Tag: era

The period of hope.

Today, I am asked to describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to. I believe it started sometime in 2018 and lasted until late 2023. I think of this phase as the period of hope. My life was in pretty bad shape when the period began, but someone came along who gave me hope that things would improve somehow. I just couldn’t figure out how to make the right changes happen without messing a lot of things up for everyone, so I just stalled. I relied entirely on hope, but at least I had that to keep me going.

Sometime in 2023, around the time I paused on my blogging, a couple of events occurred that caused me to lose all the hope I had of a miracle happening. It seemed to have been preceded by a reading of cards, indicating that a new beginning was coming. It was also around the time the person who started this period briefly came back into my life to announce her marriage was a total failure and she had filed for divorce. I think things will keep going and I will be okay, but I don’t have much hope things will correct themselves at this point.

Now, I have the period of drinking and bar patronizing to look forward to. What joy. At least my ability to write convincing characters with severe alcohol problems is maturing rapidly. I also have the bar scene down pat, if I need to incorporate that into a book. I mean, it’s not the first time I’ve heard of writers doing a bit of wine bibbing. Steven King devoted some lines to his experience with it in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. At least I haven’t taken up smoking yet. I’m mostly just kidding about this (maybe).

It’s not all bad. The period of hope actual made me stressed enough to quit my job and take on a new one. It pretty much doubled my salary. The struggle to pay the rent kind of flew out the window after that, along with all my other money problems. Being able to live large did open up other doorways though, hence the bar hopping. It’s still lonely, but that’s kind of my fault. I can be lonely in a crowded room full of people, if it’s not the right people.

I’m not new to the phases of life, having endured quite a few by now. They all seem like mini lifetimes in themselves, barely having any relation to previous periods, each one with its own distinct personality and habits. I’m just now being introduced to this new one’s personality. Maybe he and I will become great friends by the end. You don’t know until it’s over, whether they will also be difficult to say goodbye to, or you welcome their exit off center stage with a swift kick. I guess we’ll see, but the most concerning thing to me is who I will be when they leave.

What phase did you hate to leave behind? Do phases of life seem to have a distinct personality? Ever have to give up hope on something you wanted badly? Do you struggle with loneliness? How would you describe the current phase of your life? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe!

The dinosaur I would bring back.

I don’t think I would bring back any dinosaur. I believe they would dramatically change the ecosystem they are introduced into, possibly driving present day animals into extinction. I also think that if they are extinct, there is probably a good reason. They either gradually evolved into some modern animal, or they were an unviable species.

I think it’s sad when any animal goes extinct, but I also believe that it’s just the way nature works. Life is not static like people want it to be. It is dynamic and everchanging. If an animal can’t properly adapt, it has to make way for animals better fitted to the changing environment.

That being said, and to play along here, I believe the best dinosaur to bring back to life would be one that is relatively small and only eats plants. I believe they would be the least likely to cause much harm to humans. I also like the ones that are evolved enough to have feathers like modern birds. I suspect these dinosaurs would be very colorful and interesting to watch. They should probably be confined to zoos and care should be taken to not release them into an ecosystem where they could harm the natural balance.

The species of dinosaur I have selected is called Kulindadromeus. It lived on the plains of northern Asia in the late Jurassic period, about 160 million years ago, and was about 4 of 5 feet long and weighed around 20 or 30 pounds. It was also feathered like birds are today. I selected this one from a long list of small plant eating dinosaur species found in this article.

Image of a Kulindadromeus by Andrey Atuchin.

Kulindadromeus / Andrey Atuchin

What dinosaur would you bring back to life? Did dinosaurs capture your imagination growing up? Which one was your favorite? Do you believe it’s dangerous to tamper with mother nature? Human beings are probably the most adaptable creatures due to their technology, but do you think we are in danger of going extinct? What would cause it? Let me know your thoughts! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

What I would change about modern society.

First, I think we would have to define what modern society is. There are actually a wide variety of societies all over this world, all of them existing in modern times, but would we classify all of them as modern? Also, are all societies imbibed with the same modern ideas?

I believe many societies today actually lack the necessary infrastructure to be classified as modern. Some of them barely have access to clean water and good roads. If we assume modern society has advanced technology, we are leaving out a few of these societies. They are still on the sidelines observing, and slowly working to catch up. I do think strides are being made every day, but there is still work to be done.

I also believe that when we talk about changing society, we are talking about changing how people think and function. Many societies, even in modern times, differ greatly in their beliefs, goals, perspectives, and practices. Certain attributes or practices of a particular society might be considered very primitive by another society for instance, yet we are all living in the modern era.

For these reasons, modern society can only be understood in a relatively localized fashion, as in your particular society, or in a very broad way that not all modern societies fall under. That being said, I feel like what we are really talking about is the generalized philosophy and practices of highly developed nations.

What I wouldn’t change

I would like to start with the things I would not change, because I believe these to be the foundation of not only modern society, but also necessary to live a good life as a human.

Individual Freedom

I believe modern society has greatly improved our individual freedom. I think every person should have the right to carry out their lives however they see fit. Many people want to be in other people’s business. They are annoyed by everything their neighbor does. If you aren’t careful, these people will pass ridiculous rules and laws to get rid of all their pet peeves and annoyances. This should not be allowed. Society should mainly focus on preventing violent criminal behavior. Basically, the perfect society is one where everyone has the freedom to be themselves and pursue happiness in their own way.

High Inclusivity

I believe modern society strives to be highly inclusive. Everyone is different. We have different appearances, backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, religions, histories, habits, ideas, etc. If we guarantee individual freedom, we will have to have some way of dealing with all our differences. This means society needs to continually focus on tolerance and acceptance.

I think this is an attribute of modern society, because if you look back at history, we didn’t do this very well. We held onto our differences and made war with everyone who wasn’t like us. Unfortunately, I believe that even in modern times, acceptance is still in a relatively primitive state, and needs to improve dramatically. It also seems fragile, like it could fracture at any time and cause us to revert back to our primitive ways.

Business Ownership

I believe modern society is dependent on its members being able to buy and sell in a relatively unrestricted manner, with minimal taxation. The ability to conduct business is also a part of someone’s individual freedom. If you place extreme regulations on this, you will decrease the ability of a person to profit from his labor and efforts. This will dramatically increase poverty and lead to an oppressive society. Modern society is dependent on businesses, especially small businesses and entrepreneurship, and this should not be changed. If I changed anything, I would reduce current regulations and taxation, because I see it as a violation of a person’s individual freedom.

What I would change

I wasn’t always like this, but I have actually come to appreciate modern society in a lot of ways. I wouldn’t say I love it, but I think it has been heading in roughly the right direction and made remarkable progress. It is my hope that modern society will remain stable and individual rights and freedom will continue to improve across the globe. That being said, I might change a few things.

Violent Crime

There is a lot more violent crime than I care to see. I don’t have an answer for this at the human nature level. Many people just have violent tendencies and anger issues, but often it’s a one-off based on difficult circumstances. The trick is to head them off at the pass before they do something everyone regrets. Perhaps modern society will use AI to create predictive models for preventive purposes.

I hate to say this, but it is looking like increased surveillance is a part of modern society. It feels really creepy, but one thing it has going for it is it should decrease crime. Literally, all crime will be observed as it happens, and law enforcement and emergency services can be routed immediately. Video evidence will also be available to ensure proper prosecution of the criminal. Hacking and deep fakes could interfere with the effectiveness of surveillance though.

Social Manipulation

There is a huge amount of social manipulation going on though the news and social media outlets. Organizations and governments are trying to prevent this, but unfortunately, they often combat it by inserting their own agenda and propaganda. I believe this is really one of the biggest concerns for modern society, because it has the ability to escalate people to the boiling point and create violence, rioting, and civil war. Some people have a tendency to believe the sky is falling already, and they don’t need any help.

I wish the negativity and manipulation would go away, but I’m not really sure how to fix it at this point. Perhaps AI could stop corrupting stories from emerging, but that could lead to extreme censorship. Who gets to decide what you receive as news? Whatever you come up with could potentially be used by bad actors to create an even worse condition. I shudder to think of what harm it is going to do to modern society.

What are your thoughts on my list? What would you change? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share! Oh, and if you made it this far, thanks for reading!

It wasn’t for me.

I remember there used to be a time when there wasn’t an internet, but I honestly don’t like to think about it. It was a time when everyone was expected to do everything in person or through paper. It was a time when people couldn’t work from home very easily. It was an era that predates blogging and many forms of self-publication. It was really not for me. I was born for the internet, and I spend a ridiculous amount of time there.

Some people like to blame the internet for everything, and there are some negative aspects, but if you really think about it, it has made the world a better place. Here are some things it has added.

  • Better connection to other people. Before the internet, it really wasn’t that easy to keep up with people you went to school with, or family that moved out of state. I remember my grandmother actually had to write to her cousins on paper and use snail mail. That definitely wasn’t optimal, though it did build anticipation and teach patience.
  • The internet allows for anonymity. Some people see this as an evil aspect of the internet, but I think it is absolutely critical. Societies and governments tend to silence and chastise people who criticize them out of fear that if enough people gather together, they will overthrow them. Without anonymity, those people would not be able to state the truth about their society or government.
  • It is more inclusive. The internet is pretty much everywhere now. Before it, you had to really work hard to connect with people outside your local community or state. The world has become much smaller and striking up a conversation with someone across the globe is trivial now.
  • The information age opened up tons of jobs that allow you to work from home, or anywhere there is an internet connection. You can literally work from the beach if you like. You can travel the world if you like, taking your work with you. You also don’t have to worry about that dreaded commute anymore. The only highway you have to be on is the information superhighway.
  • It provided an outlet for tons of creative minds. There are so many creators out there now. It’s almost becoming an expectation in our society. Without the ability to self-publish, you would have to get everything approved by a bureaucratic publishing system and advertising was pretty slow and expensive. Now, you just create an account on social media and start sharing.
  • Of course, the best part of having the internet is that you get to read this amazing blog. 🙂

So, what’s your favorite thing about the internet? Could you live without it? Tell me about it in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe.