Laziness, the New Productivity

      There's no use in denying it; you're not alone. Why do something when you can just...not? We've all fallen victim to that moment where you find it the most difficult task in the entire world to literally use your muscles and force yourself up off the cushioned protection of the couch. And not only that because afterwards, you're expected to actually lift your legs, one by one, and move them, forward and backwards, just to get to another location. Just writing about such strenuous physical activity leaves me out of breath. Imagine having to go through with it - the horror! The notion is absurd. In a world where technology is so abundant that it can easily replicate any human action, from cooking dinner, to thinking for you, to bathing you, why not take advantage? I certainly see no reason why we shouldn't revel in its magnificence. In fact, besides blinking, which is arduous on its own as it is, the human being should never be forced to engage in any physical movement. Down with bikes! Wheelchairs for all!
      Imagine a place where you no longer have to make excuses for your desire to bum around because it's the norm. Such a vivid picture of this utopian dream brings tears to my eyes. The movie Up really knew what it was talking about. The way things are moving now, it easily foreshadowed where our civilization could be in several years - all of us never having to lift a finger, getting transported by magical floating wheelchairs and so splendidly corpulent that our glorious rolls of skin spill out over the edges of our (freakishly tiny) seats. As they say, a fat pig is a happy pig and aren't pigs, who sleep all day in their own waste, only rising out of the sludge to eat, the happiest of any animals? Soon our nation would be rid of all luxury and individuality - Why worry when there will only be one choice? Less mental exercise is an added bonus to the physical inactivity that would let us live our lives so gayly. Houses would become obsolete - we would all sleep in our floating chairs and simply used them in the daytime as well. Picture it, in a world where we would have to never do anything physical, we would have so much more free time to...to...now what? Maybe the first step is getting a move on those chairs. Yeah, that sounds good! They'll really add a whole new level to this lively vision. But maybe just not right now...I'm not really feeling it...I'm kind of tired...I'll just let someone else take care of it for me while I take a nap. Yeah...that sounds good.

Assignment 11: Changes!

Think of all of the things and ideas that exist in the world.

Which one bothers you the most?

CORRECTION:

Write a satire on this bothering issue.

Sorry for those who have already posted!

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, November 18th at 11:59 pm

We are at war every day, fighting against the odds to maintain balance and order in our lives.  On a larger scale, that is the mission of governments all around the world - to protect their people now and the people of the future.  Does that mean we're at liberty to kill those with our very same mission: that to protect our loved ones, to maintain ownership over lands?  I don't think it does.  Diplomats need more work.  If governments, as well as other ruling bodies, like the school board, wish to eliminate forceful methods of problem solving in places like schools, then shouldn't they also work to eliminate it from that country as a whole?  Why would it be okay for a nation to show how powerful they are through use of guns and bombs when they advocate counseling and mediation for people of all ages if they have problems they need worked out?  If I say there isn't a time for war, then what use does our military serve?  Hundreds of thousands of men and women would be out of work.  Yet the need for protection is still there.  From what?  From other countries who do not see diplomacy and international communication as the answer.  Instead of using our armed forces as offense, I believe they should only be used for defensive purposes.

What is it Good for? (Blog #10)

Whether there is or is not a time for war, a reason for war, or alternatives to war, it does not matter; war is an inevitability. Personally, I find war to be a complete waste of resources that could be better spent on other problems, and I believe that international issues should only be solved through diplomatic solutions. Unfortunately, we do not live in such an unobtainable utopian world. Instead, much like before even proper language was developed, the group with the most powerful weapons uses those weapons to subdue less fortunate groups. The only more powerful desire apparently is our need to survive This is especially apparent when one looks at the Cold War; sure, not much in the way of actual fighting occurred, but that was only because both countries realized that they would be putting themselves in danger if they did so. To put it bluntly, the only thing that takes precedence over our willingness to fight and dominate others is our need of self-preservation.

Now, I may seem to be over exaggerating our obsession with war just a tiny bit, but I have another reason as to why I believe my opinion to be completely justified. Just take a look at an average popular action movie or video game. Many well-known and popular movies and video games seem to almost celebrate war, glorifying the triumphs and quietly hiding the true hardships. Going off the subject I am much more knowledgeable about, just about any average video game player, hardcore or casual, is familiar with such franchises as the "Call of Duty" franchise or the "Battlefield" franchise; honestly, you could also include the "Medal of Honor" franchise despite its recent drop in popularity. These and other franchises, usually first person shooters, all put the player in position as a soldier, mowing down impossibly high numbers of enemy units. Said franchises also tend to be the highest selling in the medium and have changed people's perception of what the average video game is from the platformer to the first person shooter.

When you get right down to it, though, most video games involve fighting some sort of antagonist in control of a large group, even Mario games. Yes, Mario games may look like cartoons, and yes, you kill enemies by jumping on them- oh wait, yes, no matter the method, you still are killing creatures in those games. This also applies to pretty much any other non-puzzle game franchise. Why is that? It's because most people find fighting and dominating these virtual enemies fun, which us leads back to our primitive desires mentioned in the first paragraph. This need for fighting is simply part of being human, and that is why I think that war is not only inevitable, but humans will never truly rise above our own innate desire for it.


Note: Although I don't think this needs clarifying, no I am not one of those people that think video games are too violent. Movies and TV shows can be just as violent, and while it is true that the viewer is not actually in control of a character's actions, it would be a lie to say that there are not people that try to imitate scenes from movies, especially action scenes. Humans, on a general scale, simply just enjoy violence, and I doubt that this fact will ever change.

War

To begin, I would like to say that my opinion is based solely upon what I have seen and what I know about war. I haven't been personally affected by war like many other individuals have, so I have no idea what it would feel like to have someone you love be constantly away, suffer life-changing injuries, or even have their life taken because of war. I do, however, understand that those who have gone through this may not share my opinion and that I might have a different opinion had I personally experienced the effects of war. That being said, with where the world is now, I believe that war is a necessary evil. It's a necessary response to the major issues that threaten people of different nations, be it terrorism, nuclear weapons, or absurd practices that must be stopped. If there is a large enough threat to the safety of the people of a nation or to the well-being of the world as a whole, extreme actions like war must be taken to protect and preserve the people. I believe that war is "evil" because of the terrible impact it can have on those who physically fight in the war and others who are a part of the disputing nations. I see any mass loss of life as a terrible thing, and it hurts me to know that so many people have died and are still dying while fighting for their country, especially Americans. I would love to see a world in which there is no war. It's probably just because I am generally an optimist, but it's not too hard for me to imagine a world where nations can settle their disputes and dangers can be eliminated without war. I strongly believe that people don't freely want to go to war, but, like I said before, in some cases it is seen as something that is necessary for the safety and protection of a country. If nations didn't accept war as a go-to option and if they made more of an effort to resolve conflicts without violence, I believe that this dream world could come true. Now, I know that there are some situations that absolutely have no other way of being resolved, but I do believe that a less aggressive mindset and more collaboration between some nations could really improve the issue of war in the world today.

Assignment 10: War

I had a hard time figuring out how to respond to this prompt. The first answer that came to mind was that there is never a time for war. War tears families apart. Many are killed during war. And many more are injured; whether physically or psychologically, war has scarred millions all around the world. Not only those who fight in the wars but the people at home who care about them. So many are both directly and indirectly impacted by war. But yet, wars are fought. That has been the fallback to resolve numerous conflicts in history. But why? As much as I wish that in our world we were able to sit down and talk through every conflict, that isn’t always possible. Not only that, sometimes it’s not even an option. Not because we’re all terrible and we all deserve to die but because we’re human. Because we’re humans with strong emotions. Because we’re greedy humans that love what is theirs and want more. Because since the beginning of time, our instinct has been to protect what is ours and fight for what we believe in. This is not to say that I am an advocate for war because if there were other, less violent alternatives to resolve certain conflicts then I believe that there is no use in wars. However, as that is not always the case, I understand that sometimes wars are necessary and are sometimes even in the best interest of society. 

10

In the society we live in now, I guess war is a necessity. If things were different a while back though, war wouldnt be necessary. If people had lived in coexistence before our time everything would be peaceful and there would be no war. But, since we had not learned that, war is necessary. Now, it can show who has power and to put people in line. War dictates what happens in today's society which is a very sad thing to say. War can be a good thing for some people, but terrible for others, it just depends on whose side the person is on.

As for the morals of war, I hate that people have to die in it. Even for example the Nazis, there were men who fought for the Nazis who thought they were fighting for their country, and didn't know of what horrendous events were taking place. In war usually you have to kill innocent people, soldiers who just thought they would protect there country and family, to get to the bad guy. Personally I am against war and detest it, so I think there are really no morals in war, you just do what you're told.

Billy, Don't Be A Hero

War, oh what a topic.
You can discuss this topic for hours and still be stuck in the in between of yes and no.

I, like most people, wish there was a simpler way to solve situations but the flat out truth is there isn't. People can't just conference and compromise to fix problems, some have to fight with weapons to get there point across. So while I may hate drama and be madly in love with peace there is no denying that war is a necessity. No I do not enjoy people dying, towns being bombed or lives forever changed I know that they are doing what they think is best.
Sometimes wars go over board and may be used as a resolution too often but it is a bit goofy to think you can live in a world without war.
I don't enjoy knowing that people die everyday from war but I do know that they died for a reason.

I appreciate and remember all the soldiers that fight and have fought for our country.

War

It is going to be a long time before fighting and physical violence stop around the world, but hopefully as we progress war will become less prominent. Though I would like to think that the time for war has ended, war is a practice that has been going on for ages, and I do not know if it will stop yet. I hope that verbal conflict resolution will be used more in fixing world problems rather than physical conflict resolution. Because in this day and age, when methods of communication are virtually infinite- there is less reason to have war, and more reason to negotiate peacefully. I understand that if someone is fighting physically, verbal interception is not always enough, but as we move forward and our technologies advance, hopefully there will be more alternatives to war. War takes away so much and so many; I am hopeful that peaceful negotiations will dominate in the future.

These Soldiers Don't Fight For Me

Is there a time for war?
Ideally, no. Yet I am not naive enough to believe that if opposing parties just sat down to talk it out, conflict would always be avoided (think Israel and Palestine). I am not naive enough to believe that humanity is inherently good. I am not naive enough to think that this country is the greatest on earth or that it is the defender of international freedom and democracy.

War should only be fought if it is provoked. An attack on this country would merit war against those who had attacked. Thus, September 11th would be justification for a war on those extremist groups who had sought to do us harm. It would not justify the attack on foreign governments, or an entire way of life that extremism is one incredibly small part of. The only other justification for war is when there is widespread international agreement for these actions. War is not a conflict between two countries, it has repercussions over the entire globe. If it is in the will of the international community, and if it seeks to protect an oppressed group, or secure democracy, then it is just. If war is started on the basis of unsubstantiated claims of weapons of mass destruction, or a chance at foreign oil, or any sort of interest rooted in one nation, then it is not just.

The better question to ask would be if any of the wars of this country in the past half century had been justified. The answer is, quite simply, no. This country, despite all its claims to the contrary, has not waged war to protect me.


EDIT:
What I said only more intelligent: http://logsdonapenglish6.blogspot.com/2012/11/consensus.html

#10

When just glancing over the idea of war, it seems like a fine way to take care of a conflict. If you eliminate the enemy or problem, it goes away and everything will be fine, right? But once you start to think more and go deeper into it, war does not seem like the best of plans. It is the head of a country who decides to go to war. Because of their choice, they have made it so that thousands of their people will die. Whether they made that decision to try and help another country or not, I think the people of their country should be priority. There is no reason to go to war unless a country was attacked first and had already tried every other nonviolent way to end it.

Assignment 10: WAR!

I believe that there is definitely a necessary time to go to war. However, there are many instances in which going to war causes much more disaster than what is already being caused (if in the case of a war to relieve a country or group of people). War should always be the last resort, while verbal compromises should be first priority. One instance of a completely necessary war is World War 2. In fact, we should have even declared war earlier than we did. As one of the biggest military powerhouses in the world, the US made a huge impact on the war. Without us, it could have ended in complete genocide of the Jewish people, along with Nazi control over the world. This example shows how the world sometimes needs war in able to keep everyone equal and as safe as possible. I am however in no way a big supporter of war. Generally speaking I stand against wars such as the Iraq War.

Sticks and Stones Will Break My Bones, But Words Will Never Hurt Me

War is hard for me to understand, let alone talk about. On one hand I don't think any one should be subject to the horrors of violence that occur during war yet on the other sometimes I think war is necessary. Personally I think war should only be considered when great humanitarian injustices are being committed. When the problem is economical or regarding something in that area I think those issues should be worked out through treaties and compromises. I understand that most people think war is inevitable but I like to believe that humanity is good enough to avoid it at all costs. The time when I think war should be tolerated is when human injustices are being committed. In instances like WWII when the only thing that would deter Hitler from killing millions was military defeat then I can understand war. I do not feel that the U.S. should impose its power on countries without their consent or specific human rights issues supported by other countries. Violence should be avoided at all costs. During the Second World War, Einstein said he didn't know how the Third World War would be fought but he knew the fourth would be fought with sticks and stones. In a world where communication is so easily achieved between countries and cultures war should be resisted and peace talks initiated.

Assignment 9: Halloween

In the case of a zombie attack, I would hope that I am already located in a better place than most people in the movies who are often in a hospital or the mall. If I was at home, I would immediately secure my family and then go out to get supplies including weapons and gas before they all ran out. I would proceed to get my family to Owensboro, where my grandparents live, out in the country. This would be an ideal place to be as not many people lived there in the first place, thus not many zombies. I would plan on staying there indefinitely, making trips into town to acquire supplies and find as many loved ones as possible. I would do whatever it takes to keep my family and I safe. I think I would be valuable after a zombie attack, as I've seen so many zombie movies that I know exactly what to do.

If zombies attacked...

If zombies attacked I would spend whatever time I had gathering up as many weapons as I could get my hands on. I already have a pretty decent amount in my basement, but those are just shotguns, I would want to get a couple of sniper rifles and probably a dozen or so machine guns and maybe two dozens hand guns. Not to mention as many bullets as possible. While I was doing this I would have my mom round up as much water and food as possible and several walkie talkie sets, as well as, a ton of bottles of water. Then I would pack them all into our cars and drive up to Killarney, in Ontario. My family owns three cabins up there and the town is very isolated and has a population of about 500 people. Plus it is on the water, which provides an escape route if necessary.Once there I would quickly unpack everything and set it all up with extreme care. Then I would leave my mom, sister, and brother to man our "home base" as my dad and I returned back to highly populated Toronto in order to gather up as many supplies as we can. I would also do my best to set up communications of some sort with NASA and attempt to land us somewhere on a waiting list to go up into space where we could seek refuge on the moon or in a giant space station of some sort. This is how I would handle the situation if I found out that zombies had attacked.

Yes, But No

There are always going to be things that are worth fighting for, even going to war for. However, even if there are things that we should fight for, that doesn't mean a country should blunder into any conflict for no apparent reason without thinking of it. One must weigh the costs of each, and figure out if the intended result is worth what one must go through to get it. And in the end, I can't really feel just in condoning war. I feel like it is most likely the lesser of two evils, or three or four evils. And I also recognize that as much as I wish we could all just sit down and talk about our differences, force two warring groups to sit down and listen to what the other says, this world is not that perfect, and sometimes we have to take into account human nature. However, when it is a squabble between two other, unrelated nations, I have a hard time, in my mind, righting siding with one or another unless there is a much more obvious loss of human life resulting from one side or the other.

More or less, I have a hard time saying that there is a time for war. Indeed, that last paragraph was quite rambly and I'm sure I went back and forth while writing it. My point in all of this is simply that yes, I suppose that there is a time for war. But that time should not be something that is jumped to quickly, and it must be thought out first before there is any action. One must remember that a war hurts both sides, and sometimes right and wrong get very easily confused within it.

War

War is a hard subject to talk about. It is a terrible, terrible thing. However, in some cases war can be necessary. Civil Wars would be some examples of this. If it is to over-throw a corrupt government or a dictator then it is justified. If a person's rights or freedoms are be taken away by the government then a war should take place. Sometimes the only way to fix the issues in the government is to remove it and replace it with a new government. Sometimes this requires war. This is not to say that wars should happen often. It should take place only under extreme circumstances and if one is not present then alternatives should be looked for and other actions should be taken. In my opinion, war occurs too often and even though it is the only solution sometimes, countries should try to look for alternatives first.

War

There is definitely times for war. Whenever the people's freedoms are being restricted by the government then that has to be fixed. And, most of the time, the only way to fix that is war, because it is neccesary to remove the current government in order to instill a new one that will not be as oppressive. In the case of having no freedom war is the lesser of the two evils because a lot of people would rather die fighting for freedom than live without it, so the killing is collateral damage on the path to a better life for everyone. One time where war is not needed is a religious war. Religion is supposed to promote peace and goodness inthe world but lots of times it leads to violence. A country always has a resposibility to go to war when an ally is at war, because if they didn't it would be a major betrayal and we would lose more allies and lots of respect.

All you need is hate

The short answer is no there is never a time for war. The long answer is no there is no time for war because war is spawned from hate if we would simply sit down and talk out our problems, and stop trying to act as the wars police because in reality we feel insecure, we would have no need for it. I understand that we think we are the best as a nation and that the rest of the world needs protecting but reality if we would make peace instead of war there would e no need for protection. Like I said earlier I don't think there are a wole lot of alternatives other than treaties and peace talks. And there really aren't any times countries have responsibilities to go to war.

War

To me, there is a time for war. This time is when one country messes with a different country in a violent and an uncalled for way. When the country picks the fight, it is time for the war to break out. However, when this time comes, I don't think that is is morally right in every way. I understand why a country defends itself by getting back at the other country, but it is just fighting fire with fire, which doesn't really solve anything. To me, war is the lesser of two evils. The only things gained from war are a sense of pride for one country, a sense of devastation for the other, and an overabundance of lost lives from battle, which is shared by both sides and is equally disturbing. If one of the biggest things gained from war is dead people, then why do we engage in it?
I'm not sure yet what other alternatives we could use instead of war, but one needs to found to prevent the slaughter of people all around the world, over a disagreement.