Equilibrium Institute- Delivering Core Intelligence

Apathy is not consent, it's the demand for Empowerment  




Global Warming- is a process of rising tempatures and explained to be occuring as a result of contaminants that are contributing to the thinning of the Ozone Layer. The ozone layer is a natutally occuring shield that prevents us from burning from the Suns heat and is essential in maintaining the Earth’s equilibrium.  Certain types of pollution are argued to be accelerating the problem.  Scientist predict that unless we reduce Ozone thinning pollutants or develop a way to help counter the negative effects, that global temperatures will continue to rise.  It has been estimated that a few degree change could drastically speed the melting of Ice caps in the North Pole and change the coastlines and bread basket which in turn will impact population and species movements and conditions.  While the exact sequence, intensity, and speed of the change is uncertain, it is fair to say that taking actions to prepare and minimize the harmful impacts to the thinning Ozone are in our interests.  While the U.S. has taken some measures to institute controls such as the adoption of the Clean Air Act (1970) and reduce the production of certain types of pollution, the problem rests with enforcement, raising the awareness of producers and consumers globally, and defining and banning most classes of pollutants that are largely unnecessary hazards that contribute to environmental illnesses, and crises such as extinction. * See National Aeronautics and Space Administration,  Union of Concerned Scientists, EarthWatch Institute, EarthSave Foundation, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Nuclear Information Resource Service and Rainforest Action Network for more information. 

 

 

 

Intelligence is-

 

A mutating genetic code of life which inherently stems from the evolution of matter.  The larger and more active parts of intelligence are in unconscious networks, the conscious aspect of intelligence gives rise to some of the less intelligent situations that result from expressed creative genius. From Latin it is referenced as compounding between and to choose, implying cognition or quality of thinking, processing, awareness and selection.  Intelligence may be considered in several contexts, emotional, favorable adaptive ability, technical skills.  Numerous tests are designed in attempts to measure and compare differences in intelligence, but such tests have been questioned due to limitation in design models that lead and control subjects in artificle environments making the tests subject to errors in interpretation and association interferences that make testing problematic.  However, intelligence “gifts” in some areas do not diminish needs in other areas as compensation demonstrates that a balance between having gifts and knowing how  to apply them are separate issues.  While nurturing and care can impact reaching optimal expressions of intelligence, biological factors may present natural limits due to injury, birth defects, or developmental variations that can result from stress or unfavorable physiological changes.  Intelligence is not limited to humans (Romanes (1883)or to mentalism Berkely,G.-deductive (Aristotle)or inductive (Bacon. F.) reasoning.  

 

 

Galton F. suggested the higher the sensory function the higher the intelligence, but that premise is challenged by Gorias 55 B.C. “The senses are notorius liars and Bogner. S. “people are error prone 2004.” .  *See Gardner, H.  Multiple intelligences.  Mayrhauser (1989 p.61) defines intelligence in terms such as judgement, quickness, accuracy- the characteristics needed to perform a job well.  Binet, A suggested assessment of memory, attention, imagination, and comprehension would provide a better measure of intelligence.  Einstien suggested intelligence derives from diversity and that differences should not only be tolerated, but be celebrated. While some aspects of intelligence are consciously expressed, intelligence can have negative or positive known and unknown results depending on how it operates, or is applied.  If leadership considerations involve the ability to make reasonable decisions and responses in a time of crisis as suggested by Walter Dill Scott ( ), judgement or the quality of discriminations are not only a reflection of intelligence, but indications of readiness and adaptability. 

 

 

 

Constructive empowerment- Constructive empowerment requires an evaluation of tools, clear operational definitions, and verifiable outcomes. When an individual exceeds in the ability to care for oneself and is able and willing to direct resources to help others directly or indirectly, empowerment is evident.  The end product of constructive empowerment is positive.  Methods used for attaining positive results in constructive empowerment processes are the least harmful ones available.  Constructive empowerment= thriving. Constructive empowerment is learned. Empowerment needs opportunity, will and practice to be successful. 

 

 

Optimal development- exists when environmental and social influences on the biological and psycho-sociological development of an individual is as supportive as possible and free from exposures or events that cause irrecoverable damages that prevent an individual from being adaptable enough to survive and experience minimal suffering.  Where harm is a natural occurrence, skills to cope with stress and adapt are key to minimizing the impact of the potential harms.   Optimal development implies that conditions were favorable to allow an individual to grow without encountering substances or events that are known to impede or adversely limit healthy development.   Intention without constructive empowerment methods = compromised outcomes.

 

 

 

Symbiosis-a mutually advantageous association or relationship between persons (or things related to supporting life or otherwise not limiting it.) *Parenthesis mine. Used synonymously with Harmony.

 

Oxford Dictionary 1998

 

 

 

Successful Behavior- refers to being a well adjusted person  Related to the concept of Telos (Aristotle 384-322 B.C.) or having a goal or purpose.  The concept was promoted by Carl Jung and Maslow as being self-actualized and means to realize or enhance one’s potential.  Belief and values are central to impacting individual goals and sense of purpose.  Skills such as decision making and tangible abilities and guidance in learning are all instrumental to achieving  healthy goals.  Carl Rogers elaborated, that learning experiences can help or hinder what is described as an innate urge to actualize oneself. 

 

 

 

Creative synthesis- John Stuart Mills is credited with/ demonstrating how deductive reasoning can lead to inductive scholarly contributions.  Any serious inquiry is bound to be holistic to some extent because all things share relationships or depend on other things as is expressed in the analysis of dependent and independent variables.  The process of exclusion or directed attention may help specialists focus, but the whole is different than the parts.  I.e. one music note with another can give rise to melody, two voices-harmony. 

 

 

 

Bio-Ethics

 

     B.F. Skinner, and Dr. Van Potter were instrumental in introducing Bio-Ethics as a serious interdisciplinary field of study. Ethology is the science of character formation in human behavior and personality the

   

 

     Life depends upon a continuum of harmony and is subject to constant flux. From apparent motions of the stars in the distance, the universe and everything in it is in motion-- the rivers, the earth, the seasons, the growth and decay of life -all seem to confirm this state of constant change. Learning to work in harmony with natural motions, forces and elements while maintaining a balance individually is pertinent to issues raised here concerning the quality of life.  The practice and understanding of how to apply knowledge to achieve sustainable goals is essential to personal and global affairs. Observations show that life as a whole system, is undergoing some tremendous consequences that stem from the impacts of our individual and collective behaviors such as global warming, deforestation and war.  In reviewing the history of slavery, toxic waste, the concentration of wealth, 3 mile island, Easter Island, the Chenobyl disaster, the Crusades, the conquest of the Americas, witch hunts,  hate crimes and common unfair discriminations the question is not if we shall act, but how, when, and to what effect.

 

 

 

Variance, Personality & Motivators

 

     Is striving for progress a necessity or an instinctual part of human nature or are such assumptions the bi-product of the creative wishes of visionary thinkers?

 

 

 

     While it is a part of some peoples nature to be caring and empathic, those skills are lacking in others.  The capacity or ability to possess empathy and positive self-esteem is partially biologically determined and partially socially reinforced because both self esteem and empathy are reliant on cognitive function including sociological influences such as adapting to cultural norms and peer-pressure. Empathy and self-esteem are strong indicators of health. Just as health status and lifestyles are indicators of predictable behavior.

 

 

 

An Educators Role

 

     The role of the educator is to provide methods to help the individual learner define and meet his or her own interests or needs and assist in the exploration and assessment process to help the person fit into or create an industrious nitch. Helping the individual balance between the ideal and the practical in meeting the realistic needs of themselves and the society in which they live, is a duty all educators and primary caregivers face.

 

 

 

     Instilling values that encourage sharing, equality, mutual respect and appreciation for the diversity of life will help combat hoarding, inequality, supreme-ism and wasteful and or destructive behaviors.

 

 

 

     The attitudes of being willing, open or flexible, and the ability to cope with fear are crucial to growth through learning.  Presenting critical information in ways audiences can better cope with is essential to reducing barriers and maximizing understanding.  For example, if you shock someone with information, a person could resort to denial or flee the situation in an effort to preserve themselves.  Confronting your own beliefs and shifting is sometimes an uncomfortable process.  However, an education that does not empower students with

 

the necessary skills to evaluate and respond to the changing world around them is grossly inadequate.  Thus, critical thinking skills versus route memory learning should be emphasized.  

 

   

 

Bio-ethics: Defining Successful Behaviors

 

     Being successful and having a supportive environment are dependent upon one another.  Successful people impact their community in positive ways.  Being productive in industry and engaging in nonviolent interests and social activities are essential indicators of being healthy and successful.

 

 

 

    Sustainable Ethics aim to empower individuals with skills that improve informed risk taking and advance optimal mental and physical health opportunities. The cause/effect relationship of modeling sustainable ethics and/or behavior is pertinent to creating a more harmonized and sustainable world (Van Potter.)

 

The danger of ethics is that they can be designed to sustain even the most corrupt agendas and the developers are usually convinced they are correct despite resistance or evidences presented that shows the falsehoods of their claims.  This is one reason why science developed as a checks and balance system to address tyrrany and hearsay.   

 

 

 

 Modeling and Behavior

 

    Psychologists Dr. Carl Rogers and others before him may have been overly generous and hopeful to assume people generally strive to improve.  In any given moment multiple variables act on an individual to influence his or her thinking and selective behaviors, which can be positive, negative, or a mixture through the process.  However, having positive goals and providing opportunities for people to make practical plans and formulate or adopt healthy purposes and outcomes is important to encourage because goals that don’t account for social environment or personal capacities are impractical and are a common reason for failure.  Taking into account that young people are often asked or expected to project into the future, there are situations when being imaginative and unrealistic and even failing is appropriate.

 

     Informed, rational, goal setting and decision making, when it is possible, can facilitate better selections.  Mentors can help establish practical and achievable milestones likely to increase self-esteem, which is partially determined by the accomplishment of tangible goals and adequate social support. Planning can help reduce failing and aid skill development. Planning and design (Der Ryn & Cowan, 1996) to advance long and short term well-being are crucial steps in the prevention of harm, identification of need, or readiness for meeting the critical needs of life.  * See Exhibit B Life-Planning chart.

 

Behavior Modification as a Solution

 

     Destructive uses of power or energy can be observed, explained, prevented, or modified thanks to more objective tools for analysis, raising awareness, innovation, and timely and effective interventions.  

 

 

 

     Healthy individual and social development is re-enforceable and observable (Maag on Skinner, 1999). Expanding one’s awareness of choices can potentially channel destructive human behavior into more productive outlets.

 

     The factors listed here influence behavioral responses which can help or hinder adaptation or optimal development. Those factors include; awareness, associations from prior experiences and attitudes that impact learning, selective attention and memory function, adaptive skills including stress coping styles, primary needs (perceived or not) rate, intensity, frequency and type of stimuli, personal beliefs, and decision-making skills, and biological determinants such as nutrients, or toxins.    

 

On Empowerment

 

     In the U.S. enviroment, location and socio-economic status- are common denominators that impact the quality of life and opportunities for skill development or job placement.  The methods of increasing ability, or maximizing the development of potentials is impacted by bio-status, social opportunity and pressures and personality traits, such as attitudes or social expectations and self-motivations.  However, individual intelligence capacities do exist and can be impeded or expanded by the quality of nurturing or care.  It is also clear that the quality of intelligence changes as people age. 

 

 

 

Recommendation: Good survival/ parenting skills are essential and should begin to be developed in the first years of high school due to high drop-out rates in the U.S.  Social and personal wellness covering physical and mental health i.e drugs, nutrition, sexuality, exercise, and the impacts of caring or neglecting ourselves should be mandatory and regular. Where parental guidance is weak, such education could improve the welfare of students and or generally reinforce care providers. 

 

 

 

The need to Question Authority and be Skeptical

 

     If self-preservation is an instinct, perhaps discipline evolved from that instinct and different worldviews serve people in similar ways. Therefore, the need for tolerance and acceptance should be more readily extended. It would suggest that sharing wisdom from different cultures, rather than supposing a supremacy from one or the other would be more logical than isolation and alienation which stifles growth and in conflict often leads to destruction.

 

 

 

     Wisdom and helpful insights can be taught in play and home-life activities in earlier years, not just in academic study.  If standards are set to produce optimal ends that include healthy lifestyles and sustainable conditions, such standards are congruent with the larger needs of life and the results will likely increase harmony.

 

 

 

     Advances in technology, existing and predictable detrimental human behaviors, and a rise in environmentally related illnesses present some significant and unique challenges. Major concerns include; social and environmental sustainability in lue of manufacturing of goods and weapons of mass destruction, agricultural farming methods, land-use and pollution, population growth and wildlife scarcity or extinctions, cultural and information exchanges/ conflicts, mutations and disease or illness patterns. 

 

 

 

    Tradition is about preservation,  assimilation and propagation.  If activities or behaviors are not made in the interest of the greater good, the process is corrupt and neurosis is evident and will spread through conditioning.  Biological stability is about how people behave and belief is one motivator of behavior, although it may be  less significant factor of human behavior than commonly perceived.  The larger question about how to safely regulate and monitor the homostatus necessary to maintain equibriums and social peace is presented here to encourage greater participation in the interest of the future we all share.