Opposition

Though I would carefully avoid giving unnecessary offense, yet I am inclined to believe, that all those who espouse the doctrine of reconciliation, may be included within the following descriptions. Interested men, who are not to be trusted; weak men, who cannot see; prejudiced men, who will not see; and a certain set of moderate men, who think better of the European world than it deserves; and this last class, by an ill-judged deliberation, will be the cause of more calamities to this continent, than all the other three. – Thomas Paine, Common Sense

Paradigm Shift

PERHAPS the sentiments contained in the following... are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason. – Thomas Paine, Common Sense

A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it. – Max Planck

First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. – Gandhi

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. – George Santayana

And it is worth noting that nothing is harder to manage, more risky in the undertaking, or more doubtful of success than to set up as the introducer of a new order. Such an innovator has as enemies all the people who were doing well under the old order, and only halfhearted defenders in those who hope to benefit from the new. This [reluctance] derives partly from fear of opponents who have [precedence] on their side, and partly from human skepticism, since men don’t really believe in anything new till they have had solid experience of it. This is why, whenever the enemies of a new state have occasion to attack it, they do so furiously, while its friends come only languidly to its defense, so that the whole venture is likely to collapse.^† — Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, VI, 1513.

^†Machiavelli, Niccolò. The Prince: a new translation, backgrounds, interpretations. (A Norton critical edition) Translated and Edited by Robert M. Adams. New York: Norton, 1977.

Thought

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes. – Gandhi

Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. – Albert Einstein

The opinions of men with respect to government are changing fast in all countries. The Revolutions of America and France have thrown a beam of light over the world, which reaches into man. The enormous expense of governments has provoked people to think, by making them feel; and when once the veil begins to rend, it admits not of repair. Ignorance is of a peculiar nature: once dispelled, it is impossible to re-establish it. It is not originally a thing of itself, but is only the absence of knowledge; and though man may be kept ignorant, he cannot be made ignorant. The mind, in discovering truth, acts in the same manner as it acts through the eye in discovering objects; when once any object has been seen, it is impossible to put the mind back to the same condition it was in before it saw it. Those who talk of a counter-revolution in France, show how little they understand of man. There does not exist in the compass of language an arrangement of words to express so much as the means of effecting a counter-revolution. The means must be an obliteration of knowledge; and it has never yet been discovered how to make man unknow his knowledge, or unthink his thoughts.– Thomas Paine, Rights of Man

Truth is God

Truth is God. – Gandhi

I worship God as Truth only. I have not yet found Him, but I am seeking after Him. I am prepared to sacrifice the things dearest to me in pursuit of this quest. Even if the sacrifice demanded my very life, I hope I may be prepared to give it. – Gandhi

What Would Thomas Do?

Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson were the chief proponents for American Independence and American Democracy. Innate defects of monarchy and aristocracy have resurfaced in corporate capitalism and special interest politics. In Rights of Man, Paine championed Principle over Precedence, then championed by Edmund Burke, a member of British Parliament, in Reflections on the Revolution in France.

How soon we forget. Strict constructionist judges champion Precedence, whereas judicial activist judges champion Principles. Segregation had Precedence on its side. Precedence is no better than its weakest Principle. Paine traced the Precedence of English kings back to William the Conqueror, a Norman. Paine exposed a blind spot in human cognition, which persists today. Even science harbors derivative tendencies. Corporate capitalism and special interest politics are bastards of monarchy and aristocracy. What Would Thomas Do?

In Common Sense, Paine championed Independence over Reconciliation. An Independent Democratic alternative does exist to corporate capitalism. Whereas unions are wed to Reconciliation with corporate capitalism, cooperatives exist as Independent enterprises that embody democratic Principles. Corporate capitalism is ruled by shareholders, one share one vote, which is plutocratic. Profit motive is the guiding principle of a market economy. Cooperative enterprises are ruled by shareholders, one member one vote, which is democratic. Reputations and relationships are the guiding principles of a gift economy.

The Capitalism versus Socialism debate is a false dichotomy. Socialism also suffers from innate defects of centralized control. By nature, corporate capitalism needs external regulation. By virtue, cooperative enterprises are self regulating, transparent, and open. The major obstacle preventing a democratic revolution in the economic sphere is mind share. People are uninformed, and a person of Principles is self made not born. In Principle, a democratic, cooperative revolution could compete plutocratic corporate capitalism and special interest politics into extinction.

“What Would Thomas Do?” is the inaugural campaign to raise public awareness for a worldwide, nonviolent, democratic, cooperative revolution, and for Principles over Precedence.

Korea Reunification Hong Kong Style

I call upon the United Nations to retroactively ratify a 99-year lease on the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Then on July 27, 2052 North and South Korea will reunite as Hong Kong did with China in 1997. Britain’s lease on Hong Kong expired after 99 years. A peaceful transition ensued. Politics with North Korea needs a game changer. Tic-tac-toe is a competitive game of Xs and Os. Responding with Xs to Xs is a game changer.

The “all in” lease bet gives ordinary Korean people a stake in the game, a game misplayed by leadership. Consider two sealed chambers, of high and low pressure, separated by a pane of glass. A hammer will turbulently equalize the pressure, but a regulated leak gradually equalizes the pressure.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory of motivation that includes security, social, and esteem needs. These needs are at play in the game with North Korea. The lease gambit amounts to the best strategy. As long as the Korean people have no stake in the game, jokers are wild.

Think of humanity as an organism with a history. Wounds that never healed exist at Cuba, where Columbus started a colony, at Korea, torn between China and Japan, etc., but the Hong Kong wound healed.

Antimatter Hypothesis

“Antimatter Hypothesis: A Viral Thought Experiment” has been published in book form on the Internet today. Simply stated the Antimatter Hypothesis assumes parity between matter and antimatter in the universe. The implications are revolutionary. The book comes in two parts and takes some time to load with images and embedded video, so you need to use a high speed Internet connection. Click on the image at left to load Part 1, which deals with the Anti-Matter Matter Object (AMMO) phenomena. At the end of Part 1 is the link to Part 2, which deals with Antimatter Cosmology.