The Monks of Mt. Arian believed the Universe began this way:
A sublime spirit appeared in space. In its hand, a cluster of pebbles. One after the other, the spirit hurled the pebbles upwards into outer space. As each pebble left the spirit's hand, it turned a different color...red, yellow, black, turquise, lavender. It flew swiftly until it neared its apex, then slowed and arched downward, accelerating in speed as it hurtled back to the spirit.
Again and again, the shimmering pebbles were hurled up further and higher into space. Each took its place in the ever exppanding elliptical arch that the Monks perceive was the first rainbow.
It is believed that though the spirit vanished after a time, the pebbles soared steadily on their elliptical path, for aeons. And then, slowly, they began to change shape and form. The blue pebble became the heavens, the green pebble, the sea. The others became Earth and the stars, the wind, the trees, all living things. In a time, all that there is in the Universe, came to be.
The Monks of Arian believed that the story of Creation teaches them the four fundamental truths of existence:
1. Everything that is, is of the same essence.
2. Everything that is touches and is touched by everything else that is. The wind blows the sea over the fall, making entrancing music that heals the spirit of man, who lights the fire that burns the tree, that creates the ash that becomes the coal and then the diamond that reflects the glow of the stars.
3. Everything that is, remains forever in constant elliptical motion, ascending, descending in the spirit created arch. The child grows older, then begets a new child. The Sun rises and sets. Man questions, then comprehends, then questions again. Passion can die, hope turn to despair, joy to sadness, pleasure to pain, desire to compulsion, courage to fear...and return back again.
4. Contemplation and absorption of the first three truths within one's mind and soul is the path to spiritual beauty and serenity.
The story of Creation as told by the Monks of Mt. Arian may be apochrypal. Not so the truths it reveals.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
BATTLE OF THE EX'S
EXALTATION
EXQUISITE
EXCITE
EXCELLENCE
EXEMPLAR
EXOTIC
EXPERT
EXPLORE
EXTOL
EXEMPLIFY
EXTRAORDINARY
EXACTITUDE
EXCLAMATION
EXCUBERANCE
VERSUS
EXASPERATE
EXACERBATE
EXCLUDE
EXCORIATE
EXAGGERATE
EXCRUCIATING
EXCUSES
EXPROPRIATE
EXECRABLE
EXTERMINATE
EXPECT
EXPLODE
EXPLOIT
EXECUTION
EXQUISITE
EXCITE
EXCELLENCE
EXEMPLAR
EXOTIC
EXPERT
EXPLORE
EXTOL
EXEMPLIFY
EXTRAORDINARY
EXACTITUDE
EXCLAMATION
EXCUBERANCE
VERSUS
EXASPERATE
EXACERBATE
EXCLUDE
EXCORIATE
EXAGGERATE
EXCRUCIATING
EXCUSES
EXPROPRIATE
EXECRABLE
EXTERMINATE
EXPECT
EXPLODE
EXPLOIT
EXECUTION
Monday, December 7, 2009
MUSINGS II
The mystery of attraction is best left a mystery.
No one heard the first Big Bang, at least no one we know of. Everyone will hear the next one.
The path you are on has no road signs; be certain you have your bearings.
The future beckons to us all, but awaits only the curious.
Indifference is misnamed, it makes a big difference.
Beauty is not skin deep, it is soul deep.
Today's effect becomes tomorrow's cause.
Dance has been called the poetry of the foot, but not everyone is a poet.
Why are so many left wanting after they get what they want?
Truth is not stranger than fiction, it is shorter than fiction.
Your state of mind is a dictatorship and not a democracy where majority rules.
Truth is the best diplomacy, it leaves more time for golf.
Pride does not go before a fall, it is what helps you up after a fall.
When man knows he knows not everything, and never will, he knows the most important thing he needs to know.
If most people were twice as smart as they are, they still wouldn't be as smart as they think they are, nor half as smart as yhey want you to think they are.
A wise man knows that knowledge and doubt are best of friends: one seems incomplete without the otheralmost always knows where the other is to be found.
Our self esteem rests on our not knowing then what we know now.
A tree is a perfect model for man: it has its roots planted sollidly on the ground while reaching for the skies.
No one heard the first Big Bang, at least no one we know of. Everyone will hear the next one.
The path you are on has no road signs; be certain you have your bearings.
The future beckons to us all, but awaits only the curious.
Indifference is misnamed, it makes a big difference.
Beauty is not skin deep, it is soul deep.
Today's effect becomes tomorrow's cause.
Dance has been called the poetry of the foot, but not everyone is a poet.
Why are so many left wanting after they get what they want?
Truth is not stranger than fiction, it is shorter than fiction.
Your state of mind is a dictatorship and not a democracy where majority rules.
Truth is the best diplomacy, it leaves more time for golf.
Pride does not go before a fall, it is what helps you up after a fall.
When man knows he knows not everything, and never will, he knows the most important thing he needs to know.
If most people were twice as smart as they are, they still wouldn't be as smart as they think they are, nor half as smart as yhey want you to think they are.
A wise man knows that knowledge and doubt are best of friends: one seems incomplete without the otheralmost always knows where the other is to be found.
Our self esteem rests on our not knowing then what we know now.
A tree is a perfect model for man: it has its roots planted sollidly on the ground while reaching for the skies.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
THE PRD PLAN
With the Democrats in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, there is a serious loss of the benefits of checks and balances that the Founders sought. The Administration is virtually free to implement any legislation it wishes.
True, the Constitutionality of that legislation can be questioned by appeal to the Supreme Court, but that takes someone or some organization to implement and finance that appeal through the appellate process...and it may take years before the case reaches the highest court, and at a prohibitive cost for most Americans. In the interim, we live under a law that may impose financial and other obligations and duties upon us when, in fact, the law may subsequently be declared unConstitutional, beyond the powers of the Government, and be erased off the books.
To avoid the injustice and hardships of such a scenario, I suggest that the Supreme Court establish a Preliminary Review Division that will review all legislation passed by Congress and give it, or deny it, a preliminary determination of its Constitutionality. Pending that review, the law will not take effect.
If the PRD finds the law to be Constitutional, the law would be immediately implemented, though that finding may be appealed to the nine judges of the Supreme Court via the normal appeals process.
If the PRD finds the law to be unConstitutional, the law would not be implemented and would be automatically sent up to the nine Supreme Court judges for their determination of its Constitutionality.
To enhance the likelihood that the findings of the PRD are objectively and impartially based, its members would be comprised of nonpolitically-affiliated Constitutional law scholars chosen by unanimous vote of the Supreme Court judges.
The prospect of an immediate review of the Constitutionality of new legislation may well temper the runaway excessiveness of a
political party in control of both the executive and legislative branches of Government. And that would serve us all, regardless of the party in power...and provide us with more of the protections our Founders championed.
True, the Constitutionality of that legislation can be questioned by appeal to the Supreme Court, but that takes someone or some organization to implement and finance that appeal through the appellate process...and it may take years before the case reaches the highest court, and at a prohibitive cost for most Americans. In the interim, we live under a law that may impose financial and other obligations and duties upon us when, in fact, the law may subsequently be declared unConstitutional, beyond the powers of the Government, and be erased off the books.
To avoid the injustice and hardships of such a scenario, I suggest that the Supreme Court establish a Preliminary Review Division that will review all legislation passed by Congress and give it, or deny it, a preliminary determination of its Constitutionality. Pending that review, the law will not take effect.
If the PRD finds the law to be Constitutional, the law would be immediately implemented, though that finding may be appealed to the nine judges of the Supreme Court via the normal appeals process.
If the PRD finds the law to be unConstitutional, the law would not be implemented and would be automatically sent up to the nine Supreme Court judges for their determination of its Constitutionality.
To enhance the likelihood that the findings of the PRD are objectively and impartially based, its members would be comprised of nonpolitically-affiliated Constitutional law scholars chosen by unanimous vote of the Supreme Court judges.
The prospect of an immediate review of the Constitutionality of new legislation may well temper the runaway excessiveness of a
political party in control of both the executive and legislative branches of Government. And that would serve us all, regardless of the party in power...and provide us with more of the protections our Founders championed.
THAT GLASS
Is the glass half full or half empty? The traditional view is that those who answer half full are the optimists, and those who answer half empty are the pessimists. And from my own observations, that seems to be generally true. Thus, "half full" would seem to be the preferred answer.
But there is another view of that glass, and it is a temporal one. Those who abide this view, see what half fills the glass as yesterday's achievements and successes...and the half of the glass remaining to be filled as the opportunities of tomorrow. From this perspective, focusing on the empty half can generate energy and motivation and a sense of excitement and adventure, and serve as the impetus to an ever growing fulfillment of life. Focusing on the half that is full can promote deserved pride and a satisfaction of accomplishment.
Seen from this temporal perspective, the best answer to the proverbial question is "totally full"...half full of past achievements and half full of tomorrow's promises.
That view unites your life...it gives honor to your past and propels your spirit into the wondrous and exciting future.
But there is another view of that glass, and it is a temporal one. Those who abide this view, see what half fills the glass as yesterday's achievements and successes...and the half of the glass remaining to be filled as the opportunities of tomorrow. From this perspective, focusing on the empty half can generate energy and motivation and a sense of excitement and adventure, and serve as the impetus to an ever growing fulfillment of life. Focusing on the half that is full can promote deserved pride and a satisfaction of accomplishment.
Seen from this temporal perspective, the best answer to the proverbial question is "totally full"...half full of past achievements and half full of tomorrow's promises.
That view unites your life...it gives honor to your past and propels your spirit into the wondrous and exciting future.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
WHEN WORDS AND ACTIONS COLLIDE
A comment was made about a celebrity's admitted transgressions that "at least he wasn't being hypocritical"...meaning, he hadn;t privately committed those indiscretions while publicly speaking ou against them. As others have done in the past.
How ironic! The transgressor who speaks out against evil and immorality, with all the possible public benefits of that, is now seen in a worse light, labelled a worse offender, than the transgressor who says nothing. What a reversal!
The lack of integrity in saying one thing and doing another is a personal immorality. It does not promote self esteem or happiness. And, yes, it can make others suspect the validity of what is being said. And therein lies the error: a statement about evil or immorality, the bad, must be objectively determined on its own merits. The realities of the nature of the world are the only proper tools to apply in determining the goodness or badness, the correctness or incorrectness, of what someone says...and they do not include the question as to whether the speaker subjectively acts out his or her pronouncements, has or does not have integrity.
Thomas Jefferson spoke out brilliantly in support of freedom. He is to be forever acclaimed for that and for all of the good his statements engendered. The rightness of his inspiring words is not diminished one iota by the wrongness of his having slaves. Not one miniscule iota.
If only those without any sins may speak out, the world would be a very quiet place indeed.
How ironic! The transgressor who speaks out against evil and immorality, with all the possible public benefits of that, is now seen in a worse light, labelled a worse offender, than the transgressor who says nothing. What a reversal!
The lack of integrity in saying one thing and doing another is a personal immorality. It does not promote self esteem or happiness. And, yes, it can make others suspect the validity of what is being said. And therein lies the error: a statement about evil or immorality, the bad, must be objectively determined on its own merits. The realities of the nature of the world are the only proper tools to apply in determining the goodness or badness, the correctness or incorrectness, of what someone says...and they do not include the question as to whether the speaker subjectively acts out his or her pronouncements, has or does not have integrity.
Thomas Jefferson spoke out brilliantly in support of freedom. He is to be forever acclaimed for that and for all of the good his statements engendered. The rightness of his inspiring words is not diminished one iota by the wrongness of his having slaves. Not one miniscule iota.
If only those without any sins may speak out, the world would be a very quiet place indeed.
Friday, December 4, 2009
THE PROPHET
The whole world, it seems, is in a tumultuous state. Escalating evil around the globe in satanic scope: wanton brutal indiscriminate killing of hordes of innocents by suicide bombers, terrorist groups and nations; the rising quantity of WMD's: nuclear, biological, chemical and the growing clamor and threat of their immediate use; train derailments; ship piracies and kidnappings; worldwide economic chaos; personal iniquities and indiscretions; distrust of strangers causing deeper separations, isolation; growing pessimism.
Heads of nations rush here and there talking of political, military and economic solutions...but so far to no avail. Zero avail. None are working. Why? A cloud of evil encircles our planet and man seems impotent to halt it.
Strangely, these thoughts of what is happening today in the 21st century skipped my mind back to Biblical times. The Bible (and I refer to it solely as a history book) relates that our distant ancestors, too, fell from time to time under clouds of evil that would destroy them. And each time, God is believed to have saved His people the same way.
He sent a Prophet to serve as a role model and to spread the word of the beauty and glory of righteousness, of living an ethical life, as the only path to personal happiness, and as the essential force to combat and conquer evil.
And that, I realize, reveals what is missing today and what is needed to reverse the course of our world. Not more and more political, military and economic solutions... though they each can have a role to play...but an ethical solution, a respected spokesperson who can inspire us toward a life of righteousness and goodwill. What amplifies our problems today is the popular but erroneous belief, taught in universities, that there is no one proper ethical code of conduct, that one person's code is as good as anyone else's...which misguided view destroys the whole idea of ethics and makes the spokespperson's job even harder.
And who is it today to be that spokesperson? I know of no one. The leaders of the world today stand on political expediency, not on ethical principles. Their speeches appeal only to those with similar views, and inspire no others. They contribute to the evil we face and will never be the solution to it.
I believe that what is neded today and will work today is what our forefathers needed and what worked for them: an uplifting of ethical, moral, standards, and an affirmation of the value, the treasure and the majesty of human life. Perhaps, hopefully, our Prophet now lives.
Heads of nations rush here and there talking of political, military and economic solutions...but so far to no avail. Zero avail. None are working. Why? A cloud of evil encircles our planet and man seems impotent to halt it.
Strangely, these thoughts of what is happening today in the 21st century skipped my mind back to Biblical times. The Bible (and I refer to it solely as a history book) relates that our distant ancestors, too, fell from time to time under clouds of evil that would destroy them. And each time, God is believed to have saved His people the same way.
He sent a Prophet to serve as a role model and to spread the word of the beauty and glory of righteousness, of living an ethical life, as the only path to personal happiness, and as the essential force to combat and conquer evil.
And that, I realize, reveals what is missing today and what is needed to reverse the course of our world. Not more and more political, military and economic solutions... though they each can have a role to play...but an ethical solution, a respected spokesperson who can inspire us toward a life of righteousness and goodwill. What amplifies our problems today is the popular but erroneous belief, taught in universities, that there is no one proper ethical code of conduct, that one person's code is as good as anyone else's...which misguided view destroys the whole idea of ethics and makes the spokespperson's job even harder.
And who is it today to be that spokesperson? I know of no one. The leaders of the world today stand on political expediency, not on ethical principles. Their speeches appeal only to those with similar views, and inspire no others. They contribute to the evil we face and will never be the solution to it.
I believe that what is neded today and will work today is what our forefathers needed and what worked for them: an uplifting of ethical, moral, standards, and an affirmation of the value, the treasure and the majesty of human life. Perhaps, hopefully, our Prophet now lives.
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