02 September 2008

State of mind

So, I saw a banner ad online that said, "Imagine a world without Schizophrenia". I did so, and just for a moment, I felt a sense of loss. It didn't take me long to realize that it was odd to feel loss just at that moment.

After all, I'm not schizophrenic, and I don't think anyone I know, apart from possibly my cat, is. Still, that got me thinking about schizophrenia. So I was reading up on symptoms, and I came across this in an article:

C)Disorganized : these persons completely neglect themselves either in their appearance
They will have unorganized speech and sometime unorganized speech . there behaviour is completely unpredictable .


Now, is it my imagination, or is this a case of a description which illustrates as well as defines? It makes me wonder about the person who wrote the article.

Which brings me to my next point... Always write what you know. I see too many examples these days of people trying to pretend to be experts on subject about which they know little nothing. I've even heard about software that polls the internet for data regarding a keyword and helps automate the process of writing articles and papers. I understand that with more advanced technology come ever-greater levels of automation, but to me this sounds just a little too much like letting the computer do the thinking for me.

And considering my experiences working with computers, that's kinda scary.

Unfortunately, the world seems to be driven these days by idiots. I know that sounds harsh, but look around... Everything has to have warning labels, not because of hidden dangers, but because some moron got stupid and injured himself, and then sued the manufacturer. Because of stupid people, useful products are taken off the market, and things that work well have to be hampered by safety features that seem unnecessary, and everyone is constantly afraid of being taken to court.

I can't help but think that the inherent danger in modern technology is simply part of nature's way to filter out bad DNA. The laws of evolution would dictate that defective genes would die out, but mankind has worked very hard to make sure this doesn't happen. Heck, these days, it's nearly impossible to take your own life on purpose, because things have gotten so bad that we don't even own our own fates anymore, so dying of shear stupidity is almost unheard of.

Almost. I'll write about the Darwin Award, soon.

In the mean time, I say, let's improve the species a bit. Remove the warning labels. Not the ones that say, "This product is made from harsh poisons", but the ones that say, "Do not touch this iron to your tongue" and "Do not operate heavy machinery while wearing these novelty handcuffs". Take away seatbelt and helmet laws. Not the seatbelt laws for children, of course, but the ones for adults. If an adult wants to drive down the road, hit a telephone pole, and then eat his windshield, let him. And take another look at drug laws... I can't imagine why marajuana is illegal and alcohol is legal.

That's my take, anyway.