It looks like oil could be the detriment to societal evolution that could force man to extinction or to another planet! Imagine the pollution (as in China now), from coal generating plants and unbridled or filtered gasoline engine exhaust. This helping to create a gradual deterioration of the ozone layer and global warming. If that isn't bad enough, reading this article informs me that the lowest forms of life in the ocean is getting plasticized with minute pieces of plastic pollution. How will that effect the food chain? How will that effect evolution? How will that effect human physiology? Is it reversible?
All the more reason to get away from oil and oil products (i.e. plastic). There are good substitutes for oil products such as glass, vegetable-starch plastics, et cetera. We (global we) need to move in that direction very fast and very hard.
The first thing we can do is to stop buying (and propagating the use of) plastic bottles (such as for water). It would be an AMAZING feat to wean the world off of the use of plastic bottled water. I am as guilty as anyone liking the convenience... but it is killing us somewhere else.
Sign of the Season
Socrates
Keep this in mind the next time you are about to repeat a rumor or spread gossip.
In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about Diogenes?"
"Wait a moment," Socrates replied, "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?" asked the acquaintance.
"That's right," Socrates continued, "Before you talk to me about Diogenes let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it."
"All right," said Socrates, "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about Diogenes something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, even though you're not certain it's true?"
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued, "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about Diogenes going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?"
The man was bewildered and ashamed. This is an example of why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.
It also explains why Socrates never found out that Diogenes was banging his wife.
Minimum Wage Earner
I was signing the receipt for my credit card purchase when the clerk noticed I had never signed my name on the back of the credit card. She informed me that she could not complete the transaction unless the card was signed.
When I asked why, she explained that it was necessary to compare the signature I had just signed on the receipt. So I signed the credit card in front of her. She carefully compared the signature to the one I had just signed on the receipt.
As luck would have it, they matched.
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