“Gender dysphoria is the feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics. Transgender and gender-nonconforming people might experience gender dysphoria at some point in their lives.” (mayoclinic.org)
Ontology, the science or study of being itself, teaches us that our innate identity is androgynous, that is, male/female.
So the sex assigned at birth for all of us is male/female, regardless of appearances that may indicate halfness rather than wholeness.
Spiritual teacher A. H. Almaas believes that a genuinely creative act is always motivated by generosity.
So then here’s the question: If that’s true, how do you explain all the ego-obsessed “geniuses” who treat everyone like dirt even as they churn out their supposedly brilliant art?
Here’s my answer: Those are not authentic geniuses.
Genius is by nature benevolent.
Definition of genius: those gifts in yourself, those offerings you make, those talents you express, that are of maximum use and benefit to others.
The coronavirus pandemic is dramatically disrupting not only our daily lives but society itself. This show features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the deeper economic, political, and technological consequences of the pandemic. It’s our new daily podcast trying to make longterm sense out of the chaos of today’s global crisis.
Andrew Keen: What is it about humans that makes us so intrigued with where we came from? And how does this fit into your general narrative of the world of humans and the rest of life?
Carl Safina: Well, you said that a lot of my work is predicated on doing away with human uniqueness. I think it’s to tear down some of the mythological stories we’ve told ourselves about human uniqueness—but we are unique. All species have their unique aspects. Being interested in our origins is a unique aspect of the human mind. I don’t think it exists in any other animals. Our kind of language, the extremity of our kind of language—there are a few other animals that have a small vocabulary of nouns and one or two adjectives, and many who communicate very well about a lot of things that are of importance to them, but they don’t have the kind of language we have that lets us discuss things that have happened in the past, to talk about things that may be happening or we may want to plan in the future. So, some of those things are definitely uniquely human.
And we’re interested in trying to understand who we are and where we came from. I’m not sure whether other any other species are interested in who they are. In a way, they are interested in that topic because who they are with defines who they are, in a way that is very familiar to human beings. But origins may be a uniquely human kind of question and a uniquely human kind of curiosity.
Andrew Keen: Do you think our similarities with Ardi and Lucy, should that make us more or less humble as a species?
Carl Safina: Well, I do think the more you understand, the more humility you acquire. And I think that is maybe one of the most healthy things that people can acquire. Humility is an understanding of our real place in the world and helps us to cooperate and and helps us to coexist. I tell students there are two things that an education gives you: one is understanding how little you understand, and the other is understanding where information is that you can seek and get.
Andrew Keen: And I do think your books, if there is a sort of generalization one can make about them, is that they do make us, as a species—or they should make us—more humble. In the face of nature, other species, and the reality of our ability to make our lives in the world a better place.
I’m curious where you stand on biotech. We had Eben Kirksey on the show a few weeks ago; his book isThe Mutant Project: Inside the Global Race to Genetically Modify Humans. CRISPR is the big new tech that’s supposedly going to change the 21st century. Is it going to change the way you see the world, or the way that we should see the world?
Carl Safina: Well, I believe that any human system and any human technology delivers on its values. Unfortunately, we have values that tend to be destructive to the rest of life on Earth and tend, in many ways, to be dehumanizing to our own species. So, I’m not afraid of any particular technology per say, but I am afraid of the implications of how the incentives are constructed for using it. I mean, most of our incentives have to do with competition, speed, winning at the expense of something else and someone else, rather than playing games where everybody wins. I certainly see some of those worries, let’s say, in how those technologies are likely to be used.
The technology itself is amazing and very powerful. There could be very good, very constructive things it could be applied for, but the reverse is also true. And as long as the incentives are for competition and destruction and consolidation of power and those kinds of things, then I am very wary. In fact, I’m fearful of things that help accelerate those trends.
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Carl Safina’s work has been recognized with MacArthur, Pew, and Guggenheim Fellowships, and his writing has won Orion, Lannan, and National Academies literary awards as well as the John Burroughs, James Beard, and George Rabb medals. Safina is founding president of the not-for-profit Safina Center. He hosted the 10-part PBS series Saving the Oceanwith Carl Safina. His books include Beyond Words, Song for the Blue Ocean, and The Eye of the Albatross. He lives on Long Island, New York.
image captionThe new laws have been criticised by representatives of the LGBT community
The Hungarian parliament has passed a law effectively banning same-sex couples from adopting children.
The legislation put forward by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing government says only married couples can adopt, with some exceptions for single relatives of the child.
Same-sex marriage is illegal in Hungary, but adoption has been possible if one partner applies on their own.
One rights group called the new laws “a dark day for human rights”.
What are the new rules?
Mr Orban has made sweeping changes to the Hungarian constitution since coming to power in 2010.
An amendment also approved on Tuesday defines family as “based on marriage and the parent-child relation. The mother is a woman, the father a man”.
Same-sex couples will now be unable to adopt, even if one of them applies as a single person.
“The main rule is that only married couples can adopt a child, that is, a man and a woman who are married,” Justice Minister Judit Varga said.
Single people will now require special approval from the government to adopt.
image captionPrime Minister Orban has championed anti-immigration and socially conservative policies
Parents must raise their children in a conservative spirit, the constitution now states.
“Hungary defends the right of children to identify with their birth gender and ensures their upbringing based on our nation’s constitutional identity and values based on our Christian culture,” it says.
The government says the changes are needed as “new ideological processes in the West” have made it necessary to “protect children against possible ideological or biological interference”.
The new rules have been strongly criticised by rights groups.
“This is a dark day for Hungary’s LGBTQ community and a dark day for human rights,” said David Vig, director of Amnesty Hungary.
Masen Davis, Executive Director at Transgender Europe, said: “We are deeply concerned for the health and safety of trans children and adults in Hungary in such a hostile climate.”
Last week EU leaders reached a compromise with Hungary and Poland to avoid the two nations vetoing the EU’s long-term budget over what they see as an attempt to impose liberal values on them.
Creezy This outdoor Rube Goldberg Machine goes around my entire yard, and swishes a basketball shot after 70 steps. This video was filmed in one take, meaning there are absolutely no hidden cuts or edits. The machine took a month to build and another month to successfully work, so please share this with anyone who needs some entertainment during these strange times! Outro Music: Socially Distant by Jason Moran https://soundcloud.com/jason_moran/so… Filmed entirely with the GoPro MAX. The GoPro MAX is a 360 camera, and I used it for this video so I did not have to stress about missing anything during the filming process. With the GoPro MAX, you can reframe your video after you film it, so it was impossible to miss any part of the machine when filming. If there are any strange spots in this video you might think looks like a cut or edit, that is just the stitching of the 360 video. Creezy Merch teespring.com/stores/creezy Follow my Instagram for info about upcoming videos! https://www.instagram.com/crazyshenan… Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/creezyy
Mentors Calvin Harris, Heather Williams, Rick Thomas and Pam Rodolph will share their views, including memories and other stories, in shining new light into this ancient and modern tradition. Moderated by Dean Al Haferkamp, the program will also give attendees opportunity to briefly share their own experiences and insights.
We are going through a challenging holiday season, and we hope this coming together gives us hopeful energy to enjoy and share with friends and loved ones, no matter the distance between us.
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Guardian News Greta Thunberg has warned the world is failing to tackle the climate emergency and is in a ‘state of complete denial’ nearly five years after the Paris agreement. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► http://bit.ly/guardianwiressub Thunberg, 17, whose solo school strike in 2018 snowballed into a global youth movement, spoke out ahead of a UN event at which national leaders have been asked to increase their pledges on emissions cuts. In a video shared exclusively with the Guardian, she calls on leaders to account for failing to reverse rising carbon emissions, but concluded: ‘There is hope … we are the hope – we, the people’ The Paris agreement five years on: is it strong enough to avert climate catastrophe? ► https://www.theguardian.com/environme… Support the Guardian ► https://support.theguardian.com/contr… Today in Focus podcast ► https://www.theguardian.com/news/seri… The Guardian YouTube network: The Guardian ► http://www.youtube.com/theguardian Guardian Football ► http://is.gd/guardianfootball Guardian Sport ► http://bit.ly/GDNsport Guardian Culture ► http://is.gd/guardianculture
As the news keeps evolving, we’re here to bring you the most reliable coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Subscribe to support our journalism.
Vaccine rollout begins in the US, a bipartisan group of legislators plans to release coronavirus relief package, and Germany announces holiday restrictions. Here’s what you should know:
This morning Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse in Queens, became the first New Yorker, and one of the first Americans, to receive a coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials. After it was granted emergency use authorization on Friday, the first 2.9 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine were shipped out on Sunday, 11 months after the first Covid-19 infections were detected in the US.
A bipartisan group of congressional leaders plans to release a $908 billion relief package today in the hopes of getting pandemic aid approved before government funding lapses next weekend. The group plans to introduce two separate bills, one for some of the more divisive provisions like a legal immunity plan for small businesses, and the other for everything else. The package would extend unemployment benefits that are set to expire the day after Christmas but would not include another direct payment program.
Germany is introducing new and stricter lockdown measures to keep Covid-19 case numbers from rising further over the winter holidays. Beginning this Wednesday until January 10, schools will be closed or go remote, non-food stores must close, and no more than five people can gather indoors, except on Christmas. Religious services will be permitted if distanced and masked, but public singing is not allowed, nor are fireworks or outdoor gatherings for New Year’s.
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