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The Journals of Doc Surge is the personal blog of Chris Billows. This blog’s purpose is to explore ideas and concepts through the discipline of writing as an exercise to further personal understanding.

Check out more about me, some of my thoughts on Games and Hockey.

May 26

We Do Not See Light, But See By It

May 26, 2008 by Chris Billows in Mental Mischief 0 comments tags: Challenging Atheism, Meaning of Life, Quotations
There has been lots of press over the past three years about the Four Atheist Horsemen (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens). I find it both compelling and ridiculous the self-styling of themselves as the bringers of destruction to theistic thinking. Definitely a creative bit of imagery but criticizing monotheism or religious thought is not the same thing as endorsing the plagues and destruction that the mythical horsemen represent. In this way it is misdirected, self-aggrandizing, and reeks of pontification. I have not read much by them, with the exception of some editorials and a few blog posts by Sam Harris (who appears to be the most thoughtful). I am not an atheist since I do believe that there is a possibility for god(s) to exist, but definitely do not pray to any. I instead believe that each of us alone is master of our destiny, are responsible for discovering what our life’s purpose is, and to understand our authentic selves. I am a spiritual person and do find it unfortunate that the atheists are missing the boat. In the same way that we do not see light, but see by it, it is possible that just […]
May 25

Why Socialism Does Not Work

May 25, 2008 by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 2 comments tags: Change of Mind, Human Condition, Political Opinion
I used to be a socialist. My parents were once members of the New Democratic Party and I was indoctrinated in its principles when I attended University. My professors in Political Studies, Labour Studies, and Social Work routinely criticized our privately-owned capitalist market system talking about how exploitation was at its root. As a student I believed that to fix the world we needed to change the system and that Socialism was the solution. Yet, in my exposure to Rudolf Bahro, I realized that Socialism was fundamentally a materialistic philosophy. It did not recognize our relationship with the planet or between each other. According to Socialism, the purpose of life was for each of us to share as equally as possible the material wealth of the planet. I rejected Socialism by helping establish the Green Party in Manitoba since I was attracted to the Green philosophy that all things are interconnected. Despite the rise of green thinking Socialism remains a constant force in Canadian society. Canadians and Manitobans are proud of their publicly funded health care system, which demonstrates that the majority believes in Socialism to a limited extent since health care is easily our most socialistic program. I have […]
May 11

Keeping What You Earn Tax Free

May 11, 2008 by Chris Billows in Business Beller 0 comments tags: Smart Money Management
I was discussing with a colleague about the benefits of retirement savings accounts. In Canada they are called RRSPs (Registered Retirement Saving Plan) while in the U.S. they are called IRAs (Individual Retirement Account). He did not think they were useful, his reasoning being that once you withdrew the money out you were going to be taxed. If he saved $10,000 then he knew he was going to have the $10,000 plus whatever else he gained, the money would not be subject to any taxes. He’s right, but only partly. The benefits of RRSPs are two fold: 1) The government allows you to reduce your taxes payable in the year you contribute. 2) The interest, dividends, or capital gains you earn on that invested money is not taxed. The 1st point is an immediate benefit. Its like instant gratification for saving for the future. The 2nd point is an even more powerful benefit. It allows your money to grow and compound without being taxed. Let me illustrate: Outside of an RRSP: If you invested $200 a month for 35 years, at a return of 8% and your tax rate was 35% then you would accumulate an amount of $237,715.29. You […]
May 09

Quantity has a Quality All Its Own

May 09, 2008 by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 2 comments tags: Extrapolation
I understand that the dictator Joseph Stalin was quoted for saying this. Surprising since it really is a such a perceptive quote and he was such a mislead individual. The tyranny, death, and suffering he inflicted upon the people of the old U.S.S.R. is a testimony of the ruthlessness of ideological Communism. Still, it is a fantastic quote as it cuts through the Quality vs Quantity dichotomy. I have believed that Quality and Quantity are two different characteristics, that they were not related, and having more of one usually meant having less of the other. Yet when I think about it in relation to money it makes sense. A $1000 is a bigger quantity than $1. It is also a better quality in relation to what you can do with it. The quality is better because the quantity is more. The same could be said about other multiples such as food, houses, and soldiers (which I assume is what Stalin was referring to) . Quantity at some levels will change the perception of quality. We are starting to see this act itself out in the growing business segment of eCommerce which has taken this to new levels. Chris Anderson’s article […]
May 07

Confessions of a Recovering Ideologue

May 07, 2008 by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments tags: Change of Mind, Defining Life
“Hi my name is Chris and I am a recovering ideologue.” No, I am not intending on starting a self-help group like Alcoholics Anonymous for people who are turned off to political and religious ideology, but this blog post is a bit of a confession. Like many, attending University for me was a time of exposure to many new ideas and systems of thought. I came across a multitude of theories in psychology, sociology, history, science, and various other courses. I started looking for a system of thinking that was consistent and had an inherent integrity. I was influenced by socialism during my Social Work and Labor Studies courses. I was influenced by spiritualism during my Religion courses. While individual ideas came, evolved, and went I was convinced that that ideology in some form was the tool and method in which to solve the world’s problems. It was that conviction that inspired me to help form the Green Party. That is where I participated in and promoted the view that it was just a simple matter of convincing everyone to think Green, or ideally adopt a Green ideology, and then we could solve the environmental and social issues plaguing Canada. […]
Apr 23

The Biology of Corporations

April 23, 2008 by Chris Billows in Business Beller 0 comments tags: Summarizing a Business Organization
Having formed my own corporation and also managed a number of non-profit corporations, I am struck by how a corporation is just like a any other organism. Thinking about this, I came up with the following system to help define what a corporation is and how it consists of three distinct systems that have biological counterparts: 1) Ego & Intelligence System: Operations is the consciousness and personality of the organization. It is the purpose behind the corporation’s existence. The buck stops here for anything that ultimately goes wrong. Operational and Executive Leadership is under the direction of the President (and Vice Presidents) and Chief Executive Officer (and Chief Operations Officers), and anyone else involved with managing the affairs of the corporation. 2) Nervous & Chemical System: Administration is the nerve-chemical communications system and is essential to keeping the various systems working together. Organizational Integrity is under the direction of the Secretary, Chief Administration Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and everyone else involved with administrating the business of the corporation. This would included everything from corporate By-Laws to computer systems. 3) Cardiovascular & Respiratory System: Money and Capital is the cardiovascular and respiratory system that is necessary for a corporation to live. […]
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