We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
US Declaration of Independance – July 4, 1776
It is the right of the People to abolish it…
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
This tweet also went by today that I thought was interesting
I just learned today that a friend of mine had decided to put a stop to his business preemptively in response to future laws being passed in his country of operations.
He did not do so because what he is doing is illegal. He took that hard decision because he felt he did not want to be morally corrupt, to resort to doing things to his customers that he did not believe in. This takes some kind of guts. And I’m telling you most people would not do that. Respect.
It also took me a couple hours testing some hardware and setting up various accounts here and there to test new services.
Another friend of mine and myself also discussed several bugs we keep encountering in an app we use a lot and that is supposed to be one of the best in the biz….
It’s these days you see just how far you are from what you envision would be a better – yet realistic – future.
I think it’s good to let some doubts assail you once in a while. It keeps you grounded and humble. It also lets you realize how much work there will be to put in and how tough some situations will be. It won’t be easy. But we’ve signed up for it.
Stay strong, follow what you think is right, not what people say is. And support people who you care about.
the pic is a piece of art from probably my favorite bitcoin artist. check him out at: https://www.phneep.com/
We’ve now been confined for
three weeks. I don’t feel as confined as others as I still go out once in a
while to shop for food and take a walk in the forest frequently – a little less
than my usual 6 days a week, but still almost every other day. I also have a
yard that I can sit in and garden and enjoy the warm sunny days we’ve had.
And obviously, we’re healthy,
so no complaining on my part whatsoever.
I’ve talked to some of my friends
over the phone recently and everyone’s story is basically the same: it’s not
that bad, we’re adapting, sometimes we lose it with our kids because they drive
us nuts, but all in all it’s fine.
But what I find interesting
is the few comments that seem to be fairly common amongst most people. They
are:
taking the time to reflect on their lives
taking the time they have now, to do things they had always wanted to do
but never started – I have one friend who’s currently tearing down his car to
learn mechanics!!! Insane
finding new efficiencies in how they work, day to day – less meetings,
less calls, asynchronous teamwork, etc.
So, the question goes further
than what possibly crossed your mind when reading the title of this post.
When is the confinement
going to end is one thing? But something potentially much deeper is at play. A
lot of people seem to be questioning their way of living and seem to be happy
to try things differently, probably forming habits along the way. How long are
these going to last? Will they be durable? Will they be more beneficial than
the old ones? Should we actually hope that we have more time confined to push this
exercise, this test to its limits? Are there any limits to how we can adapt?
I for one am just getting
started, and I have ways to go.
Today, I saw something that totally disgusted
me. Something I did not know existed.
And yet, I had seen it before. It was out there
in plain sight. I can’t even say that I am surprised about it now that I have
seen it. Human nature sometimes is just that bad.
What do you think the following images have in
common?
Modern city architecture.
That’s probably what I would have answered had
someone else asked me that question. Or maybe I would have come up with
something else if for some reason my system 2 had
kicked in and wondered why the hell you had asked me the question in the first
place.
I can only guess what my response would have
been. Bad art, waste of taxpayer money, why the hell do they make things complicated
when they could be easy and so on…
Another guess I’ll make is that you probably
don’t know either what the common element is in those images.
Honestly, I don’t know if I would feel better if
you didn’t know, which somehow might help me believe I wasn’t the only one to
be fooled or If you did know. People who know can then either turn a blind eye,
the worst-case scenario, or hopefully stand up and do something about it.
Now here is the answer to the question. These “things”
are what are called “anti-homeless architecture” Like I said, I didn’t know
there was such a thing.
If you didn’t know about those either, take a
look at this thread.
That’s where the pictures come from and how I learned about this. Look at each
one of those constructions and imagine just how twisted the minds of some
people are.
One, you have to determine you need something like
anti-homeless architecture to start with. That means someone has to invent the
entire concept, give it birth, make it real. Two, you have to agree that this
is what you need in your town or city. Three, you need to bring it up to the
town council. Four, the town has to go through some kind of RFP process to look
for architects who could create such “architecture”. Five, architects actually
have to agree to make proposals. Six, the municipality has to decide that it will
have these built and installed. Seven, someone has to build that thing. Eight,
someone has to install it.
While I do believe at this point that some
people along the chain might not know what these devices actually are, it is
impossible that most people aren’t aware.
Are you that afraid or disgusted by homeless
people that you want to remove them from your sidewalks? Does it make you feel
better if you can’t see these people? Do you actually believe that they are
people? I know they have these around nice monuments to prevent pigeons from
shitting all over the façade, but is that really necessary for humans?
How is this even possible? Do you not find it
shocking? I find the lack of humanity in this appalling.
Every time you go vote during elections; you surrender
a part of yourself. People get voted into office because they collect some kind
of majority. They then govern, taking decisions on topics you will never even
know were discussed, while pretending to represent you. That includes building
anti-homeless architecture, and a truck load of other horrible things. They will
use your vote to bring these into existence. Now you did not expressly agree to
this decision, nor is anyone else “responsible”. It is just how the system
works. It removes the responsibility of individuals and hides it behind a
system, a group, a council. That is where inhumanity happens. But behind those
systems are people. And people can be stopped. Do not surrender to them.
To vote is to abdicate. To say nothing is to
abdicate.
I refuse to let people take such decisions on
my behalf, in my name or with my vote, that is why I believe not voting carries
a lot of value.
But there is one more thing I can do. It isn’t
much, but at least it’s something. I will take a picture of these man-made
creations of inhumanity every time I see one. I will post the picture online, while
calling out whatever municipality I have found them in. Make people see what elected
bodies do without your permission.
