27 Aug God and Religion
God is the knowledge that we are all connected. Religion is about rules which connect its adherents and exclude others; the antithesis of God....
26 Aug Geographic variations in the perception of god
God plays different roles in Eastern and Western religions. In the East, God is everything. The universe is a manifestation of God. God is a path through which we connect and are one with everything. In the West, God is an administrative law judge....
24 Aug Heraclitus 1
"The one is made up of all things, and all things issue from the one." God is that which is within and unfolds into the infinite manifestations of the universe, the without. We are never lacking (never without) as what's without is always within....
23 Aug Guiding Lights
Kanako Iiyama Sunset, August 22, 2020, Kaizouji Temple, Kyoto, Japan....
22 Aug Mitigating Problems
Anticipating a problem lessens its consequences. When we envision problematic events, we can adjust accordingly and mitigate their consequences. As problems initially unfold slowly and then suddenly, when we identify problems unfolding slowly we can to some extent get out of their harm's way before they unfold suddenly. However, many of us fear envisioning potential problems as doing so makes us anxious; thus we suffer the consequences of our blinding fears....
20 Aug Idi Amin
“There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech.” Freedom of speech is the foundation of a well-functioning state, unlike Uganda when Idi Amin ruled it. Considering many independent perspectives allows us the wisest choices (the wisdom of the crowd). Today, however, often there is no freedom after speech as unpopular opinions are denied social media access or those who voice their opinions are marginalized and attacked by those uncomfortable with perspectives that don't comport with their own. This is how a state begins to slide into monolithic thinking and loses its ability to adapt to changing circumstances which ultimately leads to its demise....
16 Aug The Mystic
In life there are always more variables than equations. Hence, there are forever unknowns and a rational approach to solve all of life's mysteries is a fool's errand. Only through the realm of the divine can we truly know the unknowable. This is the role of the mystic. The etymology of the word mystic is via Latin from Greek mustikos from mustēs 'initiated person,' from muein 'close the eyes or lips.' An initiate is someone who has been, often via rituals, admitted into a secret or obscure society or group. Closing the eyes means dispensing with conventional views. Closing the lips means not telling others of your secret society membership as in so doing you might be perceived as mad; as only those who can imagine the mystical experience can see it. By definition, a mystic is one who by contemplation and self-surrender seeks to obtain unity with God or who believes in the spiritual understanding of truths that are otherwise beyond the rational. In the play of life the role of the mystic is unlikely to win an Academy Award as it's generally a supporting role with few lines. However, otherwise it's good to be cast as a mystic as it makes for a fascinating experience. While I am who I am, professionally as an actor in the play of life I'm an eccentric mystic or at least I hope so as otherwise I must be mad. In any event, it's much fun....
15 Aug Peace brings abundance
When the world is at peace, there's a ever-bigger piece of pie for each of us. At war, each warring state fights for peace on its own terms and ever-smaller pieces of pie....
14 Aug Ice-T
"No lives matter." "Black lives matter" is a moral complaint against inequity in the existing social order. "All lives matter" is a self-righteous response that implies all people are equal and negates the existence of an inequitable social order. It's dismissive of the complaint. "No lives matter" reflects the reality; the incarceration rate, domestic murder rate and casualties and fatalities in overseas military adventures. Those for whom we march and cry "black lives matter" are memorialized with dignity, respect and fancy funeral ceremonies. In other words, respect for the dead but not for the living....
13 Aug Externalities vs Potentialities
When I was 12 years old in school in America, one day in class the geography teacher explained that many countries today are categorized as "underdeveloped" but years earlier were referred to as "backward" which is more pejorative. Then, one of the girls in the classroom blurted out: "Those countries are strange, I'd rather be called backward than underdeveloped." To some in the developed world, externalities are more important than potentialities....