On the Exposition of Critical Thinking

     Nothing… Nada … Zip…Zilch… At least that is the song some would sing when referring to the scale of one’s existence on planet Earth, inhabited by nearly seven billion other Human Beings. At first this may seem quite an astonishing number; however, the fact is when we take into consideration the number of vastly different life forms that also indwell our world (an estimated 1.5-2 million species), along with the inconceivable multitude of undiscovered others, the true scope of our negligibility becomes evident. Nevertheless, ignoring for now the possibility of beings inhabiting other planets, we can come to the realization that we have evolved into a species capable of self-awareness, technological progression and, almost inevitably, making globally intertwining consequential decisions. So can we really sum ourselves up to nothingness? Is it enough to say that the culmination of each of our lives means nothing? Maybe, but what most fail to envisage—and this is due to a considerable number of different reasons, such as modern social preoccupations, among others—is: each of us seems to exist innately unimpeded to observe, theorize and experiment to become knowledgeable and sometimes muse the wonders of our so-called reality. In other words, we are born to think critically—to analyze and learn through logical reasoning from the passage of, what we understand to be, time. And, although our brains are considerably misunderstood, we can certainly entertain the idea that critical thinking has been a major factor in the development of our species. For it is this particular attribute that sets us apart from all other species we have encountered on Earth.

     From the earliest forms of communication to modern linguistics, the journey to understanding has been guided by critical thinking. Advancements were rather stagnant in the first few hundred thousand years of the Human species’ evolution. Survival was at the forefront of all thinking while technology remained crude at best. Only in the last few millennia—when civilizations began to flourish around the world and philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato tried to explain the foundational workings of reality, and more recently within the past four centuries, through the work of some of the greatest minds in history (Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Hubble, Heisenberg and many, many more)—has the potential of thinking “outside the box” been realized and technology skyrocketed—literally. Every theory, invention and innovation finds its roots firmly planted in this notion of thinking critically. The computer that I used to type this essay; the recycled paper that it was printed on; the mode of transportation I used to get to school and turn it in; the school itself; all of these things are resultants of someone that was determined to examine better ways of achieving respectively pertaining goals. And it is this ever-expanding curiosity that will surely propel Humankind into a future of advancement both technologically and intellectually; that is if we can manage to not extinguish ourselves during the transition to global unification. Critical thinking is a foundation on which we as a civilization should build upon to peer beyond the walls of oppression, tyranny, and greed. It has become my understanding that the particular period of time in which we live is perhaps the most important, if not the most pivotal, period of time in Humankind's history. There may be two ways which our civilization can go: up or down. It could now be either the beginning of the end, or the epoch in global unity. The best part of it all is that the fate of Humankind rests in our hands. We decide. So what will it be?

On the Government and Health of Citizens

     It has become deeply unsettling to be in an age of such exponential, technological advancement; yet bear witness to the failures of the United States government—one of the world’s "superpowers", nonetheless—to uphold the distinct responsibilities explicitly established in the preamble of its Constitution—and I quote, “provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare….” Somehow this has been severely misconstrued into what seems to be only, “provide for defense.” Currently, not one, but two wars are raging on draining literally trillions of tax payer dollars into campaigns—which began with former President G.W. Bush in what can only be described as an apparent attempt at world domination of the oil industry—that are highly ridiculed and globally disapproved of; wars that, if President Barak Obama is truly deserving of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, he will surely pull American forces out of by the end of 2009, not send in tens of thousands more. In the midst of these wars, the climate crisis, an economic meltdown, and a spiraling-out-of-control, private health care sector, President Obama has yet to take an unyielding stand for the latter; something which was one of his campaign’s fundamental bases—universal health care.

     Today, the American people anxiously await as Congress “debates” what the best health care plan action is, which apparently has yet to be named, that should be implemented in our modern, industrialized, and highly disproportionate, capitalist economy. Meanwhile, the outcomes of millions of lives that could benefit and possibly be saved hang in the balance. By the passage of collectively composed legislature, in this case meaning by the consent of Congress and the general public, we would more than likely reach a resolution to enact some form of “Universal” health care—essentially free health care provided to citizens that cannot pay, by the government, at the not necessarily large expense of tax payers; the same tax payers that in the end could benefit from such implementation. Strangely enough, President Obama even said that there would be a new era of openness between Government and the general public. “Transparency and the rule of Law will be the touchstones of this presidency…,” he stated in his White House staff address on January 21st, 2009. After all, the citizens that comprise the general public are the ones affected by such legislature and should have an equal say in and, at the very least, have access to witness policy making decisions that affect the general welfare of the general public. Yet, Congress continues unabated to write legislation behind closed doors, undermining the authority of people to be the ultimate decision makers in the way a republican democracy is run. The United States government apparently has interpreted its responsibility of promoting the general welfare to mean that it will undoubtedly have all of the answers to health care concerns without consideration of public opinion or even its consent. The bottom line is this: if a government of any kind shall neglect to acknowledge the importance of and provide for the well-being, health and education of its citizens—allowing the denial of life saving treatments for profit and cutting funding for schools across the country—it becomes the epitome of failure. And of course, history would tell us that all signs point to the seeds of tyranny.

     So what exactly is it that dissuades our government from opening these doors of secrecy? We know that the Founders had little faith in the general public being a part of the new government and distrusted them with governmental responsibilities; hence, they established the Electoral College to be the deciding body in the presidential election. They even distrusted government itself and so established a system of checks and balances to prevent one section of government from interfering with the affairs of others. But it is 2009, and we now find ourselves at the whim of another two-sided distrust in our government—one that shrouds itself in concealment with smoke and mirrors! Trying to get a congressional representative or even a presidential candidate to answer a simple yes or no question these days leads to a seemingly endless tangent of topics that have no relevance, leaving us confused and scratching our heads about the wild goose chase we had just part taken in only to come up empty-handed. And if statistics are presented then the most common response is, “Well, I don’t think I would trust those particular figures,” or something to that extent. The fact that the health care bill is being forged behind closed doors not with the general public, but with private insurance representatives, should be the ultimate wake-up call to the American people. The problem is that it could spell disaster for private insurance companies that profit millions of dollars for the denial of potentially life-saving treatments on the grounds of what they call, “pre-existing illnesses.” Since when did profit take precedence over people? And can anything really be blamed on the media?

    Unbiased news is seemingly a thing of the past, which makes it difficult to make informed decisions based on the information we receive from the most popular so-called news organizations. Somewhere along the way, objective reporting has taken a backseat to presenting it first, with total disregard of source credibility. However, we can take information from many different sources with the global reach of the Internet, gaining knowledge and becoming “informed” along the way, and make decisions based on our own fact-checking and source credibility. A good start would be The Constitution of the United States. Blaming the media is one thing, but trying to silence any media of any kind no matter what the allegations before publishing and distributing news is unconstitutional. Remember that Amendment I ensures our right to freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion. That being said, we the people can take a look at and learn from the history of the health care industry (along with many, many others) and find in it the faults that led to this far-too-drawn-out legislative ordeal. From this data we can, and this is constitutionally protected in Article V, collectively organize an assembly to write our own amendment that guarantees health care. “Whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution….” But that is not the only case which amendments can be proposed. The Constitution continues with, “or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments….” If three-fourths of the several states or three-fourths of the, “Conventions in three-fourths thereof,” concur then the amendment, again I quote, “shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution.” If this has to come down to the states proposing a new amendment to the Constitution to protect the health of more than 40 million uninsured Citizens, then what faith should we possibly have in our national government to listen up when we speak out.
     Slowly but surely our First Amendment rights are being slyly taken away from us in an attempt to “protect us”, as the government would want us to believe; and if that ever happens—a government becoming destructive of its ends—then it is the right of the people to “throw off such a government,” as Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence. So why then, did we let such an insidious bill as the Patriot Act pass? If any of the people who were delusively scared into voting this plague of uncontested infringement into law would have bothered to read the Constitution, maybe they wouldn’t have been so quick to enact a law that totally undermines the very structure of our government outlined explicitly in the Articles and Amendments. We handed our rights over without even thinking about it. The question that you need to ask yourself is: was it unconstitutional? Get it. Read it. And you shall know the answer to that without equivocation.
     It may sound like a daunting task but we must find it in ourselves to become a globally unified society. All around the world stories of death, destruction, corruption and tyranny flood the airwaves and television stations alike. Where does this hostility originate from? When will it end? Is it from a lack of education? If so, then why does our government continue to cut educational funding? Maybe it is simply greed taking rank over charity. Whatever the case, it has become strikingly evident that we are at a turning point in Human Civilization. We have been around long enough to begin putting every aspect of Humankind into a global context; to see what the true power of togetherness can achieve. It is quite clear what waging war against each other results in—separation of nations and ultimately separation of society. Why not try something new, something innovative? Set an example. Why not live up to the hope that was instilled in the American people during the 2008 presidential elections? What happened to that hope, President Obama? You asked us to stand up and believe in ourselves; to believe in change. You told us to have hope. Well here we are still hoping for change only to be rewarded with the same bureaucratic nonsense that was indisputably one of the main causes of this whole economic disaster—political negligence of capitalism gone horribly awry. Earn that prize, Mr. President, and stand with us as we have stood for you. It is through you that we have channeled this hope for a better future for not only America, but global society as a whole. Do not abuse this power as so many have before you. We believe in you and deserve the same in return. Now is the time for us to build the foundation of our future together—Mr. President, Congress, Citizens of the United States and ultimately, the Citizens of Earth. Now is the time for us to stand unified in a global effort and not only promote, but sustain unwavering social relations. As John Lennon once wrote, “You may say I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one; I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” It is my dream that in my lifetime, we will truly dissolve our differences; blind ourselves to race, color and creed, and build a future together, globally that will insure well-being, technological and intellectual advancement for all generations to come. Together we can do this. Together we shall stand.

[Un]known

     There are many questions that I ponder on a seemingly day-to-day basis: What is the meaning of life? Would money make me happier? What is happiness? How do we define “reality”? Will I do something that has a profound, positive effect on the future of Humankind? Did the universe, through the nearly inexplicable cosmic tendu that began 13.7 billion years ago (with an error of plus or minus 200,000,000 years), somewhere—and maybe even somewhen—else happen to produce at least one other form of life that proliferated on an insignificant planet, orbiting an insignificant star, belonging to an insignificant galaxy, eventually evolving into creatures that developed self-awareness that allowed them to ask the same questions? If so, that is if we somehow—through contact or by some other means—confirm the existence of otherworldly intelligent beings, then what is to become of our comfortable (mis)conceptions of life, government, religion, reality and the universe itself? I believe it could be the introduction of Humankind to a much higher level of understanding; one that abandons the way of thinking that today, contrary to our technological progression that itself evolves at an exponential rate, can be described as sluggish at best (e.g. the atomic bomb.) Although the gap between the two may seem to be light-years, through global unity it becomes remarkably well within our ability and reason to bring these progressions to mutuality. That’s it. The answer, or at least a means to get to the answer, whatever that may be, lies in a simple choice that we must make as a globally unified society.

     It has become my life goal to promote intellectual and technological progression through global unification. The point that I am at in my life right now began with a choice that I made several years ago. It is a very long story that I have already written partially about in a former essay of mine, which is not available on this site; so I will not go into details. This cascade of determinism, however, does somewhat answer the question of my choosing to pursue a degree in Physics. It has been my ascendance through this ever-branching tree of choices that I have made to which I attribute my choice to even sit down and write this short essay. Beyond the individual choices which comprise what has become what I call my "now reality", I have made an overarching decision: To take every writing assignment that I receive throughout the remainder of my educational Human Endeavor to the absolute maximum. I want to project my futuristic envisioning onto the canvas that you are now reading from. The topics are wide and far reaching, sometimes beyond comprehension. This, however, should never discourage delving into the abyss of the “unknown”. For all that which is now known was once unknown. They, whoever they are, say a picture is worth a thousand words. I say imagine a million.