21 Feb

Posted at 17:00h in Framework

Intelligence is having strong cognitive abilities. Wisdom is good judgement. Those who are intelligent do well at analyzing complex data. Data by its nature is historical. The intelligent are good at explaining the past. The wise are good at assessing current situations and determining the likelihood of future outcomes. From early childhood our intelligence is measured by tests and school grades. This is a easy measurement as it's ex-post. Those perceived as highly intelligent are put on fast tracks and given many opportunities to excel to the top of their classes or organizations. They excel at many technical skills like  math and verbal communication. Their minds can be microscopic and/or telescopic, able to view that about which people of average intelligence seem clueless.  They can make sense of an otherwise ambiguous past which gives them and their audience confidence in their ability to predict how things will transition in the future. However, there is little relationship between those who most convincingly understand the past and those who are best at predicting the future. As everything is forever transitioning and everything is unique, using the past as a basis to predict the future puts limits on one's imagination. This is significant as we can't see what we can't imagine. The wise are best at assessing current situations and predicting how they will transition over time.  Their wisdom is generally more valuable than the perspectives of those considered intelligent. However, it is difficult to measure and identify those who are wise. To do so would require measuring ex-ante outcomes which would take time for forecasts to be realized (or not) and require many forecasts.  Moreover, excellent forecasters give different scenarios percentage probabilities which is not what an interested audience generally wants as percentages don't give their audience as much confidence about going forward as do definitive forecasts. Thus, because of the difficulties of measurement and little demand by the general public, identifying those who are wise is not done systematically. However, those in the interested audience who are self-confident want forecasts from those who are wise, not those who are intelligent. The difference between the intelligent and the wise is clear as academics are intelligent and successful business people tend to be wise (and/or lucky). Academics are great at explaining the past and confidently predicting the future. But if the value of an individual's contribution to society is simply measured by the amount of money they earn, academics aren't highly valued as predictors. Successful business people are paid considerably more for their predictive abilities as they are able to profit from correctly predicting future markets and cost-effectively providing what those market want. They are wise. A good metaphor is the hedgehog and the fox. Hedgehogs are best at digging through a hedge. But that's all they can do well, like an idiot savant who is narrowly intelligent. The fox doesn't do anything particularly well but can consider many approaches to obtaining what he wants. Ultimately, always bet on the fox rather than the hedgehog to survive. Modern society (more so than primitive tribal societies where wise elders are often consulted) are led by those considered intelligent. This often results in relatively poor choices. As our social system doesn't measure and identify those who are wise, how do we personally identify them? The fox would say to not listen to those most intelligent and best at explaining the past as they are unlikely to be good predictors of the future; best to take advice from those who know the past as a multifaceted amalgam of not necessarily related events and can speak of the future in probabilistic terms....

18 Feb

Posted at 01:00h in Framework

From Reddit: "An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger." The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?" "Oh, I don't know," said the atheist. "How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?" as he smiled smugly. "Okay," she said. "Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?" The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmm, I have no idea." To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss God, Heaven and Hell, or life after death, when you don't know shit?" And then she went back to reading her book."   What makes this story funny is that it reveals certain truths and there's nothing more funny than the truth. The little girl is curious as she observes an odd transition in life (as that of the grass). She is reading a book as she has an interest in learning. She values her time and doesn't simply want to kill it as the atheist suggests they do. As a little girl she may not know much but does know that as the atheist doesn't know much about what human nature finds repulsive (he doesn't know shit), he unlikely knows much about spiritual matters. As well, as he thinks he's intelligent (as he deems himself a good judge of her intelligence) and is adamant about his views, he is not open to other possibilities, lacks wisdom and not worth talking with....

31 Jan

Posted at 19:23h in Framework

In the Bible, God creates man in his own image and hosts him in the Garden of Eden with plants and fruit trees for his sustenance. Among the fruit trees are the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. However, God forbids man to eat the fruit of these trees. Man nonetheless eats the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Upon realizing man has eaten the forbidden fruit, God declares that man is now "like one of us [gods], knowing Good and Evil." God then banishes man from the Garden for fear man will eat the fruit of the Tree of Life which would grant man eternal life; thus, truly becoming one of the gods. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represents wisdom, the ability to see not solely from our individual perspective but through infinite perspectives as do the gods. We, the decedents of God's  creation, man, are born with the potential of unlimited wisdom. As man was banished from the Garden of Eden before having eaten the fruit from the Tree of Life, man is not born to eternal life. However, there is a way to the Garden of Eden where man can find the Tree of Life, eat its fruit and live forever. It is the righteous way, the way of God: compassion. Compassion is treating others as we treat ourselves. We can only truly have compassion when we realize that we and all others are one. This realization allows us into the Garden of Eden which is everywhere. Here we can now enjoy the fruit of the Tree of Life and be one with the universe which is eternal. Now, created in the image of God and with wisdom and compassion, we are forever; one of the gods and one with God. This is the purpose of life....

24 Jan

Posted at 11:56h in Framework

Every day is a life in a day, not a day in a life. Each night we die and are reincarnated in the morning. Each morning we choose to assume the identities of the person we were last lifetime (yesterday) and embrace the stories we've made up of who we were in past lifetimes (days passed). The identities, an amalgam of role-playing and habits, feel familiar and safe.  Others around us reinforce our self-perceptions. This is the foundation of karma. Karma is the thoughts we associate with the intentions, actions and the consequences of our actions in our past lifetimes. Karma, living in the context of previous lives, has us living in a karmic prison. Karma frames our experiences in our reincarnated life. Our karmic prison precludes us from experiencing the present as it unfolds. As life is otherwise overwhelming, our mind (which is a mnemonic device) categorizes our passed experiences and creates memories and related stories. Thus, we do not experience the present as it unfolds, we experience the categories into which our mind places present experiences.  The categories, their meanings and the stories we ascribe to them are artificial and illusionary.  However, we believe our stories are true and as such we make them real by experiencing the present in the context of our stories. Only when we are freed from our karmic prisons, we can experience the present. Good karma, bad karma Bad karma is living in a karmic prison of preconceived notions. Bad karma doesn't allow us to experience the present as it is, unadulterated by reference to the past. Good karma is learning from our past successes and failures which helps us navigate our way in the now and what's next. Bad karma creates a road on which we travel forward. It feels safe, secure, comfortable. Good karma is a light that helps us see our way forward through an ever-changing landscape of undefined roads. Bad karma leads us to living habitually, oblivious of the world about us. Good karma helps us navigate in a world in which everything is unique, engaging and has us feeling alive. Bad karma has us feeling we understand what we're doing. Good karma is knowing we know nothing. Bad karma is intelligence, the ability to analyze and make sense of the past in evermore complicated ways. Good karma is wisdom, knowing that everything can be viewed from different perspectives. Bad karma is why. Good karma is how. Bad karma is when the past overshadows the present. Good karma is the light that helps us negotiate the present as it emerges from nothingness. The popular view of bad karma is that when you treat others poorly you'll get your just deserts sometime later. When that happens, people say: "karma sucks." Likewise, good karma is the concept that when we do right by others good fortune will come our way. There is truth in these views. Karma is living in the context of the stories our mind has created.  These stories are like a storyline of a play. As the present unfolds, we view it in the context of the storyline and incorporate it into the storyline. There are several roles in the play. Our personal role is the central actor and to some extent the writer of the play. However, at times there are role-reversals and our role is that of other actors. When in our storyline we treat another actor abusively, we may find ourselves playing the role of the abused actor during role-reversal. This is retribution via bad karma. Likewise, good karma is when the storyline has us treating others well. Then, role-reversals work out well for us as, so to speak, "good things happen to good people." We have great liberty in creating our stories. Our storylines can bend to tragedy or comedy. As a tragedy we risk finding ourselves in role-reversals that are not those for which we would wish ourselves. As a comedy we are likely to be happy regardless of the role in which we find ourselves in the play. That's the enlightened view; to view the past in comic relief and come what may. Enlightenment is liberation from our karmic prison; liberation that reveals our karma was just an illusion....

21 Jan

Posted at 11:03h in Framework

Enlightenment is being one with the light. Light/energy is the essence of everything (E=M*C*C). When we realize we are one with the light, we are one with everything. As one with everything, there is no duality, no friction; just peace beyond our understanding. The word "enlightenment" is the Western translation of the Buddhist term "bodhi."  The verbal root budh- means "to awaken," and its literal meaning is closer to awakening. Presumably, prior to awakening, we are asleep. Asleep, we see the world through our mind, not our eyes. Our mind shows us a world based on the memories and stories our mind creates. Our eyes reveal the universe as it is. Human beings are a transitional species, part animal and part divine consciousness. As animals, we are finite in space (our physical being) and time (birth to death). As divine, we are one with the light and its manifestations, the universe; infinite in space and time; eternal. This realization is enlightenment. We are born as animal consciousness and as we develop we can access divine consciousness; sometimes for short moments, sometimes for much of the time. However, we cannot be fully liberated from animal consciousness as it is the cost being in bodily form; so we all toggle back and forth. As such, even those who are enlightened much of the time are still animals some of the time. As animals, they may act in ways we don't associate with enlightened beings. They may get intoxicated, lie, cheat or be abusive to others. Such behavior has resulted in the shaming and dismissal from leadership roles of many presumably spiritual/enlightened masters. That said, the faces or characteristics of enlightened beings are: Gratitude. They are grateful for their circumstances, however dire, as they know that their circumstances could always be worse. Optimism. They know that in time their circumstances will improve as the present will always be better than what's passed. Forgiveness. They forgive all who have not done right by them as what's past is passed. They don't seek retribution. They may however feel that whoever has not done right by them might not do right by them again and avoid that person. Laughter. They find much of how others think and act as funny; funny as odd; funny as laughable. What's funny is others taking their illusionary selves seriously. Childlike. They are childlike as they experience the present as unique, unlike anything they experienced that's now past; Humility. They don't perceive themselves as better than others regardless of their talents or whatever good fortune has brought their way. Non-judgmental. They accept others as they are, not grading them, holding them up to certain standards. Acceptance. They make the best of what comes their way without distractions of what could or should have been. Empirical. They learn through observing. Insightful. They have interesting insights into the nature of consciousness. The enlightened are enlightening. Those who are highly enlightened have the greatest insights. Wisdom. As they identify with the infinite manifestations of the universe, they have many perspectives. The synthesis of perspectives is wisdom. Compassion. As they don't differentiate between themselves and others, they treat others as they wish to be treated. Karmic liberation. Karma, the stories our mind has created about the past, frame our experience of the present. The enlightened experience the present free from the prison of the past. Calmness. As they meditate regularly, they are calm and clear and have little internal conflicts in making choices. Moreover, as they identify as one with everything, their lives tend to be less volatile as the universe is less volatile than any of its finite manifestations. Integrity. They do not have internal "self" conflicts where, for example, one self inside their mind tells them to have a cookie because they'll enjoy it while another tells them not to because it's not good for them. Confidence. Clear in making choices, come what may. Divine. As one with the light, the enlightened are one with God. They realize the true nature of the universe: the universe is one, a manifestation of God; it is what it is whatever it is; no beginning, no end; eternal. This is the ultimate purpose of enlightenment, to not suffer in life or death as everything is one forever....

05 Jan

Posted at 20:56h in Framework

Each of us has a somewhat different perception of reality, i.e. the nature of something. Arguments can erupt between people having different perceptions. Logic and pervasiveness are tools we use to convince others that our perception is more correct and another wrong but those who win these arguments don't necessarily have them most accurate perception. A better way to judge individual perceptions of reality is by their accuracy in forecasting how reality will unfold, as understanding the nature of something likely allows us the best guess of how it will be over time. Studies of "super forecasters" (people who are much better than most at forecasting upcoming events) have identified the following characteristics these people share: Probabilistic thinking. Nothing is certain. There is no right answer, just likely outcomes. Ability to put mathematical weights to possible outcomes. No righteousness. What happens isn't preordained, isn't necessarily a logical or moral outcome. Metaphorical thinking. Able to see unrelated situations as shedding light on the subject at hand. Curious. Engaged by thinking about how something works and driven to understand it. Open-minded. Realizing that possible outcomes are only limited by one's imagination. Economic. Good at productively allocating time and resources to information gathering. Detached/dispassionate. Able to view things from the outside in, without personal prejudices. Wise. Able to view things from many perspectives. Flexible. Openness to changing one's point of view as conditions or one's perception changes. Humble. Knowing that one will never really understand something. Accepting that other forecasts are likely more accurate. Integrity/confidence. Able to ultimately chose what one believes is the likely outcome. While few people exhibit all of the above characteristics, those lacking many of them should be cautious in taking their perceptions of reality too seriously....

29 Dec

Posted at 13:30h in Framework

Words are flowing out Like endless rain into a paper cup They slither while they pass They slip away across the universe Pools of sorrow, waves of joy Are drifting through my opened mind Possessing and caressing me Jai Guru Deva, Om Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Images of broken light Which dance before me like a million eyes They call me on and on across the universe Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe Jai Guru Deva, Om Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Sounds of laughter, shades of life Are ringing through my open ears Inciting and inviting me Limitless, undying love Which shines around me like a million suns It calls me on and on across the universe Jai Guru Deva, Om Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva The Beatles, 1968 “Jai Guru Deva, Om” is a mantra-like refrain which in Sanskrit literally means “glory to the shining remover of darkness.” However, the lyrics seem more reflective of a psychedelic journey than a meditation. Interesting is the refrain “Nothing’s gonna change my world.” Does that mean that my world will never change or that from nothing will come the light that will change my world (the shining remover of darkness)? The ambiguity of the refrain suggests that one’s person experience (“my world”) is as it is (eternal) and yet bizarrely changing with revelations when traveling across the universe....

26 Dec

Posted at 12:53h in Framework

There are times we are overwhelmed by stress, pain, multitasking, internal strife (mixed feelings about choices we need to make), depression, anxiety, etc. Overwhelmed means drowning. Drowning leads to  death as without freedom from that which overwhelms us, we are living in hell. Fortunately, there is a life vest to save us from hell: the meditation of death. The meditation of death is setting our minds to imagine we will die in the next 5 minutes. With death imminent, everything transitions from like wallpaper that's been up for years (flat and unnoticeable)  to three dimensional objects of intense beauty. Ugly, unfashionable Formica kitchen counters become beautiful abstract art. As we are energized by the beauty of everything, a calmness settles inside us and we are free from that which was overwhelming. As we continue with the meditation of death, we realize that death is a transition to becoming one with everything as we were before we were born. As one with everything, we view the universe from infinite perspectives (the essence of wisdom) and treat everything no differently than we treat ourselves (compassion). This is living in heaven, as before birth and after death.  From the perspective of heaven,  all that happens on Earth is absurdly funny. Thus, that which was once overwhelming now seems trivial, selfish and funny. To avail ourselves of the life vest, the meditation of death, we need never forget it is always near. But as we tend to be forgetful when we're overwhelmed, best to keep us from oblivion are short periodic prayers (meditations) several times a day wherein we are thankful for our circumstances as we acknowledge that there are many in the world who would love to be in our shoes (especially if they have no shoes)....

23 Dec

Posted at 14:26h in Framework

Enlightenment is overrated except by those who are enlightened. That's the essence of enlightenment: non-judgmental, acceptance, humility and joy. The enlightened are non-judgmental. To them, the world is flat, not vertical, as they don't rate their enlightened state as higher than other states of mind. They accept each state of mind as it is what it is whatever it is, to be appreciated as it can be appreciated. They are humble and as such they don't confirm the status bequeathed them by others who desire to be enlightened as they view everyone as enlightened, some more some less. Asked if they are enlightened, the enlightened would respond: I am who I am. That is, categories, descriptions and identities deny the uniqueness of everything; the enlightened know that everything is unique; hence, self-descriptions are not an enlightened view. The enlightened don't overrate enlightenment as they know the joy that springs from wisdom and compassion can never be overrated....