A second thought
Africa has 26 million people living with HIV. Over 3 million new infections in 2005. And 2.4 million died that year. (In the UK, 60,000 people living with HIV).
On the other hand, Turkey, as of today, 11 January 2006, has 12 people infected with the 'bird' flu virus, with 2 deaths.
So take a guess. Which story has been on the TV and radio news most this week. And which story have you been most aware of, reading about, thinking about and worrying about? 26,000,000 or 12.
And then ask, why are we like we are. What is it that makes us obsessed with the flu story when the world around us is falling to pieces. Is it that we think it might effect us personally. Or maybe it's because we only think about what we're told to think about.
And then ask why has steve-ee-g got so serious all of a sudden. I'll tell you why. Because I actually took a couple of minutes out this evening to think about it. I don't often think about stuff like this. It's far too scary.
Africa has 26 million people living with HIV. Over 3 million new infections in 2005. And 2.4 million died that year. (In the UK, 60,000 people living with HIV).
On the other hand, Turkey, as of today, 11 January 2006, has 12 people infected with the 'bird' flu virus, with 2 deaths.
So take a guess. Which story has been on the TV and radio news most this week. And which story have you been most aware of, reading about, thinking about and worrying about? 26,000,000 or 12.
And then ask, why are we like we are. What is it that makes us obsessed with the flu story when the world around us is falling to pieces. Is it that we think it might effect us personally. Or maybe it's because we only think about what we're told to think about.
And then ask why has steve-ee-g got so serious all of a sudden. I'll tell you why. Because I actually took a couple of minutes out this evening to think about it. I don't often think about stuff like this. It's far too scary.
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But apply a bit of cybernetics here … Humans, like other organisms are programmed to be “news” sensitive, that is, they respond to changes in their environment, thus directing cognitive attention to all that those changes may portend for survival. Impending ecological crisis doesn’t make the headlines everyday, but only when a change in information occurs, like news of icecaps alterations. Likewise, the Aids epidemic tends to only make news when a change in its profile becomes apparent.
… OK Stevie, I give up, you win, all that is bilgewater … what really concerns me, and a few million other stinking rich westerners, is that this bird flu stuff is getting dangerously close to the swimming pools in our back yards. But then self-interest is another sound cybernetic response, with great survival value.
There was a guy, about 2000 years ago, who said.”He that loveth his life shall lose it; he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life”. Either he knew nothing about cybernetics or his grasp of the subject was so far in advance of our own, that he understood self-interest, in long term, to be of no value whatsoever.
(See John 12:25 and context)
… OK Stevie, I give up, you win, all that is bilgewater … what really concerns me, and a few million other stinking rich westerners, is that this bird flu stuff is getting dangerously close to the swimming pools in our back yards. But then self-interest is another sound cybernetic response, with great survival value.
There was a guy, about 2000 years ago, who said.”He that loveth his life shall lose it; he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life”. Either he knew nothing about cybernetics or his grasp of the subject was so far in advance of our own, that he understood self-interest, in long term, to be of no value whatsoever.
(See John 12:25 and context)
Who says I never read your blog? Don't do yourself down, you often think about 'stuff.'
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# posted by 
: January 12, 2006 8:30 pm
: January 12, 2006 8:30 pm<< Home
