Various Thoughts X

Thoughts and ideas are swirling around. I know you have yours, but I want to continue to set mine down for your consideration (or disdain). Your views, however they may disagree with what I'm saying, are always welcome. Please include your e-mail address with your comments so I can answer at length if your arguments intrigue me.

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Men were made to compete. So were women (and those who are uncertain about their sex/gender/whatever), although in some instances the “battlefield” is different and involves different subjects. We all want to be the best at whatever is under consideration. Perhaps it's sports, perhaps love, perhaps getting the lowest price for something most in fashion. Some people even argue about who has the worst disease, or who had the most frightful surgery. We even use reflected glory when we argue about our children and grandchildren.

We'll never stop the competition. We all want to be best no matter how sincerely we demand equality for all. Our goal is not to keep up with the Joneses, but to show them up.

How can the competitive fervor of all our citizens be converted into something more productive for society? Can we promote jousts for contributions of time or money? Of course we'd have to establish categories since there isn't equality. Prizes, if only certificates or plaques of honor, might be awarded. It's likely that they, themselves, would be the source of competition, but in the meanwhile society would benefit.

Are there other ways to make the urge to compete productive?

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Some maintain that the universe was created according to the laws of physics (and their origin was … ?). It was, apparently, a random event – fully explainable by natural laws and not requiring any supernatural intervention.

OK. But as unlikely as was such an event, according to this explication of events it could theoretically happen again. What could we expect if there were a new Big Bang in Boise? Would the current universe be eliminated or would there be a new universe centered in Idaho? Or is some other scenario worth consideration?

Give it some thought. It could happen at any time. You never know.

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I want to live forever. Or do I? Most of us see everything as revolving around us. We want to know everything and be part of everything. And if the devil offered us immortality in exchange for souls we've never seen, many would accept. The devil, of course, would keep his word as he always does in this type of deal. Once agreed there would be no turning back. Forever is forever.

The up side is that whoever chose that route would get answers to some of the questions he had. And he'd get a chance to find out what happened to those he loved. We don't get a chance to see the future, but he would.

Suppose, however, that soon after the contract was made there came the onset of severe pain or dementia. In that circumstance, Alzheimer's would be forever, or intractable pain would be eternal. Who would want that? Who would want to outlive the descendants he knew and be a burden on those he didn't know and who didn't know him? Sooner or later – after Medicare ceased to exist – he'd wind up in some charity hospital where those who cared for him didn't care. Forever.

Some might consider eternal pain better than eternal nothingness – if that is their belief about the future. Most, probably, would not. But in either case there would be no turning back. I think I'd opt for death, with a prayer that there is a world to come. Whatever the temptations, I don't think I want to live forever.

And you?

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That's all for now.

June 18, 2017

Nota Bene 4

It's all a blur. I don't know what I've said so far. (Not today, but in general.) I do know that there remains a lot more but, as I've noted before, I'll never get there so I'm declaring it hefker.ⁱ What follow are some thoughts that I don't expect to have time to develop in the near future. Whether or not I've raised these issues in the past, there's still a universe of additional thoughts to be discussed, and I leave that to you.

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1. Suppose the Universe (there's that word again), having expanded after the Big Bang, reached a maximum and started collapsing. Suppose unidirectional time which, according to some physicists, started at the time of the BB, turned around as the Universe started collapsing and, while it is still unidirectional, is now moving from a time when there was much information to a time when little is known – when past and future (as we know them) are reversed. And billions of years from now the same people who once lived (who live now) live again – only the direction of their lives is reversed.

As the days pass, we forget much of what we knew, only remembering what we personally experienced. Now “progress” has a meaning opposite to what we understand. For example, as time goes by the iPod which someone had used a few years earlier no longer exists and he can only remember that there was such a device at one time. And while his retirement is over he becomes younger and his own children disappear while his parents become a more important part of his life. He is aware of the sequence (it is the normal one) and tells his parents what life was like when he was old. Birth is the termination of his life – his death having been its beginning.

2. According to a guy I know in my community, a dog is man's best friend. His criterion? Lock your dog and your wife in the basement. If you open the door after three days, only one will be glad to see you. There must be other benchmarks by which to evaluate such affection, or any other variety, but I have no time to consider the problem now. Maybe I'll get some help in three days.

3. They mustn't win – When is showing that they haven't won more important than your own personal interests? Are there other times when you gain more from losing than from winning. One is to get a better choice in a sports draft, but there must be others. Another is in the effort to gain sympathy. And when must you do something you wouldn't ordinarily do just to show that you can?

4. In a rational scientific Universe, one that originated with the Big Bang, how do we account for the laws of physics. The scenarios explaining the development of the various features of the reality in which we live are based on the existence of such laws – which apparently waited for the Big Bang so they would have something on which to act – but their existence, which assumes that there was something before the origination/creation seems to be separate from the Universe in which they operate.

Have at it. I'll be interested in your results.

Next episode: “Andrew And Greta” – No one to watch over me.

iOwnerless (Hebrew). Available to whoever claims it. And whoever uses it can change it as seems fit.

Nota Bene

Reality has raised its ugly head. I've been doing this now for over four years and my list of potential subjects keeps getting long faster than I can publish. I admit that some of the subjects are really repetitious – but I've said that before. Anyway, it's become obvious to me that I'll never be able to write about all the things that interest or bother me. So I thought I'd offer some of them to the few readers of these essays. (And I'll do so about once a month from now on – at least until I stop doing so.) If you'd like to use one, for fiction or non-fictional setting, let me know using the comment option below and I'll make sure that others don't use it as well.ⁱ Some are story ideas and others are subjects for essaysⁱⁱ – but don't let my preconceived notions govern the use that you have in mind. And I'd love to read your discussions of the subjects. Since I'm unlikely to ever get to them anyway I may, in this way, get the clarification of the issues that I seek. I'll try to mix up the subject matter in each offering. To wit:

1. Scientists tell us that the “Big Bang” was a random event – a “singularity” – and before it happened, time didn't exist.ⁱⁱⁱ If that's the case, however unlikely the event, it could happen again, at least theoretically, perhaps next Tuesday.

Suppose it did happen a second time, some distance away from earth.^iv What physical impact would that have? And when? What would be the implications of a new start of time? Would that apply to us or only to the new universe? How would our belief systems be affected?

2. What goes through the mind of someone involved in the manufacture of an item whose “proper” use will certainly injure or kill a percentage of the users? Tobacco products are certainly convenient examples, but they are hardly unique in this respect. Alcohol and pharmaceuticals are other commodities from which a certain number of deaths are predictable. Drug manufacturers warn us all the time of the side effects^v as they encourage us to discuss our using their potions with our doctors.

Justification may take the form of cost/benefit balance^vi or by the citation of other products or industries that also exist despite the certain knowledge of the casualties they will cause. Automobiles and airplanes are two such products, and construction (of bridges, tunnels, and skyscrapers, etc.) is a dangerous industry. How does the executive, or even the low-level worker in the industry, justify his actions?

3. How would you react, after having to rebuild portions of your house twice because it is in a flood plain, if the government offered to buy you out, tear down the building, and turn the area into wetlands? The house is where you were born, and the area is the only home you have ever known. Your parents lived here and they left it to you. It is their heritage, one that you intended to leave to your own children. All of your friends are from around here, although some of them may sell and leave. Do you owe it to your heirs to stay or to go?

4. Suppose a society that practices cannibalism subjects a citizen of a “retentionist” (of capital punishment) country to its practice. Suppose, then, that a member of that society visits, as a tourist, the country of origin of the victim, and his own citizenship is noted. Should the culture of the society that produced cannibals be respected as a valid choice? Should the cannibal be tried and executed? Are there absolutes or is everything relative? Is cannibalism permissible? What about capital punishment? Would the “appropriate” remedy be any different if the cannibalism were performed in the “enlightened” country or does the cultural background of the individual justify his acts wherever he is?

I suspect that some readers may have considered some of these issues, however I don't know to what degree. I know that I don't have immediate answers to the questions they pose, although they trouble me and I wonder about them. Perhaps someone else can resolve the issues in a satisfactory manner. That will surely cut down on the backlog of subjects I have compiled for discussion.

Next episode: “In Praise Of Homosexuality” – There are two sides to every question.

I        We can also discuss any mutually beneficial arrangements relating to the use of my ideas.

ii       Some may be single sentences or short questions. You'll see.

iii      I must admit that I have difficulty with the entire concept – at least its details if not its occurrence – but that's neither here nor there. I'll deal with that separately however, and in a manner that doesn't affect the issues raised here.

iv      The distance could be one mile, fifteen billion light years, or somewhere in-between. I don't know if the effects on our planet would be different depending on the distance, or if the event itself would cancel out any previous beginnings (I hesitate to say “Creations,” however this might be a consideration in the mind of the writer).

v       Including death.

vi      Cigarettes, for example, might be defended because of the “pleasure” they give to their (addicted) users or because of the beneficial economic impact of he industry.

In The Beginning

                                                                                 

Where do I start? It happened so long agoⁱ that I don't remember all the details, but I'll give it my best shot. And I hope that you'll forgive any minor errors I may make.

As I recall, it all began during their regular Thursday night poker game.ⁱⁱ It was dark out.ⁱⁱⁱ The doorbell rang and the Buddha answered it. It was the pizza delivery and the Domino's man was waiting outside for a tip. That fact, however, was annoying to the gods and Zeus struck him with lightning. It eliminated the tip problem, but the Prophet criticized him roundly for engaging in party tricks.

The pizzas were still there, however, and they were divided among the participants. Everyone had something (except for Moses, who wouldn't eat any of it) and their spirits were sated. They looked on the extra cheese, and it was good. There was a big crowd. In addition to those I've already mentioned, Jesus was there along with the rest of the Trinity (the Father and the godfather) as were Ra, Ahura Mazda, Jupiter, Ganesha, Confucius, Ometecuthli, and a host of other deities and dignitaries. Too many to count.

The game resumed after the snack. It was now light outside.^iv Everybody was a winner in the poker game. That was to be expected – there were certainly no losers among the gods and their representatives.

Once again the doorbell rang. This time, though, it was Brown. “I got a package for Monseigneur George Lemaitre, and I gotta' get a John Hancock.” Heracles sprung up. “I'll sign for it.” And he did. The UPS man was happy to get rid of the burden. “Oh, by the way, it fell out of the truck about a block away and I couldn't pick it up. “No problem. I'll get it.” But before the Titan could get to the package, the delivery man sped away.

A few minutes later Heracles reappeared, sweat dripping all over him. “It's not so easy. The package is small, but I can't move it.”

So Zeus sent for Atlas who arrived with a smirk on his face. “What can you expect from 97 pound weaklings. I guess none of you pussies is up to it.”

He wasn't either. Zeus wasn't laughing any more, but he was still convinced he had the problem in hand. “It takes brains more than brawn. Archimedes once told me, ΠΑ ΒΩ ΚΑΙ ΧΑΡΙΣΤΙΩΝΙ ΤΑΝ ΓΑΝ ΚΙΝΗΣΩ ΠΑΣΑΝ.^v He'll show you how it's done. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” So he sent for the man with the stick. But soon after the Eureka! man started he reported back, “The lever isn't long enough and I've got no good place to stand.”

They all stood around, arguing about a plan. Some suggested forgetting about the whole thing and getting back to the game, but there was a lot of sentiment that they mustn't give up. They couldn't admit that there was a task too difficult for them.

Meanwhile a Hand from above picked up the package and its contents – a speck that was barely visible – and blew on it. There was a large explosion, but it was silent momentarily. Then something started expanding at an alarming pace, and the sound along with it – a really big bang. And in only an instant,^vi there were stars all over the place.^vii Somewhere along the line life developed on earth, and possibly elsewhere, but it's hard to determine if this resulted from natural forces or if the Hand directed its appearance. There was plant life, animal life, and a few other types, but in the end it was the humans that ruled – at least among the life on earth.

The participants in the big bet poker game watched it all, each claiming that he deserved the credit for the whole thing. Royal flushes abounded. 

Absurd?

Of course. But all of it, or only a part? And what part? Both believers and non-believers claim to know all the answers. But do they? When did time begin? Where did the gods come from? For that matter, where did the speck originate? Our scientists tell us that all matter comes from preexisting matter, so if that scenario, or even part of it, is correct there must have been something earlier.

We'll never know. The whole thing is beyond rationality – at least the rationality built into us. The philosophers are all angle shooters – they may have showy flops and possibly even promising turns. But their rivers are polluted. Don't let them bluff you. You're on your own. 

 

In spades.

Next episode: “Boy Scouts Lite” – The new, improved America.

i       Thirteen or fourteen billion years ago, give or take.

ii      In retrospect, that's an anachronism. Thor hadn't yet consented to the use of his name for something as mundane as a day name. It must have happened at some other time. Wait. That can't be right. Time hadn't been invented yet.

iii     Of course it was dark. There was no sun.

iv     Mbombo's slices were a little ripe, and he ate too many of them, vomiting up the sun as a result.

v      “Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world.”

 

vi      Or several billion years – whichever came second.

 

vii     Not just Elvis.