Maybe it's just us?....

it may very well be the case that the unierse and existence, in one form or anohter has always been in existence. perhaps it is a fundamental characteristic of man, who is born ad dies, who is unable ot fully comprehend or come to terms with existence. to the extent that the question "why is there something instead of nohting" is in truth, more a question of "why do i exist, instead of not existing?"
if existence has always been here, then the question of origination is moot.
and if that can be assumed, (and assumption and questioning of assumption is the basis of any good inquisition) then perhaps that understnding can vitally change the nature of our questioning in terms of cosmology and other scientific processes, and events in the universe.

perhaps there has always been existence, but not always "time"
perhaps there has always been the basic constituents of time, but existence came later?

both propositions so fundamentally change what has been put together and how we understand it, as to render our minds perhaps incapable of an actual inquisition.

yet, this is where science stops and humanity begins, for the meanign to be derived from things we do not understand, and the meaning things have when we do not understand, still holds an incredible amount of meaning to us. the implications of such meanings, are perhaps more valuable than the actual answer.

for in a basic sense, what anything means to us, is of ultimate importance.

Don't Miss

at this point, i can see a proper justification for right thought, right intent and right action, while quieting the mind.
it is so we do not "miss" the opportunities that are before us at all times.

by my calculations there are 400,000,000,000 to the 100th power of opportunities to engage in positive transformations and actions every given nanosecond.

if we can become aware of 1 of these possibilities every 5 minutes, and act on it meaningfully or with right intent, then we are doing, very, very, very well.

the mantra for this is "don't miss".

the tree is ever ripe.
we need only visualize the plucking.

Advanced Programming

Would it be possible for someone or something to ever create a creature that could not only self replicate, but evolve?

Would it be possible for someone or something to ever create a program so sublime, that it would be able to start from nothing more than the ingredients necessary to create a creation.. and from that, create a program and a creation which could self replicate and evolve?

Would it be possible for someone or something to ever create a program which could create a basic structure of existence from which a secondary program would spontaneously arise which would evolve into a creature that would self-replicate and evolve and become conscious to the point of figuring out how the program to create a structure of reality and then a program to create itself could evolve and replicate, culminating in figuring out the program, but also come to understand the constituent parts of the program and how to create a program that could do the whole thing all over again? as well as come to understand itself to the extent that who it was, what it was, how it got here/now would also be figured out?

Do you think that would ever be possible? or would such a situation be "untraceable"?

and if it were possible, which of the above elements of the event be regarded as the most difficult, impossible, or miraculous?

And what would it mean if the thing doing the deeming of that which would be regarded as the most difficult, impossible or miraculous were a creation, representing the culmination of all of the above?

And could the answer ever be proven as being meaningful outside of the reason of the beings asking and answering the questions?

In terms of what we currently know about programming, it would have to be said that such an achievement, should it ever be achieved, would have to be thought of, as exemplifying a level of knowledge far beyond which we now know as being possible.

which brings us to the underlying question behind all of this:
"If such program could never be created, then how can they say such a program happened by chance?"

is it an underlying characteristic of our existence that it "creates" spontaneously by "chance"? the answer is undoubtedly, "yes", however, our understanding of "chance" in this circumstance, is a tip of the hat to a process that is of such potency and ungraspable, ungropeable comprehension, that learned men, can find no other way to explain it other than chance.

I will simply say, that from the youngest age of my exploration of the truths of our existence, I've always found darwin's genius to be less than true genius. The statue has feet of clay. He may have thurst humanity forward in it's ability to comprehensively explain a process that has gotten far from the barn, yet, it does not go far enough to come close to explaining our current condition. Religion has the same problem as science, in that it is incapable of envisioning a "reason"

What science calls "chance" religion calls "god" and so they are both equidistant from the inner truth. it is not chance and it is not god. it is everything. the alpha and the omega. the beginning, the truth and the reason.

the nature of which will be discussed in following writings.

The Balance of Inner Expansion

In truth there is only one home that humans reside in during their time on Earth.
and this is a home that many, if not all humans have a large degree of latitude in creating a preferred level of comfort.
Much like any form of interior design, there is a required level of interior dynamics as a prerequisite to any intentional manipulation to achieve a desired configuration of any given space.
Yet, as in any form or art, there are those who intrinsically, or naturally find peace and a level of adeptness in their understanding of interior space.

There is a festival in India which occurs at 14 year intervals.
it is known as the kumb mela
it occurs over 45 days every 6 years at two sites and every 12 years at two other sites. at any given site, there can be upwards of 70 million participants including yogi's and guru's.

I heard a Yogi speak there and he said that in the west people say they don't have time to meditate, yet, if they were to meditate for an hour a day, they would get more out of that hour, than in the entire rest of the day.

This is the space that I am referring to.
it is not a spiritual space, or a state of mind, or even a meditative space.
it is the body in which we dwell in, regardless of our state of mind, or level of awareness.

This body is the only home, we will ever have.
We enter it once, and we leave it once
and inbetween we inhabit it.

If we come to realize this, then we should surely regard our comfort within this space as paramount.

In the west we are concerned, almost wholly with the exterior.
Even in how we care for our bodies, it is in a selfish, possessive way at most times, with little regard for the comfort we feel within our bodies.

We take pills, we exercise, to feel better, to look better, to be stronger.. all of which effect our level of comfort.
but in many ways, we miss.

If we were to look inward and achieve comfort within this space, then we would not have the desire to engage so heartily and readily in attaining other forms of indirect and peripheral comfort(s).

And there are other valuable lessons and insights to be gained through achieving not only comfort, but knowledge of how to attain comfort within this space.

If we were to explore our inner space, we would find that it holds more answers than does outer space.
and through the reflection of our inner space and outer space, and the relationship between the two, there would be even more answers made available.

and one of the many truths we would discover, is that as we gaze upon the heavens and see it's infinite expanse, and become aware of the shortness of our lives within the duration of existence, we would realize that for "us" as a people and race to be able to be afforded the opportunity to continue to build upon knowledge from one generation to the next, we are compelled to pull inward and become comfortable within our bodies primarily in place of our "homes", our cars, our finances, our appetites, our locations, our work... then we would stand a good better chance of extending our relationship with the life sustaining properties of this earth, thereby achieving a harmonious balance, as the basis to continued contemplation and reflection upon ourselves, the heavens, the earth, existence and the truths and answers to the great questions posed to humanity.

this is but one potential, small, fractional benefit of recognizing our bodies as our homes and to contemplate a deepening relationship with our inner spaces.

Turning your mind into a crystal ball/projector.

there is a nascent power we are all born with to envision something and then to make it occur in the exterior world.

there is a way to train the mind and program the body to envision attainable creations and to make them become real in this world.

it's like turning your mind into a crystal ball by projecting yourself along your own chosen path of desire to envision an outcome that can and will occur.

depending on the clarity of the vision, you will know how attainable the thing is.

but once you have trained your mind with a few vision creations, it becomes extremely adept at processing these minds eye images into reality.

and as your minds eye becomes more clear, the visions/your visions become more clear, such that your path in life, is a mirror of your minds eye.

A Theory On Enlightenment: The Most Impossible Thing, is the Only Thing that Makes Sense.

Had a conversation with dear old mom. She's an incredible woman. I forget that she's so deep. Anywhere I go, she's already there and has plans, notes and ideas sketched on the walls and floors (if there are walls and floors).

We were talking about the vastness of space.

She has a theory that the actual shape of the universe is like a strand of DNA. except it coils around and around and around forever.. each bit that composes a part of this chain is infinite in itself, and yet, linked together with all of the other infinite bits.. and it all forms a giant endless circle.

it's certainly an idea that's hard to get your mind around.

and so, the idea came up, of what does this all mean? when we stare into the vastness of the endless heavens that we can not penetrate even a little bit, in the course of a lifetime?

It must mean that all that can be known. all that can be contemplated, all that can be meaningful, must reside within the completeness of the self. it must.

but, what is the self? for the greatest mystery is not life itself, but the life of the individual, and the fact that the individual is distinct, separate and in existence and "me".

how did "I" not only become "I", but get in "here"? so conscious, so self aware, (and at times, so presumptuously essential and normalized of my selfness as to not even consider that it is worthy of deep consideration?)

The self. That is not only the most impossible thing. Easier ideas are the thought of existence, endless.. endlessly vast.. even of life. for it is here, and not "us". So these ideas, along with all others seem like concepts that are not particularly hard to grasp in comparison with the idea of the existence of an individual, personal entity which contemplates not only all of the above, but itself.. and is "me"

Many a night I have awoken. stark, tight, confused and perplexed about how this thing came into being, and how i not only got sucked into it, but how i got created and sucked into it. It has never (save a few moments of profoundly peaceful understanding), made sense why there was "something" instead of "nothing". nothing, seems so much simpler. So it seems, just as is key to all dualities, that this must be essentially "nothing".

It seems that perhaps time is the conduit from which nothing becomes something, while remaining nothing, for in truth, on the smallest level, the smallest fraction of time, exists a real infinity of impossibly smaller fragments of time, which are infinitely divisible, such that, at any given "time" there may in fact be nothing, yet, as the tape runs forward, the illusion is fulfilled to the capacity of our awareness (which it necessarily must be).

Yes, existence, of self is the ultimate riddle, which has lead me to the belief that enlightenment is not so much a realization of truth, as it is, an acceptance of it. for the truth, is not escapable. however, it can be unrealized, and ultimately, the understanding of, acceptance of and ability to penetrate fully, completely and with no further questions, the answer to why there is a "you", how "you" got in "you", and the fact that you are "here, now".

that is enlightenment. for, there is nothing more basic, more essential, or to be considered before or after this. and if this idea can be understood, accepted, beyond further questioning.. there is the idea of a different kind of life.

for not, on the most basic and essential of levels, are learned and contemplative individuals, not concerned with liberty and freedom?

and how can one be free, if one does not know the answer to the most essential question thus being freed, moment to moment, to live in accord with it? thankfully, even without this level of acceptance, there are more than enough clues, as exemplified by the simple notion of self-perpetuation, as to how we can live in accord with a truth, we perhaps may never fully as a race, realize, and accept, or even have the capacity to understand.

you see. man may come to know many things, but all of the things we know, have one important thing in common with the answer to how we got inside ourselves, and that is, that knowledge and ourselves is contained within "us".

It is not my contention that there is no external reality, nor is it my contention that an essential narcissism is the foundation to all philosophical truth, rather, whatever there is that exist external to the self consciousness, is understood, contemplated and acted upon by the self...

the self is the throne, the very seat of god/consciousness, for once again, our understanding of god, is either through the self, or through merger with godliness. In my mind, that is the riddle of Jesus who states that as the self, he is the be all end all. not that he is the only one. but the only one as you are. and so, in "me" is found redemption and truth.

that's just one theory of enlightenment.

Parenting

IIt's hard to describe what parenting is all about. It's one of those particular, peculiar things about life. The deep, inner urge to have children and then the love that we have for them once they arrive, seemingly springs out of nowhere and is overwhelmingly potent at times. Parenting is an experience that is so innate and so programmed, and yet, so fulfilling and awe inspiring at the same time. For those of us who have heard the call to parenting and are engaged in it's challenges, it's an experience that is hard to imagine not having, once having tasted it.

With all of the responsibilities of parenthood, one would think that parents would fret about it more and at most times be complete emotional wrecks, yet, even for moderately disordered individuals, parenthood, the love of parenting, the desire to care for, and provide for and to protect ones child, is preeminent in ones mind as well as second nature.

and yet in the loving dance between parent and child we are both in essence and by construction forever somewhat enigmas to one another. You come to know your own parent so well over time, and your children come to know you very well. yet, in that closeness, which is so nurturing and necessitous it's almost as if the element of the "role" of child and parent is so potent, that it clouds the understanding of the person outside of the role of parent.. in fact, to be ones child, is to never truly know your parent, outside of the parenting experience. the needs of the parent and the natural, over time maturation of the parent and of the child, is such that we for the most part, remain forever engaged in a elegant, beautiful and choreographed relationship dance. Never to emerge from it. never to know this individual off of "the dance floor" of this relationship.

We all have our own ideas about what is important in this vital dance.

Family First: Treat the mother, father, step-parents, grandparents, step-grandparents with reverence, respect and deference... Teach your children the primary importance of considering and being concerned and responsive to the ideas, health, experiences, and uniqueness of their family members. consider deeply their contributions and their ideas and what they have passed onto your children. Teach your children the importance of family, and give them repeated experiences with family and family members. Speak positively and respectfully of all family members. This includes uncles, aunts, good friends, and especially parents, lovers and caregivers. Teach your children loyalty, and how to welcome friends into their life, and to defend them, support them, think of them and to share what they have with them. The family is the basis of all societies. ALL societies.. how you treat one another, becomes a template for how your children treat every person they meet... hopefully it will be as a friend, until proven otherwise, and once that friendship is established, they will continue that relationship with the highest level of care, loyalty and responsibility, so that they can have lifelong companions to learn from, teach and reflect themselves and the friendship as they go about the process of following their dreams and engaging in their passions. Teach them to always strive to reduce, minimize and resolve conflict. to make resolution a goal at all times with family. to be endlessly forgiving, tirelessly loyal and exhaustingly cooperative with their family. To come to you for help in understanding their relationships and in resolving conflicts. Teach them that their own ideas and personal space, feelings and principles must never be breeched and yet, within this, they should strive to resolve conflict and even to take the opportunity of conflict to improve themselves, their understanding and to strengthen their relationships.

Nutrition, Exercise, Self Care: last but no least right? your shopping cart should be filled with fruits and vegetables and whole grain breads, and fresh ingredients. keep sugared, canned, and packaged foods to a minimum. "vote" with your food dollars. Keep meat to a minimum, and make great choices. If you are going to give treats, then give them baked goods, fruit with whipping cream.. stay away from processed candies, artificial ingredients, and stuff that has a shelf life of more than a few days, experiment with different flavors and treats from around the world.... Teach them to eat for nutrition, never for taste. Teach them to eat small portions, to eat a diverse menu, to let their bodies, tummies and feeling of fullness and comfort in their bodies to be their guide. get them to bed in time, wake them up in time for school. bath them, make sure they get outside every day, keep them clean, safe, warm, dry and loved... make sure they exercise, are exposed to team and individual sports, games of cooperation and competition. how to work together, to play their role, to push themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of, to fulfill their responsibility, to learn from their mistakes, to shore up their weaknesses, to establish goals, to be on time, to follow directions, to trust their team-mates, to have pride, respect, dignity and that they owe it to their opponent to give them the best fight that they can give, so that in that vital competition, they may both profit from the experience to grow, to understand and to learn a valuable lesson they can take with them for life.

Consistency: that is, you get up, have a rhythm to life, a ritual to the events of the day, bedtime ritual, getting ready to leave ritual, exploration together, traveling, checking in, education.. family get togethers, things we do during the week, etc. Don't be rigid in your schedule. allow for "authentic" deviation. give some things a break. back off of some things, change the style, flip the script, go with the flow... but even in that, be consistent, so that your child can learn not only the rhythm of life, but what rhythm works best for them...

Love: unconditional love, patience, forgiveness, normalizing, explanation, gentle correction, acknowledgement.. Tell your children you love them, every time the impulse takes hold. hug them when you're happy to see them, when you leave, when they need encouragement, before bed, when they wake up. run your hand through their hair, pick them up, look them in the eye, comb their hair, wipe their noses, get them clean warm clothes, prepare good meals and lunches, give them water... bring them around loving people and keep them away from people who don't think they're special, or worthy of being treated as full and equal partners in whatever experience you are about to have... love your kids. that's the only way they'll learn what love is and how to love back... this is how they will learn to not be self-conscious. to be comfortable in their bodies, with others, with "good touch" and how to comfort and soothe themselves. Teach your kids that they are beautiful, worthy of being loved, adorable, unique, special, and that most of all, they are the most important thing in the world to you. it will last a lifetime. they will always carry this around them. it will set a standard for how they think of themselves, and by how you treat them in loving ways, will teach them how to recognize those in their life that truly love them... for the right reasons...

Nurturing Passion: prioritizing time for them to experience different situations and prioritizing time for the to engage in what they want to do.. this teaches kids to follow their passion and allows them to gain proficiency and all of the benefits of growing in relation to something else. Nurturing passions begins with love, comfort and a home base that is consistent, loving and supportive, for this becomes internalized. and if someone can carry this around, then they have an inexhaustible pool of self-reserves from which they can calm themselves, and continually make forays into the world at large to achieve their dreams.

Forethought: providing for food, clothing, shelter, meeting responsibilities to continue and to avoid any threat to providing to your kids. forethought also extends beyond this to a capacity to envision, live in, and plan for a future. children who are raised in chaotic environments, "learn" to live in the moment and that the world is not consistent enough to plan for. In order for our children to have long range plans, they have to have a tangible experience in planning, preparation, and having consistency, communication and help in seeing how the parts of the present, build up to the future. In too many of the folks I've worked with who are traumatized, mentally ill, homeless and unable to meet the most basic needs.. the one trait they all seemingly have in common is a loss of hope, that robs them of an ability to become a positive actor in their lives, or an early life condition and lifestyle which teaches that there is in no real terms a future. Only a present.

Cooperation/communication: This world we live in requires that we meet a consensus with our neighbors, our family our community and friends. to be able to construct something, to be able to share, to listen, to understand, all requires that we communicate and cooperate in that communication. As a basis, the ability to see others as brothers and sisters in the struggle, instead of adversaries, is a huge lesson and perhaps the most important lesson humans need to learn. and so, it's not so much about being "polite". as we look at the problems of the the conflicts... they are problems and conflict that only adults, who do not feel any obligation to cooperate and communicate can come up with. we must stress the ability of the individual to have respect for the things and rights of others.. while at the same time, encouraging sharing, cooperation and communication. cooperation and sharing ideas with all of the caregivers, making sure that everyone gets to provide for that child the best that they can provide and what they think is essential for that child to have. may we all give that one or two, (or 5) things that we feel are important for our children to have..

Education/Critical thinking: teaching our kids, explaining things, soliciting opinions, and teaching them how to learn is a gift that keeps on giving, but if you don't value their opinions and get them to think creatively, that is, to feel completely free to offer hypothesis, theories, to laugh, be creative, to joke, to be absurd, then their ability to respond genuinely and authentically and with a degree of humor and levity... in other words, "freedom' will be compromised... "play" extends beyond monkey bars. "play" needs to be infused in all of life for a child. for in the final analysis, we're all here for a different purpose, and yet, we are merely "playing" in life in a sense. Teach your children "history" their history. the off the beaten path history. the history of their people, your family, your culture and the world in which you live. when you think about it, every book, every show, every experience you tell your kid about, is "history" for it happened in the past.. but to be engaging, you need to make it into the present... and the point of teaching your kid history is so that they understand why things are the way they are, how they got to be that way, and by learning this, they will be free to question the basis of what is, and what should be. they will learn the great societal debates and the lessons of the past and recognize the basis for present day situations.. teach them about the great figures in history, for by in large, history is made by unique and special individuals, in unusual circumstances, who made bold and and timely decisions... teach your children, history, education and the foundation of critical analysis and reasoning. it will assist them, in everything they do.

X-Factor: be authentic with your children, so they can be authentic with you. Take the opportunity that parenthood gives you to be the absolute best person you can be. Take parenthood as a growth opportunity to expand your capacity for care, for love, for selflessness, for patience, for intentionality. and most of all, whatever it is that's unique about you. Your passions, your loves, your activities, your ideas, culture, books, artists, music.. share all of that with your children as well as the reasons why you find these things unique and special. Let your children know that you are engaged in life and find life to be enjoyable and why.. this will infuse your children with the idea that they can use your passions as a springboard for their own. it will teach them to experiment and investigate the world to see what it has to offer and what loves and passions they can unearth.

Philosophical inquiry: Teach your child a bit about the great mysteries of life past and present. teach them about the Buddha, Christ, Einstein, W.E.B. DuBois, Gandhi.. the cosmos, magic, alchemy, spirituality, reproduction, astrology... teach them the wonder of life, the earth and the world in which we live.... tell them stories with morals, expose them to mythology, cultural stories, stories of creation, adventure, mythic beasts, explorers, legends... and parables, stories with ethics, decision making, learning experiences.. teach them an appreciation for the arts and different world views, textures, materials, colors and patterns and traditions... read to them, explain to them, show them how it's made and how it's done.... and what it means...

Self, Contemplating Self.

It has been said, that consciousness is the best tool for the contemplation of consciousness...

One of the great things about life is that you get to meet a lot of great people.

Hopefully you can count "yourself" as one of those great people, because you understand, take care of, respect, motivate, properly feed, clothe and shelter yourself. And hopefully you accurately, analytically, strategically, with humility, compassion, love, patience and awareness, make great decisions for yourself... and you have awareness of the power you have in your relationships with others to be a positive actor on your world, in your relationships and within the environment and time you dwell in.... and, hopefully if you don't have it now, you understand that this understanding is within your reach and available to you wuch that with Providence, Serendipity, Actualization, Realization and Persistence, any and all goals are within your reach....

Hopefully, you will have an awareness of not only that which you wish to do, but of something you wish to do, and also, be blessed with one of the greatest gifts, which is, to understand where your talents lie, and how to judiciously superimpose and actualize your talents within your desires to attain your ultimate becoming.

it is my belief, that in contemplating and realizing all of the above, we have a distinct advantage, seeing as the environment and folks we deal with in life, are composed of the same matter we ourselves are composed of, and, in addition, the cosmos and ultimate questions of our existence is composed of the same stuff, our minds are composed of. We are in essence, contemplating, on the deepest levels, our selves.. and using ourselves to contemplate ourselves. there is no distinction in construction, or constitution between us and everything else.

We must have faith, that through trials and tribulations, with experience and passion, we can unlock the most relevant and important understandings, we could ever wish to understand.

The Minds of Animals...

when you really think about it. how much brain power does it take to contemplate the universe? any animal can gaze into the heavens, the mountain range, the valley, the field, the oceans tumult and in some way, grasp something essential or descriptive about it, which, in time, becomes familiar. and is any one gaze, any more prescient than any other?

almost everything man knows now, is based upon the knowledge of our previous generation of thinkers. If it were not for language, the written form specifically, there would be very little knowledge that could be passed down from generation to generation. In fact, such was the case for the vast majority of the existence of humans on Earth.

So when we think about what it is that makes humans different from other animals, to say, "language" or "written language" or even to say, "technology" is not really, entirely candid nor truthful. In truth, humanity is a single generation away from an inglorious return to an animal understanding of the world and cosmos.

if it were not for technology being recorded, taught, books to be studied, proficiency tests, etc, then, we would be unable to pass on technology. information from the Hubble telescope would be beamed, but not received, not interpreted and unable to be read. In truth, there are very few individuals that truly understand the most cutting edge of technology, and, in this day and age, the specialization of knowledge necessitates that the most complex of knowledge's be broken apart to the point that there are very few individuals that have the cohesive understanding of how all the parts fit together.
and so, a human, left alone, not taught language, and left in the wild, will surely perish, unable to survive or to gather food, or avoid hazards, or shied itself from hazards.

and so, in a sense, we have outlined the intellectual failings of mankind. We have the ability to understand the code of language and to replicate it, but, if not taught this code, we know nothing of it.

when i look at the majestic beasts of the world. instantly knowing what it can and can't eat. how to reproduce, how to survive, how to migrate without a protracted childhood. i must say that the only thing that truly separates humans from the animals is not intelligence.

what separates humans from the other animals is an inability to see and enjoy the fruits of existence.
it's is also the inability to understand the grand plan of living in harmony, in symbiosis and competition with other life forms.
it's an inability to accept the impermanence of life and the de-emphasis of the individual and the emphasis of life itself, the world in which one lives in and the continuation of the species, and if possible the family.
the exaltation of the individual and the needs of the individual at the expense of a vital balance is the root difference for humans.

the desire to dominate and to control
to enrich at the expense of others
to master and exploit
to eliminate or stifle competition
to see the world and it's resources as belonging to the individual.

and the desire to make a language that is spoken and written, sprung forth from the desire to carry on and continue that which was seen as important, which is to say, more important than the individuals who spoke or produced the knowledge. the idea of a "legacy"...

this drive, this desire, this is the driving force, the persistence of humanity which created language, and technology.

this is what separates us from the animals.
whereas other life forms live in acceptance of the earth and the realities of a subtle and essential "green" balance.
man, has sought to persistently create forms of control.

from this "intelligence" sprung forth in these rude and abrasive ways.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
the significance of the christian religion is not that man discovered god, but in that god was brought down from the heavens and made into the form of a specific living man. the final step, in a centuries long process to attempt to violate the truths of creation and seize the most essential alchemy.. that of turning not man into god, but god into man. in this the actual message of the "savior" was raped, twisted and rendered sterile. tossed unto a pile of rubbish, as the final pronouncement was made into law.

it is almost the same story as when Columbus was shipwrecked off of "Hispaniola" and saved by the native inhabitants. Columbus presented the king with a robe in gratitude to the king for dispatching his people to save Columbus and his crew. in exchange, the king presented Columbus with a crown. with this, Columbus, knowing it was but a gift, a token, proclaimed that in this gesture, the king of Hispaniola, was seceding his territory and acknowledging Columbus and the king of Spain as rulers of this land that Columbus and his man damn near drowned in several hours earlier.

it is almost exactly the same.
Europe and the various battles which seethed with the Moors, Germany, Asia, Russia, Britain, The Danes, The Norseman, Greece, the Romans, Persians, Mesopotamia, the Nazi's, Napoleon..... they all based the legitimacy of their various claims on some flimsy interpretation of some long ago, strange, twisted logic. The one element that they all had in common, is that the justification benefitted the one who was making the claim.
I only use Europe as a well documented example. the entire Earth, then and now and into the future, is at different turns a hell and a kingdom for the living and a mass grave, or monument to the dead.

and yet, just as in technology, politics and high finance, there are but few individuals infected with this disease, and the rest of us follow along, for fear of extinction.
there are precious few men and women who desire this type of dominion.
and others that desire dominion of other kinds, be it knowledge, truth, justice, peace..
man, seeks perfection and higher states of being and an ungraspable type of inexpressible communion with Eden.

this is not to say that I harbor any kind of borderline psychological relationship with "man". "Man" means men and women, the vast majority of which are intent upon survival. I believe everything that man has done, has been done according to plan. reality does not mind the destruction of a planet, for a period of time, as a gambit towards the chance at achieving a predestined vision of the embodiment of the full wisdom of existence personified. I believe we are in a transitory stage, which I refer to as the age of enamorment. surely, technology is an important leap, however, the spiritual understanding that for the most part has been a continuous inquisition and philosophical question, also can stand to evolve. I believe this will occur. but, this stage, this age of enamorment must pass.

the point of this exercise is to point out that at times, we dazzle and amaze ourselves, as any contemplative being should be dazzled and amazed. and at times, we fool ourselves by psychological process (rationalization, intellectualizing, projective identification, internalization, etc) and self-justification and question begging. this is the slalom course that all philosophical inquiry must pass through. and so, to look at human intelligence, it must be said, that persistence and a desire to dominate is perhaps more the hallmark of humanity, than intelligence and providence.

animals for the most part only value those traits that can be passed on genetically. man, has found a way to pass on things bypassing genetics and to in part control which genetic factors are dominant. the dangers of this are currently being debated. and so it must be said, that the intelligence of man is in his ability to surpass and bypass the limitations of an entire existence of lifeforms, which previously were locked in and limited by the ability to pass on traits.. so, it must also be said, that the trait that separates man, is his persistence and desire to dominate and his cunningness in creating a written language and external intellectual tradition to achieve these ends.

The Structure, Origin and Nature of the Divine.

It has been noted that the structure of our universe is such that there are clusters and groups of galaxies with large dark spaces. Oncea gain, it has been said that due to the effects of gravity, our galaxies would spin off into the distance if it were not for there being at least 80-90% of the mass of the universe, in an as yet undetected state.
some of the theories, as previously mentioned, is that "machos" (massive compact halo object) large interglactic entities and small rock like or particulate entities, which do not shine, give off energy or are otherwise detectable, may make up a part of this mass. This does not seem to be the case, so far. If such objects were out there, they should, in theory be detected as they move across our field of view of other galaxies, thus causing a type of lensing effect. We have seen this lensing effect, yet, it appears the lensing is coming from within the galaxies we are observing, rather than from the spaces between.
another theory for where this hidden mass could be, is that it is contained in "wimps" (weak interacting massive particles). if there are such particles, we have yet to detect them.
but, what about another idea, or two.

what if our universe is a separte universe that sprung off another universe at the time of the big bang? suppose our multiverse is actually contained within a wormhole region created in a black hole like object (and for the sake of argument, let's say it's at the center of a universe within another universe).
if our existence is actually physically represented within a region of another universe as a black hole, then it would lead to the assumption that although in one frame of reference, a black hole is an infinitessimally small object, the "size" of objects within that space and the accompanying "wormhole" (loosely defined) is, and can be arbitrarily large.
Once energy is broken down beyond physical form into pure energy with positve and negative charges, then it may be able to fluxuate in such a way to be arbitrarily large.. as is thought to be the possible case for our own universe.
Ok, assuming all of that, then perhaps the structure of our galaxy, that is, regions of galactic clusters, intermingled with dark regions, in spiderweb like strands, perhaps these strands represent more than just galactic clusters. these strands may represent the very foundation and structure of our existence.
if we are within a black hole like wormhole like structure, then perhaps the strands are the artifice and frame for our existence.
In this model, "dark matter" may not be represented as objects within our galaxy, rather, the force and detection of dark matter may in fact be the pressure exerted from outside of, inside of and all around us, emanating from the very strucutre and physical characteristics of the wormhole/blackhole region our universe occupies.

It has been said that the structure of a thing, provides a unique form of information for what that thing was, and what it will be. Well, given that, if you run the tape backwards from our existence, then what you have, is the fact that the pure energy of our very creation (the big bang), at that very moment, back to zero, the physical dimensions for each living being on earth, was not only pre-determined in a sense, but pre-destined as well.

pure energy, unavoidably begets life.
and if this pure energy, was in previous forms, as life, then that information, would in a sense serve as the model and template and inherent capacity/knowledge of that very same energy.

once again, the argument of "god" is so strangely inadequate. all possible arguments for god, are foundless, and yet, the power ascribed to god, at the same time, so very limited.

that which we think of as divine, is so much more divine than we imagine. and to think that love begat it all...
the divinity is beyond all divinity to the extent that all is divine.

Two Events with Causality.

In order for there to be time (just, off the top of my head). there must be two events with causality, or at least awareness and effect upon one another. If you only have one event. then, there is no beginning, or end. no start or stop. with no events.. well, that's obvious. three events.. well, you're late there. the cats already out of the bag.

So talk about when, or where, may be interesting, but ultimately is not satisfying, or truly enlightening.

How? That's an interesting contemplation.

Why? Well, i think "because" is more than adequate as an answer to "why?"
"Why" is really a question of any particular state, which begs a previous or subsequent state, which is in essence a puzzle, and not truly enlightening.
It's not difficult to see why "why?" is alluring as a contemplation in terms of an earthly being, subject to the seemingly capricious nature of existence and nature, which at times, seems uncaring or unconcerned or non-aligned to the necessities, or desires of life and the living.
Ancient cultures and ancient peoples WHO, have, no malice in their hearts, or malevolence in their intent.. while experiencing those who are truly evil, apparently, at times appear to curry favor would naturally be quite curious as to the answer to the most mundane question of "why?"

So, yes, "why?" is a question which is self-absorbed as an inquiry to the extent that it's a question more befitting a beggar, and not a philosopher.

If you have two events, you have a beginning. And so I have to wonder if perfection is assumed once the conditions of time are present, or if perfection is an evolution point in time. it must be the former. once the conditions for creation are assembled, then perfection has been achieved, for any subsequent incarnation is necessarily a contingency of the previous condition.. the unavoidable potentiality of perfection is necessarily perfection, maybe more perfect.. if there is such a thing.

It has been said that a philosopher is one that endeavors to understand and "philosophize".

One of the most enjoyable playgrounds for a philosopher is to place oneself in a position of using their full human faculties to contemplate that which is true beyond the individual. this successful "stretching" of ones mind, is the equivalent of the philosophical orgasm.

But, talk of orgasms is truly animalistic... and therein lies the ultimate rub and the spice of life.

Tweety Bird

Tweety Bird is so damn cute.
And so is that old lady who runs around and carries him around in her cage.
She sure is mean to that bad ole puddy cat.

I've seen that cat, Sylvester i think his name is, get blown to smithereens
all because he had an insatiable, irrational need for that big headed, yellow canary.

Now, we all know (or at least all of us who know the story know), that it doesn't matter how many times Sylvester gets Tweety into his mouth.
He can never eat and digest that bird.
It's just not in the script.

But, it's an important lesson for the rest of us.

And that lesson is, that sometimes passion blinds us and we become addicted to the pursuit to the detriment of ourselves and all of those around us.