All posts by listerlogic@hotmail.com

3- SOLVING WORLD PROBLEMS, 4- HOW WE THINK, 7- CURRENT NEWS

POLITICALLY CORRECT INJUSTICE

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In the Canadian National News today, yet another high profile man is accused of sexual misconduct.  Despite no charges being laid by police, meager checking of facts, and an anonymous accuser, he is immediately fired from his job, and publicly disgraced.  Decades of hard work building a remarkable life,  gone in an instant.

In our hast to correct some long standing politically incorrect (or “PC”) social injustices, innocent until proven guilty in a court of law has been replaced with trial by media.   If that’s not bad enough, competition for viewers is driving even the most conservative media outlets to alter context and omit facts to sensationalize a story.  The result is a toxic culture that takes away the basic rights of the innocent.

Sexual misconduct and the “me too” movement have become the latest PC topics, it along with racism and discrimination often disproportionally dominate the news.   On Jan 12 in Toronto, despite a student being murdered on his way home from school it was a racism story about a girl claiming to have her religious clothing cut by an unknown attacker that headlined the national news.  All levels of government including the Prime Minister were quick to comment on it, condemning the attack and the person that did it,  vowing to use all resources available to quickly apprehend the perpetrator.  A few days later, after proper investigation by police it was found to be a hoax and never happened.  Luckily in this case an innocent suspect did not have their life ruined.

Other ways we try to correct injustices are also questionable but not so obvious.  In 2015, Our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau was elected on a platform of being politically correct and fairness for all Canadians. In an effort to make government more fair and appear less sexist he set out to appoint his cabinet of being equal in gender, 15 men and 15 women.   Instead of appointing who is most qualified regardless of gender, he chose to correct a sexism problem with sexism. Hiring someone for the sole reason they are a women is no different then not hiring someone for the sole reason they are a women.

When it comes to some PC injustices “We will not tolerate it” is an expression frequently heard.  It is this intolerance that is taking away our basic right of freedom of speech through fear.  In a recent Facebook post, following a list of legitimate political concerns was written “Have the guts to repost this?”.  Their are some that will call this article sexist or racist for merely criticizing the unfair methods we handle these PC injustices.

Aside from promoting hatred, it’s important for everyone to feel free to express their opinions.  Changing sexist and racist views can only be done with dialogue, not condemnation.  The only thing worse then “sexist and racist views” is suppressed “sexist and racist views”.  I can’t help wonder if, and how much, suppressed views of how politically correct  problems were dealt with in the US contributed to the election of Donald Trump.

Let me make it clear, sexual misconduct, racism and discrimination are not only big problems in society today but in many cases a crime. They should be treated like all crimes and reported to police.    After a proper investigation if enough evidence exists, charges should be laid.  Injustices that are not against the law should be dealt with through litigation in the courts and be reflected  in future laws.  Its important to realize that changing peoples opinions can not be forced overnight, especially when unfair means are used.

As we struggle to find new ways to correct the unacceptable injustices that remain between us and a fair society for all, we need to make sure that by taking a step forward we are not taking 2 steps back.

Dave Lister

listerlogic.com

6- INVENTIONS

UNDERWATER TOWABLE DRONES

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Imagine skimming just above a lake bottom, exploring underwater terrain that’s never been seen by anyone before, all without leaving the safety and comfort of a powerboat.  Virtual reality goggles give you the feeling of being right on board the drone and the joy stick control puts you in the pilot seat.  As your powerboat pulls it along faster then a diver can swim, it records the changing water depth coming up and displays it on the VR screen.  All the action is recorded on an SD card in 360 video along with latitude and longitude so you will know the exact location of any treasures you find.

I came up with the idea for a towable underwater drone while seaching a lake bottom for an outboard motor that had gotten loose and fell off the back of a fishing boat.  The search area turned out to be much larger than anticipated.  Although the water was just 15 feet deep, visability was only 8 feet and the bottom could not be seen from the surface.  After a half hour of searching and my air tank half empty I had an idea.  To cover more area, instead of swimming, have them tow me with a rope behind the powerboat.  It worked so well I thought about it more and came up with the idea for a towable underwater drone.

Unfortunatly towable underwater drones don’t exist yet but could be built with today’s current technology.  Heres the rest of my idea with more details.

THE BASE:  The base unit contains the complete system that quickley connects to a permanently mounted bracket at the stern (port or starboard side) of any powerboat.  A storage compartment on the base contains VR goggles, a wired joy stick, and a cable with alligator clips that connect to the tow boats 12V battery for power.  A small rechargable 12V gel cell battery is also contained in the base for emergency power.  On the back of the base a depth finder is mounted at the end of a telescopic shaft that extends into the water.  The base also contains a gps, computer, electronics, and reel of 200 feet of tow cable that also provides power and data transfer for the drone.  The boom keeps the drone and tow cable clear of the boats motor and propeller.

HOW IT WORKS:  The pilot attaches the wired joystick control to any smooth surface by suction cups in a position thats comfortable to use and turns on the main power.  When the boat is in the desired area the pilot puts on the VR goggles connecting him to to the drone’s 360 degree camera via blue tooth conection with the base.

As soon as the drone is lowered by its cable via the joy stick middle finger switch, the camera and headlights turn on, video from the drones camera is sent to the VR goggles video screen, and recording begins on the memory card.  The 360 degree camera and VR goggles give the pilot the ability to look left, right, up and down in real time.  With the boat moving forward slowly, the pilot pulls back on the joy stick (to keep the drone on the surface) and continues to unwind tow cable until the drone contacts the water.  With the drone skiping across the surface the pilot continues to let out aproximately 100 feet of cable.   The base computer continuously records the depth of the water between the power boat and the drone and displays it as a “bottom profile line” on the VR goggle display.  This allows the pilot to know the depth of water where the drone is as well as any obstacles or depth changes 100 feet ahead.

The digital proportional joy stick is conected to the drone through the base computer to create a fly-by-wire control system.  Two servos in the drone control up/down and left/right respectively to create the following functions:

  • Pull back to go up
  • Push forward to go down
  • Move left to go left
  • Move right to go right

Information from the “water speed sensor” on the drone is sent into the base computer to determine the ratio of movement of the drone’s control surfaces to joystick input.  The computer will also override joystick input should depth sensors on the tow boat or drone indicate imminent impact with the bottom.  These 2 fly-by-wire features allow for both safety and ease of control by new/inexperienced pilots.

Video is sent from the drone’s low light 360 degree camera to the base computer through the tow cable.   The following overlay of information is added to the video before being sent by blue tooth to VR 360 degree  goggles:

  • “Drone Depth” from depth guage on drone
  • “Bottom Depth” from depth finder on drone
  • “Speed of Tow Boat” determined by base’s GPS
  • A “Bottom Profile Line“, created from the base’s depth finder data, the line shows a profile of the bottom between the drone and the tow boat. This aids to warn the pilot in murky water and high speeds of sudden depth changes and obstacles coming up.  It also shows the drone’s position in relation to the bottom.
  • “Distance to Tow Boat” (same as the length of bottom profile line being displayed).
  • “Latitude and Longitude” of the drone.  The base computer uses the GPS of the base unit and calculates direction of the tow boat, length of tow rope, depth of drone and left/right angle of the tow cable leaving base unit to get the actual latitude and longitude of the drone itself.
  • Current “Date and Time” with seconds
  • “REC” indicating video is being recorded
  • The following warning messages are displayed only when applicable: “BACK UP POWER” when power from the tow boat is interrupted and base has switched over to the back up enclosed battery / “LOW MEMORY” when the memory card used to record the video gets close to full / “COMPUTER OVERRIDE” when computer takes over joy stick control to prevent impact with the bottom.

Any number of blue tooth VR goggles can be synced with base allowing passengers in the tow boat to feel like passengers on the drone.  Independent signals allow everyone to look different directions at the same time and help ensure the pilot dosen’t miss anything interesting.  A button on top of the joy stick enables the pilot to take a still photo of anything he sees thats interesting.  All the information including longitude, latitude, date, and time is captured on the photo making it easy to go back through the video and play back the same location later.

When ready to return, the pilot squeezes the cable in button with index finger on the joy stick and the electric motor in the base winds in the tow cable. When the drone makes contact to the docking conection at the end of the boom, power to the drone is shut down, lights and camera turn off, and a data folder is written to the memory card.  The folder is named “the date and time the drone left the docking connection” and contains a video file of the whole trip and a seperate file with any still photos the pilot took.  The video can be played back later with any VR goggles making it possible to relive the experience over and over.

An App. for a tablet could also be created to work with the base’s GPS to do a grid search.  Enter 3 or more GPS points to form a search area along with the bottom water visabiliy on the tablet App.  The GPS on the base unit sends information by blue tooth to the tablet enabling the App. to provide a line for the power boat driver to stay on so the entire search area is visually covered by the drone.

Towable underwater drones would combine the thrill of being an explorer with the fun of a video game.

Dave Lister

listerlogic.com

Note: This is an original idea by me but there may be similar products or patents already.  I am not an expert, if you attempt to build always consult with an expert and check with all local code and laws.  Build at own risk.

3- SOLVING WORLD PROBLEMS, 4- HOW WE THINK

IS RACISM THE PROBLEM? STEREOTYPING AND WHY THE DIFFERENCE MATTERS.

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These days, racism is considered one of the biggest problems in the world.   Ignorance they say is the cause, but maybe the greater ignorance is our refusal to study and better understand what has become a very delicate issue.  I have a hard time believing there are still that many people in Canada that think one race is superior to another.  Is stereotyping being confused with racism?  What if stereotyping was the cause of the majority of acts we considered racist?  What if there was a way to change it?

First we need to understand the difference between the two.  Racism is defined as the idea that one race is superior to another.  Stereotyping is a preconceived notion about a group of people based on an individual’s experience with that group.

What if racism is learned and reinforced through culture and upbringing?  No question, racism was a huge problem in Canada during black segregation back in the 1940’s.  Also a strong example that shows how the power of the cultural environment we grow up in can blind us in the way we think.   On the other hand, what if stereotyping is not learned through culture but rather a natural learning function of the human brain?  I’m not saying racism is still not a problem, but how much of what we consider racist today is actually stereotyping?

Imagine you are walking down a dark secluded street alone.  You hear someone coming up behind you fast.  You turn around to see who it is.  If given a choice, of the two men below, who would you rather it be?

If you said it doesn’t matter, and you are being honest with yourself, congratulations, you are not guilty of stereotyping.  For the rest of us that probably picked the guy on the right, ask yourself, why?  In most cases it comes down to the way they are dressed.  Our brain stereotypes the type of people they are by using limited personal knowledge and experience of the kind of people that dress that way.  But the fact is, the guy on the left could turn out to be the friendliest person you have ever met and the guy on the right could be carrying a gun and out to rob you.  Even if we’re aware that we are stereotyping, most people can’t help feeling more frightened by the guy on the left.  Evidence that shows how stereotyping can reach deep into our subconscious.

Stereotyping doesn’t just apply to how we dress it also can be on what kind of car we drive, our mannerisms, how we talk, where we live, our jobs, practically everything.  There are even forms of accepted stereotyping such as car insurance where premiums are partially based on stereotyping by age, gender, and where we live.

If the human brain stereotypes in so many different areas, is it not logical that it does so with culture?  Most people won’t admit they may still stereotype cultures in fear of being called raciest.  However, try searching “comedians stereotyping” on You Tube.  Comedians, usually of stereotyped minority groups, can still make jokes that would be considered racist and not tolerated coming from anyone else.  Did you laugh?  Does laughing mean you identify with it?

Every country has its own unique culture.  Does our brain actually stereotype against race, or the culture it associates with that race?

If two families from different races and cultures adopted babies from the others race and culture, what stereotypical cultural values would each of them have when they grew up?

Once learned over time, cultural values can take years, even generations to change. Here in Canada, this coupled with a high amount of immigration, helps to bolster cultural stereotyping.  Its not just cultures of foreign countries that are stereotyped,  micro cultures within Canada also exist based solely on demographics.   Whether you were brought up in the country, city, or a specific province, everyone is stereotyped.  The most extreme micro culture is in the bad areas of cities, often with high crime, gangs, drugs and violence.  It is these areas that seem to be the biggest problem with stereotyping culture being confused with race.

So how do we fix it and provide a better equality for all?

Stereotyping itself is bad enough but the greatest injustice happens when someone has prolonged exposure to only a small negative part of a culture and their brain stereotypes it to the entire culture.

For the last 2 years it seems every second night on the news they broadcasted a Muslim terror attack somewhere in the world.  For people that have little or no other contact with Muslim culture it has built up a deep rooted negative stereotype.  Suppose on the news, for the past two years instead of a terrorist attack, they only had stories of the many positive things in the Muslim culture.  Would Muslims have a positive stereotype?  I’m not saying to change the news but to understand the effect it has on people.  What would happen if when the news broadcasted a terrorist attack, they also made a point to also include a positive story on Muslim culture somewhere in the same broadcast?  Would that subconsciously reduce a build up of negative stereotyping?

Law enforcement and stereotyping is also a big problem both within Canada as well as other Countries.  When officers constantly work the same bad micro cultural areas that are predominantly one race,  it’s understandable how a stereotype of that culture can be mistaken with race.  What would happen if they alternated, working one week in a bad micro culture area and the next week in a better micro cultural area containing people of the same race?

Understanding and more research on how the brain stereotypes is key.  The more we understand on how the human brain stereotypes the better the solutions we will come up with to create a more equal and fair society for all.  If stereotyping is shown to be a natural process of the human brain that extends into our subconcious, treating it like racism and calling it ignorance, condemning it and assuming it will go away isn’t the solution.

Dave Lister

listerlogic.com

2-PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, 4- HOW WE THINK

WADING IN THE WATERS OF WAR

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war-1

I took one last look inside the cab of my work truck and wondered if I would every see it again.  The next day I would be leaving for a war zone on the other side of the world.  I’m not in the army, or part of an aid group.  I don’t know anyone there and no one is expecting me.  I don’t even speak the language, yet I had to go.  My compulsion to understand life included trying to understand war.  I had done some dangerous things in my life but this trip would require far more courage than anything else.

It was April 1996.  Several months earlier a fragile cease fire was declared in Bosnia after a barbaric 3 year civil war.  I had been planning this trip for just over a month after finding a website stating it was now possible to travel into what was left of this war torn country.   The site also contained detailed information on how to get in and out of what they referred to as “hell itself”.  The risks seemed low.  It was a unique window of opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

As I drove home from work that day the mental effects of what I was about to do intensified.  The radio announcer was complaining about the weather and the price of gas.  Then a commercial came on for a new movie coming out that  I would be away for and possibly never make it back to see.  A heavy blanketing feeling of being alone and isolated came over me.  I no longer felt anything in common with the trivial interests and concerns of the people around me or the way of life I have always known.

The next day was an emotional goodbye with my family.  My daughter said “don’t cry mommy, he’ll come back….  He always comes back”, referring to past trips I had taken.  As I tried to convince them everything would be fine, I was also trying to convince myself.    Although my plan seemed relatively safe, I had never done anything like this before and was haunted by a naive factor I feared may be much larger then I calculated.

On the taxi ride to the airport I had a new appreciation and sympathy for the family’s of serviceman gone to war.  Whatever the individual drive is that compels someone to go into a war zone, is at least satisfied by them going.  But their family is left alone with no reward or control, only pain and uncertainty while awaiting the fate of the one they love.

After my plane took off and I was on my way, feelings of apprehension faded and were gradually replaced by focus on what I was doing.  I had well prepared to go and read everything I could find on the war.  I had a connecting flight to catch in Germany that would take me to the city of Zagreb in Croatia.  Croatia borders with Bosnia and was little effected by the war.  The city of Zagreb with its international airport was a mere 60 km from the Bosnian border.  According to the internet, buses had just began running between Zagreb and a few places in Bosnia.  My plan was to take a bus from Zagreb to the city of Tuzla and back.  Tuzla is located in Bosnia, 85 km from the Croatian border town of Zupanja.  The bus route was considered safe now and would bring me through an area that was the site of some of the worst fighting just a few months earlier.   I was prepared to spend a couple of hours in Tuzla or overnight if necessary.  According to the internet Tuzla itself was now quite safe, not badly damaged, and there were hotels there.

After landing in Zagreb I went straight to my hotel.  Zagreb seemed like a completely normal city.  You would never know war was so close by.  No where on the internet could I find the bus schedule so after checking in at the hotel I headed straight to the bus station.  I only had 3 days before my flight left to go back home and had no time to waste.

It took a while to figure out the form showing bus departures and times.  I slowly began to realize I screwed up. I screwed up bad.  The next bus going to Tuzla didn’t leave for 2 more days and didn’t get back until after my flight left to go home.  The only other bus going into Bosnia was to Sarajevo but it also wouldn’t get back in time for my flight home.  I stood there  in disbelief. Taking the bus was the only safe way I found to get into the Bosnia.  The trip was a failure.  All the preparation, time, what I had gone through and put others through was for nothing.

I headed back to my hotel room.  As the shock wore off so did my thoughts of giving up.  I took the bus schedule from my pocket and started going over all of it.  I found there was a bus leaving 3 times a day from Zagreb to the small town of Zupanja, located right on the Bosnian border.  This was the same route the bus to Tuzla took, it just doesn’t go into Bosnia.  According to my map the border there is the Sava River.  If nothing else, if I went there I would be able to at least see Bosnia across the river.

After a good nights sleep I woke up early so I could catch the first bus out.  It was funeral like weather that day.  Drizzle, overcast and cool with the temperature around 12 C.   Absence of colour made everything appear gray.  I wanted to be prepared for anything so dressed like I was still going into Bosnia.    Passport, old clothes, disposable camera, compass and maps.  I carried a back pack with some food, water, rain gear, binoculars and stuffed small amounts of money in my socks and all of my pockets.  The idea was not to appear as a target. If I looked like I had nothing of value, no one should bother me.

The 250 km bus trip to Zupanja took about 3 hours, taking me south east along a modern highway and dropping me at the bus station in the middle of the small town.  I didn’t have a detailed map of the town and couldn’t see the river but new if I headed south I would eventually find it.  Following my compass took me down several roads and out of town eventually ending up alone on a road with no traffic .  After walking about 15km the river finally came into view.

The road I was on turned out to be a dead end.  It used to cross the river into Bosnia but now ended at what was left of a blown up bridge.  I walked to the edge.  The blast left jagged rebar sticking out of the concrete.  It was the first sign of war I came across and brought an erie reality to what until now, I had only read about.

On the other side of the river was Bosnia.  The bridge had been destroyed to stop the violence from spreading into Croatia.  I took out my binoculars and could make out a couple of badly damaged buildings on the other side.  As I scanned the river bank I noticed a barge carrying people and vehicles about 750 metres up river from me.  My excitement built rapidly as I quickly realized I had just found a crossing point into Bosnia!   If I could get to the ferry and get across,  I could explore the town on the other side for a couple of hours on foot and just cross back over.  The trip might not be a total failure after all.  I checked my map and estimated it to be about a 10 km walk back to the main road and down the road the ferry was leaving from.  It would take me several hours and be mid afternoon by the time I got there.  That wouldn’t give me much time.

As I started back I noticed a trail through the shrubs that headed  along the river towards the ferry.  The short cut would probably get me there in about 15 min.  I hesitated thinking about the possibility of land mines.  I had read when in Bosnia never walk off the main road because land mines were everywhere.  This however was still Croatia but thought there might still be a chance they could have placed mines to protect them from anyone that crossed the river trying to sneak into the country.  The trail was hard packed dirt and clear from vegetation as though travelled on often and recently so I decided to take the chance.  I walked slow looking for trip wires and signs of anything buired.  I was concentrating so much on where I was going to step next I didn’t notice a military helicopter quickly approaching.  When I finally looked up it was descending rapidly in front of me.  I stood and watched as it took a hovering position 30 metres in front of me about 10 metres off the ground.  There was no question he was ordering me to stop.  I could see guns mounted on the side and slowly raised my hands in the air.  He just hovered there and seemed to be studying me.  Was I violating military security?  Maybe he was trying to stop me because I was in a mine field.  I pointed to the ferry with my raised right hand in an effort to communicate my intentions.  A few seconds later he just flew off and the deafening sound of the rotors faded to silence again.   Relieved, I put down my hands and collected my thoughts.  I was shaken a little but no where near being rattled as much as I should have been.  Was the success of this trip effecting my judgment?  Shouldn’t I be more worried?   After all, I don’t know how close to being shot I just came and I still could be standing in the middle of a mine field.

It took only a few minutes to convince myself the helicopter leaving meant it was ok to keep going and besides I was already half way to the ferry.  I continued down the trail being even more cautious on where I placed my feet while also keeping a close watch on the sky.

I made it to the ferry dock without further incident.  A long line of vehicles, mostly supply trucks was waiting to cross as well as some people on foot.  I got a ticket with no problem and was directed to a immigration shack that more resembled a lemonade stand.  After having my passport checked I found myself in line waiting for the ferry. The realization set in, the trip wasn’t going to be a failure, I would be getting into Bosnia after all!

The ferry ride across gave me one last chance to mentally prepare.  I needed to be completely alert and aware of my surroundings now.  When the boat docked I walked off with a small group of people.  We were all confronted by a several men that appeared to be taxi drivers.  Something was different about them but I didn’t want to make eye contact in case they approached me.  Some of my group went with them but I stayed with the rest of group and continued past.  As the group dispersed in different directions I walked up what appeared to be the main street alone.  The town seemed mostly deserted .  Two people walked by me and barely acknowledged I was there.   I relaxed a little knowing I blended in.  As long as I didn’t speak no one would know I’m a foreigner.

Looking around it was hard to find any building that wasn’t damaged.  Bullet holes, signs of explosions and fire were everywhere.  The town had been run over and crushed by the war.  It resembled a Hollywood film set but knowing it was created by real weapons and fighting made it seem surreal.  There was a feeling that what happened here was over and I had to constantly remind myself this is still a very dangerous place.

It was the people however that quickly drew my attention from the destruction.  Their faces were expressionless, no one looked happy, mad, sad, or anything.  Just blank, soulless faces.  Their humanity like the building here was destroyed and empty.  I felt like the only human in a town of zombies.

Every war is different and this one stood out as being one of the worst.  I had read the atrocities committed here were equal to any in human history.  There were many accounts of solders breaking into civilian homes, killing the father, then raping and killing the mother while the children watched.  Another about a crying baby that was taken from the mother and had it’s throat slit as she helplessly watched her die.  Mass graves of 8,000 murdered civilians, mostly men and boys would later be found.  For the last 3 years this had been the site of genocide, mass rapes, and countless war crimes.  I soon realized what had happened here is far beyond the comprehension of us, who have only  known civilization, and the narrow bandwidth of life experiences it encompasses.

I used my compass to navigate the town being careful to stay on main streets. There was still the possibility of running into stand alone snipers and thief’s on the side streets.  After an hour I found myself back at the ferry dock.  The group of Taxi drivers was still there waiting for customers on the next ferry.  Now that I was alone, one of them approached me and began speaking Croatian.  I had no choice but to break my silence and responded “I don’t understand”.  “Taxi?” he replied in English.  I thought for a moment but not as long as I should have and said “Tuzla….and back, ….how much?”  It turned out the only English word he knew was Taxi.

I drew a diagram in the dirt on his car  showing the river and where we were.  Then 2 feet away drew a circle with Tuzla written next to it.  I then drew a line connecting the two with an arrow going there and an arrow going back.  He seemed confused as to why I wanted to just go and come back but understood what I was asking.  He took out a paper and pencil and wrote down a price.  It was cheap but I reacted like it was high as to not let on I had much money.  Before I could think too much on what I just did, I was in his car and on my way to Tuzla.

The road was rough and muddy from the rain.  I tried to memorize land marks on our route while also trying to absorb everything around me. There were few people along the way.  Nothing but damaged, empty buildings.  Sometimes we would pass small subdivisions with some houses missing walls or partial roofs.  I got him to stop a couple of times so I could have a better look just outside the car, being careful not to leave the safety to the road.  The war it seemed had left nothing either physically or mentally untouched.

After about 20 km we came to a road block by IFOR, the international peace keeping force that took over from NATO.  Two heavily armed soldiers waived us over to the side of the road.  They were the first faces in this country I’d seen that showed any emotion.  One soldier asked me something in Croatian.  “English?” I asked. The other soldier with an  American accent asked “Nationality?”.  “Canadian” I replied and passed him my passport. “Canadian?” he asked as he flipped through my passport “Are you a journalist?” “No,…..aw… tourist I guess” I replied not really sure what I would be considered.  He looked surprised, they never had a tourist come through their check point before.  After I explained why I was there he  dropped the tough soldier facade and began speaking to me like a good friend.  It was so nice to be able to talk to someone that spoke fluent English.  I had so many questions about what it was like there and  he was just as eager to share his stories.  I got out of the car and hung out by his post, talking to him between vehicle stops.  He explained his post marked the start of a small area of  Serbian controlled land. His job was to check the vehicles going in and out.  He went on to say his unit was just started removing some of the many booby traps left in abandon buildings and the sides of roads.

Before I knew it over an hour had gone by and my taxi driver came up to me speaking in Croatian.  “He wants to take you back now” the soldier translated, “it’s too late to go to Tuzla now, traveling the roads at night is still extremely dangerous”.

I was satisfied.  Even though I didn’t make it to Tuzla I had seen enough and did what I wanted to do.  I seemed to be more perceptive of the danger now and how lucky I had been so far.  It was time now to focus solely on getting out of Bosnia and back to the safety of Croatia.  I  said goodbye to the soldiers, wished them luck and got back in the taxi.

Before we could pull away 2 woman in their mid 20’s jumped in the back seat of the car.  I wasn’t sure what was said in their conversation with the driver but their tone was assertive and demanding.  They passed him 5 chicken eggs that he carefully placed on the dash, then he put the car in drive and we were on our way.  It took me a second to figure out what was going on and came to the assumption they were going the same way as me and had just paid him with eggs instead of currency.  I turned around in an attempt to talk to them but received just a condescending look.  They didn’t speak English and had no interest in any chit chat.  Their faces were hardened and they seemed to possess a kind of street smarts necessary for surviving in this war environment.

On the way back I noticed a couple of landmarks I memorized coming down and relaxed a little knowing we were on the right road back to the border.  The girls traveled all the way back to the ferry dock with me then got out of the car and disappeared.  I was now just a ferry ride away from the safety of Croatia.  It was getting late but if I hurried I would make the last bus back to Zagreb that day.  If not I would have to spend the night in the bus station in Zupanja.

After getting off the ferry  back on the Croatian side it was a long slow moving line through immigration. Chances of catching the bus back to Zagreb were fading quick when I noticed the 2 women I shared the taxi with.  They left the line and quietly slipped into a wooded area unnoticed.  Then I saw someone else do the same.  I went over to see where they were going and followed behind unseen.  I walked a short distance into the wooded area up a small hill to a clearing and past a line of trees and realized I was on the other side of immigration.  I had just snuck into Croatia.  It was still a rush to get back to the bus station but I made it just in time to catch the last bus back.

When I got back to my hotel in Zagreb the first thing I did was call home to let them know I was out of Bosnia and ok.  As I laid on the bed exhausted, weeks of built up tension drained from my body.  Instead of immediately reflecting on what I just experienced I found myself on an overpowering natural high from the accomplishment, eventually drifting off into a deep sound sleep.

In the weeks and years that followed, I reflected back on what happened.  Putting what I had read together with what I saw and experienced left me with more questions about war then before.  How could civilized people, at one time no different then me and you become capable of such horrific acts?  These are some of my thoughts:

  • Considering how some people in Canada react  to something like road rage.  What would someone that just had their infant child brutally murdered in front of them be capable of?  Can victims turn into monsters?
  • Does a war environment with a population desensitized to violence and no legal repercussions fuel reciprocating and escalating acts of hate and violence?
  • Does constant exposure to horrific acts block off human emotion.
  • Can someone that has lost their humanity or committed an atrocity in war ever fully adapt back to a civilized world?
  • What about us?  Does living in civilization with justice and consequences for actions control a monster inside all of us that most people don’t know exists?

I waded ankle deep in the waters of war and learned there is a vast ocean of horror I could never begin to understand.  Those that swim in it’s depths and manage to live, risk the loss of their happiness and humanity through any number of total and permanent mind altering experiences.

Dave Lister

listerlogic.com

4- HOW WE THINK

DOES GIVING KIDS EVERYTHING, MAKE THEM UNHAPPY?

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kids-unhappy

For the first time in history a significant number of kids have been spared the basic hardships in life.  A large number of parents having gone through tough times, worrying about the basics of food, shelter and surviving are now able to spare their children the seemingly unpleasant experience.  Funny how these same parents often refer to their time of struggle as “The good old days”.  Could there well meaning intentions toward their kids be taking away a primitive programed response in our brains for happiness?  On an evolutionary scale, rapid advances in technology have happened in the blink of an eye.  How are we adapting to the modern world with instincts and drives from a way of life we no longer live?

Every animal on earth is preprogramed at birth for survival. Instinct as it’s referred to drives species to reproduce, birds to fly south in the winter, or a spider to spin a web.  Some tasks may be difficult, like salmon swimming upstream to spawn.  So why do they do it?  Could there be a reaction in the brain that gives peace and reduces anxiety when an instinctual task is completed?

What happens to the mental state of animals when they are taken out of their natural environment?  A salmon without a river, or a sea turtle hatching with no water around?  What about a cave man in the 21st century?

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As much as us humans consider ourselves above animals, we also have instincts.  Some are obvious such as sex drive, a new born babies need to suck, fear of death, or to care for our young, but how many more aren’t obvious and no longer needed here in the 21st century.  How are we satisfying the drives from obsolete survival instincts that have been in place since the beginning of our species?  Could the need for some of us to build a bank account, collect things and some times hoard be satisfying an ancient instinct to collect food?  Could our need to impress others be an ancient instinct to assert ourselves in some kind of an ancient pecking order or group acceptance for survival?

These days the closest thing to the old ways of life can only be found in some small country towns and farms.  Turn on any Country music radio station and it won’t be long before you hear a song that speaks of the satisfaction and true happiness found from living life close to the basics, with hard work and tough times.

Depression, suicide, and unhappiness are on the rise in the developed world.  Could the reason for the increase be that we can no longer satisfy some preprogramed instincts?  Will we eventually evolve past these unneeded primitive drives?  How long will it take?

Only by studying the behavior of ancient man will we have a good understanding of our true original instincts.  Once understood, we can apply it to our search for happiness and understand some of our behaviors today.

Who knows, part of being happy may end up needing a constant meaningful challenge.  Like “chasing a carrot on a stick”, always just out of reach and never meant to be caught.

Dave Lister

listerlogic.com