Passion Party #588 - The End Of Romantic Militarism

"Romantic militarism" refers to a widespread, European intellectual phenomenon that made its appearance at the time of the French Revolution and carried through our two world wars, a belief that war was THE way to enforce justice. The only solution for the injustice in the world is a redemptive cataclysm that will bring total freedom and self-expression.

The fact that war brought enormous death, destruction and man-made disaster was secondary.

But after many conflicts the romance has been drained from war. We realize more and more that human life is precious, and the days of glorifying war are behind us.

Perhaps it is time to not only beat our swords into plow-shares, but to also change the traits that we value most. Glory, honor, per-eminence, manliness, heroism and other symptoms of excess testosterone can be downgraded.

Today I will focus more on communication, empathy, collaboration, vulnerability, intuition and patience. This is where I will find my romance.

Passion Party #587: Information Technology and De-Materialization

We have too much stuff.
One of my mantras whenever I go to a shopping mall is "I don't need anything.  I already have everything I need to live a full, rewarding life".
For all the complaints about the crazy time we live in, one thing that is taking place with younger people in particular is the lack of need to OWN things, and to BUY tangible objects.

The cubic yards of vynil that used to be my music collection gave way to cubic inches of compact discs and then to the "nothingness" of MP3s. The shelves full of newsprint and books has been replaced by an iPad.  Now we no longer need to buy the 40-odd consumer products that one "smart phone" contain (telephone, answering machine, phone book, camera, camcorder, tape recorder, radio, alarm clock, calculator, dictionary, calendar, encyclopedia, flashlight, fax, and compass, etc.).

Why buy a car, tools, a bicycle or even a house when you can affordably share these items with a click of your finger on an app?

We are creating a way to de-materialize the material world, and with it the possibility of a more free, more balanced life not so tied to the things we own, as to the experiences we have and the interactions we have with other people.