Solidarity

ahh yeah lay there girlboii

So I haven't updated in awhile.  This is due largely because Baby K is still not in my own residence, so I want to wait until I can start posting NEW pictures of him again as opposed to the old ones in my archive, which I will eventually run out of.  I'm pretty anxious right now because I've gotten word that where he is staying, he has been missing for about a week now.. but hopefully everything works out.  Carlin has also gotten some sort of medical problem now so I have to buy him special food. He's fine now, and his fur is super soft because of the higher quality diet. 

Side Note: I find it absolutely silly the way blogger always just throws the picture randomly in there even if you have your cursor in a very specific spot.  Cool interface bro, I love how it never really quite functions correctly.



The other reason I havn't been on here, is I have been completely transforming my life and it has been amazing.  It blows my mind to think of the deep dark place I was in a few months ago, and where I am now.  I was in a very low place for a few months, almost made some very bad decisions.  Ended up taking a fondness to rum, but I've always had superb self control so that never really escalated to anything other than an altercation with law enforcement one night (lol).  As far as the changes I've made, I've been vegan for around 2 months now, and I can't even believe there was a time when I wasn't  (Was vegetarian for the last 5-6 years before this), I've been going on road trips lately, I went down to Texas and took some direct action training involving the tar sands blockade, I've gotten over the failing of my last long term relationship, I've dropped out of college, I've made a ton of new friends recently, came to the realization that I can have feelings for people again, started focusing hardcore on my projects again (particularly music in which I need the most improvement ><), I've began meditating, getting rid of nearly everything I own and have taken on some new projects politically.  Strangely enough a huge part of this change came from hearing the song "Ten Things" by Paul Baribeau, the rest came after leaving the state for awhile.  Also I've finally completed all 13 episodes of Cosmos (Aka the greatest show ever made).  I always used to just watch episode 1 over and over.

This brings me to my next topic.  For awhile now on the blog I have done other postings that don't have anything to do with cute cat pictures, these postings are called Ramblings and I have made them not pop up in the general blog updates by backdating the posts several years as not to disrupt my regular viewers,so don't be surprised if you've never noticed them before.  I think I'm going to integrate them more as a regular part of this blog, but dont worry there will still be plenty of cat pictures :3. 

The topic I want to touch on today is something that frustrates me on a regular basis, but before I delve into that I would like everyone to listen to this:

and here are a couple of other Sagan quotes I find particularly inspiring/relevant

"But, up and in the cosmos an inescapable perspective awaits. National boundaries are not evidenced when we view the earth from space. Fanatic ethnic or religious or national identifications are a little difficult to support when we see our planet as a fragile, blue crescent fading to become an inconspicuous point of light against the bastion and citadel of the stars."

-Carl Mother-Fucking Sagan
‎"The old appeals to racial, sexual and religious chauvinism and to rabid nationalism are beginning not to work. A new consciousness is developing which sees the earth as a single organism and recognizes that an organism at war with itself is doomed. We are one planet. " In our tenure on this planet we've accumulated dangerous evolutionary baggage — propensities for aggression and ritual, submission to leaders, hostility to outsiders — all of which puts our survival in some doubt. But we've also acquired

compassion for others, love for our children and desire to learn from history and experience, and a great soaring passionate intelligence — the clear tools for our continued survival and prosperity."

What I want to talk about is Solidarity and empathy.  "Neither can I be angry with my brother or fall foul of him; for he and I were born to work together, like a man’s two hands, feet or eyelids, or the upper and lower rows of his teeth. To obstruct each other is against Nature’s law – and what is irritation or aversion but a form of obstruction.” -Marcus Aurelius  What so few people seem to grasp is that everything is connected.  One groups struggle, should be that of every groups struggle.  We are all humanity.  When one group is being opressed, we are all opressed.  There is a seemingly reluctance in my experience to get people to engage in the struggle, for other groups that do not directly benefit them.  I am a straight white male with a place to sleep.  Yet I can see the importance of LGBTQ rights, minority struggles including immigrants, gender equality, homlessness, and animal rights.  Just to name a few examples of problems that do not affect me whatsoever but I feel deeply compassionate about.  When we work together, to ease the suffering of our fellow humans regardless of religion, race, income, or any other silly abstract divider classification, much more can be accomplished than we can do within our own little demographics.  "We don't care what your hair looks like, what your color of skin is, what your sexual preference is, all that's a bunch of petty bullshit. If we look past it, then we don't have any borders, we don't have any boundaries, we don't have any flags, we fucking put our fists up in the air and fucking show the world that we've got the fucking numbers!"
-Anti Flag, We've Got The Numbers [Live]- 
 The promotion of an informed, compassionate society has benefits for everyone as well. 

The other thing that irritates me is the inability for a large portion of people who claim to be forward thinking, progressive, compassionate, educated people, to completely ignore the struggle of animal rights.  To just write off the suffering of another being because you're not willing to even try an alternative.  Veganism is one thing, but it's completely ridiculous to not be a vegetarian.  It deeply sadens me and makes me feel entirely alone, so I rarely touch on this subject with people, as I am always the minority (ususally of one).  I can count the amount of vegetarians I've ever met on one hand, and I've only met 3 vegans ever.  This needs to change.  All these struggles are connected, it's all about minimizing suffering wether its the taking of a life in the case of animal rights, or the taking of civil liberties in so many other struggles. 

Here are a few other things to ponder upon if you have a minute <3.

More Carl Sagan Quotes I enjoy:

"We humans, as a species, are interested in communication with extraterrestrial intelligence. Would not a good beginning be improved communication with terrestrial intelligence, with other human beings of different cultures and languages, with the great apes, with the dolphins, but particularly with those intelligent masters of the deep, the, great whales?" "Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain. A sharp distinction between humans and 'animals' is essential if we are to bend them to our will, make them work for us, wear them, eat them — without any disquieting tinges of guilt or regret. It is unseemly of us, who often behave so unfeelingly toward other animals, to contend that only humans can suffer. The behavior of other animals renders such pretensions specious. They are just too much like us."


"Scientists have been know to change their minds completely and publicly when presented with new evidence or new arguments.  I cannot recall the last time a politician displayed a similar openness and willingness to change."

"Consumer skepticism makes quality products.  This may be why governments and churches and school systems do not exhibit unseemly zeal in encouraging critical thought.  They know they themselves are vulnerable."

"The question raises nagging uncertainties about which of the conventional truths of our own age will be considered unforgivable bigotry by the next.  One way to repay Paul Broca for this lesson which he has inadvertently provided us is to challenge, deeply and seriously, our own most strongly held beliefs."
 
And here's just a bunch of random picture of Carl Sagan cuz why not?