The tough part about learning things, again, is that it changes you.
In essence, learning is an exercise in self-immolation; once completed, you rise anew from the ashes of your former self, and by extension, your former reality.
Bad Religion says: "Everyone is a hypocrite." In that vein, I'll admit that I find myself agreeing with a lot of the arguments made for societal control, selective breeding and sterilization, population control... My instinct is to be repulsed by these concepts and their practical application... But the more you read, the more you learn - your perspective slowly shifts outward until you gain that macro perspective I've been talking about... The perspective needed to oversee the direction of the human species (talk about arrogant!)...The one that is needed to make 'painful sacrifices'...
The perspective that allows you to justify inhuman behavior, up to and including the torturous murder of fellow human beings - in the name of logic, of course.
For example...I've posted this link a few times already, but do you know who this guy is? If not, look him up. Right here. He is a fairly influential figure.
Anyway, I'm repeating myself: It is easy to convince yourself of something, even easier to let someone else convince you. Especially if the convincers have letters next to their name or lots of money, or both....
My argument goes as follows: Business logic, theoretical economics, macro-level societal planning - no matter how well-presented - all must stop dead at the brick wall of the real world.
The only other option is insanity: A world where we sell guns and bombs to other countries so they can kill each other - because it's good business. Where we work feverishly to create the most horrendously murderous agents known to man, and endeavor to release them - because it's good for the species. Where we joke about shooting innocent women and children, where God's acolytes deal in rape, where humans are garbage and cash rules.
Again - lots of repeating going on today - I understand the arguments, and I understand how their logic leads inexorably to our present situation. I also understand that they cleary believe themselves to be 'advanced' humankind - so intelligent, so all-seeing, that they take it upon themselves to re-write the laws of nature with their deceptive language...and muck about in places they shouldn't...and all because they had the inclination. Because they decided.
They are wrong - dead wrong. They are the opposite of advanced - they have allowed fundamentally flawed thinking corrupt their true, humane nature.
They have regarded our hardwired predisposition to non-violence as an unfortunate obstacle, to be overcome through desensitization (scroll down)...and after a while, art starts to imitate life again, and things get weird....
And that about brings us up to speed.
