Ideeahs

I am currently reading Green Mars.  This is the second book in the Mars Trilogy written by Kim Stanley Robinson.  The books describe the happenings on Mars in the 21st century as man settles the planet.  Of course as more and more people arrive on Mars, and more and more companies also set up shop on the planet, standard human behaviour starts rooting itself on this newly inhabited world.  Consequently we have wars and revolution, ecologists vs industrialists, those who want to leave Mars relatively untouched vs. those who are wanting to turn it into another Earth. During this time, back on Earth, the planet is becoming less and less inhabitable.  People look to Mars as an escape from the sad reality on Earth.  The United Nations appears to have had increased power however it is being controlled transnational companies.  As a result Mars is also now being run not by a UN or a set of countries but more and more it is being run by these transnationals. ...

The world we live in is greatly influenced by what people read or hear.  The words read and heard will be stored in our brains and impact our thoughts.  These in turn impact our decisions, relationships and the ideas which we then write or speak about to others.  Words do matter.  They matter to our children, to spouses, siblings, extended family, neighbours, co-workers and to our fellow citizens of earth....those whom we have never met but who may read or hear our words. Journalism is a field which pumps out its fair share of the written and spoken word.  Journalism plays a fundamental role in the education of people and in ensuring that the truth always finds its voice.  It is a force against those in society which try to silence the truth.  It is important to decision making via its ability to educate us on current affairs and due to its investigative nature as well. But what is truth anyways?  Whatever it may be it generally is not right or wr...

Compromise is a requirement for progress.  No matter how stubborn one might be there will always be a point where a choice needs to be made.  Choosing one path or way over another always involves compromise as the paths all differ to varying degrees, each with their own pros and cons.  Some pros always need to be let go of and some cons need to be accepted.  No single party picks up all the spoils.  But all win something.  A compromise. Maybe I need to be a little more specific.  Compromise is important if what you desire is progress in a non-chaotic and steady way.  If you equate pros and cons to steps forwards or backwards compromise does not eliminate the steps back but it does, I believe, lead in smaller steps backward while continuing on a forward motion.  The steps forward may also be smaller but having more people in agreement the decisions taken are accepted and acted upon in a more unified and cohesive fashion.  Let's just say t...