From Baltimore

The Operation of Morals

2010-06-10T06:39:00.001-07:00

Through the Law of Eleven and Seven, all of our actions are reduced to the direction of 18 words of guidance. We have derived the Ten Commandments largely from those eighteen words, and have seen that the Ten Commandments are completely logical, and are thus good. But what about morals? What are they?

I choose "part d", from the current on-line definition of "moral" from Merriam Websters dictionary to expound upon. That definition is: "d : sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment". I choose this definition, because morals are an individual responsibility and an individual judgment. One may stray from the guidelines of the commandments at times as an individual choice because all conscious beings have self-will, but nothing can make an individual perform a certain way, except his or her own personal choice.

People sometimes opt to do something that is clearly advised against by the Ten Commandments, (such as infidelity to a spouse or mate), simply because they want the self-gratification that they crave at that particular instant. While the Ten Commandments forbids such activity explicitly, the Law of Eleven and Seven does not. The Law of Eleven and Seven says merely to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

If a man or woman felt such strong lust as to enter into an extra-marital affair, then perhaps they would believe that it was alright for their spouse to do the same thing if the conditions were reversed. This is an internal question of morals that must be decided by the individual. Infidelity rarely has a positive outcome, but sometimes it might, as in the case of two people who are completely mismatched, and then find more suitable mates elsewhere, or a few other instances I can think of that might play out to the advantage of one or both of the individuals in a marriage or committed relationship. I generally advise against it, since the odds of it turning out for the best are usually slim, but it is a completely personal decision that must be decided by the individual. Whether it is morally wrong is a personal matter, best decided by the parties involved. (As a side note, there are many reasons why such a decision usually never works out, the largest one being that dishonesty usually is involved in the process, and dishonesty can never be accepted or tolerated in a logical system. Very few people who commit acts of infidelity do so openly or honestly. Most try to conceal their affairs and will lie to do so. Lying is never acceptable, and that byproduct of infidelity makes the act reprehensible, since it destroys trust in a relationship and poisons the intimacy that makes such close personal relationships very rewarding.)

There are much more serious moral issues in life, that cannot be immediately divined from the Law of Eleven and Seven, and which need the most sincere contemplation by individuals in order to decide that which is best. As an example, let us look at abortion.

The Law of Eleven and Seven, and the Ten Commandments both say no to abortion, because murder is always wrong, since it violates the rights of the individual. But abortion is a decision where the morals of the individuals involved must be relied upon to help to decide the best course of action. While it is always wrong to murder an individual, what about where an individual has very little chance at surviving anyway? What if the parents cannot afford expensive life-preserving techniques that would become necessary to keep a severely deformed baby alive? What if this is determined early on during the pregnancy? (Note: I will always use the term baby, since fetus is a sly trick to dehumanize the miracle of birth.)

What if a woman is brutally raped and becomes pregnant; should she be forced by morals to give life to the baby of the criminal who raped her? It is a well known fact that some criminals are genetically defective. The child might inherit the father's criminal tendencies. Not to mention the fact that every time she would look at that child, she would be reminded of the circumstances by which it was conceived. This would be a very delicate, personal decision, and would depend upon the mental constitution of the mother.

Any abortion, no matter how soon after conception is a murder of the individual that would develop, should the pregnancy carry successfully to term. However, sometimes the rights of the unborn individual cannot be protected without violating the rights of the individuals who are the parents. So it gets very difficult in some circumstances to say what is best. Since the parents are the individuals who came together to conceive the life, and since their lives may be very adversely affected by a complicated birth, or having to care for a severely handicapped child, it may be best at times, to rely on their judgment as to whether or not the baby should survive. That said, the idea of allowing a baby to develop to a viable point of survival, only to have that baby then murdered by a late stage abortion, seems so onerous that most people feel that the rights of the unborn baby should at that point be protected by law. However, killing a less-developed baby is still a murder of the individual that it would become. It's easy to see why doctors call such babies fetuses, since that makes their murder more palatable.

Morals have to be relied upon, when a judgment is not easily reached. This is why it is so important that we each have our own well-developed sense of morality, and that it is not just some knee-jerk reaction to circumstance. There are many decisions that are not easily reached, even with the guidance of our most basic laws. Deciding when we should allow nature to take its course and let someone die, can be every bit as hard as deciding whether to let a baby live. It is therefore imperative that we communicate clearly with our loved ones so that we get a strong sense of what they would want to happen, should it not be left up to them as to when they will die. Who pulls the plug, and when, is an incredibly difficult decision, and it must be guided by morals and the best judgment of those most intimately involved.

Morals allow such decisions to be made as best as possible, and they guide us in times of duress or tragedy. They help us make split-second decisions during life-threatening situations: Should we enter a burning building to save a life? Do we need to use deadly force when attacked by a criminal? Is it wrong to profit from a particular set of circumstances? The list goes on and on.

We often do not have the luxury of time in order to evaluate rapidly changing circumstances, so our morals are an established blueprint that help guide our decisions. This matrix of morals is the overlay which guides our conscience, and by definition, conscience is: "the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good".

Such is the operation of morals, to help guide our conscience.

Finally, in some of the situations cited, one moral question that always needs to asked, (especially in deciding life and death), is whether the individual should even be responsible for the decision. The baby that was effectively murdered by the choice to terminate a pregnancy, may have gone on to find a cure for cancer, or have become another Einstein, or maybe it would have just brought happiness and love to a couple who could not conceive on their own. And even as far as handicapped babies, who ever really knows how they will fare? Many premature babies or babies with severe birth defects have gone on to lead productive lives. So it should be understood, that whenever individuals make decisions of life and death, they are effectively playing the role of God. Perhaps, in many such situations, it would be best to leave such decisions to God (or fate, you choose the word or belief that best suites your personal view of the universe). When we choose to intervene in such circumstances, we must ultimately bear the responsibility and consequences of our decisions, and even moral, intelligent people can never really know all the consequences of such life and death decisions.

Deriving the Ten Commandments from Logic and the Law of Eleven and Seven

2010-05-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

As stated previously, the Ten Commandments can all be derived from the Law of Eleven and Seven. For Reference, here are the Ten Commandments, as given to Moses:

1) I am the Lord thy God... Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
2) Thou shalt not make thee any graven image... nor bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them...
3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain...
4) Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.
5) Honor thy father and thy mother.
6) Thou shalt not kill.
7) Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
8) Neither shalt thou steal.
9) Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10) Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor's wife... covet thy neighbor's house, his field, or or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbor's.

The first four commandments deal directly with how man interacts with God, and for simplicity, we will derive those last, because of their nature.

The fifth commandment says to honor your father and mother, and that is covered by the first half of the Law of Eleven and Seven, since no one would want their children to disrespect them or be disobedient, so obviously you would obey your mother and father, since you would want your children to obey you.

Commandment six says "Thou shalt not kill", and this is covered by both the first and second parts of the Law of Eleven and Seven. The rights of the individual are sacrosanct, and killing someone would be an obvious violation of their individual rights. We also would not want others to treat us that way, so the Golden Rule part of the law reiterates this.

Commandments seven and eight, (not committing adultery and not stealing), are both covered by the Golden Rule part of the Law of Eleven and Seven, since one would certainly not want to be robbed, so one does not steal, and one would not want his wife to commit adultery, so one should not commit adultery oneself.

Commandment nine says thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, and while the Golden Rule part of the law handles that, there is also a very important reason why one should never lie that is logically deduced. A lie, or any falsehood does not promote the accurate integration of reality, because it creates instability in one's truth matrix. When we break down all complex thought into its most basic logic modules, we need to be sure of our facts. Lies or deceptions make any analysis that much more difficult. So in any ordered society, all liars are the enemies of all men and women within and served by that society, for liars propagate instability in any integration of truth.

Simply put, in all complex societies, trust is essential in order that the society can best function. When you post a letter, or hand a package to the UPS or FedEx man, you trust him or her to do the best that they can to see that your package is safely delivered. The same is true with hundreds of things that we all take for granted in our complex society.

So often it is heard: "I don't trust anyone", but that is a misconception, for all of us living in complex societies trust the other members implicitly to act honorably and honestly. Otherwise, everything would become unstable and collapse far too easily. This is in fact the biggest problem in third world countries as they strive for growth and success. The rampant corruption of their leaders, and at all levels of their society thwart the individuals' best efforts and trap them in a web of corruption and evil. So one must never lie. One must act ethically and just.

Commandment number ten is basically another common sense derivative of the Golden Rule portion of the Law of Eleven and Seven, since no one would want their neighbors to be jealous of their possessions or desirous of possessing them too strongly, since it would be an invitation for mischief.

Now, we return to the first four commandments that deal with how the individual interacts with God. These four commandments are readily deduced from logic when one adopts the most simple definition of God: "God is good". But what is good? Good is the opposite of evil; it is all that helps to promote the growth of the individual to higher levels of consciousness. It is all that helps man become more godlike.

Therefore, it is only logical, that if God is good, that man would never want to have any false gods before him, since any false god would be less than pure good, and could not best help man ascend to his or her highest level of consciousness. Thus, any graven images of anything; any worship of anything but the one true God, the one true and ultimate good, would be folly. As far as the commandment that thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, that is a logical corollary considering that one's most highest held tenets must necessarily be held sacred, and therefore to demean them in any way would be unwise. God being the ultimate tenet of good, one should therefore, logically, not demean God in any way.

Finally, we must address the commandment of keeping the sabbath day holy. I don't see where anyone with any common sense would want to argue this as not being prudent. To be precise, God asks that a man or woman not use the tools with which they earn their trade on the sabbath day in other places in the bible. That seems like very sound advice to me, since anyone who works too long or too hard at any task, risks emotional and physical breakdown. A logical lifestyle that leads to good health and mental stability would coincide with one that observes a distinct day of rest from the travails of earning a living in a competitive world.

In addition, one needs to regularly contemplate in isolation or even in quiet groups in order to continually check one's progress at integrating the truths of reality. Thus, holding the sabbath day holy would seem a good practice, and logically sound advice.

Looking back, to the time in history when men were given these Ten Commandments, it is easy to see why they were needed, and indeed why they will always be needed in one form or another. The Ten commandments were given around the year 1440 or 1441 BC (using the early date for the Exodus).

Of course, the Golden Rule dates back over ten thousand years, and there are many ancient religions of India that said similar things almost ten thousand years ago. The main point here, is that all of the Ten Commandments can be derived logically from the Law of Eleven and Seven, and that they are completely logical as described.

Even an atheist who is logical, should not be against the Ten Commandments, provided that he or she has the logical fortitude to accept God as good, and not get caught in the trap of describing God in detail, for no living man can say with certainty that his concept of God is more true and accurate than another. However, one can deduce with accuracy, both from logic, and from history, that any civilized society must hold some tenets sacred and/or holy in order to have any degree of order. Therefore, a denial of God being tantamount to a denial of good, anyone who logically argues against God, also argues against good. Anyone who argues against God in government, argues fallaciously, for they argue against good in government, and in America at least, such was never the intention of the founders.

In summation, it seems quite obvious that the Law of Eleven and Seven presents no conflict to the basic tenets of Christianity, and it can be easily proven logically, that all just religions are compatible with the Law of Eleven and Seven. This is understandable, since reality preordains these laws of consciousness, which best govern the natural ascension of all conscious individuals everywhere in this reality.

(One grammar note: I used a copy of the bible that I inherited from my father to copy the commandments, dated 1938, from Concordia publishing House of Saint Louis, Missouri.)

Working Definitions of Intelligence and Consciousness.

2010-05-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

The primary thing to do here, is to lay a simplistic ground work which allows any individual to logically ascertain the validity of the previous assertion; that universal laws of consciousness exist which ultimately determine the growth and ascension of consciousness. In order to do that, just as in any mathematical proof, we must frame certain definitions upon which to build. We needn't be extremely detailed, and in fact, it is better to be general, since one may get lost in the details and spend time arguing that which is unnecessary, so here are a few working definitions of which anyone with common sense can easily ascertain the validity.

Common sense, by the way, is far more common at birth than in adulthood, since many older individuals learn and/or fabricate mystic beliefs which limit their common sense abilities. Once a mind is infected with mystic beliefs, the individual often will be loathe to change those mystic beliefs, and will continue to fabricate distortions of physical reality which are supportive to the crooked logic and distorted viewpoints at which he or she has arrived. That is again, why I want to speak in undeniable generalizations, so that it is easier for all individuals to see clearly the open framework that is built from logic. The more complex the issue or idea, the more avenues of denial and argument that appear, and that is why it is always best to break down all thoughts, arguments, and doctrines into their most basic logic modules for analysis of their validity. Otherwise, there are too many variables which need to be addressed, and the arguments grow out of proportion to the truths for which one searches.

Intelligence is easier to define than consciousness, because it is a precursor to consciousness. There must be intelligence before there can blossom consciousness. This follows from the nature of consciousness, which we shall describe next. There are many definitions of intelligence and how one may test for intelligence, so let us start with the most basic necessity of intelligence, which is memory, and build from there. The beginnings of intelligence are based in memory, which may be nothing more than a recall of external stimuli, a simple list of stimuli that is retained by an organism. Memory need not be conscious, and can be found in many lower animals, and is easily proven by a learned response to external stimuli, such as a Pavlovian response or conditioned reflex. Other simple and easily verifiable examples of such learned responses are learned reflexes of fear due to electrical shock or heat, etc. In more complex memory, the subject develops a list or a stored matrix of stimuli and it can recall them at will. Basic intelligence begins with the ability to not only recall the original stimuli but to associate them either with causes or timing or any other events that may precede, accompany, or follow the stimuli.

So as with the case of a Pavlovian response, the dog not only starts to salivate at the ringing of the bell, but it anticipates the food and shows excitement. The emotional response is a higher order of response that accompanies the conditioned reflex. It can be proven that the dog reasons this out, because if the dog is given a series of shocks which follow the bell and feeding, it will show fear at a given time just before the shock.

Higher intelligence is merely the ability to store longer lists of memories in a temporal matrix which allows more complex associations to be formed. These more complex associations combined with a higher ability to anticipate events are what we recognize as higher intelligence. Anticipation is certainly a key element of higher intelligence, since it not only requires the recall of past events or stimuli, but an ability to project into the future, and guess that which comes next. Beyond that is inventiveness, which is where the subject can not only remember and anticipate, but it can devise new tools, lay traps for its prey, and use the elements of its environment to its own best advantage. Many creatures and species on our planet are intelligent, by this definition, and we are still learning to test just how intelligent many of them are.

Consciousness can not occur without intelligence due to its nature. In order to become conscious, a creature must first develop the skill to perceive itself as unique from its environment and it must realize that it has self-will. Just as in mathematics, where in a Cartesian coordinate system, a three dimensional figure cannot be drawn or explained without at least three basis vectors of length, width, and height (or x,y, and z), an individual must first develop a "my space" or a sense of self and independence to the environment before it can be said to have "free will".

So in basic consciousness we have not only a degree of intelligence, but we have a sense of self and recognition of free will. It soon becomes apparent, that there are degrees of consciousness and the growth of consciousness is accompanied by not only a sense of self, but as it progresses, there develops a sense for others and the higher emotions of empathy and compassion are developed. As the individual progresses in his or her growth, they ultimately become more godlike. They might not be able to explain logically why they "feel" as they do as they progress, but their inner self develops a more highly attuned humanistic response.

Many religions describe such personal growth of consciousness as either attaining grace or achieving nirvana or other terms. What matters for our purposes is that we see that there is a progression from basic consciousness and a recognition of self, to a higher evolution of thought and emotion that encompasses other individuals as well as one's self.

All that is necessary here is to establish the generalized working definitions of intelligence and consciousness, which has been done. The nuances of degrees of consciousness, or at what instant the individual can actually be deemed to be semi-conscious or humanly conscious, etc does not matter here.

To prove that consciousness is controlled by preordained law that is a function of reality, we need only review our definitions and think upon them. For as soon as an individual recognizes his or her uniqueness to the external environment by becoming self aware and develops self will, then all of that individual's natural born instincts become somewhat diminished and subject to the approval of that individual. Even fear and flight for self-preservation can be subordinated to the will of the individual.

Since self-preservation in the form of eating for sustenance and shelter from the elements is a natural selection for the individual, all things that enhance the individual's ability to accomplish those tasks will naturally be better for that individual. For with plenty of food and shelter, the individual can than be free to rise to higher levels of consciousness. This has been explained many times and in many places such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs, etc.

So having achieved consciousness, the individual will naturally want to do that which brings them comfort and security, i.e. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and all things that promote those ends are inevitably sacrosanct. For as soon as the individual's growth is restricted involuntarily, the individual's rights are thus infringed. In this most basic explanation of consciousness and the birth of an individual, we see that by definition, consciousness portends growth. This is a simplified common-sense definition that is easily understood.

There are many scientific facts that seem to show that life in general exhibits "negentropy", or a negative form of entropy, and that life consistently grows more complex, which seems to defy the laws of thermodynamics that dictate that all things tend towards randomness and chaos and their lowest energy states. And while it is true that some crystals which seem more highly organized are actually at lower energy states, evolution and the ever-increasing complexity of life on our planet certainly seem to indicate that life in general is growing more complex.

However, we needn't worry or argue those things here, since just from our simple definitions, it becomes apparent, that due to its inherent nature, consciousness is an integrating force that definitely evolves into levels of increasing complexity and that consciousness is destined to continually ascend provided that the growth of the individual is not restricted.

We have not spoken about or touched on morality or any particular religious doctrines, because logic allows us to deduce these things independently of religion. We needn't ascertain the validity of any particular doctrine except beyond one simple concept: the rights of the individual are sacrosanct. For as soon as the growth of the individual is restricted, so is the natural ascension of consciousness. Just as a stone in a gravity field will follow the field into its well, so will consciousness rise to higher levels if the individual is allowed to grow. That is why reality deems that the rights of the individual are and must be sacrosanct (in order for the individual to achieve maximum mental evolution and ascension of consciousness).

We have not yet mentioned how one individual interacts with another, but the golden rule takes care of all of that, since it is purely logical to say that no individual would want to be restricted in their natural godlike growth, and therefore to ascertain that principle among all individuals, one must do unto others as one would have them do unto oneself.

This is the simplized evolution of the Law of Eleven and Seven as previously expounded. All matters of conscious life reduced to eighteen words. These two laws, locked inextricably together for clarity, form the basis for the maximum growth of all conscious individuals, and are universal in their application. All conscious life forms follow a similar path of ascension and are bound by these laws.

Therefore, all just religions, governments, and laws between men, must be subordinate to the basic laws of universal consciousness. Otherwise, they must be declared non sequitur and unjust, and they must be overturned.

The Origin of the Universal Laws of Consciousness

2010-05-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

If we accept as a given, that individuals are endowed with certain inalienable rights which include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then we might also ask: What natural laws govern such behavior and pursuits? In other words, are there laws beyond the laws of men that might be of ultimate consequence? Some might label such inviolate laws the laws of god, but we will refrain from labeling them here at this juncture.

Conscious individuals are in fact governed by universal laws that preexisted before they ever achieved consciousness.

We all know that there are laws of physics and mathematics that define physical reality, but just as physical reality preordains the laws of physics and mathematics, the nature of consciousness preordains the universal laws that optimize its growth and ascension.

Just as man has the capability of speech before he learns to speak, he also has the biological capability of ascending to higher levels of consciousness long before he learns how to do so.

The rules governing his ascension to higher levels of consciousness are much the same as those that limited his ability to speak. Mankind had to develop a working vocabulary by assigning meanings to words composed of syllables, vowels and consonants, before the individual could possibly learn to speak. It took many generations to develop a working vocabulary, since without a vocabulary, it was impossible to describe many abstract concepts. As men learned to cooperate in hunting parties many thousands of years ago, they learned how to communicate the simplest of ideas, first through sign language, and later through speech itself. These skills arose out of necessity, in order to better conduct the hunts and in order that the tribal communities that were developing could begin to develop the most simple societal functions. Later, as society became more complex, man invented and developed consciousness, largely leaving behind the inner god voice that had previously guided him. This exploding consciousness was the blossoming of the individual, and was the first time when man could lay claim to his birth right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Before man had developed his own personal "my space" and achieved consciousness, he was completely at the whim of his primitive instincts. But consciousness was a new state of reality, and with it came a new group of laws that would allow him to grow into a more godlike individual; with far greater powers of comprehension, far more complex societal relationships, and new emotions such as empathy and sympathy to guide him.

The subject of conscious reality and how individuals achieve it, as well as the various levels of conscious reality that are possible, would take many volumes to explain in detail, and much of such explanation would be open to argument and interpretation (such as how and when man first achieved consciousness), so we will not attempt to cover that here. But some aspects of consciousness are universally true and are not subject to qualitative interpretation. Such absolute truths do not vary from place to place, or from one conscious individual to another, and that is why they are labeled as absolutes.

That said, the onus is to prove the truth of such an assertion. That is relatively easy, using common sense and a couple of generalized definitions. It is necessary to define in general terms the meanings of intelligence and consciousness.

I will do this later.

The Minds of Men

2010-04-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

No matter who you are, man or woman, your mind is diseased.

It's not your fault. You have been infected and exposed to a continuous bombardment of half-truths and outright lies ever since your birth upon planet Earth. Thus, every decision that you make is to a more or less degree tainted by a mind that is riddled with diseased ideas, crooked logic, and personal biases. You need to recognize this fact, so that you may begin to be cured.

For just a few moments, let's step back and look at this picture from a third party perspective, since it is less painful that way. For certainly, it is difficult to accept for most well-educated adults, that their minds are diseased and malfunctioning. After all, what was the point of a lifetime of study and perseverance and hard work, if their learning can't inoculate and protect them from lies and tricks and manipulations of the truth?

"We all come into the world clean. Open minds eager to learn and absorb all of life."

I wrote that phrase in 2004, but even that is a half-truth, because we don't really come into the world completely clean, it just sounds good. We are born with some hard-wired prejudices and fears that we have inherited from thousands of generations of those who lived before us. Some individuals have an innate fear of spiders or snakes, or dozens of other things. And it is inherently normal in the human species to often shun that which is foreign or new, and to desire to maintain the status quo. These inherited traits and biological biases helped to preserve the human species over many tens of thousands of years.

In the modern world, where most individuals have achieved consciousness, these inherited traits can be over-ruled by logic and disciplined thought processes. But the twisted and inaccurate integration of truths as individuals grow and mature is another matter completely. Think of the hapless infants who are abused in their cribs by careless siblings and less than perfect adults. They immediately form new fears and prejudices. In fact, who knows what real effect it has on an individual to be painfully circumcised at birth? Perhaps that act in itself begins a new mistrust in the world. It would be much simpler if pain were the only problem for infants and young innocent minds, but it is not. They are immediately subjected to all the dangers of a less than perfectly controlled environment.

First their parents, then their relatives, then society and the world in general completely bombard them with the outputs of all the diseased minds which already existed on planet Earth before the individual was born. Then, when they have learned speech and some necessary habits of self-control they are sent off to school where they are indoctrinated with the latest textbook versions of history, and they are taught whatever are the current popular trends in education at that instant in time. When not being indoctrinated by the schools, they are being taught religion, which mostly must be taken on faith.

Do not think! This is the way it is; this is what you must believe, even if you still do not understand. The highest devotion to God is through jihad; love thy neighbor; do not steal; do not murder. On and on it goes, depending upon which local society the hapless individual is born into. The individual is not taught to think, but to obey; not taught to reason, but to believe; not allowed to use his or her god-given abilities to the maximum, but is instead immediately stunted in their growth, poisoned in their minds, and thus, their abilities to accurately integrate truths are immediately diminished. As if that were not enough, they are then subjected to violent movies and video games, and countless more distortions of reality in their free time. And we still haven't touched on their improper diets, bad health habits, and all the many vices such as smoking, drinking, and drugs that they will later be subjected to in their learning about life on this planet.

The real wonder on planet earth is that society hasn't already destroyed itself through some nuclear fiasco or some genetic experiment gone wrong. And yet, all of the millions who have died in countless wars; all those who were innocent of wrong-doing and were murdered needlessly by other individuals with diseased minds did not die in vain if we can learn from history, and change that which is wrong.

Mankind, can ascend to a future that will seem like a heaven-on-earth compared to the primitive, violent societies that now inhabit this planet. This ascension is well under way, despite how hopeless and lost the world may look at times. One proof of this is that the per capita murder rate is lower now than at any time in recorded history. That seems hard to believe, when one reads the daily headlines, but it is true. However, it is also possible, even highly likely, that the current civilizations upon the earth could decay and fall back to a previous time in history if individuals are not careful.

For there are many virulent doctrines spreading through societies on this planet. There is always a war of good versus evil, just as the universe itself is composed of positive and negative forces. However, consciousness is an upward force that defies entropy, and it demands truthfulness. Why? Because truth is the only way to maximize the integration of simple thought into more complex thoughts. Half-truths and lies make integrations of reality distorted and therefore unstable. Building a working system of higher consciousness demands as much truth as possible. Lies are evil, because they destroy the individual's ability to integrate reality accurately. Therefore, all liars are the enemies of all mankind. Lies should never be tolerated.

Use the tool of the Law of Eleven and Seven to help test doctrines that you have been exposed to. It does not preclude or condemn any just religion or spiritual belief, but it will destroy all distorted renderings of reality if it is applied carefully and thoughtfully. Use it to begin to cleanse your mind. And remember, that no matter who you are or what station you have in life, your mind is able to decipher and understand the most complex problems on earth, because that is the nature of consciousness that has been set free from disease. As the lies and false beliefs begin to shrivel up and fade from your mind, your abilities to reason will expand many fold.

All one's learning need not be a waste, even though much of what they have learned is wrong. A new foundation can be poured upon which accurate integrations of reality will stabilize, wash clean, and cure the past diseased portions of the mind. For all inaccurate integrations of reality are but a disease that affects and limits future integrations of reality and limits the ascension of consciousness. But to be cured, you must accept that you are sick; you must recognize that your mind has been infected with many viral half-truths. As you shed these half-truths and replace them with accurate reflections of reality, you will also recognize how you have been tricked by the manipulators of minds; the cheaters who steal from the individual by enslaving them in crooked, mirror images of reality.

Step away from the diseased minds on planet earth and inoculate yourself with undeniable, absolute truths that will interlock to become a new impregnable armor for your mind. Your whole life will soon take on a new dimension of understanding. Growth never stops and even octogenarians can learn like children. This is how the mind of man was meant to be. Logical, but not without emotion, and filled with empathy and love for his or her fellow man.

This is the universal mind of a healthy individual.

Finding Absolute Truth: The Law of Eleven and Seven

2010-03-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

A squared plus B squared equals C squared.

Some say there is no such thing as absolute truth. But throughout our universe, and throughout all universes, certain basic truths exist. These basic truths may be labeled laws, since they must always be followed in order to accurately integrate truth to achieve higher levels of consciousness. A basic truth remains inviolate due to the reality that creates it, and reality is what exists independent of us.

Reality is reality, it is not what we wish it to be.

Reality exists independent of man and his thoughts. Man may discover laws of reality, but he cannot change reality without altering the universe which creates said reality.

If the earth were to disappear tomorrow, the laws of physics which govern this reality would remain unchanged. They have always been here, and man only struggles to learn and understand them.

Perhaps the closest mankind has ever come to absolute truth is the science of mathematics, because mathematics never lies to us. Postulates once proven, do not change, or else they were never accurately proven to begin with. When Pythagoras put forward his theorem, he was only stating that which had existed as reality for billions of years.

In today's complex world where so many interest groups are vying for control of the individual's mind, clear thinking is more important than ever. But how does one find the real truth? It can be very difficult to divine truth when one is dealing with complex issues. The individual is often led astray by his or her own distortions of reality, and even more often they are led astray deliberately by cheaters and liars who corrupt the world, in order to cheat material wealth and power for themselves.

In order to find basic truths, one must disintegrate complex thoughts into their most basic building blocks and then rebuild with the most basic logic modules until the more complex integrated thoughts have been assembled from undeniable truths.

Like a mathematician, the individual must prove each thought to himself, in order to be sure of its veracity and undeniable correctness. In this way, complex social issues are solved using reality, and the cheaters, crooks, and parasites of the world cannot distort the individual's thoughts and rob them of their freedom and wealth.

To that end, I hereby introduce the Law of Eleven and Seven. Through the use of these two simple interlocked laws humanity can solve all problems in this world and bring about world peace forever.

Ah, here your mind, if it is reasonable, is probably already rebelling at this suggestion, for surely if it were so simple, then millions would have seen such basic truths long ago. In fact, the Law of Eleven has been known to man for thousands of years, and great religions have been built upon it and have long ago vanished from this earth. For the Law of Eleven, is merely my term, simply a convenient memory device to associate it with the Law of Seven that must always interlock with it, in order for it to be universally true and incorruptible.

The Law of Eleven is:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The interlocking Law of Seven is:

The rights of the individual are sacrosanct.

Of course, most people will recognize the law of eleven as the "Golden Rule", which has been known by mankind for tens of thousands of years. But it has no power unless it is interlocked with the Law of Seven, because cheaters and defilers of the truth can easily manipulate human minds through emotions and false logic to corrupt human reasoning when only the Law of Eleven is used.

I submit several quick examples to prove my point.

Communism was originally hailed as the best hope of man to achieve justice and to build a utopia on this planet. Karl Marx said: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." That wonderfully sounding altruistic statement, certainly seems to be almost a restatement of the Golden Rule, but through the enactment of that inaccurate perversion of reality, over twenty million Russian peasants were murdered. Russian peasants were told they had to give up land that had been in their families for hundreds of years, and when they refused, entire villages were slaughtered by the communists. They did it in the name of building a better world. But now add the Law of Seven to the Law of Eleven, and it becomes impossible to distort reality. For if the rights of the individual would have been held sacrosanct, then no perversion of reality would have been possible. One cannot rob from one individual to give to another or a group of others, without violating the rights of the individual. It can't be done. Neither can it be allowed if one wants truth and justice to prevail in this world.

The Law of Eleven and Seven, when interlocked, can explode any crooked government or unjust law on this planet. It slices through lies, injustices, and perversions of truth like the sword Excalibur.

Apply the Law of Eleven and Seven to Muslim fundamentalist beliefs and they explode immediately, since nothing can ever justify violating the rights of the individual. Apply it to any human rights issues such as race relations, gay rights, woman's rights, or even immigration, and all seemingly complex issues dissolve into simple solutions. But the Law of Eleven and Seven must be one interlocking law composed of two simpler statements in order to always bring the light of truth to solving problems.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are self-evident rights, but in order to preserve those rights and bring world peace, the Law of Eleven and Seven must be applied without fail.

All religions, governments, and laws between men must be subservient to these absolute truths, or else they are unjust and must be brought into sublimation to this universal law of conscious beings and individual minds throughout all universes.

Learn and use this Law of Eleven and Seven; apply it to all logical arguments; apply it to all social issues; to all existing laws, and you will soon see how easy everything is to decipher, and to perceive as either true or untrue; just or unjust.

This is because these laws existed in all universes before consciousness evolved, just as the Pythagorean Theorem existed billions of years before Pythagoras. It is absolute truth, and the basic building block of universal law among all conscious beings throughout all universes.

Open your mind to the truth.

Real Change: The Opportunity of Trash

2010-03-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

How tired are you of hearing about positive change that never seems to come to pass?

Year after year, election after election, we have candidates that campaign on the promise of change; change for a better future for ourselves and our children. It doesn't matter if it's on the local or national level, they all promise change.

Of course, it's natural, because most everyone knows that the world is far from perfect and therefore we all want change and a cleaner, better future; not just for ourselves, but for posterity. Unfortunately, many times the change either never comes, or it takes some form that we never hoped for. Higher taxes have been a regular feature for all of us as Americans. Even when they give us a tax break with one hand, they take it away through hidden taxes elsewhere; or less benefits, having to work to an older retirement age, or new programs that cause gas and utility prices to rise, so we all have less than we did before. It seems like the only solution is to keep making more and more money. So Americans who used to be able to live an ample life through the efforts of the man of the house, gradually sent most of their wives out to work, in the hope of catching a better life.

On the whole, they were successful, and the hard-working wives buoyed up our commodity-based society's economy, and over a period of about fifty years many Americans went from living in modest homes or apartments and riding public transportation, to owning multiple cars, multiple color TV's, boats, recreational vehicles, and more house than many of them could have ever dreamed of owning on a single salary. Taxes went higher and higher, and the basic necessities followed along with them, and soon, two salaries seemed like a basic necessity in many homes.

Technology advanced and the internet age began, and soon there were many more things that everyone just had to have, like computers and laptops, cellphones and video games, more and more, all the time, until America was finally at a net negative savings rate. So they pulled equity from their mortgaged homes, and started working multiple jobs and ran up credit cards, piling up debt that weighed heavier and heavier on their house of cards.

Some, played it safe and conservative, and didn't overspend, but they were still penalized as prices rose higher and higher, and property taxes followed the housing markets higher. Tough luck for the financially conservative who lived a more frugal lifestyle. They still saw the squeeze on their wallets. Only those lucky enough to be in the stock market saw real dollar gains in their savings.

Then came the millennium: POOF! The Internet bubble burst and the best part of the ride was over. So the Fed kept the money loose and the president instituted temporary tax breaks to stimulate the economy and things were soon off to the races again, and this time there were even bigger gains in the housing market, as people were encouraged to buy homes that were beyond their wildest dreams of ever being able to afford previously. Fast forward to 2008: SHOCK! A world credit crisis hit as the reality of bundled packages of bogus-rated mortgages became exposed. Months of agony followed as people saw their savings in the stock market go lower and lower and lower, many stocks losing over 90% of their value, or becoming worthless as companies went bankrupt.

But again the government stepped in, this time in a bigger way than ever, trying to re-inflate that which seemed not inflatable, and as banksters reinvested in the markets with government funds, the markets responded, finally rising back to a level where all the insurance companies would not be forced into bankruptcy from a lack of liquidity.

Along the way, a new face stepped out of the crowd and promised CHANGE, and under the circumstances, with the world seemingly on the brink of implosion, even many doubters threw their vote towards him. And why not, since there really didn't seem to be much hope elsewhere?

Now it really gets tough. After two consecutive bubbles that seemed to burst, and national debt being piled higher than ever before, the new hope for change, is about to run smack into reality.

I'm not a soothsayer, so I won't even attempt to predict the future, but I will say this: You are the change and the future. You always have been. For only you can choose your own steps; how you spend your money; what you choose to spend it on; who you vote for. Oh that's too easy, I know, it can't work, but I will prove it to you in a small way, if you just play along with me.

I live in the community of Curtis Bay at the southern tip of Baltimore. It's an interesting area, plagued with some of the problems of many areas, not the least of which is apathy by some of its residents, but it's also a great little community, where strangers will come up to you on the street, and just start talking to you about some movie they just saw, as if they know you. It takes a little getting used to when you move here from some place where people aren't as open.

There's a dichotomy here (like everywhere in the universe) of good and bad, but there's also a specter of positive change that is playing itself out in the form of a few local people with energy and hope, who are making a difference for many others without them even being aware of it. I see these same few people giving their free time to go to community meetings and community clean-ups and helping out at community movie fests and environmental-fests, and dozens of other projects that make the community better. It's very inspiring to watch them, and even better to be able to call them my friends.

Now, here's how you can prove to yourself that you are the change in the world, and that it can be immediate. Choose a place of your own liking and look around at the streets there. Hopefully, it will be a less than perfect place, and you can see some small pieces of trash or litter in the street or gutter. If you are lucky enough to be in such a place, pick up whatever trash or litter that you see in front of you and dispose of it. Congratulations, you just made a positive change in your world, by bringing order to chaos. Every time you see a piece of trash or litter in your environment, do the same thing. Don't feel shy or feel badly because you are doing something that someone else perhaps should have done. If you have a certain spot or street or corner of your campus that you frequent, make this a habit.

Soon you will enjoy the order that you know you can bring to that small section of the universe. It doesn't matter that others might, in a short time, return the scene to chaos, all that matters is that you have proven to yourself that you can effect positive change in the world. And of course, it needn't stop there. Because by setting an example, you might be surprised to find that others who see you, then start to do the same thing in their small section of the universe.

This process extends itself rapidly like a fractal, repeating, only not just with trash and litter, but with personal responsibility that starts to grow everywhere you go. Suddenly, you find yourself empowered, effecting change where you might never have even considered to try before.

Picking up trash is a golden opportunity, and it's real change in the world that you can see. It's tangible and meaningful, and it extends itself furtively into many other areas of your life. You are the change the world needs; you are the best hope of the world. You needn't search for some charismatic leader; you are what the world needs to better itself.

Do it. Do it now.

And if you ever happen to ride through Curtis Bay and see someone picking up litter, smile and wave, it just might be me.

Winning!

2010-03-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Try to remember as you play the game of life, that there is no winning. The only win is to enjoy the game as long as it lasts.

To be able to say on one's deathbed that one gave it his or her all, and that they played fair and with good conscience.

Maybe there is one way to win; by trying to help others enjoy their lives and each other. To try to help them to understand that in this universe, the most valuable asset we all have is each other. No accumulation of wealth is worth very much if one can't appreciate their fellow creatures, both man and beast. To be able to rejoice and bask in the love of good. What else is more important? Nothing. Life is rather meaningless without that.

When you help others, you take self-gain out of the equation, and you are automatically a winner by default. It's like changing the rules of the game, so you can't lose.

Perhaps that is the only real way of winning. But you have to want it; you have to have reached that mental stage of evolution where you realize that it really is better to give than to receive.

Remember these thoughts the next time you feel dissatisfied or disheartened. You can only feel that way when you are concerned with yourself.

It is a philosophical irony that to be most happy, one must not seek happiness for oneself.

The Year Ahead

2010-01-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

When I was young, I used to wonder why people celebrated New Years. I remember remarking to my mother that people shouldn't be celebrating, because they were all one year closer to their death. That was true, she said, and just smiled. Her brevity made me contemplate this seeming anomaly that much more. Why? Why were they all celebrating? Were they too short-sighted to realize that their lives would soon end?

Of course, I finally came to realize, that we all share a common destiny. That destiny, that ultimate destination awaits us all. But we are still here, still alive and kicking; rebellious and greedy in our cravings, and hungry to enjoy all that life has to offer. So at New Years, perhaps if only subconsciously for some, we find ourselves united as passengers on a train to a common destination. We are as one large mass of flesh, sharing our fleeting lives upon this planet, and whether one is young or old, sick or healthy, this train only goes till the end of the line and we all know it. Deep within our minds we all understand our mortality and the inevitability of death.

It's 2010 and we are all still very much alive, still hoping to actualize our own individual dreams in this party that we call life. The world has many problems, but it is also a place of great beauty and offers great potential for happiness and individual growth and exploration. Perhaps at New Years more than at any other time we look to the future with hope, and try to cast off the sins of the past. That beautiful clean future that has yet to be defiled makes us want to celebrate, and the inner knowledge of our final destination makes us all brothers and sisters in history, sharing our planet at this particular instant in time.

Therefore, as common passengers, let us all try to share this train ride as pleasantly as possible, enjoying the views along the way, helping our fellow passengers whenever we can, and never failing to share with one another our best thoughts and feelings. The station is up ahead; we know the journey will soon end, but no need to worry about that now. Let's enjoy the ride as long as it lasts and soak up as much scenery and enjoyment as we can, remembering all the while that the most important ingredient in our happiness on this trip is the welfare of our fellow passengers. Everything in life is better when its shared, and we are all lucky in that we have one another to keep us company on this exciting journey through life.

Happy New Year, and many more to you all.

Walls As Monuments

2009-11-09T21:06:00.001-08:00

Men have always sought to control their environment. It is what any intelligent creature wants to do. From when it was started in 2500 B.C. until over a thousand years later, the Chinese hoped to control their border and protect it from invaders by their "Great Wall". It was a great engineering accomplishment that didn't work.

In more recent times a hollow, "evil empire", trying to conceal its weakness and ultimately trap within its borders its unhappy, unwilling residents dropped an "iron curtain" across Europe in the form of barbed wire fences and most notoriously the Berlin Wall. For years they spent countless dollars policing and maintaining the barriers, which were no match for the ingenuity and determination for freedom of the entrapped and enslaved population. It seemed each week brought a new tale of a successful bid for freedom made by some weary inhabitants from behind the wall.

On this twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, perhaps it is more than fitting to consider not just the final triumph of freedom there, but also the philosophical implications of walls.

Walls show an inability to deal with a problem or a group of problems in a satisfactory way. Walls separate men and ideologies. To build a wall is never a solution. It is in fact a form of defeat. It is recognition that the problem cannot be resolved. The fall of the Berlin Wall is surely cause for celebration by all free men, for it proves that seemingly insurmountable differences can eventually be solved. But while some walls have fallen, others are still being built.

How is it that Americans, who fought so long and hard to have one wall torn down, willingly fight to have another erected? When there is the promise of hope and freedom and a better life, what individual wouldn't want that for his or her family? All of us, as Americans, (except for the very few indigenous peoples who are left) had our families come to America from somewhere else. Are we to now deny the promise of freedom and a better life to others?

Of course not. We just want people to obey the law. We also need to secure our borders. Unfortunately, it is impossible to secure all our borders. Just a Mexican wall alone will run many billions of dollars, and that will not stop people from invading our coasts or coming in through Canada. Nor will it prevent enterprising border runners from tunneling, scaling, or breaking through the barrier at isolated points along the many hundreds of miles of the Mexican-American border. So saying that we can secure our borders is ridiculous to begin with. It just isn't possible. Therefore, we must assume that there are other motives at work beyond national security. There always are, and because illegal immigration is a highly emotive subject, many narrow interest groups use it as a smoke screen to gain an advantage on whatever particular parasitic gain they try to rob from the American taxpayers.

Americans are the most generous people on earth as a nation. I do not believe that we are so selfish as to continue to look across our southern border and allow our Mexican brothers and sisters to be victims of a tragic set of circumstances. Instead of trying to deny access to America, we should all understand that the best hope and promise of America, for ourselves and our posterity, is to export that hope and dream elsewhere. When we help the Mexican people establish a better economy and a better future, we will see fewer people wanting to abandon their homes in search of a better life. When we export the dream of America to Mexico, we will stabilize our border. That is the solution; not some wall; not troops on the border.

Not only do we fail to solve problems by building the Great Mexican Wall, we create a host of new ones. Animals are already suffering due to our foolishness. Furthermore, we are saddling ourselves and our posterity with more debt and more overhead. This wall will need to be constantly maintained and policed, and it will not protect us. Nor will it keep out people who are searching for a better life.

Tear down the wall at the Mexican border. Replace it with an open door policy. Instead of sending troops to guard over the border, send aid to help Mexico become more financially successful. Build economic bridges through cooperative trade and guest worker programs. Get rid of unenforceable drug laws that breed gangs and violence both here and in Mexico. Americans have always been problem solvers, and we should never forget that. Just because a solution is not immediately seen, is no reason to give up trying to solve the problem.

There is one more wall we should visit. Perhaps one reason that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is so moving, is that it sends a powerful message of the price of an inability to deal with a problem in an effectual manner. The fifty-eight thousand young Americans memorialized on that wall in our capital gave their lives fighting for America, and many of us have wondered: Did we do the right thing, the smart thing? Was it worth the loss of all those young lives? The wall symbolizes our inability to solve a problem, as well as memorializing the brave souls who gave their lives for our country.

That wall of names as a memorial is a monument that is just as historic as the Great Wall of China or the Berlin Wall. Those courageous young Americans did not die in vain if we can learn from our mistakes and become more intelligent as a people. Perhaps the greatest victory of the Vietnamese War was a new group consciousness in America that recognizes that our government, and indeed we as a people, can make mistakes. We have to always be alert to that fact, and be careful. We are not infallible. When a national program needs to be re-evaluated, we should not hesitate to do so. We need not proceed blindly down a path that can be changed to our nation's best advantage.

Our border cannot be secured by a wall and armed men, and our future cannot be secured by hoarding America. Export the dream and promise that we are all lucky enough to now enjoy. Do it in Mexico, and wherever else people yearn to be free. Deal with problems in an intelligent way as a society of learned and educated individuals, and never be so selfish as to hoard America to ourselves.

Let us export America around the globe, by supporting freedom and individual rights through the free trade of ideas and commodities. Destiny placed us here to help the world, not to wall ourselves off from it. We will secure our future and protect ourselves best by fulfilling our destiny and helping the world to better itself, while we continue to better ourselves.

America isn't a finished product. Let's make it better by building bridges instead of walls.

Looking for Leadership

2009-11-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

America has been lost for a long time. Craving a mystical leader, the people chose hope over reality, they cast their lot with a stranger who promised what they longed to hear. And why not?

Was there anyone that they could look to for inspiration? Has there been any recent leader remotely worthy of the best hopes of all Americans? Name one, for I surely can not. Perhaps, the problem lies in the method. Should Americans look for leadership from their elected representatives at all? If elected officials are representatives in a representative government, then they should not be leading at all, but instead should be carrying out the will of the people to their best ability.

There, it is said, and it is simple. America has been misled for generations, not because Americans are stupid, but because they have had it all wrong. They have been looking for leadership in all the wrong places, trying to elect leaders when what they really should have been doing was electing bookkeepers and stodgy, boring, public sycophants who would serve their best interests without fail. But it was too soon, too early in the intellectual and emotional development of the country. A true public consciousness was only available in fleeting moments, as when we were attacked, or when severe adversity brought forth our survival instincts and the best of our human compassion.

Something has changed. Millions of cellphones, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, Twitter, and alternative news sources have begun the growth of a vast, extended neural net that places people in more instantaneous social contact than ever before. Suddenly we are talking to thousands of people whom we would have never even met just a few years ago. Events on the far side of the globe reach us in a more personal way and faster than ever. Newspapers no longer print the news reliably, so people have found new ways to ascertain their shared reality as it unfolds at an ever faster pace. This is only the beginning. The age of information has been transformed and we are in the middle of a cultural revolution.

The formerly invisible common sense thinkers are about to seize power from the parasitic elite, and no one even understands just what is happening. The formerly intellectually suppressed are breaking the chains of their bondage and stepping out into a brave new world of independent thought, where they can resonate in communities of minds and quickly be catapulted into a new state of mass consciousness.

The real leaders were always amongst us, placed here by God (or nature if you prefer that term) to help guide the ascension of consciousness. The individual, the most important resource on our planet, is about to take a major step forward.

The exact opposite of an Orwellian future lies ahead. Even now, the parasites and power-grabbing cheaters cannot see it. They cannot fathom it because they are hollow and could never begin to understand what is happening. They will implode into nothingness and no memory of them will remain.

Feel it now, reach out with your mind and touch the face of the future.

It is coming, unstoppable and irrevocable, and with a swiftness that is difficult to comprehend at this instant. Open your mind, and feel the vibration of thought.

Miracles Often Taken For Granted

2009-10-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Last night, a rush job at the shop needed parts from several different distributors spread across the nation. I ordered the required parts, some from Wisconsin, California, and Texas by overnight express, and received them all this morning. Companies like UPS and FedEx are amazing, and we often take them for granted. It used to take 6 months to get from the East Coast to the West Coast, and now we get packages overnight routinely!

Then today, while driving in my car, my cell phone rang, and I picked it up to hear: "This is Bob, from Alaska, did you get that photo I just emailed you?" I explained that I was in my car and that the office phone had been forwarded to my cell phone, and told the inquirer that I would check my email as soon as I got back to the office.

Again, miracles that we have come to rely on and which we take for granted: Cell phones, call-forwarding, and the internet! None of this stuff existed a few decades ago. It would have seemed impossible back then. Now, if it doesn't work, or if a package arrives an hour later than expected, we feel irritated!

How soon we forget the miracle, and then become cranky. Amazing!

A Glimpse of Eternity

2009-10-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight I spoke at some length to my best friend about Complex General Relativity and some of the theories about the electron. To be sure, the more I learn, the stranger the universe seems to me.

Trapped in this human body, my mind is not yet able to access infinite intelligence, and yet sometimes, I can almost imagine I sense it. The most religious experience I have ever had was at the birth of my son. As the doctor removed his umbilical cord, he immediately passed my son into my arms. Suddenly, my son's eyes opened, and I was the first thing he saw in this universe.

What I saw, when I looked into to his eyes was alien, and I experienced a sense of vertigo as I felt what he felt, a whirl of sensations from this universe to another, spiraling down into the void of his eyes. In his face, I saw the faces of many of my family; my father, and both grandfathers and my brother, too. So many people, all in one shriveled little face. But beyond that, in the depth of the void in those eyes I felt a great intellect absorbing all that was in the room, and if ever I believed in the reality of God as an entity, it was at that moment when I stared face to face across a million generations of human soul.

Here was my son, a vessel descended from the ancient Russ, and who knows how many thousands, even millions of years beyond that. At this first meeting between father and son, I didn't get a sense of a human child, but instead I glimpsed a doorway to infinity and a brief window to all of creation. Deep in the depths of those strangely dark eyes was a light and I stared in awe at the immense depths before me. I saw spiraling galaxies and the untold history of all mankind, timeless eons streaked past across a vast empty space, all in just a few scant seconds.

Then, the doctor spoke, breaking my hypnosis, and I was swept back into the reality of the delivery room. The portal through my son's eyes closed, and he moved with a slight sigh, but he never cried. I sat down with him in my arms, and the eyes became his own, and he was looking up at me, studying me with calm curiosity. He, like me, was probably wondering who this strange being was in front of him. A nurse walked by, and his eyes followed her, he was quite aware of the environment now. I don't remember what words I spoke to him, I probably said something stupid like, hello. It was incredible to see this little creature, suddenly so alive and alert in my arms, just soaking up every sound and image around him. He turned to the sound of voices and when I remarked about it, his eyes returned to me again. My time with him only lasted a couple of minutes, before the nurses whisked him away to finish his post natal operation and antiseptic applications.

I have never forgotten those few magical instants, and unfortunately, I never had another chance to experience the live birth of a child, but I can tell you honestly, it was the experience of a lifetime. Even today I still recall vividly the immense intelligence that I felt in front of me for that brief moment, and the giddy sense I had of falling into eternity through alien eyes.

I can tell you I hunger for what I felt that night, as I think does every man of substance. For in those seconds, when the void spoke to me, I felt a continuity and rare cerebral serenity that is mostly not available to living men. For just a little while, I was completely at peace and I hadn't a fear or concern in the world, because what I saw was so vast and all-encompassing that I knew all things were on a path to righteousness, and nothing could stop what was to come.

I have come to believe that the struggle to ascend is more an act of compulsion than of ambition. We cannot be content to stay wherever we are at any instant. There is no rest for man or woman in this world. Life is a constant journey and we cannot stop, even though the mystery only deepens the more that we learn.

Earth's Upside-down Anti-civilization

2009-10-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

Earth currently exists as an upside-down anti-civilization, where the economic value producers are enslaved at the bottom of a hierarchy, which is ruled by a parasitic elite. Those at the top use trickery and power to continually drain the economic value producers of the pyramid of their economic output. Altruism is the most prevalent trick that the parasites use to deprive the economic value producers of their wealth.

Who can be against the betterment of their fellow man? No one wants to be labeled a miscreant, so altruism is a powerful trick to get the economic value producers to voluntarily give up their justly earned riches to the parasites. This trick has the added advantage that the lazy and indolent always want to go along with any idea that gives them a FREE ride, so that segment of society will always be willing and earnest supporters of any political group that promises them a helping hand.

In reality, the parasites, disguised as altruists, want nothing more than to enslave the economic value producers and to cheat wealth and power to themselves. They have no more concern for society than a vampire bat does its victim. The most egregious sin of the current societies on planet earth, are that they limit the maximum growth of the individual mind, which is the most precious resource on the planet. For by depriving the individual of his or her earned gains, they act as a disintegrating force and thereby rob humanity of many untold new breakthroughs that the unfettered individual mind could achieve.

Companies of individuals that band together to integrate their minds and resources, to create new products and services for their fellow men, are many times bled into oblivion by hoards of regulations, taxes, and unfair trade practices all enacted by the more powerful parasitic elite. This again, thwarts the maximum integration of thought and enterprise.

The parasitic elite, will always collapse productive civilizations if given a chance. It doesn't matter to them if a country or an entire civilization is destroyed because they are able to grab still more power in times of economic uncertainty and chaos. Such times are fertile ground for the rise of authoritarian governments as evidenced in recent history. The Nazis, Fascists, and Communists all seized power in times of financial chaos. Collapse a society's economy, and its people are all more than willing to yield their freedoms in return for sustenance.

One has to look no further than America at the end of the last century to see a perfect example of parasites sucking the life blood of a country. Surprisingly, the people were just as gullible as many other contemporary societies, and they willingly gave power to a succession of parasites who continually added tax upon tax to the economic value producers until growth became restricted. Despite fast action by enterprises, which shifted many labor services to low wage overseas markets, the parasites were so bold that they grabbed more and more of all that the corporations made. In addition, the system became more and more corrupt, as the multi-layered parasitic elite powers reinforced themselves at every turn.

Shortly after the turn of the millennium, the banksters seized power through the newly restructured banking system and bled trillions of dollars of wealth from the coffers of the nation. A brief credit collapse and panic allowed the parasites to breach all previous fail safes and declare a state of emergency in the form of a multi-trillion-dollar rescue/stimulus package. They then usurped much of the funding, misappropriating funds for their own speculations, much like chronic gamblers who are never content until they are busted.

During this same time period, gullible voters who were promised change, voted in a president who was a virtual unknown to them, hoping that he would foster in a new age.

Thoughts on Mount Vesuvius

2009-09-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

August 24, 2009 marked 1930 years since the eruption that wiped out the thriving metropolis of Pompeii. The morning topics of conversation still included the last hunt at the coliseum where men fought for their lives amid a throng of trees planted in the middle of the coliseum to simulate a forest, and wild tigers, a lion, an elephant and alligator, and even a python were released to attack them. It is hard to imagine spectators cheering, as a man was torn to shreds in front of them by an enraged tiger. That image alone robs me of much sympathy for the thousands who lost their lives that day. Nor was it the first time that such a fiery end was brought to development in the area, since around 1660 B.C. the Avellino eruption wiped out the Bronze Age settlements that were there. Today approximately 3 million people live around the area, and many will also die a fiery death.

Men often suffer fates of their own judgment.

The lives of many of those in Pompeii, were much as ours, and despite our current technologies, they lead very fine lives and had beautiful houses with courtyards and fountains, lead pipe plumbing, and many lovely frescoes painted on their walls depicting Greek mythology. It was a good life for the lucky ones.

Most American houses are simplistic by comparison, and the average American is probably harder-working, has far less free time, and is more worried about future finances than politics. And yet, that can change very quickly in times of crisis, and even now a ground swell of fear and dissatisfaction seems to be growing among the populace. A new political activism is rearing its head.

If a few million Americans turn off their TV's; if they stop believing and watching network news; if they demand satisfaction from their legislators, and indeed become legislators themselves, replacing the stagnant political elite that now fill the seats of government, there's no telling where the next decade might lead us.

If they wake up and see that they have leaders who have no respect for the law, the constitution, or the rights of man, and that they have been hoodwinked time and again and they become sick of it, then who can guess where a new American revolution of political activism might take us?

Like an erupting Mount Vesuvius, they could blast the parasites that infest every level of government into a hastened oblivion of anonymity. Otherwise, if this nation continues as it has, supporting law-breaking leaders, even to the point of electing an ideologue who supports violating the sovereignty and laws of a small nation like Honduras; a man who has appointed a host of sycophant czars to do his bidding, some of whom are avowed communists; then America will fade away and become another nothing over time, just like so many civilizations before it. It's history in the world will be a relatively brief one, as compared to many others that predate it by thousands of years.

What a crime it would be, to let the dream and promise of America be stolen away by the complacency of the uninformed.

Or perhaps, to be more generous, Americans have just been too trusting for too many years. They believe the lies and promises that the slick-Willies of politics spin for them.

They hope too much, and they act too little.

Health Care is NOT a Human Right!

2009-07-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Where do they get this stuff? I have seen this drivel written in a lot of places recently, and it is total baloney.

Far from being a human right, health care is an individual responsibility. One's good health is first and foremost one's own responsibility. The individual needs to acquaint his or her self with basic health knowledge, beyond what they are taught by their parents and in school, and they need to do that which is necessary to maintain their body throughout their life.

This means among other other things that one should NOT rely on popular medicine as the be-all and end-all of answers regarding one's health. For one thing, there are many flaws in how western medicine approaches health. But not to get involved with the conflicting philosophies of how to best maintain one's health, one must first acknowledge the wisdom and truth of self-reliance.

In this world, the individual must assume primary responsibility for all aspects of his or her well-being in order to achieve the most personal growth and to become the best individual possible. It is a sneaky thing to say that health care is a personal right. It's sneaky, because like many things, the parasitic manipulators of the world, those that thrive off the efforts of the true economic value producers, always want to remove self-responsibility from our lives. An individual that looks to others for guidance is one that is automatically led by others.

In the name of altruism, cheaters and parasites continually steal from individuals who are unwittingly enslaved by them. Never fall for the altruist's false dictum that they just want to help you. All they want is to control you! Only YOU know what is best for you. You must be the master of your own fate, and not be tricked into relying on others to lead you.

Otherwise, you become a pawn of society, instead of an integral working part of its leadership. Your rights as a free individual include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, they do not include having someone take care of you. You must take care of yourself.

Wise decisions as to your health, and who you elect as representatives in your government are your responsibility. Never be tricked into thinking someone knows more than yourself about what is best for you. You must be the one to learn what is best for you. That includes all aspects of your health: your eating habits, exercise, safety, and adopting the best personal health insurance plan possible. It doesn't mean looking for a hand out, or needing to rely on the government to take care of you. It does mean voting for intelligent representatives that will act to make good and fair health plans available for everyone.

We can never get good health plans enacted while so many people are allowed to vegetate on fatty foods that are unhealthy, and to lead lifestyles that doom them to poor health, unless we find a way to penalize poor behavior, and reward responsible behavior. Why should those who choose a healthy lifestyle have to pay elevated rates, so that the irresponsible masses can be "taken care of" and coddled in their wrong life choices?

Health can be immediately made more understandable, by recognizing the responsibility of the individual. Everything is simple, when it is broken down into its most basic elements.

Health begins with the habits of the individual.

Replaying History

2009-07-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

All students of history know that history repeats itself many times through similar scenarios.

Today, I was reading the events of post WWI Europe, the turmoil in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Russia. Mostly, I was studying the events in Germany and Bavaria and how those events led to revolution, riots, murder, and hyperinflation. Specifically, I studied how the mindset of the populace was inevitably pushed towards desperately looking for effective leaders, and how none were to be found.

It was in that social turmoil that a young Adolf Hitler found his market niche and talent.

I wondered today, seeing the events unfolding in our country, what the next decade might bring. From what unknown wellspring will new leadership appear? Will we see dismal financial times; riots; hyperinflation? I certainly hope not. But the recent words of a friend of mine echo in my head as a warning. My friend has worked hard all his life, and now finds his business very stressed due to the economy. We spoke of the current problems in our federal government and I mentioned some radical ideas of secession by Texas, which I had read on Facebook by posters. And that is when my friend said: "We haven't been represented in our government in a long time."

That mindset seems all too accurate and is becoming pervasive. Our elected representatives have not been doing the jobs that they were supposed to do. And now, we find ourselves in an oligarchy ruled by banksters and narrow interest groups.

Compared against the post WWI period (in Germany), it cannot help but give one pause.

Dying In One's Dreams

2009-06-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

They say you never die in your dreams, but I have. Usually, if something catastrophic is about to occur, the dream either ends, or one finds oneself suddenly in a new dream sequence.

Once, I believe I did die in a dream. The scene was a parallel reality, and I was stationed on a moon base. It was a large installation, the size of a small city, and we were pretty much self-sustaining. We had a lot of telescopes for deep space observation, and the technologies were more advanced than in our time frame (or else the scale of the operation would not have been possible). I do not recall my past in that dream scape, except that I know that my parents were both alive. I was single and around thirty.

I was in a section of the moon complex that did not have artificial gravity, and I was in a space suit, but without a helmet at the time. Suddenly, an unknown event, (possibly a meteor strike or an explosion), caused a major decompression and as the atmospheric pressure dropped very rapidly, I feared that I had no hope of surviving. I held my breath for as long as I could, realizing that this was surely the end.

As I started to lose consciousness, my last thoughts were of my parents, and I didn't want them to grieve over my death, since I was dying doing something that I loved, exploring the universe. I floated to the nearest bulkhead and with a sharp metal tool, I scratched into the bulkhead: "Don't cry for me". There was no more time, nothing else to say, and as I floated through the last seconds of consciousness, the words that I had scribbled there were the last conscious memory that I had, as I blacked out. So I died, on the moon. I wasn't saved. I wanted to live, but I didn't panic, and I accepted my fate gracefully.

There wasn't another dream sequence, and I awoke normally. That is the only dream I have ever had, in which I died. That was some years ago, I've lost track of how long. But I have never forgotten the vividness of my death, and I can still see the image of the words I scribbled on that bulkhead in the seconds before my death.

"Don't cry for me".

Altered States of Consciousness

2009-06-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have had sentient dreams where I was able to float entire pages of my calculus text off the book and arrange them in front of me, concentrating on six pages simultaneously. I have gone to bed, unable to solve a difficult problem, and awoken in the morning with the solution. And the detail in some of my dreams is amazing, and I often dream in color. They say you can't feel pain in a dream, but I have had several dreams in which the pain was very real. In one, I was being electrocuted, and I knew that if I didn't wake up I would die. I awoke with a start, and my pulse was pounding. I wondered at the time, if I actually might have died from heart failure, if I had not been able to force myself awake in time.

Then there are the detailed dreams I have had, where weeks of dream time passes, and I live life much as normal, shooting pool, going hiking, riding my bike on some days, and then suddenly, I awake, and I look at my clock and see that I have only been sleeping for ten minutes! This has happened to me several times. Nested dreams are also possible, where I have dreams within dreams.

The most amazing case I ever experienced of nested dreams, was at age 17 while still in high school. I dreamnt that I got up and went to school, and a couple of weeks went by, and then suddenly, I woke up and I was still in bed. I had gone back to sleep after the alarm clock went off and had actually been dreaming. So, I got up again and hurried to school because I was late, and a couple days passed, when suddenly, I awoke again, and realized that I had been living a dream within a dream. At that point, I was for several minutes, very disoriented. I literally was not sure if I was still dreaming or if I was awake. Apparently, this has happened to others, because I read a line from Edgar Allen Poe that went: "Is all that we see or seem, but a dream within a dream?"

Perhaps the most interesting phenomena I have experienced during sentient dreaming is one I experienced about five years ago. I was having a sentient dream, where I could will the direction of the dream. I was able to change the style of wallpaper in the room I was in, and I could change scenes at will. Suddenly, I pulled back from the scene that I was dreaming, and I was outside the dream, almost floating in a blank netherworld. To the left of me was a channel of energy that beckoned to me. It was a column that streamed from somewhere below me to someplace higher. I don't know how I knew, but I did know that all I had to do was to step inside that column, and I could dream any reality that I wished. The column seemed alive and super intelligent, and somehow, I had the knowledge that it was my subconscious mind. There was no form to it, other than appearing as a column of energy, and I could see thousands of events being played simultaneously within the column. This super intelligence seemed benign, and friendly and I did not fear it, but I feared something there, I don't know what. I think the sheer power of its mind made me leery, and I awoke with a start as I pulled back from it.

I wanted to step into the column, but something stopped me. Maybe my good sense told me that I would possibly not return. But I will say this: I do not believe that I was dreaming in the normal sense. All of the images I saw before seeing the column were normal dreams, but they were controlled by me. The pink rose-covered wallpaper, my ability to defy gravity and float; that was a normal sentient dream. But the column of passing parallel realities was not my dream, it was real. I believe it was being generated by the super intelligent sub-conscious mind that resides within me. And I think all those lives and scenes that I saw passing by at super speed within the column, were thousands of alternate realities that my subconscious mind was fabricating, just to entertain itself.

The sub-conscious mind is trapped within us, and even though it has its own consciousness, we are its ears, eyes, and feelings. We are the only link that it has with the physical world. But being super-intelligent it must entertain itself somehow, so it constantly plays out all these alternate realities, drawing from our own experiences, and extrapolating upon them to create new worlds and experiences. To the subconscious mind, those worlds are no different than our real physical world.

I don't know how powerful the subconscious mind actually is. It is like having a living super human intelligence, a separate being living inside of us. Perhaps, some forms of hallucinations and schizophrenia are merely caused by the subconscious mind intruding into our waking conscious minds. I do not know if the subconscious can accurately be defined as another living entity within us, nor do I know if it is somehow connected to infinite intelligence. But what I do know is that I can certainly not hallucinate dreams while I am awake, and mostly, I do not usually have sentient dreams where I can control the direction. If I could control that alone (sentient dreaming), I could be the world's greatest creative genius. I believe we all have that same power within us, and therefore, it is only necessary to contact that subconscious mind and it will try to help you.

I believe that the subconscious mind reacts to emotions and thoughts and it is beyond language. Language is a primitive form of communication, subject to much misinterpretation. So if you want to harness the power of your subconscious mind, my suggestion is to wish very hard for something. Visualize whatever it is that you want, and the subconscious mind will find ways to please you. It will find ways to give you what you want. Just as I solved calculus problems in my sleep, it will solve your problems for you. But one must be very careful, and never communicate one's fears to the subconscious, because it cannot quite differentiate fears from desires. If you are afraid of something happening, it quite possibly will find ways to make your worst fears come true, thinking that that is what you want to have happen.

So never fear, and be careful what you pray for, because you just might get what you ask for, or what you are most afraid of. This is my best advice at this stage of my research into states of awareness and the subconscious.

Dream boldly, and never fear!

Relevant links: www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-dream-within-a-dream/

Grasping at Life

2009-05-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Is there any such thing as objective beauty? I think not. I look at a face and see what others cannot see, or they see, what I miss entirely. No one taught me what attracts me; no one can teach me what I already know. My best sunset is not necessarily one that you might like.

Once, in the last year of his life, I was taking my father to his early morning dialysis treatment, while the sun was just rising over the mouth of Back River, reflecting many beautiful shades of orange and pink across a mackerel sky. He saw me looking at the clouds and he said: "Some people would think that is beautiful."

"Yes," I said, in complete agreement.

"But it's nothin' but a bunch of goddamn colors to me," he said angrily.

It shot through me, as I realized that he had completely lost all appreciation of life since my mom had died, and his failing health left him wishing for an end. He died later that year in a merciful, morphine-laced sleep at Franklin Square Hospital.

My dad was never very big on talking about beauty, just as his dad (who had fled Russia and the communists) never spoke much about appreciating life. So I can't really say what he felt about a lot of things, or the depth of his feelings. But speaking for myself, I know I am still alive when I look at something so beautiful that it makes me go all hollow inside. When I feel a hunger to have and to know and to be in the moment, and to feel the same savage instincts of my youth.

There is much beauty in this world, and much to be grateful for. And there is a lot to be said for not having all that you want, and to still be grasping at life with both hands. Not having what you want, and still having goals, and still having passion and being willing to fight, is all about life and living.

Put me in a box when I lose that, because that's when I'll be ready to join my ancestors.

Words and Consciousness

2009-05-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

A friend mentioned to me that my blog sounded religious, and that just confirmed to me the strong connotations of familiar words. (Like good and evil.) Therefore, I need to develop some new terminology, something that won't sound like I am talking about spiritual values, when I am actually just speaking about logic and how thoughts are integrated into higher levels of consciousness. This I will do later, but for now, let me say a little more about consciousness.

In fact, consciousness itself and its origins would take an entire book to explain. That has already been very well done by Julian Jaynes in his book: "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" (1976), and while I do not agree completely with his thesis, I have never seen a more thorough description of consciousness, nor a more detailed mapping out of its requirements. (In fact, as I read it, I was reminded of theories of linear algebra and vector spaces, since basically, there is a similarity. You cannot achieve a three dimensional space without the proper basis vectors, and you cannot achieve consciousness without a proper basis. One cannot be self-aware and question, until a "my space" is achieved, a sense of self.)

Anyway, I just want to formulate things logically, with no basis in any religion or any necessity for a belief in a spirituality that goes beyond biological consciousness. My theories are based upon reality, and if they happen to coincide and support others' beliefs in spirituality or religion, it is accidental and a coincidence of reality intersecting their personal beliefs.

For let me be clear when I say that although I might have spiritual beliefs or theories, I never expose them to the public or my friends, since I do not believe most people exist on exactly the same planes of thought, and therefore, I might be unable to make them envisage my particular consciousness and beliefs. To be sure, my thoughts about spirituality are by nature, not well-formulated, since no one living can speak from direct experience on anything beyond their own corporeal existence.

It is not necessary for any of us to share the same spiritual beliefs in order for us to all live in harmony and peace. There are preexisting laws that are rooted in consciousness that are inescapable. Conscious beings throughout this universe and indeed all universes are bound together as brothers and sisters by these laws.

Consciousness is as consistent as gravity, as an integrating force throughout the universe. Just as gravity attracts all particles of matter together in an unrelenting manner, integrating pieces into parts, and dust into planets and solar systems, so do all conscious minds continually absorb information and integrate all stimuli and data, transforming them into thoughts, memories, and knowledge.

This is the unstoppable force of consciousness everywhere. It is an upward evolution of thought, an ascension of consciousness to higher planes of thought. With mankind, that thought is riddled with emotion, and the emotion sometimes corrupts the purity of the thought processes. But in the same vein, the emotions are responsible for compassion, sympathy, and empathy, so we are not heartless brains; we are not just computers or machines, due to our emotions.

So the irony is this: That which makes us great, makes us troubled. Our emotions infect our thoughts with all manner of distortions. Men are able to be tricked and led astray by crafty tricksters who use human emotions to twist the truth.

My goal is to map a path that is completely dictated by logic, and is supported by the preexisting universal laws of consciousness. For once that path is mapped and learned, it will be much more difficult for people to be led astray, and hoodwinked by their emotions or tricked by devious cheaters.

Look around you, and a study of history will show you that the history of man is a history of bad government. It is a history of entire peoples led astray, taken this way and that by their leaders, through pointless wars which caused the loss of millions of lives. You will see oppression, genocide, massacres of the innocent. Century after century, this has been the story, and perhaps it was all necessary. For we needed their example, from which to learn. We needed to see all the dead ends of authoritarian governments; Nazism, communism, ruthless dictators who pop up like mushrooms, always leading innocent people astray and causing millions to suffer.

That is no longer necessary. There is another path, which exists and awaits us. It preexisted before the first creature on this planet lifted its head from the mud and looked around. It has been said accurately, that we are all stardust, since the elements that compose us were all formed previously in the interiors of other stars that later went supernova and exploded. Earth and our sun were formed from those remnants. It took us 15 billion years to get here, and we all live a very brief lifetime, less than one hundred years for most of us.

Now, at last, we have the facts clearly on the table in front of us. A new civilization is on the verge of being born; one based upon integrated truth and honesty, and the naturally ascending growth of the human mind. So it is important and necessary, that we map that road with as much accuracy and undeniable logic, as one would use to prove any theorem of mathematics. So that this time, there will be no distortions of reality; no twisting of the undeniable laws of all conscious beings in the universe.

I know that there are many people working simultaneously towards this goal. They are removed from me, and not in contact with me, but I feel them. My logic tells me that like many scientific theories that coincidentally come to pass through different people simultaneously and at the same time in history, this expansion of the consciousness of man is occurring worldwide, right now, everywhere. It can be delayed, but it can't be stopped. We can all participate. We are all connected in consciousness, even though we are not all on the same page.

Soon, an event will happen. History will change. Perhaps you are that change. Perhaps you, see the future. It took you, as the unique individual that you are, 15 billion years to get here, and like me, you will soon be dead. So step ahead, into the future, using your mind. Allow yourself to expand your consciousness and think bold thoughts. Imagine a future free of wars between men; free of sickness and ill health; a future where biological immortality frees man from death itself. For all of these things and more are possible, and you can help it happen. Look up and forward and not back and down. Open your mind.

Consciousness is calling you to higher levels. Will you heed that call?

Amoralistic Good and Evil

2009-05-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

We often speak of good and evil and use the words carelessly, since we are comfortable with their meanings. But I think we may sometimes be lax by tossing them around too freely, not realizing that others may not know what exactly we mean, and we might therefore be alienating them from a viewpoint that would otherwise be helpful to them.

Shakespeare said there was no good or evil, only the saying that made it so, and that is true, since until we label something it lacks concept.

For a moment, let me temporarily compare the word evil with the adjective, bad. Something that is evil is bad, while something that is not evil, is good. But something that is bad, is not necessarily evil. If my car breaks down while I am on the way to the movies, that is bad, but it is certainly not evil.

So let us define good and evil in the context of man, since that is the one arena in which we all have experience, and it will be easier to judge our accuracy. Man, due to to his intelligence, is a collector of memories and experiences, and he categorizes memories and defines and associates meaning to them. To do this, he must integrate many memories, many definitions, building simple truths into ever evolving complexities, much like fractals define the most complex crystals. It is this ability that allows us to manipulate complex ideas, and continually grow and evolve to higher levels of consciousness. Thoughts and actions that allow this process to proceed in an orderly fashion are good. But thoughts or actions that impede the growth of man are bad. Those things that arrest the development of man, preventing him from achieving higher levels of consciousness, we herein label evil. They are like dirt in the gears of a well-oiled machine. They gum up the works and cause disorder in the otherwise orderly ascension of the mind of man.

Twisted thoughts, those based not upon truth and logic, but upon emotion and instinct are the ones that are most commonly evil. I look for a faster evolution, a quicker progression to what I deem are a better set of circumstances, and in my zeal for advancement I shove my brother aside; I bend ethics and a sense of fair play and I try to rob my way faster to where it is that I want to be. This is best for me, I think, because it gets me to my goal faster. But of course, the well-learned mind knows that this is not true, because in order to ascend, one must use the principle of integrated honesty. Without honesty, the entire system becomes unstable. For without honesty, misinformation is integrated into the system, and soon, all of our beliefs fall into question.

For thousands of years, the religions of this world have sought to define the proper course for man, and they have shared many similar beliefs, since in fact, all roads to higher consciousness must inevitably have similar qualities. So we see from the oldest of times things like the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Its sublime wisdom is just as accurate today as it was twenty thousand years ago. Other rules and commandments are just as wise, such as: "Thou shalt not kill, or thou shalt not steal." Common sense dictates that these rules are probably good, but many would, and still do, try to break these simple rules, for their own individual reasons.

Logic demands that we live by certain codes so that we may maximize our personal growth. Utmost among all the rules is the simple golden rule listed above, for by treating others as we would have them treat us, we do not rob or cheat or murder. We do not surreptitiously steal from our neighbor, nor do we covet his wife. We do not commit any acts that we would not want committed against ourselves. By respecting the rights of the individual, we guarantee our own positive growth to higher levels of consciousness, where we can obtain the most satisfaction and understanding from life.

Thus, we can easily see that we arrive at at a preordained system of laws that preexist in the universe for all intelligent life. This is the nature of consciousness. Intelligent, conscious beings must assimilate, order, and integrate knowledge about their environments in order to evolve to higher levels of consciousness. All things that promote that organic growth while simultaneously respecting the rights of all other sentient individuals are good. But those things that interfere with such growth are evil. This is an amoralistic definition of good and evil, and it is a universal law that cannot be ignored without consequence. It is independent of all religions and places no judgments on human behavior other than that all individuals must respect the rights of others.

It is a deceptively simple principle, but it is sound, and no person can become their best without its application. This simple summary of a much more detailed treatise, is all one needs to understand the concept of amoralistic good and evil.

"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."

About Eating Animals

2009-05-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

I just happened to make a post on a friend's FaceBook wall about being a vegan, and I was fascinated, as I always am, by the rationalizations and defensive postures people assume, as soon as it is suggested that it might be morally wrong to murder innocent animals for our food, when it is not really necessary.

My post stated that animals are individuals; that they are conscious of their surroundings, and they have feelings and emotions, just like we do, and that therefore, they should be respected as individuals. I won't write much about this here, because I don't have time. But I just wanted to post a note here, so that it would remind me to revisit this subject in depth later.

Diet is very important to all of us, since that is what helps to maintain our bodies, but the fact is, that few Americans have healthy diets. Beyond the moral choice of whether to kill animals for food or not, one should consider the decisions that they should be making everyday regarding their own personal diet.

Eating animals is NOT healthy. Animals absorb toxins from their environment throughout their life, and those toxins become trapped in their tissues. So when you eat an animal, you are eating a higher level of toxic substances than you are when you eat a plant. Furthermore, the diets of factory farm animals are nothing that you will enjoy learning about when you study up on it.

Remember when they figured out what was causing Mad Cow disease? At the time, it seemed like common sense that one shouldn't grind up diseased animals and feed the remains to other animals, and yet it was that very procedure that had given rise to the disease.

And then there are many other toxins that one gets from eating slaughtered animals. There is just so much wrong with eating animals as they are bred and raised for slaughter, that many books have already been written about it.

Check out some of the books and websites, and I feel certain that without even making a moral choice, you will realize that you should try to eliminate as much meat as possible in your diet. And with the mercury levels in today's seafood, you don't want to eat too much of that either.

We largely perpetuate the practices of our parents with regard to eating, and society largely gravitates towards unhealthy, but tasty, fat-laden foods. In as much as we all only have one body to get us through this life, we should all try to take the best care possible of that wonderful machine that is carrying us around our personal universe. The moral choice needn't even be considered initially. Just do it for your health.

After study, you may come to appreciate the prescience of "Soylent Green".

What is an Artist?

2009-05-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

I had a best friend who lasted longer than any set of tires, and we traveled together from the first grade of school until our late twenties. Many miles and years spent together, and many thoughts shared between us. He was an artist. That was how he defined himself, anyway. Once, when I asked him why he didn't complete a task, or why he wasn't more self-disciplined, he looked at me and smiled and said: "Mike, I am an artist. I have an artist's mentality."

So for him, (and he was very talented and very creative, and could sculpt and paint, and create just about any thing he could envision), there was a need to be spontaneous as part of his artistry. I saw it as a great excuse for procrastination and disorder, and acquiescing to the same basic weaknesses that I saw in myself. At that time, I was in college and pursuing a very vigorous set of courses and an extremely heavy course load, trying to make up for wasted years of loafing after high school. But his statement remained with me, because it defined him, as he defined himself. In order to maximize the beauty and thrill in his life, he required a certain disorder, and he allowed himself the luxury of lax discipline. This was what made him happiest. And since he lived with his mother, and had never had a job for more than about a week, and he knew he didn't have to ever worry about getting one, he was free to carve out his own special niche in the world.

My friend wasn't lazy by any means. In fact, he took on projects of gargantuan proportions, many of which were doomed to fail before the start, simply because only a highly disciplined mind could have stayed focused long enough to complete them. Mainly, I think he just wanted to prove to himself that he could do something, and as soon as he knew he could, the desire for completion escaped him. There were some very large projects that he did finish, and most of those were important to finally establish an income stream for himself, independent of his mother. He became successful as a businessman, and built his universe to suit his needs.

I came to believe that many artists were like my friend, and that they were disorganized misfits who just couldn't bear to get a job. So they labeled themselves artists, and they sang or danced or acted or wrote stories. I didn't have much respect for artists, as I saw them.

The label artist can be a derogatory term as it had come to be recognized by myself, but I have changed in my thoughts over the years, and I just realized this fact the other day, as I was writing an email to a friend. My friend had told me that she had made a few commercials, and that while doing them, she was a relentless perfectionist, and that she is normally not like that in her normal line of work, which is as an attorney. I told her: "That's because you are an artist, and an artist seeks perfection".

Those words rang in my ears and stayed with me for days, perhaps because subconsciously I had realized an important truth long ago, and it had finally risen to the surface in an innocent comment to a friend. An artist seeks perfection, but what is an artist? To answer that question, one must answer a broader one: "What is the nature of man?" (I use man synonymously with woman; a woman is just a special kind of man. But that is another blog entry entirely).

No one can describe the nature of man in less than a library, but I can reduce one aspect of man to a simple concept that allows me to explain my definition of an artist. Man is a social creature. From a zoological standpoint, this attribute gave him an advantage over fellow species of animals, because there was strength in numbers. Later, his cooperative nature allowed him to develop methods of communication and other skills, and again, he was elevated over his fellow animals, due to his social nature. Men want to share; it is inherent in their nature. They also, because of their intelligence, seek to order the universe in their minds, so that they can understand it and predict their own futures.

An artist is one who seeks perfection, I accidentally wrote to my friend. But more than that, he or she is someone who tries to share through whatever it is that they do as art. They may not realize this concept consciously, and many artists would probably decry it as a lie, but any fabrication of art is ultimately an attempt of understanding and indirectly, it is also one of sharing. You can describe many things as art, and I won't venture to be precise as to what is art and what is not. Anything that achieves a degree of perfection might be labeled as art, but that begs the question: "What is perfection?" We needn't concern ourselves with absolutes here.

I can look at a shirt that a native in Africa knitted and see great artistry in the maker's skills or beauty in its colors. Or I might look at the scribblings of a kindergarten student, and see abstract art in their renderings. But the person who is a true artist is never content. They strive to achieve perfection in whatever art project they take on. Their "perfection" is what works for them, and they might choose to stop before completion, just as my old friend, who let so many projects die. I label them artists not just because they chase their own private perfection, but because in so doing, it is their attempt to understand their universe and to share a particular point of view with others. It could be something as mundane as knitting a sweater, or as unusual as planting a row of yellow umbrellas across a mountaintop, but their creativity is a result of their humanity and their inbred desire to understand the universe and communicate their findings with others.

The best artists are those whose special talents help us to experience things that we might not be able to do on our own. They touch us on an emotional level and communicate directly with our soul. This could be from music, dance, painting, writing, or sculpture. It may be an architectural masterpiece or just a certain way a garden is planted, or how someone applies their makeup. They create a mood, an altered state of awareness for us, that we may never have experienced on our own. They open a window to their universe and invite us to experience what they are experiencing. It is a statement of themselves, and an affirmation of humanity and the uniqueness of the individual soul.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "Every man is my superior in some way." I try to remember that and learn from everyone I meet. So far, I have never seen that principle proven wrong. Because each of us has our own unique talents, and each of us is an artist in our own way. We all seek understanding, and often, without even realizing it, we try to share. When you are dissatisfied with something that you have done, or even with the current state of your own life, just remember: It's the artist in you, seeking perfection.

The Rule of Law

2009-05-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

My friend called me yesterday, very upset, and on the verge of committing violence. He had paid the taxes on his business property, but there was a shortfall, and without having received a notification of said shortfall, his property was about to be auctioned off. He had gone to pay the small shortfall (only a couple of hundred dollars), but there was a three-hour line out the door, and he feared he couldn't pay the taxes in time to avert the auction sale, which was to occur this coming Monday (this having been Friday afternoon).

I assured him that the information he had been given was wrong; that we live in a land of laws; and that the individual's property rights are protected by those laws. But he was not consoled, because a city employee had assured him that his property would be auctioned off come Monday. I made a few calls, and he checked with a city lawyer across the street at city hall, and sure enough, he had been misinformed, and it was only the debt which was up for auction, and he had six months after that to pay off the debt.

Common sense would normally tell you that the government can't just confiscate one's personal property without recourse, but he had been given bad information by several sources and he was on the verge of flipping out. This is how crazy violent acts occur. Whenever I see where someone went into a courthouse with a gun, or made some crazy decision to commit a violent stupid act, my first thought is usually: "What was done to them to provoke them?"

Usually, individuals are relatively just, and it is a relatively safe assumption to say that we ALL want to be treated fairly and with respect. Luckily for us, we live in a country of laws that are among the best in the world to protect the individual.

We can all sleep comfortably, knowing that this is not Venezuela, and we will not wake up to find that the government has taken over our business, or confiscated our property, so long as we pay our bills. At least for the present, this is true.

However, there are always forces at work trying to steal your rights, and we must be ever vigilant against such people. I cite for example the recent misuses of the law of Eminent Domain, used to steal valuable waterfront property from lifelong residents, so that rich corporations could build more valuable malls and hotels there. This misuse is a great danger that is currently being fought in many courtrooms. I cite this recent online definition of Eminent Domain, which would allow for a much broader interpretation than has previously been assumed:

"The power to take private property for public use by a state, municipality, or private person or corporation authorized to exercise functions of public character, following the payment of just compensation to the owner of that property."

Heaven help the poor land owner if that definition is freely applied by the courts! There are many other recent abuses of our laws which have been enacted by the courts, of which most people are oblivious. In particular, I am thinking of how trial lawyers have ravaged the coffers of so many large companies using falsified claims and crooked witnesses. The tobacco companies, the asbestos manufacturers, and many others have been targeted successfully, and have had their rights violated by the scoundrels who perpetrated the raids, and the courts which enabled them and were complicit through their rulings. People have in the large thought not much about these abuses of the law, because they were hoodwinked into believing bogus data.

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee," are words as true today as when John Donne first penned them.

Our laws as written, give us many rights, but those rights are also subject to an ever-changing interpretation. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes believed that the law evolves with the society it serves, but that in itself can represent a danger. Some standards must not be changed, for some truths do not change. Society may just as easily devolve as evolve, such as in Nazi Germany.

Therefore, I suggest that the law and the U.S. Constitution alone is not enough of a standard to protect present and future generations of Americans. We need an interlocking "Constitution of Morality" that will specify the spirit and intent of the law for the maximum protection of the individual.

This Constitution of Morality would help prevent abuse by radical activist courts, over-zealous defenders, and marauding prosecutors run amok. It would take many years and heated debates to frame such a standard, but I think it would be a worthwhile project and should be pursued. It would be like backing our constitution by a "gold standard". There is far too much leeway in existing laws, and our constitution is rife with opportunity for abuse.

History proves that our government can perpetrate abuses that we, today, would not think possible. We should act sooner, rather than later, to clarify and protect our constitution, so that we might avoid violent upheavals in the future, as enraged citizens rise up against future injustices.

Of course, we might have to bust the heads of a lot of trial lawyers and activist judges along the way, who would stand in the way of all that. Those foxes know that such an interlocking document would take away their ability to cheat, rob, and steal. But we shouldn't let that deter us. There are many excellent judges, who even now are speaking out against such abuses.

My guess is that some character will come along one day, and see this potential vehicle to fame, and pick it up and ride with it on a bold white charger. I just hope that individual's heart is pure and just, because to do it right, will take another George Washington, or another John Adams.

Pertinent links: http://www.online-literature.com/donne/409/
http://www.expertlaw.com/library/real_estate/eminent_domain.html#7

How Many Calories Make a Thought?

2009-05-14T20:23:00.001-07:00

I have noticed, many times, that after being engaged in deep thought, especially deeply creative thought, that I would sometimes feel very fatigued. It occurs to me, that from an energy standpoint, our bodies are only able to generate a certain number of calories of energy per day. So therefore, we can only think so much in a day; we can only create so much in a day. And beyond that, all thoughts are not equal. A deeply complex thought that calls all one's experience and knowledge into play, must certainly burn more calories than a simple thought of recognition such as: "This is cheese," or, "This is water."

But when one realizes a revelation, such as suddenly understanding the principle of the speed of light, there is not only expended the caloric energy of thought to reach that realization, but there is often a corresponding surge of energy due to elation. Thus, life-changing thoughts and experiences must truly burn the most calories and therefore be the most taxing.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that many great thinkers have been very lean. They not only aren't concerned with pleasing themselves through the sense of taste, but they also are burning more calories by thinking vigorously.

Voltaire immediately springs to mind, and the unbelievable number of manuscripts which he produced. "Voltaire left behind him over fourteen thousand known letters and over two thousand books and pamphlets." I can't even begin to imagine how anyone could write so profusely. (see link below)

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/voltaire.htm

Commutative Property of Math Does Not Apply to Life

2009-05-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

The commutative property of math: A+B=B+A does not apply to life. Lost and found, is not the same as found and lost. For if something lost is found, there is joy, but if something found is lost, there is sadness.

I only mention it in passing.

I found a tree of shade in an open field, and I used to go there to sit and think. The tree gave me thoughts that I had never had before. One day, it was gone. Someone came and took the tree away, and there was only an empty field. At first, I felt quite empty, as if I had lost a valued friend, but then I realized that someone had removed that tree for a reason, just as surely as it had been placed there.

Like a flower that blooms and shares its beauty, only to quickly wilt and fade, my secret spot had been taken from me, but it's memory remains. A wise hiker learns that there are many hills and pastures, and many sights beyond his favorite destination. But still, I am reminded of Robert Frost's poem, "Reluctance".

From which, my favorite part is:

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

I stand in an empty field, lacking the desire momentarily, to hike further. I remember that beautiful tree, and reminisce my moments there, embraced in the thoughts which it shared with me. And I wonder, did the tree ever sense that I was there? Would it have shared its thoughts so freely if it had? I think the tree shared, hoping that someone was there, but never really knowing.

And in that respect, I shared its prayers.

I sat beneath a tree and shared its thoughts, and I was made the more for it, unbeknown and unknowing.

Trees yield their fruits so that their seeds may be propagated and live on. Those thoughts from the tree are now in me, and they live and travel with me. If fertile ground is found, I will plant them elsewhere.

A tree shared its secret thoughts with me and I will carry them forward.

New Hampshire Debates of January 5, 2008

2008-01-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

I had an opportunity to watch all the debates last night, and found it interesting.

I had seen a video on YouTube about Ron Paul, and he seemed very intelligent and promising? Well, after listening to him for just three minutes on the debates, I realized he was not!

Governor Romney, a nice-looking fellow and well-spoken, seemed like someone I would never trust as a president. Far too egotistical. Giuliani had a lot of good comments, but I couldn't see him as president. Paul McCain, whom I personally liked, seemed too old and slow, and unwilling to admit his errors in the debates. The news commentators said he did well against Romney, but I thought he looked out of control and flustered, and a little bit slow-witted due to aging.

Mike Huckabee seemed like the best all-around speaker, but I know nothing about him.

On the Democrats, Obama looked extremely tired and depressed, and I never saw him seeming so thin and wasted. His youth seemed gone, probably overly tired from campaigning and he might have been ill. Hillary did a fairly good job, had some good answers, but seemed very self-obsessed and self-promoting. She was more about putting herself across than about the issues. However, I thought it was one of her better appearances. Edwards, came across as really performing, trying to look like the champion of the middle class, but he is a total phony and a trial lawyer, worth millions (I believe), and it was all acting and smoke. The Democrats seemed to say a lot less about the issues, and seemed more interested in attacking one another than in presenting any new ideas.

Everyone tried to paint themselves as the candidate of change, but none of them had much fresh to say. At least the Republicans did talk about some worthwhile ideas for health care reform (especially Huckabee), but how many times have we heard that before? The Democrats all said we needed an energy program, but one good thing Carter did while he was president was to create a very viable energy program, funded by public bonds, and as soon as he got out of office, congress completely disassembled it (and I think that's when we still had a Democrat-controlled congress).

So basically, it is all baloney and none of them will probably do much of anything to help, but you can be sure there will be higher taxes if the Democrats win. Meanwhile, the economy is about to tank and the world gets crazier everyday.

It's no wonder my wife says, it doesn't matter who wins, it will be the same, so vote for Edwards because he is nicer looking. Sheesh! What's the use?

My biggest peeve of the night, which had me screaming at the TV, was that the Republicans all agreed that we need to seal the borders and said funding should be provided to do that. But we all should know, if we have any common sense at all, that that is an impossible task and a complete waste of billions of dollars. What needs to be done is to create a set of conditions wherein Mexicans don't feel such a pressing need to abandon their own country. And at the very least, illegal immigrants from anywhere should be penalized for crashing the country, by having their wait to enter extended. And of course, all new illegals from anywhere who are caught should be immediately deported unless they are given political asylum.

It's all common sense, but few seem to display any in our federal government.

Father's Day

2007-06-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have mixed emotions about both Father's Day and Mother's day. In fact, I have the same mixed emotions about celebrating birthdays. Sure, it's a great opportunity for retailers to sell more stuff, and it seems like a good idea to set aside a day to honor one's father or mother, or to wish someone you care about a happy birthday, and let those same people know that they are important to you and that you are glad that they are a part of your life. It all sounds like a good idea. But is it really?

People start to have expectations then. "Oh, you forgot my birthday! You must not care about me very much." Or parents get hurt when their children are too busy in their everyday lives to make time for them. Or maybe they just forget all about it. Then the parents are hurt and feel unloved or disrespected, and they either sulk about it, or try to make the kids pay for it by admonishing them and telling them that they are ungrateful children.

I would just advise all people to never fall into any of those types of traps. It is a great waste of emotion and largely meaningless. You don't judge your children by what they do on Father's Day or Mother's Day, and you should never expect any acknowledgement from anybody on your birthday.

I for one was not a model son. I loved my parents a great deal, but I was always preoccupied with my own life, and many times I remember rushing at the last minute to buy my mother flowers and a card; arriving late at the house; signing her card while parked in the driveway; then rushing in giving some excuse as to why I was so late. My mother was easy. Anything I gave her she praised and was happy. My father on the other hand actually punished me once for not buying him a Father's day card. Nevermind that I had spent all of my allowance for two weeks on his present. He said I was a selfish, ungrateful son and grounded me for a week for not also giving him a card. I thought it was very silly at the time, and it caused me to feel less respect for him. In fact, I thought he was being childish and I was in the sixth grade at the time. Nevertheless, it was a source of friction and no good ever seemed to come of such holidays. Those days always seemed like just another chance to screw up and get a lot of grief from whomever's birthday or special day it was.

Therefore, my advice to one and all is this: Expect nothing and you will never be disappointed. You will never be disappointed by a friend or lover or son or daughter, or any other poor soul who might just have forgotten that it was your special day. Or if they were just too busy, or they didn't think you rated any special effort, you will never really care.

On the other hand, if they do take the time and effort to remember you, you can still be delighted by their good will. And you will never feel you have to chastise a son or daughter, brother, sister, or lover for forgetting you.

Hold yourself to a higher standard. Try diligently to honor your father and mother every chance you get. Try to let your friends know just how much you care about them. Nowadays, with all the computer software available, it is much easier to keep track of all those special days. But only hold yourself to that higher standard, and never try to make anyone feel bad if they have done less than you hoped for. If you don't hope or expect, you will be more godly.

After all is said and done, the real joy in this world is giving, not receiving.

The American Pricetag of Citizenship

2007-06-17T06:40:00.001-07:00

How can anyone with a grain of sense in their head think that a proposed immigration law that effectively grants amnesty for illegal immigrants based on a five thousand dollar entree fee makes any sense? Okay, you give us five thousand bucks, then go back home for a year, and we will re-admit you legally. Are our lawmakers all nuts? Are they that far removed from reality as to think this would ever work?

When I hear our president praise this as landmark legislation for immigration, I finally must admit to myself: "He must be stupid." I voted for Bush, both times, and I am a registered Democrat. I know this administration has been plagued with many a bone-headed move, but this is just so outrageous to me, so egregious and frustrating, that it is almost laughable.

I say almost laughable, because it is not funny at all. This is a very serious issue, and it involves millions of potential new citizens; tens of millions if one extrapolates into the future. Since when has it been considered remotely acceptable to put a price tag on citizenship? On the large, illegal immigrants come here to get a better life, chasing the hope of riches and an all-inclusive society. A large number of these people are illegal because they don't want to wait for the long process of legal entry. This proposed new legislation, directed primarily at illegals from Mexico, hasn't a glimmer of a hope of solving the illegal issues. An illegal already here and working, is not very likely to be willing to cough up five grand and then go home for a year. It's ridiculous.

What would make sense, is legislation to increase across the border temporary workers. That part of the legislation is good and fair and should be enacted immediately. The illegals are a more difficult issue, especially those who have become established here and have proven themselves to be law-abiding participants in our society. It is difficult to decide how to make them legal. This really needs a lot more thought, but since they did break the law and enter illegally, asking them to pay a fee might not be an unfair thing to do. Maybe it could be paid over a long period as an extra tax against their wages. Many options could be palatable in asking for what constitutes a fine. But to ask them to voluntarily come forward, pay, and then go home for awhile is ridiculous.

Far worse, are the implications of what admission to our country is going to take in the future. Already, Europeans have to pay a non-refundable 100 dollar application fee for visas to come here. Why not just say okay, there is a large admission price if you want to come here. Throw a sign across the Statue of Liberty proclaiming it.

Perhaps what is more obvious than immigration reform is that we need change in our government. We need qualified people who think, statesmen that serve the betterment of our society and not self-serving, narrow-minded, partisans who seek only their own betterment and re-election. Until such stupidity is singled out and the perpetrators are publicly ostracized, we will continue to see such ridiculous legislation that carries no hope of bettering the country.

Memorial Day and Iraq

2007-05-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Eight more American GI's died today, fighting for the preservation of freedom as a way of life. Many will say that their lives were wasted in a war that we shouldn't be involved in. They will lament the loss of young men and women whose lives had just begun and who should have been able to live many more years on this earth. Sadly, they will also politicize the war and will preach the foolhardiness of attempting to bring freedom elsewhere.

But ask the GI's who are fighting in our volunteer armed forces, and one might be surprised at the clear-headed conviction with which they do their jobs. This isn't Vietnam. These young men and women are more informed and seem to know better just what they are fighting for.

Ignoring the stupidity of any war for just a moment, we must finally, if we are honest, admit that sometimes war is inevitable and necessary. Nothing could have appeased Hitler; no amount of sanctions could have ever changed Saddam Hussein; and no negotiations nor any amount of logic can turn radical Islamic fundamentalists into the friends of modern civilization.

Young men and women, good Americans, are dying. They are sacrificing their lives for what they believe is important and in the best interests of America. And they are there based on those convictions, hoping to ultimately make this a better world. Whether one believes that they can achieve that end result or not doesn't change their valor one iota.

We go about our lives here at home, insulated from the grim realities of the war. The news blares about American Idol or Paris Hilton, and the world of shallow gets thinner everyday. Who are these men and women that are dying? Will posterity remember them? Over 40,000 American servicemen lost their lives during the riots in the Philipines shortly after the island chain became an American possession at the end of the Spanish-American War. Certainly those lost lives had meaning to the families that loved them. Did they make any difference for the better common good? Only god knows that answer.

It is different in Iraq. There, people were being murdered by the tens of thousands under Saddam Hussein. That has stopped and been replaced with a tit-for-tat reprisal effort that was easily predictable, and which will continue for decades. But beyond all that, there is something else. There is great hope and expectation, by those that are giving their lives there. The hope is less than it was previously, as perhaps are the expectations, but the young men and women who are there are dedicated professionals and a better fighting force than the United States has ever had before.

I hope and pray that the politicians can start to realize that what this country needs are statesmen, not the seedy politics and partisanship that has been so systematically practiced in this country in recent history. Look at the brave young minds that go out in the name of freedom to try to make a better world, and be shamed by them if you are a partisan of any political party with a narrow interest agenda. Let us as Americans remember the best of us who will never come back to enjoy the shallow world of everyday life in America, and let us show our anger against any politician, celebrity, or populist who tries to capitalize on their great sacrifices.

They gave their lives for us, as did the soldiers of generations before them. Let us never forget that as we go about our daily lives, largely unfettered by the malevolent forces in the world, which would like to see the great experiment that is America destroyed.

The soldiers, god bless them all.