Russian cities with the dirtiest air according to the Ministry of Nature September 21st, 2017
The Ministry of Natural Resources in the state report "On Environmental Protection" named the cities of Russia with the dirtiest air. Krasnoyarsk, Magnitogorsk and Norilsk turned out to be the most dangerous cities for living.
According to the report, about 16.4 million people in Russia breathe polluted air. Total atmospheric emissions continue to grow: in 2016 it amounted to 31.6 million tons, 1.1% more than a year earlier. The Krasnoyarsk Territory accounts for the most pollution from industrial facilities, and the metropolitan region is the leader in terms of emissions from vehicles.
Among the most polluted cities are...
Birobidzhan, Blagoveshchensk, Magnitogorsk, Norilsk, Ulan-Ude, Chita, Krasnoyarsk. Also included in this list are the cities of Bratsk, Zima, Kyzyl, Minusinsk, Novokuznetsk, Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky, Selenginsk, Usolye-Sibirskoye, Chegdomyn, Cheremkhovo, Chernogorsk and Shelekhov.
According to the rating, in most cities of the Far Eastern, Siberian and Ural federal districts, the level of pollutant concentration exceeds the maximum allowable. In the Siberian Federal District, the Krasnoyarsk and Altai Territories, Kemerovo, Irkutsk and Novosibirsk Regions turned out to be the leaders in air pollution.
The ministry emphasized that over the past three years, the situation with emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere has worsened in Russia. It is noted that in 2014-2016, the incidence of asthma associated with air pollution increased in Russia: among children - by 1.7 times, and among adults - by 1.5 times. 15% of the urban population is affected by high and very high levels of pollution.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, over the past three years, the situation with emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere has worsened in Russia. In the country as a whole, in 2014-2016, the incidence of asthma associated with air pollution increased by 1.7 times among children, and by 1.5 times among adults. 15% of the urban population is affected by high and very high levels of pollution. According to the state report of the department, the most unfavorable situation has developed in the regions of the Siberian Federal District - Irkutsk, Kemerovo regions and Altai Territory. There is also an increase in the incidence of asthma.
In Russia, in recent years, the total volume of pollutant emissions into the atmosphere has been growing. So, in 2016, 31,617.1 thousand tons of harmful impurities got into the air (1.1% more than in the previous year). 55% of them are from enterprises (17,349.3 thousand tons), but the increase in their “contribution” in 2016 was relatively modest – 0.3%. But road and rail transport dealt a greater blow to the environment than a year earlier - by 2.1 and 5.7%, respectively. In 2015, total emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere also increased slightly (by 0.1%) compared to the previous year. Such data are given in the state report of the Ministry of Natural Resources “On the state and protection of the environment of the Russian Federation”.
Birobidzhan, Amur Blagoveshchensk, Bratsk, Zima, Krasnoyarsk, Kyzyl, Lesosibirsk, Magnitogorsk, Minusinsk, Novokuznetsk, Norilsk, Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky, Selenginsk, Ulan-Ude, Usolye-Sibirskoye, Chegdomyn, Cheremkhovo, Chernogorsk, Chita, Shelekhov.
In most cities of the Far East, Siberian and Ural federal districts, the level of pollutant concentration exceeds the maximum allowable. In the Irkutsk region, for example, there are 14 such cities.
In the Siberian Federal District, the Krasnoyarsk and Altai Territories, Kemerovo, Irkutsk and Novosibirsk Regions turned out to be the leaders in air pollution. In the last four in 2016, the indicators increased compared to the previous one.
Thus, in the Altai Territory, the release of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere has increased. The main sources of air pollution in the region, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, were Biyskenergo, the Barnaul branch of Kuzbassenergo, Altaikoks and other enterprises. Emissions of carbon monoxide have increased in the Irkutsk region. A significant amount of pollutants comes from Irkutskenergo, RUSAL Bratsk aluminum smelter and ANHK. Sulfur dioxide emissions have increased in the Kemerovo region. The main pollutants of the atmosphere were named by the Ministry of Natural Resources as Evraz United West-Siberian Metallurgical Plant, OUK Yuzhkuzbassugol, as well as the branch Esaulskaya Mine.
The greatest harm to health is caused by dust, fluorine and its compounds, ammonia, toluene, formaldehyde, benzapyrene, carbon monoxide, chlorine and its compounds, heavy metals, xylene, benzene, aliphatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, hydroxybenzene, hydrogen sulfide and other compounds.
As Rospotrebnadzor explained to Izvestia, respiratory pathologies associated with air pollution were observed in almost half of the country's subjects in 2016. A particularly unfavorable situation has developed in the Irkutsk, Smolensk, Kaluga, Samara, Sverdlovsk regions, Udmurtia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. In 40 regions, children under 14 had an incidence rate of asthma and status asthmaticus above the national average (144.0 cases per 100,000 children). The highest numbers were noted in Novosibirsk (483 cases), Novgorod (377.5), Chelyabinsk (323.2) regions, St. Petersburg (289), and also in the Kaliningrad region (283.2).
At the same time, the number of additional cases of disease associated with air quality also increased - by 1.7 times compared to 2014. In this regard, the geography of the incidence of asthma coincides with the data on the largest emissions into the atmosphere - the most unfavorable regions were the Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Samara regions and Altai Territory.
The same four regions became the anti-leaders in new cases of asthma and asthmatic status among the adult population. In general, in Russia, compared with 2014, the number of additional cases of asthma in adults increased by 1.5 times. Such data are given in the state reports of both Rospotrebnadzor and the Ministry of Natural Resources.
- Various substances cause the development of bronchial asthma and other diseases of the respiratory system. Therefore, their prevalence can vary significantly depending on the presence of certain chemical pollutants in the environment,” said Igor Bobrovnitsky, head of the Center for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks of the Ministry of Health, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - It should also be taken into account that the overall incidence of bronchial asthma significantly depends not only on the content of chemical air pollutants, but also on a host of other reasons: plant pollen, food allergens, household dust, insect (caused by insect bites) allergies.
Rospotrebnadzor explained that the reasons for poor air quality are the lack of highly efficient gas cleaning equipment, the operation of outdated technologies at industrial enterprises, thermal power plants and household boilers. Errors in the planning and development of settlements also affect the health of the population - often residential areas are located next to industrial facilities.
Sources:
Air pollution kills 6.5 million people worldwide every year, from diseases ranging from heart disease, strokes to lung cancer. This is a real health crisis. Recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a report on the causes of environmental pollution and how to deal with it.
This report presents a very impressive chart that shows which countries have the worst situation with air pollution - it gives data on deaths per 100,000 people. When drawing up the chart, the experts took into account the number of deaths associated with exposure to sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and residential air pollution resulting from the combustion of solid fuels. The experts did not take into account the impact of greenhouse gases and climate change.
Looking at this chart, we can draw several conclusions:
1) We are talking about the death rate, not absolute numbers. Georgia and Bulgaria top the list, but countries like China and India have far more deaths from air pollution because of their much larger populations.
© RIA Novosti
2) Such generalized ratings hide from us a lot of information about variations within countries. In China, for example, air pollution from coal combustion north of the Huai River reduces life expectancy by about 5.5 years compared to the south of the country, according to one study.
3) The USA is certainly far from perfect, but this country is one of the cleanest in terms of air pollution. One reason the US has a lower pollution death rate than, say, France or Germany is because there are fewer diesel-powered cars. Diesel engines are generally more fuel efficient than gasoline engines, but emit more soot, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Currently, Europe is trying to keep the number of such cars to a minimum, but rather lenient testing procedures have led to the fact that many cars emit more harmful substances into the atmosphere than required by law.
4) How did it happen that Georgia took the first place in this list? The IEA does not provide a detailed explanation. Air quality expert Tim Kovach, whom I was able to contact via Twitter, said I should refer to the State of the Environment Report in Georgia for an explanation. In the past ten years, this country has seen a sharp increase in the number of old diesel cars on the roads, and there is practically no inspection of the level of environmental pollution:
“In Georgia, the public transport system is not well developed, and therefore a significant proportion of the population uses cars, which are the preferred mode of transport in the country. As a result, the number of passenger cars has increased dramatically over the past decade and has nearly doubled in the past five years.
The vast majority of purchased cars are old cars imported from abroad, and the average age of passenger cars in Georgia is 10-15 years. Diesel vehicles are very popular.
Checking cars for serviceability is currently not carried out in Georgia, so many cars on the roads of this country are in poor technical condition. Periodic exhaust gas checks are also not carried out. Low-quality fuel, which is now abundant in the Georgian market, quickly damages exhaust catalytic converters. As a rule, car owners remove damaged catalytic converters and do not replace them with new ones, which leads to an increase in harmful emissions from the car. The organization of traffic in Georgian cities still leaves much to be desired, and traffic jams happen quite often there. All this leads to an increase in emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere.
Kovacs of Soviet industry: old manganese mines, for example, still emit a huge amount of harmful substances into the atmosphere.
5) It is impossible to avoid air pollution! Over time, as countries become richer, they begin to invest more money in cleaning technologies that improve air quality - currently China is actively engaged in this. A fairly large section of the IEA report is devoted to describing measures and programs that will reduce the total number of deaths due to air pollution by 3.3 million people by 2040.
These measures include installing emission controls on cars and power plants in developing countries, as well as providing people with access to clean fuels for cooking and space heating (a major source of indoor air pollution).
Why is it so difficult to prevent indoor air pollution?
I have previously written about the problem of indoor air pollution, which is responsible for about half of the pollution-related deaths each year. The problem is that 2.7 billion people, mostly rural poor, still burn wood, dung and other solid fuels to light and heat their homes and cook their meals. Particulate pollution from kerosene lamps and wood stoves is deadly.
To prevent indoor air pollution and thus save 3.5 million lives each year, people need to have access to cleaner stoves and fuels. This includes ovens with a more advanced ventilation system. Or stoves that use liquefied hydrocarbon gas, which, when burned, produces less harmful substances than wood. Or connect houses to electric networks.
What are the barriers to doing this? The IEA report details some of them. Currently, burning wood or coal in traditional stoves is much cheaper for people than alternative heating methods, despite the extremely high level of harmful emissions. Consider, for example, fuel consumption data in India.
The cost of a traditional wood-burning stove costs an Indian family less than 5% of their monthly income. The “better stove” with ventilation is cleaner, but the cost of it is already 15% of the monthly income of the family. An even cleaner stove that uses liquefied petroleum gas would cost 40% of a family's income. And electric stoves are even more expensive.
Context
Ukraine: fighting threatens the environment
The Washington Post 03.06.2016Defense or ecology - what is more important?
Sveriges Radio 08.06.2015Eco-post saves not only the soul, but also nature
Yle 03.04.2015The Indian government has already launched a subsidy program for the purchase and maintenance of cleaner stoves, but this is not always enough, according to the IEA report. “Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove suppliers often face challenges in developing the market in areas with low population density and poor road infrastructure,” the report says. “Until the infrastructure is in place to ensure uninterrupted supply, consumers will avoid switching to new types of stoves.”
Moreover, many people simply do not know about the dangers of burning wood or manure indoors, so they do not want to switch to more advanced types of stoves, even if they have the opportunity to do so. The report states: "This is why campaigns to promote better stoves tend to have an important educational component, educating people not only about the proper use of improved stoves, but also about their impact on health."
It is also worth considering a number of factors that positively affect the environment. In 2013, Sunil Nautiyal wrote an amazing article for the Journal of Mountain Science about how the shift from wood-burning stoves to LPG stoves in parts of India has reduced the rate of deforestation.
The IEA estimates that providing universal access to cleaner stoves could cost the world $55 billion by 2040. This is a tiny amount compared to the $1.1 trillion that would be required to provide access to electricity to the 1.2 billion people who currently do not have it. And cleaner stoves could save 3.5 million lives a year. Of course, we must move in both directions, but the fight against indoor air pollution could bring us significant dividends.
The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.
Introduction 2 1 The main functions and structural mechanisms of society as a social system 4 2 Structural elements of society 7 3 Subsystems of society responsible for the implementation of basic functions 8 4 Cultural system and public consciousness 12 5 Modern society according to Pason's theory 14 Conclusion 17
Introduction
We will begin our knowledge of the global world by considering the question of how modern human society is structured. After all, each of us lives in a certain society, is a citizen of a certain state, part of a certain people. This means that a certain number of people, united by a common origin, a common territory and a common power, always form a kind of unity, which is called "society". How is the life of people together? What are the conditions under which this life will reproduce? Who should do what in society? The theory of society must answer these and other questions. But such a unified scientific theory still does not exist. The fact is that in social science, unlike natural science, the object of study is not nature, but a person endowed with consciousness, his activity and social relations. In addition, in social science it is extremely difficult to apply the rigorous methods of research used in natural science and based on mathematics. And if in the natural sciences there is usually a certain number of theories explaining any object, and their reliability is accessible to objective, scientific verification, then in social science the situation is noticeably different. There are quite a lot of theories explaining society here, and there are practically no ways to verify their truth. The question of man's place in the world was inevitably associated with attempts to identify or establish the laws by which human society is organized and develops. In European Antiquity Plato and Aristotle, in Far Eastern culture Confucius, in modern times N. Machiavelli, T. Hobbes and J. Locke, philosophers of Germany and France, thinkers of the Enlightenment J.-J. Rousseau, D. Diderot, Voltaire, at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries. I. Kant and G. Hegel, later K. Marx and F. Engels, O. Comte and G. Spencer, the great Russian philosophers and sociologists V. Solovyov, I. Ilyin, P. Sorokin, S. Frank tried to build their theories of society . In modern times, theories of society have appeared, largely based on new knowledge about the world and people, and have become the property of all mankind. They made attempts to reveal the laws of development of society, the features of its structures, their dependence on each other. Among those who developed these theories, we can include E. Durkheim and M. Weber, A. Schutz and N. Luhmann, M. McLuhan and F. Lyotard, E. Giddens and J. Habermas, Z. Baumann and P. Bourdieu. In this case, to get an idea of society, we will use the research of the American sociologist Talcott Parsons (see. his works: "On the structure of social action", "On social systems"). In the 60-70s. of the last century, he developed a theory that considers society as one of the types of "social system", which, in turn, is one of the forms of the "system of action". If the object of study is understood as a system, this means that all its constituent parts (any objects of nature, society, thinking) are considered in interconnection. The method of interconnection or the order of organizing the interaction of all parts of the system is denoted by the concept of structure. Devices that ensure the constancy of the method of interconnection, or order carriers, can be called structural elements. | Each object acts in coordination with the others, and they all produce | | certain result, allowing the system to survive and develop. Anything | | action system is always the satisfaction of one of its most important | | | needs. Satisfaction of needs allows the system to save | | and reproduce themselves in a relatively unchanged form - save | | | "equilibrium state". | All diverse needs can be reduced | | to the main - basic. | Activities of the system to meet certain | | basic needs is denoted by the concept of function. | | | | | | | 1 The main functions and structural mechanisms of society as a social system | | | | | The theory of society as a "social system", developed by Parsons, received | | | the name of the structural-functional theory. | She is the most | | universal and least ideological, and therefore - the most scientific. | | Its role in the development of modern social knowledge can be likened to the role | | | mechanical physics I. Newton, which became the basis of scientific | | | outlook of the New Age and made possible the technological revolution. | | | | | Of course, the structural-functional theory of society is criticized | | and clarifications. But its potential is undeniable. She offers simple | | and illustrative explanations of why any society is arranged so, and not | | | otherwise. Finally, it is in Parsons' theory that one can find the answer to the question of what | | fundamental difference between societies that are called "modern" from those | | | which preceded them and therefore are called "traditional". | |
Conclusion
We - humans - live in constant communication with our own kind. This is called the scientific term - society. The whole history of mankind is the emergence, development and destruction of societies of various kinds. However, in all societies one can find permanent properties and signs, without which no association of people is possible. The description of these properties and features makes it possible to construct a theory of society as such. The theory of society as a system is considered to be the most scientific and least ideologized. It was developed by the outstanding American sociologist of the 20th century. Talcott Parsons. To understand any human society, he believed, it is necessary to single out its structure - that which allows society to maintain its appearance and determine the main functions, that is, those types of activities without which society cannot reproduce itself. Parsons' theory is called the structural-functional theory. The function of adaptation in society is provided by the subsystem of the economy, the function of goal-setting - by the subsystem of politics, the function of coordination - by the subsystem of law, the function of integration - by the subsystem of socialization. People have a consciousness that allows us to know the world and evaluate it. Cognition and evaluation are the essence of culture as a system that acts as a control level in relation to society as a social system. At this level, social consciousness is created in various forms. All societies can be divided into two main classes - traditional and modern. Globalization is a product of the activities of modern societies. Thus, it becomes possible to consider society as a substantially autonomous reality, not reducible to the sum of the individuals that form it. Translating this philosophical statement into the language of sociology, we have the right to refer society to a special class of real social groups. From the foregoing, it becomes clear that real social groups are based on the systemic interaction of the subjects that form them. Such interaction creates special integral realities of joint activity that go beyond individual human actions and influence their content, largely determining it. This is how real groups are arranged, in which individual actions of people are woven into a system of organized interaction, and each individual has a place and his own role (his status and his function) in collective activity. The presence of such collective activity, directed by supra-individual interests, goals, values, norms and institutions, is the main and decisive feature of a real social group, different from the sum of the individuals that form it. From the point of view of the Vedic theory, all of humanity, despite external differences, strives for the same goals. We want to live forever, have perfect knowledge, and be perfectly happy. If you study the history of human society, you can see that the activities of all states were aimed precisely at these goals. But, unfortunately, now we do not have a single example where it would be possible to show the possibility of achieving these goals by people. You can pay attention to modern Western society from the point of view of material perfection, but spiritual degradation is obvious. Many people lose the meaning of life and become a burden to their environment. There is no doubt that the Western concept of the development of the world does not lead to the achievement of a harmonious coexistence of material and spiritual well-being. Are there other models for the development of society? Yes. By studying the Vedic scriptures, which are more than 5,000 years old, we can find descriptions of the most ancient Aryan culture, in which human society achieved unity with nature and God, which has no analogues in modern history. This culture was built on four foundations or paths of development of society: dharma, artha, kama, moksha.
Bibliography
1. Kuznetsov V.G., Kuznetsova I.D., Mironov V.V., Momdzhyan K.Kh. Philosophy: Textbook. - M.: INFRA-M, 2004. - 519 p. 2. Polyakov L. V. Social science. Book for teachers http://www.prosv.ru/umk/obshestvoznanie/index.html 3. http://www.i-u.ru/
The history of everything in the world, the subtleties of evolution and the difficulties with self-determination
To bookmarks
The Mindvalley Authors blog team has published a list of seven books that, according to the authors, help to better understand the structure of the world and re-evaluate their views.
1. A Brief History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
“Remember your boring school textbooks? Most likely no. This book will change the way you look at science,” writes the author of the material. In A Brief History of Nearly Everything, Bryson, who is known for his travel writing, describes scientific facts and inventions in simple terms, intertwining them with the stories of pioneers in various fields. "You will finally be able to understand complex scientific terms and theories - from gravitational constants to ways to calculate the mass of the Earth."
The author also draws attention to the stories described in the book about how inventors came up with new ideas. He believes that the main message of the work is that a person can achieve a lot - especially when trying to solve the unsolvable.
Excerpt from the book:
Some scientists now believe that up to 200 trillion tons of bacteria can live under our feet, forming the so-called subsurface lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystems, abbreviated as SLiME. Thomas Gold of Cornell University has calculated that if you take all the bacteria from the depths of the Earth and dump them on the surface, they will cover the planet with a layer 1.5 meters thick. If his calculations are correct, then there could be much more life under the Earth than on the surface.
2. Why beautiful people have more daughters by Satoshi Kanazawa and Alan Miller
The book collects ideas about the nature of human evolution. In particular, the authors propose a theory that beautiful parents are more likely to have daughters than sons - in this way, nature ensures the continuation of the human race. According to the authors, the main advantage of girls over rivals in the struggle for a young man is precisely beauty, but for boys this is not so important - and evolution provides them with such an advantage.
“Many of the assumptions in this book are controversial, but it will help you understand why you did things the way you did in certain situations,” writes the Mindvalley Authors team.
3. Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari
“This book opened my eyes. And this is the best work that I have read - and in any field, ”the author of the note writes. The book describes the history of mankind. Harari writes that in the past there were at least six subspecies of humans on Earth, but all but Homo Sapiens eventually became extinct. He reveals the reasons why Homo sapiens were able to gain dominance on the planet and how man evolved.
“Regardless of skin color, ethnicity and history, we have more in common than different. But unfortunately, we remain predictable primates,” the author concludes.
Excerpt from the book:
Capitalist and consumer ethics are two sides of the same coin, two complementary commandments. The first commandment of the rich man: "Invest." The first commandment for everyone else: "Buy!"
Most of the older ethical systems offered people difficult choices. A person could count on eternal bliss, but this required tolerance and compassion from him, he had to free himself from greed and anger, to renounce selfish interests. For most, this was a daunting task. The history of ethics is a sad tale of beautiful ideals that no one lives up to. Most Christians do not imitate Christ, most Buddhists do not find the strength to follow the Buddha, the sight of most Confucians Confucius would have had a stroke.
Today, most people happily follow the capitalist-consumerist ideal. The new ethic promises paradise, provided that the rich remain greedy and try to make more money, and the masses give free rein to their desires and buy and buy without measure. The first religion in history whose followers do exactly what they are called to do. But how do we know that we will be rewarded by getting paradise? Oh yes, we were told on TV.
4. True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer
"To understand why Americans voted for Trump, it's worth reading two historians: Plato and Eric Hoffer." The True Believer was published in the 1950s. Hoffer, according to the author of the selection, became a legend in his field and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom - one of the two highest awards in the United States, which is awarded personally by the president of the country.
Excerpt from the book:
There is a tendency to judge a race, a people, or a certain group of people by their unworthy members. Although this is clearly unfair, there is some truth in it, for, indeed, the character and fate of a group is often determined by its worst elements.
The average people of a nation, for example, constitute its inert mass. The life of decent average people who do the main work in the cities and villages of the country is subject to the constant influence of a minority from two sides - a minority of the best and a minority of the worst.
Outstanding personalities - whether in politics, literature, science, the financial and commercial field or industry - play a significant role in the formation of the whole people, as well as personalities of the other extreme - losers who have not found a place in life, pariahs, criminals and all, who lost their position in society or never had it. The game of history usually involves the best and the worst, and the game is played over the heads of the majority sitting in the middle.
The lower elements of the people can exert a noticeable influence on the course of events because they absolutely do not value the present. They consider their own lives and everything present to be irreparably corrupted, and therefore they are ready to squander and destroy both of them to the ground: hence their recklessness and desire for chaos and anarchy. They still passionately strive to dissolve their distorted and meaningless "I" in some kind of soul-saving social performance - hence their tendency to united actions. That is why they are among the first recruits of the revolution, mass migrations, religious, racial or chauvinist movements: they put their stamp on these upheavals and movements that create the character and history of the nation.
5. Abundance by Steven Kotler and Peter Diamandis
“Stop looking at depressing news headlines and focus on positive trends. It will remind you of human potential and that we are all moving forward. The media focuses on negative news because our brains react more sharply to danger than to positive events.
If all you do is read the newspapers, then you are likely to be afraid of a lot of things, and often make choices based on fear. In fact, the world is getting better and safer every day. Teach yourself and your children not to give up and not worry about our future.
6. The Taboo Book on Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts
In the book, Alan Watts, in a light and sometimes humorous form, explains why a person needs to fulfill himself and why it can be difficult for him to find his destiny. "We need a new experience, not a new religion," says the author.
Excerpt from the book:
Unconditional adherence to any religion is not just intellectual suicide, it is a positive manifestation of disbelief, because the mind of a fanatic is completely closed to new possibilities of seeing the world, while true faith primarily implies trust, openness to the unknown.
A zealous follower of Jehovah's Witnesses once tried to convince me that if God really loved mankind, He would certainly give him a book that could become a reliable and unshakable guide for him. I told him that no sane God would deal such a crushing blow to the human mind. Indeed, in this case, a person's life would become monotonous - he would not need to think about anything, it would be enough just to look into one book, the Bible, which gives answers to all questions. Meanwhile, the use of words, and therefore of the book, suggests that they point to something other than themselves - to a world of life experience that includes more than just words or ideas. Books are not real life in the same way that money is not real, consumable wealth. Blind worship of scriptures is like eating paper money.
Therefore, I want the book that slips furtively from my hands into the hands of my children to be itself slippery. Reading it, they must slip and fall into a new dimension - the realm of feelings and sensations, and not just ideas. It should become a temporary medication, not a permanent diet; the starting point from which the journey begins, and not the absolute authority for all time. They will read it, and that will be enough, because if it is written well and clearly, they will not need to return to it again and again in search of hidden meanings and to clarify vague ideas.
We don't need a new religion or a new Bible. We need a new experience - a new awareness of what it means to be yourself.
7. "Death in a black hole and other cosmic difficulties" by Neil deGrasse Tyson
According to the Mindvalley Authors team, the book answers many questions about space, and shows why people are so reverent about "a tiny speck in the sky."
Excerpt from the book:
Please note that where you gain in the breadth of the range, you lose in accuracy - we perceive the intensity of the signals of the surrounding world in a logarithmic, and not in a linear scale. For example, if the intensity of a sound is increased by 10 times, this change will seem insignificant to the ears. Double the intensity and you won't notice a difference at all.
The same applies to the ability to capture light. If you happen to observe a total solar eclipse, then you probably noticed that the disk of the sun must be covered by the moon by at least 90%, and only then will anyone say that the sky seems to have darkened. The brightness scale of stars, the well-known acoustic decibel scale and the seismic scale of earthquake strength are built on a logarithmic basis, largely because this is how we naturally hear, see and feel the world around us.
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