and one day comes the time to pay to feed the power of the few.

It is somehow reassuring that nowadays most of these structural institutions of appartenance have been striped of some of their coercive powers although they remain as thirsty. We condemn openly sexism, racism, and some type of favoritism although the way to the final goal is still far away in all countries. 

This leaves religion, nationalism and corporate appartenance.

 These three still need to be addressed because they are the only tool of abuse that we continue to tolerate in spite of the historical facts demonstrating they can lead to the open and absolute abuse that is war.

Let's start with religion. Let me take you through a table that will list the various aspect touched by religion and for which there is a positive

 (the value) and a negative (the cost). Let's throw time into the equation after which we will attempt to wrap-up this religion thing.

As the balance of power changes...

While we look at the economical power of emerging countries grow, the views of those loosing some of it is usually split between those who have the urge to fight to keep it and those who are embracing the concept of going beyond power.

Well, as we look at our dearest neighbor and the hike in military spending it is easy to identify where the power in place stands. Yet, the other half has its chance in the upcoming election. What will it be? 2/3 are already set on fighting: both existing and recently past powers have a fixed agenda which leaves 1/3, the Obama card which would, could change the path of history. Vanishing powers have traditionally spent enormous amount of energy in maintaining disappearing power through force. Will there be enough humanity to look beyond?

The principles of renunciation and nonattachment:

“Live in the world and yet above, like the lotus who has its roots in the bottom of the river but keeps its being upon the surface of the water. Enjoy the world. Do not let the world enjoy you; but you enjoy the world. This is what Swami means by nonattachment, but many serious spiritual aspirants believe in renouncing the things of the world. They leave their homes and their villages and their positions and go to ashrams, caves or temples to be free from distractions and temptations, claiming that the struggle to remain non-attached is in itself a distraction. On the other hand, if the renunciate is inconvenienced by his needs or holds in one corner of his mind that which he has left behind, he also is distracted.”

The Swami had said that here has been a “very tough and terse debate going on from times past on the virtues of renunciation versus nonattachment. I could guess where Rolling Thunder would sit in such a debate. Only dates before he said, “When we’re through with this earth and all these problems, we don’t have to come back. But as long as we’re here we have a job to do and a purpose to fulfill and that means dealing with the circumstances around us.”

I learned that Rolling Thunder does not believe in renunciation as a necessity or even a possibility. He believes most temple “renunciates” are being false with themselves and their Mother Earth. He believes when one is done with a thing it no longer exists for him; while it is there it is to be either followed, honoured, controlled or overcome – faced and dealt with and not ignored. In the view of Rolling Thunder, those who have managed to put their earthly business out of sight and mind only postpone it, often with the result that it becomes a future burden. That night I told him a few stories I had heard from Swami Rama, stories I felt he might know in one form or another. The last was the story of the Swami and the snake:

On the train to Bridavan a Swami sits besides a common man who asks him if indeed he has attained self-mastery, as the name “Swami” implies.

“I have,” says the Swami.

“And have you mastered anger?”

“I have”

“Do you mean to say that you have mastered anger?”

“I have”

“You mean you can control you anger?”

“I can”

“And you do not fell anger?”

“I do not”

“Is this the truth, Swami?”

“It is”

After a silence the man asks again, “Do you really fell that you have controlled your anger?”

“I have, as I told you,” the Swami answers.

“Then do you mean to say, you never feel anger, even-“

“You are going on and on – what do you want?” the Swami shouts. “Are you a fool? When I have told you-“

“O, Swami, this is anger. You have not mas-“

“Ah, but I have,” the Swami interrupts. “Have you not heard about the abused snake? Let me tell you the story.

“On a path that went by a village in Bengal there lived a cobra who used to bite people on their way to worship at the temple there. As the incidents increased, everyone became fearful, and many refused to go to the temple. The Swami who was the master at the temple was aware of the problem and took it upon himself to put an end to it. Taking himself to where the snake dwelt, he used a mantra to call the snake to him and bring it into submission.

The Swami then said to the snake that it was wrong to bit the people who walked along the path to worship and made him promise sincerely that he would never do it again. Soon it happened that the snake was seen a by passer-by upon the path and it made no move to bite. Then it became known that the snake had somehow been made passive, and people grew unafraid. It was not long before the village boys were dragging the poor snake along behind them as they ran laughing here and there. When the temple Swami passed that way again he called the snake to see if he had kept his promise.

The snake humbly and miserably approached the Swami, who exclaimed. “You are bleeding. Tell me how this has come to be.” The snake was near tears and blurted out that he had been abused ever since he was caused to make his promise to the Swami. “I told you not to bite,” said Swami, “but I did not tell you not to hiss!”