Radical Scholar, Inc.

Mirrors: Holding Them to Ourselves

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:38:44 PST

He said, "Your world is as you are." These words came as a result of the question, “What is the meaning of life?” While many shy away from such questions and even more so from providing an answer to such questions, my mentor was succinct in his response. His words ring as true today as the first time I encountered them.

An Open Mind Carries One Through Change

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

The only thing constant is consistent change. This ancient axiom can reveal a great deal of information in regard to life, if one were to only examine it with an open mind. Having an open mind is essential to understanding the very nature of life itself.

In Critical Times, Whom Should You Trust?

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Who is wiser than all of the Buddhas and Sages combined? This question will, to many, seem somewhat troubling given the current state within which we find our society. However, barring an overdose of unreality, the question is quite apropos under the circumstances. The situation: the debate over Creation vs. Evolution.

Poor People's Campaign Merit Attention

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Have you ever had that "empty" feeling? The kind where you seem helpless to assist in the forward movement of a situation. In many cases, this feeling of emptiness derives from the seemingly lack of concern exhibited by the very people you're attempting to help.

Life Requires More Than Material Trappings

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Life. What is this thing called LIFE? Webster presents various components for its offered definition. However, my favorite has to be "spiritual existence transcending physical death."

Just think for a moment. If such an offering can be believed, then logically, we are comprised of far more than our physical, finite manifestation. That being the case, why then do we spend the majority of our time in the pursuit for the "material" instead of balancing the focus in terms of the "spiritual?"

Where Are the Hues of "Black" and "White"?

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Recently, I was in a conversation with a group of "on-line friends," and we were discussing the Texaco developments. As usual, the question of "race" emerged as we talked further.

Being one who critiques this construct of race, I then proceeded to ask the question, what "really" is Black and White? At that moment, many replies came across my screen. Some stated that "White was not Black, and Black was not White;" while some asserted that they are "cultural" designations.

A Positive Society Begins With One's Growth

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Being the best that we can be, should be the goal of all people. Often times we complain about the status quo, but rarely offer solutions to correct the problems that plague our society, as well as our social interactions. As we move into the new millennia, the fundamental question that should be on all of our minds, is what type of society do we want to live in?; one which will serve most of the needs of all the people, or one which will serve all the needs of some of the people.

Beauty: An Examination of Social Perceptions

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

As I study other cultures and learn that all things are interconnected in some sort of a thoughtful, but wordless way, I have come to the conclusion that our perceptions of attractiveness are merely the manifestation of a particular set of social stimuli that are indeed observable; yet, more often than not, go un-observed. Meanwhile, as I have come to understand it, beauty is the singular essence that resides within all.

Equality of the Human Races: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Joseph Antenor Firmin (1850-1911) published The Equality of the Human Races , his "positivist" tome, in 1885 as a scientific rebuttal to Arthur de Gobineau's "Inequality of the Human Races." De Gobineau and other architects of "scientific" racism of the 19th century served as the targets of Firmin's address to their problematic perceptions of Africans/Blacks the world over.

A Geography of Time: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

A Geography of Time, by Robert Levine, discusses time as few may have previously considered it in their daily pursuits. Through personal experience, via a sabbatical, Levine offers keen insights into the rhythms of life as experienced by peoples and places the world over.

Tripping on the Color Line: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Heather Dalmage discusses the "lived experiences" of multiracial families and family members in America. Having interviewed both members of multiracial households and children of such unions, Dalmage has successfully shed light on an element of a society centered on and rooted in the construct of race, but known only to those involved in such relationships, marriages, and families.

Social Mindscapes: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

In seven brief, but dense, chapters, Eviatar Zerubavel in, Social Mindscapes: An Invitation to Cognitive Sociology, guides the reader through levels of "mental processes" that correspond to creating and maintaining the social, historical, and physical world in which we live. The processes are: perception, attention, classification, semiotic association, memory, and time reckoning.

Awakening to Zero Point: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

"Everyone feels it. Something has changed – something feels different now, during these days." With these words, Gregg Braden opens his controversial first book, Awakening to Zero Point: The Collective Initiation . Braden, a one-time geologist, computer systems designer, and technical operations specialist for such diverse firms as Phillips Petroleum, Martin-Marietta, and Cisco Systems, whose own personal research on ancient mystical texts and sacred sites led to the publication of this book, now writes and speaks full time.

Disposable People: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Disposable People, by Kevin Bales, presents in disturbing and often uncomfortable detail what he labels as "new slavery" within the global framework of capitalism. Having traveled to Thailand, Mauritania, Brazil, Pakistan and India Bales illustrates for readers the dire conditions in which his respondents live and toil day after day. When discussing the new slavery, Bales points to four elements that allow for its persistence: Slaves are cheap and disposable; Control continues without legal ownership; Slavery is hidden behind contracts; Slavery flourishes in communities under stress. According to Bales, with these conditions in place, a way of life for 27 million people (conservative by his estimates) around the world is strengthened.

Domestica: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

In Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo's Domestica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadow of Affluence, readers explore, along with the researcher, an oft overlooked element of domestic labour in America. In examining this particular manifestation between the haves and have little, Hondagneu-Sotelo has provided a "scholarly" treatment where Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed fell short. This is by no means an indictment of Ehrenreich's work, quite the contrary.

The Power of Intention: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Truth is truth regardless of its source, my father always used to say. The strength of Wayne Dyer’s The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way is in its accessible presentation of truth distilled from many sources. Dr. Dyer, a counseling psychologist who left the academic arena during his mid-30s to offer self-development guidance on a mass scale, brings the wisdom of numerous thinkers to a popular audience using contemporary language and vivid anecdotes.

Luxocracy: Rule by Light

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

The purpose of this brief treatise is to present a concept of social organization that might serve as the architecture for the future world society, namely, luxocracy. Humanity is in the process of evolving toward global society and identity based on global citizenship, yet none of the existing or traditional forms of social organization are suited to encompass fully this new reality. Not only is humanity evolving as a whole, but also individual humans are experiencing an expansion of consciousness on a scale unprecedented in previous historical periods. A critical mass, the dimensions of which are only beginning to be visible, is building in size and momentum. What is needed at this juncture are new languages to encompass emerging possibilities.

Power vs. Force: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

“Imagine – what if you had access to a simple yes-or-no (Y/N) answer to any question you wished to ask? A demonstrably true answer to any question. Think about it…” According to David Hawkins, applied kinesiology supplies humankind with just such a method, and this method is infallible, making possible what Hawkins calls “a new era of truth.”

Methodology of The Oppressed: A Review

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

“Manifest landmarks transfigure when the foundational underplate that makes their very existence possible shifts upward…” With this daunting sentence, critical theorist Chela Sandoval opens her text Methodology of the Oppressed . Dare to proceed further?? Like Scylla and Cherybdis, this sentence has turned many a reader back. Yet, those who dare to go on are rewarded with a thrillingly insightful account of the times in which we live and a refreshingly hopeful take on the future of humanity. In an age when many have lost faith in the ability of a beleaguered humanity to resist the shape-shifting forces of oppression and dehumanization, Sandoval comes forth with a “toolkit” for doing just that.

Remember Not to Forget Evolution's Promise

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:00:00 PST

Experience is the best teacher. Learning is the activity that should immediately follow the phenomenon of experience, while remembering transcends time and space (i.e., it "is" despite the presence or absence of a physical vessel within which to reside). In addition, it matters not the form, because the memories are constantly present. This is what is humbly offered as the "Trinity of Life."