Belonging. Identity. The Group. Conformity. Questioning.

I've always had this dislike and aversion to groups and cliques. Anything resembling a clique or group, I automatically formed a harsh opinion of its members. Maybe it's because I haven't had the ease of identifying as one race and felt I had no default group that welcomed me in... Who knows. But as I've matured, I realize to hate all groups is to hate people because people organize in groups... It is what humans do.

Being part of a group gives a sense of identity. One can say, I am a ________ (fill in the blank with the social group you are part of). The concept of group is especially appealing to those who have not formed a solid perception of self identity in this world. Groups have ideologies to which its members must adhere. Failure to adopt said ideologies leads one to not only question their own authenticity but also leads to fellow group members questioning said person's authenticity.... Failure to subscribe to all group ideals can threaten one's sense of identity. When people feel that their identity is being threatened.... great distress can result. This is why it is so hard to question the status quo of a group... it is much easier to follow blindly and accept the "truths" of the group mind because in accepting these "truths" you are staying true... true to your identity as group member.... "Authentic". But are you being authentic to yourself? Are you strong enough to question the ideals of your particular social group; the group that gives you a sense of self and style? I challenge you to do so... you may just find that a questioning you results in a more authentic you.... with an identity that can't be defined and confined to one particular social group.

Blind following of ideals is one of the scariest concepts I can think of right now.... but that is another blog rant for another time......

Just Be

Rudyard Kipling - If.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it.

Even though this is my blog... I choose to let these words "just be".

Neil.

Driod Behavior: Interface 26

Are you a droid?

For a fully charged battery, do you require the deep, dark and rhythmic beats of minimal tech/house?

If you answered yes to the second question... you are a droid.

Attending warehouse parties is somewhat passe. I jumped into the scene nearly 8 years ago: An explosion of movement, colors, faces, lost items, new friends, that one song I can't remember... never ending nights. Through the tiny cracks in the walls of the warehouse, reality seeps: What was once your scene is no longer; it belongs to the next generation of Neon Party-Goers. It is their turn to experience the explosion of movement colors, faces, lost items, new friends, that one song they can't remember... never ending nights.

Even Neon Party-Goers grow older and wiser.... (maturity?) Somethings never change however... If you are still a droid who likes a fully charged battery check out www.droidbehavior.com. Interface 26 had some of the most legit minimal-tech I have ever heard. Interface 27 is next saturday (April 27th). All droids are 21+ with one thing in common: a desire to hear good music. Nobody wants a drained battery.

Segway into Laziness

Are we getting more and more lazy?

Among us there are technological enthusiasts and technological detesters.  Yesterday, sometime around 4:20 pm I saw something that turned me from a technological enthusiast into a detester. That something is known as "THE SEGWAY".  Just like the able-bodied youngsters in the photo above, I saw a man with fully function-able legs cruising around on his new wheels.  An argument known as "the de-skilling of humanity " is commonly used by detesters of technology.  The de-skilling of humanity involves a technological takeover of our skills.  No longer do we have to know math if we know how to push buttons on a calculator.  No longer do we have to use our hands for product assembly if we know how to operate a machine.  No longer do we have to talk to a real person over the phone if an automated voice can tell us everything we need to know.  And apparently we no longer have to walk... even short distances.  

I am not actually a technological detester but seeing things such as "The Segway" reminds me that those detesters among us have legitimate concerns.  When technology turns from making life a little easier to making laziness a perfectly acceptable alternative, we have a problem.  When technology zaps the creativity that only humans can accomplish, we have a problem.  When the automated customer service rep cannot help you because your problem wasn't included in the, "push 1 for more options" list... we have a problem.  

Let's draw the line somewhere... new things are going to keep hitting the market.  It is up to the individual to draw their own line as to how far they are going to let technology consume their life.  Walking or riding my bike short distances is just one realm I am not willing to technologize with the newest Segway.    

Recycling

There are many arguments for and against recycling.  Those critics among us might say that recycling is a business that thrives on scare tactics (overhyping the severity of environmental damage that we are causing).  You might hear them say that any benefits we gain from recycling are cancelled out because of the energy required for the recycling process.  You might hear them say that recycling glass bottles is a lost cause due to the water necessary for maintaining their cleanliness.  You might hear them say that glass isn't going anywhere... that there is enough sand to provide the sufficient raw materials needed to meet the needs of glass production for ages.  

As someone who cares for the environment, and tries to lead a "green" lifestyle, I'd like to know that my recycling efforts are not in vain.  "Their" arguments range from ridiculous to correct.  I do not think we are in danger of depleting our raw materials (sand) necessary for glass production.  In fact it doesn't even sound too far fetched that the reusing of glass bottles results in increased water consumption (to maintain cleanliness).  There does seem to be logic behind this argument.  On the ridiculous side of their arguments is the obvious, "Recycling relies on scare tactics that overhype the severity of environmental problems".   Take a trip to Hong Kong or Los Angeles and look out of your hotel window to debunk that myth.  (Yes recycling can reduce carbon emissions... it takes a hell of a lot of gas to eradicate a forest, and just as much gas to transport all that lumber) 

While there may in fact be some legitimate arguments or critiques regarding recycling, there are many more benefits to recycling.  We are all familiar with the positive environmental impacts of recycling however, a less obvious one is the economic benefit of recycling.  In nearly all cases, it costs less to recycle than it does to throw away...A business can create revenue by recycling and greatly reduce waste expenses.  This is because companies are willing to buy recyclables.  If you are a big business, it costs a ton of money to throw your shit away.  

It is always important to look at "their" beliefs.  Sometimes "they" may even have some good points that cannot simply be discredited because they are "them".  Recycling may in fact have some less obvious negative consequences.  We should all continue to recycle, because nobody can argue that it does not save raw material such as trees which will become more and more scarce.  Nobody can argue that deforestation does not kill animal species.  Recycling does not solve this problem however it does slow it down; paper can only be recycled so many times before it is no longer re-usable.  This is all to say that recycling is not perfect and recycling is not a cure-all. 

What should we do?  I think the answer is: Use less... we don't need to be such over consumers.  A combination of using less and recycling is far more effective than only recycling.