Some words of wisdom from a life that is beginning to get long.
Being cool is a state of mind. You can’t buy it, wear it or pretend it.
Most people, on their own, are pleasant and helpful – put them in a group and a lot of them become spiteful, greedy and vicious.
Money does not buy happiness. It buys opportunities to do things and own things. The times when I’ve been happiest are when I’ve had no money.
There are no short cuts. Every short cut ends up taking longer, costing more and ending up worse.
Life is luck. Sometimes you’re there at the right time in the right place.
Making decisions with your glands is not a good idea.
Violence and hatred creates violence and hatred.
Humanity is a disaster for most other life on this planet.
It’s time we stopped electing glib psychopaths into office.
Charisma is rarely good.
Religion and politics are all about power.
Fun is good.
Reading can be as good as sex (in its own way) – but less messy.
Each moment is precious – fill it with wonder, joy, happiness, love and creativity!
Here are a few of my books. They are available on Amazon in both paperback and on kindle.
Anecdotes – paperback just £6.95 Kindle – just £1.99 or free on Kindle Unlimited
More Anecdotes – paperback just £7.29 Kindle – just £2.12 or free on Kindle Unlimited
My other books are also available. There is some unique to suit most tastes if you like something thought provoking and alternative.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opher-Goodwin/e/B00MSHUX6Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1459501044&sr=1-2-ent
Forgive me, but that saying “money can’t buy happiness”, well only those with money can say that. True it does not buy you good health, we all wish we could buy that.
I base that on the fact that when we were really poor we were at our happiest.
I can certainly see that endless poverty can grind you down and make you miserable. But I have found people living in dire conditions who appeared really happy, care-free and cheerful. I’ve also met some rich people who are as miserable as can be. It’s a state of mind.
The most generous when it comes to giving to Charity are the people with less money. I know when David died and he left this house and it’s problems and nothing else, it was a struggle believe me but the Boys and myself managed they never asked for things like other children, they had what I could afford and we made it through, so yes having money does not always make you happy and having to manage gives you strength. People become obsessed over money.
With enough to get buy and the occasional luxury there are plenty of beautiful things to fill a life that don’t cost money.
You are so right, I would save literally every penny, at the end of the week I would empty my purse into a big jar, save some money from the small pension I received from the Pru and take the Boys on holiday each year ( to get away from mother/sister), then the three of us would have fun and they were free to roam – good memories.
Yep – good days!
Kids back – have to go!
Have a nice day.
Odd moments now!
Well make the most of them
They are making the most of me! Life is always surprising.
I just don’t understand why you say “Charisma is rarely good.”
Because we are always being led into disasters by charismatic people. Charisma masks the real intention. Wahabi Islam was founded by a charismatic leader and has resulted in the evils of intolerant ISIS with all its cruelty and viciousness. Charisma is not to be trusted. Seek the message behind the face.
All true. Makes sense…
Good to hear from you Teresa. I hope you are doing well.
Reblogged this on Opher's World and commented:
Well my observations at least!
Nicely done. Clearly a selection of ideas to make us think.
A random selection of Opher musing.
Hey Opher,
An interesting and thoughtfully engaging list, thank you 🙂 What would your post have looked like if I took you back 30 years? 🙂
We share common ground with all the entries shown and I’d not dispute or challenge any but might add to your perspective: ‘Life is luck. Sometimes you’re there at the right time in the right place.’ . Carl Jung, the eminent Swiss analytical psychologist had immense regard for the concept of Synchronicity, ‘which holds that events are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no causal relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related.’ (Wiki) Perhaps luck is a question of perspective?
It would make for an interesting post requesting commenters to submit their ‘Ten Rules of Life’ or offering a contemporary individual expression of their Ten Commandments? Just a thought 🙂
Enjoy your day.
Namaste 🙂
DN
Dewin – If I had done that post thirty years ago it might have been a bit more optimistic but I bet most of it would have been similar.
Synchronicity is a very interesting and thought provoking phenomenon. It has happened to me on a number of occasions – enough to send a jolt through my mind. I might just do a post on it.
Thanks
Hey Opher,
Considering how different the age back then and how much the world has changed in the interim I respect your answer.
I’m not certain what my list would have looked like 30 years ago…I imagine it held a slightly more traditional world view edged with an energy to want to change most of that stuffy nonsense. But I’ve always had a tramp’s heart 🙂
Agreed, synchronicity is mind-expanding and mind-blowing and I would very much enjoy reading of your experiences 🙂 My life is full of synchronicity daily. A recent example…in response to photographs of a sea-gull stood on a Seattle 14th floor apartment balcony featured on a friends blog a fellow commenter suggested it was a Model-gull. I wrote a short poem for my comment ending with reference to Marilyn Monroe. The next morning at work, a warm sunny day, sitting next to a large window in an office block, the most beautiful gull swooped into view, called once, and landed directly in front of my eyes on the rooftop outside the window. She was exceptionally pretty and immaculately presented and she shone like a diamond white. She took a cheeky bath in a small pool held within an inverted roof-skylight and kept watching me to make sure I watched her. I was! lol 🙂 Immediately after having bathed she came and stood on the window sill directly in front of my eyes (maybe 5 inches away?) tapped the glass and just gazed straight through me for what seemed like an age. The intensity of her look was exhilarating: stern yet soft, misted. The yellow/gold flash about her eyes was bewitching. In time she turned and with an uncanny ease took a couple of steps along the window sill opened her expansive wings and fluttered her pretty tail feathers at me as she flew away. That was the day I met the playful spirit of Marilyn Monroe who came to me to say ‘thank you’ 🙂
Namaste 🙂
DN
Perhaps you did Dewin. I’ll think about a post. Have to be off now.
Jung was on very safe ground since once something happens it is no longer a coincidence. I pull the ace of spades from a pack of cards ; wow what a coincidence you only had a chance of 1:52 of doing that.
Hey Kersten,
I would suggest you read Jung and develop a more detailed understanding of synchronicity and perhaps refine your opinion a little further? To my thinking life is far richer, more magical and far more enchanted as a consequence of synchronicity.
Also in regard to synchronicity, have a read about Quantum Entanglement (QE) Theory. To my thinking, synchronicity and QE are related. I wonder what force allows two particles to ‘communicate’ from opposites sides of the world?
I see you are also reading Fractal Brain Theory. Here’s a YouTube link you may enjoy. The guy’s mind is mercurial:
Enjoy the weekend.
Namaste 🙂
DN
Much of this esoteric stuff is beyond my limited understanding. I have never read anything about Fractal Brain Theory but it looks esoteric to me . I know a little about quantum theory and communication at a distance , not in the scientific sense the mathematics and concepts are beyond me. My own beliefs are very straight forward and I tend to believe in the scientific consensus.
I think there are many highly intelligent people who want to believe in a sort of magic now religious fundamentalism has broken down and quantum mechanics have given them just what they desired. Synchronicity is a sort of belief in magic as described by Jung. Notice that magic always acts on our behalf it never crushes our hopes. I have seen too many hopes crushed and too many destroyed by grim accidents to believe in such stuff. I reject Karma which points to some ultimate justice , noticing it depends on rebirth for most sensible people know in this life there is no justice. We humans are moral and want desperately to believe the universe is moral as well , but I see no evidence to convince me that that is the case. To me the wonder of humanity is the individuals ability to act against the destructive forces of the world to give hope where none exists.
Hey Kersten,
Thank you for your reply. I thought you’d made mention in a comment regards Fractal Brain Theory? My apologies if you didn’t, I read a lot of comments and may be confused…or else perhaps its inclusion here was synchronous for you? Did you enjoy the video link?
Do you not think that science and religion are both seeking an answer to the one same question, Who am I? Where science seeks empirical evidence, human nature seeks supplication.
As you know the Quantum Wave Field collapses when observed: but up until that moment a photon is infinite potentiality. What is not magical about that?
Particle Entanglement does occur between particles, and by extension, it does occur between people. I am for example a very big proponent of the idea of non-verbal communication between people. Also the power of prayer, empathy, sympathy, compassion: an open heart allows one person to communicate with the whole world.
How do you define magic? How do differentiate between magic and religion? What is Spirituality and how does this differ from the previous two?
Magic does not have a fundamental aspect. It is absolute. Magic is also unique to the individual: there is no book written that tells you what you should believe and why. Magic does not seek dominion over an individual. Magic always lies within the individual. Hope always lies within the individual as well.
What is/are the origin/s of creativity? What is an ‘original’ idea and where does it come from? Is that not an example of magic? When a thought is made manifest in reality is that not magic?
The artist, the poet who creates a piece of work that makes you weep. Is that not magic?
Magic does always act on our behalf but it does not always dictate an outcome. For example, Magic may provide a state of hyperawareness (heightened intuition) to ‘know’ of a forthcoming threat in advance but we still have to negotiate that threat. In being ‘forewarned’ or ‘alive’ to danger we have possibility of reacting in a better/ different way.
I take a Buddhist perspective on life, death, and rebirth. There is no end, no beginning merely a succession of states. I don’t reject all aspects of Karma…I believe it essential for the psychology of humanity to be perfected and this does start with the individual. Soul lessons are important to healthy development of spirit. Jung suggested at the idea that God also had an evolving psychology. As a consequence of our legacy, Karma is played out through our children. That is why we need to make the world a better place, for our future. For all of humankind’s future.
You write, ’To me the wonder of humanity is the individuals ability to act against the destructive forces of the world to give hope where none exists.’ – Perhaps if Magic (our full individual potential) were better understood and accepted as a reality – it would be a force to inspire individuals to self-realisation? Magic and the use of enchantment being the pathway that leads to individuality.
You write, ‘We humans are moral and want desperately to believe the universe is moral as well’;. I ask, is Nature immoral? Are we separate to or differentiated from Nature?
Interesting discussion, than you Kersten.
Namaste 🙂
DN
I don’t think the question who am I has any ultimate meaning. We all sense the I or identity within even those who deny its existence . Sam Harris the well known atheist claims that free will and the self are illusions but of course he knows he is Sam Harris and he knows what he wants in different circumstances. Interestingly he maintains we should all carry on just the same in spite of this revelation , a conclusion that made me smile. The denial of free will worried Sam over the problem of blame ; if we have no free will we are not to blame for anything we do.
I suppose the apportionment of blame began to be eroded when psychology came along and reasons for our actions were explained. In our modern world madness excuses all crime ; I can plead insanity. At a lesser level we often say he had a bad upbringing so we must go easy on his behaviour. Religion removes our problems and provides a set of fixed rules , it makes clear what is right and what is wrong. Science is not moral it investigates the world and attempts to explain it. Science can never answer a moral question but it’s progress can throw up many moral issues. Everything about us boils down to our moral stance and that is due to self -awareness which somehow happened in our development.
Genius is very difficult to explain we cannot create a Mozart by musical training but we can make a virtuoso with enough training.
Incidentally the Bach family genius seemed to be linked to hereditary but no so with Beethoven. Some religious thinkers say it is a gift from God and that’s not a phrase I would object to using .
Making the world a better place is open it wide interpretation and some dedicated people would say we can only do that by giving over our lives to the service of others. Some politicians would suggest we must increase productivity to enable the poor to lead better lives. Those in monastic orders will say prayer is the answer. But all of this stuff boils down again to our moral being ; tigers and buffalo are not trying to make the world a better place.
I know you won’t take it in a personnel sense but to talk about the future of humankind is a little conceited ; we may not have a future.
Lastly yes nature is amoral it knows nothing of good or bad and when we ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil we separated ourselves from nature. As Freud made clear we are at war with ourselves.
The magic you describe is a sort of super horoscope from my point of view ; it a belief that events care about our lives and try to shape them.
I would go along with Thomas Hardy who felt acutely ‘ why unblooms the best hope ever sown.’ Some say he was a pessimist but in my eyes he was a realist and a great writer into the bargain.
Hey Kersten,
Thanks for your reply. Is it not conceited to suggest that ‘eating from the tree of knowledge’ gave humankind an automatic right to seek dominion over everything that crawls, slides, slips, or walks…including each other? Why doesn’t the Bible consider knowledge, experience and wisdom to be an ally of psychological evolution?
Free will is an acceptable term to me, but in exercising it people frequently forget that they have no free will over the consequences of their actions.
I am not offended by your perspective of what I had written. I do however think is grossly pessimistic not to consider the future. I also think it very short-sighted and nihilistic of a species with sentient intelligence not to intellectually and emotionally take a long hard look at their future. One gets the feeling humankind are paused on the crest of a thunderous wave. For the first time in our history humankind does not have a precedent to look back on and guide us forward. All that has come before has not worked significantly well to eradicate division between us, yet our history, our establishments, our ingrained mentalities continues to project humankind forward. It is essential that humanity, society, civilization is made fit to aspire on a journey back home to the stars. We cannot take our prejudice, our predetermination, our differences with us: our perceptions, our sense of self-awareness, our acceptance of others, our outward expressions of gratitude, all need major overhaul. It will require us all to reinvent, create, renew, and perhaps replace traditional world views, values and philosophies, and set about introducing new principles upon which civilisation can move forward as a collective.
Thomas Hardy struggled all of his life with the concept of God. I think of this poem as being a reflection of that struggle?
Yes nature is amoral. We humans are not. We would eat each other if it meant making a profit. And we have free will. By definition does an animal not then have free will? How do we know?
A super-horoscope. Hmm. Wouldn’t that negate the synchronicity to be found in the eye protectors, or are they not a consideration? If we are able to manifest certain thoughts, eg: a painting from out of thin air, why is not possible to do the same with objects that could be the response to my unspoken prayer from a benign and caring universe. Or it could be that I’m just mad and observe the world around me in a totally different way lol 🙂 I guess whatever way I think – whatever way we each want to think – is what constitutes an individual’s faith. As I believe the world to be, so it is.
I see nothing wrong in a world that is equitable, fair, just, and equal. I do not understand why humankind limits its evolution by insisting – physically and metaphysically – to keep turning our world and its inhabitants on an axis of fool’s gold.
Do you think as Freud thinks Kersten…are you at war with yourself? I am not certain what that really means? Doubts? Fears?
I think the universe projects itself forward, there is no past, only an ever emergent potential. Why doesn’t humankind embrace that potential instead of holding fast like a limpet to tradition and accelerate our progress forward.
I agree Kersten, if we all carried out one small act of kindness or generosity for our fellow man every day, it would be a different world within a week. Talking of which, I run a small Blog site for Homeless people to publish their poems. If you happen upon a homeless person who wishes to have a poem published, send it to dewin.nefol@gmail.com 🙂
The site is at: https://bwbachandtheraven.wordpress.com/
I trust you will enjoy your weekend. Take care.
Namaste 🙂
DN
The book of Genesis has several authors and was thought by scholars to have been written about 600BC. It is probable that Moses did not exist as a historical figure. They did not know much science but they did know a good deal about human nature and the tree of knowledge passage is about the development of the human conscience, or the moral nature of man when he lost his innocence. The Jews went on to paint a picture of God in line with their own ridged moral code totally unacceptable in our modern era. Now we have among us those who are passionate about animal rights some suggesting they have equal rights to humans. Some feel so strongly they are vegans and will break the law in their passion to defend helpless animals. The Bible is an important book but we do not need to accept or reject it , consistency is not part of our nature and just as religious groups pick and choose so I follow their lead and pick and choose for myself.
We cannot engage in a major overhaul of mankind , the telescope of history displays many such attempts but here we are just the same , more knowledgeable but no wiser.
The problem Thomas Hardy had is a very common one , he looked at reality and could not square it with Christianity.
‘ After two thousand years of mass,
We’ve got as far as poison gas.’
To have a free will a creature must be self-aware and hence capable of self – judgement which leads to choice. Some mammals and birds reactor to the mirror test ,which shows the rudiments of self -awareness.
Humankind does chase fool’s gold although some know better but this returns us to the pyramid of wealth and that seems to be doing pretty well. We all think as Freud pointed out, that is why his theory of the id the ego and the superego is so powerful remember he is the father of psychoanalysis. Curiously none of those concepts have a physical existence their power lies in their ability to explain behaviour. Carl Popper who believed in the idea of falsification would have concluded psychology was non scientific.
I’ve a challenge for you Kersten…a mission should you choose to accept it.
Book yourself in for one week at a spiritual retreat (of renown) where they engage in Ayahuasca Ceremony. Spend one week experimenting with altered states of perception using DMT, experiencing both periods of ecstatic highs and vomit inducing periods of absolute fear. Experience an enhanced yet full range of human emotions – outside of normal perception, understanding – experience the mind’s ability to reach, flourish, magnify, simplify, fracture, penetrate, and dissolve with the universe.
Namaste 🙂
DN
Even if I was twenty years younger I would not spend money in that way , you must remember I lived through the ‘ turn on tune in and drop out era and you reminded me of it. Some years ago I read Huxley’s ‘The Doors of Perception’ which was about the mind changing drug mescalin not long after LSD came onto the scene. Looking it up Huxley commented: ‘ It opens up the way of Mary but closes the door on that of Martha ‘
He went on ‘ It gives access to contemplation that is incompatible with action.’ Just to crack a joke a bit like alcohol eh!
Then we had Timothy Leary and the beat generation he led quite a life but it reads perfectly full of human nature to me nothing particularly transcendental. Buddhism fascinated the beat generation as it was anti imperialist and they hated authority. Not long ago a little news filtered through about Buddhist monks getting obese and the health dangers it helped me to see the human side of Buddhism!
Allan Ginsberg another prophet still I did like ‘ think for yourself question authority ‘ he had a tough time and led a troubled but very human existence. I spotted a photo of him with Bob Dylan and of course the Beatles were taken up with all that teaching about the interconnected spiritual universe.
Oh come with old Khayyam and leave the wise to talk;
One thing is certain that life flies
One thing is certain ,and the rest is lies.
The flower that once has blown forever dies.
Hey Kersten,
If you don’t mind me saying so you seem disquieted somehow, forever reading through thoughtful books digesting and discerning another’s opinion or perspective. I don’t know what your own spiritual sensibilities are or where your obviously enquiring mind wishes to take you, but I still feel you might benefit from experiencing transcendent states for yourself. As has been said in comments here before language beaks down when one tries to convey a 4th dimensional experience to another who has not realised those states for themselves. Conventions such as conventional words (and symbols, even mark making) do not apply to unconventional moments…perhaps that is what Huxley’s line: ‘ It gives access to contemplation that is incompatible with action,’ describes. Perhaps it is the personal journey one takes that is as equally important as the destination one arrives at.
We are creative beings capable of manifesting our thoughts in reality. We are born to dream!
Enjoy your week. Loaf long and prosper.
Namaste 🙂
DN
A neat perceptive reply it reminded me of the sort that Depak Chopra might well have given. Fortunately my enquiring mind has no intended destination and I hope no leanings that may direct it to any particular goal. I know a little perhaps more than you might suppose about those drug induced states and other ways of going out of my mind. Since I retired some fourteen years ago my soul occupation has been in many different directions . Having made up my mind to overcome my ignorance I have read many classic novels and much famous poetry. Also I have tried to appreciate the great composers such as Mozart , Beethoven , Chopin, JS Bach Haydn, and others . I have hit some stumbling blocks modern classical music is indecipherable to me from sound and does not move me at all. Some modern art puzzles me and seems pointless saying nothing whatever. I have also taken up the piano but my efforts are very rudimentary and the way some talented players play by ear amazes me, but then jazz itself is the talent to improvise without written music. The structure of music and vibration is quite extraordinary ; take the octave that perfect interval and at the same time a doubling of the frequency of vibration. For me there is enough to dream about in my normal mental state , the one sad thing being that at 75 time is limited and I feel I have missed out on so much.
Hey Kersten,
I respect the freedom you give to your energetically enquiry mind as much the sense of obvious enjoyment you derive from the pleasure of the Arts – in all their magnificent guises.
Your stance against predetermination is admirable.
If I were Deepak, which I am not, no doubt I’d launch into an elucidation of the Heart Chakra and how Love is the ground state of our being. I might even suggest that Love is the embrace we pass through at life’s perceived end whilst en route to our next destination, but that is only my opinion – we are all butterflies living for a day and believing it is eternity. Perhaps I’d also offer the opinion that Love is the force that brings all things to perfection and as such we are the product of Love and really don’t have anywhere to look for Love (or answers) than within ourselves.
The Arts undoubtedly enrich our world. Carl Jung held the belief that the ‘Artist’ was unique and their psychology equally exclusive…
‘Every creative person is a duality or a synthesis of contradictory aptitudes. On the one side he is a human being with a personal life, while on the other side he is an impersonal, creative process. Art is a kind of innate drive that seizes a human being and makes him its instrument. The artist is not a person endowed with free will who seeks his own ends, but one who allows art to realize its purposes through him. As a human being he may have moods and a will and personal aims, but as an artist he is “man” in a higher sense ‘he’ is collective man, one who carries and shapes the unconscious, psychic life of mankind. To perform this difficult office it is sometimes necessary for him to sacrifice happiness and everything that makes life worth living for the ordinary human being.’
As for the Harmony of the Sphere’s…indeed, they chime like the bells of St. Martins. One wonders how significant sound actually is in explaining the natural world. Here is a beautiful and deeply penetrating chant, The Great Bell Chant (The End Of Suffering) – Read by Thich Nath Hanh – chanted by brother Phap Niem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1ZwaEzMtJw&feature=youtu.be
At 75 life is in many ways now truly only beginning. You have in those 75 years acquired a rare sense of freedom in both body and mind to acknowledge the beat of your heart. It is an opportunity some choose not to dwell upon 🙂
Life is always rock ‘n’ roll dude. Just gotta keep the butterfly and the little boy deep inside sweet and happy and fed on the sugar of wonder at our beautiful planet Earth.
Love and Peace.
Namaste 🙂
DN
I played the great bell chant through twice and it reminded me of early church chanting , the words made the message clear and led me on to investigate Zen Buddhism as practiced by these monks. I then heard Thich Nhat Hanh talking and a little of his efforts for peace and how he met Martin Luther King , quite a revelation for me.
You are right art is dedication but we must be careful to distinguish between the artist and the performer. Great performers enable us to hear and appreciate great artistic creations. Often those performers have sacrificed the things of everyday living to make it possible for them to become the conduit of art.
Without air we cannot hear sound and the eardrum vibrates transmitting some inexplicable messages to the brain. It is a parallel to sight which cannot operate without light , except light needs no medium to travel, and traverses empty space. I remember the shock I felt when I learnt the image on our retinas is upside down and the brain somehow inverts it. The practical proof is that the with the prolonged wearing of inverting glasses the brain inverts again to make sense of what we receive. The joke is that the glasses must be removed and the brain takes time to invert again to normality.
‘ O the mind, mind has mountains ; cliffs of fall
Frightful, sheer, no-man- fathomed. Hold them cheap
May who ne’er hung there.’
Hey Kersten,
Once again your reply is most welcome and generously appointed. Thank you.
I have shed tears listening/watching The Great Bell Chant…ad finding my way to the heart of the Lotus Blossom. Zen Buddhism offers simplicity elegance and sustainability – no beginning no end. You ‘sound’ fascinated by the discoveries you have made thus far 🙂
For a different and more scenic appreciation of Zen…try Peter Matthiessen’s ‘The Snow Leopard’. It is not what you think, yet still this book shone through the wrapping when it was first delivered to my door.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/764165.The_Snow_Leopard
Also…and I am not sure why, but having found this Alan Watts piece in ‘my favourites’ I thought I’d share it before deletion and moving onto something new.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=dhuGy7nnNaE
You make an eloquent point regarding Performer and Artist…and one wonders if there is clear distinction between the two, and if so quite where it might lie? Might the difference be the Artist is the first conduit in a chain of events culminating in the apex performance? But yes, agreed, great performers would also ‘suffer for their art’…where suffering constitutes living as a conduit without exclusion.
Like Opher, I recall the science experiments at school as he describes and the bewilderment and joy experienced! The mind is a gift of grace we shall never fathom but always rise to in ‘knowing.’ My father was an aeronautical design engineer and as such science was on my early out-of-school curriculum…I hated learning it, but unto this day I maintain a solid interest in science and have immense respect for the ingenuity and brilliance of the human mind. Dr Brian Cox was once a keyboard musician with a band called D Ream. He would be someone to ask about harmonics, octaves, frequencies, amplitudes, wave forms, and the potentiality of every quantum moment.
Light will forever fascinate me 🙂
To change the subject, but yet still press on with an alternate world view, I have another video offering for you. Oren Lyons – The Indigenous World View
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbwSwUMNyPU
To pursue broad themes…the following links as a tangent to ‘air’, via Native American Feather Teachings. The second video is my favourite. I like the simplicity with which a simple feather teaches. I have nothing but endless wonder for feathers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEJUkaHapuc
Oh, and for sounds whilst reading, check this out…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBiVq2MsCbs
And lastly, in response to Gerard Manley Hopkins infamous quote, I’ll reply with another of his that might salvage something of his despair…
‘I am all at once what Christ is, ‘ since he was what I am, and
This Jack, joke, poor potsherd, ‘ patch, matchwood, immortal diamond,
Is immortal diamond’
Wishing you well and your week unbound by the bind of books found bound but remain unbinding 🙂 Take care of you I all ways always.
Namaste 🙂
DN
An interesting thought which many Christians cling to throughout their lives and I’m sure Hopkins was no exception. It is the same teaching as the ex-Christian Alan Watts pounced upon in his discussion of Christianity. It runs almost parallel to Sam Harris’s belief there is no self , or to put it blashemously we are all Buddha’s. This can only hold true if Karma is real , if not then it all collapses as a glorious dream of kingship.
It strikes me as linked to Calvinism where everything is down to God , man has no say , he is just a vessel through which God works his miracles. The trouble is the Calvanists are the chosen ones of an omnipotent God and we are not all included.
Much in the Gospels points towards Jesus Christ being a Universalist believing humanity is one family but once again we must remember he believed in an almighty ruling power.
Many see beauty , light, life and truth as Lindeman and they have the great images from Hubble to confirm this inner conviction.
Even now the battle rages and intelligent design struggles to be recognised as it points to the stupendous wholeness of the universe and the intricate laws uncovered by science. When a man writes a will he seeks to control what happens after he dies , he does not want to let go of his influence , he is not prepared to hand things on to the unborn , he wishes to guide the future , to have his say.
The old proverbs contain enormous truth ‘ Every dog has his day.’
Hey Kersten,
Using a different language, we are all children of Gaia. It matters not what our personal religious sensibilities are or are not – what matters is that we take heed of the fundamental message at the core of all great texts: Love is supreme absolute and ultimate.
I get the feeling that Karma enables an individual to reach self-realisation through successive ‘trials/lifetimes/hardships’ until one understands all possible consequences of their very next thought, deed, word, or intention and chooses the most compassionate path to achieve a successful outcome for all.
I have not written a will. I’ve no family to pass on either gift or garbage and find myself more and more taken with the idea of removing all sense of materiality still further in life until I am able to fit both myself and all my choice possessions in the same box or urn as I am dispatched in and still get the lid on without nails. That I want to follow Arthur C Clarkes romantic notion of being encased in amber and fired from a space ship into the heart of the Sun will influence any possible future will I might consider 🙂
Intelligent design is a human phrase that I think of as naming the ultimate equilibrium state where science and spirituality find synthesis and mutual understanding. The video regarding Artificial Intelligence and Fractal Brain Theory foregrounded the speakers embrace of both subjects with equal respect and awe. He imagines the computing power of a machine brain as a synthetic mind, yet beyond that I thought lay a deeply spiritual consciousness to what he was saying. Out of curiosity have you seen the film: A.I. Artificial Intelligence
(2001) Any thoughts?
I enjoy listening to Alan Watts. His elucidation is articulate (a little old fashioned perhaps but quintessentially English lol) distilled and precise, his knowledge vast and considerate. I may or may not agree with all he suggests at or all that might inspire if I imagined harder but the enjoyment for me is found in the journey to thoughtful discernment or purely in the pleasure and interest he conjures.
‘Every dog has his day’ – yes indeed this is true, but equally ‘every cat has 9 lives.’ Which would you rather be? 😉
Namaste 🙂
DN
I’m going to risk asking you a few questions but ignore them if you wish its just me being nosey. Are you a full time Zen monk? Are you on a vegan diet? What is the significance of the name Namaste?
I’m a chess player of club standard and in the past I used to belong to a chess club in London. When I heard Kasparov was beaten by deep blue I was impressed with the computer , but then I heard him comment that deep blue did not think it merely won by number crunching.
It set me thinking about A.I. since chess was supposed to be a game for the smart. The question I kept asking myself was how do humans play chess? and secondly what is intelligence ? Is it merely an intricate program carried out by the mind ?and will number crunching ability lead to intelligence? Could it be we are fooling ourselves completely and intelligence is a dream and strong computers will acquire it?
Nowadays computers rapidly sort out the sequences of the human genome and we all marvel, but could a computer have unravelled the structure of the double helix as Crick and Watson did?Ray Kurzwell talks of a coming singularity when they take over. Do we need what we ythink of as intelligence to run the world?
I watch very few films so sorry to say I have not seen the one you mention but I did see 2001 with the intelligent computer Hal who decided to take over the spaceship. Science fiction has a fascination for many because it is fantasy that may come true and it has been with us since Jules Verne later we got the complete fantasy of ‘ Lord of the Rings ‘ although many say it is the story of good versus evil
Being moral nearly everything we touch takes on a moral meaning , it is at the root of everything history piles up an an ever increasing pace.
Good afternoon Kersten,
Like you I also have a disposition given over to curiosity…’tis the Snow Leopard’s doing of course – once She has bitten, once she melds with a mind and forms a new connection, one can never go back to one’s original state of being. The experience is fundamental. It changes us.
Namaste is not a name, it is a namaskar – a traditional Indian greeting or gesture of respect, made by bringing the palms together before the face or chest and bowing. Different cultures have different salutations and gestures. If you have seen the film Avatar – with Jake the Christ-like saviour or reincarnation of Vishnu? – you may recall the line ‘I see you’. It is an elegant sentiment with grace acknowledging the beauty of another’s inner light. My name is Dewin Nefol.
A vegan diet? No I am omnivorous but not enthusiastically pantophagous. I graze from many different sources as and when my whim takes me, but I waste nothing. I embrace vegetarianism on occasion but cannot sustain it as a habitual practice as I do not enjoy cooking. I imagine a vegetarian diet relies heavily on flavourings else it would be a little dull for my palette.
Am I a full time Zen monk? Do you mean a little like David Caradine’s arse-kicking Shaolin monk from the hit T.V show Kung Fu? (ABC 1972) 🙂 Or maybe a little like Kendo Nagasaki – the master of mayhem – http://kendonagasaki.org/ Their combat expertise identifies them as unique warriors of light made manifest. I was never intended to be a physical sword of God like they are, instead I enjoy the passing company of strangers who wander through liminal spaces else seek the company of big cats in their mountain abode. I’m normally in one place or the other place or in both places or in neither place but I’m seldom to be found lingering in the middle. I cannot settle easily within the middle: it perturbs me, disquiets me, wears at me like a cheap suit and become claustrophobic and invasive if I stay for to long. It’s the toxicity of life. Perhaps it is also that I find the current world vision of what constitutes normal to be a little mundane for my liking to want to dwell within it for longer than need be.
Regards chess – does rational pure intelligence include or exclude emotion from its thinking? For example, would A.I have intuition, which is fundamental to chess? Is A.I capable of pre-cognition outside of its programming? In what direction will computer programming take A.I computers and how might initial programming and/or ‘biased’ data influence intelligence? What might be A.I’s ‘filtering’ system when selecting the most likely response to any human centred situation, or will human beings ultimately be denied freedom of choice and become subservient to a range of limited options with instructions attached?
A quick question. Would you instinctively be able to trust an Artificial Intelligence? On what basis might you discriminate or distrust or judge your opinion. By what form of rationale or by what previous experience would we base our judgement on? I would be initially overwhelmed if confronted by a machine exhibiting an intelligence far far far greater than I could imagine. It would be the prospect of considering what it could teach me that would blow my mind. But whether that lifts me any closer to the stars is another matter altogether. I don’t think A.I will achieve omnipotence. Our universe is a product of benevolence and intelligence, without one their cannot be the other. I do not think an A.I unit will perfect Love as a human might. I wonder also what an A.I’s conception of God might be…or whether it will simply generate an ‘unable to compute’ message and go into sleep mode’.
Thank you for mention of Ray Kurzwell, an author I have read (in part), his work is rich and dense and detailed it bends the mind in ways to amaze and moving between pages takes time! I am apprehensive about his suggestion of a coming Singularity. Largely because it will create mass unemployment and redefine whole communities globally in a ways that might either terrify or inspire.. The brilliance of A.I as a product of humankind’s ingenuity is miraculous but I sincerely hope civilisation evolves way beyond and far above its present state many long years before an A.I unit takes one small step for man one giant leap for mankind’s machine. Do you envisage an apocalyptic future Kersten, a Judgement Day or a Matrix? It is entirely possible, sci-fi is the gateway through which contemporary science appears to evolve. It is also the only vision of the future that we have. That gives the written words of visionary minds great kudos 🙂
I have read a perspective on Tolkien that put forward the eloquent suggestion that one of the key motivators behind the conceptualisation of Lord of The Rings may have been the authors response to the impact the industrial revolution had on the countryside here he lived. The argument being that Tolkein witness the encroach of black pillars of smoke rising from Heavy Industry as it crawled across the Midlands landscape raping ravaging pillaging and plundering God’s Earth. Mordor might then be seen as both a physical and non-physical threat. If Frodo, a country dweller from the Shire can silence the raging fire of Hephaestus’s twisted forge, the ‘shire’ (the countryside) will be saved as well. Frodo is Gaia’s child answering her call as an emissary.
Is everything we do moral? What constitutes morality in our current age? Come to think of it, what is now ethical? Where once our definitions were provided by central authorities like the Church or the Crown, human beings are now slowly moving away from these traditional fixed states of being towards an eclectic vision of the self within which we have room to breathe and opportunity/intention to move fluidly between many varied perspectives to achieve states of enlightenment, mindfulness, self-realisation, wholeness, betterment, spiritual progression, and self-advancement.
Okie dokie then, I’m just off to collect a late night curry takeout so will leave you to enjoy your Saturday evening undisturbed by nothing more than a chant to chill you out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sexPSE8_6QQ&list=RDsexPSE8_6QQ#t=1234
Enjoy the remainder of your weekend.
Namaste 🙂
DN
Thanks you are a much clearer figure to now and if it is any significance I’m married with four adult children the oldest just fifty years the others slipping into middle age. They are all in the fast lane with the trials and rewards of attempting what is called success. We dwell in a quiet backwater by the ocean on the outskirts of a small thriving town leading very sedentary lives.
Let me just make one comment about chess; computers have proved you don’t need to be intelligent to play it. Are we capable of pre-cognition outside our programming? We do not have total freedom of choice but are influenced by our background and our evolutionary baggage , you know the story nature and nurture. If I was confronted by Einstein I would not be overwhelmed so why should an artificial intelligence overwhelm me? We assume that an artificial intelligence is not artificial but who knows perhaps we are.
I don’t believe in a benevolent intelligent creator , the word benevolent jars on my moral sensitivity and I would hardly call history a benevolent series of events.
No everything we do is not moral and most of us know it. That is why we are often at a personal war between pleasure and duty and that is the very reason we choose. For a machine to be like us it would have to have moral fibre it would have to juggle the outcome of possibilities and decide not what is the most progressive but what is the most morally satisfying.
I have read an interpretation that Frodo was an imitation of Jesus Christ and the defeat of evil meant he had to leave the pleasures of this world behind and go to The Hallows . Tolkien was a confirmed Catholic who would have believed in universal redemption.
The self within which you speak of may be an escape from unpleasant decisions rather along the lines of a closed monastery , those who join saying to themselves I cut myself off from the world I have no wish to be part of it I cannot fit it into my philosophy.
Hermann Hesse wrote his account of Buddhism in his great novel Siddhartha , of course I have only read a translation but it is a moving story.
Hey Kersten,
Am I a much clearer figure to you now? In what way might that be? I’m curious. Be my guest, be honest and unmerciful lol 🙂
I do enjoy these little chats of ours. Thank you for your reply and trust. If one day our paths might cross it would be a pleasure to sit on the veranda or by the edge of that quiet little backwater and talk a while with you. I don’t drink alcohol nor take herbal tea, but a decent cup of ‘workman’s’ tea sugar sweet and strong enough to wither a tea-spoon would be ideal. Shall I bring proper English T-bags? 🙂
You wrote: ‘They are all in the fast lane with the trials and rewards of attempting what is called success.’ You must be very proud of their achievements: all your progeny are testament to the quality of your fatherhood and the trust they had in you and your guidance. I’ve a family member who gave credence to such advice and followed it. I didn’t…born with a tramp’s heart my raptor had to fledge and fly for itself unaided. This is why Dewin the snow leopard cub took off from home early on…snow leopard cubs in the wild are thrown from the den at a very tender age.
I don’t know quite how one defines success. My best attempt may be to suggest it is the level of happiness one feels inside when asking oneself the question – but it is always a happiness that is ultimately derived as a consequence of our personal choices and actions. I don’t know how one might determine the nature of happiness or give it true measure nor define a ‘norm’ from which to determine deviation. I imagine absolute honesty with onself is fundamental to answering the question we pose. We sit in the light of our own truth.
(A point of deviation. A comment you made previously mentioned the inverted image on the retina and the minds capability to invert is to permit understanding. It put me immediately in mind of the writings alleged to have been written by Hermes Trismegistus. Have you heard the phrase, ‘As Above So Below’? I chuckled)
I made a decision many years ago to divest myself of any sense of material attachment to pursue interest in other areas of life. As a consequence other than material possessions that allow me to exist, I have little through the choices I make that wouldn’t all fit in a half-dozen refuge sacks. A snail only has one backpack but travels miles in its lifetime. A mobile home would suit me fine. As it is I enjoy one anchor point of stability in a transient life and that is I have always maintained employment and a warm place to rest my head each night.
A.I intelligence would then be defined by the size of its RAM combining with its processing power or processing speed? The faster and more efficient a mechanism delivers a desired outcome the better. With A.I the outcome may not be entirely predictable or desired. Doesn’t that depend on the ‘quality’ of its baseline programming?
Do we have pre-cognition? Yes I believe so…and I’d evidence Formula One Racing Drivers or Jet-Fighter Pilots as two examples where pre-cognition is demonstrated. The pilot engaging in air-to-air combat must make decisions based on intuition and anticipation when travelling at speeds approaching Mach 1 or beyond whilst also contesting variables never before encountered, weather, wind etc. A racing driver does much the same thing: there can be no reliance on memory per se as road and race conditions change by the split second. I recall Ayrton Senna described the experience of the perfect lap as being an almost out of body experience, the driver symbiotic with his machine. Of note, Ayrton Senna is alleged to have been vaguely forewarned of his death. In previous practice laps he is said to have experienced a single moment where when close to where he died he was travelling outside of the car looking down upon himself driving that bend. Whether urban myth from the pit-lane or not, the story offer much food for thought.
Also regards meeting a superior intelligence and Einstein. Einstein is human but an A.I unit is not human. Meeting an A.I unit might invoke initial fear because one could not anticipate its ‘nature’ or the likelihood of its next action.
I wouldn’t call history a benevolent series of events either. Nor would I call it an intelligent series of events. In our joint opinions it would seem therefore that there is an absence of both intelligence and benevolence in our world history. May I ask on what basis you formed your opinion about history – is it based on a compassionate reflection or an intelligent reflection, or perhaps unconsciously both? If not the latter, then why dismiss one of the components in favour of the other if it was your heart that took equal measure of our world history simultaneously? I imagine you are not a robot. So why does civilization not combine intelligence with benevolence and embrace them as one mentality? If it’s never been tried before how do we know it will not work? Governments as they exist today are not compassionate nor do they display intelligence or common sense to the people. They are unwitting puppets and parasites of corporate bankers. What they do do successful however is repeatedly show deviation and divergence away from meeting public expectation whilst lining their own filthy stained pockets and turning the world on its axis of fools gold. It is neither intelligent nor benevolent to progress humanity using such narrow parameters.
May I ask how you define the concept of ‘duty’? How does duty differentiate itself from responsibility? I know many who find a lot of pleasure and reward in carrying out their duty with egoistic glee. How far does the concept of duty go? For example under what circumstances would you take another’s life and consider it a duty? Regards A.I, how might one programme moral fibre? And whose definition will be the base line from which A.I evolves? The programmer? Are they now the new ‘gods’ of our age? Private global companies do not ask the public for their consideration before doing anything: there will be never be transparency in what is to come. Disclosure Laws are heavily biased in favour of corporations and governments.
I enjoy your perspective of LoTR and Frodo. My concern is that neither JC nor Frodo actually defeated evil for good. They merely won the battle raging in their time and not the eternal war against evil. Unlike Tolkein, I am not religious and do not prescribe to any religious doctrine. I do not require another person telling me what I should and should not believe. No one does.
As to the notion of ‘self’: I am a cat living in a world of dogs. But unlike dogs, I don’t have to see if I can piss highest against the lamppost. Dogs are also led by owners, cats aren’t led by anyone other their whim and curiosity…and that is entirely natural.
Thank you for reference to Herman Hesse. I will research it a little further.
Today’s tune is taken from Disney’s film Tarzan, an appropriation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs story. The track is called ‘Son of Man’. If one climbs high enough and scales up the word ‘man’ to become ‘all people of the world’, the song offers a wonderful though to ponder on the overarching concept of evolution and psychological evolution. At the heart of all great storytelling lies a meta-narrative defined by the artist who are themselves defined by Jung as fundamental to guiding the unconscious, psychic life of mankind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WcHPFUwd6U&index=1&list=RD-WcHPFUwd6U
I have waffled on for long enough. I thank you if you have reached this point without snoozing. Enjoy your afternoon dwelling in a quiet backwater by the ocean on the outskirts of a small thriving town.
Namaste 🙂
DN
My family have managed very well in spite of me not because of me I never taught them to be ambitious but as you know we all have an ambitious side to our nature. The bringing up of children is a complete mystery and beliefs chop and change over time. Some have the very best of starts in life but go down hill quickly others make much of themselves from very humble beginnings. The big shock about children came when Lord of the Flies was first published by William Golding in 1954 up until then children were regarded as delicate innocent empty bags waiting to be filled with the learning of us far wiser adults. Some still worship at the golden calf of education believing it is the answer to all our ills. Golding sensed the lunacy of the prevalent attitude towards children but it was not until 2002 that Steven Pinker attempted to explain it in ‘ The Blank Slate’. We often see a real estimate of human nature in great fiction for these artists are accurate observers of us and set it down in black and white. Charles Dickens uncovered the truth about Victorian London in Oliver Twist , he exposed what was brushed under the carpet.
On our first meeting I mistakenly thought you were wedded to a particular view of humanity which was primarily religious in nature. Your admission of ignorance In many ways soon caused me to ‘re-estimate my hasty opinion , for example you say ‘ I don’t know quite how to define success.’ So you are a struggling philosopher with an open mind and in my opinion we cannot do better.
Somebody years ago I went to California with my own parents , my wife and all my children we moved in a mobile home for about 6 weeks and I walked with my boys down the Grand Canyon . We were totally exhausted when we climbed out of the rim and had leg ache for two days.
It was a very large mobile and it took us awhile to get used to driving such a huge vehicle.
You are right about duty and doing good can easily become a source of pride but I’m referring to those acts which we know we should perform but fail to do so , like passing a beggar in the street without giving.
~ Beauty, light, life and truth ~ By ~ S.K Lindeman ~
Beauty, light, life and truth
totally eclipsed me
in my youth,
But that that was just
time’s delay,
They have re-emerged
today.
~
Namaste 🙂
DN
P.S: A further example of synchronicity occurred yesterday at work. Prior to a very stressful meeting I took a five minute walk to clear my thoughts. As I returned to the building I work in I found by the doorway two unused gold foil eye protectors; the throwaway type used by those in tanning salons. The evening before I had read through passing interest an astrology prediction suggesting at ’emotional intelligence’ – a capacity to be emotionally intuitive, to have ability to ‘read’ people – being a focal point for the following day. I establish a synchronous link between finding the eye protectors and the astrology reading. I am also a symbolist and hence place great importance on both the ‘gold’ colour of the eye protectors and the fact they are ‘eyes’. Focus was required for my meeting and I was ‘strengthened’ and reminded of the need to focus in advance by the magical appearance of a pair of golden eyes 🙂
This is an example of synchronicity. It is also an example of synchronicity acting with positive intention but without directly effecting a future outcome…that depended on the ability of the wizard to channel the magic for a positive/correct outcome. Correct by ‘natural law’…by the law at the heart of the universe and not correct by the contrivance of man.
If you had been in my shoes Kersten, would you have noticed the foil eyes? Would you have picked them up as I did and considered them a magical talisman? Would the have ‘meant’ anything to you? Synchronicity is the point where the empirical meets the supplicant in a dance called magic.
Namaste 🙂
DN
But some coincidences are remarkable. The human mind has evolved to look for patterns. Perhaps that is all it is – but I will do a post on it.
That was fascinating Kertsen.
I see the bible as an interesting relic from our early days. It has some very good insights and some very unpleasant concepts. If viewed as a historical document rather than the word of a supernatural being then it makes interesting reading. There are some useful comments on human nature that are still applicable today – though a lot of its content pertains to a primitive misogynistic culture that was founded on nomadic arab tribes. We’ve moved on.
Kersten – you remind me of the good old days – Beatles, Leary, Kerouac and Ginsberg, Bob Dylan and a great sense of optimism. We were all searching for a better, more meaningful way.
That’s just what youth is for , and so it should be , so they can have faith in themselves and believe the world can be changed. Notice however they all sought other assistance , not the old hermits way of self – flagellation and fasting but the newly provided way of science. The next wave of youthful enthusiasm will be virtual reality , life within life , or even new life in the Christian sense . They will be born again into a virtual world and in time some may never chose to leave it. An ordinary mental state will be unacceptable and the problem of biological addiction will be gone . Unfortunately mental addiction is just as serious as we are learning from social media. The wonderful song Hey Jude ends in a mantra or chant a sort of charismatic musical worship carrying the audience away on a trip to paradise. It also contains the line ‘ don’t carry the world upon your shoulders ‘ in a nut shell get out while you can , escape ,run from reality it’s unbearable. I suppose we could call all religion an attempt to escape yet in the grim war torn cities where the horror of ISIS rules there are angels of light bringing hope and risking their lives to save.
Nice reply Kersten. Aah for the certainty of youth and a pinch of its optimism. Who knows what the next generation will do. The internet is a powerful unifier and perversely a separator too. Time will tell. Will it tilt the balance of power and create something better?
Kersten – we did that inversion experiment when I was at college – extremely weird. We also did an experiment where we wore goggles with one lens red and the other green. After a while your brain adjusts and you begin to see normal colours. When you take them off the world is red and green (in reverse of the lenses) – extremely weird and disconcerting. The world we see is not the world that is. Our brain makes it up.
I did not know about the colour deception it leads me to really believe it’s all in the mind , but of course the mind has evolved by natural selection and consciousness depends on what is outside and what is inside the skull. It means we must all be very careful of our conclusions.
We cannot be certain there is what might be called a ‘real world’ that is out here. I heard professor Brian Cox talking about the idea that the universe could be a computer simulation so it would seem the best brains are speculating.
Well Shakespeare said we were living a dream – maybe we are? Who can possibly say?
Fascinating post, Opher. I understand your distrust of charismatic people, but while some have selfish and dangerous agendas, some do not. As you say, it is prudent to reserve judgment until such a person’s agenda is clear.
Sometimes the agenda is clear, John, but the actions do not match the agenda.
I meant the real agenda – as evidenced by actions.
I wonder if some of them start off with good intentions and end up corrupted by power or simply looking for short-cuts? Power changes people.
The reason nearly all seek wealth is because of the freedom it brings from necessity. Billions lead lives blighted by the daily – round called earning a living ,some in absolute drudgery.
Wealth gives the power to do what you want and at the same time power over others so they can do what you demand of them.
The snag is wealth can become addictive just like anything else , and many lives have been wrecked by the excesses it gives.
Kertsen – I think you summed it up well. I’m glad you mentioned power – power and status are big motivators – particularly for males – females are attracted to wealth and power.
That is right Opher and so very often duty is forgotten and pride pushes our endeavours to be richer and more powerful. Because the cake is only so big the battle rages to get the biggest slice. The curious hypocrisy of the situation is we must pretend we are living fulfilled lives and have no thought for personal gain. Worse still we must preach contentment to the poor rapping their knuckles if they pursue personal gain.
The rich and powerful seem to think they have much excellent advice to give us all.
I think they are just being devious.