I suppose I am not the only person who would rather make a very modest living working for a good cause than make oodles of money working for rich people (and/or for a cause that is harmful to life on this planet). Sadly, poor people are not hiring...
As I see it, those who are serious about fighting against poverty should be prepared to punish a great many poor people who work hard to perpetuate poverty. (They should also be prepared to take wealth from a lot of undeserving rich, and punish many of them for perpetuating poverty --but that should go without saying.)
I was not raised in a society where there was much (or any?) talk of blaming the poor for their plight. Nor was it common to hear people accuse the poor of laziness, stupidity, etc. Although I spent most of my adult years in the US (and most of it in New York), I never bought into such thoughts. I may add that the prevailing 'groupthink' among the 'progressives' in this country does not, generally, include any analysis that places any responsibility for the perpetuation of poverty on the poor themselves.
Despite all these, I consider it an unforgivable example of intellectual cowardice to ignore the significant role that _some_ poor people play in the perpetuation of poverty.
I will go further into this topic. For the time being, I want to make it clear that I am in favor of a global redistribution of wealth (and the creation of intangible resources for everyone). I also believe that unearned (or unchosen), chronic, human material poverty on this planet can be abolished within two generations.
Next, I will elaborate on the kind of poverty that I believe can be abolished (UCHMPE).
Friday, May 4, 2007
Monday, April 2, 2007
Who is Anseynol?
Anseynol is a name that I made up for myself. To the best of my knowledge, this is not a word in any language. (Google searches yield only results that relate to me.)
As someone said before, "I am not an open book, least of all to myself" [I am not sure if General Gordon was the first to say this --see "Khartoum"]. Among other things, I am the author of "On the Threshold of ...", a 3-part book that remains a 'work in progress'.
I am the first and present 'advocate' of Laruunash.
I uploaded a summary of Laruunash to www.archive.org.
A search for Anseynol may yield:
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Anseynol%22%20AND%20subject%3A%22humanism%22
To be continued.
As someone said before, "I am not an open book, least of all to myself" [I am not sure if General Gordon was the first to say this --see "Khartoum"]. Among other things, I am the author of "On the Threshold of ...", a 3-part book that remains a 'work in progress'.
I am the first and present 'advocate' of Laruunash.
I uploaded a summary of Laruunash to www.archive.org.
A search for Anseynol may yield:
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Anseynol%22%20AND%20subject%3A%22humanism%22
To be continued.
Peace Movement? What Peace Movement?
I started my theoretical work on 'world peace' in 1980 (when I was 18). By 1983, I had written a few hundred thousand words generally related to some of our global problems and issues. Although I did not consider my writings to be ready for publication, I was convinced that they were worthy of the attention of all 'peace activists' throughout the world. I traveled to Paris and London in August 1983, on a very short tourist visa. I tried to contact a few anti-war activists and members of CND and END. I corresponded with E. P. Thompson, but was unable to meet him face to face.
Ever since 1980, my commitment to 'peace and justice' has been unwavering. I came to the US in 1988, hoping to make some waves here.
...
To this day, I do not see a 'peace movement' in the US. An 'anti-war' movement would presumably require a commonly-held and clearly-articulated set of values that oppose any war. Sadly, I do not believe that a 'movement' for this exists in the US. There is not even a (strong enough) movement for disarmament. Instead, we have an 'anti-this-war' movement. If this movement has any 'leaders' to speak of, they should realize that their record has been pathetic.
Some of my posts on this blog site are intended to offer some constructive criticism to my peace-loving contemporaries.
Ever since 1980, my commitment to 'peace and justice' has been unwavering. I came to the US in 1988, hoping to make some waves here.
...
To this day, I do not see a 'peace movement' in the US. An 'anti-war' movement would presumably require a commonly-held and clearly-articulated set of values that oppose any war. Sadly, I do not believe that a 'movement' for this exists in the US. There is not even a (strong enough) movement for disarmament. Instead, we have an 'anti-this-war' movement. If this movement has any 'leaders' to speak of, they should realize that their record has been pathetic.
Some of my posts on this blog site are intended to offer some constructive criticism to my peace-loving contemporaries.
Support These Organizations
I support Orbis, Free the Children, and Edhi International (order of my first hearing about them). I am not sure if I would agree with all of what they do, but I salute their main goals and dedication. All three of these organizations deserve more coverage than they get. I believe that it is scandalous that Edhi gets too little. As I stated before I am a laruuni, not a Muslim. But I do feel, along with some Muslims who make the point, that Edhi could easily have won a Nobel Peace Prize if he were not such a 'scary-looking' Muslim --white beard and all. More info about the organization at:
http://www.edhifoundation.com/contact.asp
http://www.edhifoundation.com/contact.asp
Conscientious Nonprocreator
I am a conscientious nonprocreator. I started the Yahoo group Conscientious Nonprocreators Contranational. The URL is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/conscientiousnonprocreators/
It has not, so far, been an 'active' group. Still, it continues to present a voice against 'pronatalism'.
By 18, I decided to remain childless (I do not remember exactly when I made the decision). I am now 47, and I never had a split second of regret over my decision not to have a child. This does not, however, suggest that my view of having children is pessimistic --from my own perspective. Of course, if I had a child like Shirley Temple, Craig Kielburger, Greg Smith, Alia Sabur, ... , I could personally benefit from parenthood. Although I do not think it prudent to assume that I would be that lucky, my conclusion about nonprocreation is a moral one. I believe that my decision was morally right. Holding the values that I do, I could not have a clear conscience even if I found myself blessed to have a one-in-a-million child. Put differently, I can easily imagine myself being 'rich and famous' mainly due to an exceptional child, but I cannot imagine myself feeling any better about the matter of procreation/nonprocreation.
I am generally kind to children. I was raised in a place where (and at a time when) most grown-ups were friendly to and protective of children --anybody's children. Perhaps my own parents were also close to 'good enough', when it comes to kindness to children. Thanks in part to these facts, I often make faces at other's children, even tap their heads occasionally, and show kindness and generosity when I am allowed to interact with them (which is not often enough). I wish there were a shortcut gesture that could tell the parents: "Hey! I am kind to babies and children. I want to 'welcome' them, in my capacity. But I do not condone your decision to add another human being to this planet!"
"Babies are not responsible for population growth. Parents are."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/conscientiousnonprocreators/
It has not, so far, been an 'active' group. Still, it continues to present a voice against 'pronatalism'.
By 18, I decided to remain childless (I do not remember exactly when I made the decision). I am now 47, and I never had a split second of regret over my decision not to have a child. This does not, however, suggest that my view of having children is pessimistic --from my own perspective. Of course, if I had a child like Shirley Temple, Craig Kielburger, Greg Smith, Alia Sabur, ... , I could personally benefit from parenthood. Although I do not think it prudent to assume that I would be that lucky, my conclusion about nonprocreation is a moral one. I believe that my decision was morally right. Holding the values that I do, I could not have a clear conscience even if I found myself blessed to have a one-in-a-million child. Put differently, I can easily imagine myself being 'rich and famous' mainly due to an exceptional child, but I cannot imagine myself feeling any better about the matter of procreation/nonprocreation.
I am generally kind to children. I was raised in a place where (and at a time when) most grown-ups were friendly to and protective of children --anybody's children. Perhaps my own parents were also close to 'good enough', when it comes to kindness to children. Thanks in part to these facts, I often make faces at other's children, even tap their heads occasionally, and show kindness and generosity when I am allowed to interact with them (which is not often enough). I wish there were a shortcut gesture that could tell the parents: "Hey! I am kind to babies and children. I want to 'welcome' them, in my capacity. But I do not condone your decision to add another human being to this planet!"
"Babies are not responsible for population growth. Parents are."
Laruunash
Laruunash is my religion. I started it. Laruunash is a completely new invented word (has no etymology), and is not intended to sound like any word that I know. Laruunash is a religion that has no 'prophet' and no sacred text that is claimed to be a 'revelation'. It does have a 'dogma': That goodness is superior to evil, even if it does not bring good consequences to the first person singular. In other words, it is a set of beliefs that is not reducible to 'enlightened self-interest'.
My final decision to start this religion goes back to the summer of 1998. The name was invented in December 2000.
http://laruunash.blogspot.com/
was the first blog site where I announced it.
My final decision to start this religion goes back to the summer of 1998. The name was invented in December 2000.
http://laruunash.blogspot.com/
was the first blog site where I announced it.
Offer of Help
I consider myself a 'privileged' person in many respects. Even though I am not rich in material terms, I have a great deal that I can part with. Among other things, I have a great deal of books, CDs, PC parts, and medical reference works. I am more than willing to be of service to those who are in need, provided that they are themselves 'fighters against poverty'. Presently, I am in the United States (not the country of my choice). I like to think that some help from me can reach people on different continents. Please contact me if you think I can be of help.
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