Since 2005 the world has changed in four key areas:

Today, the world is: Young, Urban, Wired and Hot.

URBAN–Now more people live in cities than the countryside.

Take Brazil for example, 85% of Brazilians live in cities.

YOUNG–Most of the above are young. 62% of Brazilians are under 29.

Half of Indians are under 25.

Two thirds of Africa’s population is under 35.

Only North America, Western Europe and Japan are aging.

WIRED–The third area is CONNECTIVITY. Over a third of the world’s

population has access to the Internet.

This is Worldwide Mass Media.

HOT–The planet is changing before our eyes!

Because we burn fossil fuels for energy which pollutes.

Carbon dioxide has just passed 400 parts per million in the atmosphere.

This figure is an abstraction, it is invisible, but it sets in motion big changes.

We need to put it into concrete terms for real understanding.

With more carbon dioxide, warm air holds more moisture.

Ice caps melt and that means more water in the oceans.

Sea levels rise so there is more flooding around the world.

As oceans warm there is more energy for extreme storms.

Many places, instead of rain, are experiencing drought.

These physical and visual changes are climate change in concrete terms.

Animals and plants are becoming extinct, rainforests are being cut down, storms, droughts  and floods plus higher temperatures are all physical visible changes.

What we are seeing are worldwide changes since the Industrial Revolution which began in 1750.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

As the world stumbles towards a climate catastrophe, the differing national attitudes toward climate change highlight why there has NOT been an effective global response.

The world needs to be UNITED in putting a solution into place.

The climate is a Global Problem!

What needs to be done is:

A Independent body of scientists, engineers and environmental experts needs to be set up. They would be committed to resolving climate change that overrides nationalistic loyalties. Every nation would have to sign up to it.

They could be funded by a % of every nation’s GDP.

It’s remit would be to generate policies and action plans to limit or remove carbon emissions.

This would result in CONSISTENT action around the world.

BUT…

The problem is that ACCEPTANCE of climate change has yet to be worldwide.

We’ve done a terrific job of screwing up the planet, NOW WE NEED TO RECTIFY IT!

Ice caps melt, gases that were frozen years ago are now released into the atmosphere.

Things are out of joint!!!

We have to try to STOP greenhouse emissions ASAP!

Climate change protesters will never succeed until all countries work together!

Britains reduction of carbon emissions is just like a grain of sand compared to the pollution caused by other countries.

China is building coal-fired power stations at an alarming rate to meet the consumerism of the Western world. Should we STOP buying cheap Chinese products?

Everyone wants something done, but don’t interfere with their choices, convenience or wallets.

So, that’s the sad story of climate change.

2000 years ago the population of the world was 250 million.

In the 1600’s it was 500 million.

By 1800 it was ONE billion.

Now it is 7 billion!

With overpopulation available resources diminish.

Over. population creates unrest in underdeveloped countries which leads to dictatorship and centralised totalitarianism.

Overpopulation stops small countries from developing and that creates a crisis.

With crisis comes governments that want CONTROL over everybody and everything.

Unrest and insecurity leads to more control by central governments and an increase in their power

There are over 50 countries in the world that have dictatorial, authoritarian regimes.

That is about a THIRD of the world’s countries!

If the underdeveloped and overpopulated authoritarian countries align themselves with Russia or China than the military position of the US and UK would be less secure and the defence preparation would have to be intensified.

Most of the dictatorial countries are on full or semi war footing which promotes crisis and that justifies permanent control of everybody and everything by a central government.

Thinking about this overpopulation problem in the world maybe more countries would become authoritarian.

THIS IS A HORROR SCENARIO!!!

The problem of numbers in relation to available resources might well become troublesome by the next 50 years!

THE PROPHECIES OF MANY DYSTOPIAN NOVELS MAY COME CLOSE TO THE TRUTH!!!

THIS IS A BRIEF BLOG BECAUSE LIFE IS SHORT AND INFORMATION ENDLESS SO NOBODY HAS TIME FOR EVERYTHING.

SO WE ARE FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A BRIEF EXPOSITION OR NO EXPOSITION AT ALL!!!

A person is but a walking shadow, a poor player,

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard of NO more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying Nothing!

Paraphrasing Shakespeare!!!

Interpretation:

A walking shadow=Impermenance, No Fixed Self.

A poor player=No self direction, does not create or direct his role in life.

Struts and frets his life on stage=Life is full of limits.

Heard of no more=Death

A tale told by an idiot=Our language based life.

Full of sound and fury=Jumping up and down making noise but signifying Nothing.

So, did Shakespeare tell us the whole story?

Question–Who Am I?

Well, lets start with the body.

Your body can move, touch, see, taste, hear and smell.

What’s another aspect of you?

The aspect that thinks and feels. Words such as mind, heart and soul come to mind.

Also consciousness.

But these aspects are constantly changing, so I’m never exactly the same me that I was before!

So, who are you?

You are a physical body and a psychological being.

You have flaws and good points.

You are a social animal that likes to be with people but you are also unique!

What is your First Person Point of View?

Your life story, the life events that has brought you to this present moment.

What Do You See In The Mirror?

The face that stares back at me, is me, but it does NOT correspond to what I feel I am!

I was thrown into this world and my face resinates with sadness and hostility.

Do I really know this face in the mirror???

Who am I?

I am many things..

I am a congenial human being.

I am a worker.

I am a competitor.

I am an intimate being.

I am an actor.

Do you ever lose your sense of Self?

At times It seems I am in a dream world.

My body is functioning without my mind being in control!

I am tomorrow, what I establish today.

I am today, what I have established yesterday.

Are You Like A Book?

Yes, because we have life stories.

I am me because of my stories.

You are you because of your stories of life.

We all have similar selves BUT I’m a one of a kind story!!!

Who Am I?

The conclusion I come to is:

I am unique, but I am also like others!

SO THIS MEANS I CAN NEVER GIVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION!!!

Before we get into the nitty gritty, lets remind ourselves of the plot:

Winston Smith lives in a totalitarian country called Oceania.

He works for the Ministry of Truth, which alters history and spreads public lies.

The realities of his existence in this society are:

Police patrols are everywhere.

The Thought Police rely on informants to report thought crimes, such as reading books on a variety of subjects, restrictions are abundant.

Big Brother, the Party’s leader, stares out of telescreens in every house and every street corner. The screens are two-way, promoting propaganda and also watching everyone within it’s scope.

Winston defies his totalitarian masters and has a love affair and he puts his rebellious thoughts in a diary.

He is found out and sent for punishment in Room 101.

He is tortured and broken, his love affair is over and his spirit is torn apart.

He is released to the outside world but he has nothing to do with his lover, or she with him.

He has accepted his lot and he now loves Big Brother!

In “1984”, the novel by George Orwell, the state has a total disregard for the will of the people, in fact in the novel, the people have NO will, period!

Now, here’s what has happened in the UK recently.

The people voted to leave the European Union in June of 2016.

Now, three and a half years later, the will of the people is still disregarded by the elite and our politicians.

They have blocked every attempt to execute the will of the British people.

The people’s vote is still up in the air and Britain is still in the EU!

Total disregard for the will of the people, just like in “1984”.

Looking at the predictions in the novel and the state of the world today, the novel got it right in many areas.

Lets look at the areas in which the novel got it right:

SURVEILLANCE–In “1984”, Big Brother is watching!

Telescreens and posters of Big Brother’s face are on every street and all public areas.

The telescreens broadcast government propaganda and they are two-way so they can spy on people.

TODAY–CCTV cameras are everywhere watching us going about our daily activities.

Stores and online shops gather data on you and your shopping habits.

Social media tracks our likes and dislikes and government and private individuals hack into our computers.

ENDLESS WAR–In “1984”, the war is used to keep people in a constant state of fear, the economy is always in wartime mode. The people turn aggressive toward their enemy.

TODAY–We have the “War on Terror” which is endless.

It keeps the populace in constant fear and they are suspicious of everyone.

Security is tight which suspends some of our liberties.

The war has restricted some of our freedom.

DOUBLETHINK–In “1984”, this is accepting two contradictory beliefs as correct, such as:

War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength.

The people are kept ignorant of the news by changing it and this keeps the Party strong.

TODAY–Some governments use such slogans to confuse the issues.

The Party censors all information. Just like the dictatorship in North Korea today.

NEWSPEAK–In “1984”, shortened versions of words are strung together to create new words.

This is used by the Party to limit the usefulness of language and to get rid of words that allow people to think and speak about rebellion.

TODAY–Texting creates new language components that affect communication and language comprehension.

Manipulating the language results in differences in understanding.

FAKE NEWS AND ALTERNATIVE FACTS–In “1984”, the telescreens emit continuous government propaganda, so the people believe only what the Party says.

The Ministry of Truth is continuously changing the news to suit the Party.

TODAY–Politicians manipulate people by spreading falsehoods.

Digital age Twitter spreads fake news. Things are talked about out of context. Some facts are completely made up.

ANTI-SEX LEAGUE–In “1984”, sex is used only as a mechanical function for procreation.

Love and the enjoyment of sex are forbidden by the Party.

To Winston his love affair was a political act of rebellion.

TODAY–There are organisations that promote abstinence or want to ban artificial birth control.

So, are we turning into a “1984” world?

In “1984”, Winston Smith is subjected to “behaviour modification”, in other words, torture, and in the end he likes his environment of oppression.

TODAY–it seems we are giving up many of our freedoms and privacy.

Fears over terrorism have imposed restrictions on us, like heightened security.

We have suspicions about everything!

Advances in technology have overwhelmed us to the extent we are always glued to our screens and some of the info we get is distorted.

People say: If you don’t have anything to hide, you have nothing to fear.

BUT, when government and private companies can monitor our phones, we have all become SUSPECTS!!!

There is probably NO turning back!

DO WE STAND ON THE BRINK OF A NEW DYSTOPIA?

ARE WE IN A POST-FACTUAL STATE?

Post-factual is when political stories replace facts and evidence as the basis for debate and policymaking.

It’s nothing new that politicians lie.

Politics has always been a somewhat dirty business with its fair share of deceit.

If the facts are politicised, you have post-factuality and potential totalitarianism.

If politics is reduced to only factual questions and “expert” solutions, you end up with technocracy.

Both extremes undermine democracy.

FASTEN YOUR SAFETY BELTS, IT’S GOING TO BE A FAST, FEARFUL AND FURIOUS RIDE!!!