Friday, July 23, 2010

Letter to the Smithsonian National Zoo

Dear National Zoo:

I am a writer and educational blogger and am quite impressed by zoos and zoology as a whole. I wanted to find out by anyone at the zoo whether wildlife at the zoo, specifically lions and the Big Cats, can be returned to the wild after a period of captivity. Does such a plan of reintegration exist? I am intrigued by the process of reintegration to preserve exotic wildlife and endangered species.

Your Website was very informative and impressive. I hope to visit the National Zoo in the near future. My only experience of zoos has been largely limited to the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York City. The Bronx Zoo and the Queens Zoo are highly likable and educational but alas, they seem to be much smaller and limited in their scope, and programs and services. I have written to WCS regarding their reintegration policies since several of their animals (lions, tigers, polar bear) have been in captivity for a long time, and I am concerned that these species may yearn to return to the wild.

The Smithsonian National Zoo seems to embody a strong commitment to wildlife preservation and conservation, which I applaud. The Wildlife Cams that you have in place are also very enjoyable and your Website is clear and easy to navigate. I hope to become a member.

Thank you.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

The Supermover - Who Am I?

The more we analyze the phenomena of the mover, we invariably stumble on the question of nothingness. Why should mover and matter exist in the first place in a symbiotic way to perform a highly defined set of material obligations. If the existence of mover and matter are defined by time, then existence becomes even more illusory. Hence the question arises - who am I? Am I the person that is reflected in the mirror or am I the mover inside the image of the man or woman in the mirror. Who am I? Since matter is finite, the reflection in the mirror will change over time - our hair will gray, our skin will wither and we will become old, enervated and feeble. The mover however, seems to have an eternal charm and thus, we can never tell if the mover has become old or enervated. Just the opposite - the mover can be inspired, encouraged, hopeful and determined at any level of material progress. This can last up until the very end when our material being ceases to exist and the mover can return to an infinite material-less state. Animals are also movers and also grow old. Is the eagle defined by its claws and sharp vision or should it be defined by the inherent mover. Are all movers alike? We know from the previous blog, that a mover learns and can adapt to its material state and become unified with its material talents to accomplish its natural goals. An eagle learns to fly and knows how to fly and its material being is conducive to its life as a mover. But what is the eagle in the vast space of nothingness? What is an eagle prior to existing as an eagle? Is an eagle simply an incarnation of material and supernatural possibilities or does it exist as a representation of a larger super-reality. We cannot know for sure but it certainly does seem that if the eagle is defined by its timeliness and material state, then quite likely, it conceptually exists prior to natural life. The eagle and the mover need not exist as a material entity at all. But alas, an eagle exists. Why? And what or better yet, who is the eagle? Is it the creature that we observe flying with outstretched wings in the sky? Or is it simply an incarnation of a mover in animal form that has these material qualities. Why does the mover appear in such a state? Obviously, it appears to fulfill a specified, natural material obligation. When its life comes to an end, the mover is separated from its form such as that of an eagle and returns to infinite being. Thus, what is the mover? Is this mover, a small part of a supermover that ultimately foretells or commands the appearance of a unique mover such as an eagle or a lion, in the natural world as we know it. Since we owe our existence to our parents, and they would owe their existence to their parents and antecedents, then our existence as movers is highly compromising. Who are we? Who are you? Who am I? These questions linger in our minds. It seems more and more that as material beings, we should be in touch with our inherent mover. This can occur through common religious practices, such as churchgoing, prayer and meditation. Once we become connected to the mover, we can better ascertain its functions, role and true purpose. As movers that appear in bodily form through procreation, we must realize that our natural life is biological and ephemeral, and our souls are preordained by a supernatural, super-conscious reality. In fact, our own consciousness is illusory as individual movers or souls. We're simply a parcel that may travel from one distant location to another and owes its flight to a super-reality, until it arrives at its destination, at which point, the contents within can be revealed to unlock the mysteries of existence. But a superconsiounsess is always present and guides such a hypothetical, material obligation. The distance traveled and the time it takes for the parcel to be mailed is incidental or accidental and the reality that ensues or unravels is ultimately, the primary cause. We must bear this in mind as we continue to consider the mover's journey.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Knowledge, Matter and The Mover

What is knowledge and how does it relate to the matter and the mover? After all, The Knowing Cafe is a forum for knowledge, and was founded to promote the process of knowing. How does matter know? How does the mover utilize knowledge? Knowledge can be defined as a set of defined and undefined values that are learned by a material agent during the process of existing. In a metaphysical sense, knowledge is everywhere and infinite. In a material sense, knowledge is finite and subjective. A person learns through experiences and is also taught by books and communal living. We are edified and educated during our lifetimes. As a material agent, our knowledge is also specific to our material reality. A lion knows how to roar. An eagle might learn how to fly but it knows to fly. A fish can swim at birth. It knows by way of instinct. Thus, knowledge is instinctual. After all, a fish out of water would die and mammals prefer to live on land. Each knows its place in the ecosystem and what actions it needs to carry out in order to survive. Teach a man to fish and he will know how to fish. Is the mover knowledgeable? It seems that memory and instinct are essential for the process of knowing to take place but what purpose hath the mover during this osmosis. Does the mover learn and does it know? How is this knowledge pertinent to the mover. Let us turn to a basic example. The eagle may help its young to learn to fly or to know how to fly. During this process the young eaglets become knowledgeable of flying. Importantly, the appearance of such a material obligation implies the process of knowing immediately or temporally. The bird knows how to fly. It can also be argued that the mover exists materially with prior knowledge of its material function and capacities. Birds appear with wings and bears appear with claws. Certain instincts are easy to know such as hunger, pain and thirst or need to mate. Is it the mover that feels this pain, hunger and thirst or is it a material priority. Alas, both are acting in tandem, and one must accept that these perceptions are congenital. Again, religious provocations come to mind. We consider unique knowledge such as that of the prophets. They too are movers but is their movement and knowledge prophetic. Is their knowledge preordained by a higher power. Do others among the movers of the world possess superior or revelatory knowledge. Are these movers saints, prophets or angels. We can never know since this knowledge cannot be proven in a finite sense but we can observe and acknowledge acts of faith and miracles. We know and choose between right and wrong. We know that certain acts are good and certain acts are bad. This seems to be inherent knowledge, knowledge that is imbibed within us as movers. Why? Others possess knowledge too and share in that knowledge. All eagles know how to fly and all lions know how to hunt. When we consider the cowardly lion, even that seems to grind against our common view of lions in general. All lions are dangerous and deadly. This knowledge seems to be archetypal and shared by like-minded material groups of movers such as lions, eagles and tigers. All bears hibernate in the winter. It's the biological clock of knowing. If certain knowledge is shared by groups of movers, then how does knowledge coincide with other knowledge. Is knowledge possessed by the mover subjective or objective, or is subjectified by a material state of being. Four fingers and a thumb enable human beings to grasp objects although the knowledge of not knowing how to grasp an object is also objective to us. How are we accountable to such objective knowledge? In conclusion, knowledge seems to be the raspy wind in the willows of the super-consciousness that blows in so many different directions but offers only a small glimpse of a larger, more supernatural, phantasmogorical reality, one that births knowledge itself. The mover can know, and matter subjectifies that knowledge and sometimes, to the extent where it can indeed split atoms or glint like a sharp knife in the corner of our eye. Is the mover bound by subjective knowledge? How does that knowledge translate to material actions, those that we execute in order to promote our basic material needs and to what extent. Is knowledge time-bound? Knowing how to fly is only a vague impression that results in the flight of birds and that knowledge seems to hang by a tether to the overall concept of time. If knowledge and time were unified, then the material agent would cease to exist. The process of knowing seems to also implicate an action or inaction. We know good and we know evil. These are fundamental to other primeval knowledge such as flying or hunting. Knowledge as time, would be an aspect of a larger value since knowledge only appears in a limited, finite and material way. Knowledge may be more vast that we can ever imagine or conceive but time governs its execution and self-knowing. Knowledge for knowledge sake would be countervailing. Form, knowledge, matter and the mover seem to be working together as time-limited entities. Does matter identify with workable, functional knowledge to promote that knowledge for survival, its fundamental instinct. Is other knowledge betrayed in the process or is this knowledge fated to exist. We can never truly know the answer. What we can know is that matter and the mover share knowledge and utilize knowledge for progress. To this inquiring mind, it seems that an excruciating disconnect persists in the larger qualification of time, space and the mover. Something that connects all things metaphysical. Something that links matter to the mover, and the mover to time, and knowledge to matter. Each co-exist but exist with the slightest degree of separation like two stones rubbing together that light a spark if only after a few dull moments. How do we compensate for such a separation?

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Subconscious Mover

We have established that a mover is persistent in our larger conception of time, space, matter and movement. Let us better define the mover that operates within a material realm. It is better to define this mover as a subconscious mover, which exists in a transitory, finite state. If all matter is finite and a superseding movement is present, than the mover as part of matter would be a subconscious mover, which exists in a transitory state. This subconscious mover is restricted by its material capacities. Let us turn to the example of the eagle. The eagle can only see so far, fly so fast, or prey on specific animals. Its material talents or operational form is what largely defines its subconscious movement. The eagle does not roar which is reserved only for the lion. Nor does it prey on large animals. The subconscious mover is also part of the larger hypothetical material panoramic that exists within the supernatural universe. Thus, we deduce that the supernatural has many material faces or aspects but as the supernatural, it is a super-consciousness as opposed to a subconsciousness. Thus matter provides a vessel to execute hypothetical material obligations. But, why? Is the presence of the eagle a balancing force for the material universe that is governed by the supernatural? This theory is arguable since dinosaurs once existed and are now completely extinct. Thus, nature's preserve is extraordinary or limitless. Orcas or killer whales exist in the ocean and it need not be to sustain the ecosystem. Goldfish may still thrive in the water despite the presence of the Orca. A constant food chain seems to be present or overactive. Matter requires sustenance. All animals seem to prey on one sort of matter or another to persist. The mover subconsciously consumes and procreates to prolong its material life or progeny. If all movement is the same, why do we perceive distinction. It seems experience is central to distinguishing between movers and we can also postulate that the supernatural creates distinctive material movement on its own. Lions fight other lions in the wild for territory and breeding rights. What determines winners from losers? Might or movement? Perhaps, physicality. Physicality is awarded in nature. One who overcomes adversity will thrive, procreate and gain territory and respect. But the mover is lost in the material uproar. It seems matter is constantly forming and reforming itself and interacting turbulently within the supernatural paradigm to promote hyper-creation. The mover on the losing side is no less important. Opposition is critical for this process to take place. Two lions fighting. Why? Would not the superior lion be happier without a fight or a hunt? Nature and the supernatural seem to exist in a counter-intuitive way and are dissonant cognitively. Is this constant struggle the reason why matter seeks to prolong itself or is it simply an intrinsic trait, a bubbling to the top, so to speak. Fight may win territory or land for grazing but hunger is a basic natural instinct. The mother needs to feed its young at birth and hunger may be considered the first natural material inclination. Again, the material obligation provides the ultimate answer and clarity. A lion will roar and an eagle will fly only because its material obligation is indispensable to its survival. The subconscious mover becomes an agent of this material obligation, existing as divine right. This subconscious mover seems to survive in the most basic, and elementary way. It only knows its capacity for survival and how to carry out its material obligations. The camel does not want to grow wings but to live as a camel. How does it spend the rest of its time? Drinking water from a trough. Nor does the elephant seem to want to swing from trees like gorillas. The subconscious mover fulfilling its material obligations is arguably contentable. Why? Let us examine the human subconscious? It's more varied even if it is not highly potent or colossal. Are human beings invariably lazy. Probably not since human society is communal and works in concert with a supernatural, life-giving force. It's individual parts are motivated subconsciously. On a micro level, the variation of human consciousness leads us to believe in God and pursue other achievements - weapons of war, advances in science, art and physics, human technology and infrastructure serve us supernatural emblems that boast our material potential. Consider the wonders of the world and the great pyramids. Even an ant is motivated by its subconscious. The longing that we feel is attributed to the subconscious, perhaps best described as a magnet that clings to a larger force that pulls us towards a greater destiny. This magnetic attraction to the supernatural propels the subconscious mover in different ways and perhaps, shapes matter too to adapt and to overcome its environment, a sure sign of our role as material agents, to harness our material prowess and powers to achieve material good, which can sparsely attribute for the supernatural and gain its approval. Eating an orange is not a meaningless exchange or activity. It requires the presence of a mover, the one who eats, and the orange, the thing that's consumed. It is a highly satisfactory experience but presents a hypothetical reality or unreality. An orange is very real and attributable to nature. It tastes good and provides nourishment to the consumer. It is also pleasurable. The orange is also befitting to the mover and accommodates the mover well, since its edible and pleasing to the taste buds. Once consumed, the mover gains satisfaction and material promotion. Not one less orange exists in the world but an opportunity to grow more oranges or prolong material life that may require sustenance to persist and be productive. Once plucked from the orchard, the orange is consumed and its materialness no longer exists as an orange but as sustenance for the mover. It has a purpose. Matter has a purpose and seems to invite the mover to execute a material action, whether eating an orange or planting a tree. Movers that are inconsistent with the material want or longing may fall out of favor with the material urge or movers that do not conform to a material plan, may become unpalatable material agents for the material embodiment. Does the supernatural have a plan for us all. The supernatural can assist us and elevate us during our material journey, overcoming significant burdens or material challenges. A deep connection to the supernatural can transform matter over thousands of years, so that men might be able to fly in the air one day or possess other qualities that we sometimes, read in comics. But in its current form, the human being is limited to human ingenuity and human prowess. But the subconscious mover seems to know its finiteness and thus, struggles to overcome its material limitations. It longs for eternal life, through the gateway of the material universal to seek the supernatural paradise that indeed, delivers the fulfillment of its material wants and desires, whatever they may be in accordance with its subconscious and the supernatural. In the material journey, all then seems ephemeral, save for the mingling of the subconscious mover with the supernatural. The question plagues us once more. Suffering is inherent to the material realm since matter is finite. The material journey seems more and more a test for the subconscious mover fulfilling its material obligations to live by those natural means and somehow gain salvation. This temporary divorce or separation from God or the supernatural mover is unexplainable and can only be interpreted religiously, philosophically, metaphysically, stoically and ascetically. A temporary shroud for the subconscious mover becomes its only means for salvation or re-entry to the supernatural, its life once passed becomes a vague transition from formfulness to formlessness and thus, supernatural ecstasy. Obviously, only ecstasy can prevail in such a case, when the only condition of our suffering and pain in the material universe is the material provision itself, which has a finite value. The infinite value of the supernatural does not present the same finite quality. The return to the supernatural offers a transition or crossing that is not attributed to the material value of time and finiteness space but is only a mortal and divine interfacing.