Hi!
My name is Joe of Earth, the person behind The Biocrat. Which is obviously not my real name.
Because it doesn’t really matter. I’m nothing but another Joe trying to best navigate the complexities and ambiguities of an individual and collective existence. Here. And Now.
I chose not to use my name simply because I want the focus to be always on the topic, not the author. I’m not a professor, politician, pastor or philosopher. I don’t have any credentials to show, or any gains to collect. This is not part of some scheme to achieve whatever materialistic goal, not a devious publicity stunt, or any form of political play. I’m really nobody.
But I’m also THIS only nobody.
Unique as all living creatures are, and thankfully aware enough to dare to keep questioning, solving, and hoping. As Joe of Earth, the outcome of all this effort is irrelevant, and therefore, its honesty completely undisputed.
I know that if we move towards some form of global awareness, it will not happen in my lifetime.
But what life would I’ve really had, if I hadn’t dared to imagine something better? How to provide hope to my son, without making a real effort addressing present and future challenges? Without showing, not just telling?
And the truth is, it’s not that difficult. Complex, yes. But not difficult. I don’t have to invent the wheel, or the next big thing. I seriously doubt that anything in here is actually new. I expect that readers and listeners point out how similar the content is to a particular thinker, activist, author or saint. There have been many, many Biocrats throughout history. And there are many out there, right now.
On a more personal note, this Joe can tell you some things about him that will, hopefully, add some context to this project.
I’m a Gen X. I’m a Dad. I’m from a non-English speaking country. And I’ve had a very fulfilling life thus far. Lots of pain. And lots of joy.
I grew up on the building floor right above the only cinema in town. I was raised by a teacher and a bartender, and a devoted grandmother that got me reading the bible for 500 people at Sunday mass, at the age of 12.
I had someone else in my early life, that not only took care of me, but showed me the unlimited range of what one individual could aim, could aspire to solve, through relentless questioning. Someone who had the infinite patience to teach me all the board and card games you can imagine. Someone who spent most of his adult life searching for the mathematical formula of the Soul, up until he was mentally annihilated by a schizophrenia diagnosis. In many ways, the genesis of everything in here, can be traced to all those moments with him.
My health was also not the best. In a pre-Internet age, while in bed, I devoured all sorts of books, comics, television documentaries and shows, and of course, at least a once a week trip downstairs, to the cinema. Information from all sides, sharpening my imagination.
Later on, I was far from being a secluded teenager. I played in an alternative rock band, and in the local basketball team. I began bartending with my father at the age of 14. I had a nice time in high school and college, and even with some inevitable mistakes and dark moments during that period, I always smile when looking back at those days.
Not as common is the fact that I never drove a car, or any vehicle for that matter, by choice. Something I am reminded of, to this day, with the same look of disbelief and dismay. Like if I was some sort of alien.
And yet, I’ve lived and worked in three different continents, met dozens of interesting people, and have more than a few nice stories to tell my son.
I’ve learned the importance of diplomacy and diversity. Get different perspectives, be more empathetic with other cultures. Respect, and value, those exquisite conversations that may lead to unpredictable outcomes.
Conversations that ultimately help to a better understanding, a better co-existence. And better solutions.
As The Biocrat, I’m putting forward the lessons I’m still learning, never, ever, in order to sell you my perspective as the path to follow. That would be ridiculous, even insulting.
The only real purpose of this project is to trigger those thought-provoking conversations, across a variety of subjects that add up to our own existential doubts, present challenges and most importantly, the immense possibilities of our future. Without being juvenile, or naive. Without underestimating the complexity of the world today. Without trying to fix things before understanding – and agreeing on – the problems.
The Biocrat starts, therefore, as a conceptual project, trying to move scattered definitions of everyday words closer together, offering a simpler, yet broader, meaning to them. This compound of definitions sets the stage for the comprehension of what we are dealing with in our daily lives, and hopefully how we can change the course.
But it’s far from being a linear presentation of definitions and constant pondering of serious questions. These remarks are as fluid as everything around us is. It is not a book, a guide or a manifesto. It’s Life. And being aware of that, some of the pieces will probably sound like incoherent rumbles, failed comedy bits, or far-fetched fictional hallucinations. Some might even be offensive to some. I will do my best to take that into account, and apologize in advance, knowing that it was never my intention to do so. And I will learn.
Finally, I just want to express my full appreciation for your visit. Whatever the path you took so far, in your own, unique, tale of magnificence, you are here. Now. And I thank you for that.
In case you wish to further support this project, spread the notion that we can, collectively, and with the tools and knowledge presently available, come up with a better plan. All, so that, in a not so distant future, the next generations can build a new societal system. One that not only tackles, but definitely solves many of the unnecessary, self-imposed, painful shackles that are stopping us from moving forward as a civilization, as a species, and as a planet.
Yours truly
Joe of Earth / The Biocrat