Choices in an elevator: Oprah or Sheen?

So, if you were forced to make a choice, who would you rather be trapped in an elevator with for several hours: Oprah or Charlie Sheen?

Not pretending this is an earth-shattering subject or anything, but...

I'd choose Charlie Sheen. I'm assuming I'd be armed and that I'd be able to subdue him if he went crazy and got violent. I also bet it would be interesting to talk to him during a situation like that.

Oprah, on the other hand... I don't think I could forgive her for subjecting us to Oprabama. Not that the other choice was any better, but to really promote one of those morons for prez? And to brainwash your devoted minions into voting for him... Plus, I think I'd be really tempted to violate the ZAP if she started getting all "empathic" on me. It's best not to tempt fate.

Authoritarianism is the lazy man's path

Why do the vast majority of people settle into an authoritarian comfort zone, whether "right" or "left"? I have a theory: People are lazy. Including me- I readily admit it.

People prefer the path of least resistance. Unless there is a fairly powerful incentive to do more work, they won't. That makes sense.

It takes more work to resist settling into the low-energy valley of authoritarianism. Maintaining a libertarian outlook takes constant effort at first; it is standing on the peak while the winds buffet you, trying to get you to fall. The extra effort is not really a huge amount once you start being aware, but it's enough that it is hard for people to take those first few steps along that path. It's just easier to go along with the false "right/left" authoritarian crowd.

So why would anyone ever choose to be libertarian? Because people also have a tendency to complicate their lives in some way. It might be through destructive relationships, or substance abuse, or by choosing liberty when it might be easier to follow the herd off the cliffs of statism. It is almost as if they save their energy in most areas of their lives by choosing the easy path so they will have the energy available for the extra effort it takes to pursue the one or two highwires they choose to walk. It sounds crazy, I know.

Libertarianism just happens to be one of my chosen "difficult paths", and the only one that is really worth the effort.

Japanese earthquake and tsunami

It's a terrible disaster. Anytime innocent people are hurt by natural disasters or human actions I empathize. I wish I could help, but I am broke and live on the opposite side of the planet. Even a hundred years ago people living right where I do wouldn't have even heard of a similar disaster for months, if ever. I'm assuming they would have known of the existence of Japan, but that might not even be a realistic assumption.

I know what some would say I could "do", but they would be wrong. Just remember, even one person actually doing something helpful beats a million people praying for those who are hurting. Beats a billion, too.

Speaking of dreams...

This has nothing to do with the other dream I mentioned, and was a couple of days previous to the other one.

A few days ago I dreamed I was lucid dreaming, but I wasn't really lucid dreaming at the time. That seems very confusing.