Modern Lack of Privacy

   In this world what can be counted as private? The actual term privacy means "seperated from the rest. Deprived of something." So going by this definition, why are we always being watched, monitored and observed like sheep at a farm?

In July 2013, Edward Snowden released secret NSA info that was called " the most significant leak in U.S. history". He was given two awards out of the U.S.A. for exposing the monitoring and storage of communication data, which shows that in modern society we are never truly alone.

There are many forms of being watched and monitored. One of them is cameras. Everywhere you look, there will be a camera looking back at you. In stores, on the streets, on the roads, at home, even on game consoles such as the X-Box 360 Kinect. Another form of being tracked would be something called  RFID chips, which stands for Radio Frequency Identification.

Canada has established a Privacy act which imposes restrictions on how government agencies deal with peoples personal information.

The sight of the modern world reminds me of a book that i read a while back. A very good book called 1984 written by George Orwell in 1949 about a man who lives in a world where privacy is basically gone. The dictator has set up cameras everywhere to moniter everyone and see what is going on. To make sure that people have affection for him, He shows them the most hated person in the country and then shows a picture of Big Brother.

He has established thought police so that not even your thoughts can be treachurous and rebellious. The man in the book buys a journal and secretly writes in it in a small blindspot from the cameras. Being hidden because there is no law and you can be arrested for anything.

Happy Veterans Day, and remember

Power of the Human Mind.

     

     The human mind is a very powerful tool and a very creative thing to use. Psychology is translated literally as the study of the human mind. Some could say that the greatest use of human psychology is self or social awareness. Though this is true, the mind can be used for so much more. There is a quote by Robert Houdin that I find really intriguing and very true. "A fundamental understanding of the human psyche is the essential key to successful magic.

     There are numerous uses for psychology and mind power. One of the most famous examples is hypnosis or the placebo effect. Hypnosis is basically a relaxed state which one can explore their mind. It can be used for a lot of things like recalling memory, breaking bad habits, pain control, drug addiction, eating disorders and many more. Most people would assume that hypnotized people are actually very sleepy and basically zoned out, but the reality is that they are hyperattentive.

     The placebo effect is another case in which psychology can be used for good. Basically, the placebo effect is your mind tricking your body to help or hurt you. A very good example of this is something called the placebo effect. If your mind believes that something will happen, then in time it could eventually happen.

     These are some good uses of the psychology of the human mind but it can also be used for bad uses sometimes. Voodoo is not necessarily bad, but it can be used for bad things. One of the most famous examples of this is the voodoo zombie. This happens when a voodoo priest/ess uses a mixture of herbs and stuff to knock out somebody and keep their heart rate and pulse very low. So low that people think them to be dead. When they are "dead" they are buried alive. At that point, the priest/ess can dig up the body and make them a slave, or just leave them alone alive and buried six feet under.

     The human mind is a powerful, beautiful thing. It can be used for good or for bad. The mind is capable of many things nowadays, but we can only access 10% of our brains. I am only waiting to see the things that we can do with the other 90% of that tiny three pound organ inside of our skull. Maybe there will be no wars, or maybe there will be no people on this planet. We may have already colonized space by then.

The "Grandfather" of Modern Chemistry

    

     Many of you have probably heard about something called Chemistry. You probably took the subject in highschool or in college; but how many of you actually know it's origins?

     Robert Boyle also known as " the father of modern chemistry", was a 17th century Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor. One of his most notable contributions was changing the name of alchemy into that of chemistry.

     The two most notible goals of Alchemy was turning lead into gold finding the philosophers stone(symbol at top). Some of the attempts to create the philosophers stone have failed, but ended up creating something else, such as the chinese alchemists who created gun powder.

     Alchemy also had a metaphysical element that was outlawed by the christian church.

     There are many shows in which depict alchemy as being used as a legitamate science, but my favorite of these is something called full metal alchemist. They have made a rule called the principle of equivilant exchange: you cannot creat something from nothing.

Basics of Religion

     What is religion. According to websters dictionary it is " A belief in a divine or superhuman power of powers to be obeyed and worshiped as the creator(s) and ruler(s)". Another definition would be "Any specific system of belief and worship, often involving a code of ethics and a philosophy".

     I would have to agree with the latter definition, but the former does have some truth in it. People will worship anybody who they see fit, even some cults such as the The Heavans Gate.

     There is a very wonderful reference to religion by Thea Sabin that I have personally loved since the day that I read it. It states that religion is a little bit like a tree. At the very base of that tree is something called deity. The chinese also call it chi. It is the eternal life force behind the universe. Spanning from that tree is the masculine and feminine. Also called the God and the Goddess. And spanning from these 2 branches are the male and female godes of all the worlds religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism. and Islam.

     Religion is a very controversial topic of debate. In the United States, we have the freedom to practice any religion that we so please. There is data that 77% of American adults consider themselves to be Christian, which leaves the other 23% very outnumbered. Another 18% of this do not consider themselves to be of any religion. Leaving only 5% to being another religion other than Christianity or Atheism.

     Myself, I fall into that very small 5%. I want you to leave a comment on the bottom of this post saying what religion you are and how you got to be that religion.