Numbing or dumbing of the senses...

I caught this news clip broadcast on Russia TV news. The footage was from a CCTV across a busy Turkish Highway.

What's amazing about it is that as this little child crawls off the curb, the drivers in the cars going by don't seem to let it put a stop to their day... except maybe for this one man who puts his hand out to warn on-coming traffic, although he doesn't seem to stop either.

It's amazing how some people can become so isolated in their own worlds? Is it that people seem to believe that things don't concern them anymore if they look away...

Don't discount guardian angels watching from above just yet.

Taking on Tequila Suicide

It seems that the limits of depravity and decadence are always being challenged by boredom and one-upmanship.

A newspaper report that recently caught my eye was a reuters report headlined 'Our staff snorted salt, not cocaine,' which was the explanation offered by a German insurance company official when a photograph, published in German tabloid 'Bild,'showed sales agents snorting white powder from a table-top at an employee motivation party last September.

The company in the statement claimed that "The pictures published in Bild show a drinking game with salt, Tequila and lemon juice." It claimed that the white powder on the table top was salt not drugs.

The game in question was known as “Tequila Suicide” and requires drinkers to snort salt, drink tequila and to squeeze lime into their eyes.

Salt through the nose and lime into the eyes! And this is part of a drinking game people voluntarily partake in!? My eyes are watering already at the thought (and am not sure how my nose could possibly feel, but I'd imagine a bloody sinus mutiny). I guess the only saving grace is that people were at least expected to take in the Tequila orally rather than, say, through other orifices.

A quick online search revealed countless youtube videos – naturally of men rather than women and typically in a bar – featuring the depraved individual surrounded by equally boisterous 'friends' egging them on. I mean, seriously!? Talk about ridiculous peer pressure and sheer spinelessness.

The incident reported allegedly occurred at an 'employee motivation party. These were definitely 'motivated' employees, but what could motivate someone to do what they were caught doing on film is beyond me.

As society develops and civilisations seem to mature, it appears that nature's rules kick in and takes its course. What goes up must come down; you will be hard pressed to find similar cases of self-inflicted depravity in lesser developed countries (in those countries, however, all examples of depravity are of those imposed on other people – say by elected officials or the government).

Talk about entitlement blues and misplaced priorities.

Entitlement blues

As I watch my children grow, I know they have had a better life (as far has material gains are concerned) than I believe I had. By the same token I imagine that I had a better life than what my parents had (again this is where their beliefs come in); and so on and so forth.

Whether we take this 'evident' proposition backwards or forwards in our lives, we should come to a point where we discover that our fore-fathers had absolutely nothing to start off with or that our descendants will at one point have everything and more.

Question is, who is more entitled to the good life? Those who had nothing and had to struggle, or those who have been accustomed to having everything? Opinions may vary, but the correct answer should be 'both' (of course, if it is sustainable for both parties to have everything and more; it rarely is).

Then you have nature's greatest equaliser - what goes up must come down. A person's life is never up and up, but plagued with a few down cycles as well. There are generations that have their ups and downs, but stay level on average. And then there are generations that seemingly only have the ups with generations that follow with seemingly only downs.

However, the 'curse' of entitlement is 'raised expectations' when the next generation EXPECTS this generation to make sure that everything works out for them. My favourite example is the Calvin & Hobbes strip below (which I use (rather tongue and cheek) as an 'entitlement,' even though Bill Watterson slaved to draw it and should ideally be paid for it use here; see how contagious (and potentially litigation prone) entitlement can be?):

The entitlement blues hits most of us when we are down, because deep down we believe that we are good people and feel it absolutely unfair that bad things should happen to us.

Usually, when bad things happen to other people... it is easier to digest and relegate it to being part and parcel of life. This works two fold to our benefit because by lending a shoulder we look at ourselves as a better person (so it's easier to rationalise that bad things shouldn't really happen to us) and also simply because when we exit that door, we can leave all that hurt behind!

It is true that bad experiences only make us stronger, but given a choice how many would prefer to learn and only grow stronger by selfishly (albeit, never self-conscious of the fact) having to watch other people suffer those experiences on our behalf?

However, make no mistake, we'd rather have all the good fortunes happen to us. This might sound rather crude but how many of us have wished that we had the good fortunes of some of our neighbours because (dare I say it) we feel we deserve it more. I am definitely guilty of harbouring such sentiments from time to time, before I can catch myself. I chalk it down as human nature, but am not particularly proud of it (but then, neither should I be!). I also do NOT believe that I am alone in harbouring this sentiment either.

Good things come to those who wait. I have learnt that from experience. I have also learnt from experience that good things generally also happen to those who work towards it too. A Talatism truth, nay, a worldly truth, would be that we are only entitled to what we deserve but do not always deserve what we are entitled to.

As such deep revelations often do, it reminds me of a joke.

*

A man who had remained pious all his life and had nothing but utter devotion to his god, found himself on his prayer mat one night raising his hands in supplication asking that the lord grant him a worldly reward for his dedication.

“Oh Lord,” he cried, “let me win the lottery for all these years of complete servitude to your word.”

He prayed the same thing every night before he went to bed. Nothing happened, but a few weeks later his neighbour won the jackpot.

That night he lay again on his prayer mat in tears asking the good lord what he had done and why he was not allowed the prize for himself.

To his astonishment, as he raised his head, a cloud formed over him, it grew dark and a strong gust of wind shook the room he was in.

The clouds slowly parted, lightening flashed and a DEEP voice boomed down from the light above “Buy a Lottery ticket first!”

*

Sometimes it's only a matter of actually taking the steps towards receiving what we really feel entitled to.

Forgiveness: is it easier to ask for?

As I work I usually have the radio playing in the background and sometimes a song or a snippet of news catches my attention.

Very recently a song by Human League (remember them?) titled 'Human,' got me thinking...

I loved the song from when I had heard it all those years ago, but time and distance had faded the imagery of the lyrics.

The lyrics were quite simple and the music 'synthetic' as New Wave of the 80s sounds go – but as someone whose mind formulated itself in the 1980s the sound had a warmth (almost homesick trigger) to it.

'Human' was a song of betrayal and of a man asking for forgiveness for an regrettable indiscretion made while his lover was away. Philip Oakey, the voice and songwriter for Human League, blamed the weakness on being 'only human,' simply made of “flesh and blood,” “just a man” and so “born to make mistakes.”

All this time he asks his lover to “dry her eyes,” and find it in her heart to forgive him for the slight.

When the lover finally speaks, she does so with devastating effect by uttering the following words: “The tears I cry aren't tears of pain; They're only to hide my guilt and shame. I forgive you now I ask the same of you, while we were apart I was human too”

The song ends almost immediately after that confession.

Incredible!

So what do you think happened after that? The tables had turned and it was now SHE who had betrayed HIM. I think it apt that every listener is given the opportunity to decide for him or herself the fate of the two.

[Those who have not heard the song (or want a familiar blast from the past) click on the youtube clip below or simply click here for the lyrics.]

In a sense most of us probably face similar dilemmas when it comes to forgiveness (for any real or imagined slight to our ego) – often times it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to give it ourselves. I earnestly believe it is very few of us who can really rise up to the challenge.

But then it is probably this hypocrisy what makes us all 'human' after all.

In my mind it is right to forgive and forget... but in my case, thanks to my brain is an attic theory, I usually forget even if I forget to forgive.

The real question, however, is whether it is the forgiving or often the not being able to forgive that makes us human? I would love to hear from you about what you think. Up for the challenge?

When opportunity literally stares you in the face

When Victor Whitmill saw the trailer for the Hangover II movie (which is expected to be released next week) he literally saw an opportunity staring at him right in the face... right off the face of one of the characters in the movie.

Before you ask (I had to), who the heck is Victor Whitmill let me just say he is a tattoo artist; but more importantly the tattoo artist responsible for the famous face tattoo on one-time world heavy weight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

According to an MSNBC broadcast Whitmill claimed that his design was one of the most distinctive in the United States and that when it was created, "Mr. Tyson agreed Mr. Whitmill would own the artwork and thus the copyright."

Whitmill is now suing Warner Bros., the film's producers, for “copyright infringement.”

The MSNBC broadcast continued “the lawsuit claims Warner Bros. pirated the tattoo and that tattoo is not only central to the story line of the movie, but it's also a big part of the movie's promotion. Artist Whitmill says he wants an injunction preventing the movie's release and Whitmill says he's due an award of monetary damages sufficient to compensate for the injuries suffered.”

What injuries suffered?! I wonder if his decision motivated by the fact that the original 'Hangover' movie grossed than $277 million in the box office worldwide? The original movie even had Mike Tyson in a cameo role (and by default, Mr. Whitmill's allegedly copyrighted artwork), and as Warner Bros. oints out, in its 149-page response filed in court, “the artist never objected over the past two years to the use of Tyson's tattoo in the first "Hangover" movie.”

What is ridiculous is that the particular tattoo design on Tyson may be Whitmill's artwork, but the idea of placing the tattoo on Tyson's face was definitely not his own, it was probably Tyson's (would you want to inflict pain on the face of a man renowned for a) his short temper, and b) for his bone shattering left hook?).

Furthermore, Tyson's facial tattoo inspiration most likely came from the images he had seen of fierce facial tattoos inked on Maori warriors' faces centuries ago. Hardly original, Mr. Whitmill if you grab your interpretation from artwork that has been documented as a cultural heritage for centuries.

The original movie escaped making an imprint on Whitmill's pocketbook, it seems that he isn't going to let it happen again... even if it has him clutching at straws.

Thing is, granted Whitmill might own the copyright to the particular design on Tyson's face, but 1) from the trailer (see below) the tattoo doesn't look like its the same thing, and 2) he definitely doesn't have a copyright on tattoo placement on the face – the Maori beat him to it more than a 200 years ago.

Victor Whitmill has his 15 minutes – he should just move on...

The 5 rule test to trust

What's worse than the world not ending on May 21, 2011 is that some of the people, believing that Judgement Day would be upon them, as prophesied by the (dis)honourable preacher Harold Camping, used the opportunity to be utterly irresponsible.

So absolute was the trust in their preacher's prophesy that there are reports from all over that many people sold ALL their belongings or squandered ALL their wealth on a last hurrah. Clearly they could not even imagine a sunny day after the prophesied “rains,” and felt it a god-given(?) opportunity to 'give to the establishment' how they obviously felt they had received.

I have a problem with that. How can someone suspend their imagination so completely to not even question a 'what if'? Well now the 'establishment' has them by the short and curlies and they'll probably end up getting what they had hoped to give.

I think the Bible said (it has been quoted enough times in the missionary school that I had attended in my youth) “do unto others, what you expect others to do unto you.” I guess in the haste, some of the followers the of good preacher lost the true meaning of the prophesy – repent, spend time in prayer, slow down, etc, etc.

Despite the difficulty they find themselves in, one can hope that these people can see the funny side of it (if they don't, they can ask their rational neighbours).

*

I have a set of five rules that I slavishly follow about trusting people. They are pretty self evident if you think about them, but sadly few people actually do. The list below has worked wonders for me and has helped me keep my priorities straight and my mind in order. They follow in reverse order:

5. Age has nothing to do with it: A person does not win my trust just he or she is older or appears more seasoned. A deep sound does not necessarily hold a sound tune.

4. To listen doesn't mean to follow: While it is always important to listen to a point of view (even a seemingly opposing one), I am not of the opinion that my attention belies my allegiance. Therefore I can listen with a clear mind, and harbour no guilt whatsoever if I feel I cannot subscribe.

3. No one shares information for the love they feel: This might seem a bit cynical, but NO ONE shares information without an agenda. Even a priest's preaching of devotion and the welfare of my afterlife, is only fuelled by his hoping for brownie points from the maker for passing on the 'good word.' Of course just because there is always an agenda it does not mean that it is always sinister.

2. Reason BEFORE respect: The good lord has provided each one of us a mind to use for ourselves, all arguments, no matter how compelling, must be screened through our own set of values. To borrow a cliché, “if it's too good to be true, it probably is.” Granted it is just sometimes hard to look away; more so if it looks towards unsolicited gains. It is always good to remember everything we pick up as our own has a price somewhere along the line.

1. Trust your instinct first: We are all animals first. And like all animals we have an inborn instinct that prompts us to act to save ourselves first. However, as we become more civilised we overlook such baser responses in the interest of 'love for all.' In my mind, if there is a hint of doubt and an alarm bell goes off, there may be a reason. As a rule people 'full of it,' give off an stink that the nose may not quite catch but tickles the sixth sense in all of us.

*

The faithful of California might have benefited more by relying on my set of rules than they have the good preacher's prophesies; but then the misguided flock had missed the point of the sermons anyway.

Trust my conviction, I could be wrong

Trust is a relative thing, the closer the relative the greater the trust.

Incidentally in my opinion the trust curve is a classic bell curve; the trust margins declines as we move away from family to maybe neutralise with friends (we all know friends are expected to lie to us on occasion for the laughs) and then the trust rises until it hits the level of “complete trust” by the time we get to complete strangers (albeit, seemingly respectable ones and ones we identify in our minds as an 'expert').

Of course there are exceptions – but then exceptions make the rule. The exception generally revolves around that fact that people tend to doubt at face value what they feel they can be verify themselves.

It is for this reason that when you tell a person that there are 400 billion stars in the sky he may believe you, but tell him a bench is wet and he has to touch it.

Trust is an important ingredient in the development of communities – sometimes the trust is bestowed, sometimes it is earned. “Community leaders” have by that very definition a “community trust.” Often times, however, that trust can be misplaced when the leader displaces too much trust in himself and his abilities and an infallibility to be blinded by his own convictions.

The world was supposed to end yesterday. And because you are reading this, it can be safely assumed that it has not – even accounting for international datelines and times. Today is already today all over the world, even if some people are welcoming the dawn as others are saying goodbye to the sunset.

Illustration  from Croz Walsh's Blog

Harold Camping, a preacher from California (no surprise there for some) predicted that the end of the world was upon us... on May 21, 2011 to be precise.

Not accounting for the fact that gentleman had predicted the end earlier as September 6, 1994 (which didn't come to pass either), his flock readied themselves for the 'second coming' and their ascension to heaven – while the rest of the non-believers would go to “the other place.”

Camping was not a fool, he was a well-respected by his followers. His flock would listen to him via the Family Radio Network, a religious broadcasting organisation based in the US funded by donations from listeners. The man had a significant following, so much so that through listener generosity his network owned 66 stations in the US alone. His total global network boasted assets worth USD 120 million.

Again the man was not a fool, the 89 year old preacher arrived at his timeline through 70 years of studying the Bible and, he claimed, devising a system that used mathematics to interpret prophesies hidden in it.

That is all very good until you look at his mathematical logic at arriving at the precise date for Judgement Day. He calculated that multiplying the three holy numbers – 5, 10 and 17 – together twice gave 722,500.

Believe it or not but May 21 2011 was precisely 722,500 days after the crucifixion of Christ (believed to be April 1, AD 33)!

Now, not to undermine his prediction, I guess multiplying the aforementioned holy numeral trinity by three (or four) would put the date of the second coming way past his lifetime and wouldn't make for too good radio.

You see granted that 5, 10 and 17 may be holy numbers from the Christian scriptures (I am not familiar with what those numbers represent and why, so I am putting myself on a limb here), but what accounts for multiply the product of the three numbers with '2'?

Our preacher's conviction overtook his ability to reason – I am certain that the community leader did not believe that he was infallible, but nonetheless he let his flock down by being blinded by his own conviction to be right. He most definitely put in the time for it. Those who believed and were prepared did so on faith... fuelled also partly on the trust they had bestowed on their preacher..

To be honest when I first read about the prediction weeks ago, I did not trust the preacher's conviction (he may have been respectable, but in my mind he was not an 'expert').

Could he have been right? He could have been; but because he wasn't, all of us dissenters can appear smug today (particularly more so because we do not find ourselves in the “other place”).