Memes, as I understand it, have to do with what we accept as norms or conditioning or commonalities on a personal level, generated by word spreading or media coverage or accepted views and conditioning from birth.
"Memeticists argue that the memes most beneficial to their hosts will not necessarily survive; rather, those memes that replicate the most effectively, spread best, which allows for the possibility that successful memes may prove detrimental to their hosts."
This is a quote that scares me a little in that if it is true to any extent, then what we believe or think or accept as part of our personalities can actually harm us in a big way, suggesting that negative thinking takes off and personifys faster than positive thought.
It strikes me, in the thinking that all muslims are considered bad or have ill intent, or that is is ok to shoot people if they are not in your gang, or wearing the "right" clothes, we are personifying that as our reality.
These types of memes, accepted on a worldwide scale could end in the destruction of the planet as we know it, and negative memes about the environment or ecology getting worse are more widespread and have the potential to destroy what we eat and how we live etc., ending in the destruction of humanity.
If the professionals are right about this theory, then what we think and how much we commonly accept about our world is really important for everyone.
If this is the case, then we are generating our own wars, hunger, poverty, selfishness, disregard for our fellow beings and ultimately our own end and not in any good way, just by what we accept and think and believe.
I have long suspected that this might be true, but didn't have aname for the theory before. It's a sobering synopsis.
Forgot to tell you about the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. It reputed to be the oldest in America and has that staircase in it made with no nails. There was a film made about it.
The chapel was built and had a balcony but apparnantly they forgot to make a staircase up to it. The space was so small that they couldn't build an ordinary staircase to it and prayed for a miracle.
One day a man called Joseph turned up who happened to be a carpenter and built a circular staircase using only the wood and no nails. It has no centre column and scientists say it defies gravity. It is still there to this day, though they have since built a guard rail along the side of it so people don't fall off.
It's a huge place to explore. I've done sever trips lasting a month each and stilldon't feel I've even touched the tip of the iceberg. which remind me, I haven't been to Alaska yet... I hear it's clattered in huge mosquitoes though.
In New Mexico I went to a place with waterfalls comming out of hot springs that were 5,000 ft up and the water was warm, falling in to little pools that you could just relax in. Can't remember the name of the place now though. Maybe someone from there could help out with that. The native Americans in the north west were called Zuni and have an amazing culture. I spent hours talking to a medicine man there. They mine turquoise in NM too and they have shops specialising in selling it, in many attractive jewellery forms there. I think you'd like it in NM for the variety if nothing else.
New Mexico is very different and hardly any mosquitoes at all. Santa Fe is beautiful. Carlesbad Caverns are a must and you can see all the alien stuff in Boswell. Lots of hot springs to visit too and waterfalls. The adobe buildings are very different from waht you see elsewhere too and lots of desert and cactus and such. Some beautiful scneic drives into the mountains outside Albuquerque too.
The southern states, I found were very humid and full of mosquitoes, such as Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee though the scenery was beautiful, especially the Alabama hills.
Yes two stools along the sides of a little van (in those days), and about 20+ people piled in there with chickens, and anything else you could imagine. It was a great experience though, and they loudly blared very fast paced African music all the way.
Mandazi, I had forgotten them. I could have eaten them by the ton. They were sooo sweet and tempting, much better than the doughnuts you get here or America.
Another thing I used to love were the charcoal roasted peanuts they sold at bus stations and the corn cobs roasted and bursting or the sesame seed balls you bought in pokes. The tastes and smells were wonderful. Also freshly squeezed passion fruit juice, ice cold.
Chapatis are great with everything, and I liked the smosas they did there, and tusker used to go well with everything, especially if you were hot and hungry...
They even brewed Guinness in Nairobi. Didn't taste ike it does here but it was good.
I loved Nairobi and all the Bougainvillia growing in the streets. It has a wonderful atmosphere. I have walked in the streets f Mombasa many times late at night and stayed in Nyali beach for over a month once. Pwople are so helpful and polite and friendly to everyone.
I loved the multicultural mixes and how everyone gets on with everyone else. I spent two years in Kenya altogether and will never forget it.
gingerb Forum Posts (4,139)
RE: What wakes you up in the mornings? Each morning, most mornings..
I set my internal alarm and wake up ten minutes before it goes off.Usually it's birdsong that is the first thing I hear. I love birds.