According to the World Health Organization, approximately 73 million induced abortions occur worldwide each year. This means that about 61% of all unintended pregnancies and 29% of all pregnancies end in induced abortion.

Between 2015 and 2019, studies estimated that China had an average of 17.7 million abortions per year, with an abortion rate of 49 per 1,000 women aged 15–49, one of the highest rates in Eastern and Southeastern Asia. In China, it has been estimated that a significant portion of abortions have historically been tied to sex-selective practices, specifically the preference for male children over female children. This trend has been fueled by a combination of traditional cultural norms valuing male heirs, the historical one-child policy (enforced from 1979 to 2015), and advancements in prenatal sex-determination technology.

Studies and reports suggest that millions of abortions in China may have been sex-selective, disproportionately targeting female fetuses. For instance, a 2019 paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that over the past decades, 10 to 15 million female births may have been “missing” in China due to sex-selective abortions, infanticide, or neglect.

A natural sex ratio at birth is about 105 males for every 100 females. However, in China, this ratio became skewed during the height of the one-child policy, reaching peaks of about 120 males to 100 females in some years and regions, indicating widespread sex-selective abortion practices.

Since the one-child policy ended in 2015 and the government began cracking down on illegal sex determination and sex-selective abortion, the sex ratio at birth has gradually moved closer to normal levels. Still, a cultural preference for males persists in some areas.

While precise data on the exact number of sex-selective abortions is difficult to determine due to the clandestine nature of the practice, it is clear that a significant proportion of the 17.7 million abortions performed annually in China during the one-child policy era (according to government statistics) were likely influenced by a preference for male children.

In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 613,383 legal induced abortions from 48 reporting areas in the United States. This number rose sharply to over 1 million in 2023, hitting a new record since 2010.

In high-income countries with better access to healthcare, abortions for medical reasons (e.g., severe fetal abnormalities, life-threatening health conditions for the pregnant individual) are estimated to account for around 5-10% of all abortions. The vast majority of abortions are for sex selection, or due to inconvenience.

In the recently overturned Roe v Wade, Roe (a pseudonym) was a carnival barker, on her third pregnancy, which was highly inconvenient. Her case to abort the fetus went to the US Supreme Court, where she won her case in 1973 based on the constitutional right to privacy, and outlined a trimester framework (1st through 3rd) attempting to balance the mother’s privacy rights against the unborn child’s right to life. Ironically, Roe gave birth to a daughter while awaiting the outcome (1970), who was subsequently adopted, and lived a happy life with a family and raising three children. She expressed that while she didn’t want to represent anti-abortion, she wished that her birth mother would experience the joy of having a child.

These rights are difficult to assess, and in some ways hinge on one’s definition of when life begins and whether and when the fetus is alive. Some considerations:

Biological Perspective
Cellular Life: From the moment of conception (fertilization), the zygote is considered biologically “alive” because it is a growing, developing, and metabolizing organism with human DNA.
Heartbeat: The fetal heartbeat can typically be detected around 6-8 weeks of pregnancy using an ultrasound, and some consider this a sign of life.
Viability: Around 22-24 weeks, the fetus may be viable outside the womb with medical intervention. This threshold is often used in discussions about when life becomes independent of the mother.

Philosophical and Religious Perspectives
Different cultures and belief systems vary in their interpretation:
Some religions (e.g., Catholicism) consider life to begin at conception.
Others, like traditional Jewish thought, may consider life to fully begin at birth.
Philosophical views often hinge on the idea of consciousness or personhood, which some argue develops later in pregnancy or even after birth.

Legal Perspective
The legal definition of when a fetus is “alive” varies by jurisdiction:
In some places, legal protections for a fetus begin at conception.
In others, viability (22-24 weeks) or later stages of pregnancy are significant milestones.
Laws like “fetal heartbeat bills” define life at the detection of a heartbeat, while others may not recognize a fetus as “alive” until birth.

Ethical Considerations
The debate often revolves around personhood (the capacity for consciousness, sentience, or autonomy) versus biological life. For instance, while a fetus is biologically alive from conception, many question when it gains moral or legal rights.

Poignantly, I reflect on my own mother, pregnant with me at just 16, who—rightly or wrongly—resisted the pressure of her elders to end my existence before it began. Any one of us reading this could have faced a similar fate, yet here we are, alive to ponder the profound “what-ifs” of abortion. Link sentient minds and beating hearts with me now in a celebration of abortion, with those that never were.

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In the depths of twilight’s shroud,
Where the whispers haunt the proud,
A realm of shadows calls my name,
Through the void, I rise again.

Steel and fire, blood and bone,
Through the night, I walk alone,
In the silence of the grave,
I’m a warrior born to save.

Shadows of eternity,
Lost in dark infinity,
Hear the echo, feel the flame,
Blackened sky, it speaks my name.

From the ashes, I ascend,
With the night, I shall defend,
Against the creeping void of lies,
In the darkness, see me rise.

Moonlight guides the broken dreams,
Silent screams and spectral beams,
In this world of black and gray,
Fight the dawn to end the day.

Shadows of eternity,
Lost in dark infinity,
Hear the echo, feel the flame,
Blackened sky, it speaks my name.

Through the veil, the demons cry,
Souls entwined, they cannot die,
In the night’s eternal reign,
I’m the keeper of the pain.

Shadows of eternity,
Lost in dark infinity,
Hear the echo, feel the flame,
Blackened sky, it speaks my name.

In the end, we stand as one,
Underneath the burning sun,
In the shadows, we remain,
Guardians of the endless flame.

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“I see a pattern, but my imagination cannot picture the maker of that pattern. I see a clock, but I cannot envision the clockmaker. The human mind is unable to conceive of the four dimensions, so how can it conceive of a God, before whom a thousand years and a thousand dimensions are as one?” Albert Einstein (1953).

Firstly, I recommend Professor Greene’s interesting book Until The End of Time, along with others he has written. However, I found it useful to simultaneously read “The Order of Time” by Carlo Rovelli, which presents a melodic contrast. Secondly, please allow some meandering feedback and tangential thoughts it inspired as follows.

Professor Greene’s description and continued reference to entropy reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode entitled “A Penny For Your Thoughts” (available on YouTube) that depicts a low entropy event akin to his example of 50 coins being shaken and falling all heads or tails (pages 24-25). As he surmised something special is likely to be occurring, which the Twilight Zone episode concurs. Dr. Brian Cox relates another analogy with sand on a beach – it is conceivable that the wind might blow the sand in such a way as to create a low entropic event of a fully formed sand castle, but highly unlikely. It is more likely it will simply disperse the sand in higher entropic configurations that appear random to us.

On page 93 and elsewhere Professor Greene concludes that given all living things power themselves similarly, and given their shared DNA, “The immediate answer is that all life must have descended from a single ancestor…”. I scribbled in the margin “Or, a Creator!”. I likewise noted the recurring themes of natural selection and Darwinian evolution, the latter of which Darwin struggled with given the lack of archeological evidence of transitional species as “… the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory”. This was mitigated by the revival of Lamarck’s epigenetic concepts, though initially scoffed at, now providing renewed importance (see, for example, Lamarck’s Revenge by Peter Ward). Whereby, heritable evolutionary changes can happen within a single life span versus the previously assumed lengths of time passage.

I especially appreciated Professor Greene’s references and discussion on alternative philosophies, including Buddhism. His personal story of his brother’s self-reflective journey reminded me of being sixteen and spending a Summer devouring Sanskrit texts and attempting meditation. There was something especially beautiful about a language that told long stories based on a single word – for example, Maya, where a male student when asking to explain it, is told to dive into a nearby pond, upon entering the water he transforms to a girl, exiting, grows up, marries, has children, and sets up home in a large valley; a flood washes out the valley, as she reaches to save her children she begins to drown, upon her last breath she exits the pond and the master says “that is Maya”.

Outside of Dr. Greene’s books, I have attempted to watch “debates” between Professor Greene and other physicists (e.g. Roger Penrose, Eric Weinstein), but they quickly devolve into, from my perspective, semantic arguments, without any resultant net thoughts. I likewise find most presentations of information to be tunnel focused and missing the forest for the trees. In this regard, I do appreciate Professor Greene’s multi-varied approach in this book of referring to various disciplines including biology and philosophy. My sense is that this is a superior pathway to unlock answers, as no doubt knowledge in one area can inspire to another. While relegated as pseudo-science, Immanuel Velikovsky’s Worlds In Collision, and other works, attempted on a grand scale to achieve this – regardless of what one thinks of his analysis, the approach is interesting.

It is often indicated that Quantum Mechanics is the formulae of the very small, and Relativity of the large. At what scale does one to the other fail? Is there an area where neither work (aside from Black Holes)? It is also claimed that Dark Matter exists to explain something missing in current equations. I wonder what Dr. Greene and others think of concepts within William Sidis’s only work The Animate and Inanimate (1920 – freely available via the Internet in PDF) that proposed reversibility, which seems an alternative explanation, regardless not all his points may stand scrutiny. His concept challenges the accepted second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy in a closed system tends to increase over time. Sidis’s idea suggests that processes in the universe could be bi-directional, defying the arrow of time as commonly understood. To illustrate his theory, Sidis employed an analogy involving mirrors. When we look at a mirror, we observe a reflection of our world, where everything appears the same except for the reversal of one dimension of space, perpendicular to the mirror’s plane. Drawing upon this imagery, Sidis proposed that if time were considered an additional dimension, akin to the three dimensions of space, a “reverse universe” could exist. In this reverse universe, the dimension of time would be reversed, while the spatial dimensions would remain unaltered. As the Red Queen quipped “It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.” Interestingly, in 2020 research by Lebedev and Vinokur “Time-reversal of an unknown quantum state” that “…opens the route for general universal algorithms sending temporal evolution of an arbitrary system backward in time.” opens up new possibilities. Perhaps William Sidis will one day receive a Nobel Prize posthumously, or in person, for his conjecture.

On page 325 Professor Greene states “As we hurtle toward a cold and barren cosmos, we must accept that there is no grand design.” Around the age of 19, on a beautiful Summer afternoon I came inside (my aunt and uncle’s home, where I was staying at the time), and felt an overwhelming sensation to lay down and sleep. I gave in to this, and lay on the living room chesterfield. I immediately went into a dream state, which seemed more of a vision than a typical dream. In this vision, I was walking in an open field, feeling the sun on my face, looking up at the cumulus clouds, and feeling very content. Suddenly I encountered Jesus Christ (I don’t know how I knew it was him, but that is what it represented to me in this vision), he was standing in front of me and speaking, speaking very quickly. However, it was in a foreign tongue and I didn’t understand what he was saying to me. I closed my eyes, and allowed myself to take in the words, without my conscious filter…instantly I understood him, and in this moment, I was transformed, there was no physical world anymore, I sensed I was a disembodied spirit, and realized there were other disembodied spirits, and we were somehow communicating with one another. Regardless this was dramatic, I was not frightened, and in fact “felt” at peace. What we were communicating had to do with the cycle of life, it occurred to me that we were discussing a “game”, that we would initiate this cycle of life, with the object of returning to this starting point. I soon awoke, and felt very calm. What did I experience, what meaning, if any, did it have? To me, this is the closest representation of what occurs after death within our comprehension. We are part of a self-determined cycle, purposely set out as experiential. This closely follows Buddhist beliefs, which may have influenced the vision, as I had previously (age 16) studied this. So, was the vision a manifestation of my Buddhist teachings, or a vision of “reality”, or both?

However maddening, to this point of knowledge, it seems we are destined to be as those depicted in the Twilight Zone’s episode “5 Characters in Search of an Exit”, able to struggle through obtaining knowledge within our universe, our bubble, but outside of that will never be known while living. If we were, as the Mind’s I (by Hofstadter and Dennett) surmises, we would instantly cease to exist. “It is better to travel well, than to arrive.” Buddha

Has Professor Greene’s words and others led me astray; more likely it is simply my own entropic process.

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The concept of the “middleman” in the economy has evolved over time, and its role has been both celebrated and challenged. Traditionally, middlemen have acted as intermediaries between producers and consumers, adding value by facilitating transactions, providing information, and reducing transaction costs. They have often been seen as crucial components of efficient markets, connecting buyers and sellers who may not have otherwise found each other and smoothing out the exchange process. They have also been described by the derogatory economic term “rent seekers”, putting themselves in the middle of a transaction for a fee.

However, with the rise of digital technologies and the internet, the role of middlemen has come under scrutiny. Don Tapscott, in his prescient book “The Digital Economy,” (1995) forecasted a trend of disintermediation, where digital technologies would directly connect producers and consumers, bypassing traditional intermediaries. This forecast was based on the idea that the internet would enable direct communication and transactions between parties, reducing the need for intermediaries and potentially cutting costs and increasing efficiency.

Examples of traditional middlemen include retailers, wholesalers, brokers, and agents in various industries. These middlemen have historically played important roles in distribution, marketing, and sales, often adding value through their expertise, networks, and logistical capabilities. For instance, a retail store acts as a middleman by purchasing goods from manufacturers or wholesalers and selling them to consumers, providing a physical location for customers to browse and purchase products. On the other hand, digital platforms and technologies have disrupted traditional middlemen in many industries. For example, online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have directly connected consumers with sellers, bypassing the need for traditional retail middlemen. Similarly, platforms like Uber and Airbnb have disrupted transportation and accommodation industries by connecting consumers directly with service providers.

The travel industry has been one of the most affected by disintermediation due to the rise of online travel agencies and direct-to-consumer booking platforms. Traditionally, travelers relied on travel agents and tour operators to book flights, accommodations, and other travel services. These intermediaries provided expertise, convenience, and access to a wide range of travel options. However, with the advent of the internet and online booking platforms, travelers gained the ability to research and book travel services directly, bypassing the need for traditional intermediaries. Online travel agencies like Expedia, Booking.com, and Airbnb have transformed the way people plan and book their travel. These platforms allow travelers to compare prices, read reviews, and make bookings directly, often at lower costs and with greater flexibility than traditional travel agents. The rise of user-generated content and review platforms has also empowered travelers to make more informed decisions without relying solely on the advice of travel agents. Social media and online forums provide travelers with a wealth of information and real-life experiences from other travelers, further reducing the reliance on traditional intermediaries for travel planning.

Overall, the travel industry has experienced significant disintermediation as consumers increasingly prefer to book their travel directly through online platforms. This shift has forced traditional travel agencies and tour operators to adapt their business models or face declining relevance in the industry.
Despite the trend of disintermediation, middlemen continue to play important roles in many industries. In some cases, they have adapted to the digital age by leveraging technology to enhance their services. For example, many traditional retailers have expanded their operations to include online sales channels, combining their physical presence with digital capabilities to reach a wider customer base.
One area of the economy that could be at risk of disintermediation in the future is the financial services sector, particularly in areas related to lending and investment. Traditionally, banks and financial institutions have acted as intermediaries between savers and borrowers, pooling funds from savers and providing loans to borrowers while earning profits from the interest rate spread. However, with the rise of financial technology and blockchain technology, there is potential for disintermediation in this sector.
Peer-to-peer lending platforms have emerged as alternatives to traditional banks, connecting individual lenders directly with borrowers through online platforms. These platforms use technology to match borrowers with lenders, often at lower costs and with greater efficiency compared to traditional banking services. Similarly, blockchain technology has the potential to enable decentralized finance applications that could disrupt traditional financial intermediaries by allowing for peer-to-peer lending, decentralized trading, and other financial services without the need for traditional banks or financial institutions.
Another area that could be at risk of disintermediation is the investment industry. Robo-advisors, which are automated investment platforms that use algorithms to provide investment advice and manage portfolios, have gained popularity as a low-cost alternative to traditional financial advisors. These platforms offer investment management services directly to consumers, bypassing the need for traditional financial advisors and their associated fees.

Additionally, the rise of cryptocurrencies and tokenization of assets has the potential to disrupt traditional investment markets by allowing for the direct peer-to-peer exchange of digital assets without the need for traditional intermediaries like stock exchanges or clearinghouses.
Overall, the financial services sector could be at risk of disintermediation as technology continues to advance and new digital platforms and decentralized systems emerge. However, the extent of this disruption will depend on various factors such as regulatory developments, consumer adoption of new technologies, and the ability of traditional financial institutions to adapt to these changes.

My suspicion is there will always be a need for a middleman, it is only unclear what form it will take in future.

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Carl Jung, the renowned analytical psychologist and philosopher, introduced the concept of synchronicity around 1930. Synchronicity refers to meaningful coincidences that occur between the human mind and external events, despite the absence of any discernible causal relationship. It highlights a fascinating phenomenon where seemingly unrelated occurrences are intricately connected in a way that transcends conventional notions of cause and effect.

An illustrative example of synchronicity can be found in a scenario where an individual randomly places three paintings in different locations, and by sheer chance, their future spouse stumbles upon one of these paintings, decides to frame it, and eventually gifts it back to the person who initially placed it. This occurrence appears as a mere coincidence, but upon further reflection, it reveals a deeper level of interconnectedness between events. According to Jung, synchronicity suggests the existence of a profound, yet paradoxical, synchrony between certain or perhaps all events.

In 1952, Jung collaborated with Nobel physics laureate Wolfgang Pauli to co-author “The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche.” This groundbreaking work aimed to merge quantum entanglement arguments with philosophical concepts in an effort to establish a comprehensive framework for understanding synchronicity. By exploring the interplay between the principles of physics and the complexities of the human psyche, Jung and Pauli sought to shed light on the nature of synchronicity and its potential implications for our understanding of reality.

Overall, Carl Jung’s introduction of the concept of synchronicity has had a profound impact on psychology, philosophy, and the broader scientific discourse. By highlighting the enigmatic connections that exist between the mind and external events, synchronicity invites us to reconsider our understanding of causality and the boundaries of human experience.

Our perception of events is subject to relativism, and this applies to our understanding of time as well. The concept of “now” is relative to the observer experiencing it. To illustrate this point, let’s consider a scenario involving a train passing by a bystander at a station. The train consists of three cars, and there is a passenger situated in the middle car, surrounded by lights on the adjacent cars. Let’s assume that all the lights illuminate simultaneously.

From the bystander’s perspective, they would perceive the lights illuminating simultaneously. This perception is based on their stationary position relative to the train. However, for the passenger inside the train, the situation appears different. Due to their motion and the relative motion of the bystander, they would perceive a discrepancy in the timing of the light illuminations.

Specifically, the passenger would perceive the light in the forward car to have illuminated first. This perception arises because the passenger is moving towards the forward car and away from the rear car, causing the light from the forward car to reach them before the light from the rear car does.

Hence, the difference in the perceptions of the bystander and the passenger regarding the order of light illuminations highlights the relativity of time. It demonstrates that our understanding of “now” and the sequence of events can vary depending on the observer’s motion and frame of reference.

In this context, all of life can be understood as a series of interconnected and relative instances of the present moment. It is conceivable to speculate that these countless moments of “now” can be experienced in a nonlinear fashion, allowing us to traverse them backward or forward, contingent upon our perspective and point of observation.

These “now’s” are indelibly etched into our existence, intricately interwoven. As our observational perspective evolves, we embark on a journey through spacetime, embracing this interconnectedness, where every moment can be revisited or relived, and experienced anew.

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As the Red Queen quipped ” ‘It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.” 

William Sidis (1898-1944) was an American child prodigy with a remarkable intellect, although he remains relatively unknown to the general public. In his one major work, titled “The Animate and the Inanimate,” (1920) Sidis proposed a fascinating concept: the reversibility of everything in time. This concept challenges the widely accepted second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy (disorder) in a closed system tends to increase over time. Sidis’s idea suggests that processes in the universe could be bi-directional, defying the arrow of time as commonly understood.

To illustrate his theory, Sidis employed an analogy involving mirrors. When we look at a mirror, we observe a reflection of our world, where everything appears the same except for the reversal of one dimension of space, perpendicular to the mirror’s plane. Drawing upon this imagery, Sidis proposed that if time were considered an additional dimension, akin to the three dimensions of space, a “reverse universe” could exist. In this reverse universe, the dimension of time would be reversed, while the spatial dimensions would remain unaltered.

The notion of a reverse universe challenges our intuitive understanding of time as a unidirectional flow from past to future. It suggests that if time were reversible, events could unfold in either direction, akin to a movie being played forward or backward. This implies that the past and the future would be interchangeable, and cause and effect could operate in both temporal directions.

Sidis’s proposal contradicts the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy tends to increase over time. Entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a system, and the second law suggests that systems naturally evolve toward greater disorder. However, Sidis anticipated aspects of current quantum entanglement conjectures in his theory. He introduced the concept of probability of states, indicating that processes could have forward or backward probabilities, which could potentially reconcile his ideas with the second law.

To accept Sidis’s argument, one must entertain the possibility of a dual dimension that allows for the bi-directionality of processes in the universe. This would imply that time is not strictly linear but possesses inherent flexibility. While this idea may challenge our conventional understanding of time, it opens up intriguing possibilities for reevaluating fundamental aspects of physics and causality.

Sidis’s work has not received widespread acceptance or recognition within the scientific community, consequently, his ideas have remained relatively obscure, which is unfortunate. If true, his concept could lead to the possibility of time travel – likely not as H.G. Wells foretold in The Time Machine (1895), but rather we might reverse a process, or “send” an interaction between present, past, or future. Perhaps, in one day past, present or future, to recognize Sidis as we do Newton or Einstein. Someone whose imagination uncovered hitherto unknown “secrets” that at some point in time become ordinary.

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Passion is a word steeped in historical mystery as associated to the Christian allegory of the Passion Play. It’s rough English translation from classical Latin and Greek emphasizes suffering. Yet we often use the word to describe our heightened emotions for another, or some aspect of our ambition. However there is no contradiction – to be passionate about another, or ambition (e.g., art, music, business,…), is to combine this apparent schizophrenic force of both suffering and heightened emotion. To be passionate is a requirement of any successful relationship or endeavor. We must embrace the journey with full knowledge and openness to the passion dichotomy. Many start out with apparent passion – perhaps misinterpreted lust for another, or misguided ambition toward an ideal. Yet we mostly fail because we either didn’t have passion at the outset, or else once the inevitable suffering of passion occurs we recoil. Yet, even when passion is initially present the specter that can erode it begins with indifference, followed by resentment and worse.

” It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.” T.S. Elliot

Yet those who have successful relationships, businesses, artistic endeavors, all point to passion as the fundamental key. Passion is much more than desire or ambition, though it can be fuel to both. Passion is to in all aspects (physically, mentally, spiritually) embrace the other, including the suffering. As therein lies the power and mutual gain. Examining any harmonious relationship or dedicated endeavor, one finds a seemingly continuous passion that makes every decision obvious, that leads to wonderful discoveries, and confidence to rebound at any and all challenges.

” Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.” James Joyce

Of course one can likewise be passionate toward subjectively negative pursuits. In traditional religious teaching the seven passions (or alternatively the seven deadly sins, i.e., gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, dejection, listlessness and pride) are suggested that we must overcome our passions (at least in these cases) by surrendering our thoughts, and all the inevitable variations and actions, to God. Religion considers the opposite of passions to be virtues…tellingly only apparently achievable but by the grace of God. We can take the usefulness of this teaching by focusing on being passionate toward virtuous pursuits, regardless of our belief affiliation.

” Only I discern Infinite passion, and the pain Of finite hearts that yearn.” Robert Browning

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Self delusion is the favorite pastime of our existence. Always convenient to lay blame on others (relatives, acquaintances, strangers) or uncontrollable events (weather, economy) for our misfortune than to look in the mirror for the actual culprit. Unfortunately mental health practitioners propagate this syndrome by indulging it, allowing the subject to whine about the howling winds of their world, even providing sympathy to further entrench the subject in their fantasy. Why is it so difficult to accept personal responsibility for oneself – is this not the first milestone of self awareness?

“Self-deception fools all of the people all of the time.”  Marty Rubin

Why in the last 20-30 years has there been a massive upswing in mental health disorders, and interestingly, a corresponding increase in Munchausen Syndrome? Has the human race devolved, with our brains less effective than before – doubtful. The potential answer is information overload provided by the advent of the Internet. Bored people are now exposed to relentless negative information, can fascinate about various disorders, and continually incorrectly self-diagnose. Most “mental disorders” cannot be diagnosed by any test, instead we are given a questionnaire with a series of interpretative questions. For example, when attempting to diagnose depression or anxiety we are asked about our sleeping habits, if poor, chalk one up….however, why not ask about diet, exercise, and other physical factors affecting sleep? The reason is most mental health practitioners and their patients are in a confirmation bias dance, with both wanting to maintain the delusion of a mental disorder. The patient gets attention and sympathy, the practitioner a job.

“There is no psychology; there is only biography and autobiography.” Thomas Szasz

In the classic book Freakonomics, it depicts how incentives and disincentives influence human motivations. One example cited is of real estate agents working on your behalf to sell your property are inclined to convince you to take an offer slightly below the asking price versus waiting for a better offer. The reason is for say an extra $10,000 sale price, which would be significant to the seller, the agent only achieves an additional fee of $300-600, not worth their time, continued advertising, opportunity cost, etc. What is the incentive to the mental health practitioner to resolve the subject’s issue in one session (which in many cases is possible, especially if they are simply self-deluded)? They would lose their client and more importantly the client’s fee. This is also experienced with the production line of family doctors offices in Canada, as they are paid for each patient they see…thus, many diagnoses are incorrect, prescriptions provided more often, than if there was a different incentive framework (e.g., salary) that changed the motivation dynamic.

Yet not all self-delusion is negative. Many self-deluded people simply believe they are something they aren’t, and can do the impossible, which results in incredible pursuits and sometimes achievements. The key; however, is self awareness. The state of both subconsciously and consciously knowing oneself, what motivates one, the de-motivators, and deciding upon a course of action.

“The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others.” Friedrich Nietzsche

Free yourself of negative self delusion in this moment. Release the angst you perceive against a cast of characters and situations. Relish in the self delusion that the impossible is possible. Become your own Deus ex Machina, suddenly revealing your personal god who can instantly resolve your narrative, and start anew from this moment.by

The underestimated and largely misunderstood, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, through three of his salient publications Recherches sur l’organisation des corps vivants, 1802; Philosophie Zoologique, 1809., 1809; and Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres, (seven volumes, 1815–22), would establish the foundation of epigenetics (organic evolution). This predated Charles Darwin, and has only recently been recognized as the more important evolutionary mechanism (see Lamarck’s Revenge by Dr. Peter Ward, 2018), in addition to the Darwinian theory of random mutation, natural selection and the gradual change of organisms over time. In epigenetics, it has been shown that evolutionary changes can occur within one’s life, and interestingly, some are heritable (i.e., passed on to the next generation).

In research of generations of children born from survivors of the Hongerwinter, which is typically referred to as the Dutch Winter, when the Nazis cut off all supplies during the brutal Winter of 1944-45 to 4.5 million people, killing tens of thousands to starvation or worse; the generational aftermath was both interesting and alarming. In studies of the offspring of the Hongerwinter survivors, there was found an alarming increased incidence of many health disorders including diabetes, schizophrenia, eating disorders, with generally increased morbidity and mortality. Thus, it is indicated that the mechanism of heritable epigenetics negatively changed the genes of the Hongerwinter survivors, which were then passed on to subsequent generations.

In a revealing study published in Nature in 2013, Dr. Dias and Dr. Ressler trained mice to be afraid of an otherwise innocuous smell, astonishingly, this fear was passed on to the next three generations of mice. While still controversial, it seems to indicate behaviors can be inherited.  Could memories be likewise passed on? Could this explain people experiencing “past lives”, perhaps these are visionary memories from ancestors passed down epigenetically. Or is the “behavior” an encoded memory that is passed on? Might this explain offspring who seem to pursue or avoid activities of their parents?

What of consciousness. Is this entirely a biological phenomenon? Can consciousness be carried over in some epigenetic method?

In a recent study conducted at Yale University led by Dr. Nenad Sustan, with the results published in Nature, they were able to re-establish brain activity in a decapitated pig’s head after 4 hours of its death. They used a newly developed technique coined perfusion, which sends a synthetic blood to the brain and stimulates cell activity. To prevent consciousness occurring they included a blocker to prevent neuronal activity. There have been many cases of humans being successfully resuscitated after “death” many hours later. Thus, it would seem feasible for someone who has died of heart failure, or some other organ failure, to be treated with perfusion, to preserve the brain, while organizing a replacement to the failed organ. Regardless, the brain seems to live on for many hours, perhaps days during its dying phase.

It has been established with known research demonstrating control of a two-dimensional computer mouse via brain waves, non-invasively and without any muscle control. Given the brain seems to live on for hours after “death”, would it be possible to continue communicating via this interface? Is it possible for the mechanism of epigenetics to provide a pathway to human-machine interfacing, thus a sort of immortality?

In my prior post “Wardenclyffe”, I posed, among others, these two questions:

1. It is clear from the process of epigenetics that we can alter our genetic expressions in our lifetime, and also pass this on heritably.  This begs the question of what we might to do positively (subjective!) to alter ourselves for our future generations.
2. Why are new species massively created after extinction events? Similar to forest fires, with subsequent new growth, in all known extinction events on earth, there followed an abundance of new species formation. What is this mechanism, and importantly, after the next such event, what new, presumably move evolved species, will be?

Clearly epigenetics is involved in both answers. If we were to unlock the complete answer to question 1, and this continued generationally, it stands to reason we would achieve untold quality longevity as a species. Yet, we seem doomed to not understand our small, but important role for subsequent generations, and even if we were, it is difficult to imagine such selflessness in action.by

Moonlight led me across the snow

The starry night, the past aglow

Old footprints behind me now

Ghosts harken yet not allow

To reunite the love we knew

Death has taken a sweet adieu

Of all we could and should have been

Goodnight my love forever thenby

In reverence to Nikola Tesla, I offer ten questions without a current answer.

1. Why is there no fossil record for any insects for 60 million years during the “hexapod” period, yet there are prior and after? Perhaps, a simple answer might be we haven’t discovered them as yet…but, this seems improbable.
2. Why is dark matter always present in experiments that create matter, yet in nature it isn’t? Some occultists perceive this as evidence of a parallel universe…but this seems improbable.
3. Current conjecture is that the Big Bang produced the universe as we “know” it some 13.8 billion years ago…regardless of this possibility, what came before? Presumably, in terms somewhat intelligible to humans, an infinite series of the same. From our mathematical perspective, there can be no concept of time, without mass, thus it is theoretically possible to conceive of an eternity (no beginning and no end). However, what is the omniscient architecture, or architect?
4. What is the origin of “UFO’s”? Clearly many examples are ultimately explained as ordinary. Yet some persist, and become classified as unknown. Are they extraterrestrials? Are they humans from our future observing us?
5. One of Tesla’s objectives was to produce free electrical power to everyone on earth. However, his Tesla Coil could only produce wireless electricity up to 1-2 kilometers, and due to dissipation would never be able to achieve his objective. Yet, is it possible to create a Tesla Coil that was simply aimed at providing free energy for a household?
6. What happens when a human dies? From a physics perspective, some aspect of us is immortal, as energy simply transforms. Yet, we have had conflicting anecdotal evidence of near death experiences and clinical death experiences, of both emptiness and awareness. What is the answer?
7. How does “life” (our perception of it) arise from the random assembly of inorganic materials? Is it a natural process of entropy? Can we reproduce this?
8. What is the difference between space and time? What are the attributes of the fourth dimensional spacetime? It would seem logical to assume infinite dimensions exist within spacetime, but what would be evidence of this?
9. It is clear from the process of epigenetics that we can alter our genetic expressions in our lifetime, and also pass this on heritably.  This begs the question of what we might to do positively (subjective!) to alter ourselves for our future generations.
10. Why are new species massively created after extinction events? Similar to forest fires, with subsequent new growth, in all known extinction events on earth, there followed an abundance of new species formation. What is this mechanism, and importantly, after the next such event, what new, presumably move evolved species, will be?

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In the July 2017 issue of Scientific American, Michael Shermer, in the article entitled Who Are You?, asserts that given our identity is tied to our memories, and that memories cease to exist when the brain dies, our identity is thereby mortal. However, it doesn’t consider the possibility that our memories and thoughts are not simply resident in our brains; rather, there is a collective, quantum memory that we interact with, with our brain acting similar to an intelligent laptop accessing cloud computing.  I coin this concept as Clairvoyant Memory, with its purposeful wordplay of simultaneously referring to both past and future. There is anecdotal evidence to support this Clairvoyant Memory; consider:

1. Near Death Experiences – Many people when facing death, or experiencing “clinical death” cite seeing their lives pass before them in a torrent of memories…could this not be a transfer interaction?
2. Telepathy – We have all experienced knowing what someone is about to say before they say it, and vice-versa. Typically this occurs with someone we have a strong emotional connection with. It would seem that thoughts can be simultaneously in more than one place. This quantum entanglement of the brain has been experimentally determined by scientists such as D. Radin.
3. Prodigies – It would seem improbable that a four year old can create complex symphonies, given the obvious lack of musical memory possible to that point. Yet, there are many cases, such as André Mathieu, where this has occurred. Many of these prodigies indicate “seeing” the completed work, rather than building toward it, as if it were separate from them, but somehow accessible.
4. Eureka – Famous and non-famous people alike have experienced eureka moments, sometimes in a dream, sometimes a flash of genius…seemingly unconnected to prior memories/thoughts of the beholder. Is there some other thought stream being accessed?

It also important to consider the potential difference between identity as Shermer discusses it from consciousness. As long ago as 1641 Descartes argued for dualism; whereby, the brain and consciousness are separate. As Henry P. Stapp, a pioneer of quantum mechanics noted “A scientist physically affects quantum systems by choosing which properties to study. Similarly, an observer can hold in place a chosen brain activity that would otherwise be fleeting. This shows that the mind and brain may not be one and the same.” Noted mathematician and scientist Roger Penrose took this further, and asserts his experiments in what he terms “orchestrated objective-reduction” demonstrates quantum activity within the neuron that interact non-locally with other neurons and, along with the quantum hologram, experience consciousness. Penrose’s conjecture based on this result is that this process serves as the foundation for the human soul.

“I believe that the findings of quantum physics increasingly support Plato (who taught that there is a more perfect, non-material plane of existence). There is evidence that suggests the existence of a non-material, non-physical universe that has a reality even though it might not as yet be clearly perceptible to our senses and scientific instrumentation. When we consider out-of-body experiences, shamanic journeys and lucid dream states, though they cannot be replicated in the true scientific sense, they also point to the existence of non-material dimensions of reality.” Professor Fred Alan Wolf

Intuitively Clairvoyant Memory seems as a universal palimpsest that we have the capability of accessing, and certainly contributing to, unknowingly, and in some cases, it would seem, knowingly. Knowingly or not, it is possible we are collectively moving toward a shared destiny, whose purpose is unknown, but certainly worthy of further thought and research.

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In imagining New Year’s 100 years hence…my top predictions are as follows:

1. Science, evidence and reason finally eliminate the superstition of religion. Historically mankind has worshiped many gods, yet science slowly brushed them aside (think only of Poseidon who was thought, among other powers, to control tides…until science indicated it was the influence of gravity and the moon). May we finally brush away all others by then.
2. It is realized that “UFOs” are actually observations from our future. We realize this when it is discovered, on a prototype quantum scale, that time travel is possible.
3. Tesla’s vision of freely available power is realized, yet not in how he imagined it by using electricity. A new form of energy is discovered, and with it all existing devices using electricity become instantly obsolete, and the new ones relevant.
4. Wealth distribution is mandated within an experimental nation, so that its bounty is fairly divided, and all infrastructure available to all. Within this framework, jesters, movie “stars”, sports gladiators and others are no longer highly paid; rather, pursuits of knowledge, culture, art, human consciousness, become prominent, not unlike the Herman Hesse Majister Ludi.
5. Human life extension is realized by genetic engineering that manages one’s cellular process. However, this leads to ethical dilemmas, with nations pitted against individuals, as human population becomes exponential. Many decide on pre-euthanasia plans when they compare death with 100 additional years of poverty, boredom, and increasingly haunted memories.

Auld Lang Syne

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My Daughter weeps

How can I sleep

If not this life, then another

To be with her then, forever

Stolen away

By cruelty

Nay

Absurdity

An odd refrain

Childhood taken

Mother’s who feign

Love forsaken

Yet the child is forgotten

To the ego of the wanton

Rest your head my darling Daughter

I am also the forgotten slaughterby

“There is a dry wind blowing through the East, and the parched grasses await the spark.” John Buchan (Greenmantle). Whilst this was written during the First World War, with its analogous plot of Germany intending to organize an Islamist Jihad against Britain and its allies, it creates a vivid, if not felt, chill, over 100 years hence.

The grasses indeed did await the spark and suffered for it. The fire grew out of control for a time, then seemed quelled, only to realize it was cunningly smoldering, and as in a carnivorous cancer, not only throughout the field, but in unexpected places.

After the Prophet Muhammad’s death, Islam was spread by Caliphates, establishing Caliphs, who were considered successors and speaking on behalf of Muhammad. Similar to other religions, such as Catholicism, whereby Priests are considered to have Jesus speaking through them to their flock. This was an effective model of delivery to the parched grass, seemingly answering the prayers for over burdened clouds to relieve them.

Christians were a bloody and bloodied lot, even if we look away from the blaze of the Spanish Inquisition. Yet, it is important to know historical Muslims differentiated, among other ways, in that they did not believe in integrating infidels, as Christians oft tried, rather, they wanted to vanquish them. Believing someone coming to Islam, must do so voluntarily – though it always helped when they saw first hand the alternative option.

We now live in a time of sparks igniting more than just grass. Yet we continue to set ablaze the grass in some reactionary delusion to douse the spark. A Dry Wind is now upon us, with our parched grass already aflame, in perpetual, recursive, mutual fear of opposing ideas.

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I have been fascinated by social media and its impact on society and individuals. Social media has all the addictive attractions – instant gratification, creating the illusion of friends (do the users really think they are friends?), voyeurism, gossip, the feeling one is in on something versus being left out (however shallow and frivolous), competition (let’s see who can get the most “friends” or “likes”), among others.

While these attractions are understandable, and in some ways innocuous, there is a darker side; no, not the hatred and violence spewed out, though that does occur; rather, the psychological and practical downsides. Employers now regularly review prospect and employee social media and base hiring or employment retention on what is there – and, importantly, they review others in your network (birds of a feather – it is assumed that the old saw of you can best know a person by who they associate with, extends to their social media connections too).

On its most inane level I perceive it as juvenile flirtation – posting notes, pictures and getting excited to receive “likes” and “hearts” reminds one of passing pictures and notes in grade school… However, there is something deeper afoot, in the article “Simplicity Does Not Equal Excellence” the author argues that an individual is made up of not only themselves, but the components of their entire social network, and vice-versa. Thus, you can indeed learn much about someone by who they socialize with, or are connected to via social media, as it is an intrinsic part of who they are, whether one is consciously aware of this or not.

In today’s world of smart phones and social media, it has somehow become commonplace for people to provide their private cell phone number, intimate pictures, and all else to virtual strangers. As Dale Carnegie once indicated we are all being evaluated by how we dress, what we say and what we do…and especially with social media one should add by who we associate with or are connected to. So, the next time the cute person at the gym starts up a conversation, which inevitably leads to learning you are both on social media, think twice before sharing your personal information for the dubious reward of receiving a “like” or “heart” as one day you may awake to find these are the only “relationships” remaining.

“Publication is a self-invasion of privacy.” Marshall McLuhanby

Capitalism, the concept that “free” markets determine fair transactions within the ecosystem has been a failure. The failure is in part because of the mestasisizing of some individuals and corporations as they unfairly leverage their access to government and capital to hinder growth of healthy cells of individuals and companies. As depicted in The Economic Hitman (John Perkins), ruthless individuals, corporations, use the government to further expand their insatiable need for more money against even weaker elements, including exploiting poor countries’ resources.

This frenzy to extract money from every opportunity has led to mass disruption of our global health system. Consider the mono-agriculture of bananas…the Cavendish banana, developed in 1836, has been the mainstay cultivar ever since its more flavorful predecessor, the Gros Michel, all but vanished commercially by 1960 due to the invasion of the Panama disease. Now, inevitably, given the focus on profits versus foresight, the Cavendish is currently suffering the same fate as the Gros Michel. Frantically, scientists are attempting to find a cross-species resistant to Panama disease, yet they are losing the race. All other food mainstays are currently similarly besieged.

What/who is to blame? I suggest the lack of government leadership and policy as the main culprit. As mostly government acts as a sycophantic proxy to corporate desire. Governments develop media strategies to promote themselves and their corporate hosts, using trigger messaging such as “crisis” or labeling critical thinking as “deniers” (e.g., regarding climate change) in order to extend their status and future funding once they return to their corporate host. The government decides to appeal to a certain segment of the electorate to win votes, or to appease a critical lobby…no problem, just misuse “statistics”, release to the media and a feeding frenzy ensues, with the Svengali government then issuing the “solution”. This has been repeated over decades with all social policy (health, education, housing, etc.), with the only winners, being the corporate host government needs to feed.

“Would you bet your paycheck on a weather forecast for tomorrow? If not, then why should this country bet billions on global warming predictions that have even less foundation?” Thomas Sowell – well, we need to fund the elitist organizations who depend on spending tax money on unproven “alternative energy” projects, distorting statistics, and other related “rent seeking” alternatives. Please, ye peasants, do not use your God given faculties for critical thinking…it is so much easier to succumb…allow your corporate/government masters to do what is good for you, yes, there may be scraps left for you they discard.

It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance. Thomas Sowell

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We all make decisions moment to moment in our lives. The decisions we make are based on our decision framework, developed from our upbringing, our experiences, our intellect, and our conscience, in terms of risk versus reward, and life priorities. Presumably, the rational person would take risks relative to the reward – however, in practice, most don’t…we take enormous risks relative to the potential reward. Many times this ends in an unanticipated negative trajectory…and we are left, at best, rationalizing the circumstance away from the poor decisions made, at worst dealing with the negative consequences of poor decisions.

What to do? From my perspective, this is caused by a lack of foresight, strategic thought…allowing one’s base self to chase temporary, short-lived “enjoyment”….and after the nascent climax, regretting (assuming a conscience) the huge risk to reputation, health and safety…if one is lucky there is sufficient time to reflect and adjust one’s decision framework…yet, for the vast majority it is too late.

While it is one’s perogative to engage in risky behaviors in pursuit of a moment of enjoyment, the real trajedy is the impact on others close to them. The risky behavior has an enormous impact on not just their life, but the lives of those closest to them…in so many unexpected, yet paradoxically, predictable ways.

What do do? Avoid the risky decision framework…as the drowning person always takes those closest to the bottom with them.by

The school system in North America is based on constructs from 100 year ago, with emphasis on a factory-based goal for the majority. Given Moore’s Law, the current environment is clearly indistinguishable from that now ancient past. Yet, for the most part, the school system would, unfortunately, be familiar to my Great Grand Father.

There are exceptions, such as Alt School (https://www.altschool.com/) that attempts to teach application of knowledge, rather than knowledge by rote. Yet, the government sponsored school system, which most rely upon, continues with backward approaches.

Think about it for a moment – do you, and the vast majority, daily rely upon arcane knowledge such as the Least Squares Line Regression, or the history of Carthage? No doubt these are distant memories…yet, to teach someone HOW to do something, or apply themselves, what a wonderful gift!

The core of this training, illumination should be on decision making. Decisions occur every moment of our life, yet what training do we undergo in this most important educational element? None. We initially rely upon our parents for moral guidance, yet intertwined with their historical biases – what a cost indeed.

What to do? Our lives, unfortunately (for most), are finite…thus, each moment is so precious. We declare “Carpe Diem”, yet don’t live it, why? We are victims of the vagaries of our social networks, media, and fears. The vast majority, and perhaps all, don’t achieve anywhere near what they fantasize about because they are hindered by themselves. We become fixated, frozen, from our past mistakes, the thirst for acknowledgement, something that allows us to justify our lives….Wrong! That is the problem. To achieve your goals, objectives, live authentically…this requires a self reflection of the most visceral, honest nature…to discard the ballast one clings to, to embrace what will bring you toward your personal and collective enlightenment.

Though, despite our intellectual approach, we remain emotional beings…sensitive to others, our perceptions, how others perceive us. For some this results in despair and tragedy. For others, freedom. Freedom to pursue our personal ideals – to be who we are (do we really know who we are, or are we simply a tattered collection of other’s perceptions?).

Advice? No, this blog is not knowledge, and refuses to be as all the others you have encountered who wish you to become their perception of you.

PS – find yourself, no one else can.

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Religion has been responsible for more pain, suffering, death, and nonsensical behavior than any other human endeavor. The texts, such as the Bible, are raft with horrifying examples of the brutality of the Christian God and His followers against the innocent.

“There is nothing intrinsic linking any religion with any act of violence. The crusades don’t prove that Christianity was violent. The Inquisition doesn’t prove that Christianity tortures people. But that Christianity did torture people.” Salman Rushdie

Perhaps this doctrine of fear made sense in earlier times, to attempt controlling the flock to the desires of the shepherd. However, once society evolved, religion did likewise, developing covert methods of manipulation to attract newcomers to their throes, notwithstanding the violent history they represented, the newcomers turned a blind mind. Why did religion evolve; well, in some individual situations for the shepherd(s) to control more sheep and in some cases commit emotional violence, yet, mainly to add more money to their coffers. Simply ignoring their founding Father, Jesus Christ, who renounced the material world, and was nomadic in his method of message.  Many “charities” associated with religion spend 90% or more of the funds taken in on “administration”, with 10% or less to the intended needy. These funds provide lavish buildings, residences and junkets for God’s representatives.

“Organized religion: the world’s largest pyramid scheme.” Bernard Katz

When faced with the violence depicted in the Bible, the brutality of its followers in the name of religion, and the complete inability to address common sense questions, let alone answer them, we are told to have “faith”…faith in the fairy god mother tales that have no semblance of truth.  Certainly don’t seek candor, or explanations for the what’s and why’s – why bother, just put on a silly smile and say you have faith as God will make it better, assuming he isn’t the same Biblical God who willfully murders large masses of people.

“I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.” Richard Dawkins

Yet, religion remains thriving in various areas and for different reasons. In the Christian world a large aspect is the aging population; for example, many times widows, seeking companionship regardless of sacrificing their values to obtain it…yet, what sheep indeed, the perfect target for tithing, a bequeath. Others are simply unable or unwilling to think for themselves. Others are spiritually vulnerable, and like moths to a flame, cannot control the potential for fulfillment, regardless of the sham.

“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.” Buddha

Unfortunately the vast majority will continue to seek out religion as a mistaken means for “knowledge”, when what they receive is the worst revisionist picture of humankind, poisoning their mind, their subconscious, and creating inevitable limits to their thinking. Thinking is antithesis to religion, as religion relies upon ignorance, and “faith” to mollify such ambitions.

“Science is a differential equation. Religion is a boundary condition.” Alan Turing

Who will you pray to tonight, the religious representation of the human shepherd, or look inwardly, meditate with your soul, and find your own peace, understanding, path in the world, and yes, the true God.

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We all commit “sins”, but sins require a judge, else they are simply learning experiences. As Carl Jung once said “Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge”. Who is the judge; well, we all judge one another on a constant basis – it is much easier, as Jung indicates, than attempting to ascertain the germ of the supposed offense, and better still, gain from it. We tend to be self absorbed, and thereby perceive everything as happening to us, completely blind to what is happening to others, or better yet to attempt transformational knowledge.

For those of a Christian persuasion, Jesus aptly schooled “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye?” Yet, no one abides by Jesus in act, only in word – we would be well to follow the Latin phrase acta non verba.

Sinning is part of life, there are two sides to make a whole…if we don’t sin, what need for redemption? No one consciously decides to “sin” unless they are psychopathic; rather, their subconscious leads them toward what they need. The need is based on a lifelong, and if you are Buddhist, liveslong, pursuit of truth – how can one attain truth, let alone understanding, or enlightenment, if one is one sided?

I am a sinner. I am a learner. I am judged, and constantly seeking redemption, though, I will sin again, no doubt, toward a lifelong pursuit of why.

 

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How does one self adjust? Ah, you think it is simple…yet, consider you harm someone emotionally.  In Judgement, what is the response – some trivial, routine rationalization? Likely. Look deeper. Look, feel, meditate onto yourself…ah, you begin to relive your childhood, and beyond, the unfair interactions you experienced…you paid your dues, you deserve better, you are hyper sensitive to anything that comes close to touching your open, unhealed wounds…it momentarily feels good to lash out to the other, or hide your wound in fear, regardless of the remedy being handed to you.

Now, lose yourself, lose yourself to your subconscious…your intuition…your heart…your soul…do you hear it? Try again…it will come to you if you take the time to listen…it represents your truth…not the vagaries of your conscious, noisy self. It will lead you to the oasis required to satisfy your thirst.

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. Marcus Aurelius

What nonsense! Are you aware of natural selection? of relativity? of the fact that there is no evidence of transformation beyond this short, tortured existence???

As Thomas Hardy quipped – Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.

Face the abyss of this life, you are alone, you have no connectivity; touch the “physical” object in your effort toward self delusion. The self delusion leads you to reach out…in desperation you hold out your hand, yet the carnivores lop it off, feasting on the expected gift. You fool. You didn’t heed the signs, you didn’t listen to your heart did you? No, you will become as all the others, simply fodder to their short sighted conquests.

Listen, listen, you have a chance, a chance to change the endless cycle of doom. Listen, listen, to your heart, to your soul, find the key, someone else is holding it…yes, now you understand, your destiny, that no one else has understood beforehand, is to clasp this, as it opens your heart, your soul…a lock requires a key, we are paired to this purpose, but no one realizes this…careful now, breath, listen, do you hear it? It is closer than you realize…clasp it…don’t do as all others have…trust, allow yourself to be opened…then combined into the destined energy that transcends to peace, love, unlimited potential.

 

 

 

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Freedom is a state of being unconstrained in choice, action. Oppressive regimes adversely impact the freedom of their society. Parents impact the freedom of children, though typically as a method of secure mentorship, as they aren’t yet ready to meet the vagaries of the outside world.

However, what is freedom? Is it being physically unconstrained, or mentally/spiritually unconstrained? Nelson Mandela would argue the latter as he spent 27 years physically constrained, yet blossomed mentally and spiritually.

Is it only possible to find freedom when alone, unconnected from a life partner, or others? This implies the life partner has no role in developing the other’s self discovery, experience, freedom from self dogma – freedom from self (ego, misperception)…as it may be that someone alone manufactures their own purposeful prison – their way of attempting to protect themselves from their earlier experiences with others, making the self-limiting misinterpretation that their personal history will repeat. The irony of the individual mistakenly creating their own, permanent prison in their pursuit of freedom.

Yet, it is a mug’s game. While most philosophies, psychological tips, repeat advice such as “you can only successfully love others if you love yourself”, etc., it is also clear freedom can only be found in conjunction with another – to suggest otherwise flies in the face of our physiology, our evolution, our purpose. However, the key is not with just any other…therein lies the rub – how to identify the other who will take the journey to freedom together?

It may never be achieved. Think  of it, the probabilities of the timing alone in encountering this other person capable of this journey are astronomical. Even if we did, it is more likely our egos cannot allow us to consider freedom as a collective endeavor…we are apparently destined to continue building our own “freedom” prisons, and inevitably becoming a refrain in the saddest process of all…looking out our prison window lamenting what could have been, and never was.

 

 

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Notwithstanding the apparent irony of the title, and not to be confused with the term as it relates to physics/mathematics involving the mathematical inequalities of certain pairs of physical properties, which demonstrates knowledge limitations; Uncertainty is perhaps the most powerful force of our lives. As Voltaire has said “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” In 2007 the seminal work by Nicolas Taleb, “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable”, relates the folly of humans in their attempts to find measurable certainties from an uncertain world.  As he states “I know that history is going to be dominated by an improbable event, I just don’t know what that event will be.” Our lives are microcosms of this same thought.

It is important to differentiate between risk and Uncertainty. Risk is how we assign probabilities to potential events based on historical occurrences – the probability of a house burning down, a car accident, etc. Uncertainty are highly improbable events, unpredictable, Yings and Yangs, that cannot be measured, cannot be anticipated. Yet, we must embrace Uncertainty if we have any hope to survive, let alone transform into our next journey. Uncertainty gave us our lives, gave us our opportunity, gave us our moment. To ignore this moment, is to close our eyes and blindly walk into an abyss thinking it something else.

In our early history we were forcibly nomadic, continually observing nature, moving to elude predators/aggressors, to find water/food, never with any permanence. Observing, experiencing first-hand the cycle of life and death, seeing, perhaps hoping, toward an after life. Fast forward and we have created the illusion of permanence, solid structures to reside within, water/food mostly available without hunting, security systems to mostly avoid predators/aggressors – all equally dulling our senses of mortality, reducing our awareness of self, closing our eyes to the Uncertainty. As Carlos Castaneda has said “The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.” We have all but lost our warrior instinct, our ancient strength that faced the experiential, not with confidence, but with curiosity, not with fear, but with conviction.

Challenge yourself. Remove the restrictions – as Castaneda relates in the Journey to Ixltan “We hardly ever realize that we can cut anything out of our lives, anytime, in the blink of an eye.” Embrace the concept of Uncertainty. Engage in life, in death, in the transformation.

And, always, always,  keep in mind the power of Uncertainty – as  Taleb indicates “Remember that you are a Black Swan.”by

In our current form we long to be loved, to love, and avoid the opposite of the same object. In this desire, we are cautious – what if we encounter deception, from another, from ourselves. We need weaponry. We need defenses. Yet, when we begin to gain our confidence, we exhibit coyness. For our own protection, but also, as a test to the suitor. We are valuable after all, and won’t succumb so easily, regardless we wish to.

Though, there is danger in this ploy. The danger that the welcomed suitor mistakes our coyness, our purposeful courting, as ignoring, or worse, a repellent. The dynamic is delicate, testing, egos, hearts, are all on the table. We trust that the intelligence, or more likely, the intuition, of our love interest to recognize this for its intention.

We are after all, part of the animal kingdom, and to witness the courting of other species is to be aghast at the physical brutality…the natural selective process of evolutionary survival…yet, how are we different? We are not. Our coyness, our brutal processes, are not dissimilar to those of other creatures.

What is different, at least from our perspective, or rather, our hope, is we perceive a love without the physical. The physical being the most base method of expression, with coyness as a necessary defense. Yet, our soul seeks the eternal, not the ephemeral. Our soul seeks the confidence, not the coyness. The secret is to embrace the soulful counterpart, where the coyness is unnecessary.

 

 

 

 

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These infamous words were spoken by Pontius Pilate as he paraded Jesus before the crowds, prior to Jesus carrying the cross to his own crucifixion. Obviously meant as a sarcastic indictment against the One who claimed to be the King of Israel, the Christ. Yet, ironically, Pilate becoming a pawn in the Passion Play.

In modern reference, we similarly indict one another. Never considering the divine potential, lives lived, evolved soul of the recipient. Only immaturely attempting to democratize the interaction to a level of  base self understanding. Though missing the potential to be quiet, listen, attempt to comprehend a more evolved thought, understanding, soul. Our ego, our competitive nature, our evolutionary biology hindering our historic, no, inherent, capability to thirst for advancement. Advancement to the origin. This is the key.

The elemental key of our destiny is within ourselves, but, as legend asserts, requires a lock to open. We require a unique combination of one to another to blossom, to transcend. As Mahatma Gandhi alluded, if a man and woman can combine physically, mentally, spiritually, they will own the universe. We are blind to what is obvious, and forever repeating the, in our cases, unnecessary crucifixion of our short lives, like ants sacrificing themselves in the hope that the surviving pair will untangle the thoughtlessness of all those before, but never passing on useful guidance.

Alas, we seem forever destined to be fodder to those that say “behold the man”.

 

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We live our lives as Candide, secure within our mind’s castle, eating, sleeping, learning, all the while, having no knowledge, let alone understanding, of the surrounding tragedy. The tragedy is we are fodder to the abyss, ants under the footsteps of time. Meaningless dust, whose only purpose, it would seem, to be part of the seasonal wind, reapplying us as we might fall.

An existential suicide as the only path to escape the cosmic torture. Leg straddling the 10th story window ledge, as Luzhin, becoming transfixed to the patterns below, she calls.

Her call is one of faith. Have faith in the unknown, as there may be light in the darkness, despite evidence to the contrary. Is it not equally plausible for there to be abundance, not nothing? Is it not equally plausible for the universal beginning/ending argument to simply be beyond our current comprehension?

As God said through Isaiah in Psalms 46:10 Be still and know that I am God. Thus, find my hand, clasp it, close your eyes, sink into my heart, my soul, transform, be one…you have now escaped the castle Candide.

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How does one discuss, let alone argue, with someone suffering Morton’s Demon? It is the obvious monster in conversation, when, engaged in confirmation bias, your counterpart, attempting Folie a deux, conveniently reframing events, facts to suit themselves, hoping to bring you within their delusion. Tellingly, ignoring evidence contrary to their self deception, and unable to admit guilt as that would shatter their position.

Is this Jung’s shadow, whereby one denies their own fears, undesirable traits, selfishness – the unconscious shadow kept from oneself and others – the “third face”, or perhaps fourth face?  Unable to face themselves, they build elaborate defenses, feigns, ploys, to avoid looking inwardly, juxtaposing their shadow to their opponent. Furthering the deception by denying their culpability, while increasingly ratcheting their perceived injury.

How to argue with Morton’s Demon? You can’t. The conversation will quickly bring diminishing returns, and quite possibly extend their self delusion, and if one is sufficiently vulnerable, Folie a deux.  The only way to defeat Morton’s Demon, is to use man’s oldest defense – run.by

According to Psychology Today, “Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. It is generally said to include three skills:

1. Emotional awareness, including the ability to identify your own emotions and those of others;

2. The ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problems solving;

3. The ability to manage emotions, including the ability to regulate your own emotions, and the ability to cheer up or calm down another person.”

Though within these points lies the rub. How much awareness is necessary? What emotions are best to harness in thinking, problem solving? How does one regulate emotions – typically they are a reaction to a circumstance…this implies compartmentalizing issues, with the danger of accumulating unprocessed situations/thoughts that tend to build as pressure, ultimately adversely affecting all aspects of one’s life.

Is not candor best, certainly with oneself, but likewise, with some care of delivery, to another? Except for the simplest of situations perhaps (e.g., a clear trauma has occurred and you simply hug the person), how can one effectively empathize without knowledge? This can only be provided with conversation.

I find it delusional when someone indicates they are empathetic, sympathetic to others, whilst, narcissistically hoping for a benefit, or, worse, unable or unwilling to look in the mirror. As the Bible indicates (paraphrased) “Do good works not for man, but for God”  – i.e., anonymously…not many can attest to this.

It is easy to spot the emotionally inept narcissist, as they harm without apology, and twist situations to suddenly become the “victim”. So, as you brag about your Emotional Intelligence score, recognize the irony, if you can.by

In traditional Judo, a Samurai, as a cherry blossom, is willing to die at the height of their beauty. From Eugen Herrigel’s  Zen in the Art of Archery it is said “It is not for nothing that the Samurai have chosen for their truest symbol the fragile cherry blossom. Like a petal dropping in the morning sunlight and floating serenely to earth, so must the fearless detach himself from life, silent and inwardly unmoved.” History is filled with the warrior, the leader, willing to live and die for the purity of their vocation, destiny.

From Paulo Coelho’s book The Warrior of Light it is said “A warrior trusts other people because, first and foremost, he trusts himself”.  While serving the warrior well in most situations, this motto also exposes the warrior to indirect attacks, insidious attacks of emotion. Psychological Jiu Jitsu, feigning care, even love, to identify the warrior’s weakness, then with skill, attempt to deliver an incapacitating grip. In the Book of Qi, one of the thirty-six stratagems, Jiǎ chī bù diān, is a technique to mask one’s intentions, psychological subterfuge to evade the victim’s defense.  Every Julius Caesar has their Marcus Brutus.

The warrior’s solace? In this Darwinian world, part of the warrior’s armor is adaptability. If not initially fatal, the warrior quickly learns, and gently moves, with the attacker’s energy being returned in multiples. As Sun Tzu indicates in the Art of War “Conform to the enemy’s tactics until a favorable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in a battle that shall prove decisive.”

A smile, caring words;

Open arms, no threat perceived;

Knifed heart, disbelief.

Et tu, Brute?

 

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While we outwardly treasure such sayings as “don’t judge a book by its cover”, or “appearance is only skin deep”, physical appearance, and more likely the physiology of pheromones, typically drive inter-human attraction. Yet, there are notable exceptions, such as Marquis de Sade, or the fictional Svengali, who, by nature of their intelligence, or perhaps psychological prowess, obtain human relationships they may not otherwise by chemistry alone.

What is the nature of human attraction? Is it fleeting, as most anthropological evidence suggests? Or, quite simply a primal urge of procreation; survival of the species?

Does our conscious play any role at all, or should it? Those that identify with freewill would suppose they are making rational choices about what is in their best interests. Calvinism aside, which, ironically, is a choice to make or not, it seems attraction can take many forms. While initial physical (pheromones/chemistry) attraction may lead to certain steps, is it not the intercourse of intellect, spirit, soul if you like, that binds more indelibly?

For after the physical connectivity has exhausted (and it will by nature), there is but boredom…unless, the relationship includes sapiosexuality and its endless foreplay.

 

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Regardless of our urge to assert independence, our lives are palimpsests of those before us and we are for those to come. Excepting, perhaps the ironic irony of the monk seeking enlightenment to help all of us in his solitary state.

As palimpsests, while taking on the intelligence of an Einstein, the passion of a Mother Teresa, we likewise are inscribed with Hitler, and all those destructive before us.

Are we mindful of our inscriptions? Once in repartee with an experienced, devoted Father of the cloth, I sarcastically challenged, “What do you fear”, he nimbly, and aptly replied “My only fear is that my words or deeds will stray someone away from God” – he was keenly aware of his role as palimpsest.

As Robert Frost’s well known poem ends:

Be mindful of your role as palimpsest and take the road less traveled, if not for you, for those to come.by

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of betrayed includes:

1) To give information about (a person, group, country, etc.) to an enemy,

2) To hurt (someone who trusts you, such as a friend or relative) by not giving help or by doing something morally wrong, and

3) To show (something, such as a feeling or desire) without wanting or trying to.

Yet, most betrayals are to oneself. We betray ourselves multiple times in our conscious life, by denying an intuition, or action, out of fear, or some other psychological phobia, notwithstanding the apparent point of this mortal life is experiential.

In the classic psychological experiment by Stanley Milgram in 1951 and his subsequent book “Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View”, Milgram demonstrated people will obey an authority figure despite the requested actions being in conflict with the person’s morals. This can also be extrapolated to relate to obeying, or more aptly, disobeying oneself. The conscious taking on the role of authority figure.

As Gallwey indicated in his book “The Inner Game of Tennis”, we are continually arguing between our conscious and subconscious selves, where he would argue, assuming appropriate “knowledge/balance”, the subconscious should be trusted and not second guessed by the conscious self. Yet, we continually betray our subconscious, our more balanced viewpoint, everyday, multiple times per day, essentially depriving our life of the experiences it seeks.

One could argue a subconscious intuition that is contrary to one’s conscious rule is incorrect on the face of it. Though do these rules make sense? Kant indicated a moral man must never tell a lie, yet it doesn’t take much imagination to realize the absurdity of this – ISIS comes to your door looking for children to kill and asks if there are any, and full well knowing there are, what do you say? Is not “situational ethics”, or rather, trust of your subconscious the moral path, versus the more likely ineffective, brittle rules-bound conscious mind? Then you say, how to decide? This answers itself – don’t become betrayed by you.

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The media connected world now has some semblance of the premeditated atrocities of the Assad regime, and those compliant countries, including Russia, and America. The uninformed, and misinformed demand unfulfilling, but guilt relieving remedial action, including receiving the inevitable torrent of tortured refugees.

Where I ask are the oft maligned lawyers and politicians? Can there be any better reason for a class action lawsuit on behalf of the dead, the relatives of the dead, the afflicted and the relatives of the afflicted? Is the evidence somehow uncompelling? Should not the “powerful” pay in the only way that they count value? In the least to allow the Syrian lost to find somewhat acceptable living conditions forward?

The attempted solace of Matthew 19:30 is woefully insufficient. It is of no value to the dead, to the tortured, unless it occurs within their precious, vulnerable lifetime.

May Assad, his conspirators, the complicit, the morally blind, all be judged and sentenced in accordance with these crimes, and if there is paradise, that the Syrian afflicted be given an honored seat.

 

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Given a euphemism is a substitute for an otherwise harsh word or phrase, but many times used in practice to encapsulate any allusion, I ponder the euphemism for “life”. Or, is life a euphemism for death. Death of feeling, of all we agreed to be when we received the lottery of life. A corollary of God’s (or the gods) amusement. We struggle in oblivion mostly, doing our physiological best to avoid the signs. The signs of eternal darkness. Pleading with our God (or the gods) that we might suffer death, to endure, transform, be an ant at least! Yet, we suffer the myopic euphemism of life.by

She took a dagger, played with it suggestively, then, with force beyond her means, forced it through my heart. I was psychically devastated, taking somber solace in the infinite few moments remaining. I uncharacteristically cried. Cried tears of stupidity. Stupidity in my naiveté. Revenge? Atonement? What to do? Do, that is what she expects…let’s undo…undo everything I am, everything she was to me, everything that matters in this moment…an emotional suicide.

Bitch, these are crocodile tears.by

The Majister Ludi is the fictional honorific of Herman Hesse’s brilliant novel of the same name, allegorically speaking. The necessary achievement to include mastery of all relevant arts and sciences. The renaissance man. Beyond that, an omniscient polymath, born of both nature and nurture.

The Majister Ludi does not exist. Despite mentionable subset examples such as Immanuel Velikovsky.

Yet, the Majister Ludi is the ideal motivation of the immortal man. The assimilation, and application of human understanding. Instead of compelling to Hobson’s Choice, embrace the concept of the collective Majister Ludi. Our historical, current and future existence earns this title, but only in our psychic embrace.

In the recent movie Interstellar, this embrace is transcendent of time and space. Where dimensions are game boards for use as needed to connect and disconnect these domains. Our future capable of interacting with its past, but on an evolutionary scale. We need to evolve, to educate, before, as the imaginary Majister Ludi, we can traverse these illusory boundaries, toward the self defeating achievement of the Majister, and instantaneously, to the bona fide Mind’s I, collapsing into the Singularity of non-existence – please, please I beg it be true.

 

 

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Zugzwang is a German term meaning compelled to move…and yet, no matter what move you undertake worsens your position. Thus the ironic situation of the mentally “creative”. We desire to take action, but we strikingly perceive the inherent atrophy. What to do? What not to do? We pass. We pass into subconscious oblivion, finding comfort in the lack of physical landmarks, the freedom from attachment. Yet, we cry, cry for the perception of meaningful psychic connection, regardless of the illusion. We knowingly fool ourselves into thinking physical Zugzwang allows “spiritual” release. The ambiguous truth is further aloof than we realize.

As in Beckett’s Murphy, we become bound in our rocking chair. The sweet ascetic of physical punishment, no, abandonment…the House of Zugzwang, our eternal tormentor.by

The Singularity apparently created existence as we perceive it, despite the subsequent Cygnus X-1 interference in the Plan. Allow a different premise – one where we involuntarily created our own Singularity. Establishing our life, our trajectory, and ultimately our transition. This is the Infinite…the infinite Singularities that manifest US (no, not America).

The tragic miracle of our Singularities provides the infinitely tensile fabric of “life”.  This is exciting! The atom, otherwise shunned, as a necessary element to the structure.

 

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The Placebo Effect is a well known phenomenon that was first mentioned, fittingly enough for this blog, in St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible. The Placebo Effect relates to our perception that we are receiving a benefit from a drug or medical intervention, when we are not, and interestingly, in many cases, we believe we feel better, and more interestingly, it sometimes does make us better. Therefore, it seems to me a corollary of the power of prayer. We all pray, especially Atheists, and it likewise provides a positive feeling…more than that, it also on occasion transforms, as does the Placebo Effect, into genuine physical manifestation.

While we perceive the Placebo Effect to be a mind trick, what a trick indeed! Whereby, when we are convinced of an outcome, it might come to pass. What power! As Matthew 7:7 extols “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”.

The next time you feel underwhelmed, unappreciated, or unnoticed, take solace and power in your inner Placebo power.

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Now that the Holiday Season approaches, it may be apropos to comment on ISIS. ISIS appears to represent the fear of organized civilization – that existentialist factions would one day organize, weaponize, and wreak anarchy. While we all condemn their actions, we must equally face the dilemma that we created them. Created them as a disillusioned parent attempts to reconcile the upbringing of their serial killer offspring.

From my limited perspective, I take solace that in the face of extreme Evil, Good is equally flourishing. The unintended outcome of ISIS is the comradery of otherwise strange bedfellows in re-evaluating their own values and actions. I likewise perceive ISIS as akin to Ebola, thankfully killing its host so quickly, it becomes a collective suicide. May they find their inevitable fate as quickly and painfully.

While we won’t be hanging ISISICLES this Season, no doubt we will recall the names of the sacrificed souls of the ISIS tragedy. They are the eternal heroes of this chapter.

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There is a Buddhist expression roughly translated as “Live every day as if your hair is on fire”. Understandably, our transient physical existence as we know it, should be experienced without reservation. However, to avoid ultimate boredom, I highly recommend a good death. Since it is inevitable, why not embrace it? Seriously, at age 405 what is of interest?

The more interesting concept comes in the transition from the physical to the “unknown”. I recall responding to one of my daughter’s questions “Dad, what happens when we die”, with “It is similar to what was before you were born”…to which she responded “That is no comfort whatsoever”. It made me wonder how she viewed sleep.

Intuitively, we all celebrate the horror and joy of “life”. In this world, it would be impossible to understand, let alone enjoy, the fruit, without simultaneously being aware of the wretched. We all experience this constantly, but conveniently ignore the side we dislike – think of the calamities in other parts of the world we are aware of, while we suffer our fresh melon. The unjust contrast is not lost to the universe. My only solace is the hope, no, expectation, of the Biblical phrase “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

Comfort yourself with the refrain Memento Mori.

 

 

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On August 6, 1945, some 69 years ago, a B-29 christened the Enola Gay (name of the lead pilot’s mother), dropped the first ever atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, and changing not only the future, but destroying much of our past. Regardless of opposing arguments of whether this should have occurred or not, my question today is what if. What if Japan or Germany, who were simultaneously working on an atomic bomb, developed this first. What if this was dropped on Washington and New York, on London, and any other logical Allied target. Would we, as Japan has, revitalized our economies, and become friends with those that obliterated these cities, history, and human life? What would our societal psychology be?

Given humans show disdain for learning from their own history, thus repeating it in the most negative ways, what is the next repetition? An implosion of morals against others to the point of their being no resource other than to rebel against their tormentors?  Moore’s Law, loosely interpreted,  indicates technology doubles in capability every two years. Is it beyond our comprehension to imagine a micro-ization of technology that allows the tormented to reflect back the terror reigned over them?

Perhaps the old saw of doing unto others is apt, as there is little doubt we are due for our own Enola Gay.

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During World War II, S.L.A. Marshall, a war historian, interviewed fighting men immediately after battle – Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command in Future War (Washington DC: Infantry Journal Press, 1947). To the astonishment of all, he observed that at most, only 25% of the men actually engaged in the battle, either firing a rifle or in hand-to-hand combat.  The vast majority were, understandably, frightened and hiding in the trenches.  Although the military at first criticized the findings, they eventually embraced them and hired psychologists to specifically develop men’s likelihood to fight in combat.  The result was intensive “kill” training, not unlike conditioning mice to take a certain path to find cheese in a maze, that, through repetitive practice, it eventually became an automatic reflex for a man to kill.  Marshall conducted the same interviews in Vietnam and the results were an astounding turn-around, with over 95% of the men engaging in battle.

So, can you develop “intuition” from conditioning – or, is it one in the same?  Taking the game of chess as an example, can repetitive practice of pattern recognition and other chess themes bring one to the point of it becoming an automatic reflex?  In Roger Penrose’s book “The New Emperor’s Mind”, he asserts that it is physically impossible for the human brain to respond intelligently to an external stimulus in less than a second (he used examples from responding while driving a car, as I recall).  But, in observing online chess play that shows moves in increments of 1/10th of a second, the moves are played with great accuracy within this time interval. If it is physically impossible for the brain to take in the information, process it and tell the hand to move appropriately within that time frame, then what is going on?  Is it, as per the US military’s response to the S.L.A. Marshall findings, a conditioned reflex developed from intense repetitive practice?  Perhaps.  This may be part of the underlying mechanism related to Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 hour rule”, whereby on average it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in a given field.

Perhaps in some distant dystopia, humans will be identified from birth for certain functional societal roles, and introduced to such training to efficiently distribute our workload, no doubt to free scciety’s “elite” to better enjoy their freedom from intuition.

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When opposing sides argue, it is considered unfair to attack the person delivering a point; rather, one should attack the point or principle. It is further suggested that this practice is the height of immaturity, and lacks intelligence. Yet, shouldn’t the messenger be shot? As was expressed in Antigone by Sophocles “No one loves the messenger who bring bad news”.  Even the Bard explains “Yet the first bringer of unwelcome news / Hath but a losing office….” in Henry IV. Would not the defender take every means possible to survive? I say, shoot the dam messenger of an argumentative point, figuratively, or otherwise.

We have a storied history of killing messengers…think of Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi…This, by all accounts, has done societal good…where would we be if Jesus died of old age at 72 with a family of 6?

So sharpen your barbs, both verbal and otherwise, and use ad hominem with reckless abandon.

 

 

 

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