Re: "Zeitgeist: Addendum" (AzraelsJudgement)

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neotoy

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Published on October 28, 2008 3:00:12 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veTMGOS4y5M

Duration: 3:48

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I made a video on October 08, 2008 titled "You Decide"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2vjPIUOV9k
This was a challenge to my then 50 subscribers to let me know what they wanted me to make videos about.

I got a few comments, TBH they were a lot more hardcore than I was expecting, but they were also ones that I absolutely wanted to address at some point.

I started working on them right away, however these were not questions that you just whip up a response to, so a few weeks later I'd cobbled up some decent notes at least.

This is obviously the easiest of the comments to respond to. Via AzraelsJudgement
http://www.youtube.com/AzraelsJudgement
"If you have watched or do watch the new zeitgeist movie that would be cool to see your perspective on it."

This is my response:

TRANSCRIPT:

Yes I have watched the new zeitgeist movie. Initially I found it to be both profoundly uplifting and depressing at the same time, mainly because it expressed and reinforced one of my core beliefs in a very articulate way; namely the ideology that human intelligence and ingenuity are capable of transcending all obstacles if only given the opportunity to do so.

The paradox nested within this optimistic viewpoint, is that in order to realize our potential, we are also forced to acknowledge and confront the striking failures of civilization, made under the same basic conditions over many millennia. This suggests to me that humans are not collectively in control of their own fate. If any significant changes are to occur to the human condition, they will be organic (developing in a manner analogous to the natural growth and evolution characteristic of living organisms) rather than self-directed.

The video also did a great job of pointing out how humanity is its own worst enemy. Recognizing the painful truth that we are in fact responsible for the vast majority of the problems that we now face as a species. This behavioral characteristic transcends all social and philosophical boundaries, another indication that humanity is subject to primal directives far more powerful than our collective consciousness.

Reading between the lines my own personal interpretation of the video is that advancement of any kind requires a certain leap of faith; no matter what our original intentions might be, there is simply no way to predict the outcome with any certainty. Meaning that we must at some point make the choice to dismantle one establishment and replace it with another, all without any real assurance that the results will improve our lives.

Arguably this is also the essence of the human genius, the innate ability to intuitively transform energy to meet our demands in a beneficial way. In a word: reinvention. God may not play dice with the universe, but we do, and with each new roll, humanity has another chance to lose everything or hit the jackpot. However just like any gambling addict, our resources (the ecosystem) are not infinite, if we run out of money before we strike it rich, the game is over.

One of the other questions I got in response to my "You Decide" video will segue nicely into this thread, because basically you can't have this kind of discussion without debating the value of technology. Which may be humanity's "Ace in the Hole" or our ultimate undoing. Expect to see that video up soon.

Additional Relevant Links:

Zeitgeist: Addendum Video (02:03:07)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912