To Love and to be Loved

Opening up to humility and love is the state of us being ready for Knowledge/Revelation through right-perception, and is clearly given by us to others (and ourselves) when we find ourselves ready for all Children of God to learn all (things) from all Creation (all Children of God and all experiences) -- no matter who or where we perceive the person or event to be, on or off any path our self/psyche/ego often chooses is right or wrong for us/them.

My self/ego tells me I could do well by remembering this more often, but truly I am trying to learn what simple acceptance of myself, all others, and all events, AS THEY ARE RIGHT NOW, means. It's quite simply applying the idea that I often see "the speck" in my "brother's eye", rather than remove "the log" in my own. With that teaching, the self/ego tries to reinforce that the speck and the log are real, but in reality the Holy Spirit sees them not, and will not ever react to them to make them real. It will only ever forgive, and overlook them both, and afford you infinite time to do so. How does one remove what is not real (the log / the speck)? By simple acceptance of its non-reality, and acceptance of all, as is.

To not love or accept God is to attempt denial of Him, of his Nature in All, and perceive Him, an aspect of Him, or any Child of God as our "enemy". Since aspects, selves, and levels are NOT real, it is just not ever possible to not love or accept God, and thus our Self, as we truly are. It is a remembering, and an awakening from a dream, and wherever we perceive any Child of God to be is best seen as, and is precious. Only judgment is learned/taught by ego comparisons, evaluation and judgment, the fruits of which is perceived separation, individualism and frailty, and comes through a destructive valuing of ego perceptions and events in time, time itself, and all forms things take (including the form of this teaching, which in reality is meaningless). All things work for the good for and through All. AND all things work for the good for and through those who love God, as it is impossible not to remember or return to the love or acceptance of God, or Reality, no matter what you call it. Truly, we move and have our Being in Him. This is the acceptance of God being Love, or simply... God Is (no matter what we create His temporal name or symbol to be). And through these simple thoughts, the physical world changes, through hopeful thoughts of Mind.

Before we can act appropriately, we must consistently perceive correctly, by realizing in Reality we lose nothing, when we give all to all.  We gain by sharing.  And now it is not so much about "not just talking the talk", but rather it's all about "thinking the thought", affirming who we are (not just who we wish to be) -- quite simply, I AM compassionate.  I AM whole.  Think this enough, and it will be so.  It is BEING the change.  Thus is faith/belief always in effect, not just in truth, but in all things, including our often kept faith/belief in nothing, or in lack, or in frailty.  Trees and fruits, right?

Yes, in events, in time, we all will "fail" in this. But, in events, in time, we will all also succeed. Even grandeur-based atheism attests to this -- yet sometimes perceived as an "enemy" of and by the religious, we'd all do well to see ourselves in all of Creation, not just any subset or an aspect of it. "One love, one heart. Let's get together and feel alright."

The answer is we have no other answer than just to Love, and to be Loved.  And Love comes not from thoughts of lack, defensiveness, or forms of creating idols and forming a precious self identity or a special relationship with someone (and excluding others), but from the content of the always filled cup, the inclusion of all, the infinite will, the most innocent perception, and the always overlooked grievance.

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I Know All That

I am sure one day I will be able to say truthfully, "I know all that," in response to good advice. By today's actions though, I don't yet.

We create our experience of the world by three methods:
 1. Thought
 2. Word
 3. Deed (Action)
And it would be best for me to realize where I am currently, while affirming the true potential of my mind's vigilance in using thought and word to activate deed.

As I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts (and how I see the world), what I think and say matters not just to myself, and here lies the power of the mind, whether focused on a specific item, or spiraling off into unfocused thoughts. What I think and say helps create the world I and others interact with daily.

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Union

I shall never again find our separation greater than our union. There are no grievances, as love holds no grievances. And there is no cause so great as to ever wish harm on my fellow human.

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The Balance and Humility of Science

Science is often built up by the balance of observation and hypothesis, the empirical and the insightful, measurable facts and intuitive awareness. This can come in the purest methods of observation followed by trying to concoct a theory, or a theory followed by trying to fit observation. Usually it is a mixture of both, and is not often performed solo in a vacuum. Rather advances are often a result of a collaboration of multiple researchers, all pulling in several directions, but not necessarily simultaneously. This zigzag pattern of science is what helps define it as non-dogmatic, and not dependent solely on pure thought or insight as the Greeks would have had it. Beauty and harmony, while often the soul of the mathematician, the musician or the mystic has not been the core of successful science.

Occasionally the scientist must move away from elegance to observable fact, and occasionally away from accurately matching observation toward pursuit of a new and appealing idea, wherever the appeal may lie, no matter how silly and "unscientific" it appears to others. It is in this balance we are helping create a better world.

It is through our failed attempts, and reworking of them that success is born. Sadly, as history (including scientific) is written by the winners, a common criticism of science is that it is self-serving and overly dogmatic and proud. And scientific research does little to dispel this belief. Often, as was started with Newton, the presentation of ideas is performed as if the scientist was fortunate enough to be handed the laws of nature as divine rules, head held high, demonstrating often only their success. Not often are the limits of contradictions or alternate theories expounded upon, and for rightful reason -- his peers will. Science is built on peer review, and falsifiable theory.

Science is humble in general, no matter how much the individual human researcher can have the tendency to be self-serving and boastful. Science is one of the rare institutions which helps mitigate this.

Yes, science only approximates reality.
Yes, science is always rewriting itself.
Yes, science can be quite analytic in nature, and much of what can be appreciated in reality is not... or is even diametrically opposite of it.
All, thankfully so.

Einstein asked, "How can it be that mathematics being a product of human thought which is independent of experience, is so admirably appropriate to the objects of reality?" Well, to quote Gershwin, "It Ain't Necessarily So"!

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You Will Miss Much Good

I came upon this quote while reading a little about Islam and the debate over the mosque near ground zero. I thought it was quite a remarkable quote, not only that it originated from inside of Islam, albeit the 13th century, but because of the advanced level of humanism implicit within it. It is a quotation from the Sufi philosopher Ibn Arabi. He stated:

"Do not praise your own faith exclusively, so that you disbelieve all the rest. If you do this, you will miss much good ~ nay, you will miss the whole truth of the matter. God the omniscient and omnipresent cannot be confined to any one creed for he says in the Koran "Wheresoever ye turn, there is the face of Allah." Everybody praises what he knows. His god is his own creature and in praising it, he praises himself, which he would not do if he were just. His dislike is based on ignorance."

As I first read this quote, I immediately felt connected to Ibn Arabi, since we are both of a similar mind in respecting that from all thought, not just one's own, the possibility of truth arises, and that from holding this non-exclusivist mentality, one's life (and all of humanity) is enriched.

After some thought, I found that it was this exact idea which led me on the path to become an atheist. It may not be the same for all, to be sure. But in my mind, it is only in seeing all human thought (is there any other kind?) as something to learn from, specifically in identifying all of its imperfections and inconsistencies, that brings us to accept that they all have some truth within, but they all can't be true about everything. Perhaps it is what Arabi means when he states "the whole truth of the matter"?

It is sad that the single-minded also believe that theirs is a faith in god, using god's words, and that it was not created by man. In reality, it is not a belief in god, but rather a belief in man -- just a single exclusivist, non-humanistic, belief called Christianity or Islam. As Hegel said, this god (just as the greek gods did) will be forced into the past by the progress of time and the changing minds of humanity -- the geist.

If there are no more worshipers, then their god ceases to exist. In essence, there is no more god. As Nietzsche wrote, "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him." It was a little too early at that point... but he will come.

All knowledge is of human origin. The evidence is all around you, currently! It is within all the "sacred" texts, in our history, in the evolving biosphere, in our geology, in our solar system, in our galaxy, and in the universe itself. We all just need to look.

At the very least, if most Muslims and Christians held this to be true, it would be a far more pleasant world in which to live.

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My God

by Ian Anderson (from Jethro Tull), 1971

v/r 1:
People, what have you done?
Locked Him in His golden cage!
Made Him bend to your religion
And resurrected from the grave...
He is the God of nothing
If that's all that you can see.
You are the God of everything,
He's inside you and me.

[Here, Ian Anderson is the clearest in his Deistic position. He states, "God exists, but you reduce him to only what you can see -- being just as yourself." Check out the song, "Wind Up" from the same release.]

v/r 2:
So lean upon Him gently
And don't call on him to save
you from your social graces,
and the sins you used to waive.
The bloody Church of England,
in chains of history,
requests your earthly presence
at the vicarage for tea.

[Here, Anderson paints two forms of human pettiness -- the overly-religious leaning upon God for saving them from their petty concerns, and the church itself being riddled within by their own petty customs.]

v/r 3:
And the graven image you-know-who,
with his plastic crucifix, (He's got him fixed!)
Confuses me as to who and where and why,
as to how he gets his kicks.
Confessing to the endless sin,
the endless whining sounds.
You'll be praying 'til next Thursday,
to all the Gods that you can count.

[Now, he furthers his claims on the corruption of the clergy, displayed by a "plastic crucifix" (lack of strength or true mettle?) and the suspicion for how sexually they can get off, foced to be celibate. He lastly criticizes the followers once again (or maybe the clergy?) by mocking their whining confessions, never ending... how can we really take them seriously? and claiming that they are really meaningless in God's eyes.]

---

While Anderson has critiqued his own work on the Aqualung album as generally sophomoric and "with a single brush stroke", many still agree on it's legendary status. I am one. Some things are more readily apparent using the vitality of youth to see clearly. This is one. Yes, his lyrics in this case are more than a little bit wandering in subject matter... but it is easily forgiven when one hears with such weary distain that he delivers them.

"He's not the kind (of god) that you have to wind up on Sundays..." Indeed.

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Lies in the Sand

There's a man who says there is a light in the sky
All my friends say he's telling a lie
But he speaks with such passion that I have to think about.

And his hands, well they tremble as he points it out
But I can't see what it's all about
And the voices of many are singing along it seems.

Is it all something new? And will I see it too?
Or is this just continuing man?
Throughout all history claiming they all can see
But the evidence falters just short of my hand...
And there are lies in the sand.

There's a man, who says he was a Satanic Beast
And the many were there at his feet
And he scared all the people, cause he just what we want.

There are things that will surely seem as they are not
And I might not know all that I've got
But the bluffing is easy, and I haven't seen your hand.

-- "Lies in the Sand (The Ballad of...)", King's X

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