TED Community » Jason sinclair

More About Me

I'm passionate about

everything that promotes humanity as a whole.

An idea worth spreading

If there is one theory that binds everything then it must come down to one or two substances which make up the whole universe. Theoretically it cannot be any other way. This substance must have all the attributes of every other substance in the universe.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.80 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Talk: Rory Stewart: Why democracy matters

  Nov 4 2012: Two problems i see with democracy. #1 People are not held responsible for their vote. With choice comes responsibility. There needs to be some kind of system where people can be held responsible for how and what they vote for. #2 every single person, business and group has embraced the power of an online world to make communication easier EXCEPT politicians. We could have true democracy right now by voting on every single issue instead of the draconian representative situation, whereby we are lied to etc etc.. by having to vote for a representative every four years. Also, education misses some issues at a street level. Like in ancient systems politicians should have to go through life lessons where they are tested not just go to some high level university and thats it. Politicians are increasing stupid ironically as a result and lastly there needs to be protection by groups, especially wealthy groups who can manipulate democracy through the use of media and donations to political parties. etc.. We all learnt history and people at the top will not want to relinquish their power base because power is extremely addictive . Again, only a revolution will sort it out naturally and i would suggest that is what is indeed happening although few are aware of this progression.

• A comment on Conversation: Do we Ignore incarcerated men, women and juveniles or help Restore them back into community?

  Jun 4 2012: http://cafewitteveen.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/3xccd.jpg

• A reply on Conversation: Do we Ignore incarcerated men, women and juveniles or help Restore them back into community?

  Jun 3 2012: I have to say also, the real justice program may have influenced me later without realizing it.
  
  Secondly, without the support of people who work in the system who had the ability to give me humanity, i can not say i would have survived. It is these people who hold society up. Not the system. So keep up your good work even when you can't see the changes happening. :) Keep believing that most human beings are actually good when given a chance.
  
  "Be the change you wish to see in the world" -ghandi

• A reply on Conversation: Do we Ignore incarcerated men, women and juveniles or help Restore them back into community?

  Jun 3 2012: I think edan east has some valuable contributions and i think it is worth while investigating the convergence of contradictions arising in this conversation without getting personal
  .
  I think there are different levels. It reminds me of that song which has the following lines "any love is good love, so i took what i could get"
  
  One level is in the individual. That is a personal journey and it is what i hope to represent. The personal journey.
  
  The second level is in the current system in place and how people within that system can provide better aid to people. Which is what this thread is about.
  
  The third level is how society can change to improve the conditions of all it's people which is an angle Edan East is taking.
  
  I think every level is worthy of discussion.
  
  The thing is we are people who care and we are in a position to enact positive change.
  
  Don't worry about the one 1% who are psychopaths. Worry about the 1% who actually care.
  
  The United states has the highest population of prison inmates per population of anywhere in the world. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_pri_per_cap-crime-prisoners-per-capita
  
  This has to be an alarming statistic for a country which presents itself as the leader in the value of human liberty.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_incarceration_timeline-clean-fixed-timescale.svg
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_drugs
  
  I think all these levels need to be investigated for anyone who cares about human liberty.
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  A comment on Talk: Nicholas Christakis: The hidden influence of social networks

  Jun 2 2012: Problem i had with the conclusion of this speech. Basically the statement that social networks are associated with goodness. How does this relate to nazism? I am assuming that nazism in Germany rose through social networks that were so intertwined it was impossible to not support the nazi party even if you chose not to. Where in the fabric does that lie?

• A reply on Talk: Aubrey de Grey: A roadmap to end aging

  Jun 2 2012: Ironic.
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  A reply on Conversation: Do we Ignore incarcerated men, women and juveniles or help Restore them back into community?

  Jun 2 2012: Just as a finishing note for background: I grew up in a single parent home in a poor neighborhood. I was the first person in my family's known history to go to university. My niece is studying law, my nephew architecture, another niece psychology.

• A reply on Conversation: Do we Ignore incarcerated men, women and juveniles or help Restore them back into community?

  Jun 2 2012: Regarding Real Justice... reading the website i realized i was actually a part of this when i was first ever caught doing something as a teenager. I am Australian.
  
  It must have been in the early 1980's.
  
  I think it was very embarrassing and i wasn't really ready for it.
  
  I think if it is given as a choice then it will be very effective and i think the key parameter is choice.
  
  If a judge imposes it as part of a sentence i think it can backfire.
  
  If the offender could have the ability to go off and state what they did wrong in their own time and draw their own conviction/punishment and how they were going to create restitution then i think it is a very potent tool. Obviously, there are a lot of problems to be overcome in such a situation. The program has probably matured well. I shall read more about it.
  
  Australia is an interesting case study because the government involvement is a lot stronger than the US. The Australian government traditionally is more of a mix between socialist and capitalist societies. We have a very strong social welfare system. We also have a history of criminality, being basically a prison state at inception. That is of course separate from the traditional owners who have inhabited the country for 40,000 years.
  
  A society i believe, should be judged not by the public relations campaigns they push but how they treat their weakest members. A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. Ironically that is also a criminal saying... " a lock is only as strong as its weakest point" another valuable lesson on security.
  
  At the end of the day, choice for reformation cannot be pushed. A society which has its long term interests at heart is patient. I think a key ingredient is on the one hand supporting those who want to make change and rectify their mistakes and on the other maintaining a strong hand of law on those who don't. It is here where a lot of problems arise and having people who are wise in positions to make decisions valuable.

• A reply on Conversation: Do we Ignore incarcerated men, women and juveniles or help Restore them back into community?

  Jun 2 2012: Regarding statistics: I left 1st year psychology because in my university at least, there was a culture of making statistics fit your agenda. I do not know whether this was because it was encouraged from the top down but certainly there were strong indications that this was so, especially where funding was concerned (ie. the agenda of the funding body whether commercial or government was pushed) However, the model of control studies is a great model and allows for anyone to replicate, discuss and reinterpret. So with great care and careful approach statistics is a valuable tool agreed.
  
  Colleen: Thank you. I am not or have ever worked in the Justice/correctional system. However, i have helped many people who are a part of the system, especially those who are post incarcerated. I suppose the best way to describe this is by coincidental meetings.
  
  What i represent is someone who doesn't fit the idea of what prisoners become. Not only did i not become a re offender, but i went to university and received high honors, started my own business and have been in control of multi thousands of dollars while maintaining very high levels of integrity. I have used the positive aspects of my experience to my advantage or converted the negative aspects into positive aspects. For instance, having faced many life threatening experiences where i was certain i was going to die, i can tolerate massive amounts of confusion and aggressive attacks without loosing my cool. I can be threatened with death and it doesn't phase me as much as it would someone else. I also learn valuable tools like the best way to get what you want to achieve is through patience.
  
  For me, I stand as an example and that is the strongest and most potent form of enabling change in others. I do this not because of societies merit but rather because of spiritual reasons. It doesn't seek instant results... it is a seed that is planted.
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  A reply on Conversation: Do we Ignore incarcerated men, women and juveniles or help Restore them back into community?

  Jun 1 2012: The idea of creating a system where you you have an us against them system which is already perpetuated by personal experiences as children is a major stumbling block. Within the prison system is a rigid set of laws created by those inmates who have already been let down and the laws are much harsher than in society generally. If you dare speak publicly about plans or prison politics you will generally get a death sentence. This death sentence can be carries out by anyone and because people are trying to make a name for themselves, usually, is not hard to find.
  
  A lot of inmates found this law system better than the one offered outside because it is black and white. It is known. The law system is full of grey areas and you constantly see people with money evade justice or create it so justice favors them and their situation. The law has become very complicated and supports those that have money. The treatment of poor people in the US justice system really is a joke... further perpetuating distrust.
  
  Now the question being asked here is how do we restore these people back to society?
  It is not an easy question and has a number of problems. I believe everyone should work together on this. Social workers have great insight but often are taken advantage of. Prison guards probably have the best insight after prisoners themselves, however have worked with structures whereby its impossible to reform. Prisoners need to get over themselves and their past hurts and stop trying to hide it all by acting tough. It's their actions which create harm and they need to take responsibility. They need to make up for what they have done wrong and not just spending time in prison. They need to go out and help others.
  We all make mistakes and all mistakes can be rectified. There is not a crime which can not be made up for.
  
  So Mark johnston has a good goal. He is retired but yet still continues his mission to empower and to transform and i think that is a very valuable goal indeed.