Loner Nation

Home Alone?

Recently I had been looking for a place to rent. After having lived by myself for the past twenty years, I simply wanted to rent a room, ideally in someones house who had extra space.  I figured so long as I had enough space for a bed, a desk and the ability to share kitchen and bath facilities, I would be living in a way that would benefit the environment and reduce consumerist culture.  Additionally, I thought having a roommate would be positive.

This situation got me to thinking: just what was the state of single residency in the US.  I wasn't too surprised to learn the most current US census (per a 2014 Washington Post article) reported that 27 percent of Americans now live by themselves; a figure which had increased from 5 to 27 percent over the past century.  This was in part attributed to Americans' ever growing sense of independence and in part due to the elderly outliving spouses on average for longer periods of time.

As a thought experiment, I found myself imagining how a single living paradigm might have established itself in the distant past and for living alone to possibly trend ever higher into the distant future.

With paleontological insight, I envision human ancestors competing for much of the past 100,000+ years as primal, social animals; these intelligent creatures likely evolved traits that reinforced relying on close quarter community to survive.  On a daily basis this would amount to sleeping in groups, gathering food and creating shelter together, sharing information, and vying for right to take part and lead within the community.  I also imagine individuals would still spend time alone, perhaps exploring with curiousity or contemplating the beauty and mystery of the local surroundings and the self.

In contrast, looking far into the future, I can envision an ever growing isolationist society, one not too different from that envisioned in Isaac Asimov's novel The Naked Sun where humans had isolated themselves to such a great degree, that they communicated exclusively by viewscreen, and then only rarely. In fact, these future homo sapiens were so shy, that the murder central to Asimov's story was considered unimaginable.  Are we heading toward a world where virtual connections become the vestigial remains of the community our species once celebrated?

In the present, one might say we're well on our way to that world. Virtual gaming, working from home, texting and selfie posting suffuse our current society, allegedly enhancing our community connections. It seems to me conversations, group pow-wows, and sharing of our inner selves is gradually eroding away.  Sure, there are venues where interaction occurs for those who are otherwise single and independent: connecting with colleagues at brick-and-mortar offices, spending time with families during a holiday or vacation, or even connecting with live groups at spiritual and secular gatherings.

Still, it seems many of us in singledom have chosen a lifestyle where we return regularly to spacious apartments and multi-bedroom homes to sit alone, harvesting surrogate affection from pets or virtual friends.

Being single can be a celebration of independence, but perhaps we should be more mindful of our heritage of community.  By converting some of our strength of independence into grassroots community energy, we can challenge ourselves forge ever closer connections, both in our homes and out.

Layer Cake

Oh what a complex, beautiful, ugly, simple world we live in!

How we live our lives alters and enhances that very world. Our actions spring from the constructs that populate the universe, and the bodies and minds we call our own. Some constructs we share, and some we hold close to our heart, and others we aren't even aware of, even as they drive us.

From Stardust to Sugar-coated Smiles: Rejoice!

Physical reality limits us; evolution pre-programs us; family, religion, state, and world-view indoctrinate us. Sometimes it hardly seems that the self survives this onslaught of primordial and engineered ideology.

Arguments of free will set aside for the moment, our existence and the existence of billions of other sapient (and sentient) creatures complicate the landscape. The tangles of environment, society and economy; lifestyle, friendship, spirituality and sexuality, et al -- each tangle ours to untwist and claim as our own. Simultaneously we must navigate among a myriad of creatures that are defining their own existence.

Nature is a harsh mistress, showing no compromise in the execution of quasi-deterministic micro and macro events.  In contrast, humans, by and large, have taken on the challenge of peaceful coexistence.  Yes, we're a work in progress, ever trying to up our game.  As the capitalist and socialist, the vegan and omnivore, the pious and unbeliever we still strive to make our bedfellows laugh and smile by our side more often than not.

So perhaps there is one human ideal that should show little compromise, a deep commitment to permit all to pursue journeys that are peaceful and delightfully intertwined, (as deliciously intertwined as cake frosting and the carbohydrates, fatty acids and flavors found therein--nothing quite like pushing an analogy to the limit)

Oh what complex, beautiful, ugly, simple lives we possess!

Racing Forward

The state of racial equality in this country has arguably improved over the past 150 years.  Recent events in Baltimore and South Carolina certainly indicate there is plenty of room for further improvement.

Take a Bite Out of Racism

I've often been one to think society is in pursuit of a color-blind equanimity, yet statistics show from preschool to death row, people of color continue to be treated worse than their lighter skinned compatriots.  

I've often been one to wish that I personally can achieve a color-blind equanimity, yet I still find myself at times evaluating a community as unsafe based purely on pedestrian skin shade, and I even find myself having to mentally override an internal unease when simply shaking the hand of someone of more direct African descent than I.

All of which is to say unfairness and prejudice are baked into society and the upbringing of young people, regardless of nascent idealism.  Our challenges as human individuals and society is to persevere, working to minimize prejudice inherent in the system and in ourselves.

Toward that end, we should take every opportunity we can to explore and celebrate respectfully the diverse cultures and people (not to mention the multitude of colorful non-human species) that make the world the amazing place it is.

An Adventure in a Box

Has the real world been too real for you lately?

Find me.

Tired of the standard escapes that books, video games and streaming entertainment offer?

Letterboxing is ready to fill the void.

Grab an old-school compass; pack your wits and love of the outdoors in your daypack.

A challenging puzzle and/or an immersive nature hike await you....with treasure at its end.

Investigate as you see fit.

Atlasquest makes for a good start.

Eat, Drink, Be Merry!

Humans, as living creatures, are biological engines.  We may take for granted the required slow burn of molecular fuel that occurs at the cellular level, but the acquisition of the necessary oxygen, food and water is constantly on our minds.

Air and water are generally the most straight forward to acquire. On the other hand, gathering and preparing a daily supply of nutritious food has historically been a greater challenge.  As such our evolution and culture have guided us toward putting skills, time and effort to task to assemble food supplies for ourselves and our communities. 

That group effort  has engendered the quintessential acts of acquiring, baking and breaking bread together, all in social celebration. Whether laughing with friends at a grill-out, conversing with family over a casserole, or flirting with a romantic interest eating tapas, the human spirit glows all the more when sharing sustenance in good company. 

Communicating with Food: Iteration 1.7

(La Tomatina c/o  www.viajeros.com)

Sure, in the past, our survival may have relied on animal products to nourish our rising human communities.  In the present, modern plant agricultural technology alone could support complete healthy fueling of the billions of our species were we to commit the most humane path. Perhaps in the far future, synthesis of tasty fuel for all homo sapiens will be accomplished without harvesting a single living organism. Regardless, I hope eating alongside friends and family, both new and old, will remain part of what makes us human.

Adventures in the 4th Dimension

3-D movies have pretty much plateaued in popularity these days. Still, I occasionally find animated films entertaining with computer generated characters and sequences enjoyably popping out of the screen.  Wouldn't it be even cooler to explore a dimension deeper than the three we know and love.

Watching the Past Happen Far Far Away
(The Eye Nebula)

The not so surprising 4th dimension I shall discuss is "time!"  (sorry fans of hypercubes and tardises)  Alas, I think this ephemeral dimension is often surprisingly overlooked.  Time, though we measure it and keep our calendars by it every day, may not actually exist, being be an artifact of matter's extensive properties including it's three dimensionality, temperature, conductivity...well you get the idea.

Nevertheless, the world around us would be pretty dull if the temporal dimension was static.  In this "frozen time" extreme, not only would things not be moving, but light and sound and all of our sensing inputs would be absent, creating quite the dreary nothingness.

Which is to realize: isn't it just grand that we are able to swim (dance, sneeze and blink too, among other things!) in the great sea of the Universe.  Particularly, as humans, we wield the ability to research the present, investigate the past, and speculate about the future!

Investigating the Past Up Close
(Great Great Grandma Johnston's Rosebush,
Aunt Flossie and Me)

What a pleasure to recognize our bodies are comprised of molecules which were forged in supernovae and formerly accreted into a certain planetary body billions of years ago. Patiently those molecules were baked and stirred by earthly and solar forces until DNA like structures arose and began sending their messages of complexity forward on the 4th dimensional communication lines.

And here we are today, a product of evolutionary and societal selection. Looking forward to the generations ahead, we imagine creative outcomes beyond simple survival.  Perhaps the present is all that truly exists, but with the time in mind, meditating on the past, present and future have never been so amazing!

Half Glass Junction

Defy Convention!

The classic half glass full/half glass empty paradigm emphasizes how bent we humans are on embracing diametric opposites, in this case the duality of Optimism and Pessimism.

Consider taking a third, "Realism," position in which the glass is delightfully observed as being both half full and half empty (i.e. half full of atmosphere) simultaneously.  With this mindset, one can begin to leverage influence to modify the situation effectively.

Perhaps half a glass is plenty to satisfy, perhaps the empty half creates a space to contemplate artistically. Importantly, what we do with our observations is the starting point for taking action to positively changing (or accepting the present state of) our self, community and world.  Once action has been taken, it's time again to evaluate the situation to see if a difference was made. 

At any given moment, an opportunity to fill the half glass may present itself....and when that moment occurs, you just may want to think thrice if a full glass will actually lead to goodness, or a spill waiting to happen.