Sorting Words (A Micro-Thesaurus)

This is an amended and actualized version of a text from March 2009 which originally had the title "What I found out and what I want to tell". It is another modest attempt to make sense of the world by comparing, correlating, and combining various words and names -- quite similar to the way it is done in a thesaurus.

Sorting and cataloging words is useful because most of our rational thinking/reasoning uses words. Words and terms are markers for voluminous samples of data or for complex thought sequences and these markers allow us to make logical conclusions about complicated issues. If we would not have the possibility to simplify, straighten, shortcut the reasoning process by using words for proven conclusions or scientific findings as building blocks for further reasoning, our intelligence would be rather limited.

Words/terms/names are memory pattern in our cerebral cortex which consist of various connections/links to other memory patters and other locations of the brain. The links lead to audible and visual representations of a word/term/name, to associated feelings and reflexes, to other words, and to episodic memories.

A thesaurus is a book or a database of words. The entries are usually listed in groups of synonyms and often include related and contrasting words and antonyms. 

A thesaurus normally does not include a definition of the entries, because usually the user of a thesaurus has already a fairly big collection of words/terms/names together with their emotional, visual, and acoustic annotations stored in her or his memory, providing a solid framework in which any new linguistic unit can be easily integrated and understood just by its relation to already stored units.

My favorite thesaurus is the computer program Visual Thesaurus 3.0 from Zero G Software/Thinkmap Inc. The software was written in 2004 but fortunately still works (on Mac OSX Snow Leopard). The company regrettably changed its business model to a subscription-based online edition (http://www.visualthesaurus.com) and doesn't support the program anymore.

The program contains over 140,000 words together with spelling and definitions and it creates word maps with lines between related/associated words. The user can easily follow a chain of associations by clicking on word after word and by doing so making the activated word the new center of the map. This is fairly close to the way our associative thinking works.

The program unfortunately has a serious deficiency: It is not user configurable. The individual thesaurus of any persons brain will differ from this program (and from any other thesaurus) by including associations that are not commonplace and excluding prevalent terms and associations.

Everybody has his own thesaurus and so has the author of the following text, which is in essence a tiny subset of an individual thesaurus, a "micro thesaurus" of words that are related to ethics, to our well-being, and to our interaction with the environment. 

Sorting Words (A Micro-Thesaurus):

This text is based on the premise, that we should aim for the well-being and long term survival of humans and that the preservation of nature and the well-being of our fellow animals is an absolute precondition for achieving this goal.

Based on and emanating from the mentioned assumptions, the text names and sorts various things that benefit our lives. The things can be moods, attitudes, methods, occupations and anything else that can be represented by a word or a term. The words are sorted in four categories just for practical reasons -- there could be as well five or six or only three or any other number of categories (there is already a list with six categories in the works). The categories are commented and explained to make the categorisation more understandable and to convey a clear meaning of the included items.

The four categories are:

Art and Education

music, painting, designing, sculpting, poetry and all other kinds of artistic expressions
learning and acquiring skills, teaching

becoming a shining example, an inspiration, a role model
researching and inventing
doing beneficial and useful work for the community, fixing things
taking part, planning and organizing community efforts
openness, curiosity, sophistication

common sense, mother wit, sound practical judgement, resourcefulness

Meditation and Thoughtfulness

Hatha Yoga, breathing exercises, Zen, mindful meditation, relaxation, Qigong (Gi Gong)
Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method, Eutony, Trager Approach
autosuggestion, autogenic training, self-hypnosis
measured exercise and sport
Some martial arts (Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan)

Belief and Direction

faith, hope, trust, confidence
visions, goals, destiny
convictions, attitudes, perspectives, moods
ethics, morals, values, ideals
principles, customs, manners, traditions
responsibility, duty, determination, thoughtfulness

Love and Empathy

sympathy, liking, admiration, affinity, accord
compassion, caring, affection, benevolence, altruism
understanding, tolerance, fairness
joy, happiness, elation, gratefulness, gladness, delight
kindness, tenderness, grace, gentleness
warmth, friendliness

Comments and Explanations

All words/terms are related to each other and connected to each other and the categories morph into each other. Everything is related to everything.

Disclaimer:

The comments and explanations will maybe misunderstood by some readers or not be understood at all. We all have our own distinct vocabularies and define our personal reality in our very own terms, which may be or may not be congruent with the terms of other individuals. Words are words and can have various and even contradicting meanings and the reality can be described in a thousand ways and everybody will describe it different.

About Art and Education

This category subsumes all beneficial activities that are not dedicated therapies (though many of the activities have therapeutic effects). The value and the ranking of the included items may differ individually. Musicians for instance will see music as the most important item and maybe even establish music as a category by itself, because it is predominant in their life as their main vehicle of expression and their main self-therapy.

For other people other arts, like painting, sculpting, designing, and writing may be as important or even more important than music. Even activities that are not generally considered as artistic expressions can be therapeutic and enrich our lives. For instance: acquiring skill that allow us to make a meaningful contribution to the community and improve all our lives.

Though the job market may be tight at times, one just has to look around to see the desperate need for community services, the need for qualified and well educated individuals that can keep the complicated social and economic structures intact or rebuild and improve them (for example medical personal, teachers, scientists, technicians and engineers).

There are also many jobs that are neither glorious nor pleasant or are even dangerous and nevertheless crucial and indispensable. May it be a nurse in a personal care facility or a firefighter or a waste disposal worker, they all can find pride and satisfaction in the notion that this work is necessary for the common good. Not to forget the farmers and rural workers, that provide our food!

About Meditation and Thoughtfulness

This category is about the therapies, practices, methods that help us achieve a harmony of body and mind and a general well-being.

A common and narrow definition considers meditation as a practice to achieve calmness and physical relaxation by diminishing the stream of confusing thoughts that normally occupy our mind. Maybe a more fitting term for the category would have been “Body – Mind Interventions,” this expression though seemed too abstract to use it as title.

All in this category listed therapies reduce distress, help to keep us fit and strengthen the immune system. They elevate our mood (by balancing the levels of neurotransmitters), achieve a reduction in blood pressure, epinephrine (adrenaline) levels and heart rate. Some therapies help us detect and relieve subconscious tensions, detect and eliminate subconscious blockages and heal or alleviate traumas.

This category could also be described as a list of all the means that let us find and develop the matters described in category four.

About Belief and Direction

Believes are the framework of basic assumptions in our mind, the stable structure that we can hold on in an ever changing world. Believes are not absolute, though some may be enhanced by hard wired behaviors that we acquired in the course of evolution (Decalogue: “You shall not murder”). Believes can be proven wrong or right by life experience, they can be shattered, we can abandon them, throw them overboard, and look out for new ones. Searching for the “meaning of life,” searching for a purpose is what we do, when we need to find new believes.

Someone with strong religious believes could find the idea unbearable, that her or his believes may not be the absolute truth. This text is not intended to dismiss anybodies believes and the presented list with it’s four categories is just a working hypotheses. It nevertheless needs to be mentioned, that religious believes often are interpretations of sacred texts by scholars and that some religious believes were and still are causing conflict, human suffering, death and destruction. A few examples: Crusades, French Wars between Catholics and Huguenots, Thirty Years War, Saxon Wars, North Ireland conflict, the partition of India, the Jihad of Islamic fundamentalists.

The term “Direction” is added to the title of the category, because believes by themselves are value neutral, they can be good or bad, positive or negative, helpful or detrimental. One can evaluate believes by their effect on the individual and the society. The result is the final judgement.

That means, if the goal is to feel well, to reach a harmony of body and mind, to live in harmony with the fellow humans and all other creatures and to preserve nature, one has to choose believes that are most helpful for reaching this goals. Some prevalent believes, like superstition, prejudices, racism and nationalism, will be detrimental and harmful. For people with adverse goals the same believes will appear to be positive and helpful.

If one wants to feel well, to reach harmony of body and mind, and to live in peace with fellow humans and all other creatures, one will probably need not much further believes, because this goal by itself is a strong believe that can give guidance in any situation at any stage of our life.

At this point most readers will have realized that the mentioned urge to feel well and to live in harmony is the reason that this text was written in the first place. It would be so much easier to live in a world where everybody feels well and strives for harmony! Publishing a text is a very modest contribution to the common good but it nevertheless could encourage and inspire readers, could point to problems and show solutions.

We don’t live in a perfect world and in the present state mankind is far away from peace and harmony and seemingly drifting even further away from the ideals that are mentioned here. But there are millions of people hoping, searching and tirelessly working for this ideals. Without their efforts the situation would be even worse.

About Love and Empathy

Words have various meanings and different connotations to different people and just for good purpose it should be noted, that the title doesn't refer to the “Love”, that is advertised on pornographic websites (though sexual relations can also include the kind of “Love” that is meant here).

This category is about the feelings that warm our heart and help us to endure hardship and pain. It is about the advanced state of mind where we don’t worry anymore and accept our fate and nevertheless do everything to improve our live and the lives of our fellow creatures. This category is about he state of mind where we are calm and composed and focused and where we know exactly what to do.

Just to mention a few examples, that fit perfectly into the category: Love of a mother for her child. Kindness and tenderness of an old couple who will stay together and care for each other till the end of their lives. Compassion and determination of a social worker facing the helpless and destitute. Admiration for a role model. Gratefulness of victims to the emergency crew who saved their lives. Satisfaction of a volunteer doing charity work and of the old lady who despite struggling herself donates all her spare money for the ones who have even less.

This category is about feeling good. It for sure feels good to feel good and it is wonderful to be happy and relaxed and cheerful and content. Love in its universal meaning is the greatest experience and the most mature and highest state of mind.

Why are so many people missing out and not able to reach this state?

The Antonyms

The following lists are an inventory of negative, harmful and detrimental things, sorted and categorized in the same way as the list of things that benefit our lives. This hopefully will further clarify the meaning of the words and their interconnections and also show directly which things we have to avoid and against which developments and tendencies we have to fight.

The negative four categories are:

Dumb Jobs, Consumerism, Crime

being uneducated, unskilled, uninterested, ignorant, narrow-minded, apathetic, indifferent
working jobs that have a negative impact on nature and society
(like designing and producing weapons)
taking part in gambling, criminal activities, using drugs
earning an unjust amount of money (CEO’s, bankers, shareholders)
following short term fashions and trends
consuming uncritical and unreflecting

Fear, Nervousness and Stupidity

being unfocused, distracted, confused, clueless
trying to multitask

being thoughtless, heedless, dumb
being complacent, inactive, lazy, indolent, otiose

being naive, artless, reckless, being a hick, a rube
lacking physical exercise, eating junk food
being exposed to mass media brainwashing (TV)

being an internet addict or a computer gamer

Doubt and Confusion

despair, mistrust, hopelessness, cluelessness, resentfulness
cynicism, sarcasm, pessimism, contempt, disapproval
negative believes (superstition, prejudices, ideologies)
negative values and ideals (racism, nationalism, exceptionalism)
being unconcerned, uninterested, amoral, irresponsible

Hate. Aggression, Violence, War

anger, rage, wrath, ire, acrimony
displeasure, dissatisfaction, discontentment, irritation
dislike, aversion, distaste, hostility, belligerence, pugnacity
unfriendliness, impatience, contentiousness, animosity
resentfulness (resentment), bitterness, jealousy, envy

arrogance, pretentiousness, hubris, greed, egoism

killing other creatures, using weapons, waging war

Comments and Explanations

Simply listing the antonyms of the beneficial things didn’t always work, because many terms have no counterpart with the exact opposite meaning or the antonyms would be ridiculous terms that instead of clarifying rather would obscure the meaning of the categories.

The following comments to the negative categories are short, because they are only meant as an addition to the comments of the positive categories.

About Dumb Jobs, Consumerism, Crime, Violence

This category lists negative activities, that hurt individuals, the whole society and all nature. Expressions like “being shallow and superficial” are not included, because attitudes/mind-sets fit better into category three. The expression “being shallow and superficial” is actually a link between category one and three.

About Nervousness and Stupidity

This category lists condition that have a negative effect on the personal well being as well as conditions and attitudes that hinder therapeutic measures which could achieve a harmony of body and mind.

About Doubt and Confusion

This category includes negative mind-sets, attitudes and believes. Some of the entries could also be regarded as feelings (like despair and hopelessness) and would as well fit into the fourth category.

About Hate and Aggression

Does this need any further explanation? Everyone who experienced violence, or once had a choleric fit, or once lost control, knows how it ends. Everyone who doesn’t live in a cave completely secluded from the rest of mankind will be aware of the result. One just has to read the daily news.

Most evil in this world can be traced back to the feelings of “Hate and Aggression”.

MATO March 12 2009 updated November 30 2011

As stated at the beginning, sorting and cataloging words and writing down a "micro-thesaurus" like this is only one of many possible approaches to acquire a broader understanding of the world. Hopefully one or the other reader can get something useful out of this text. Suggestions and corrections are always welcome.

The choice of words and categories as well as the comments and explanations are based on various assumptions. Detailed and elaborate explanations about these assumptions can be found in the 146 previous blog posts but as apparently not many people can be bothered to read old posts and some of the texts also contain outdated material there will be further postings or updates of old texts to explicate and make clear, in which way and with which reasoning one could arrive at these assumptions.

The cradle of European civilisation

Is the cradle of European civilization leading the way again? Greece is in turmoil and on the brink of bankruptcy, raising the prospect of an avalanche of financial calamities including the end of the Eurozone and a breakdown of the global financial system.

Before stepping down and giving way to a national unity government under Lucas Papademos, predecessor George Papandreou sealed a deal with the European Union to get a 130 billion Euro bailout in return for strict austerity measures and the privatization of most state assets. 

The new Prime Minister is a former governor of the Bank of Greece and former vice president of the European Central Bank, he studied at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Papademos understands the language and the thinking of high finance very well and it is most likely also his way of thinking.

The new coalition government includes PASOK (Centrists - though they still call themselves Socialists), Nea Dimokratia (Conservatives) and the far-right LAOS, whose leaders openly idealize the military coup in 1967. No left wing party joined the government.

Even this constellation is not a guarantee for total compliance with the EU demands and when Antonis Samaras from Nea Dimokratia refused to sign a commitment to EU dictated austerity measures, Germany had to make clear that there would be no money transfers until all coalition parties agree to the plan.

Right now Prime Minister Papademos is in Brussels for crucial talks on the sixth aid tranche of 8 billion Euro.

Whatever may be agreed in Brussels, the economic forecasts are not encouraging. Unemployment is 18 percent and rising, youth unemployment is around 30 percent. Since the start of the financial crisis two years ago the economy contracted by 15 percent and is expected to shrink by another 5.5 percent this year and by 2.8 percent in 2012.

How could things deteriorate this far?

Greece people who have still a job, don't produce much, they mainly trade and administrate. Services have become the dominant sector of Greece’s economy, contributing about two-thirds of GDP. Greece is an importing nation, in 2009 imports totaled 64 billion US$ against exports of 21 billion.

Like anywhere else, industrialists in Greece don't contribute much to state revenues and wealthy Greeks are not severely affected by the financial turmoil because they transferred their assets to safe havens abroad long time ago. Greeks own the largest fleet in Europe, but the ships fly under the flags of different nations, and not a single ship owner in Greece pays taxes anymore. Greece's government recently compiled a list of 15,000 tax cheats who defrauded the state of roughly 51 billion US$.

A new real estate tax is hugely unpopular and makes no exceptions for the unemployed or the elderly. It shall raise 2 billion euros this year alone but as it seems now the new tax will only increase the habit of tax evasion. The tax will also drive more people into the shadow economy, which is already about 25 percent of GDP.

This solid shadow economy could be beneficial as a safety net in case of a complete economic breakdown, but only if it includes small scale food production. At present Greek agriculture cannot feed the population.

Greece's mediterranean climate is well suited for growing food, but poor soil and inadequate precipitation are a hinderance. Greek agriculture still employs 528,000 farmers, 12 percent of the labor force. At present, agriculture is subsidized by the EU, but Greek farmers have driven themselves into a corner by growing cash crops like cotton and tobacco, that the EU can get more cheaply elsewhere.

Men induced environmental damage increases the economic problems. Fishing is declining because of depleted fish stocks and major forest fires destroy large quantities of forests and contribute to soil erosion and desertification. Soil erosion has been ongoing since ancient times (already noticed by Plato). The EU prescribed policy of olive farming is exacerbating soil erosion.

A disaster plan for Greece would have to include:

1. Reducing or even completely abandoning the army, stopping military spending.

Greece directs approximately 4.3 percent of its GDP to military expenditures, the 2nd highest percentage in Europe. The Greek military budget ranked 28th in the world in 2005 and arms purchases are among the highest in the world (3rd place in 2004). The country’s military spending has risen even during the global financial crisis. The military budget was 7.1 billion Euros in 2010, compared with 6.24 billion in 2007.

Greece was the biggest buyer of German military exports between 2005 and 2010. In addition to 800 Leopard tanks the Greek own also eight German built submarines (U-209). An order for new type U-214 boats from ThyssenKrupp though is clouded in corruption and bribery allegations as well as disputes about the contract terms. Greece has refused to accept the first boat which is docked in Kiel since 2006.

Included in the new austerity plans are defense spending cuts of 200 million Euros in 2012 and 333 million in the following years. The second emergency austerity package will see the closure of a number of army, air force and naval bases across the country. One army corps, five divisions, a number of regiments and 80 miscellaneous units will be disbanded.

Yet there are also disturbing reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy only agreed to grant Greece the 130 billion Euro loan in return for a commitment to purchase more Leopard tanks from Germany and Rafale combat aircrafts plus four frigate war ships from France, all together worth 10.5 billion Euro.

2. Reversal of the urbanization process, that took place in the last century and a massive buildup of subsistence gardening and farming.

3. Reforestation campaigns (like SAE, Penteli SOS Volunteer Group, Friends of Mt. Taygettus) on a nationwide basis.

4. Increased building of solar energy farms.

At present it seems that only the Chinese get it: Chinas state-owned energy group Dongfang signed an agreement with Greek partner DTS for a "long-term strategic cooperation" in the production of solar energy plants and wind turbines. Sky Solar Group, a Chinese company that develops alternative power plants, wants to acquire licenses and construction permits for 194 solar projects, each capable of producing 350 to 500 kilowatts of electricity.

The Chinese are not the good samaritans here and their efforts are part of a strategic plan, that envisions Greece as a gateway to Europe. The Chinese state-owned company Cosco acquired the rights to the container port of Piraeus (Pier II) for 35 years, with an option for an additional five years. China also bids for the port of Thessaloniki and for Athens International Airport.

5. Retraining the workforce, refocusing education, and shifting employments from services to small scale local (and preferably high tech as well as environmental friendly) productions.

It is not possible to address the details of training and education here, yet a few buzzwords for a start: A broad based curriculum should teach social skills and subsistence skills, but also provide gateways to high tech (mathematics/programming, engineering, biology and chemistry).

==============

None of these measures are included in the now by the European Union dictated plan, which has the sole and very obvious purpose to exploit Greece's remaining resources, secure the profits of banks and weapons producers, and make the country a helpless and powerless subordinate and a cheap and easily disposable pawn in the global strategic power games.

More infos: http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/

What does the Greek crisis mean from a global perspective?

Greece's default alone would not bring down the global financial system, but with Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal waiting in the wings, it could be the first domino stone.

The unraveling of the global financial system and the ensuing recession would mean hardship for billions and would force people in the western world to significantly change their lifestyle, but would reduce trade and international dependencies, would reduce fossil fuel consumption, waste of resources, pollution, and environmental destruction, would give a chance to reorganize societies.

It could also mean chaos and more failed states, warlords, a feast for disaster capitalists.

Necessary preparations for the worst case scenario: Building local networks (neighborhood committees), subsistence economy, barter trade, co-ops, counter currencies. More details can be found in earlier blog posts.