Economic Woes
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
I think by now everyone who has had contact with the American economic system is somewhat uneasy and restless. Those of us directly impacted in our daily lives can see a clear and distinct result of the economic slump. I find myself in a predicament where some things must be sacrificed just to make ends meet. And although many are turning to alternative ways of living; both, economic and environmental changes, it will require drastic circumstances before everyone else follows. How much is the average person willing to pay for gasoline? We complain now, but would you still pay $300 dollars a week to go to work if it was your only option? Many would.
The economists have a deep barrel of excuses on what and whom to blame the economic downfall to. Many blame the current political administration for wasting taxpayer money with little result to the taxpayer himself. Some blame the war/s overseas. Others blame international interests against the United States. But the economy is being affected world wide, not just the US. And if one looks at the trends, we are not really plummeting back to the dark ages. The economic trend for the past several centuries has been predicted as a positive line, always rising over time. There are downfalls and resections, but overall, it always rises and breaks new records. So why should we worry?
What we are currently experiencing a slowdown of that positive trend. The markets are fluctuating. To this day, all market predictions have been calculated using the GDP, and abbreviation for Gross Domestic Product. The GDP is a calculation of “progress”, when money is exchanged for goods and services - it is positive growth for the market. However, the GDP, the system we base our economic market on, is severely flawed. Let’s put it this way, every time there is a natural disaster, a car accident, war, or some other type of catastrophe the GDP grows. This is a direct result of money changing hands. One could say that through human suffering we grow economically. The other major flaw is that the GDP measures only the good and not the bad. For instance, if one day you abandon your 13mpg Chevy Silverado and start commuting via bicycle, the GDP can no longer measure the positive impact that you are creating. Instead it can only see a loss in revenue associated with driving. When you volunteer your time to help those in need, the GDP fails to assign any value to the work provided. The GDP also fails to assign any value to declining resources. When we pump a billion gallons of crude oil out of the ground, it will assign a monetary value of the oil, but not for the fact that we are depleting it. Forests, animals, plants, all of these are simply invisible variables which do not exists and are not taken into account. So what happens when the economic system slams into the planet’s ecological limits? Well, the market will plateau. Many will try to jump start it using whatever gimmicks they can. Nevertheless, as useful as adding gas to a car with no oil in the motor. After that, its just a matter of response from the population. Like I stated before, my personal prediction is that it will require drastic circumstances before a reaction occurs. We are just the passenger on a bus heading towards a cliff, but thanks to our human instincts we won’t act upon it until the rest do, just sit back fearfully and watch.
Back to Basics
Friday, May 23, 2008
I recently have been in a creative slum. Every artist, creator, actor, every day person has experienced such a thing. Its when you just cant see past certain things or events in life to motivate yourself to create something awe inspiring. I have to design day in and day out, but part of me has felt that its not all that it could be. Seeing all the things that are happening around the world; economically, politically and locally in ones day-to-day life, its just not a happy picture. I remember a bumper sticker I saw once, I thought it was the most accurate depiction of current situation, it said, “Where are we going? And why are we in a hand basket?” The current situation with the economy seems that we are basically paying more for everything with little improvement to the housing, medical, and educational sectors. People are basically saying were screwed.
"Where are we going? And why are we in a hand basket?"
Global warming, melting icecaps, international instability; they say that by the time I retire I will have nothing to retire to or on. Taxes, bills, gas and insurance seem to account for most of what I make, allowing me to scrape out a measly living day to day. And then I return home every day from work and sit at my computer for a few minutes trying to find inspiration to create something meaningful from all this turmoil. I want to create something positive and uplifting to make people question, wonder and dream. Instead I am left with a pessimistic, sarcastic, dark view of the current state of being.
Its one thing to live in denial and ignorance, ignoring what one feels and experiences; and entirely other thing to act upon the negativity which surrounds us to propagate it all over again. But today I sat down to think, simply to think. I have come to the following conclusion.
Most of us who can read this live in a place with computers or computer accessibility. We have energy to power our computer hence we have light to light our lives at night. We have access to information and services which the internet provides through the vast network of people which are currently utilizing. There are people interacting on all levels of humanity, informal and impersonal as it may be compared to face to face interaction. Nevertheless it makes me want to believe that anyone who is taking the time to read this in its entirety is a person who is hungry for knowledge and is open minded to the ideas of others.
Being a creative visual person I thrive from open minded people to interperate and create individual ideas and feelings behind what I create. A unique view or stand on the subject, simple as it may be. And in return, have that thing somehow change or influence their lives. As a professional it is my job to manipulate this concept to feed myself. As an artist is my duty to benefit the lives of others through what I do.
The Here and the Now
Monday, September 18, 2006
People always ask me what are your plans for the future, my ideal response would be live life in the now from moment to moment unknowing of what will happen next. I guess it not the answer which is the most reassuring to people. They want to hear that at a certain age/date I will do this and that, in this way or manor, for this long, with this sort of outcome. PersonallyI could care less. I always think about life as a road trip. What is a road trip? A road trip is when you and fellow companions get together and travel to a place for the sole joy of travel. It is never the destination that is of concern, but he journey that gets you there. I myself remember my journeys better than the places I have been.
So placing this back into the perspective, in life, are you really seeking the final destination? I presume not. We all seek the journey. The final destination is inevitable, we all understand our own mortality, but still look forward towards contemptment. Contempt however, is non existent. If it were achievable we would have never advanced as a civilization and remained alongside the primates. Our own place of comfort lies in transition from bad to good. But life never allows us the luxury of goodness. It is in this transient place we feel content: the journey which we call life.
Hence I say I do not have a future, nor do I dwell on the past. All in the name of being here and now. There is no ultimate goal, there is no greatness, nothing exists up ahead. Life will carve your path, however on must have hope and ambition to steer it.
The Paradox of Our Time
Monday, July 31, 2006
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broke n homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Structure of Culture and Expectations
Thursday, October 06, 2005
How do you relax? Do you come home after work/school exhausted? We then turn on our TV - a reflex. We sit there passively hour after hour, barley moving except to eat. We receive but we do not transmit. Identical images flow into our brains, homogenizing our perspectives, knowledge, tastes, and desires. We watch nature shows instead of venturing out into nature. We laugh at sitcom jokes but not at our friend's. Media fantasy changes the way we respond to reality. Boundaries are blurred. How many times have we seen violence and suffering on TV? We are passive to such notions. We see violence so often in the media, and when we encounter it in reality, we sit back in our minds and view it as amusement rather than reality. We no longer need to interact with the outside world. Thanks to the internet, television, and other media, all of the information is brought right to is.
"Every day, an estimated 12 billion display ads, 3 million radio commercials, and more than 200,000 TV commercials are dumped into North America's collective unconscious."
Students seem to ask the question “Why so I need to know this? I will never use it, I don’t need to know any more. I don’t yet understand what I already know.” Yet we are bombarded with useless information every day. Over and over. In the news today, a cat is rescued from a tree. Touching; but irrelevant. What the hell does it have to do with my current state of being? There’s a hurricane somewhere, I live in a mountainous area that has not seen a hurricane since the earth was formed; no relevance. The media bombards us with various content, it is not all random. We are being exposed to information which touches our emotions. There are things that can make us happy, sad, angry, its all very well placed. It chisels away at our souls relentlessly. Then its time for a commercial. Hey wait. It set us up. Ever pay close attention to the content of advertisement after certain shows or news. Its very interesting. You may not own the product or service they show, but you are slowly conditioned to accept certain ideals. You are buying their ideas. Who makes the best computer, the best car, the best of anything? You probably have a good idea of what you would buy, even if you don’t own it yet. Just like Ivan Pavlov's experiments with the salivating dogs. You are the dog. We are all conditioned, I can even say manufactured to be such individuals. Individuality is manufactured. Don’t believe me? Just take a look around your house. The clothes you own. Your car. Your everyday things. And ask yourself, are these things really me.
Literature
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Literature, language, and communication is something I would like to bring to the attention of everyone. I know there are those who know everything. And others who just don’t care. The truth is that there are people who are already taking advantage of you. Everything from social engineering to your simple TV programming. Information is delivered to you at a faster rate that you can absorb. Information which has an affect on you without you consciously knowing it.
Heres a website to get your brain fluid turning. Read it. Dont just look at the pictures. maybe you will walk away with a different perspective. Then come back for more.