Beliefs

Do you agree that suicide bombers,
members of destructive religious cults,
political fanatics, drug addicts,
neurotics and depressed people
are bewitched by crazy beliefs and ideas?

Do you agree that many beliefs and ideas,
spiritual as well as religious or secular,
can create serious problems?

Do you agree that it is possible that also you are holding on to
beliefs and ideas that create problems for you
or for people around you, even though you're not aware of it?

Do you agree that it is difficult, but not impossible,
to let go of a crazy belief or idea?

Do you agree that the first step is to understand
that a crazy idea is just a crazy idea,
not the truth of the matter?

The map and the territory

You have a map that matches poorly with the landscape. Maybe it is too old. And you have a crappy inner compass that shows the wrong direction. But you don't want to get yourself a new map and a new compass because you're stubborn and stingy. Good maps and good compasses are expensive.

Only a stock market crash can save us

Ordinary folks across the world want cheap gas for their cars. We do not care if the planet becomes uninhabitable in fifty or a hundred years. We live here and now. Huge protests arise, both here and in poor countries if prices on gasoline are increased too much.

Only a tiny minority wants to limit their consumption and save energy. The overwhelming majority wants more of everything and as cheaply as possible. Farmers in Brazil and Indonesia will not stop clearing rain forests. They want to raise cattle or grow oil palms. Chinese and Indians will not stop burning coal. They need cheap energy.

Therefore it is totally unrealistic to expect a climate agreement in Paris which leads to a temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius. Politicians can negotiate till the cows come home; the great majority does not give a damn about their solemn speeches and declarations. The only hope for humanity is a huge stock market crash; that the current economic system collapses.