People raised as geniuses and people raised as religious conservatives have something in common. A significant portion of their identity rests upon a faulty belief system.

For those raised as super-geniuses, i.e. those who are told that they’re so smart they don’t really have to try, the faulty belief is that they will succeed without having to put forth any effort. For many raised as religious conservatives, i.e. those who believe they are automatically moral because of their religion, the problem is that they don’t feel compelled to behave morally during their day to day lives.

In both cases the problem is the same: the parent imbued a sense of accomplishment (and the associated pride) into the child at an early age. The religious parents made their child moral, and the genius’s parents made their child successful — all without any work on the child’s part.

In short, these children are raised to believe their worth comes from what they are rather than what they do.

What’s the expected outcome? Geniuses who aren’t successful and religious conservatives who aren’t moral, along with negative personalities forged in cognitive dissonance.:

Just for reference…

Source port(s):

Switch# config t
Switch(config)# monitor session 1 source interface fastethernet 0/1
Switch(config)# monitor session 1 source interface fastethernet 0/2
Switch(config)# monitor session 1 source interface fastethernet 0/3
Switch(config)# monitor session 1 source interface fastethernet 0/4
(however many you want to monitor)

Destination port:

Switch(config)# monitor session 1 destination interface fastethernet 0/24

…then exit and:

Switch# show monitor session 1

It’ll show you what all ports are being monitored (sources) and what port to sniff on (destination). Fin.:

Well, first I thought it was a very inappropriate question, you know, for the presidency to be decided on a scientific matter. And I think it’s a theory: The Theory of Evolution. And I don’t accept it, you know, as a theory. — Ron Paul on evolution, December 1, 2007

[ Video Proof @ ~2:40 ]

As a Ron Paul supporter who has sent his campaign money, I’m thoroughly shocked. All this energy for a candidate who basically reduces to an openly extreme religious conservative who just happens to agree with us on a few key issues. So many positives, but so many negatives.

We should have known something was amiss when one of the best ways to support him was to say, “Don’t worry, he doesn’t believe in making policy based on any of the crazy stuff he believes…“

Is that what we’re reduced to? Hoping that our best candidate will erect a permanent barrier between government policy and what he believes the invisible, omnipotent creator of the universe prefers? (see abortion) That just seems so depressing.

I can’t believe this. I smelled something early on, but blinded by desperate optimism I (like so many others) tried to ignore it.

Oh well, he’s still better than everyone else, right? At what point does abject dismissal of science become a deal-breaker? Do we stick with him based on his overwhelming positives (foreign policy, personal freedom, economic policy, etc.), or should we get behind someone else? Kucinich? Obama?

Meh…

Today is December 16th — the second major day of fundraising for Ron Paul. It’s being called the tea party (no explanation necessary). I just donated $50 and I urge you to give something as well if you’re a supporter.

Engage. Participate.

[ Ron Paul talking on his iPhone. ]

Ok, question for the Ron Paul supporters: I’m wondering if we can support Ron Paul all the way through the primaries, and then switch to Kucinich or Obama in the general election if Paul doesn’t become the Republican candidate.

Or should we just write Paul in and not support an anti-Huckabee or anti-Romney?

This is both a legal question (registering in the various parties) as well as one of political principal, i.e. do we write in our real choice or try and help prevent a disaster?

If you’re into MMA and don’t know about Cung Le yet, attack yourself. This guy is a Vietnamese former kickboxer fighting out of San Jose, CA (home). He’s seriously impressive. He’s got a sick range of attack techniques — punches, kicks, backfists, and extremely strong takedowns — including a scissor kick one (like in the movies).

The fighters I’m currently most excited about are:

• Frank Shamrock
• Fedor Emelianeko
• Roger Huerta
• George St. Pierre

…and now…Cung Le.

Check out some of his videos.

I’m looking at today’s Democratic debate and it’s just now registered that Kucinich really did get excluded. He’s generating money, he’s getting a crapload of support, and he’s finally starting to gain some serious momentum.

So what happens?

The establishment labels him a real threat to the status quo and goes on a mission to find a legal reason to exclude him. They found one. They found one and used it to destroy the democratic process in this country. I find it repulsive.

They should find the people/laws responsible and remove them. Seeing a real debate is infinitely more important than where a CLEARLY legitimate campaign sets up shop.

Randall Munroe, creator of the XKCD comic, has a few other websites that aren’t so well known. They’re comparison sites similar to hot or not, only they’re for different genres.

–

• Best Thing : bestthing.info
  TheCutest.info is a project to try to find the cutest image in the world, using voting and some algorithms.

• The Fairest : thefairest.info
  TheFairest.info is a project to try to find the prettiest image in the world, using voting and some algorithms.

• The Funniest : thefunniest.info
  TheFunniest.info is a project to try to find the funniest image in the world, using voting and some algorithms.

–

(Note: Some of the content is NSFW)

I’ve thought a lot about having children over the years. Not so much whether I wanted to have them, but why people in general want to have them. More specifically, I’ve been trying to determine whether or not it’s becoming immoral to do so.

Everyone knows that once a good parent has a child they become rather selfless. We often hear things like, “It changes everything”, or, “…all you care about is the baby.”, etc. That’s fair enough and quite admirable, but what about before you had the child?

What are the modern reasons for having kids in the first place? I have some rather unflattering ideas on how most people answer that question.

• Everyone Else Was Doing It
  Typical groupthink. Chris and Julie had a child and it was just precious. It seemed to make them happy. Maybe we should do that too?

• It Just Happened, and I’m Glad It Did
  Typical adolescent mentality. I wasn’t really planning on this, but I can definitely see the attraction now that I’m committed. I guess I’ll just go with it and embrace parenthood. It’s not like I have much of a choice at this point, and I was probably going to do it later anyway.

• It’s What You’re Supposed to Do
  Typical mature conservative. Grow up, go to college, get a job, get married, have kids. Natural. Basic. Timeless. That’s what we’ve been doing for thousands of years. It’s what we’re supposed to do.

Ok, so if I’m arguing that these are not good reasons (although the “nature” argument is the best of them), then what are good reasons for having a child? That’s my problem — I don’t really see any. Not in today’s world anyway. I see excellent reasons for being a good parent once you have a child, but not for bringing a new life into the world in the first place.

I’m toying with the idea that having children in a world where there are children awaiting adoption (and where overpopulation is a real issue) ultimately reduces to selfishness. I think the reason people become parents comes down to one thing: desire. People want kids. They want their own kids.

That’s perfectly understandable, of course, as we are programmed to want things that help us survive as a species. But that doesn’t make it right. We have plenty of other desires given to us by our biology that we control for the benefit of society. Perhaps the desire to procreate is simply one to be added to that list.

It’s a strange thing to contemplate, but the real reason we seek to bring children into the world is for our own benefit. Children bring us joy. They’re there to take care of us when we age. Children are selfish expressions all the way up until they are born. At that point we become mostly selfless, but we can’t use our selflessness after they are born to justify the selfish act of bringing them into the world.

In earlier times we needed to reproduce in order to keep ourselves alive. We have plenty of people now. Some believe that they’re providing a service to humanity. They feel their belief system needs to be expanded, and that creating a few offspring is the best way to make it happen. Aside from the highly self-important slant of that approach, i.e. I’m going to help better the world with my seed, it doesn’t seem very efficient.

So what are good reasons for logical and compassionate people, living in today’s world, to have children?:

I used to be into BMX bikes. I was obsessed. Every little thing about it was interesting. The brakes, the handlebars, the different types of mags–all of it. One day–I don’t remember when–I got off my last BMX bike. I wish I would have realized it when it happened.

Later in life I got into skateboarding. My favorite board was a John Lucero. Again, I was into it. Independent trucks, bulletball wheels, rails, skid plates and copers. I could rail slide like the board was part of me, and I could ollie a solid two feet. At some point–I don’t remember when–I ollied up my last curb. I wish I could have realized it when it happened.

Do you remember the last time you climbed a tree? Do you remember how much you used to love it? I do. If you’re like me you never planned on the last time you did it being your last time doing it. In fact, you never planned on there being a last time.

And it’s the same for a million things that are precious in life that we may never do again. Playing a role-playing game with your friends, burning a leaf with a magnifying glass, or eating a meal with your grandfather. It’s possible to dwell on this to the point of it becoming morbid, but we don’t have to.

Instead, just remember a simple, very old concept: appreciate everything you do–no matter how normal it seems–as you are doing it. Living in the moment isn’t some distant Zen concept; it’s no less than how to fully appreciate life. ::