The Incantation

Rewards, rewards, rewards

(Eulogy to a man I never new, but greatly admire)

I recently heard of a man that lamented the loss of his soul, not that he had you see, but then neither did he. He thought that life was void of reward, and as a result he was ever depressed and always grumpy and pessimistic. So pessimistic in fact, that he became known as the biggest pessimist the world had ever seen.

He died alone, not because he thought he lost his soul, but because he was such a foul mouth sourpuss. No woman who deemed herself respective, indeed no person who had any drop of self respect would ever want to be seen near the old geezer. Of course there was a couple of friends, but they where the lucky souls that knew of him, before they knew him. The rest of the people never got a chance before he ignored, insulted, harassed or pissed them off so badly that they were at pains to make sure that their paths never crossed. That is, if they didn’t go to the police and demand that charges be laid.

In fact, somebody did in his early years. a woman he had harassed went to the police and opened a criminal case of assault against him. Assault against her personage and dignity was the charge, and she won the case. The court awarded her damages that the acclaimed philosopher had to pay for the rest of his life.

He was a pessimist because he believed that humanity will never be satisfied, no matter what the reward. In his eyes you see, life was not worth the effort it took to be alive. In fact, he was often heard to comment that the he could never understand why he continued to live himself. It was secretly guessed that he only did so to piss off a few more people before he died.

Even in the halls of higher learning, where much may be tolerated and offered before the altar of thinking and learning and human advancement did he find himself an outcast. After completing his thesis, a brilliant piece of work about the corruption and power of man’s will, only 5 students enrolled in the course he offered at the University of Berlin. He promptly refused to continue the class and cancelled the course in his signature style, ending the matter with a lengthy and public and pompous discourse on the knowledge and wisdom that accused the whole of the student body, in fact, the whole of the faculty, and indeed the institute of higher learning itself of corruption and sloth. He then added that he had walked through these hallowed halls long enough to see the fester that rots in this institution!” He made ‘institution’ sound dirty when he said it.

His public protest did fire the belly of some very bright and young upstarts, and not by his want or his will, but by divine intervention he became 'friends’ with some very talented people.

People like the quiet and demure scientist that struggled to get a tenure in academia, and ended up working in a patent office as an assistant examiner. He was passed over for promotion because he had not fully mastered ‘machine technology’, but ten years after his diploma he had produced such a body of knowledge that he was appointed “Professor Extraordinaire” for his theory of relativity. A theory that reconciled the laws of mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field, and introduced us to the field of quantum physics. In doing so he unleashed our own curiosity on itself, allowing us to peek into the hart of the universe, and some to venture all the way to our very soul.

People like the flamboyant composer that changed the face of music forever by abandoning the ‘happy tune’ that was then in vogue and brought to our hearts and our ear a new sound. A harmony that is richer and deeper and fuller and bigger and overwhelmingly loader than anyone could ever imagine. A symphony that reaches deep within our soul, and drags it kicking and screaming from the misery and evil that it hides, and exults it to to glorious heights of divinity where it belongs.

People who, even today are still known and revered for their contributions to the worlds of art and science and humanity. People who challenged the status quo of our existence and permanently altered the course of history. People like Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wagner, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Erwin Schrödinger, Albert Einstein, and Sigmund Freud.

And so the man who is known as the greatest pessimist in the history of human thought, the man who searched for 72 years but could not find a single reason to live left behind a legacy that bared our collective soul to our very own eyes, and then showed it to us in all it’s glorious magnificence.

That man was Arthur Schopenhauer, a grumpy old geezer who spent his whole life searching for reward and who was answered through the life’s and the work of the people he tolerated in his life.

Wherever you are old man, I would like you to thank you and let you know that you did good. And I guess since you died you already know the reason for life, but just in case you’re still out there searching for reward, I’d like to invite you to take a look at the legacy you left through your word. And if you’re still wandering somewhere alone in the misery of your own existence, then may I suggest you try a little love? It is after all the quality most often attributed to spirit, the very last of mysteries still left to man and the heart and soul of the legacy you left to us.

who wants to live forever?

It seems as if the race to immortality has reached fever pitch proportions, with some of the new technologies almost competing in our search for the fountain of youth. Take for instance the chemical they found in red wine that doubled the normal lifespan of lab rats, or the protein that switches off our “genetic” old age trigger.

And have you heard about the new bio-printing technology that uses the natural self-organizing ability of cells to literally print a 3D organ. If that is not science fiction enough, they have found that suppression of our immune systems create conditions that may allow our bodies to repair themselves. In laboratory experiments they have found that lab rats could grow back their tails, and the clipped ears of the mice repaired themselves when kept under these conditions.

The question that remains to be answered is what are we going to do with the extra time, and will this promise of eternal youth be of any good to the planet we live on? Under my own friends at least, the answer remains undecided.

The spirit of plants

It was in the early 1900’s, and thanks to the discovery of the lie detector that we first became aware that plants are more than just compost, and that they seem to display some kind of prescience.

As much as I guess by accident, but profound in its implication we found that somehow a plant knew who was going to harm it, and who was going to care for it. The finding that plants “knew” things that people intend never gained a big following, but that doesn’t change the fact that they do…

Take a look at some classic experiments here.

And if you would like to know more about this, tell me why and ask...

Diagnostic liberty

I just finished reading an article that lamented the loss of moral fibre and core values in todays youth, and laid to blame the development of digital media and electronic games as a reason to this end.According to the research on which the article is based, study subjects took up to six seconds to show activation of a moral response towards stories of social injustice. This slow activation of the brain area involved in moral reasoning and ethical behavior was juxtaposed with the fast paced action and snap decisions found in many computer games, and the article argued that children could therefore not form sound core values by engaging in such activities.

In my own mind this kind of reasoning is flawed and show a poor understanding of the environment in which children of today grow up and function. The world of today's youth moves at a much faster pace than that of their parents, and the ability to make instant decisions based on limited information is a valuable skill that could make the difference between success or failure. If a decision did lead to failure it would be valuable to be able to correct any mistakes that were made without undue loss of time and expense. In the electronic gaming environment this ability quickly seperates the losers from the winners, so too in the environment of personal development and business.

To expect children to develop strong moral judgement through these games is as futile as expecting them to be shocked rather than exited by the explosive carnage that is being advertised as this weekend's TV Movie line-up, or shocked rather than horrified at seeing news footage of soldiers shooting women and children in the name of some moral cause.

Previous research have shown that a moral response is largely the result of reasoning. It is not something that pre-exists as the foundation to decisionmaking and action, but rather something that develops as a result to exposure to situations that demand moral and ethical behavior, either in real life or through digital media. In fact, the article in question confirms other research in this area that show how moral and ethical reasoning change the thinking of those who engage in such decision making processes towards a greater social awareness and perspective. How the results of the research can be used against computer games is somewhat confusing, as is the argument of a pre-existing moral code that could be endangered through digital media and games.

Rather than trying to find out what is wrong with our youth, research such as this should try to focus on what we can learn from a generation of children that are growing up in a world that we created. A world where physical contact and personal communication are limited by the availability of a myriad of electronic devices. A world where the value of love still remain as honest and true as any moral or code.

The value of love is something that can only be learned through experience. If anything, this is the lesson we need to give to our children. To live in love, and grow in the fruit of its labor. Much like the exposure to stories of social injustice, it leads to a greater social awareness and perspective. In addition it gives a sense of purpose and enjoyment to living, and adds value to a life that may seem empty and vain given the nature of the society in which our children grow up today.
Attachment includes the note and its objects

success

I have just met the most charming and remarkable woman with an allergy for men. She lost her last one about 22 years ago and following two decades of batteling TB and Cancer, she was recently discharged three days after a heart attack. She believes that wheel chairs are for old people, even though she will be turning 90 in a month's time.

While trying to arrange re-admission to hospice I was lucky enough to find a doctor who understands that 3 days is not enough to recover from a heart attack. And even if she insisted on going home then, she has the right to change her mind. I was not as lucky with the hospice personnel, but then with the doctor that understands on my side I didn't need their approval.

We parted with a wink as they pushed her to the ambulance on the trolley. I hope she gets a cure for her allergy.

I suppose it is all about how you define success. Using the right medicine for your disease could mean success, and so could actually getting better be. Having enough money to buy the medicine could be part of the bigger picture, and it would be great if you could afford a health care worker to advise you on the best medicine to use. But in the end the real success is in your choice.

The choice you make to drink the medicine or better yet, the decision you make to get better. And getting better is really nothing else but the bigger picture, because as long as there is growth we are success. As long as we are connected we can learn and teach, and that is real success!

The old lady reminded me about dignity and respect and my right to change my mind, and I reminded her about connecting. Together we found love and life and success, and for that I want to thank you all.

Attachment includes the note and its objects

That day

I wonder if this would be that day. You now, the day you sit somewhere with a long cold drink, your feet pushed into the warm hot sand. Laying back on the cool white sand and languid sun and thinking this is it. This is what it means to be living!

And then you hear the wrinkled age of someone fighting with their lover, arguing about love. and though you'd rather not you hear the voices clear. You hear the desperate pleading tone of love misunderstand. Love that does'nt reach the depth of seperation. Love that doesn't stand. Love that doesn't know that stand is only the first step.

No wait, that is the next!

And in the heartbreaking silence that follows you see the couple part in silence, you hear their braking hearts and know that this is over.

The end however, it is not. Not by a long shot.

You are the person that will make the difference. You can make a difference how it ends. You can decide the end. This time you have control and you can mend these hearts. And it has nothing to do with how it ends, but how it begins!

Five years earlier this was you. And you want shout and say fuck it all will you two stop!

Just stop and listen to yourself. Listen to the pain you cause. Cant you see the pain you cause. Cant you feel the pain. I can see it clear and plain like it was Yeasterday, and in your mind you see yourself shout stop!

You hear the rage that fills the space between you now and then, and feel the hopelesness of love that burns with the endless yearning of passion and desire.

And then you burst out in a laugh. You pick a pebble and throw it in the sea.

Life is but a breeze.

Love

Love is a way of living
Love is beautiful, playful and fun
Love is peace and harmony
It is the choices that we make
The way we respond to our journey
And the connection we make with the people we meet
It is knowing who we are
And caring all the same
It is about being honest
honesty in dream and thought
honesty in what we say and do
honesty in what we give and take
Being honest in what we feel
It is about sharing what we can
And asking when we need
It is trusting every step
And doing what we can
Not planning what to do
It is about what we make
Not what we leave behind
It is about being curious
And having passion
It is discovery and growth
Being friendly and kind
Not now and then but all the time
It is always being your best
Showing gratitude for what you get
And living every moment of your time
It is helping before you ask
Moving on and letting go
It is teaching as much as learning
It is getting up when you may fall
And walking proud and tall no matter what
It is timeless, without end
It is light when there is dark
It is here and now, not then
Love is who you are

The nose knows...

Most people can recall someone in their lives who had a nose for trouble, be they the motherly figure that knew when mischief was brewing, or the fiend that always knew when trouble was afoot. The nose is also linked to various other expressions, all with the implication of some "higher" purpose or greater knowledge. Take for instance the expression: "Being led by the nose", or describing someone as noseying around. It now seems that many of these expressions are being supported by scientific discoveries, proving that there is a very good reason that the nose knows.

In a range of experiments towards understanding the human brain and how it works, scientists have found that our noses play an important role in a wide range of human experiences. Findings that our sense of smell and emotions activate the same areas in our brain begs the question whether there is any link between our emotional well being and where we have been poking our noses?

In addition, our sense of smell seems to be active even when we do not notice any, and it has been proven that what we smell may influence what we visually perceive when the odor is linked to memories with negative emotional content. What we smell may therefore filter or color what we see, and in the case where someone was being led by the nose it may just be that the person they following was pleasant on the nose.

Unfortunately no-one can blame their nose for anything because it also seems that we have a semi-conscious ability to increase our perception of smell which causes the neurons in our olfactory bulb, the area in our brain responsible for our sense of smell, to light up in anticipation even if there is no odor. It also gives us the ability to adapt to unpleasant odors, allowing us to ignore them when they permeate the air we breathe from day to day.

All of which still does not fully explain the fact that my mother could smell out secrets, but there seems to be enough reason to pay attention to the person who is smelling the rat. As far as the expressions go I believe they may all have some origin in fact, even if those facts are only now being discovered by science.