The Sum of All Understanding?

Its quite impressive when people propose they have a handle on problems, and proposals that will hoist humanity into a better sphere. Many essentials of technology, to which we attribute the maintenance of our way of life, and reasonable expectations, were once curious, and arcane. 

One hundred and seventy years ago  Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis noted a correlation between the washing of hands by medical staff, and a reduction of the deaths of the patients. The ideas suggested that doctors themselves were causing deaths. His lectures, then and during 15 years of study and development were poorly received.

After his death, from blood poisoning in an insane asylum where he was committed following a nervous breakdown in 1865, a "germ theory" was developed, bringing Semmelweis to be recognized as a father of antiseptic practice.

Before the middle of the 19th century, oil was carried in vessels to make a weak light to illuminate the night. Then natural gas flowing in tubes, and nearly immediately electrical power causing filaments to glow in inert gasses burst forth into view in city after city and then finally the rural areas of Earth. for 100 years prior, electricity had been played with, and thought a curiosity while the whaling ships sought the precious oil allowing man to conquer night.

It is amazing, sometimes, that we get the feeling that there is a sum of all knowledge that is adequate. "Knowledge is power", certainly. It gives ability to deal with nature and our own dilemmas, that arise repeatedly from crucibles of human will and need. Knowledge also has another power. The power to delude the possessor into feeling he is sufficient. 

When Alexander and Ptolemy presided over the greatness of Egypt, the Alexandria library contained over 700,000 manuscripts. The interlocking foundation stones of western society came into the hands of Archimedes and Aristarchus, which grew for some  350-400 years, till it was burned. Then, rebuilt by Marc Antony, it survived diminished for another 200 years till Aurelius burned it, following Julius Caesar. Emperor's taking back into their own hands, the esteem of having all power.

 

How interesting that the power and identity of society consists in the sense of possessing a massive body of knowledge, but this concept increasingly promotes the sense of self adequacy. It may be that the society which entertains the concept of possessing all knowledge also minimizes the need of an individual seeking answers for his own individual life.

So a commitment to enlarging and possessing summary knowledge suits society well, but at any moment, and in any person, a particular knowledge is what will serve best. How is particular knowledge obtained? To start: by acknowledging that the needed knowledge is not ours. Strangely, an indolent dumbed down common people is not the cause of a lack of education, but the lack of desire for it. The very scary thought I have is that the sense that others have it, and it can be obtained when needed, in the 'automat' or in the common bank of stored understanding, if its worth the effort.

The Paradox of Plenty

For centuries, indeed perhaps since the beginning of time, the human race has been in the grip of a paradox. A pair of contrasting, seemingly opposite yet equally compelling views has served to swing a pendulum back and forth at a rate that was too slow to be detected by the masses, and too fast to allow any significant stability.

On one hand, equipped with a sometimes faded but definite grasp of the tremendous power and abundance of the Deity, people have developed and held fast to great utopian visions of potential splendor. Here, in this pleasing dimension of economic hope and shared optimism, a vision of man emerges with our well intentioned hearts and talents developing and setting forth to bless all it touches with shared abundance. God is this way, so thus, are his servants. Gone are the days of fear and isolation. Great days lie ahead, regardless of who is supposed to do the finish carpentry, or how.

On the other hand, the chill of the wild, harsh environment is all too familiar to the survivors who have watched it take the weaker, and those unprepared for its blast, time after time. Dreams of abundance, and lofty ideals do little to stand against the oft stark face of reality. The industrious north feeds the overpopulating south, and the man who doesn’t learn to master the resources, and be self sustaining will be lost in the storm.

A paradox, of course, doesn’t really take hold until both apparent opposing arms can support their proposals. And, its interesting that the spiritual heritage of mankind can find a refuge, at diverse times and in diverse conditions, on either side.

The paradox leads us to wearing labels and being set at odds with one another. The conservative is self-minded and unrealistically promotes self reliance toward the downtrodden whose circumstances clearly call for the extension of charity, lest his refusal to share be the cause of their demise. The liberal is the wanton class envy advocate, seeking to enforce a distribution of wealth by authoritarian power, and denying the rewards of achievement. These railing accusations take hold and lead those whose minds are hardly mature, nor will their own, leading to the cleaving to one side of this paradox or the other.

It seems that, when this happens, the worst aspects of mankind's inadequacy is revealed. There is no small awareness of global financial problems currently. Recently, rioters in London burned and demolished properties in direct response to austerity measures of the government, seeking to avert irreversible economic decline and ultimately disaster. The facts of the present matter are not difficult to understand. Governments overspend, and banking institutions extend credit which becomes bad debt. An “idiots guide to global economic politics” would complete the task of summarizing the two perspectives on this, and reiterating our paradox of plenty. One school ultimately deems capitalism an evil to be dispatched with slow progressive socialism and the other identifies politicians who obtain popularity through promises which they seek to deliver through taxation as the corruption that edges closer and closer to economic impotency. The politics of State Capitalism, in a strange way merge authoritarian rule with state owned “independent” enterprises.

On the other hand “austerity cuts” are questionable in the minds of a relatively affluent society, leading us ultimately to ask whether going backward is even an option. Statistics show that there is, at least in the USA, as severe a divide between the prosperity of minorities and the white majority as ever, but at the same time, the general level of prosperity, even in depressed economic times shows the standard of living in the greatest part of the modern world to be better than ever even for the least privileged. The notion of privilege itself comes into question when, in the deeper gut of a generation, the ills of some are due to the excess wealth of the rest. At this point the “.... teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime” adage becomes a shallow rhetorical support for a lack of charity. Yet, is there no promise of reward for self-reliance? From Aeschylus to Sophocles to Emerson to Vince Lombardi, the notion that “"If it is to be, it is up to me." (WH Johnsen) is nearly universally believed.

There is no question that these opposing ideas area also present in spiritual dimensions. Spiritual abundance and selfless giving is a characteristic of God commended to any and all disciples. “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8). In fact, the divine gift has, perhaps without complete justification, led the very nature of love to be redefined as giving, in some cases. Conversely, there is undeniable scriptural instruction to advise and teach any individual the development of strengths and the just attaining of substance without undue reliance on a world that often does not yield fruit as easily as it does thistles.

How much is plenty? Again, we are struck with the need to stand on the other side of a line. “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” (1 Timothy 6:7-8). Don't envy! Yet, to the rich man, who was evidently unable to unburden himself and stand apart from his attainments: “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matthew 19:21). Many a liberal has been apprehended, unable to divest himself of what calls undue wealth of others, and more than a few conservatives have been found less than willing to accept those whose fortunes are not as great with respect due another man.

Does this paradox have a resolution? Usually a paradox is really the outlining of a perspective that puts some facts, bit acknowledge as true, in conflict. Our perspectives are, indeed, the prescription for our prejudices. Even so, there are some practices that that would change the world for the better.

First, be aware that individuals have their perspectives shaped by experience. Two people brought into contact in conflict can find themselves quite comfortable friends, if they take the time to understand the backgrounds that underlay each others opinions, sometimes. While this may not be possible if one or both are bitter, or completely self-centered, mutual respect and mutual understand are joined at the heart.

Second, adapt shared and balanced principles: Give when there is need out of desire to bless another, but presume to supple you own need. And in attendance to this, always receive with gratitude, and be sure to ask when you have genuine need you cannot satisfy. Remember, self reliance is an ideal, but the realities of life make it possible and even necessary to create REAL relationships through the mutual satisfaction of needs.

Finally, avoid political convention and dogma. Large groups of people do join together to voice concerns, but that voice is almost always a strife that, while it may press for betterment, drags you a dimension where being at peace and in balance are at the very least, less likely. Conservatives can take delight in acting liberally without fearing that they will be an example of excess (after all, can there ever be an overabundance of love?) and Liberals can seek a personal life that gives an example of self-reliance, without hurting whoever learns that lesson.

A perspective of my fellow man as willing to improve, yet hopeful to provide another's needs is a very positive way for me to see, and makes for a better view of life in general. If its unrealistic, its only because others haven’t caught up yet.

Pausing Away from the Madness

Each day brings with it the potential for several events with finality:

Death. Unless someone hooks up the wires and reverses it, death is pretty final at least as regards the affairs of this world.

Realization. Without a supremely dumb excuse, such as fear -  few go back and forget what they have accepted at reality. Hence, knowledge changes things, and while you might engineer a new understanding, you can't retreat. And the fearful die.

Extinction. You may witness the last ever of some kind of event. Most will never even come close.

Apart from these three things, probably nothing else is final. You may have fallen with a wicked injury, lost your cool, and come up neck deep in shame, but its not final. The weather will change. A pet will die, and another will sleep in the same corner. Seasons change. Jobs transform. Economies cycle.

The rest, from the most mundane appearance of sand on the cottage floor, and the daily sweeping out of the same, to the looping of comets is fluid and repetitive. And love is one of those things.


The non terminal has ups and downs, inrush and ebb, peace and storm, and comes with waves of pleasure for the human experience so strong that they seem to threaten extinction, that are soon followed with a cold, shallow moment that lasts seemingly forever.


People want to say that love is terminal, and absolute, but its only part true. The concept is there, but it takes a willingness to float in that tide, and become subject to a absolute that you can only see half of. Pain can become permanent, as a memory. Make adjustments for what appears to be imperfections, and you'll dwell in your tasteless, lukewarm adequacy forever. The little model volcano that spits some simulated lava, on a timer, doesnt really have the power to lay down new islands in the sea before receding from its bold, if brief appearance. For that, you need the real thing.

You'd love to step aside and see the mobius strip, from afar - but you can't. Only the view of perpetual change (which is really replication, diversification, and regeneration) is visible. So chose to embrace it, and realize that by finding in us a willing party, the great forces become harmonious.  Like love.

When it soothes and severs all in one encounter, it represents all that lives, and therefore changes, inviting us to see it all, stepping away for long enough to say. "I will"

A Brief View of Tyranny and the State of Man

Skip this, if you are looking for something light.

We are in the 20th century. This is earth, and the monarchies of the western renascence begin to weaken and fade. Emerging from a recognition of the dignity and rule of conscience, somehow quaintly typified in  the rise of a common man in England, dedicated to public service, receiving professional albeit thin wages, and wearing the evolved cravat, weight begins to fall on the conscience of the individual.

How can he cope with the responsibility of the republics which will grow around him to sustain his newly recognized significance? It was long confessed that he was made in the image of Deity, but, where the cart wheels met the road, that did not translate to respect, for most of 4,000 years. He emerges from the blender of WWI.

Brief stop in the realm of anthropological and spiritual self worship. 1940.. Build an empire on superior genes? They managed 6 Million in Germany, 10 Million in Russia and then some 60 Million in China. Not a huge cost considering revisionists cannot be found in sufficuent numbers to erase their witness of martyrdom.

Fast forward through the winter of fear and free sex breaks out in San Francisco. Cant hardly help it. It senses spring, and has all sorts of pent up wishes. and we arrive at

He passes the mantle forward. Am I moving too fast or do you really want to read about the gushing of blood (multicides) that preceded the moment? We cant stop. Come back another time, and educate yourself at the dark wall of sobriety. Were we there, we would yet be where they fell.

Fast forward to Tunesia, in December of 2010 and a man aflame, amidst rising prices of sugar and cooking oil. His government ate his soul for dinner every night for years, and he had had enough. So likewise his brethren in Egypt, and by Feb 2011, the Egyptian dictator and half-friend of the west that espouses democracy until fear of losing control arises, is deposed.

Now for 5 month we cannot decide whether we are pleased with the fakery of dropping bombs on an insignificant Libya will adequately reassert our "commitment to democracy". Truth be told, unpleasant things can come if we don't step on someone. Is order and our utopian dream really so desirable if we must let the same human that stopped those tanks let loose? There are no guarantees. All these self-immolating, fanatics who resist their ethnical diverse dictators may want to destroy everyone, if given a chance. Our superior conscience and grasp of the human condition got us here. Theirs will take us back.

So, as it turns out noises from his friends in the White House reassure Al-Assad that bombs dropped on Libya will be the fury he reaps for inspiring friends to wander the streets and kill wantonly, since the voices did not die down when the bodies that carried them dropped, pieced by his bullets.

Why does he reign? After 41 years, and a reputation of leaving tens of thousands of bodies in the streets in the 1980s he reigns for the same reason some of the worst examples of humanity ever, occupy places in our own government.

Because of the dual edged lie that

1. Whatever he does is better than what would happen were he removed from office.
2. Cries for freedom are really the populist voice of murderers who will use their ignorant puppet revolutionaries to bring others into bondage


Tyranny is the tanks. Tyranny is the lying. But tyranny is also the believing.

How different is Al-Assad than Adolph Hitler? Both derived their power from those impressed with their management skills, and promise to keep their people from something worse.

The Apostle Paul wrote of a terrible time and those who bear the fault of allowing tyranny to dilute the hope of freedom. These words condemn those who believe a lie:

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. - 2 Thessalonians 2:10

In fact, the words "deceivableness of unrighteousness" indicate the unrighteous, or blameable condition of being deceivable. We have a responsibility, everyone does, to evaluate the things we hear and see, and make judgments. To refuse to do that is to become candidates for destruction.

I write this because, every day, I think of my friend whose family is in Syria, and of what it must be like to see the people understandably teeter on the edge of destruction, with many endorsing the tyrant out of a combination of fear, and rationalization. And I think, with disgust, of what it must be like to see American's deluded by the suggestion that tyrants that we have supported might indeed be better than genuinely embracing the freedom of a people to determine their own destiny.

So, I'm an avatar in a world where there is no tyrannical political power, but I want among avatars who, every day know a form of stress and concern for their relatives and for humanity in general, and I'd give them the prims off my feet, and he textures off my back if it would somehow let them know that there are many of us who will stand in front of the tanks, too. Even if the world we end up in doesn't look like us, as much as it does today.

Before you go, think about it please. What is going on in the middle east is just as critical as the heavily publicized Egyptian revolution, even if reality doesn't conform to the standards of TV, with a quick and satisfactory ending.

From today's news:

The 16 deaths reported in Homs' Khalidiya and Bab Amr neighborhoods on Tuesday brought the total death count since the weekend to at least 33, activists and residents said.

Another resident said: "There are troops and armored vehicles in every neighborhood. The irregular forces with them are death squads. They have been firing indiscriminately since dawn with rifles and machineguns. No one can leave their homes."

This is every day, for some. Every day.

Remind someone, "we won't believe the lies", and stand with them.

Sail for Life

SL (Second Life) Sailing is the ultimate virtual experience. (This is a PG blog. I can say that with disclaimer), The Trudeau productions are fine workmanship and pleasing true to a good model of boat physics. In the local spaces, they tack with a familiar slowing as we gibe into the wind, then as the main boom moves overhead and sail catches the wind, you can feel the snap, and the hull bear into the water, and with the keel tilting we're reminded to shift and get a handle on the new heading, taking stock of the field of view - treeline, rocks, and architecture for this short leg of our cruise.. Then, facilitating the longer  greater scope of a sail, the experience of sustained changes in the wind, and moving out to the wider, dark or broad ocean, devoid of visual landmarks, knowing the craft will carry you to the unknown. Sailing with a companion is lots of fun, and between sim edges you can get good, solid sentence fragments in!

Cancer Research is being benefited today by Sail For Life ( a Relay for Life extension). SL sailors are carrying the relay flag sim to sim, an hour at a time, to raise money for the hope that your contributions and care can bring. Be sure to find a kiosk, or someone with a personal commitment, and make a heartfelt donation to Relay For Life, and then do it again as soon as possible.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/RFL%20Give/46/212/26

Casting off

I've written most of my life - in one fashion or another, expressions from the solitary instrument played by the hand, whether on a receptive and luxurious pad, or 25 inch monitor, or in the cramped and cozy confines of a coffee napkin with doodles are sublime. If you've noticed the latest style of public discourse, in a political discussion as they are conducted for the interested masses, if any can be found who will listen to talking heads that are clueless heads - everyone talks at the same time. So, then even all but the most perfect conversational partner, often savory silences and precious rhythmic punctuations are abused. The loss of information, if discussing the bus route from Queens to the West Side, is not nearly as bad as a personal exchange where a sudden revelation of how to describe the texture two peppers and roasted tomato soup, is about to dawn. Or, maybe, affection slowly rises into view, and spreads butterfly wings.

All that clatter can kill, but it cannot invade the space where inscriptions fall, and others do not scratch and scribble. The aural channel entertains all contenders, but my ivory paper knows only my pen. Sorry, stay out of my head and off my pad until my thoughts are complete, and when they are finally set forth - then hack and flail, I deserve your cold gaze, and most intense shearing, if there is nothing between us that catches both on fire. But if something arises from a common truth, or if a catalyst appears unexpectedly, then please let its roots remain, and perhaps we can follow the vines where they lead from here.

So this is my blog, after all the years of saying I don't blog because Ive survived the Siberia of spreading petty thoughts, and found that I don't have to tell you everything. But the things that follow, I want to say.

The mariner "casts off", by removing the mooring lines and liberating the boat to become subject to the powers of wind, and current. However the more frequent use, if we allow the internet the influence it seeks, is to finish knitting.  We'll liberate the vessel and leave the knitting to those who do it patiently. I write furiously. It has nothing to do with knitting. If it did, people wouldn't pull all the strings and criticize so much. Id rather sail, any day of the week.

Happy reading, if you stay awake, But if you do, and even out of pity, invite me to your blog. No one wants to be stuck alone with their own "compelling thoughts" that have no echo in this world. It might just be the regular breathing of the human soul, but we speak in like fashion of the words that put us together, as we are. On to that now.