Unless and until some supernatural phenomena presents itself to prove otherwise, there is one undebatable truth about each of us: We are born of circumstances. We do not choose our birth parents, our country of origin, our race or our birth condition. And ... we are each born with "free will" which, at some point in our lives we may, or may not, choose to employ. This is true of every human born.
What also appears to be true is that some are born with more abilities than others, regardless of birth circumstance. Intellegence and skills are, for whatever the reason (some say genes), more prevelent in some than others. Some choose to tap into these abilities, others do not. Mankind appears to allow those who utilize their pronounced abilities to control them in some way. Hence, we are, in different times and places, presented with tyrants, dictators, Kings, Chiefs, Presidents and the like. In some historical accounts mankind has allowed such leaders and pseudo-leaders as a matter of birth right regardless of their abilities. Historically, the masses succumb to some form of rule, be it of their choosing or by force. Also, historically, as some social groups (or countries) grow they tend to foist their way of life on others, as the best way to live. Out of this mankind has become embroiled in a history of war ... killing his own kind to obtain and maintain rule. Along the way, the atrocities that mankind is capable of inflicting on his victims have no barriers.
At different times and places man's resilience allows him to rebound from these self-inflicted attrocities and start anew, but... caught up in his own desires and greed he falls back to his historical roots of war, leaving one to wonder if man's inhumanity to man is the natural order of life... and death, inherited from the chaotic universe in which we live.
To be sure... our finite universe is in constant chaos, albeit one of expansion accompanied by beauty and magnificents such that mankind could never master short of his imagination; complete with direction and defined purpose... something that mankind appears to lack.
Some say that mankind is affected by the gravitational pull the moon exacts on earth's tides (lunetics?). Could the far away birth and death of stars, with its chaos and turmoil, also exact an effect on mankind? Are we in some way connected to these events? Does the cycle of passing comets and nearby astroids affect our demeanor and decisions? Are we one with the universe in which we live?
... to be continued
10 November 2008
The Resilience of Man, In Spite of Himself - Part I
I am a student of life. More narrowly, the history of (hu)mankind. It seems a natural thing to study given my membership in this grandiose segment of existence, in a Universe rife with contradictions.
Given man's history, I have concluded that we have either been endowed with a resilience that keeps us going despite ourselves, or whatever great force scripted us into the universal plan has a morbid sense of humor and an enduring threshold for pain. The kind of pain that comes from repeatedly watching the human race succumb to it's belief that, of all the wonders of the universe, we are the chosen. And as such, we are free to heap our impunity on one another in search of individual or special interest group superiority. The reality, of course, is that we are but a twinkle in the universal macrocosm. Outside of an unknown grander plan, our existence is important only to ourselves.
One can only speculate on the inter-relationships of the first human societies. Bible stories give us clues about early human life, but they remain debatable and dependent on one's faith as to which to believe and the true nature of their origins. That, in and of itself, has spawned much of man's inhumanity to man and continues to be a hotbed of confrontations, as myriad religions vie to be the chosen way... readily accusing each other of fraud.
The masses are pliable. Over eons, they have continued to migrate to that which either brings them less pain or offers more answers to their needs, at any given time. The fickle nature of mankind has always and continues to exist.
There remains conflicting thoughts as to the origins of man. Darwinism, which claims man evolved from a "lower" form of animal, some 4 billion, or so, years ago. Creationism, professes that man was created, in His image, by the One superior Being, which has always existed and created the whole Universe from His thoughts. This just a few thousand years ago. More recently, in an effort to meld the two thoughts, the thinking of some has led to a new belief called Intelligent Design; holding that this One Being created life and infused it with evolution to correct the imperfections that would surely be revealed along the way, to its final perfection.
The truth is that no one really knows the origins of life and it's a good bet that we will never know. It's also a good bet that we will continue to argue the point and heap accusations of fallacy on each other until the last flicker of life is extinguished... perhaps by mankind himself.
This may all sound like a defeatest view of existence. That could be because, whether we chosee to accept it or not, defeatism is the one true consistancy in mankind's history. The rise and fall of kingdoms, dynasties, countries and ideas, fueled by warring peoples each proclaiming their way to be best for all; each proclaiming the one true God is on their team.
In the midst of the chaos, our risilience allows us to carve out our individual or collective niche designed to achieve what we each, in our time, see as our purpose and fit it into the scheme of life afforded us.
... to be continued.
Given man's history, I have concluded that we have either been endowed with a resilience that keeps us going despite ourselves, or whatever great force scripted us into the universal plan has a morbid sense of humor and an enduring threshold for pain. The kind of pain that comes from repeatedly watching the human race succumb to it's belief that, of all the wonders of the universe, we are the chosen. And as such, we are free to heap our impunity on one another in search of individual or special interest group superiority. The reality, of course, is that we are but a twinkle in the universal macrocosm. Outside of an unknown grander plan, our existence is important only to ourselves.
One can only speculate on the inter-relationships of the first human societies. Bible stories give us clues about early human life, but they remain debatable and dependent on one's faith as to which to believe and the true nature of their origins. That, in and of itself, has spawned much of man's inhumanity to man and continues to be a hotbed of confrontations, as myriad religions vie to be the chosen way... readily accusing each other of fraud.
The masses are pliable. Over eons, they have continued to migrate to that which either brings them less pain or offers more answers to their needs, at any given time. The fickle nature of mankind has always and continues to exist.
There remains conflicting thoughts as to the origins of man. Darwinism, which claims man evolved from a "lower" form of animal, some 4 billion, or so, years ago. Creationism, professes that man was created, in His image, by the One superior Being, which has always existed and created the whole Universe from His thoughts. This just a few thousand years ago. More recently, in an effort to meld the two thoughts, the thinking of some has led to a new belief called Intelligent Design; holding that this One Being created life and infused it with evolution to correct the imperfections that would surely be revealed along the way, to its final perfection.
The truth is that no one really knows the origins of life and it's a good bet that we will never know. It's also a good bet that we will continue to argue the point and heap accusations of fallacy on each other until the last flicker of life is extinguished... perhaps by mankind himself.
This may all sound like a defeatest view of existence. That could be because, whether we chosee to accept it or not, defeatism is the one true consistancy in mankind's history. The rise and fall of kingdoms, dynasties, countries and ideas, fueled by warring peoples each proclaiming their way to be best for all; each proclaiming the one true God is on their team.
In the midst of the chaos, our risilience allows us to carve out our individual or collective niche designed to achieve what we each, in our time, see as our purpose and fit it into the scheme of life afforded us.
... to be continued.
Sojourn into fantasy: Disney World
Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding. - from the book, Johnathan Livingston Seagull
The thing about DisneyWorld is, there are no limitations. Flying like a seagull or soaring like an eagle is common place. The difference is, unlike looking with understanding, the mind's borders are breached by imagination ... where anything is possible.
Carl Sagan said, "Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere."
I go to DisneyWorld once or twice a month. It's my escape from the Briarpatch. A bailing out; a temporary flight of fantasy from the trappings of man. It is the gentler side of reality. Second only to escaping into the magnanimus depths of the universe; the birthplace of imagination.
The thing about DisneyWorld is, there are no limitations. Flying like a seagull or soaring like an eagle is common place. The difference is, unlike looking with understanding, the mind's borders are breached by imagination ... where anything is possible.
Carl Sagan said, "Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere."
I go to DisneyWorld once or twice a month. It's my escape from the Briarpatch. A bailing out; a temporary flight of fantasy from the trappings of man. It is the gentler side of reality. Second only to escaping into the magnanimus depths of the universe; the birthplace of imagination.
01 November 2008
The Wild West ... Just another episode in the minds of men?
The wild west spawned legends, myths and stories of notorious badmen (and women) that have taken myriad twists and turns, depending on who's telling the story. Jesse James, the Dalton Gang, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Billy the Kid, Etta Place, Belle Star, the Younger Gang, Archie Clement ... the list goes on.
Truth is, most of these villainous characters were little more than half-witted petty theives, or obsessed with revenge over some misguided cause, with no direction in life short of an early grave. Their celebrity was born out of a burning need to counter a labourious and otherwise boring life-style, of the times, that was satisfied by the "dime novel", which brought fiction and folklore to reality and made heroes of outlaws... in the minds of readers.
It's a common thread woven into larger than life stories dating back to biblical times, when stories shaped the minds of men, and stretching the truth gave hope where hope was absent and secreted desires mired in man's imagination made heroes of cowards. Plato's laws of attraction or "affinity" decribes the phenomena as well as any ... we like people for their qualities but we love them for their defects. Defects that we deny in ourselves, but secretly ascribe.
So, what is the truth about these infamous and scandalous desperados? Were the badmen and law breakers of the wild west really all that bad? Or, were many of their exploits justified, to some extent, by a higher law ... survival? Do you really want to know? Come with me as I explore the veracity and uncover the real facts about the characters of western folklore.
Truth is, most of these villainous characters were little more than half-witted petty theives, or obsessed with revenge over some misguided cause, with no direction in life short of an early grave. Their celebrity was born out of a burning need to counter a labourious and otherwise boring life-style, of the times, that was satisfied by the "dime novel", which brought fiction and folklore to reality and made heroes of outlaws... in the minds of readers.
It's a common thread woven into larger than life stories dating back to biblical times, when stories shaped the minds of men, and stretching the truth gave hope where hope was absent and secreted desires mired in man's imagination made heroes of cowards. Plato's laws of attraction or "affinity" decribes the phenomena as well as any ... we like people for their qualities but we love them for their defects. Defects that we deny in ourselves, but secretly ascribe.
So, what is the truth about these infamous and scandalous desperados? Were the badmen and law breakers of the wild west really all that bad? Or, were many of their exploits justified, to some extent, by a higher law ... survival? Do you really want to know? Come with me as I explore the veracity and uncover the real facts about the characters of western folklore.
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