Today was the first day of being able to leave the house after testing positive for covid last week. There are restrictions in place in my house through Friday, so I still have to wear a mask while making coffee, but at least I could go to the grocery store myself. Being completely asymptomatic, the science suggests that I'm not at all likely to be contagious at this point, if I ever even was. Even so, I'm probably going to hold off on going to the coffee shop until Friday or whenever I get a negative test result, whichever comes first, out of an abundance of caution.
Also today, my latest writeups of NFT artists have been published in DIGS 008. As I've said before, writing these is basically the best job in the world. If I had to pick a single favorite piece for the week, it might be this one by Simulacrartist.
All of my other work this week has been weird. Minor issues in my news job have interrupted our regular schedule, which stresses me out. My own lack of motivation has kept me from doing much on the soil biology book I'm helping to put together. I'm unsatisfied with my fiction lately. Then again, I'm unsatisfied with most things lately.
One area that is satisfactory right now involves distant social connections. Over the last few months, I've reconnected with a handful of old friends and acquaintances. This has brought me a measure of closure about aspects of my personal history. And even if we have little in common these days, it's nice to know that these people are still out there.
Another thing I'm happy with is my younger self's extensive study of applied systems theory and cybernetics. Works like RAND's Tribes, Institutions, Markets, and Networks and SRI's Changing Images of Man helped me make sense of society in terms of systems rather than in terms of personalities. And Oliver Markley, the original project director for Changing Images, has been a great friend and mentor since I was in my 20s.
These studies showed me that considering the world in terms of personalities outside of a tribal context is simply magical thinking. That doesn't make it wrong. Indeed, magical thinking plays an important role in our lives. It's just counterproductive when trying to make sense of irreducibly complex social problems.
Imagine a malfunctioning computer where the nature of the malfunction isn't immediately apparent. Maybe it's a software problem. Maybe it's hardware. Now imagine that, instead of diagnosing this problem with appropriate tools, you replace the computer's operator whenever symptoms of the problem arise. Maybe you go so far as to hold elections to decide who the next replacement operator will be. No matter how fair those elections are, you'll never really understand the underlying problem, much less fix it.
This is basically how our society operates, dominated by magical thinking that incorrectly conflates the people in charge with the systems they operate. Clearly, there's room for some improvement here.
(Feature image from Pixabay.)
Read my novels:
- The Paradise Anomaly is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Psychic Avalanche is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- One Man Embassy is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Flying Saucer Shenanigans is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Rainbow Lullaby is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- The Ostermann Method is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Blue Dragon Mississippi is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
Check out the comic I wrote:
- Finney Vol 1 Immutable Journey is available as a free e-comic.
Read my autobiographical monograph:
- Navigating Dystopia can be read for free or purchased as an NFT.