Sep 16 2020 - Existential Dilemma

 

Existentialism was a dominant philosophy in theatre plays written from the 1940s through the 1960s.  We enjoyed theatre of the absurd - there was much comedy infused in it. The original idea of existentialism is a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual subject as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will.  The view of the existentialist, the individual's starting point has been called "the existential angst" or a sense disorientation, confusion, or anxiety in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. The notion of the absurd contains the idea that there is no meaning in the world beyond what meaning we give it. This meaninglessness also encompasses the amorality or "unfairness" of the world. Because of the world's absurdity, anything can happen to anyone at any time and a tragic event could plummet someone into direct confrontation with the absurd.   Global catastrophic risk has become associated with the risks to all of human kind, and we've now named the highest risk level -  existential risk - the one leading to the destruction of all humanity.  e An existential risk one that either destroys humanity entirely or prevents any chance of civilization's recovery. So the question is whether COVID-19 can destroy humanity in its entirety.  The risk levels of of COVID-19 and of Climate Change are being distinguished at the most serious levels: between existential and global catastrophic risk.   The philosophical version can be found in many jokes: After my existential crisis, I decided to take a job as a feeder at the local dolphinarium Now I’m serving a youthful porpoise Why did the dictionary have an existential breakdown? He couldn’t find the meaning of life Existential Java: I mixed de-caf coffee with regular coffee and they must have cancelled each other out because now I feel nothing If I had a dollar for every time I had an existential crisis Would it even matter? What do you think?  COVID-19 vs Climate Change.

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Existentialism in the Skies

There are so many strange and interesting things that I will never catch up on.  Here's one from the Weather News yesterday.  The Monticello dam was built in Napa County between 1953 and 1957.  It isn't the dam that is famous but the spillway that drains the overflow at the top of the dam to the lake 440 feet below.  Glory Hole at Lake Berryessa "NAPA COUNTY, Calif. — At first glance, it looks like a portal to another world. Crowds watch mesmerized by the sight of water spiraling down in the middle of a lake. It’s an image that seems to defy logic. This is the ‘The Glory Hole’ at Lake Berryessa. Officially, its name is the ‘Morning Glory Spillway,’ as the hole is actually a unique spillway for the lake and Monticello Dam. When water levels rise above 440 feet, water starts spilling down the hole and into Putah Creek, hundreds of feet below." I found a video that shows what it looks like  with and without water going down the 'hole' - it is HERE. And the wikipedia entry is HERE - explaining the Monticello dam. The excitement of the next video is that it shows a cormorant very close to the edge.  It got pulled into the 'hole' and disappears.  The videographer said it came back out below the dam, and rather than being dead, it makes its way to the shore, dries out its wings and then flies away.  Cormorant video story HERE. The spillway seems to be from another world, and seems to match with the existential jokes that popped up yesterday.  What do you think? Make me one with everything," says the Buddhist to the tofu hot dog vendor. Then, after getting his tofu hot dog, the Buddhist hands the vendor a $20 bill. The vendor takes the money and begins helping the next customer. The Buddhist looks puzzled and asks the vendor, "Where is my change?" The vendor replies, "Change comes from within." A guy said to God, "God, is it true that to you a billion years is like a second?" God said yes. The guy said, "God, is it true that to you a billion dollars is like a penny?" God said yes. The guy said, "God, can I have a penny?" God said, "Sure, just a second."  Pessimist: Oh, this can't get any worse! Optimist: Yes, it can!  So I continued on the existentialist theme. I took the Skylum's Replace Sky filters and this ocean's edge scene in Florida.  We start with the initial image of 'blank space' to 'bright blue sky' to 'storm's edge' to 'sunset' and finally 'cosmos'.  What a difference a sky makes.

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