Recovering From Metaphors

Those who try and teach things that can't be put into words use metaphors, parables, and analogies as approximations. But, for too many these are seen as exact equivalents, and with individual connotations that are automatically inserted they get them wrong without an ability to recover.

No Cash Gifts

For those who won't give money to homeless people directly, saying in defense of their position that they would give someone a sandwich but not cash because they will misspend it otherwise, do the same for your favorite charity. Don't sent them cash but ask what they need and buy that instead, a gift registry of sorts. The same logic that applies to one situation should apply to the other.

On Not Debating Believers

On not debating believers: It's the same reason you wouldn't ask a post-graduate student to debate a 6th grader--the advanced information can't be regressively translated to the lower level and make sense. Calculus can't be understood if your highest level of achievement is long division and you believe that's as good as it gets.

Handcuffs Of Belief

Ironically, breaking free from religion is like getting out of Chinese handcuffs...you have to relax in order to free yourself. Well, it's not a totally accurate analogy (none are, really), but I find it helps. The more energy that's put into someone's belief--sourced either from one's self or others--the harder it is to get out.

All the former believers I've spoken with seem to have become free by not trying to do so. They were hit with an 'ah ha' moment while not expecting it, or (like myself) just one day realized that all the silliness wasn't true after years of small things building up to an inescapable conclusion. Those "small things," however, aren't thrown at people; they were discoveries made by one's self or overheard.

It's sad, but the mind of belief is almost always cracked slowly and alone.

Public Government

Religious conservatives claim the rest of us are looking to take religion out of the “public square,” being sure to emphasis public, misdirecting the actual complaint against government meddling in religion. Yet, when it came to health care reform, use of the term “public option” was not allowed, pushing for “government takeover,” a flip-flop on the terms.

Public Better Informed Than Government

Isn't the directive by the government for its employees to not look at WikiLeaks documents like telling religious believers to not read science books?

Equality and Entropy

Equality and freedom are apparently subject to the Second Law of Thermodynamics as much as anything else in the universe.

Christmas Is Never Merry

I will not be wishing any of you a merry Christmas, no matter how much you insist on it and say you feel insulted otherwise. Here's why.

The overwhelming majority of Christians strongly believe that everything happens for a reason set forth by their god; all that occurs is their god's will, perfect and loving in its form and purpose. This idea is taught to their children and pushed on adult non-believers. They try and make others feel better when the horrors of life keep coming in a never-ending cycle with this sales pitch. The moments of joy are not continuous because their god has "a plan"--that no one will ever understand--and that plan includes pain, lots of pain for lots of people that has been going on for thousands of years.

But, eventually, if you do all the right things and believe in just the right way, you will be rewarded with the ultimate gift for you pain and suffering at the hand of this god: Being in the presence of this being for all time and praising him for simply existing. That gift is what you need to strive for, you are told. Being in the unending presence of a being that won't give up the secret of his Plan of Pain until your post-life begins is the ultimate reward and you need to be glad to be offered the chance to accept it. This god's will for your pre-death existence is for you to put up with whatever he decides to dish out and for you to deal with it--without any proof of the eventual gain that is supposed to come with pain.

If this is your view of the human condition there is a simple speech that you should give to each new class of elementary school students.

"Before many of you reach adulthood, or even puberty, you will be abused in a manner that you cannot now even imagine. Someone you trust and have been told is a good person, maybe even a 'man of god,' will do things to you that you will not understand. This person will put his hands under your clothes. He will touch your body in places you've never been touched by a stranger and in a manner that will not be loving, even though you will be told otherwise. You will feel strange, maybe even sick. You will not know what to do. You will want to cry, but be told not to do so. The will do many things to you that you know aren't right. He will not only touch you, he might even put his penis in your mouth and push it down your throat. He might even put it between your legs and put it inside your body there, too. Your feelings won't matter. Your desire for it to stop won't matter. You only need to remember that it is the will of your god to endure this experience, which may happen many times. All things happen for a reason and only our god knows why. You just have to believe that this will be happening to you because our god wants it to happen. He is all powerful, as you've been told, but has decided to use his powers to give you pain, not stop it. We don't really know why. You need to believe that we all have to accept the decisions our god has made on our behalf.

"But remeber, too, that our god has taught us that it is he who is the universe's most injured party, no matter what pain and confusion you experience. Your birth automatically made you a sinner and our god will not put up with sinners. The abuse you suffer matters not. You must apoligize to our god with heart-felt repentence for your existence as a sinner. You do not get to make the same assertion against our god for his plan that calls for you to endure pain and suffering. He is perfect in all of his decisions and actions, no matter the pain and hurt being caused. Nothing evil and vile that happens to you as part of our god's plan can be considered even close to the most minor action you commit as a sin against our god. When you bleed and suffer in torment, remembering that pain for the rest of your life, it is nowhere near as bad as breaking any of our god's most minor rules. Telling a small lie like when you say someone did a good job when they didn't hurts our god even more than anything you will feel. Your suffering is not relevant at all to our god; your sins against him, however, are hurtful to our god and he never forgets. Being a jealous and vengeful god, you have no choice but to just accept the situation our god has designed for you and trust that our god is always right."

Asking that anyone see this belief system worthy of merriment is similar with asking the victims of the Abu Ghraib prison system to wish George Bush supporters a "merry" time on his birthday. Anyone with any sense of decency would never do such a thing. Asking someone to wish another a "merry" time on any Christian holiday is not only an insult to humanity but a lie being told to one's self. To hold a position that this belief system should be attached to any emotion even minimally related to joy is a joke.

So, no, I won't be wishing anyone a "merry" anything having to do with Christmas or any of the other of this religion's holidays. I might just throw up on someone.

No Time Like The Present

It's amazing how similar today's power brokers act to those of the most brutal regimes of history; just change a few references and the horrid actions taken by those in power could be from today's news reports. Those in power do whatever they need to justify its continuation; the century matters not.

Concentrated Wealth Fails

Unlimited access to, or accumulation of, wealth--and, therefore, power--should never be a principal on which a society is based. How this has been turned into a virtue in today's culture is going to provide a great many doctorate degrees among future generations of people studying past societal failings.

Sin As Part Of The Game

Sin requires the prequisite of belief. To claim a non-believer can commit sin is like saying someone walking down the street outside a stadium during a baseball game can strike out.

We Have Better Information Now

I think it is a general truism that has time progresses the quality of the stuff we discover and understand increases. If that's accurate, then to simply say "we have better information now" when asked about ancient religous texts should be enough to stop the assertion that old information trumps the new.

Belief Test

Believing is to resting as thinking is to [blank].

Answer: running.

Horseplay

By replacing horses with cars people unknowingly granted themselves greater freedoms than first imagined by being able to behave in the streets in ways that would have bothered the horses.

Misuse Of Guns

If misused, guns cause less harm than if used correctly and as designed.

A Poem For Believers

A "poem" for believers who won't leave you alone and won't listen.


You believe, I don't.
So, go away.
I think, you don't.
Really, go away.

Use as your only reply to every inquiry until they cease.

Gods Must Be Evil By Design

It appears that when humans create religions with a single god he is evil and destructive because the natural forces of the planet aren't naturally kind to human existence. To create a god that was otherwise would be immediately disproven.

Nothing To Lose

Does a believer have "nothing to lose" by being offered unconditional forgiveness just by asking? If so, isn't a believer more dangerous to others than not, which is the opposite of the condition being claimed?

The Evolution Of Jesus

If there was a person who actually existed in the early 1st century who was the single human seed from which the Christian cult began (whether named Jesus or not), there's no way to know for sure what he said or did. There are simply no contemporary accounts, which means there is also no way to tell for sure if the resulting cult's stories didn't come from a combination of stories about mythical figures who never existed along with one or two who did.

Even if there were contemporary accounts which included the same stories as contained in the Gospels, the claims of those accounts would likely not be seen as any more valid given the outlandishness of the stories contained within them. Even today, contemporary stories of miracles and magic aren't taken as truthful because of the claims themselves, not because of their distance from the events they claim happened.

Giving In

An astute and legitimate political leader says: "These are the facts and we will act accordingly." The current crop of Democratic politicians seem to have this state of mind instead: "These are the facts, but if you don't agree we'll do it your way."

End Of Racism

We'll know that we've eliminated racism when a racist comment is seek as a pathetic joke by everyone else but the teller, including the target who honestly puts LOL after repeating it online.

Final Say

A suicide note is a final blog entry with the comments turned off.

Freedoms Fostering Hate?

There are some who assert that many of the enemies of the U.S. are so because "they don't like our freedoms" and, therefore, dismiss any complaints they might have as unjustified. If that's true, it would never reasonable for the people in the U.S. to become enemies of any society with more freedom, such as those who allow abortion, gay marriage, drug use, prostitution, etc. Would that society be justified in looking down upon the U.S. as containing people who's complaints can be dismissed simply because "we don't like their freedoms?" Would the people of the U.S. accept that line of thought?

Hell On Earth

When believers take over a society, all hell breaks loose.

Opposition Fuels The Object

It is the energy of the opposition that often powers the object of it, sustaining the thing trying to be killed.

We're All Godless

Everyone is godless. Some just don't recognize the mirage.

Palliative Care For True Believers

Unfortunately, for those who have allowed religion to metastasize to their entire self, there is nothing to do but provide palliative care.

If Prayer Worked...

If prayer actually worked, it's proponents would be pushing to make 911 a dial-a-prayer service.

Needed Confirmation

We are always seeking confirmation of our own views, no matter what other contradictory or evil baggage comes along with it--we will accept a large proportion of bad in order to get that confirmation of some small part of a view we hold.

The "Real" Personality

When people eventually show multiple sides to their personality, why is it that the one most deemed most unpleasant is seen as the "real" one?

Over The Line

It is often said that a government will not deal with terrorists and police will not negotiate with kidnappers. The people in these cases are really pissed off for some reason and have gone to extremes to either get attention or are attempting to accomplish some goal. We say that we won't deal with them now because they have crossed some line we have set and no longer deserve it. The implication is that if someone is only a little pissed off, then he is still considered worthy of attention. But at that point a person can easily be ignored and forgotten because he is not powerful enough to matter and not making enough noise to be noticed. However, if someone is really pissed off because they couldn't get help or attention while being civil, then no attention is deserved. This teaches that if someone in power wants to make changes, then big changes that cause people to get really pissed off can be accomplished because reaction to the changes can be dismissed as over that same line; little changes can be validly attacked and fail.

Respect For Power

Respect for a person in power comes only when they give it.

Safe, Legal And Rare

A stray thought: Religion should be thought of as some of us think about abortion--it should be safe, legal, and rare.

Putting Church And State In Perspective

If you are a right-wing nutball, think of the separation of church and state the same you think of two gay men getting together: an abomination. If you are a normal person, think of keeping church and state separate as you would a priest and a child.

Think There's A Deity?

If you believe in a deity, you may never quit. However, if you think there's a deity, eventually you won't.

Government Endorsement Removes Freedom

You can't have freedom of religion if the government picks one.

Being A Believer Is No Compliment

Ignorance may be bliss, but belief gratifies. In both cases the claim is not a compliment.

Vendors Tell The Tale

If you want to know what kind of people back a particular campiagn or movement, look at what the vendors selling stuff at their public events are hawking.

Being "Chosen" Not Really A Blessing

If you believe the bible…can Yahweh’s selection of the Hebrews as his chosen people be considered a curse in the same way that the Chinese consider “may you live in interesting times” a curse? Ever since Yahweh’s supposed selection of them, the Hebrews have had a pretty rough time of it. Being drafted by this deity was not a blessing.

Is Your God The Best You Could Do?

How many people have chosen a god that took the time to literally carve some important edicts in stone and encase them in a box that would kill you if you touched it; and those important and protected edicts contained, among other things, instructions on cooking goat meat but nothing about rape?

If so, is this the same imaginary creature that later, having decided to address the rape issue left out of the stone-inscribed rules, told everyone raping a women could result in making her your wife?

If so again, is this also the same god who declares himself to be jealous, angry and vengeful?

And finally, if this still describes your chosen deity, what were the other choices that you turned down in favor of this one?--was this the best you could do?

Enabler Of Religion

To respect a religion is to be an enabler, in the same sense the term is used for any addict.

No Christian Nation

What does it say about christianity that the founding fathers, supposedly founding a "christian nation," that they opted to leave out any reference to this idea in the country's constitution? It might just mean they knew it was a bad idea on which to base a country, even for those who were individual believers.

No Perfect Government

We may never come up with a “perfect” system of government. There is too great a tendency to concentrate power in a few people and to great a tendency by the rest to follow those people no matter what they do.

Just One Blemish Is All It Takes

Why is that some piece of clothing that is very sexy can become totally un-sexy with one small blemish--a rip or tear or stain?

From One To Zero

The largest leap in humanity's scientific mental growth may have been the jump from one to zero, while the second largest was from one to infinity.

The "Sick" Label Can Simply Be Perception

We remove those in society that do not fall within a narrow band of behavioral and appearance standards. Those outside those boundaries are "sick" and treated as such. This band of acceptance is somewhat different from person to person, and is usually wider in those who have interacted with more people. Tolerance, if that is the appropriate term, is widened by exposure to the thing--whatever it is--that is not tolerable.

But, for most, instead of becoming more tolerant to the differences of those outside of this band of acceptance, or expanding or eliminating it, we tend to push those outside of it away and pretend they don't exist, or label them as defective and, therefore, not worthy of consideration. We create institutions, neighborhoods, clans, etc. to separate these "broken" people from the rest. If someone is determined to be floating toward this "broken" group--moving outside that band of acceptance--others will try and pull them back, at first...try to "fix" them. But if the "fix" doesn't work, then the person is discarded like all the rest outside the band.

The thing that constitutes this "broken" state can be anything from new associations, changes in behavior, altered dress, mood, etc., not usually things that should be considered an ailment.

A Believer Is A Believer

If you believe there is no god, then--by definition--you are still a believer, just like a theist. If you do not believe there is a god, then you are an atheist.

Corporate Grammer Adjustment

Now that corporations have been declared "persons" by the Supreme Court, do we  have to get teachers of grammar to change their lesson plans? For example, instead of saying 'the company for which I work,' do we need to start saying 'the company for whom I work.'?

Having Much Feeds Desire For More

What is it that makes someone with a lot of something want one more, and more eagerly than someone who has so little of it? Whether it be comic books, money, PTO time at work, power, model trains, cars, music, etc., the person with much resists giving any of it up and desires even more. Someone with little may want more, but rarely is as motivated as those having a great deal.

Capitalism and Sales People

Unregulated capitalism shouldn't be let lose on the world for the same reasons sales people are not given control of the companies for which they work.

Patriots

Waving flags and pointing guns does not make you a patriot, even if you do it with the image of an eagle or a cross somewhere nearby.

Don't Look Back Due To Fear

To believe is to look backwards in fear of the future. To think is to seek knowledge with delight in what's to come.

Missing Time And UFOs

"Missing time" that has been reported by some in relationship to UFOs is likely a form a common temporary amnesia, called Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). In this, people will suddenly stop recording what is going on and not be able to recall it later. It is rather common and real, which means that those who experience it will pass a lie detector test when asked if they don't remember a certain length of time that was "lost." The catch is that some people can't live with this hole and, therefore, fill it with something. That something is where UFOs (or other phenomenon) come in to the story.

Friend, Foe or Food?

All animals must ask of others: Friend, foe, or food?

No Default Religion

Religionists who attack science mistakenly believe (not think) that if a hole is found in a scientific position that it automatically reveals religion underneath.

What Difference Does A Dominant Eye Make?

We know that each eye is connected to the opposite hemisphere of the brain, with each of those hemispheres responsible for different types of thinking. When people have an over-dominant eye through which they read or otherwise receive visual information, does that have an effect on how that information is deciphered and interpreted?

Is Rationalizing Similar To A Type Of Brain Damage?

Brain damaged patients, especially those with right hemisphere damage, can often not determine if parts of their body are even theirs. When put in front of a mirror and asked to move a limb, they might say something like "What do you mean 'move it'? It's not even mine," rationalizing away the obvious contradiction.

This might also be the same thing that happens when anyone rationalizes away any irrefutable facts. Rationalization could be a type of mental defect, or a type of illogical response used by those with mental irrationalities of all forms.

"Off The Books" View Of Capitalism

When proponents of capitalism tout its success they often act as like a shady accountant who puts bad information “off the books.” In order to fully rate capitalism its effects on every country where there are ties needs to be included.

Pundits will generally only include figures from the U.S., for example, leaving out the information from the countries that supply goods at piss-poor wages and awful working conditions. If the information from those places were included, a more accurate--and less positive--picture becomes apparent. By keeping these other countries “off the books,” the proponents of unrestricted capitalism get to claim a false positive picture of the economic system.

Military Cult

How diferent really is a member of a religious cult and a zealot member of the military?

Beliefs Bound To Fail

Every belief system is going to be contradictory, incomplete and full of holes because it is a belief system. Beliefs are positions accepted without verifiable facts, sometimes not even investigable ones. When new contradictory findings are discovered (and inevitably they are), the belief system crumbles. For people who have tied their self-identity to a belief system, it will still be defended in an attempt at self-preservation, even when the belief system fails. The entrenched believer is not a virtuous being. It is a sad state at self-preservation based on a falsehood.

Protect Our Self By Categorizing Others

In one way or another we tend to remove from our lives those we can't categorize. In everyday ways we simply do not associate with anyone we can't tag. On a societal scale, we put people away in institutions, jails, ghettos--whatever. If someone has a mental state (not defect) or physical difference that we can't accept, we remove them from our "field of vision" in order to keep our categories of humanity intact and unchallenged.

These things can include simple attributes or complex ones, it doesn't matter. To challenge our view of the world and the places and ways in which we divide it--which is an attack on our 'self'--is a challenge that is avoided because to take it on forthrightly would be a losing cause in maintaining our current 'self' and we can't often risk a loss so grand. It would be too devastating. It would be making one's life up until that point meaningless.

Everything we have learned and attached to our sensory input and the results of contemplating that input is who we are, largely. By attaching our 'selfs' to that 'result,' we therefore must protect it in order to protect our 'self.' Otherwise, it is very much like commuting suicide.

"Special" Rights

During Reconstruction after the end of the U.S. Civil War, President Andrew Johnson was presented with a civil rights bill giving blacks “the same rights of property and person” as whites. He vetoed this bill based partially on the idea it would give blacks extra rights not afforded to whites. From A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner:

"Somehow, the president had decided that giving blacks full citizenship discriminated against whites--'the distinction of race and color is b the bill made to operate in favor of the colored and against the white race.' Johnson even invoked the specter of racial intermarriage as the logical consequence of Congressional policy."

Fortunately, the Congress voted to override the veto. But Johnson’s mindset could easily be paralleled to those protesting equal rights for homosexuals. The similarities are striking.

Hearing Lyrics As An Instrument

When listening to music, how many of us hear the lyrics as simply another instrument, not really taking in the meaning of the words as language? If a person takes in the lyrics--even being able to sing along --but when the song's over not even know what meaning the words would produce if spoken directly, how would that condition be categorized? Is it a condition at all?

Giant Leaps Forward: Zero and Atheism

The mathematical concept of zero and atheism, two seemingly unrelated steps in the evolution of human knowledge, are interesting to ponder together in order to give a unique insight into both.

Before zero was realized as a valid concept in mathematics, the ability to make discoveries and interpret the universe was severely hampered and flawed. The use of zero was a major breakthrough in understanding. The concept of nothingness also eventually led from accepting there must be some sort of god(s) to the advent of atheism, a position of non-belief in the existence of any deities.

The concept of non-existence has ironically propelled humanity forward on multiple levels as two giant leaps forward for humankind.

Choose To Think

Thinking and believing are mutually exclusive. Choose wisely.

Giving Up A Belief Is Too Risky

Why is it that people will disagree with scientific evidence, even when there is near universal consensus among scientists on a given topic?

This basic question was looked at in a recent paper available through The Social Science Research Network. Although this paper, "Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus," did not look at religion specifically, its findings are likely closely related to religion, too.

Looking to verify what has been known as the “cultural cognition of risk,” the paper’s conclusions assert that “individuals systematically overestimate the degree of scientific support for positions they are culturally predisposed to accept as a result of a cultural availability effect that influences how readily they can recall instances of expert endorsement of those positions.”

In other words, a person is likely to accept assertions by those people who already agree with them, or are seen as culturally close in some fashion. If the majority of “experts” a person is exposed to espouses a certain position, they will tend to agree with it, even if those “experts” compose an extreme minority.

“If individuals more readily count someone as an expert when that person endorses a conclusion that fits their cultural predispositions, individuals of opposing cultural outlooks will over time form opposingly skewed impressions of what most experts believe. As a result, even when experts by and large agree, individuals of diverse world-views will disagree about the state of scientific consensus,” the report concludes.

This idea that people will more easily accept “expert” opinion that is already close to their own opinions is not new. But what is interesting is that this study looked specifically at positions considered risky--climate change, nuclear power and gun control. From a certain point of view, religious belief can also be seen in terms of risk--in an afterlife.

In some religions the risk is one of eternal punishment or banishment. In others it’s a reincarnation scenario where a person could return as a “lower” form of life, for example. If an expert opinion is interpreted as putting the religious believer at risk for a painful or otherwise less-than-ideal afterlife, the expert will more than likely be dismissed; the expert’s opinion is too risky to accept, given the believer’s cultural point of view.

This, of course, is likely the seed for the Pascal’s Wager argument, which basically asserts that the risk of not believing is too great, even if there is no god to believe in. If this study’s conclusions can be applied to religious beliefs--as seems likely--then we now have an wonderful scientific hint at what’s going on in keeping believers believing, even in the face of overwhelming evidence contrary to those beliefs.

Sign Of A Dive

Why is it that an elaborately beautiful lighted sign for a reputable establishment can suddenly denote a sleezy dive when just one letter burns out?

Delusions And Collateral Damage

Like oil and water, believers in different gods and dogmas just don't mix. It's too bad that the rest of us have to be collaterally affected while their delusions create chaos.

Truth Tips The Scale

A tipping point will eventually be reached on all positions when pursuit of verifiable truth is not included within it; the position will eventually collapse when too many objections based on facts tip the scale.

How To Quickly Lose IQ Points

Too many IQ points? Think Republican.

The Public Would Help If Things Were Fair

If laws and law enforcement were reasonable, police would get vast amounts of help from the public. As it is, they don't, which is a serious sign that laws and their enforcement are out of whack.

Old Self vs. New Self

When learning something new that challenges someone's current "self," a state which is based on past knowledge, the new knowledge can be ignored if the old "self" wins in its attempt at self-preservation.

All Goals Are Moving Targets

In pursuit of any goal a wall is reached at some point. Even if the original goal is met, that goal has likely changed during the pursuit of it. If it changes to something more difficult or more grand, the goal keeps moving away. If it changes to something less difficult or easier, the original goal has been abandoned. If the goal just changes, again, it's not met.

In any of these cases the goal is not achieved. Even when a goal remains constant during its pursuit somehow, the moment it is reached it is a catalyst for something else...either to do it again or do something different. The tie between that original goal and the new one is a moving of the original goal, even if it didn't exist until the moment the original goal was met. The connection is just a great as if it had changed before being met.

Re-search And No-search

Think of the term research as re-search, as in searching again or continuously. That is science--looking for the best answer with the newest information. Think of religion as no-search, as in giving up and not looking for answers other than what ancient hallucinators happened to write down.

Melodies As Everyday Speech

The other day a woman died who was the last speaker of what could have been the world's oldest language. Called Bo, this language could be up to 70,000 years old by some estimations. The woman, named Bo Sr, lived in India's Adamans region among other people who also speak ancient languages.


Bo is a very melodic and enchanting language, as if the person is singing. And that raises an interesting idea. What if the earliest languages were innately musical? One of the things we know is that people can recall a song much more easily than other spoken material. An old memorization trick is to put the text to music, singing it.

Could it be that musical languages began to fade to more monotone alternatives after the invention of writing? When things are written down, there is less need to memorize them. Before writing it would be necessary to pass on everything verbally, and if the language is melodic, the ability to remember what is spoken accurately and completely increases dramatically.

It causes one to wonder if we ultimately lost something extremely valuable in the development of writing, offsetting a good portion of the gain.

Disability Protections For Believers

A strong belief in the literal existence of a god could be grounds for legal disability protections.

Secret Body Reactions

Our bodies and minds aren't so separate as many people think. The mind is only a word for one part of the body about which we have the most awareness and have bothered to name. We are way more complex than that. The inputs we receive and reactions we produce are not so simple and awareness of them is not always picked up by what we know as the mind. Some parts of the body seems to keep secrets from the rest of it.

Perceptions Are Necessary But Never Accurate

Is there a separation between 'you'--however its defined--and your thoughts? (real or perceived).


From my point of view there is no difference to be made. We are a single biological entity with electrical impulses and chemical reactions as the engines of our selves (two words on purpose). Other than personal assertions made by individuals, there is no evidence that we are anything more. We don't have anything separate from our bodies and the things going on inside them. We can and do react to outside forces, but those reactions are still contained within us and are not acting upon any separate-ness we might feel.

There is a range of perceptions among different people that something "extra" is there, but it's only a result of the reactions of the human body. It can sometimes be helpful to some people to create a model of their self that includes a separate entity of some kind in order to have things make some sense. But an acceptance of a model, even one that "works" for the individual, is not an accurate reflection of reality. It's a tool and need not be accurate to be useful in some ways. (I would argue that this kind of tool ends up being detrimental if fully investigated and, if used exclusively, will produce all kinds of paradoxes and inconsistencies that will bring it crashing down.)

There is an interesting book that covers some issues relating to this point. It's called I am a Strange Loop, by Douglas Hofstadter. In it he puts forward the case that our existence requires these perceptions to emerge in order to simply survive and make sense of the world around us. It doesn't mean they are true in and of themselves, but they are a byproduct of human-ness. (I am paraphrasing, of course.)

What we are, in one sense, is a temporary congealing of matter and energy not able to properly interpret its surroundings due to its built-in limitations.

It's Unanimous: Greed Is Not So Good

The Amplified Atheist One thing that most belief systems have given us is the idea that greed is not good. Historical hypocracy is all over the place, of course, with the priestly and royal classes soaking up as much wealth as possible. But, in theory, their "sacred" tennents don't have good things to say about having lots of money.


In pre-captialist times, sudden transfers of wealth were almost always through the spoils of war, which may have been such a obviously strong correlating factor that for the vast majority wealth couldn't be seen as anything other than evil. Now, however, we have lots of non-violent ways for people to become rich and the result could be argued to be just as bad as getting rich by force.

Iin some cases the "wisdom," (ugh) if you will, of some religious doctrines have fairly relevant rationale. Not being a fan of clichés I hate to do this, but throwing the baby out with the bath water may be the case here. An individual's sudden jump in wealth is dangerous. We don't, however, need a religion to teach us that. We have plenty of other evidence now.

Connecting Aid

Drugs that bring a sense of ecstasy can be a way to fullfill a need in all of us to feel a part of overall existence, not apart from it. Those who create art often speak of this state of being when their work "comes to them," for example. They feel like it's something else creating the work and passing it on to them; they just accept it openly. For those who can't do this without assistance, maybe the use of drugs by many is a means to reach this state of being. If so, we shouldn't be so critical while admiring those who have the same skill, unaided.

The Reckless Few Should Not Be Our Main Focus

When disasters happen we often stop people from helping, opting for "official" responses from government authorities instead. This is done in the name of safety—more people might get hurt if "un-trained" people are allowed to help. Inevitably some might get hurt, but only a small minority.

What we have done is likely worse. We have traded in the greater good with immediate and motivated help with distant, cold, and delayed help which is slow in materializing and slow to act once formed. We stop ordinary people from becoming a part of their own life experience, shutting them out from their own humanity—stopping ordinary people from acts of heroism. Trying to keep a few people from harm by stopping helpful, motivated action is troublesome.

We do this in other ways, too. We put together rules and procedures aimed at stopping a small number of people from "cheating" the system, forcing everyone who needs help to suffer through anguish and humiliation, often times making everyone worse.

Let's accept the few people who act recklessly or unethically in order to let the vast majority benefit.

Manipulated By Confusion

One of the things that manipulative people know is the power of confusion to get people to agree with them. The easiest and most common way to do this seems to be through offering too much information and/or misinformation. This approach can cause people to shut down and seek simple answers as an alternative.


In order to either stop an issue from gaining traction or getting one established, if people can be put in a state of confusion, a "savior," if you will, can come in with a simple answer and win the day. The simple answer doesn't even need to be all that relevant or even accurate.

Confusion sends people running for a way to "fix" the tangle of information (or misinformation) in their minds and will latch on to what seems simple, even if it's not relevant, as long as it's sold as being an alternative to the confused state. In an inverse relationship, the more confused a person is the more simple an answer that will be accepted.

Un-Checking And Un-Balancing Checks And Balances

Yesterday's Supreme Court decision giving corporations status equal to actual humans is one of the most hideous decisions ever made. Corporations are human constructions not humans themsevles. They are run by humans. They are supposed to serve humans, not the other way around. They are not people.

The Supreme Court has sanctioned the few powerful people who run corporations the ability and the "right" to buy legislators with the money they make from the rest of us. Laws will now be written with the pockets in mind of the people who run the corporations, not the people who actually make up the citizenry. Concentrations of money equal concentrations of power. The Supreme Court has just agreed that this is a good philosophy and has un-checked and un-balanced the checks and balances system.

Economic Competition Needs Competitors To Work

Too many people do not think through the concept of economic competition and its positive effects on an economy’s outcome and stability. The idea that economic competition will produce lower prices and push innovation is only valid if no one wins by eliminating their rivals. It only works if the competitors stick around. If one player gets too powerful or gains too much market share, their need to compete falls away and stops the forces that control prices and produce new produces and services.

Too many people applaud, admire, and even support large corporations and their efforts to stifle competition. A competitive economic system only works when there are plenty of competitors.

Belief Settlement

Once something is believed it is no longer a matter to be investigated, no longer to be thought about at all. It is a place where thought stops. A journey of thought should be a goal, not a destination of belief settlement. Things should continuously be pondered. A thinking mind is always achieving its goal because motion--the journey, the movement--is the goal, not a particular destination that comes to rest in a belief.

Good God?

Why do so many people think (or believe) that a universal/single god must be good by default?

Never End

Never declare "The End"; always leave room for new information and new conclusions.

What Do We Never Notice?

We will not notice bad smells after a time immersed. We will also put aside a loud noise if persistent. We still know of the smell or noise because we remember it from the original encounter.

What things do we never notice during our entire lives because we became used to them during our infancy, a point of time from which we have no memory? What things are always there from birth that we never notice because we got used to them just after we were born?

Can't Do vs. Must Do

It is less restrictive to impose "can't do" rules rather than "must do" rules. "Must do" give no alternatives; "can't do" leaves options.

The Pain Of The Witness

The desire and drive to help others often comes from the need to stop the pain of witnessing it in others.

America's Self-Imposed Protective Custody

What a national border wall actually does is put America into protective custody, a status into which no one would normally enter into voluntarily. It seems drastic and wasteful. For a country that is supposed to be a land of freedom we are increasingly becoming a land of seclusion and isolation.

The words of Germaine Greer come to mind: "Probably the only place where a man can feel really secure is in a maximum security prison, except for the imminent threat of release." We are becoming a society in which a self-imposed prison is being substituted for liberty. We are separating ourselves from the rest of the world, driven by threats blown way out of proportion.

H.L. Mencken told us "the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed--and hence clamorous to be led to safety--by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

Motionless Point-Of-View Hurts

People are never more true to their personally held positions than when attempting to teach them to others or trying to "convert" those who disagree. People's own self-identifiers will become less concrete when not expressed in a fashion meant to inform or coerce.

If someone expresses their position with the thought of solidifying their own stance instead of enhancing someone else, even sub-consciously, the flow of information back to the teacher or coercer gets blocked, eliminating the corrective force of new information that inevitably returns. The “truth” of the original communication then remains damaged by not having accepted the repair. Further attempts at sharing then become harmful to everyone because the information results in an infliction rather than an improvement.

False Victims

To "get even" is a universal human drive that can be exploited in order to energize people, getting them to falsely think they've been victimized. A great deal of humanity's mistakes can be attributed to a false sense of victimization.

Unwanted Recognition

We all have a need for recognition; it is the thing that drives us more than any other force. However, we only want recognition from the people we admire and respect. To be recognized by those thought of as inferior is seen as an insult, or at best a "nicety" we accept without much acknowledgement and, sometimes, embarrassment.

Revenge Is Human

One of the reasons we may see other animals as distinctly separate from humans is the fact that other animals don't seek revenge against us when we harm them.

Invalid Justifier

Why do so many accept as valid attempts at justification that point to something else claiming it is worse?

Palestinian Reservations

How different is the Israeli settlement of Palestinian lands from the U.S. allowing settlement of Native American lands? Would the term reservation be applicable in both places?

Seeking A Hook

In an argument it is often the case that one or more of the participants is waiting to hear one very specific thing that will provide a “hook” they need to run with a pre-set series of statements upon which they have come to solely rely. If the hook is provided, all else that was done or said is then ignored, no matter how relevant. If the hook is not provided, this person will find a way to insert it and run with it as if the other person actually said it.

Do What I Say While I Refuse To Listen

Imagine a country’s leadership refusing to address or even acknowledge the reasons it comes under attack. Then imagine that same country’s leaders ordering an attack on a different country after its leaders refuse to comply with demands placed upon it.

This country would be projecting to the world that it will not listen to others--even while under attack--while demanding every other country listen it its commands and follow them. Can a country like this last?

One God = Bigger Countries?

From what I think I know about ancient peoples, it was common to recognize each other's gods as people traveled to other regions or conquered them. Gods were seen as regional and no threat to one's own gods back home. Visitors and invaders paid homage to the local gods of each region they entered. There was room for all kinds of gods all over the place. The Hebrews' original beliefs took this into account also, with the references to other gods in their writings, including the 10 commandments--"no other gods before me."

Maybe this was a major factor that help keep political boundaries small, collapsing whenever they tried to get too big. Maybe it was the claim of one universal god that allowed larger and larger governments to survive, at least in part. If a group has the same gods then they can more easily remain homogenous and see themselves as part of one group, too, no matter how big.

Reminds me of the supposedly conservative principle of "local control," "states rights" and similar thoughts. If this idea of allowing smaller groups more power eventually leads to more gods in the future (as it was in the past) would they still be in favor of it, now that the religious right is in control of the conservatives politically?

Authority's Limits

There is the common thought that those who do not respect authority are seen as misfits or even mentally unstable. People who even question authority are often tagged negatively. There is no psychological profile that will desingate resistance to authority as a positive trait. Yet, when things happen where authority is used to commit evil acts the public wonders why everyone went along.

The Value Of A Human

Unfortunately, we don't put the same value on each human's life. Many of society's people do literally look at the poorest and most uneducated as worth less, in some cases worthless.

As an example, look at the compensation paid to the families of the people who died in the 9/11 twin towers collapse. They did not all get the same amount of money. They got money based on how much income their loved one generated while alive.

It's a nice idea that we consider everyone's existence as equally valuable, but it's just not true. I wish it were. We are nowhere near that point, and may never get there.

The successfully greedy are considered more valuable than the rest.