No no it is simpler than that!

 

No no it's simpler than that!

Break the problem into smaller pieces.

Overthinking and rethinking. Eventually you break it down. You arrive at the lowest common denominator. Why?

In order to be an instrument for change, knowledge is required. You acquire knowledge by being observant. As you observe patterns begin to emerge. Patterns? Yes patterns in behaviour of our species.

I'll begin this discussion quoting one of the very common introduction statements. I reflect back over many decades, this one appears to be very common, a lowest common denominator. Why? More to come about the "why" near the end.

"Howard, you seem to be a nice person?"

Why do I find this a low common denominator?

In past experiences of interactions, this has been the lead in statement. Usually made by those either new to my social circle, or on the fringe areas. I conclude that they have observed my behaviour for some time, and they simply cannot help themselves to interact and find out more. Find out more about you? Yes! The "more" they want to find out, is to determine if you are part of their "camp", "worldview".

The conclusion, or profile, that I have arrived at which is common to all of these interaction is this. They have been observed your knowledge and experience. They highly respect your accomplishments and lifestyle or behaviour. Perhaps to sum it up, "we need people like you". It's part of the recruitment strategy. They need to know if you are already part of their "camp", and if not, I'll desirable recruit.

What has been the common outcome? The common out come is that they soon realize they cannot compete with your knowledge and experience. What I can best describe as "Christian arrogance". Ask them questions, and the most common response will be a biblical reference. The soft pushback? "You have to believe in something." Within a few minutes it can quickly deteriorate to a personal attack. The most common personal attack statement: "I don't like the way you think!" Many times profanity part of this last statement.

Reflecting back to the mid-nineteen eighties, a particular individual. Literally many hundreds of hours spent together, enjoying our adventure with the common interest of playing music. Now more than 30 years have passed. The individual refuses to meet for coffee. Why? Because through all this time he has assumed that I was part of his "worldview". Through those early years of togetherness, he was always the dominant alpha male personality. Continuing to this day I am sure to volunteer with the local "mustard seed" outreach. Over the past five years I have sent him a few email links, and all I have received back from him are scripture quotes. What happened? Perhaps for the past 30 years he has made an assumption that, "Howard you are a good person". Only now within less than five years, perhaps Google searching my name, he found something and could not contain his curiosity. He had found a LinkedIn entry which I had made in my work history. That entry was that I had been a volunteer for "Recovering from Religion". His first contact back to me after many years was to ask me what this was about. I sent him a few links. I realize that this is been a turning point. For three decades he had made the assumption, that I was a "good person", and now he found out that I was an instrument of "evil". I can only imagine his internal anguish with respect to biblical statements about associating with "nonbelievers". His personal dismay at how he could have been wrong all these years. His internal angst that he had collaborated with the nonbeliever all this time. Perhaps best described that his mind is that of an eight or 10-year-old, running to his parents in the middle of the night, because a nightmare woke him up.

I have other instances, this is just one example of my observations of human behaviour. Just one example that I observe of the suppression and obliteration of the natural "inquisitive nature" of our species. The pattern that I observe is that this lifelong personal position is established before the age of 13 to 15. The establishment of critical thinking can continue mental development throughout the lifetime. However the human brain reaches maturity approximately age 30. This being observed, most individuals spend the second half of their intellectual development in echo chambers that cement perceptions permanently. Between ages 15 and 30, many are given adult responsibilities. These adult responsibilities stroke the ego and establish their personal identity. As with this individual that I have used as an example, past the age of 50, there is little chance of change. Perhaps in their later senior years, as memory begins to fade, the early preteen childhood nightmares are remembered and become their true every day reality.

Probably, I could go on for another two or three paragraphs with more detail, I hope that the above is sufficient to demonstrate a pattern.

"Faith is hope masquerading as knowledge." ~Peter Boghossian, Washington State University. 

I now come to realize in my early seventies, that when you start to see this pattern, an interpersonal relationship cannot be derived. The lifelong position of "faith", is firmly entrenched. Reason and logic was hijacked sometime back when they were in their mid-teens. The "inherent truth" as understood by them from their scripture reading trumps everything.

In summation, be a role model, be an instrument for change. Be visible in your path of the logic and reason. The inquisitive nature will find what it's looking for you just by watching you, even if only from a distance. I attended an evangelical Congregational meeting one evening. I was the outsider, I didn't know that I should not have been there. The topic of the evening was "why do 95 percent of our children leave their faith when attending higher education?" As mentioned earlier the human mind completes growth and development about the age of 30. Consider that these children, in spite of their evangelical and homeschooling or private upbringing, 95 percent left the "faith" of their family and community within two years of higher education. The inquisitive mind will continue to develop until about the age 30. Therefore those that continue on to higher education have approximately 10 more years. These 10 years are crucial to disbanding hereditary faith groups and systemic racism. Since the wide acceptance of the Internet, even those that do not continue on to higher education, may all of their own discord, walk away from the understanding of their family and community. Information is now readily available to all those who are curious. The broadest base of common knowledge, available to all regardless of country of origin or nationality, is now available to everyone. 

The Highway of Life

We are all flying down the highway of life! Let's take your imagination on a little side trip. Every Highway has a centreline. This Highway has a side lane, the cargo lane, perhaps called the express lane. What? Yes this on the highway of life, is logic and reason. The main lane that most people are on, the lane most travelled is the one closest to the centreline. Let's call this lane, the path travelled in the first person. Let's call the express or cargo lane the lane travelled in the third person. How do these two lanes differ? Travelling in the most common lane closest to the centreline, the lane in the first person. It is the path guided by emotion. The express lane, is you in the third person. Continuous cycles of making calculated decisions and risk assessments. Everything depends on logic and reason. For the record, the express lane does not allow cognitive impediment. For obvious reasons in the express lane you would not be driving under the influence. Simple third person risk assessment would default that it would not be possible. To be emotional is to be impared.

Now along this highway there are rest stops. In these rest stops are places where people take a break and entertain themselves. These rest stops, let's call them arcades, are entertainment complexes to expound upon your emotions. Let's say for example, they contain many complex pinball machines. Imagine yourself dropping into a rest stop, deciding to let your emotions wild. You find yourself in the pinball machine with your emotions running wild, you may run many cycles. You may run your entire lifetime and this pinball machine, because there is no way out. All these emotional roller coasters take their toll on your life expectancy.

What about those that are in the express lane? They are travelling down there highway of life, and seldom pulled into a rest stop. Many oblivious to the existence of the rest stops and the pinball arcades that exist there.

Stay tuned as we continue down this rabbit hole. I am sure there is much more to come!!

/h

...being in my "moment". After two emotional days, time to get back into the 3rd person state of mind. Leave emotion behind, It might be creative, but it is also destructive and pointless! Lesson learned, "stop" in depth enteraction with others. The default human condition is 1st person - emotion driven.

Deeply "rooted" faith conviction

Deeply "rooted" faith conviction in communities and families can not be "reasoned with"...
It is an emotional position, no amount of fact or logic permitted. They are easily triggered to a temper tantrum...
AS a senior exhibited at a church breakfast I attended some years ago.... The senior assistant facilitator of the event was almost in tears..... Blurted out.... "Why do you hate Jesus so much?"
History recorded by neighbouring peoples has no record of such an extraordinary person. Thus, it is beyond a reasonable doubt, that the "icon" of faith is a FICTIONAL CHARACTER. As the centuries pass by the story is re-interpreted and embellished. More "possibilities" added to the interpretations. Then considered FACT by the faithful.
This view was obvious by a co-worker from 20 years ago. He described biblical content as "inherent truth". He insisted that his view nullified all current knowledge. His summation: "Everything happens for a reason." Thus I conclude adding the word "inherent" in front of the word "truth" trumps all other points of view. "They" have "laid down" their biblical law..
It's "Christianity" over the centuries: conversion | assimilation | genocide

Have you ever sat back and retraced your footsteps?

Have you ever sat back and retraced your footsteps? Replayed your personal interactions with others?

Unfortunately, I have. The ability to remember interactions from many years past. Remember the dialogue word for word, and do a reevaluation. I recall in the workplace, the conversation with the senior technical specialist. “Howard, you are a perfectionist, you will never survive here.” Wow, where did that come from? The casual comment made when he passed by on the way to the coffee machine. Was this statement a result of a general conversation with coworkers? Could he not restrain himself from passing on his or the group’s consensus to me? This happened in the technical workplace, soon to be 20 years in my past, by an individual 25 years my junior.

Reflecting on that statement two decades later. I’ve arrived at an assessment of our species. “Those who feel that they cannot compete play dirty!” We have many levels of personal understanding and experiences. We can decide based on our general knowledge and familiarity. One point I recall from a motivational tape. I purchased it through the Daytimer catalogue back in the 1980s. It described a senior gentleman at a petroleum conference in Calgary, at the podium. At the end of his presentation, there were questions from the audience. One question was: “why is your company so successful?” In his slow southern voice, he responded, “because we drill more wells.”

Lived experiences mould altruism, compassion, and general understanding. We should find ourselves in a conundrum more often. Social status comprising group acceptance, spiritual or religious views. All of which provide us with layers of lenses for bias. These multilayered biases create us as an individual personality. General communication will have little or no disagreement. Imagine an individual finding self in new surroundings. There will be a learning curve for all concerned in this new social environment. All individuals will monitor the newcomer. The newcomer will evaluate the group.

Back to the earlier statement, “Howard, you are a perfectionist. You will never survive here.” 25 years of hands-on technical service work. In later years, as a technical specialist, providing support to junior employees. I need not justify my conclusions on technical matters. Given the opportunity, I can very present the many dots that lead me to make a conclusion or decision. Conclusions together with an extreme detail from memories of technical troubleshooting from my past. Within the first three months, I conclude the following of the entire social group I found myself in. The entire technical team had evaluated my work ethics, technical experience, ease of collaboration and communication with coworkers. This brings to point, this same individual that stated that I was a perfectionist. On another occasion he said: “Howard, why do you use your hands so much when you speak?” Well, I didn’t respond. I would suppose that it results from mimicking people that are in leadership roles or in front of a class. I had performed in the role of a technical specialist. Provided classroom training to junior employees over 20 years earlier in Calgary. I have never thought about it. I see no reason not to use this adapted skill. It is part of my transfer of technical knowledge and experience to others. Either in day-to-day one-on-one communication or in front of a class. The conclusion two decades after the fact. This senior technical specialist within this new workplace felt threatened by my presence.

Bringing up the previous statement, “those who cannot compete, play dirty.” This I conclude to be not a human trait. A study of behaviour trained primates to play a game. In rotation, given a cucumber or a grape as a reward for their turn in the game showed the following. The equal performance or similar performance received a cucumber instead of a grape. When the primate understood the unfairness, it refused all future participation. This technical workplace 2000/2001, of coworkers with University educational backgrounds. I have between four and five decades of technical hands-on performance and knowledge. A high school education. After two years, I was given double the severance. I signed a document stating I would not take them to court for wrongful dismissal. There were two other unconnected instances of differing viewpoints about religious affiliation. I answered and did not engage in any in-depth dialogue.

On the morning of 9/11, a coworker who was my senior but 25 years my junior came over to my work cubicle. At 7 AM near the end of our all-night shift, he said to turn your second screen onto CNN.com. I did and immediately saw the twin Towers and the embedded airplane. He looked down over the wall of the workspace with his arms folded. He said: “See Howard, if people follow the Bible more closely, things like this wouldn’t happen.” I looked up at him with my handshaking. This is the first time that something like this has happened on our continent. I recall my repetitive nightmare as a young child. The Cuban missile crisis. At that moment, I responded to him, my handshaking. “If it wasn’t for people like you and people like them, things like this would not happen.” During the months after 9/11, there were financial cutbacks on wages. A reduction of 30% on everyone’s paycheck. Reflecting. I realize I withdrew from almost all interactions in the workplace. I sat at my workstation. I used my perfectionist ability. I did “a more perfect” call handling and diagnostic procedure.

Why am I going on with such extreme detail about things that happened so long ago? Not for most of the masses. I do so for the very few that may connect the dots in the stories. They may arrive at a new sense of understanding within themselves.

The majority having their own personal identities of self-esteem and self-confidence within the confines of the social structure. Those levels in many social circles are rarely challenged. They are only challenged in new surroundings, with new individuals finding themselves in the group. The comparisons on a social level are ongoing in many species.

What ancient people knew.

I wrote this 8 years ago:
Our planet, 365 rotations of day/night in the annual orbit around the sun. The tilt relative to the sun during the orbit causes the seasons.
Ancient peoples studied the night sky and their measurement of time was the wheel of the Zodiak
12 houses of the Zodiak - symbols for each of the 12 from positions of objects in the night sky that as groups of objects.
Acient peoples knew that after the 12 time periods were cycled through, the view of the night sky came back to a recognizable starting point.
365 days = one earth orbit around the sun = 1 earth year
2,065 earth years = one Zodiak 'house' time period
12 house time periods = 1 great year (Eon, old testament)
Every approx 26,000 years our night sky shows that the travel of our planet, solar system, and galaxy comes back to the same physical place in space.
The ancient peoples knew this.
Every year in August our planet passes through an asteroid belt - shooting stars in the night sky.
A large crater in the Gulf of Mexico, viewed from space, shows the evidence of a collision sometime in the earths past.
Therefore, at some time in any one, or more, of the 12 'house' time periods, (2,056 years each), our solar system orbit passes the earth, in it's annual orbit,  through an asteroid belt of larger objects.
Or, at least once in the 26,000 'great year' (Eon), our planet does so.  There are impact craters in Siberia of smaller objects that have at some time in the earth past penetrated our atmosphere.
Therefore, at some time in either one, or more, of the 2,056 years solar system orbits, or at sometime in the 26,000 galaxy orbit our planet comes in close proximity with other advanced life forms existing on other planet(s), and our earth is 'visited'.  This is shown by the etchings on ancient objects that from todays prespective and knowledge we would acknowledge as 'flying' machines.  Throughout time man has recorded these visits.  They recorded them to the best of their ability with the knowledge of their time.  They didn't know any better, or have an explanation for the events.  From their primative understanding they 'whorshiped' the advanced civilization(s) visitors. Just as the first nations peoples of North America whorshiped the European visitors at the beginning of colonialization of this the North Amercian continent.
Time to 'think' people, we have never been alone, we have been visited many times.  The possiblility is that we have been around the 26,000 year orbit (cycle) approximately 3.5 million times.
At some time in this ancient past of this planet we came to be here. Perhaps stranded from a 'visitation', or colonized from an advanced civilization, in an ancient time and we have survived to be here and now today.
The measurement of the positions of the stars, and planets, and the ability to track and simulate, with computer models today, makes the puzzle man has struggled with for thousands of years, an almost a child's play puzzle to solve.  Because we now have the knowledge and the tools to demonstrate/simulate the movement of objects in our night sky.  This is what, at some time in our past, the ancient peoples already knew - we lost the knowledge through the generations of 'survival' on this planet.
.....enjoy, /howard

Is bullying the result of a natural evolutionary process?

Think back to our recent history. Before electrification, most families were between eight and 12 children. This time was agricultural and rural. Early radios were battery-powered and used sparingly.
Consider then family units and societies before the last 50 years. They were larger families, and geographically tightly knit social communities. The focal point of social cohesion usually centred around a church.
Consider another aspect drawn from biblical writings. It is described how the conquered nation marked the doorways of the firstborn. The firstborn marked to be killed. Knowing that a small amount of information from our history of a species, why? What did they know that because this to be standard practice?
Step back from this historical knowledge. Consider this from a biological species perspective. All organisms on the planet compete for resources. Within many mammals, the dominant male maintains a hierarchy over the herd. Dominance is maintained by physical superiority. The strongest of the species maintains a genetic lineage.
Why within our historical texts would we want to kill the firstborn of a conquered territory? Let's view this from a biological perspective. Consider that this is a one-time occurrence. Survival of the species must will attained by utilizing all the best attributes. At the genetic coding level, the fertilization process best equips the first offspring. The fertilization being able to detect ancestrial genetic material. During fertilization, an overlap of ancestral code, causes defects and reduced conscious abilities. The ruling families of Western Europe show this phenomena. Arranged marriages between cousins in the monarchy resulted in reduced cognitive abilities.
I would conclude that this is true of all organisms. Thus it may assume this to be a natural rule of nature.
Consider the previous century, many families averaged 8 to 12 children. There can only be one firstborn. The evolved social behaviour of the family and the community will be then the power of the majority. The firstborn would only be on average at best 8% or 10% of the general population. Consider that 85% to 95% of the general population would hold power over the firstborn. This is the observation in the school playground. The individual that gets picked on, or bullied, or subject to peer pressure is the firstborn. They are a minority by their birth circumstance. All other siblings develop social skills which the firstborn did not establish.
If we step back in time with this conclusion, ancient biblical texts, now assesed in a new way. Conquerors marked the doorways "of the firstborn". It was thus understood that the firstborn would be a future threat to assimilation.
The easiest to convert, dominate or assimilate would be not the firstborn. Why? All but the firstborn are easier conversions. As within beehives, Royal jelly causes the development of another Queen bee. Without the royal jelly, a worker bee will result. Those not the firstborn, predisposed to be in a social supportive role.
This brings to point another observation. that from the genetic pressure to continue the species at an individual level. The dominant majority within a social group is not the firstborn. Thus intimidation and bullying by the majority assure an available selection for breeding. The minority, being the firstborn, would condeed to the peer pressure and give in. Societies pass this off by stating "boys will be boys". Another one from our past, "he's seeding his wild oats".
Over many generations, what we see as toxic male behaviour, was the normal behaviour of the day. Guard dogs result from selective breeding for dominant behaviour. In previous centuries we have achieved dominant behaviour in our own species. This would be a general rule of social structure in large families. The first born may be of higher intellectual ability. Dominant behaviour would override intellectual ability. A population is in the hands of the dominant majority, the genetic material at hand is at a diminished value. Do the firstborn from these relationships result in the same "best possible" offspring? Yes, of course, they do. Because the firstborn will always use the best genetic material available. Yet, the best genetic material of the species in the majority of cases is not available. The highest achievement of genetic material used, would be from unrelated individuals. Firstborn of unrelated families would yield firstborn of the highest achievable genetic material. Consider that the Canada goose is monogamous, it has only one mate for life. Consider that our species pursues many relationships through its lifetime. This is nature's way of assuring the greatest genetic diversity. Only within faith communities, is there strict adherence to monogamy. This handed down within these communities for centuries. Our species is not by default monogamous, as with the example of the Canada goose. Western European descendents have thus achieved global dominance through the denial of promiscuity. Christianity with its virgin birth. Biology and genetics today would suggest that a virgin birth is impossible. Thus this story would relegate to a tale of promiscuity.
Look back at the Greek and Roman empires.  Observe that power was in the hands of those that claimed ethnic purity. In all aspects of our modern age of agriculture through the use of genetics, we breed for specific traits. Passive temperament would be the selective breeding choice for the pet industry. I would suggest that the Greeks and the Romans were breeding for a stronger military force. A ranking Roman officer brought home the woman of his choosing from conquests abroad. Let's throw in another curveball. The conquest of Knights was one of honourable duty. They were according to the historical record, "in search of the Holy Grail". Understanding of the interaction of genetics in our current time, I would suggest this. That "the Holy Grail", was female genetic material. This was the new genetic material brought back to the homeland, that would produce firstborn which would be better genetically equipped than those of the general population. It would be perhaps these firstborn of the high-ranking officers, that would follow in their father's footsteps of a military career, or be intellectually capable of attaining a high position within the religious component.
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It doesn't get any better than this!

It doesn't get any better than this!
"Faith is a virtue."
Just spin the wheel, know your score.
Play the "Faith Wheel of Fortune."
Faith is "glorified" ignorance!
No, I'm not sorry that you are offended.
YOUR feelings are your responsibility.
As a member of this species, it is the individual's responsibility to be "informed" to achieve a level of common understanding which is aligned with new understanding during our current age of existence.
/h
"Faith is pretending to know what you do not know."
~ Peter Boghossian, assistant professor of philosophy at Portland State University.

I wrote the following six years ago:

Christian 'childhood' neighbour: "I'm NOT in DENIAL."

My response:
When ancient writings are taken as unchangeable and true, regardless of the advancement of knowledge, when as you have mentioned, university education is taking people away from god, that you would refuse “FREE UNIVERSITY CLASSES” as a senior…
THEN it is my opinion that you are practicing “willful blindness” and you along with those of your ‘world view” are “paranoid” of the changing world around you….. That is “denial” of new knowledge that will allow for new decisions to be made.
The NEW KNOWLEDGE around you, is the “REASON” that you have the advances in genetics and medical procedures and treatments that extend your life expectancy.

The basis for the opinion of observed ‘denial’ is the refusal to acknowledge that laws of nature can not be suspended for the “miracles” of the ancient writings to be “real”.

Immaculate conception
Global flood
Water parting for an army to pass
Walking on water
Water to wine
Touch healing
Talking snake
Looked back and turned to a pillar of salt
Burning bush
Stone tablets are given on a mountain top
Living in a whale
Stories from the past – nothing more…
“Grape juice and crackers” on Sunday with others doesn’t make it ‘real’…
Just “group reinforcement” of the ‘wishful thinking’.
The “fake it till you make” mindset – except the end result is not attainable, just a delusion.

“Religion/Faith” the adult “pacifier/soother” for the “inner child” experiencing ‘fear’ of the ‘unknown’.