a relationship called i - part one

i-nternet

what kind of world are we living in? …

what will the next generation be like? …

what kind of society will my future children grow up in? …

these are questions i reflect on more and more with every passing day. nowadays, it is fairly easy to slip into a “cynic blues”. The road of cynicism is neverending and you end up spiralling downward into a place of darkness, a house without windows, brooding over a boiling pot of worries.   

one topic that addresses the current state of our young generation is that of ‘relationships’. yesterday, a study ("generation what") was released where 650,000 young people from across Europe were asked several questions.

the (frightening) result: they can do without 'God', but not without the internet.

their worship takes place at the altar of Google; their trinity is Facebook, Instagram and the ‘holy’ Tweet. their relationship to the iphone is more valuable and real than their relationship to a creator (or even their parents).

several years ago, one was able to predict a future where the ‘other’ – a living person – was going to be moved into the background of daily activities. at the rate we are going at, the virtual self is becoming more relevant and appealing than the actual ‘real’ self.

our conversations have been reduced to a brief chat until one person gets bored and pretends to have something better to do, but really just doesn’t want to spend any more time on you. the switch to another chat partner is done instantly, preventing (perhaps in most cases) a deep meaningful conversation.

our opinions and thoughts have been reduced to 144 characters. strangely, people often don’t even use that space (or publicity) to share anything significant. what is even more strange is that celebrities have arguments via twitter, exposing the absurdity of the entire twitter-verse.

our emotions are expressed by clicking ‘like’…and we should really express our ‘like’ or thumbs up for facebook granting us a few more ‘virtual feelings’, e.g. ‘wow’, ‘haha’, ‘love’ etc.

as a matter of fact, the way i currently feel about our future is a mix of ‘wow-haha-sad-angry-love’. it goes as far as having become a type of mantra or repetitive approach to global events.

whenever i read any news, i first think ‘wow’ – can this actually be true or happening?

then it goes ‘haha’ – either nervous laughter because it ACTUALLY is true and it IS happening or simply just an inner chuckle.

depending on the news, my emotions fluctuate between ‘sad’, ‘angry’, and ‘love’. although ‘love’ really comes on strong.

i feel sad because i know humanity could be destined for so much greater.

i get angry because i know injustice need not exist and the world could be a better place.

love, on the other hand, is solely reserved for pictures of kittens and other cute animals that make all the other previous emotions wash away.

in essence, that is why the internet is such a social phenomenon. nowhere – not even in a library – are you able to indulge yourself in all kinds of emotions…a rollercoaster or a firework of emotions, figuratively speaking.

the internet is an exciting thing and gives us the impression that we are free to do anything we want. for all the positive effects it could have on the world, it also harbours evil beyond all understanding.

the porn industry has never been more powerful and defiles the youngest of minds with horrendous images. ANYTHING can be found in the internet. there are no bounds…no limits to someone’s sordid imagination. the incongruity between a human-being enjoying the internet and another human physically being portrayed IN the internet and used for slavery is a fact.

the internet softens reality and makes it appear as a blurry spot – a tiny blemish on humanity’s historical record. the truth is that perhaps no invention since the clock has had this much of an impact on the shaping of society. it is changing EVERYTHING!  

without doubt, the internet is an amazing tool for those who know how to use it. but is there such a thing as a ‘right way’ to use the internet? if there is, it hasn’t been made clear in those sectors where people would learn about. i am referring to schools, who have an increased responsibility to teach the new generation how to approach the internet.

i am not talking about how to use Google or how to tweet. i would like to see how morality is addressed in a universe that has no boundaries.

of course young people have placed the internet on the throne of their daily lives. the internet doesn’t give them moral guidance (not specifically at least). it doesn’t teach them “right” from “wrong”.

it has one goal, and one goal only: to spew out information like a volcano spews out lava. our perception of information has significantly changed, because it is so readily available. ignorance or ‘not knowing’ is no longer a valid excuse.

“if you don’t know something, just Google it!”

we require a (moral) filter for all the information we receive on a daily basis. you and I have to decide what to do with the emotions provoked/evoked by the stuff we see/read/share. we have to decide what to believe. you cannot just take something at face value anymore. Everything must be questioned.

that, in itself, can be good. we require a generation that does question decisions made by people in power. at the same time, this generation has to answer the question whether God can exist. and if He/She/It does, whether He/She/It is worth more than Google.

personally, I have arrived at a place where the ‘Christian’ God is the only thing that makes sense to me and my relationship to Him is and “feels” just as (or sometimes even more) real than interacting with someone on Whatsapp.

questions left unanswered, with a relativist attitude lingering behind the scenes, will sooner or later turn someone into more than a cynic. A life without truth is a life of moral deficiency, because the truth is an absolute, just as ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

therefore, i do not to leave any stone unturned. yet, while i pick it up, i remember who created it in the first place. i remember that, while I might be standing in sinking sand, God is the stick i can hold on to.

the internet may be my house, and that is totally fine. but He is the window that lets in light.  

a love called trump

it’s no secret that i am an impassioned political enthuasist.

especially when it comes to american politics.

one thing’s for certain: never has there been a nomination process quite like this before.

not even 2008, when Obama managed to rally a generation apathetic towards politics.

but now the world is seemingly worried that a man like donald trump has been handed the opportunity to become president.

america, the country that ushered the world into the globalised & terrorised 21st century, appears to be losing it.

america’s sovereignty and its hegemonic impact on the rest of the planet has come under scrutiny.

who is america?

i don’t believe one can compare the country to a man in a mid-life crisis.

more along the lines of an old emperor whose mind has been clouded by paranoia and greed.  

this emperor is no longer respected and has lost all credibility.

he is senile and tends to forget (or ignore) the past.

he believes to be invincible, but plays his people like pawns.

‘Erica’ is an old norse name referring to ‘one rule’, ‘eternal ruler’.

however, i seriously doubt that global citizens will be held at bay much longer and accept the western arrogance stemming from the u.s.

the eternal rule will most certainly come to its end in the near future.

we don’t know how or what that might look like.

the fall of an empire never happened in a pretty way.

Noam Chomsky, the world’s foremost intellectual activist, has written a new book entitled ‘who rules the world?’

indeed, this is a valid question and the answer probably factors in several ‘big players’, such as what Adam Smith referred to as “masters of mankind”

Chomsky reflects on this in a recent essay on the challenges of 2016.

today, these ‘masters’ are the “multinational conglomerates, huge financial institutions, retail empires” etc.

you and I, whether it be consciously or subconsciously, support them on a daily basis.

we consume their goods and then go sign a petition to get the company to reimburse workers that were exposed to toxic mercury.

we believe we’re indispensable, but which pawn ever was?

if you don’t buy it, somebody else will.

globalisation, as was predicted by some, did not turn out the way we may have thought it would.

not because the concept is bad or wrong, but because the execution only benefits a few.

even though cultures are coming together, mixing and mingling, there still is a sense that a truly globalised world could (or should) look different.

we still have borders and visas.

we are returning to history, to open the dark chapters.

vulnerability can be exploited.

the fact that we currently have 100,000’s of displaced Syrians trying to find a new home and life elsewhere is a tragedy.

on top of all that, the immigrations plan of countries like Germany has stirred up nationalist sentiments.

it’s obvious that Germany’s “perfect” unification and troublesome past has not been dealt with properly.

the shadows have returned to the light and are threatening a society that is already intercultural.

Germany is full of different cultures, religions and ethnicities.

on account of terrorism, our knees are being brought to the ground and we are called to bow down to fear-mongering.

astonishingly, there are many who are already lying face down on the ground, having capitulated to religious & racist bigotry.

in times like these, the choices we make can have a detrimental impact on the generations to come.

in times like these, we must hold on to the one thing that unites us all: LOVE

too often we forget to take the plank out of our own eye. If we did, we would realise that all our faults originate from a shared human experience.  

we throw the first stones, but instead we should be using those stones to build bridges.

unfortunately, bridges are burnt down faster than the time it took to build them in the first place.   

there might be water under the bridge, but the water may still be contaminated with bitter pills nobody can swallow.

i am going to say it:

there is a little trump in all of us.

we easily become that which we hate.

those terrorised, become the terrorists…or worse, the terrorisers.

wherever we find ourselves now, it is high-time to unite together under the banner of humanity.

it cannot be that we hate another human-being or deny him the life we would want for ourselves on the basis of his background.

I don’t frankly care what politics or economics have to say, because both these areas are soul-sucking monsters.

there is no justice or righteousness in politics or economics. Power comes and goes, companies go bankrupt and are bought out…heck, even banks themselves go bankrupt.

how many lessons do we have to learn or witness before we actually see things for what they truly are.

we should never let ourselves be the pawns. Even the greatest chess player knows that a pawn can be turned into any figure if it gets to the other side of the board.

and at the end, that pawn-turned-queen is worth more than the king.

let us direct our anger, frustration and dismay toward the right source.

there will be new hitlers, new stalins, new idi amin’s, new pol pots, and many more trumps.   

they can draw out hate and point at scapegoats, blaming everyone but themselves.

in the end, however, love trumps all!  

a society called death

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

The world is plagued by an infestation of the 'seven deadly sins manifested' in our society. These sins are quite real and have had a detrimental impact on every individual. Whether you believe in the spiritual concept of sin or not, the reality when we observe the world and its behaviour is that it is driving down the road of ruin rather than towards "Paradise City".

This post is not designed to be all doom and gloom, but in the past month I simply had certain revelations (mainly pertaining to 'greed'):

Nowadays, the 'fruits' we are reaping (or dust we are choking on) are a direct result of the previous generation(s). They grew up and were educated according to what was 'right' in those days. Perhaps it was ok for pregnant women not to smoke, for men not to cook, for children to be obedient etc. There were different societal standards and expectations.

Expectations are just unuttered thoughts; feelings unexpressed; attitudes not carried out. Of course, several expectations cannot be realized. For example, sunny weather is expected for tomorrow. It doesn't have to be that way. There's little I can do to necessarily influence something like that.

But when it comes to a community (city or nation), expectations can become expect-actions.

The death (or decay) of a society can be attributed to the inaction of the people that form its core. Whilst most of us are idle bystanders to the daily events in the world, it appears we have also forgotten our collective impact on matters worth fighting for. 

At the top of the list is the protection of our planet. Again, whether you believe it or not, God placed us in charge of His creation. We are to be stewards of paradise, not parasites of the earth. Thinking long-term, rather than short-term. As custodians of nature, we are called to intervene when parts of this glorious creation are being ruthlessly destroyed & trashed.

What we are currently witnessing is ecological rape and the slaughter of nature's innocence in epic proportions. Nobody feels or is held accountable for this! Hundreds of petitions might be launched, yet the ones responsible for carrying out the 'demolishment plans' are ultimately never convicted.

It is us – as an entire society – that have to recognize the danger of the previous generations turning nature's treasures to ash. We might expect there to be an improvement in the decades to come...but once certain resources are gone, they are GONE. There will not be some miraculous rising of the ecological phoenix.

You kill a tree, you kill the fruits for the generation to come. You kill a tree, you sometimes kill an ancient guardian of humanity, a fellow ally...a gentle giant worthy of protection, for it protects us from so many harsh consequences.

Coming back to the beginning: it is more than our outlook that has to change. Buying organic, local food doesn't make me a saint. It is just a vital first step. Dealing with the topic of conscious consumerism is fundamental for our generation. Being taught early on to respect nature and its many riches; to warn children of the real threats facing our species; to instill in them an attitude of preservation rather than exploitation; to show them how to treat food and other raw materials...that is the key to a bright future.

They cannot only be taught the concept of death. They have to see it for themselves. Not just the birds and the bees and the flowers and trees...but the consequences to our greed and the dangers we face. Children have to be shown what happens when they do not uphold a specific moral code...what happens, in particular, when they succumb to greed (in all areas of life).

It was only when I was 18 that I came across Dr. Seuss. Not too late to appreciate and adapt his words and take heed of people like the Once-ler ("The Lorax"). It was my teacher who truly made me understand the desperate need for practical action to save what precious little we still have. He spent many years taking on the illegal mining in Goa and published a book on it ("Eat the Dust", Hartman de Souza) – a great example of someone not just talking the talk.

As a society, we have a choice to come together and not just talk about some idealistic changes, but moreover BE and SEE THROUGH those changes.

This morning , I heard a report about the deforestation of rain forests in Colombia. It is utterly shocking and devastating!

I do believe there was a time when we humans were living in absolute harmony with our surroundings. We had a deep understanding of our relationship with nature and it was inter-dependent. Nature responded to our respect for it.

If you feel you cannot take a stand or join a particular movement, then I would urge you to at least offer some financial support to organizations that are really trying to make a difference.

Trees & forests are one thing. Don't get me started on wild- and sea life. Senseless killing of wild animals and sea creatures (or even killing for stupid reasons) is driving us towards death: the extinction of one species has irreversible consequences on the overall ecological order. That is an undeniable fact and should be heavily engrained in every human's mind!

As individuals, we are responsible to spread this message of protection and preservation...to lead by example, so others can follow suit. As long as the last tree still stands, there is hope we can pull through this and allow our planet to be revived.

Below, I am listing a few organizations I feel are worth supporting:

-          Plant for the Planet  (tree planting)

-          Sea Shepherd (marine preservation) 

-          The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

-          Wikipedia list of more organizations (by country)

Note: It's probably best to seek out organizations close to home and try help out locally!

a day called leap

Today marks the 5th leap day of the 21st century. There is quite the big history behind this quirky little day. It also gives us a breather and perhaps some extra, (much-needed) time to reflect further upon the things that have been happening in the past 16 years since this century began.

Tonight is not the time for me to do this. For me, it is truly a time to simply sit back and revel in my own thoughts.

Nonetheless, I do intend on posting some of these sooner rather than later...

a culture called convenience

I am angry.

My heart is filled with a clutter of emotions...but only anger is being filtered through to the outside.

It is not a mere annoyance with all that is wrong with this world. It is not a little outburst of frustration about 'stuff not working out'. It is not a childish hissy-fit, because I did not receive that what I want most.

It is a deep-seated longing for justice and an ingrained belief that we ALL deserve a great life. One where we are proud of ourselves and our achievements.

Bitterness is a like a drug. Resentment is like fuel to the fire of unforgiveness. Feelings are running amok and are out to take down everything and everyone that is in its way.

Taking control of these feelings is like reigning in the three-headed dog Cerberus. Retaining these feelings just brings about an explosive implosion that destroys vital organs.

Most people today are truly angry. Often I am amazed at how well everybody can act. They hide the outcry of their feelings behind so much other noise. On the outside, they appear like meagre, abiding lambs...but on the inside a storm is raging and a lion is roaring.

When the new year arrives, we place our hope in false expectations and the desire to fulfil our resolutions. We make plans. We come up with grand ideas and convince ourselves that a new year automatically means that something better is about to happen.

The world convinces and persuades us that we need more of this and more of that. We need to do more workout, look fitter, eat healthier, get a raise, find a new job, make more friends, travel more, have more gadgets, invest more etc.

And yet, we continue to live in self-denial. We evade the questions that matter most, because we fear the discomfort of heavily wrestling with them...and, God forbid, coming to an ugly conclusion.

Not only do we get stuck in a 'bubble', a comfort zone so to speak. That is a given. It's more than that. It's bigger than that. The dangerous road we are all driving down is becoming a culture of convenience.

The word originates from the Latin 'convent -> convenire', the assembly. Strangely, a convent became known as a place of solitude. A closed-off space where individuals would go to stay away from society in the pursuit of seeking a higher consciousness.

Today, our "higher consciousness" is measured by our consumption of material goods and adhering to a ridiculous standard of living. In Germany, many people are isolated...wandering islands that will only experience any form of assembly when they're gathered in the market place. That's where convenience comes from. In London there is still a place today called Covent Garden (derived from Convent Garden).

Our garden of Eden is a place where we think we have bought nature...where we have overcome evil, simply buy paying our small debt of sin. The great life is for the highest bidder.

Unfortunately, people are blind when it comes to seeing the truth reflected in the mirror. They are deaf when it comes to hearing a tune other than their own. The words we speak are at best a self-absorbing whisper in an empty room.

Who really cares about your ideals and unending thoughts? Will a politician be able to act on your behalf? Who represents you? All of you! Your fears, worries, dreams, beliefs...

Unless you wake up and observe the environment around you - objectively assessing the situation - the chances are that you will succumb to this culture of convenience.

Convenience feeds on complacency. Mediocrity is a fascination for and of itself. It is convenient for us to remain simply happy with who we are, not aspiring to being 'greater'.

It is convenient for us to join the mob...the populous...and engage our anger (or other feelings) in immoral activities. It is easy for us to stand on the shoulders of the weak and declare a personal victory. The attitude of one human being actually being better than another is utterly absurd. Humanity is about recognising the shared burden we all have to bear - together.

I am angry.

Whether it is righteous anger or not...sometimes the pain of watching suffering and injustice gets the better of me. I long for super-powers. To save those that get sand kicked in their eyes.

Right now, Germany is in the middle of a refugee 'crisis'. They call it 'mis-management' of people. Who is managing who? What is really going on? Where did things go wrong?

It is not convenient for us having to deal with "strangers". Life is complicated as it is already. We shy away from diving through the sea of paranoia and crushing waves the media is heaping on us. Who is the enemy?

Surely the enemy lies within me! The imprisoned voice attempting to break out and join the forces of evil. Make no mistake, it most certainly exists. It deceives me into thinking that my anger has been affected by another human being. I stand in the middle of a crowd and I am the only one who deserves to be there. Everything belongs to me, because I am above everyone else. My greed tells me that sharing is not caring...it is imperative to my survival. My pride tells me that nothing can hurt me - I am in fact invincible. My lust tells me that it is necessary for me to give in and 'just do it'.

It is so convenient to just say "fuck it"...to set my tongue free and whip the unworthy slaves around me. For mine is the kingdom and I am the king...of a land called delusion.

No, higher consciousness begins by embracing moral objectivism. It is about coming to a point where you and I can embrace each other as brother and sister of the same tribe. Regardless of the things that set us apart.

We ought to stand as an assembly of people uncompromising towards injustice and being lured into a false paradise. We ought to see evil for what it is and let ourselves not be distracted by lies, deception and our foolish, arrogant ways. We have but one thing that we are responsible for: ourselves. But we are nothing without the 'other', no matter who that other is. You are defined by those who look you in the eyes and recognise those many shared, hidden feelings.

I am angry...but I am not alone.