Saturday, February 27, 2010

Migrations: Leaving Haiti and Chile

News broke today that a massive earthquake has struck Chile, only a month apart from the previous, devastating and massive earthquake in Haiti. The situation seems dire. There is no doubt that the United States needs to respond decisively. Both Chile and Haiti are migrant cultures. While they are independent nations and have every right to stay and rebuild their countries, there is always the growing uncertainty that more might go wrong and that disorder and chaos may ensue during this substantial crisis. Evacuations of both affected regions may be necessary. It is easier to evacuate victims of earthquakes to safer shores than pursue search, rescue and rebuild operations during a period of chaos and upheaval. People may need to be airlifted out of the country to secure holding depots where they can be setup in camps, cared for, protected, treated effectively by doctors until they are ready to go home. That seems like the most cost-effective way to proceed, than sending massive amounts of aid that may be displaced, misused and misallocated. Both Haiti and Chile are migrant cultures, one of primarily native, tribal Indian origin and the other of African origin. Both peoples are capable of being evacuated temporarily so that search and rescue teams can devote themselves more effectively once the panic, and shock has subsided. As migrant nations, these people can easily cope with a nomadic, transitory environment where they can be cared for and ultimately, oversee their own care and importantly, be away from more danger. The U.S. is capable of conducting such an operation. There are numerous places where this can be accomplished and I'm sure other nations in the hemisphere can help. I would urge President Obama and Congress to consider such an operation and develop a plan of evacuation immediately. It is highly feasible and would help pacify a highly untenable situation. Foreign workers can sometimes be confused in a complex, international environment that is in disarray. To transfer the victims would be more logical to a safer land mass where uniform and strategic aid can be administered. This is an overwhelming situation for both countries and to restore order and calm, such a plan may be the only choice for restoration.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Matter and Spirit

Today, we will take a giant leap forward and discuss matter and spirit. It is largely accepted that all matter has some spiritual quality. When we discussed matter and space, we inevitably precluded the spiritual and religious element. Spirit can be defined as the power that moves matter. Spirit exacts a highly discriminatory influence on matter. It coexists peaceably and sometimes unpeaceably with its material composition. For our purposes, we can define spirit in the traditional Chinese sense as chi or the Arabic, ruh. This is the central, motivation for matter or the breath that is instilled at birth and carries or lifts us much like the eagle or hawk in the sky. There are other forces at play, which is intelligent material such as the brain and the nervous system. These elements we can propose control our motor skills and enable the ruh to interact with the physiological primary. The human sperm as known scientifically interacts with matter to make material life operable. The spirit inflates matter as matter enlarges to accommodate the spirit in expendable ways. At the point of death, matter becomes inoperable and thus, the breath is lost. The brain dies and the breath that moved us has escaped its material confines. It’s also important to note that once the breath is lost, matter can hardly procreate. The dead don’t come back to life. What is spirit? Is it the oxygen we breathe or the air around us that is necessary to sustain life? Why does it show itself in dark, somber moments and sudden, loud outbursts? The soul, as it were, is precious to everyone and is thus, that part of ourselves that closely guards and protects our material well being. We move out of harm’s way. If we consider the soul from the predicate of nothingness, we realize its immense value. The mover that enables the material self to carry out its material obligation or obviate from such if the human will for good is considered. Human beings can often err on the side of moral wrong. Thus, the mover is critical to advancing the human being towards good actions. Discounting for a moment a philosophical assertion, the anthropological view of good would be simply hunting, fishing and gathering. Non-participation in these basic events if the mover refused would thus, be reprehensible. Consider the value of food, for instance. Without food and nourishment, matter cannot exist. This is true for all matter practically because matter is regenerative. Matter consumes matter in the form of food to sustain itself. Human beings need to eat and drink, thus prolonging their material life. If they do not eat or drink, they will perish. While the matter itself may perish due to lack of food, the mover does not perish. While it is bound to these material needs, the mover would then seem eternal. Not only a mover, the soul enables matter to respond to a higher calling. Why should there be a mover in a vast nothingness, carrying out theoretical material obligations within a quasi space and time continuum, if matter is finite and illusory. The spirit, while possessing an infinite, supernatural quality, is demoted to the material vessel in which it resides and is in many ways commanded and commands the material reality. The spirit is vocal either ostensibly or passively. Death is the ultimate climax for the spirit. It is its release from its material bonds. Here is the rub. When the spirit is released, we can distinguish its otherness from time, space and matter itself. While the mover exists independent of matter itself, it becomes the most elusive anomaly. We have determined thus far, that matter and space are one and while space may be intelligent, the spirit or soul that is also acquired through a material interaction becomes a non-material thing through a spiritual transition. The mover cannot be parsed together with the existence of matter and space. While the mover is also subject to nothingness and descends from nothingness, it certainly plays a major part in our lives. We know that matter and space are highly complementary, but for the spatial preposition to be accepted, the need for a mover becomes evident. That mover that determines our material obligation (hunting, fishing, gathering or stalking its prey) in an objective reality that is imposed by spatial intelligence telegenically is a highly transcendental thing. The question arises – does nothingness move? If matter moves, can we deduce that it is moved? Again, we grind against the wall of mystery. If matter does move, and it is only a spatial obligation that it is fulfilling across an infinite number of material possibilities that are not subject to the influence of time, then we can only conclude that a material mover and a divine mover or God are working together.

Out of the night that covers me
black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
for my unconquerable soul
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud
Under the bludgeonings of chance
my head is bloody, but unbowed
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
looms but the horror of the shade
and yet the menace of the years
finds, and shall find me, unafraid
It matters not how strait the gate
how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul

"Invictus," by William Earnest Henley

Monday, February 15, 2010

Matter and The Five Senses

As an ongoing inquiry into my expose on matter, I'd like to focus today on matter and the five senses to give us even more insight into how this phenomenon works. The five senses known to us are touch, taste, hear, smell and see. These senses are largely defined by matter itself such as our eyes, ears, tongue and extremities. Thus, matter seems intelligible and can discern the outer world through a sensible interaction to determine archetypal possibilities. These include hot and cold, sweet and sour, loud and soft, light and dark and so forth. These perceptions are even more greatly refined through the range of our preceptors. The degrees of hot and cold, the amount of sweet and sour, the range of loud and soft and the quantum of light and dark. Why is matter intelligible in this way as it interacts with other matter both physical, physiological and metaphysical. Human matter also seems discriminatory and shows a sense preference. What may be amenable to someone's taste may not be amenable to someone else's taste or sense tolerance. Other organic matter is also very discriminatory based on evolutionary and biological precepts and modalities. On the whole, however, we can agree that mankind shares a like sense preference. Chocolate is sweet to all of us. Our sense preceptors, thus largely define our common shared sensibility. Animal and plant matter are also highly categorical though, there is more diversity in the quality of their sense preceptors. An eagle can see with more clarity, for example, than an owl. Thus, matter in general seems highly adaptable, complex and extraordinary and intelligible in the way that it evolves and procreates. An eagle's vision has evolved over thousands of years but as a matter and space constant, the eagle's vision seems to be a transposed material obligation on a spatial, material reality. The mere existence of the eagle depends on a material necessity in its current form, thus negating the material bond itself. The eagle utilizes vision mainly to promote itself, and coexist with other matter. While the eagle is majestic to behold, we realize from a sense point of view, that the eagle is a material hyperbole. Matter seems to be constantly evolving, reshaping, reinventing and regenerating to fulfill a highly specified material obligation to promote its material progress. This has Darwinistic recourse. However, as space and matter connect in a more perfect union, and nature shapes and molds a deliberate, organic form, matter seems to take off in a multitude of directions. Without the material obligation, the material reality and sense enhancements would thus, never take place. Mankind seems to rule the planet. Thus, intellectuals agree that man is the highest material form and is the best "creation" because of the utility of its matter. But can our senses be enhanced over time like our comic book heroes, and fill a material obligation that is not being met. We can't know for certain? Or are we only bound to be morally superior as Nietzsche's Superman. Our ability to discern, understand and demystify our material reality, supports the moral argument. The question remains - why is matter equipped with sense preceptors to discern and comprehend a material reality to promote its quasi material progress. Both seem out of necessity. If matter is space, then sense perception seems ultimately, transitory and vague. Consider the eagle hunting - it catches and devours its prey, which is also matter and feels momentary pain. Thus, the sense explosion of this event is highly transitory and demotes once again, to nothingness. Is matter trying to overcome itself and cope with material hardships and are sense preceptors developed as a result of that material intelligible. That seems to be the case, but if matter depends on a prolonged material obligation, then matter seems to be highly ignorant of a super reality. A chocolate cake is highly desirous to our senses but once devoured, creates a highly debatable material reality. The chocolate even seems to be a result of our sense preceptors. Is matter operating on a supernatural level where it knows its material obligation prior to that material obligation being realized? If matter and space are one and matter is finite and time is matter quantified, then are we facing supernatural works. Is matter a livable, operable reality that exists outside of a more perfect reality. The consideration is monumental.

I support Iran . . . why?

I support Iran's decision to enrich uranium. Iran is a free country - it was founded at the same time Iraq became a nation and so much of the Middle East that we know today was established. I realize religion can be a great dividing force but it can also be a great unifying force. When Ernest Hemingway wrote a Farewell to Arms, he meant to lay down arms but the existence of those arms was an acceptable premise. The Constitution of the United States promotes self-protection and the right to bear arms. We can shun other nations as part of our foreign policy to acquire or enrich uranium. Iran may be generations behind the rest of the world in the race to nuclear arms. There are many nations that possess nuclear armaments. I still remember the havoc that was wreaked on the nation of Iraq and our reason to go to war has still not been justified. There are no nuclear silos in Iraq - that is a verifiable fact. If Iran goes nuclear, how does that differ from any other nation going nuclear. Iran has never stated that they will bomb anyone with their weapons while India and Pakistan have threatened nuclear war many times. As Americans, we should extend the principles of our Constitution to other nations and be transparent in our foreign policy dealings. We support arms at home, then why not abroad. There is freedom of religion here so why not abroad. Bearing arms does not mean seeking to do harm on other nations. It simply means that Iran seems to want to protect its religious way of life from other imperialist forces - or what it perceives as imperialist. If we understand why Iran wants to acquire nuclear arms, we can take better steps to ensure our safety and thus, come to terms with Iran's decision. We shouldn't lock horns with Iran over such an action when that may further aggravate our understanding and place in the world. Iran may see this as its sovereign, inalienable right and thus, who are we to wave the hanky of disapproval at Iran, when they may be rightfully concerned for their religious self-determination. If Iran understands us better, then there should be no fear on our part that their actions are warranted. The actions may not be warranted but that's hard to judge. Iran has shown great tolerance over the years and is a melting pot of culture and religious fervor that is exciting to see in less fraternal, theocratic societies. Perhaps, Iran sees this action as morally appropriate. Who are we to question a nation's moral barometer when morality is highly intelligible. American foreign policy should extend Constitutional principles abroad and promote those principles whenever necessary to advocate foreign policy initiatives. Iran seems to have been attacked many times and has had a tumultuous history. It seems now, that it wants to protect its borders and sovereignty and its nuclear prowess may further bring a greater balance of power in the Middle East at a much needed time when so much is in disarray. Iran is a misunderstood nation and our diplomacy with Iran is further misunderstood. Instead of overreaching in Afghanistan, perhaps we can seize this moment to reach accords in the Middle East and educate these semi-modern, future-starved Bedouin people that America is a nation that is committed to a more informed Middle East that better understands the equitable nature of our actions abroad. Once that message is conveyed, I am confident Iran would extend a warm hand of friendship to us and there will be greater peace and harmony in the region and more peaceful co-existence. If we focus inward, perhaps our outward protocol may seem more agreeable to others. All nations and peoples should be given an opportunity for self-determination; nations are not perfect and neither are people but somehow common value prevails. I trust Iran will not abuse that right and neither will any nation, but that the insinuations of power on all sides will grant greater freedom, understanding and recognition to all humanity.

Friday, February 12, 2010

The Prayer Equation

According to Islam, Muslims are required to pray five times a day. Let us see how many prayers are required over an average lifespan of 65 years. The formula is as follows: 65(years) x 365(days a year) = 23,725 (days) x 5 (daily prayers) = 118,625 total prayers. The total does not reflect additional voluntary prayers that Muslims are also expected to perform. The variable is 2,000 if one counts one additional prayer for every day of Ramadan over the course of 65 years. The average number of prayers over the course of a lifetime seems to be approximately 120,000.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Matter and Gravity

Yesterday, I wrote of matter and space. I'd like to follow-up with some thoughts on matter and gravity. While we have determined that matter is constituted within space and is quasi-space, we also know that gravity affects all matter. Science tells us that gravity is the force of attraction between all masses in the universe. This force is ultimately what enables us to walk and traverse the planet, which may also be shaped by gravity (the oblong sphere). The more massive the matter the greater its gravitational pull. Thus the earth in orbit seems to rest in orbit as a result of its gravitational pull vis-a-vis other celestial bodies. The force of the gravity shared between these bodies is immensely greater than the weight of human matter as it also adheres to common gravity. Given these assumptions, we can deduce that all mankind must be floating on air if matter and space coexist. But the illusion persists. We do not fly or soar and even the eagle must strive to take to the air. What is our purpose then as material beings that reside in space and are controlled by gravity that is constant and endures. Did the Egyptians consider this when they envisioned the great sphinx as a winged creature. Our fascination with aeronautics seems to stem from a desire to defy gravity. The gravity factor or the postulation of the lack thereof seems to thwart our understanding of ourselves and our purpose and deserves more reflection. A material supposition seems to compel all life on the planet to adhere to gravity. Without the material supposition, we are more greatly defined by eternal space and nothingness. We are satisfied by the temporality of our material existence, as plants are replenished by water and sunlight, animals graze freely on the land and procreate and human beings raise civilizations. A phenomenon when one considers our overall spatial coexistence. Gravity or better yet, the structure of the universe seems to demand a material obligation. This should be recognized by us to reevaluate our progress. Matter in its current form would seem abominable without the existence of gravity. All our animals would be flying out of the barn, suspended in space, in temporal, material reality unable to fulfill material obligations or demands, which are also spatial. Are human beings reduced to an assortment of moving parts that are only defined by an ephemeral material obligation to exist and fulfill their material demands as it is defined by gravity. The state of wonder is breathtaking. We must ask what we are building and why we are pushing the giant stones at the foot of our pyramids. Time seems to promote the material, spatial obligation, as matter ages and strives to promote itself through material consumption. Yet matter is finite. It almost seems as if matter and being are programmed to perform material obligations despite the material prejudice if only to satisfy time, whence time depends on material passage that is erstwhile, spatial. The question poses a colossal problem.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Matter and Space

Matter is ephemeral. Space seems everlasting. Matter dissolves, disintegrates, decomposes, deconstructs and never reconstitutes, giving meaning to the phrase, "ashes to ashes, dust to dust," and nevermore. While matter resides in space as a self-sufficient organism, it requires other complementary and favorable matter to promote its existence and being. Being recognizes the finite value of matter as our hair grays, teeth decay, vision fades and skin wrinkles. Matter also encounters pain and suffering but we must acknowledge that as a whole, the pain and suffering is almost always commensurate to how much we can bear. We sigh at the moral sentiment. This gives ultimate precedence to our overall existence and material makeup, that enhances our spirituality and being. The mortal coil submits to infinite space as it bows and kneels, stands and decrees to call upon the glory of God. It seems that all earth is matter based. Some matter is more fragile than other matter and thus, more susceptible or vulnerable to change. Matter can seize the moment but space has the final word. If one ventured, they may even hypothesize that matter is space, and space integrates with matter. We agonize over the eternal problem. If we are part and parcel of a vast space, why are we moved to protect and guard our material being that is also illusory if constituted within space. Matter in space intersects with space and discerns its finite value while yearning to subsist infinitely. Our desire to be infinite is rooted in our ability to conceive the infinite and eternal. During this process, matter is no longer relevant and we are in the throes of the supernatural. Once dismissed, matter and being cannot be glued together like a broken jar. We preserve our matter to preserve our space within space to recognize our humility and relationship to the larger universe. The structure of the universe and space seem too perfect to ignore. Larger forces are at play. So is our own structure and material constitution that is microbiological. The order of the ant colony and beehive come to mind, two great examples. The Holy Quaran says, "and nothing is hidden from your Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom on the earth or in the heaven. Nor (is there) what is less than that or what is greater than that but is (written) in a Clear Record." Notice the words "less than"; what could be less than an atom, an electron, a sub-atom? Matter in unity with being is able to create, communicate, build, cultivate, cure, comfort and fashion as the great nothing also fashions our beings for the eye to behold. The creation of our material being as is, is owed to our material antecedents, to whom we owe our material existence. By virtue of itself, matter or for that matter space, cannot be idle. We return to the a priori rule, the rule of the unmoved mover. The finger that pushes the pinball forward. A force or not a force or more to our liking and material sense, a supernatural force. Matter and being seem to know their place and purpose in the world. The material world yearns to transcend, harness and overcome a juvenile space that governs all life. The cycle repeats - space consumes matter, and matter consumes matter and space to prolong existence, which is material. This demands a complete remodeling of our place in the universe, that places the supernatural first. Can matter ever be deconstructed and then, reconstructed to its original state to reveal the mysteries of nature? The cup vanishes with the water, never to be reconstructed to its original state that is lost forever to the mysteries of time and space. While utilizing the cup to drink water is also sufficient, the moment is not transcendental but quite vain and naive. How do we cope with the increasing wonderment and awe. Matter like form is obedient to the shape and shakur of the universe. Rightfully so but faithful disobedience may be needed to truly appreciate our material action. Why does the mother grieve? A slight miscalibration of universal order, can damage all material life. It seems best to do what we ought, and what we ought to do spells divine. We ache and we agonize for the truth, for revelation. The Holy Quaran goes on to say, "they ask you (O Muhammad) concerning the Ruh (spirit of inspiration). Say: "The Ruh (the Spirit) is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little."

Monday, February 8, 2010

Optimism

Today's blog topic is optimism. Why - because the world needs more optimism. Seeing the glass half full or better yet, seeing the glass full of enough water to satisfy your thirst and beyond. That's true optimism. Optimism is a great virtue. People can benefit in innumerable ways from an optimistic attitude. Given the recent tragic events in Haiti, people need optimism more than ever. With so much loss of life, one can easily feel depressed, let down, disappointed and even sorrowful. That in turn affects our emotional, mental and physical health. Optimism seems to renew and reinvigorate life. Even in the harshest circumstances, optimistic people seem to overcome. Or they should be more optimistic to relieve the pressure of their hardships. When one loses optimism, they see a dead end road. When one is optimistic, they welcome any obstacle and overcome it like a pole vault. Pessimism can seem like a disease. In my own personal life, I've overcome a lot of pain and suffering by being optimistic and discredit any pessimism that may have caused that adverse situation. As a single parent, my mother has always showed optimism when raising her children. She's always motivated me beyond my own ability and thus, I have surpassed my greatest expectations. Pessimism is brooding and dwells in the darkness of our minds until the light of day shines overhead and we discover that there is a lot to be grateful and that we can rely on a higher power who wants the best for us. No matter what fate may have in store, we should still declare our optimism freely and openly and let others sip from that cup that seems overflowing. Why fester or fuss over problems big and small when a dose of optimism can cure our most severe ills. Haiti can be optimistic; it should be optimistic that a new dawn will rise once again and that all will be repaired and renewed and that journey should be an optimistic one. Thus, the blessings of the work that lies ahead will be multiplied. I believe in optimism as a great preventer and even more so, a greater healer. When we can be optimistic, we can also be more spiritual, wise and extraordinary. While the raven may still hark at our chamber door and madness besets our hearts, the nightingale still sings her lovely hymn.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

What Happens Is . . .

What happens is that we too often overcomplicate the Constitution of the United States and the laws that it sets forth. The Constitution was created primarily to "form a more perfect Union" at a time of national upheaval, threat of dissolution and uncertainty. It's a pretty concise document that was adopted in the year 1777 and prohibited any amendments until the year 1808. That's a long time ago by today's standards; however, the Constitution has paved the way for American progress for several centuries. However, when deliberating on the Constitution we must recall its intent, which ironically is quite noble though it fails to recognize foreign nobility, which again reminds us "to form a more Perfect Union", by order of its intent. Order is a key word. Government brings order to the people and helps establish law and justice so humankind does not fall into disarray. When individual states go off into their own respective corners to deliberate on laws under the auspices of the Constitution, they would be better served if their state laws were not too complex and arcane. Why - because, too much governance at the state level hinders each state's ability to come together in a high-minded fashion to enact laws that further support a more perfect Union and thus, ensure fairness and equitability for all. This is important to consider especially when states can convene to amend and ratify the Constitution should there be a sufficient cause. You will notice that the Constitution does not make any mention of virtuosity. Words like love, magnanimity, charity, faith, honor, salvation, peace, brotherhood, prayer, hope, belief, passion, fairness and dignity are sidelined. These values, while intrinsic to humankind, are arguably subjective and thus, contrary to the order that the Constitution demands and thus, overcapitalizes our daily lives. When humanity, contrarily, demands these values, it must rely on its elected leaders to convene when necessary and deliberate more than ever to bring the Constitution into a more rational, realistic, mindful, committed and compassionate perspective. Thus, when we simplify our interpretation of the Constitution we can move forward as a people and establish more unifying principles that are more fulfilling and complementary to our greater needs and expectations. This is essential to discern defects in government and further, elevate our ability to govern. I welcome your thoughts on this subject.