Josh Plovanic's Writings and Thoughts

     Labeling is a core component of understanding complex systems. Labeling provides the necessary conceptual and linguistic foundation in order for understanding and comprehension of that system to be developed in a human mind.       We think in words and language, so labeling is a necessary and essential component of understanding. A label is an assignment of a word or sometimes a number or code to an object, situation, circumstance, game, idea, or, for the context of this post, a system that we can then construct and develop an understanding of the these things.  Systems are labeled in two ways. The label of the big picture "system as a whole," and the labels of the parts of the system. The more you can label the parts of a system, define the properties of those parts, describe and define the interactions and relationships, these parts have with other parts or their environments, describe the functions of parts of the system, and describe the purpose of both the system as

        Few emotions, few states of mind, and few concepts are more poisonous than jealousy. Jealousy has led to some of the most abominable and vicious actions taken by human beings. I've heard stories of people being shot in the street for having something that another didn't have, whether it be a skill or a possession. I've heard of friendships ruined and relationships destroyed because of petty jealousy.        Jealousy is one of the first steps to the victimization of the gifted and those who deviate from the social and cultural norm. Innocent people who were just too different for their own good, too smart for their own good, too skilled for their own good, and often too beautiful for their own good have had their lives destroyed and opportunities crippled because of the inability of those around them to master something as petty and foolish as jealousy. If you want to stake a root cause of bullying in children, jealousy is definitely one of them.         No one shoul

My head is in the clouds My mind is in the stars My eyes are fixed on heaven Home is never very far My thoughts are on infinity My dreams are in eternity My strength draws from divinity My trust is in the trinity The stars are my great compass The heavens are my map The angels who dwell above us Will guide me through troubles and traps Yes, my head is in the clouds But at least it isn't buried in the sand At least my thoughts are high and free In this blind and darkened land This place has such a funny way Of treating free and open minds It often brutalizes brilliance Fear of the light Drives the hate of the blind The wonders of the starry night Are much more glorious and bright Than all the blights  And all the fights That plague this broken world tonight And as I write My faith is my sight I know in my heart  What is true and right It brings me such a great delight That my head is in the clouds tonight

I'm not the pilot of this ship. I'm just along for the ride.  I don't hold the reigns, nor control the game. I'm just moved by the waves and tides. Sometimes I decide To make waves of my own But I know not how big or how small Those waves that I make Are, but not much is at stake This stagnancy in life  Is sometimes hard to take But I must admit  Sometimes I sit And think about  what impact I've made for a bit Have I changed the way  people think about life? Do my words fall on deaf ears Or are do they cut like a knife At the minds and hearts Of my friends and strangers When I speak of cool ideas Or when I warn of danger? Are my thoughts valuable? I'd like to hope so In some ways I know  That my thoughts matter Either to friends or silent observors It doesn't matter My thoughts matter to me And that's all that matters Whether I talk about dark matter In space, or a brain's grey matter To the ones that matter My thoughts matter And that's all that

Lady Liberty weeps for this place. Her tears poor down like rain The powers that be  That run this country  are a massive disgrace They spit in the face Of the diligent and the brave The land of the free Is a sorrowful place Too much bondage here Too much pain I wish we could get back To the principles we tried to stand for Even though we fell short, at least we tried Now I don't think we even try anymore Now we are a nation constantly at war I think lady liberty's tears do fall Because of our shortcomings Because of our leaders Because of our fall From grace, our abandoning Of what once made us great Has made us a decadent nation of hate I feel that we face a burdensome fate If we don't turn away From the tempting bait Of debauchery, corruption,  This is enough on our plates Our enemies, I feel, are lying in wait Those predatory groups Those barbarians at our gates Are just waiting to strike Waiting to take The hopes and the dreams Of our people and our children Their futu

When Terror entered my world His blackened claws tore at my dreams His vicious words cut at my spirit His twisted imagination collapsed wonders of the world His corruption warped my mind and my thoughts His weapons of war spilled the blood of countless innocents When Terror entered my world I was a young boy The spectre of Terror and his dark presence Has been in the background of my mind My entire life Terror takes pleasure in death Finds glory in wickedness He relishes the collapse of empires He savors the destruction of lives He thoroughly enjoys the chaos He loves hate and seeing things die He is a poison of the mind A cancer of the soul He is a blackened insanity He is all some people know If there is one agency I'd destroy That evil Terror, it would be him He's been in my life since I was a boy If it were up to me, he'd never breathe again

Our sensory input shapes both our perception and our perspective of our reality. We have five physical senses that allow us to detect our external reality, come to an understanding of it, and interact with our external reality as well as those people outside of ourselves and communicate with other conscious beings.     If our senses are intact and operate relatively effectively, we have the well rounded, diverse human experience. The colors, the music, the feelings, the tastes, the scents. Having all of our senses working gives us the full experience of our world, the only one we know without a doubt exists.       Our perception is driven by our senses, and although we share commonalities with each other across the board as a species, our perceptions, as well as our preferences, with what we detect with our senses differs sometimes slightly and sometimes greatly with each individual.        Though we all have common senses that detect common stimuli in the world, each person interprets

Archetypes are one of the most intriguing psychological constructs. An archetype, in its simplest definition, is a construct of someone, something, or some situation that is consistent in its nature even if it is represented in different forms in art, literature, or storytelling. An example of this would be the "Wise old man" archetype.         Karl Jung, a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist, pioneered the development of the psychological concept of the archetype. In Jungian psychology, archetypes are these primitive underlying form that are the source of many human character and situation mental constructs, like motherly figures, flood myths, and others.      Jung argued that archetypes are part of the collective unconscious of humanity. If there is such a thing, I think that this could be tied into something akin to genetic memory. A natural neurological and biological wiring of the human brain to both notice archetypal constructs in art, entertainment, myth, or real world

Without memory, we could never form our identity and sense of self. Memory is one of the defining traits of human conscious experience. What we remember shapes a significant part of who we are, and we could never learn without remembering what happened before.    Our brain is like a biological computer. It stores data, processes it, and analyzes it just like a computer does, and that data is the recorded memory of the information we encounter over our lives. On top of the storing of data and the processing of information, the human brain and mind has a factor of will and choice involved that I believe artificial systems lack.         Humans are not only data gatherers and storers.  Through the advanced system of neurons and our neural network that allows for a level of will or choice, our brains not only ingest and store data/information, our brains have a level of advancement that allows for high creativity in some individuals, and some of us can create new information and broadcast r

      Wars of attrition are something most nations and most advanced militaries generally want to avoid. A war of attrition, simply put, is a strategy of war where belligerents try and wear down each other over a prolonged period of time and inflict much resource and personnel losses to break the enemy or enemy nation's will to continue to fight.        Because of the immense expenditure of resources and personnel, as well as the demoralizing factor prolonged and costly warfare has on both the civilian homefront and the soldiers and fighters on the battlefield, the strategic desirability of attrition warfare between nation states is, with a few exceptions, quite low.        In assymetrical warfare (war between a nation and a non-state actor such as terrorist groups and insurgencies where there is a significant technological, strategic, and power differential between the primary combatants) attrition warfare is often ideal for non-state actors, especially when the war is fought on t

The advent of networked information exchange and technology revolutionized multiple aspects of human life. Ranging from finance to education to entertainment to security, the internet was one of the most significant technological developments in human history. It revolutionized humanity's ability to store information, transmit information quickly and over a large area, and connect millions or even billions of people together in ways previously inconceivable even 30 years ago.      It revolutionized entertainment and news media (for better or for worse) and gave a platform to aspiring artists, writers, and marketers of products and services that wouldn't otherwise exist without the internet.    As far as defense goes, the internet provided new avenues for securing sensitive information and more rapid communication and coordination of military operations throughout the globe. It does a pretty large array of other things for defense as well. It also, (again, for better or for wors

     Education is always important. It is the social and mental "tip of the spear" leading the people's charge into the future of the nation. The quality of an education system can make or break a nation's ability to progress or even survive over time.      Unfortunately, much of our education system across the nation is underfunded, poorly managed, and dumbed down, especially in low income and marginalized communities with high minority populations.  Since there is such a focus on oppression in America in today's social and political dialogue (and rightly so, because there is a lot of it in a lot of places here) one of the primary factors of society that keeps minority groups under the yoke of poverty and trapped in disadvantaged socioeconomic positions is poor education systems and the systematic dumbing down of those communities, whether intentional or not.        Dumbing down a population and turning the population into something akin to sheep or cattle may ha

 Warfare is often a direct result of as well as a cause of oppression and slavery. It has been so since the dawn of history. Oppression is a deprivation of freedom or the autonomy and choice-making ability of individuals by a government or authority, which naturally leads to tension between the authorities and those being oppressed.        Oppression generally leads to conflict over time, and it is not a very sustainable long term approach to control. Both the feeling of oppression as well as the actual state of being oppressed is not a very comfortable feeling for people, since it is the theft of a very basic human right and desire; the desire for freedom. The desire for freedom is wired in the psyche and biology of human beings, and to be robbed of freedom is to be robbed of one of the core, essential, fundamental components of conscious experience.        Freedom is essential for a well-rounded fulfilling life. Choice and opportunity are one of the few things that make life in this

The drug trade is a lucrative business in the United States and around the world. It has been for a while. Mind-altering drugs have been sought after ever since many have been able to be synthesized and mass-produced over the last century or so.   The drug trade and drug related activities have been notoriously brutal, violent, and deadly. It is not a trade or activity for the faint-of-heart by any means. The nature and sheer volume of profits coming in from the trade makes the partakers in the business willing to go to any level to protect their interests, often in brutal and cruel ways. Even terrorism isn't out of the question for drug traffickers as long as terror suits their objective and interests.      When I hear the term "chemical warfare," I used to think of substances like Sarin gas or VX poison gas or chemical weapons of war that cause mass disruption, death, and destruction. However, I started thinking about looking at drugs from the angle of considering them

As I sit here in church and listen to the word of God being broadcast in song and in sermon, I have some of my best thoughts and ideations about a whole range of things, not just spiritual or religious ideas and understanding. I have developed an uncanny knack of being able to listen AND think/write at the same time. It's wonderful. It's like my brain's gears and operational capacity finally settled into itself, and thanks to the drugs, I'm a functional damaged person in need of God's mercy and salvation. I wish I had this level of stability and functionality 10 years ago. It would have spared me a lot of trouble.        When I walked into church today, I noticed the mask mandate on the door that quoted Romans 13:1. "Everyone must submit themselves to governing authorities, for there is no authority which God hasn't established."      I suddenly realized how much of a tool and weapon scripture is, and depending on who wields it, like any tool or weapon

When things are no longer considered sacred, it becomes easier to justify destroying, desecrating, or defiling them. Sacredness is often considered a religious or spiritual concept, but it can be applied to any thing, structure, persons, groups, rituals, or activities that had a certain level of value, significance, or aestheticism that commanded respect or reverence.     Sacredness in terms of religion suggests that something has a quality or property about it that is given to it by a divine force. It has a Godly nature to it. Oaths to God are considered to be sacred. Religious sites are considered sacred. Some consider human life a sacred thing, in particular the lives of the innocent.       A core defining trait of things that are considered sacred is both the fear of and the actual consequences of violating, defiling, and destroying sacred things. The consequences can be both from a legal human authority or consequences from the divine, higher authorities.         Holding certain t

There are monsters in America's shadows.  They prowl like wolves in the night. There are monsters in the dark corners of our nation. They are looking and thirsting for a fight. There is an enemy here. An enemy that's hard to see. It lurks in the background. Cloaked by deception. Cloaked by distortion. It wants to start a war. It wants to settle a score It wants to spill blood on the floor. You are always at a disadvantage When your enemy can see you But you can't see them. Like a sniper in an office building It can pick quite a few good guys off Before you find the vermin's nest This unseen enemy doesn't rest Since it's cloaked so well It can work its dark magic well And begin to turn this nation Into something like a living hell The enemy is an evil That's been around for awhile. It's looking for vengeance Against a system it reviles. The enemy is greed. And the leeching of the poor The enemy is hate The great focal point of war The enemy is fear And it

        As I continue to grow in faith and my hope for a more exciting conscious experience grows stronger, I try to imagine what my experience would be like in a truly infinite system. I often think that life on earth is the springboard into infinity.        It is just the beginning of an eternal journey across God's unending creation and a future immersion into world upon world and culture upon culture. The absolute liberty of a child of God. For me, a component of eternity is the exploration of creation. The exploration of God's Kingdom.        Of course, being in the presence of the creator is the most fulfilling and glorious thing I can picture, but he created such a big existence! I have to go explore God's infinity for some part of my eternity.       My heart hungers and thirsts for a liberation from this world. A portal or an opportunity to launch into the infinite and eternal creation. I long for and desire above all things a freedom from hate and a freedom from bo

"We've been under attack by ideas, and we have been for some time." I told this to my minister friend from Deer Lodge back in January of 2016 on a phone call in the SUB. To the layperson, this quote might not even mean much. It might even be a little bit confusing to some, but for me, this was a new line of thought at the time. I began to think at the time about the role of ideas in warfare, and how much agency or power certain ideologies have in their own right.       I began to think of ideas as forces of nature. Powerful mental incentivizers and forces of the mind that galvanized humans into action and systemized people into hierarchies, movements, and organizations. To me, many ideas seemed almost willful, as if they were conscious forces in themselves, something akin to a spirit, or living information.       This kind of thinking gets me in trouble occasionally, but I don't need to look much further than ideological movements and the formation of nations and so

So I've written a lot about the infinite existence and the possibility of countless universes with both the same and completely different structures and arrangements of substance and just "things" in general within those universes, for lack of a better word.     Today, I want to talk about a different concept and distinguish and separate it from the concept of alternate universes. It is alternate timelines of our own universe. The difference between a timeline and a universe is that a timeline pertains to time within a particular universe, not a universe in its own right.    To start, picture where you are at right now, and think of all the options to do or say something at this particular moment in time. The options you have can be larger or smaller given your circumstances, but your options in a given place and a given time if you include everything you can do or say and every direction you can go are actually fairly large for a willful entity like a human.        Now a

The media and warfare aren't strange bedfellows by any means. In fact, they are quite harmonious and complementary in their relationship. The media is how you sell a war, and is often how you start one as well.  With the profound effect the media has on collective consciousness and minds of the masses, if you want to initiate a nation down the path to war, the media is the primary platform to start a nation down that path. We have seen this time and again, from the press reports of the sinking of the battleship Maine that got us into the Spanish-American War to the coverage of September 11th and the media build up to the War in Iraq in 2003.  The media is the marketplace of wars. It is how governments and ideological groups sell their cause to an audience and sell the war to the people. Once a war is initiated, the media makes a spectacle of the conflict, sending journalists and reporters to cover the action and carnage of combat.      Even in their sense of nobility and their disp

Seven Creators woke up in the void. It was cold, dark, and they were alone. In their infancy, there was much fear, much discomfort, and much uncertainty. Each one was by itself. They began searching the darkness for others. They were lonely, and they were scared. One by one, they found each other. After the last one joined them, all seven thought that they were all there was. There was nothing else in that void but the seven.        The seven began conversing with each other. In their infancy, the began noticing that they had certain gifts, and in their minds they began having visions of a universe that had yet to come. Each creator had a different creative gift pertaining to a different construct of this universe that had not yet come to pass.         The Seven continued conversing, and as they discovered their gifts, they began planning the creation of their universe. With each unique creative gift, the Seven initiated the creation of their universe.  The first one was the creator of

Coronavirus has made me a sober and bored thinker. My drive to better myself is constantly unsatisfied. My thirst for knowledge remains unquenched, even after all I've learned. My analytical mind always needs something to analyze, so I have decided to continue my side series on the CIA and intelligence gathering and break down the concept of enhanced interrogation for a few minutes.      Enhanced interrogation is pretty much a Euphemism for torture, although torture is probably just one component of EI. I don't think government agencies and the military just sit around and indiscriminately brutalize suspected terrorists or enemies of the state. Torture has taken place throughout time, and throughout almost every nation or culture in history during wartime at some point.      This doesn't justify it. Just like the institution of slavery, just because an evil has happened everywhere and everyone's been guilty of it at some point doesn't legitimize the evil.       I am

Today, I want to focus on trauma. In particular a disorder called complex PTSD. This disorder hasn't been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as of yet, but is recognised by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies. C-PTSD is distinct from strict PTSD in that it deals with intense prolonged, repetitive trauma of the course over years, decades, or a lifetime.  Sufferers of C-PTSD include a wide range of people, including, but not limited to, victims of repetitive sexual abuse, child abuse in many forms, victims of unrelenting school bullying and brutalization, victims of slavery or human trafficking, Prisoners of War, people living in Warzones, Veterans exposed to multiple highly traumatic events over an extended period of time, and many other situations exposing someone to intensed, prolonged trauma over the course of a long period of time.   A major defining trait of C-PTSD includes feelings of entrapment and captivity (you feel

I heard a story once about Nazi German propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels talking about propaganda during the Second World War. Goebbels had spearheaded the Nazi's information warfare and manipulation of the German people quite successfully and had an effective propaganda system of his own. However, in reference to the United States, Goebbels was attributed to saying something along the lines of "America has the most sophisticated propaganda system in the world." Even putting it above his own country's rather effective system.     Back then, he probably wasn't too far from the truth. Today's timeframe? Again, he probably wouldn't be too far from the truth in modern times either. Between mass media, 24 hour cycle news stations, the internet, and Hollywood, America's propaganda system is very advanced. Extremely advanced. The dissemination of information has reached a level of ease and sophistication in the United States, as well as other parts of the w

If a region starts running out of food and running out of water, potential for armed conflict increases dramatically. In those places with significant resource scarcity, like deserts or places stricken by severe drought and have their agricultural output severely crippled by an economic collapse or climate change, conflict is not far off in the distance and only a matter of time before it strikes.  Looking at the most volatile regions on the planet, and aside from the religion component that drives war, many of the hot-to-the-touch warzones and potentially conflict-ignitable regions are in hot weather climates. In fact, I would say most of them are. Think about it, hot weather, arid, desert climates have more water scarsity and can't produce as much agriculture, leaving many of them to rely on imports and trade from other countries to survive.    Water depletion and droughts will inevitably force mass migrations, since humans can't survive very long at all without water, and ma

Fear is the mind-killer. One of my favorite science fiction quotes ever. It comes from the book "Dune" by Frank Herbert. As far as the psychological impact of fear, fear is quite the uncomfortable experience. Any situation where you feel your life or the lives of others around you are at imminent risk is never going to be a super fun experience for anyone. Fear puts you in a difficult position. It forces you to make a choice of either facing your fear and overcoming it, or fleeing from it and finding security elsewhere. Unfortunately, fear and fear inducing things will follow you, no matter where you try to run and hide.   Fear breaks the mind, and we are often put in a position where we make irrational decisions that often put our security at further risk. When our families are threatened, or our lives are threatened, we don't always think rationally or clearly about our circumstances and make choices occasionally that compound the problem.    Fear makes humans herdable,

Code is any physical system of symbols, sounds, textures, or other substantial sensory stimuli that stores information that has a particular meaning or purpose. The information stored within code has a particular function or application in a given context or situation.  Given this definition, pretty much every form of language is a code, whether that be English, mathematical proofs, Python code or software code in general. Anything with symbols, substances, and syllables that carry a weight of either abstract or concrete/physical meaning or describes the purpose and function of something is essentially code. The words "code" and "cryptology" usually has the connotation of secrecy or a clandestine nature to it, but to someone who doesn't speak english, understand Egyptian hieroglyphics, or the mathematical description of quantum field theory, all these forms of information are essentially encrypted code, because you, as the audience that doesn't share in the