#HolyRomanEmpire

[20:36:09] P.P.A.: Something I am also slowly beginning to realise: the world and its ongoings have become too complex to have an opinion on them.
[20:36:54] P.P.A.: I spend a good part of my day reading news, blogs, analyses, trying to keep myself up to date and knowledgeable
[20:38:03] P.P.A.: but mostly, this knowledge is just superficial. This is enough to form an opinion if the alternatives are rather immediate and obvious (for example, war or not war), but it's insufficient when it comes to topics where the outcome of the different options is not readily apparent
[20:38:13] P.P.A.: energy policies for example
[20:38:58] P.P.A.: To form an opinion on these topics, you (would) have to spend a lot of time investigating them, acquiring professional knowledge, and then abstracting from it
[20:39:26] P.P.A.: but if you were to do that, you would have to limit yourself to that topic, because you would no longer have to time to keep up with other things
[20:39:35] P.P.A.: Thus, you would become an expert (to some extent).
[20:39:57] P.P.A.: Today's formation of opinions is dominated by expert. Makes sense, since a lot of issues are just too complex for anyone not an expert.
[20:40:30] P.P.A.: But this also greatly limits the number of different viewpoints, and excludes most of the population from contemporary debates.
[20:41:01] P.P.A.: It leaves them bystanders, or forces them to adopt an expert's opinion more out of faith than understanding.
[20:41:16] P.P.A.: That this is unhealthy seems apparent.
[20:42:13] P.P.A.: Hundred years ago, when the hot topics were industrialisation, the social question, politics (then still rather limited to your neighbours, allies, and colonial empires, and not the whole world), and other internal matters
[20:43:24] P.P.A.: Educated people with a bit of free time could aquire knowledge on these, debate them with others, and come to conclusions, decide on a plan to follow, or a movement to join and others to view with scepticism.
[20:43:57] P.P.A.: But today, this isn't possible any more, because it's all to fractioned, too in‐depth, too scattered and disconnected.
[20:44:51] P.P.A.: But at the same time, experts truly such in their fields are no hope either, because they are ignorant of most other things, an might miss important contexts because their field of vision, though very far, is very narrow.
[20:45:42] P.P.A.: Alas, this can't be changed, and simply comes along with progress and expansion of knowledge and technology, and might be something that we'll just have to bear
[20:46:33] P.P.A.: but it seems very detriminal to democratic processes, and to free and open discussion of topics relevant to all of us, and exclusion from the decision‐making processes that ultimately will shape our and our children's future.
[20:48:39] P.P.A.: I'm not sure how to react to it myself, either. I don't like what I am doing at the moment; though I'm always very up‐to‐date, it's not like this universial and shallow knowledge does me any good—I can't change anything. But at the same time, it costs a lot of time, and I'm neglecting many things I truly want to do, like reading a couple of books still unopened, refining a few skills of mine (like drawing), or aquiring knowledge of a more long‐lasting kind, such as language skills, or deeper immersion in history.
[20:49:53] P.P.A.: I'm thinking it might be better to focus on the latter… It's a bit irritating to start becoming ignorant of contemporary ongoings again, but it might be wiser/more useful in the long run, and more satisfying too.
[20:51:11] P.P.A.: It would be a bit of a bad omen for our society though, if everyone shared my decision…

 Die Lage in Syrien iſt für einen Ausländer wie mich leider undurchſchaubar. Unſere Medien überbieten sich zwar gegenſeitig mit Horrormeldungen, prangen an, daß das Regime „ſein eigenes Volk umbringt“ (Haben wir das nicht ſchonmal gehört? Ach ja, Libyen!), und betreibt generell eine Hetze, die unlautere Motive vermuten läßt. Gleichzeitig iſt in Syrien jedoch unbeſtreitbar etwas im Gange, es gibt täglich dutzende Tote, und das Regime iſt nicht mit der Jamahiriya vergleichbar, was Lebensſtandards und ‐umſtände betrifft, ſodaß ihm zu trauen ſchwer fällt.
 Dennoch denke ich, mir inzwiſchen ein recht plauſibles Bild der Situation gemacht zu haben. Zwar iſt die Informationslage verwirrend, da keine Quelle wirklich verläßlich iſt, doch läßt ſich aus den Informationen, die sowohl von den Weſtmedien als auch von unabhängigen und von offiziellen ſyriſchen Kanälen beſtätigt wurden, die Lage rekonſtruieren.

[09:17:20] P.P.A.: The second of the two lectures yesterday was about Ignatius of Loyola and the Society of Jesus.
[09:17:48] P.P.A.: It was interesing, especially so however because at some points I saw clear parallels to Buddhism! (And Jainism.)
[09:18:38] P.P.A.: For example, the order's (original) intention to seek and find God in all that is, and also to pray to Him through any of their action, each of their activities being supposed to become a form of prayer.
[09:19:20] P.P.A.: I immediately noted that this was just like Zen Buddhism, where in cloisters the monks try to meditate through any of their actions—work, eating, and so on.
[09:19:49] P.P.A.: And search for the one-ness/nothing-ness that unites everything.
[09:20:53] P.P.A.: Then there's also an initiation rite of the Jesuits where one is isolated (though with a spiritual guide in case one encounters crises) for 30 days so that they might confront God and themselves, to get everything out of the way and see what their true calling is, and if they really want to become a cleric, for example.
[09:21:56] P.P.A.: If they emerge from that isolation after 30 days and do take up an office, this is seen as them having found God, and yet returning from this enlightened and higher state back down to Earth in order to help others.
[09:22:10] P.P.A.: My immediate thought: “Hey, a Bodhisattva!”
[09:22:25] P.P.A.: (In some schools of Buddhism at least.)
[09:22:58] P.P.A.: I am yet again confirmed in my belief that there is one philosophical and spiritual core that all world religion
[09:23:37] P.P.A.: s are formed around, and that their more mystic variants—after centuries of the main faith kind of losing itself in idol worshipping and rigid doctrine—gravitate towards.

To populate this blog with a little more posts despite my tendency to lay off the ideas I have for weeks and months and ending up never or much too late writing them down, I hereby commence posting excerpts from chats or IRC conversations here, where I often end up monologuing about what's on my mind and what I would actually write here about if I weren't so lazy. I also—amazingly—actually retain the ability to express something without turning it into an impenetrable wall of text, which is another reason to share these bits here.

Commencing with one where I muse about the nature of media, the woes of the search for truth, and my general confusion as to what to believe and what not to believe:

 Nachdem ich noch viele weitere Photos von des Bruderführers angeblicher Leiche geſehen habe, und auch viele pro-grünen Blogs und Seiten vorſichtig zurückrudern und ihre „Gathafi lebt noch!“-Botſchaften zunehmend mit Kommentaren wie „…aber er verſteckt ſich aus Sicherheitsgründen erſt einmal!“, oder „…aber ſelbſt wenn er tot WÄRE (was er nicht iſt!) wäre das auch egal da er in uns allen lebendig iſt!“, verſehen, muß ich ſeinen Tod wohl oder übel akzeptieren.
 Jedoch hätte er ſich wohl keinen öffentlichkeitswirkſameren Tod wünſchen können. Er ſtarb als Märtyrer, aus Sirte kommend, welches er allem Anſchein nach monatelang zuſammen mit der Bevölkerung gegen endloſe NATO-Bombardements, blindes Artilleriefeuer, Hunger, und Durſt verteidigt hatte.
Sein Autokonvoi wurde von US-Drohnen und einem franzöſiſchen Kampfflugzeug in Stücke geriſſen, was noch einmal die ehrloſe und unfaire Kriegsführung der NATO anſchaulich macht. Anſchließend wurde er von den Übergangsratsratten auf ihre typiſch beſtialiſche Weiſe und ohne Rechtsgrundlage hingerichtet – alſo genau wie viele tauſend andere Libyer, deren Schickſal nun vielleicht etwas mehr Aufmerkſamkeit erfährt.
 Hoffen wir, daß die UN-Unterſuchung ſeines Todes nicht nur ein Zug iſt, mit dem vorgetäuſcht werden ſoll, daß man ſich um die Rechtmäßigkeit des Feldzuges gegen die Libyer ſchert, und man gleichzeitig die himmelſchreienden Menſchenrechtsverletzungen durch NATO-Söldner, -Truppen, und -Luftwaffe zu verdrängen und die Öffentlichkeit von ihnen abzulenken verſucht.
 Auf daß der grüne Widerſtand fortgeſetzt wird, und ſich Libyen irgendwann wieder befreien kann!

 I just finished reading Mahoraba.

 While, till now, I stubbornly refused to try and futilely rank any manga I read or pick out particular favourites—for they are often so diverse and unique that it is simple impossible to evenly compare two and declare one ‘superior’ to the other when they are both great in their very own ways—this is the first time I felt I can confidently claim a manga to truly have been the best one I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Auch wenn es keine Erwähnung benötigt, ſo iſt Wiſſen doch fürwahr die unabdingliche Baſis aller Meinung.

❧ Einleitung

 Einſt, als ich noch etwas naiver und idealiſtiſcher war, hätte man mich wohl als Liberalen bezeichnen können. Als ſolcher, überzeugt von der univerſellen Gleichheit allen menſchlichen Seins, lehnte ich Raſſismus als intolerablen und willkürlichen Unfug ab; die Exiſtenz raſſiſcher Unterſchiede leugnete ich ebenfalls aus Prinzip.
 Irgendwann jedoch, unter dem ſicherlich fragwürdigen Einfluß /int/s, begann ich im Angeſicht durchaus ſchlüſſiger Argumente, wie z.B. der offenſichtlichen großen Diverſität menſchlicher Phänotypen die ja nicht von ungefähr kommen können, der Jahrtauſende alten kulturellen Armut des Afrikas ſüdlich der Sahara, diverſen wertneutralen Artikeln renommierter Fachzeitſchriften, und nicht zuletzt jener ach ſo überzeugenden Statiſtiken und Grafiken an meiner Überzeugung zu zweifeln.
 Von meiner Einſtellung wich ich jedoch nicht willens ab, wodurch ein innerer Konflikt entſtand. Ich ſuchte ſtets nach Gegenbeweiſen für derlei Unterſchiede, freute mich, wann immer ich ſolche zu finden glaubte, und ſorgte mich, wann immer ich ſtattdeſſen auf etwas dieſe Theſen unterſtützendes traf. Ironiſcherweiſe waren aber alle meine Mühen von vornherein vergebens, da mein Denken ſehr kategoriſierend und von Vorurteilen geprägt (wenn auch immer deren Verneinung begehrende) und ſomit bereits raſſiſtiſch geworden war.
 Vielleicht aus Furcht, vielleicht aus chroniſcher Vergeßlichkeit erſchloß es ſich mir viel zu lange nicht, der Sache ganz einfach mal auf den Grund zu gehen und mir etwas Wiſſen über Humangenetik anzueignen. Bis vor kurzem! ❦

(I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO WRITE THIS FOR TWO MONTHS BUT NEVER GOT TO IT UNTIL NOW)

❧ For months now NATO has been instigating the civil war in Libya, trying to topple Col. Gathafi via air strikes against the Libyan army, military outposts, and various civilian targets, as well as military, financial, and political support for the rebel groups. Or, in their words, they have “imposed a no-fly–zone” on the country, with anything above sea level being defined as “flying”, and the civilian homes of minor government members and their families or media stations as “military targets”.

 When the first news of the rebellion in the east of the country trickled in, I too was euphoric, still affected by the amazing display of determination by the Egyptian people (I missed the Tunisian revolution, sadly), and projecting the images of masses of people pushing back armoured vehicles or solemnly praying in the face of water cannons' violent and futile attempts to disperse them. Erroneously, I projected these same scenes onto the Libyan insurrection, something facilitated by the lack of actual footage from the country, and by AlJazeera's policy of misinformation. Thus, when Germany abstained from the vote to sanction a military campaign against Gathafi, I was initially outraged and shamed by my government's embarrassing and cowardly stance.
However, when I looked more deeply into the subject, I instead became disappointed by my country not having made use of its veto powers.

Für Philoſophie in der Schule mußte ich mich neulich mit verſchiedenen Anſichten bezüglich der Ethik – ſo zum Beiſpiel derer Kants, Benthams, Mills, usw. – befaſſen. Hierbei wurde mir die Abſurdität der Konzepte der Ethik und der Moral wieder einmal vor Augen geführt. Wenig ſpäter jedoch erkannte ich im Buddhismus die einfache wie unglaublich Weiſe Antwort auf die von dieſem Feld der Philoſophie aufgeworfenen Fragen.

My fingers are craving to portray upon
A canvas no human has laid his hands on,
To plant vivid colours in new virgin ſoil
Whoſe pureneſs no being could heretofore ſpoil.

For art is to ſeize what is nobody’s craft,
From it to create for which was no draft;
To impoſe on nature the order of man
To proclaim on caprice an almighty ban.

Cannabis ſativa, when reborn as hamp
Was felled by a logger; did no webſter’s clamp
Defile this white canvas? much did it endure –
No art, on this product, can ever be pure.

Though no man ‘creates’, he can ſhape what is God’s:
Carve into raw nature his innermost thoughts;
Unalloyed canvas – your ſkin – now this knife
My paintbruſh, in crimſon, ſhall draw on your life.