Setting the Stage through Cultural Anthropology

Not long ago I was an avid defender of monetary economics, the strongest of my peer group. Today I’m going to talk about how cultural anthropology has set the stage for my future.

 First, when I say cultural anthropology I refer to the sociocultural development of civilization. I had a fascination with historical society and I always viewed our world today as a pinnacle of human development. I defended monetary systems tooth and nail and argued that, without it, we would be nothing.

I believe that monetary systems are what brought us to where we are today but they are NOT the answer for tomorrow. Sustainable development of the human society has taken a back seat to profits, when coal is preferable to solar because of profitability, regardless of physical resource use; we realize that the rules of t

he game are inherently disconnected from reality. When you would put money over a human life, it is no different than putting an idea before a life, like burning women believed to be witches in days of old.

I found then that business is a double edged sword in our civilization. Business can lead to segregation, poverty, bankruptcy etc. but it also represents the finest example of what can be achieved when a set of people come together for a common purpose. Boeing creates jet airplanes with 100’000 employees; imagine what 7 billion could do together.

And today I’ve changed from praising profit motive to brainstorming how business can be used to shift society from where we are now to my utopian society. Remember, there are no nations, no cultures and no religions, only us. We are all the same, everything we do, all we share, believe, value etc. it is and will always be human.

I realized that to create my Utopian society I would need to work within the confines of my environment, that is, run a business profitably which changes society for the better, we’ll call it a marketing challenge. So, how would you improve society within the confines of the current monetary regime/ environment? 

Why are multiple religious beliefs similar to each other?

I have just watched a movie called Zeitgeist where the narrator describes how Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and many more have similar stories to how god was born, how the god came to be, and how the god has passed, following a resurrection after 3 days.  This truly begs the question of, “why are these religious beliefs so similar? How could it be that they are so closely related? Is there something that happened in history that might have influenced this to happen? Does scientific knowledge such as Astrological studies have to do with anything?

Astrology has a strong correlation with religion.  What is Astrology? It is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world. (Google, 2014)

There are 12 symbols of the zodiac are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.  Each of these constellations, have different alignment surrounding stars, and planets as well. 

Many cultures as well as some aspects of today’s religious beliefs have associated Astrology with an important meaning or interpretation.  Astrology brings a sense of time, purpose and the repetition of cycles in nature and the stars complete a lot of cultural and religious beliefs. Some even name their children after the stars as well; myself being an example (Altair).

Astrology dates back to the second millennium BCE, where it was used to predict seasonal shifts, and to interpret the celestial cycles collected from stargazing, as divine astrological signs of communication. (CafeAstrology.com, 2012)

You can also watch this clip from Zeitgeist the movie and develop your own opinion on this topic.  You might also want to do some more external research as well, to further develop your knowledge about this topic.  You can comment and discuss/debate below.  Be positive, and do not insult, put down, or demean anyone.  

So back to the question at hand, why are multiple religious beliefs so similar to each other?  Is it because of Astrology? Is it a plagiarism of the previously established religious beliefs? How do you feel cultures influence each other and what is the influence they present to other cultures? What are your opinions/beliefs please share below.  

Are We Naturally an Individualistic Culture?

A glance back into the historical society of mankind paints a grim picture of our natural intent. Though there are inspiring periods such as the renaissance, others like medieval ages and the fall of ancient societies certainly beg the question; are we individualistic by nature?

In this blog post I am specifically trying to build off of my previous posting about child development.

I strongly urge any readers to check out that post through this link (Industrialized Child Development in the Modern World).

In that post I reviewed the importance of schooling, or, sustainable development in children and feel it should be modernized from its industrial roots. I propose that appropriate nurturing of children will lead to greater prosperity in our future.

Our individualistic culture encourages our children to behave similarly and the materialistic culture trap continues to evolve and expand each new generation.

Some would argue that individualism is human nature, nothing else can be done and our monetary society is geared around that fact.

Others would postulate that these things are learned over time and children’s minds are fully moldable.

Furthermore, some argue that collectivism would not lead to scientific and technological prosperity and that, without the dollar, humans would lack any intrinsic motivation whatsoever.

So, back to the original question, are we naturally an individualistic culture? What are your thoughts, how could we shift towards a collective society? And, if not, how do you see a more sustainable development through the monetary system? 

    

Economic Flaws are Worldwide; Wouldn’t it be harder to achieve a utopian society?

This is a quick info-graphic that I have created for you guys to get a general idea about Economic Hitmen, and their impact on the world's economy & modern day societies all over the world. 

I believe that once the problems (Economic Systems) of the core developed countries have been solved, then the rest of the world will be effected just like a line of dominos.  I say this because America is one of the most relied up economies in the world, and if they were to suffer, the rest of the world suffers (so to speak); while if they succeed and prosper, then the rest of the world will as well (again with some exceptions). With this in mind, let’s delve deeper into this matter. 

According to the movie Zeitgeist (and proved with substantial evidence) America has been using a tool by the name of Economic “Hit men”, which has an associated system to it.  (Joseph, 2008)

How it works is the government agencies such as NSA will hire people to become these economic hit men, who are basically debt collectors but collect debt from other countries’ governments. 

They will lend out a lot of money that the (mostly) developing country is not able to pay that debt back.  Instead, that country is then ‘strong armed’ into selling their resources, letting an American company expand with special treatment, or providing America with an Economic advantage through enhanced Economic Efficiency (ex. the foreign country allowing America to setup a Military base) 

Therefore, this activity (in my opinion) will actually make it easier to spread the wealth and advantages of a Utopian Society just because America has a strong Economic Influence over others. (Joseph, 2008)

This is not a conspiracy story because for this activity to happen, you do not have to conspire, it happens through orders to “consult” with the developing countries’ governments and to basically sell them a loan. It is highly unethical, but legal because this isn’t a conspired plan but rather a flow of events.  (Joseph, 2008) If you are interested about this topic, watch this video!

Do you agree or not agree with this post? Do you think it is fake, or a conspiracy story? What evidence would you require to support this post? What do you feel about the amount of evidence presented in the video?

Ensuring Effective Political Socialization in the Next Generation

Regardless of the problems in society, wherever they lie, it’s important to take a step back and analyze what can be done. Why do we have the problems with no solutions and how do we move forward. As a member of the youth I know as well as anyone that political socialization in youths is low yet innovation comes from the youngest minds, here are my tips for putting power where it should be.   

It’s easy to be intimidated by politics, what is political science? A question which eludes many of us, but following these tips should make you a formidable constituent for politicians to earn. 

Tip 1) Find out who the politicians are in your area, know their views, effects in recent months/ years and judge every action they make. We live in a political economy; these are the people who run the life around your home.

Tip 2) Keep current with the political news, listen to the radio, read from an app etc. It pays to be aware of the political issues in your area, even if you miss a bulletin or two; headlines are always repeated.

Tip 3) Share your knowledge! This is most important, people believe others who know more than them, if you formulate a strong opinion you can garner the support of friends, and their friends through them. You are the master of your political issues.

What tips do you have for the youth or anyone intimidated by politics? What has given you strength in the past regarding politics? Or, should we even bother, what do you think of the rate of political socialization in today’s youth?

What is Anthropology? What is Religion? What is Culture? – A view on Modern Society.

Zeitgeist explains the origins of religion and the many interpretations of it.  The video also explains how most of the religious beliefs that were established up until this day, originate from ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, which follow astrological series of events such as sunrise, sun set, and changes in ages like Aquarius to Pisces). 

This video also explains how most of the established religious beliefs and stories that are read from the Bible were developed over the years, decades, & millennia by historians/scholars, and then re-written in the form of paraphrased stories (that again are heavily influenced from the ancient Egyptian beliefs).

 

This movie does not “bash” or undermine religion, but merely points out factual evidence of this activity as time passed and how it was “developed” up until the present day.

   

If you are interested in what has been discussed above, there is a video that explains this in detail.  It can be found here.  Even though this is part one of many parts, this video is enough to answer the following questions: What is Anthropology? What is Culture? What is Religion?    

You might want to watch this video for a better background about the Zeitgeist movement that this topic is a part of; it is in its early stages of development, which purpose is to improve today’s modern society.  

You can find the videos here:
(NOTE: The hyperlinks were made as an addition to user friendliness/ease of accessibility)

Zeitgeist The Movie Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZgT1SRcrKE

Zeitgeist Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhZSxeiziMg

What is your view on Religious Beliefs and should people have Religious Freedom with regard to how the world came to be, and different religious beliefs (that are mentioned in the Zeitgeist clip)?

This is What Perfect Political Efficacy Looks Like

I’m sure we can all think of a time when a politician has broken a promise or made overzealous statements about their riding and achievements but can we think of a perfect government? What would perfect political efficacy look like?

The team at this lab (link below) is a dedicated group of engineers looking for a new way of thinking about what is political science and political theory.

The idea is that humans have a power structure about us and power and politics go hand in hand in our society. The shape of each nation’s political structure are heavily influenced by those who vote and those who have contact with others in power. The low levels of political socialization in modern youth means that old views die hard.

A team in Venus, Florida is using science and engineering to change how we run our society and organize our politics. Specifically, they expect to do away with politics entirely. Their view is that political theory is only a symptom of the way we run our society and political efficacy would be an afterthought of a more effective civilization.   

Follow this link to learn more: http://www.thevenusproject.com/

They find fault with the very idea of a politician organizing society rather than a scientist or engineer.

So, do you think politicians are really qualified to organize our entire society? What are your thoughts on the current political system? Where could there be improvements? Or, is the team in Venus on to something bigger?

Zeitgeist best movie about Problems in the World & is very educational

This movie is the basis of my blogs which will cover my two main subtopics; Economics &Economic Systems, and Religion & specific Religious Beliefs in relation to the overall topic of Problems in the World.  It does not mean that this movie limited to these topics, but it is mostly focused on them. He uses the core studies that run today’s society to either prove or disprove past, present, and potential future problems in the world that might arise in a later time period.  

My introductory blog post covers all the topics that are discussed and explored in the movie.  I would rate this movie five stars out of five, and agree with many of the views on Social Issues, Cultural Identity, Spirituality, and Environmental Issues.  This movie covers a lot of modern day concepts that may or may not be interpreted as ambiguous/inconsistent with what has been told to the general public. 

For example, the 9/11 incident, had a few discrepancies with the plane’s impact on the two structures architecture.  Did you know that 3 buildings actually collapsed, and not just the two trade towers? I did not know that, and was very interesting to find that out through a full breakdown and analysis of the situation. 

Overall, not only is the movie, educational, but has a few comedic parts which provide great comic relief for the subject matter covered, as it can get very “dry” or boring at times. 

I recommend watching this movie as it is very educational.  Have you seen this movie before? What are your thoughts on the most recent problems in the world? Are they regarding Economics and/or Religion?