Jupiter Rising by Flew Designs

Interaction and the Spectrum of Love

Existence is enriched through interaction. Any interaction, no matter how insignificant, gives birth to a relationship. There can be little argument that the most constructive (beneficial, pleasant) type of interaction is love. The nature, meaning and purpose of love has been debated by scientists, philosophers, mystics and all in between. Its overriding power has remained difficult to explain, even though many disciplines seem to think they have the right answer.

Most healthy humans yearn for love. In spite of this, in a large part of the world, few people venture to have a conversation about love or use “I love you” outside relationships with family or intimate partners. This is a widespread social problem. The results of this schism can be seen everywhere.

Many people today face isolation, unhappiness and depression. Without the emotional nourishment of love, it is very easy for entire social groups to become ideological prey to intellectual viruses such as consumerism, racism and nationalism.

But the culture of “I love you” is returning. Families are starting to realize that saying this to their children results in a happier family life and more emotionally secure offspring. Friends are rediscovering the value of sharing this honest feeling towards each other. It is important for people to raise their awareness of how love makes them feel, so that they more actively share and spread this emotion.

The Earth Without Art Is Just Eh

The Earth without Art Is Just Eh…

This cute pun is quite old indeed by now, but I praise the anonymous that put forward these most beautiful words. A disarming, naked truth shines with amusement from this simple sentence, a lyrical gem.

Personally, by “art” I do not understand “the arts”, as in: “a rather limited range of accepted creative expression and style”. My definition of art is “anything that expresses free will to draw an intense emotional response”. Food can be art, coming up with a beautiful surprise for a friend can be art.

Duckling Imprinting

About Those Animals Again

Recent studies show that ducks may be capable of abstract thinking. Scientists have reached this conclusion after hatching about a hundred ducklings and playing shape games with them while they were imprisoned in an enclosure.

The fact that we’re the dominant species on this planet certainly has its perks. I suppose it would also be just fine if a race of curious aliens starts taking our babies away and make them crawl after floating spheres and cubes in order to examine how their curiosity develops.

The Intellectual Diet

The Intellectual Diet

Just like the body is what it eats, the mind is what it experiences. This is a truth with vast and grave implications when it comes to the types of entertainment we invest our time in. Entertainment is a highly efficient social programming tool because when entertained the mind is open and relaxed. While in this state, it is easier for toxic messages to escape our scrutiny and infiltrate our thoughts.

A simple example about how entertainment has negatively affected our society is the impressive range of stereotypes it helped create. We need to look no further than the objectification of both women and men. The silent enforcement of ideal body types starts as early as the first cartoons kids watch and continues throughout the adult life, slowly dripping into our minds from movies to magazine covers and commercials.

Raven Theory of Mind

Ravens Might Have a Theory of Mind

Another month, another revelation about the intelligence of other beings sharing the ride here with us, on Earth. Especially during the past couple of decades, our understanding of the various creatures inhabiting this planet has advanced formidably, not only as a result of technological advancement but also due to our maturing as a species.

We’re starting to awaken to the fact that we should perhaps take more care of our ecosystem and the beautiful planet we live on. With this step forward, comes a perpetually-renewing interest in other forms of life.