The Churn

 The Churn

The character Amos in the science fiction series "The Expanse" called it "the churn". In the common vernacular it's "when the shit hits the fan". The American west burns while Florida floods. Chaos reigns in the Ukraine. The specter of nuclear war threatens us again. Friends, it's hit the fan. 

Prostulated

It is my proposal in this article that 

1)the accelerating pace of societal challenges facing humanity is currently at an " inflection point ", a crux, a crossroad in evolution = evolve or die

2)the same problems threatening the human condition are also an impetus to solve them

3)these problems are of a serious enuff nature that they affect everyone on the planet

4)that one of the ways this occurs is thru the (Jungian) collective (sub)conscious

5)that the Ukrainian situation is symptomatic of these types of problems and represents a collective focus

6) that the solution to these problems lies in a shift in the collective conscious

7) that understanding this shift from a scientific viewpoint requires better maps of how the collective consciousness progresses

8) that these two problems of understanding  and bringing about positive shift are entertwined

9) that a good approach to understanding this collective phenomenon is an intuitive approach to fractal graphics which also provides potential for mapping the phenomenon of a more analytical nature

10) that a good approach to bringing  this about is to use our empathy to radiate love on all available channels

Modeling World Consciousness

I've been interested in some time in the flow of consciousness. As some of you know, I've dedicated myself to an eclectic attempt to promote a "quantum leap" in human evolution (process theology). The flow of thought, the stream of consciousness is going over the rapids. Mathematician Rene Thom's  called his model of over the rapids, when a system goes thru an abrupt state change, "Catastrophe Theory". The simplest visualization of this is to double fold a sheet of paper in an "S" shape. Now draw a line over the folded part. When unfolded, the line is broken by a gap. The original path is discontinuous, broken. Think of a river tumbling over a cliff into a frothing pool below. 

Similarly, the war in the Ukraine has broken the peace of our world and our thoughts whirl around it. Jung's collective subconscious is  resonating with a shock to the Ucrainium (pun intended). Everyone's emotions are somewhat frayed even if we are not directly involved in any way. I wager that even those far from any conscious knowledge of the conflict still feel a general foreboding that is related to it. I advise my audiance and myself that this is happening on such a huge scale that we must each be gentle with each other and ourselves so as to observe but not be swept away by these currents. I propose that this turbulence is reflected thru out current human experience in many ways.

As few times before, the sympathy of the entire world is focused on the Ukraine. I think of only thrice in my life when there was a comparable concentration of world wide attention: the Cuban missle crisis, Apollo 11, and Apollo 13 when (I'm convinced) the power of world wide prayer helped bring the crew of astronauts home.    Everyone's emotions are somewhat frayed even if we are not directly involved in any way. I wager that even those far from any conscious knowledge of the conflict still feel a general foreboding that is related to it. 

The way the conflict draws our stream of consciousness, the flow of thoughts, is known as an " attractor " in chaos theory. Strange attractors are patterns within a fractal mathematical object that congregate around a specific point in phase space. I propose that these concepts can best be understood graphically & thru the use  of fractals.

From this point, I can't precisely describe what I'm talking about. I'm letting my intuition guide me. My experience in math tells me that visualizing an abstract space in mathematics is a very intuitive process. If I could pass on anything that I learned from my professors (e.g. Dr. James Modeer) I would point out that the process mathematics has little to do with the equations written down to finalize math insights. I hope you follow along with me in my explorations especially if it seems like anything to do with math might be challenging. I think that's mostly so because the intuitive side is hard to teach.  

I'm beginning by looking up a few definitions in Wolfram Alpha (I highly recommend their app if one needs a technical science reference).

attractor

2 | noun | (physics) a point in the ideal multidimensional phase space that is used to describe a system toward which the system tends to evolve regardless of the starting conditions of the system

OK, I grok. An attractor would be like a drain in the bathtub. That's where all the water goes - is attracted. 

phase space

So what's "phase space" ? To convey this idea is going to require an intuitive approach again. Let's temporarily drop the association of "phase" with electromagnetic phenomena and take a more abstract approach. Suppose an object (such as a thought) can take on a group of attributes (values). Then the set, or group, of all of those possibilities as it developes thru time is its phase space. Here examples will be illustrative. Let's consider a phase space of hard candies. It's might consist of values of sweetness, of sourness, of bitterness, and of saltiness. Note that I intentionally chose very abstract dimensions to this space to which numeric values would be difficult to assign though relative sweetness between two pieces of candy, data points in this "flavor space" should be subjectively determinable. So I think I can generalize here to say that a phase space is the space of possible values for the properties of an object.

fractals

When I first started working with fractals in the early '90s, it immediately occurred to me that (particularly with respect to color cycling) the diagrams of their phase spaces, such as that of "The Churn" pictured, have a living feel to them. I like very visual explanations, hence "The Churn" picture of a fractal in Ukrainian hues. Note that "The Churn" generates many mini-churns spinning off from it.

 Similarly Benoit Mandelbrot, accredited with having first developed the idea, said that his inspiration came from trying to understand how to mathematically describe the natural (living) processes which gave rise to coastlines. 

Mandelbrot's work had two relevant results:

1) fractals are self-similar on all scales (as above so below for those familiar with Hermetic principles)

2) the best mathematical modeling of these objects involves the use of imaginary numbers

I'm not going to digress further into imaginary numbers here except to briefly note the self-reference in the terminology "imaginary". Hardly coincidence in my opinion. What does need to be briefly addressed is that consciousness itself incorporates these properties. Thinking about thinking (about thinking). When considering consciousness I am often reminded of a small cartoon in George Gamow's (an original proponent of the "big bang theory") 1,2,3 - Infinity  which showed Buddha sitting under the Boddhi tree with a thought bubble (which showed Buddha sitting under the Boddhi tree with a thought bubble (which showed Buddha sitting under the Boddhi tree with a thought bubble (which showed Buddha sitting under the Boddhi tree with a thought bubble ...))). It seems to me that consciousness is fractal ( self referential) in nature. Consciousness is self-referential.

And, in synchronicity with this proposition is that our best models of flow {of thought} are also fractal in nature. The  butterfly effect was discovered by Lorentz [not to be confused with the Lorentz of the famous space/time transformation] when imperceptible fluctuations in the input of a computer model of weather flow generated wildly fluctuating patterns of output.

So, I hope I've given some understandable basis for why I think using fractals can lead to important insights into the flow of human consciousness and why I think the world changing crisis in the Ukraine is important to human consciousness when considering its evolution.

Proceeding with my "artistic" side, the blue and yellow whirlpool in "The Churn" is my envisionment of the flow of earthly consciosness at our current "cusp". A whirling vortex is focused on the Ukraine. This artwork is of a fractal space. A vortex. A turbulent flow.

Vincent just reminded me of a past confluence that illustrates what I mean when I'm referring to the flow of consciousness. It was the sexual revolution of the sixties. While braless love children were celebrating flower power, television was celebrating the wonder bra. This was a marked change from the fifties when the tv and real life couple of Lucille Ball & Desi Arness weren't allowed to share the same bed on camera. The attractor of the sexual revolution was spinning off numerous little concentrations of specific social changes around its center.

Nor is the war itself but the first of the chaotic whirlpools that threaten to engulf us. We already had the first horseman , pestilence from a microscopic burr. Now the horseman of war. Spinning off from the eminent failure of a successful Ukrainian grain harvest is the vortex of eminent starvation. The pattern here is one of the things that adds evidence to the idea I'm proposing the flow of thought is potentially map-able via fractal visualizations. 

More than any of the other immediate global problems we face as a species right now, Ukraine is a focal point. The war there has the greatest implications for humanity for ill and GOOD.

Turbulent Flow Generates  Useable Energy

Here's an ideogramatic representation for decision point, crux, crossroad. It's subject to interpretation, but a Taoist view is that its  composed of danger and opportunity.

As few times before, the sympathy of the entire world is focused on the Ukraine. I think of only thrice in my life when there was a comparable concentration of world wide attention: the Cuban missle crisis, Apollo 11, and Apollo 13 when (I'm convinced) the power of world wide prayer helped bring the crew of astronauts home.  Jung's collective subconscious is  resonating with the shock to the Ucrainium. Everyone's emotions are somewhat frayed even if we are not directly involved in any way. I wager that even those far from any conscious knowledge of the conflict still feel a general foreboding that is related to it. 

Vincent has a dictum that I like a lot: "Apocalyptic visions are dangerous!" This  fine mess Stanley got us into (I'm thinking of the pie fight in "The Great Race" with T. Curtis & J.Lemon) offers hope if not laffs. Yet, this strange attractor of my attention is a cusp that provides an opportunity for human consciousness to 'quantum leap' to a higher stage of evolution. 

As evidenced by the power Hurricane Ian tearing its way thru the southeastern U.S. right now, this type of turbulent flow can generate huge amounts of energy. I propose that we use the focal point of the Ukraine to generate huge amounts of mental/psychic energy to address the problem of humanity's fragmentation.

"Change possible only at crossroads"

[G.I. Gurdjieff as edited by P.D. Oespenski]

So what's going on? What can be learned from this fine mess? What can I and my readers do?

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff talked about the necessity for [external] "additional shocks" to the psyche to boost its evolution. It is my thesis that the current crisis represents a powerful additional shock to the collective psyche that can be used by each and all of us to advance our personal and collective consciousness. A shock to wake us to Divine possibilities. A shock which will aid us in our contact with galactic civilizations.

I have written elsewhere on why I believe that the emissaries of the galactics are already here (Fermi's Paradox) and why I think I am in telepathic contact with them (a variety of precedents for this operating hypothesis ). I surmise that they are engaged in what author David Brin called uplift. The galactics are interested in us because many flavors of mind are needed to solve galactic problems (such as the collision with the M31 galaxy in Andromeda in a few million years). They recognize the validity of the observer phenomena (ya can't help from cheering when you watch your team) so the moral dictum is that of Hippocrates, first do no harm. Therefore their actions are slow and deliberate. Their influence is thru mechanisms like distributing ideas (mostly unconscious, often in sleep). This form of subtle education is best seen in mass media particularly in fiction.

Alien assistance or not, I cannot but believe (I choose to believe) that our species is on the cusp of a breakthru  to a wiser state of consciousness. A more empathic state of consciousness seems to me necessary if we are to survive our adolescence. My experience tells me that to develops this empathy some sacred sacrifice is necessary. Sacrifice helps teach empathy.  The poet Kahil Gibran said that the house of love has corridors of pain. Neither science nor politics are capable of solving the problems of world wide complexity. They are rooted in a more spiritual realm. Let me be specific here in stating that this has to do people's character and not their religion. I postulate empathy is the first step in bridging the communication gap between souls. Suppose one could consciously feel another's emotions. Suppose one could consciously share another's emotions. Would that not lead to more harmonious relations? Rachel Maddock said the Ukrainian people are teaching us a lesson in bravery. I'll get back to this but I would add a lesson in compassion as well. Recently  the Finnish President was asked in an interview about the hardships the global energy shortage would bring his people. He immediately responded that they were small in comparison with those of the Ukrainian people I honor.

I can not help but feel for the Ukrainian people. I can not help but feel for the Russian soldiers dumped into a senseless war as I once was.  I can not help but feel for the Russian people.  I can not help but feel for Vladimir Putin an ex KGB? spook who grew afraid of his own shadow. (I had thought that Russia would join NATO!) I weep. Baldur was the brightest shining of the Norse gods. Loki contrived to assassinate him. The other gods found Loki out when he was the only one who wouldn't weep. I think those who read this weep with me as well. The churn stirs my compassion. A tear for Baldur. 

With perspective, it may be seen that the events in the Ukraine are helping teach empathy as a step toward better communication. The *galactics tell me that their form of governance is reliant on a profound empathic connection between them. An emotional consensus is reached in a kind of democracy where not only is each individual's opinion is considered but also the passion with which it is felt. We will achieve the same state of resonance. Empathy is the precursor to telepathy.

To achieve that state for the compassionate also requires one to be fearless. The one thing that paralizes empathy is fear. One must sacrifice one's fears to open oneself to the vulnerability of telepathy. Who's thought's are we thinking any way? If our thoughts are not our own, who's are they? The universe is mental is the Hermitic principle. Ultimately all thoughts process from the mind of "god" or at least a higher order of mentation than we can normally access. It is not random chance that Newton and Liebnitz developed forms of calculus simultaneously. Their papers show that Minkowski and Einstein were both exploring similar ideas on the nature of space time prior to the publication of the special theory of relativity. A higher order of thought processes was at work here. To access it these men had to allow them selves a degree of vulnerability. They had to be fearless.

The word awesome is misused these days. Awe used to have a flavor of trepidation. The idea that All ideas are from the Divine ought raise a little trepidation but a little faith overcomes that fear. I've heard that you only need as much as a mustard seed. A mustard seed is smaller than a peppercorn. Even I can manage that much faith.

So, fear not. What's the worst that can happen? Nuclear fireworks? I've  had a vision of dozens of galaxies  self immolate in incredible explosions of celebratory fireworks. Whole civilizations who's deneuma was to provide a work of art rejoicing in that moment of accomplishment. What's to fear? Nothing? Why be afraid of nothing? Let us use that poor, deluded man (reported to have poured over Omar Gaddafhi's degraded demise for hours) as an object lesson. Let us examine our own fears with an end to them.

Oh, and yes. In the end, the churn in the James S. Corey S.F. series yields gateways to other worlds.

Persist in your vision of a more beautiful world.

To Russia With Love

KONSTANTIN@INSIDE_RUSSIA author of the excellent YouTube channel 

Dear Constantine, [Tchaikowsky, Boradin, Stravinsky, Chekov, Dostoevsky, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn, Oespensky & Gurdjieff,  Liebow, Tsiolkovsky, Gargarin, & so many other Russians who have brought illumination to my life]

I have been watching your Youtube channel with delighted interest since February. I have concluded that you are very astute in grasping the "big" picture", the overview, by looking at the details. You have mentioned your faith and suggested that the angels ("St. Michael") are coming to assist. I'd like to suggest, as a citizen of humanity, that the big picture includes all of humanity. I have some information for you along that theme. So, I'm getting prompted to make sure this message is passed on by temporary sponsorship of your vlog. 

Let me first introduce myself so that you have an idea that I might have an insight or two. I have a degree in applied math with minors in history & philosophy. My professional career was centered around the computer industry of the 70's & 80's. I worked on software for the North American Air Defense Command as well as highly technical R&D software design for real-time simulation & real time monitoring of sulfur  dioxcide emissions. Some of the ideas I'm going to present are radical so I'm giving you this background to indicate that I have an analytical & thotful approach to my ideas.

It seems clear that the most severe problems facing humanity today are of a global nature and require global cooperation to be solved. It seems quite clear that these problems cannot be solved by current institutions political or scientific (or religious). The objects space ship earth is about to collide with (climate change, depletion of natural resources, famine...) will require an unprecedented planetary cooperation to avoid by instituting a course change. That it can be achieved was shown by the success of  yesterday's DART mission. If you haven't heard, an international mission made a successful deflection of an asteroid as the first step in building a system that will defend Earth from events like the one that contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs (& possibly the Tunguska event). It is in that spirit I want to pass on this info. 

As a physics major, scheduling made it easier to get a math degree than physics but the problem of first contact was my chief interest and has remained so. The physicist Fermi [developed 1st working reactor at University of Chicago] asked the question which has come to be known as "Fermi's Paradox". In essence the question is [given the math of the "Drake Equation"] where are they? Modern science indicates that the universe should have many worlds older and wiser than ours. Given the very short time in cosmological terms that humanity took to reach our current state of evolution it would be easy for those other worlds to have visited. Where are they? It is my opinion that Fermi's paradox is quite simple: they're already here. I shall return to this idea shortly.

Returning to the theme of global problems (I'm going to show possible relationship here) my conclusion has been that an elevation of the consciousness of humanities members seems necessary to solve them. Humanity needs to make a quantum leap in wisdom. Currents stir in the global brain connected by the internet that can lead to that leap in human empathy & awareness. My operating hypothesis is that this process is occurring and that it is being assisted by non-human intelligences. 

OK, there it is. I am convinced that Others, be they aliens or angels, are in telepathic contact. Yes, I too think this opinion is a little crazy, at least at first. I'd also like to think I have  sense of humor about my participation. I'm not saying it's a joke or a hoax, just recognizing (with a smile) how outrageous the claim seems.

 I think you have been called to aid in this process. You have consistently shown an understanding of how details lead to a bigger picture and indicated your recognition of the importance of a spiritual underpinning for your posts. My husband and I join in your prayers. So in a spirit of loving harmony. I pass on these thots to you.

1) Continue to the best of your ability to concentrate on the positive possibilities in your situation and that of the Russian and Ukrainian peoples.

2) Remember that the current chaos contains the energy for great changes to the joint good. Those of us praying for the world are a powerful force.

3) Put on the golden armor of love and fear not. Fear is the common enemy. Fear of loss of control is what drove Russia's leader to his current self defeating posture.

4) Prepare for the time when Russia and its people rejoin the world community. You, should you so choose, will have the opportunity to become a great leader of your people. How will you mend the fences with your Ukrainian neighbors & help repair the horrific damages done to both your countries?

5) Never forget that there are those of us all over the world with a broader perspective who support, not the Russian state, but you & the Russian peoples.

On a more personal note hubby & I pray for your joy (to share with others), your rapid reunion with your wife&family (best wishes to Natasha), & the rapid defeat of the Russian troops in the war (so the boys can go home to their families in one piece & help rebuild the mess that's been made).Your current situation reminds me of that faced by Solzhenitsyn and I anticipate an even more rapid resolution for you. Additionally, please let the misinformed older folk my age know that thinking people in the U.S. have no wish for suffering or conquest of anybody else. I had thot that it was likely Russia might actually join NATO at some point in the future. 

 I would welcome more communication on these subjects should you be interested. I'm on Facebook. My blog with essays on some  of thse subjects is janimue.blogspot.com. It lists (at top) my email address. I have a second blog on matters of faith in relation to making a better world: janimuefaith.blogspot.com. My attempt at transforming some of the spiritual work to technological tools is on the janimue YouTube channel.

With love & respect,

Janet Norman-Lidster and Vincent Lidster

The Flow of (TD)ao

 21/05/01

V& I know a great story about a Taoist sage.  I'm missing the source so here is my retelling - respect is meant for the characters and culture.

{Image courtesy oor https://www.firmani.com/uncategorized/crisis-in-chinese/}

For the past seven years the river had flooded the fields to the point of washing out the dikes between the pattys and washing away some of the tender, young rice shoots. The rice yield fell by a third. Once a prosperous community, the village was now on hard times. Something had to be done. 

The headman called a group together & strengthened the dikes. It didn't work. The emperor's tax collectors called in the emperor's  engineers. The next year the flooding was even worse.  The emperor's advisors proposed solutions but none could be found that calmed the river. Finally, in desparation, one of the younger  advisors said he knew of a Taoist magician who might be able to help. He was summoned immediately and brought to the village.

The next morning the village awake to find the magician gone. "Ahh, another charlatan who could not help us", they thot and resigned themselves to their misery. But, no! He was soon found nearby sitting and gazing at the river. " He's on the problem now!" they thot.  All day he sat and watched the river. That evening he came in collected a meal, then a bedroll and went to sleep in a peaceful corner of the head man's house. "Well," they thot. "He's tired from his journey yesterday. He needed to rest up." 

Next morning they again woke to find him lazing by the river. And again on the third morning.  On the forth morning the sage slept until the noon meal, ate, and wandered off until the small hours of the morning. As the days passed the pattern varied but the touted wizard could always be found helping himself to someone's meal, curled asleep in a comfortable corner of someone's house, or lazing by the river.

Grumbling was heard. "We are poor. Why are we wasting our food on this useless old trickster? The monsoon will soon be here. Our crops will be lost again. Our homes will be flooded and our live stock washed away. People may drown. We must appeal to the emperor again." 

The very next day the mandarin himself came on born on his litter. They spotted the old man gazing at the river. As the madarin's litter approached the sage ( with some fear as he knew more of the sorceror's reputation than most knew) the old man waved them off. He stood with his staff and waded into the river. Up to his elbows in water he planted his staff with great force  just upstream from a small islet. Silt began to accumulate immediately. Steadily the river split into two channels. 

The village never flooded again.

This story is a great application of practical chaos theory. A tiny change in additional conditions ( the staff) affected outcomes ( flooding) to such an extent that it improved and even saved peoples lives. The more chaotic the situation, the more opportunity for change. As the article accompanying it describes, the ideogram above also represents the concept of crux - crucial point - cusp. Covid, civil unrest, rapidly changing climate, economies, and social values all point to such a decision cusp for humanity. Mystic teacher G.I. Gurdjieff thot change was only possible at crossroads and (in my interpretation) the " midst of mass madness " was the best time to make a profit. When the branch is tender and puts forth leaves (Matthew 24:32). Rejoice! Great reward awaits for the grasping of this moment! Its the crux of the matter!

    

The Influence of Science Fiction on Consciosness

It is an iconic image.The serene and stately Michael Renee raises his hand in greeting to the circle of soldiers surrounding his  flying saucer.  It is particularly poignant moment for me because it's one of the few times I remember really connecting emotionaly with my father. We both sat in wonder at the possibilities of the universe. On the remote chance that you have never seen "The Day the Earth Stood Still", you owe yourself a favor..Please do. It's delightfully dated but the message is still relevant. Renee's character stoically presents an ultimatum and an opportunity to mankind - get your act together or face horrific consequences. For me it's more.  Today, contact experiences report receiving an almost identical message from many NHI sources. It's a movie that has entered into the collective consciousness.

Science fiction entered my consciousness several years after my first contact experiences and well before "Day". At age nine the older cousin I looked up to got me to read Robert Heinlein 's The Starbeast about a boy making friends with a large reptillian. This was in 1956. I was hooked on first contact. All the way to the  late 60s I was a nerd for s.f. It painted exciting possibilites for seeing the universe thru an entirely different set of perceptual filters. Other movies slowly followed from Hollywood, most notibly "Forbidden Planet" where a scientist grapples with monsters of his own subconscious made manifest by ancient alien technology, but this was a rare gem. Most Hollywood productions promoted  fear of the unknown somewhat like the grays have been said to do as a a control mechanism.

Meanwhile television, being a newer media, was more exploritory. Serlings "Twilight Zone", then "Outer Limits" led to "Star Trek". "There is nothing wrong with your television set" began Outer Limits, which then proceded to convince me that if I went outside I would see them landing. "Star Trek", despite a poor initial audience, went on to spawn one of the biggest francises ever with a new spin off currently airing on CBS. For the first time in mass media contact was shown as a phenomena as likely to be mutually beneficial as hostile.

Written science fiction was way ahead. Not only did it presage contacts of multiple types, it also delved deeply into questions about the process of consciousness.  Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination went further into the exploration of consciousness when he tryed to describe in prose the phenomenon of synesthesia wherein sensory input is scrambled so that vision becomes smell and touch becomes taste etc. As far as I know the idea of "telepathy" was primarily restricted to science fiction as in A.E.van Vogt's Slan. Mass media was still far behind but the cadre of nerds like myself who read s.f. had been inculcated with the virus.

Then came 2001. Overnight college populations began to read s.f. It became a respectable subject in college literature courses. It entered the minds of the intelligencia. On the screen most s.f. was monsters and dystopia, but the idea of communicating with  other beings in a meaningful wayhad arrived.

 At the end of 2001 is  a light show that left the audience stunned and ecstatic or confused. Ask yourself, just in speculation, isn't it possible that the lighshow at the end was a visual "download. "- A form of telepathy?

Hollywood as a whole still had not caught up. S.F. was still not popular with a large audience. That is until "Star Wars.- A New Hope" in 1977. There rapidly followed a series of movies promoting the possiblilities of beneficial contact: "E.T. - the Extraterrestrial", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (which envisioned using music as a common language) "Cocoon" (which had glowing golden NHIs similar to many contactee reports) and others less noteworthy.

 As was reported of popular science fiction author, Philip K. Dick, the weave between the open minds of creative minds of extra-terrestrial contactees and science fiction continue.  In my mind they are becoming indistiguishable. I am convinced I am in telepathic contact with extraterrestrial entities. As with Russian philosopher of  science, P.D. Oespensky in his description of "mental conversations with G[urdjieff - ed.] I am simultaneously elated and abashed that the information is recieved in such a subjective manner. I can't prove a word of it, much less meet Carl Sagan's criteria that it should require extraordinary proof. Yet, the synchronicity of serendiptous correlations grows in my conscioussness and, siren-like, beckons my curiousity forward with a caution "Beware of Mind Fields."  Am I to be proven a ludicrous loon should I continue my exploration?

The recent (five star in my book) s.f. movie "Arrival" strikes me as a far more likely first contact scenario than those traditionaly posited by traditional contact. The suggestion that the aliens in the movie percieve time in a non-linear way fits well with information I have. Further, the idea that the visitors are all humanoid is a sticking point for me. Nature is wonderfully imaginative and prolific. If I can imagine a eight foot high semi-liquid intelligent block of jello that knows how to manipulate electro-static fields thru the movement of its organelles inside the cell membrane, why would I expect mother nature to send only humanoids to visit us? I think these objections can be ultimately explained but I'm disturbed by generally the human-centric view of NHI experiences. Has the cosmic mind begun injecting a more generalized view of intelligent beings into Jung's collective subconscious?

The night I began writing this post, Julian May's "Intervention" was playing on an Alexis audiobook:

""Do you know that walnut trees will not bear fruit in the tropics? They need the winter. In the old days, they needed it twice! Once to stimulate the fruit to form, and again to rot the thick husks so that the inner nut would be set free to germinate. Our human cycle is much longer, but we, too, have passed through our first great winter and attained the power of self-reflection. Over the ages our minds have ripened slowly, giving us greater and greater mastery over the physical world, and over our lower nature.”

 

“Oh, very good! And now I suppose the superior nuts are ready to fall! The winter of nuclear war that threatens—is this what will bring about your mental revolution? Are we to look forward to supermen levitating over glowing ashes, singing telepathic dirges?" 

 

“It might work out that way,” the old man admitted. “But think: One doesn’t have to wait for the walnut husks to rot naturally, not if one is determined—and not afraid of stained hands.”""

I think a mass revelation/disclosure is upon us It should be interesting. Hell, I think it will be great fun. It will almost certainly be different than expected. But, I've been known to be wrong.

Service for Citizenship

The 11th of November is set aside in the U.S. for honoring those who are veterans of U.S. military service. My military service proved an invaluable experience for me. It's been over fifty years since  I slogged thru Southeast Asian mud so thick that we had to call in a huey (UH-1D helicopter) to pull the machine gunner out of where he had become stuck. Yet that experience still informs my thoughts on how to structure a compassionate and just society. We made mistakes. Undoubtedly we'll make them again. Still, I am proud that I did my best to represent the highest ideals of  our democracy  to the world by presenting a compassionate face to those I met as do U.S. servicemen all over the world today.

The pre-amble of Constitution of the United States of America defines its intent to include "promote the general welfare". Thus, our the founding fathers saw one intent of our government was to aid its citizens. This half of the relationship between citizen and government seems clear. It proposes that government has an obligation to its citizens. In the years I have been formulating my political philosophy, it has become clear to me that, for a citizen to contribute to the society as a whole, each of those citizens must have the necessary conditions to do so. It seems self evident these necessary conditions include food, shelter, and mental and physical health. For this reason I have long supported the idea of a guaranteed national income (what has become known as universal basic income - this could be supported by a Universal Transaction Tax in lieu of all other forms of tax.)

Yet the other half of the relationship between society and citizen, the responsibility of that citizen to the state (as administrated by the government) is not directly mentioned in our constitution. This is a serious, perhaps even fatal, lapse of rigor. There is, however, a proposed principle which could equitably rectify this lapse.

In his science fiction book, Starship Troopers, author and U.S. Navy vet Robert A. Heinlein postulated a society in which democratic participation is contingent upon (military) service. If you don't serve, you don't get to vote. Hear, hear! 

I don't expect to see even referendums disenfranchising voters any time soon. At the very least, measures requiring voters be veterans would have to be gradual. Yet veterans are the only group to have demonstrated their worthiness to vote by the reciprocal action in their relationship to the state of providing their service. We are the only ones who have proven our right by our service.

I don't propose that this service require willingness to bare arms. During the Viet Nam era in which I served, I greatly admired those of conscience who refused combat on grounds of personal conviction. I will always admire with gratitude the service of one of the medics in my unit who refused to carry weapons. Military service need not require a willingness to fight. Yet, for several reasons, I think that the obligation of an individual's service to society at large is best attained thru military service. Military service provides a common background of discipline,duty, and honor to all vets.

My service eventually provided me with the tools to participate more fully in our democracy. It gave me the confidence to assert my own path in life. It have me a broader view of the world by taking me places that introduced cultures different from my own. It gave me a broader view of the composition of my own society by introducing me to individuals, both admirable and not, of very different socio-economic backgrounds than my own. Eventually, my service helped secure an advanced education, a home, and ongoing medical care. These days, it also provides sufficient to give me have a low income, low impact, but desirable lifestyle.

It's currently considered good form to thank vets for their service. It always embarrasses me slightly as completely unnecessary. I am grateful for the experiences of my military service and for the benefits it accrued. I am convinced I am better, more informed citizen from my military experience. We vets earned the right to participate in our democracy. I think every one else should earn theirs too for their own benefit as well as societies. I support Universal Service. On this day of remembrance and re-dedication I commend this thought to all the men and women who honor their oath to the Constitution by their service past, present and future.









 

Patriotism

Yesterday I received an award for "California Patriot of the Year - 2015" from the Coalition to Honor America's Heroes. I have no idea why I was picked for this honor: somehow I got on their "one born every minute" mailing list. I know nothing about their organization. I suspect that they might think many of my views to be unpatriotic.

Nonetheless, it prompted me to scribe some thoughts I've had recently on the subjects of patriotism and heroism. I think Kipling gave the best definition of what society calls a hero in his poem if:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs...  (full poem @: "If," A Poem by Rudyard Kipling)

I don't think that doing your job in a stressful, possibly life-threatening situation is particularly heroic. In the case where I received an army award for valor I simply kept my cool while others were losing theirs. No bravery was involved, just simple self preservation. Those things which for which I was proud of my courage were small and went unnoticed at large. To me a hero is someone who puts himself on the line when he or she doesn't have to without expectation of reward or recognition.

But what I really wanted to address was the subject of "patriotism". In my experience 90% of what is called "patriotism" in the United States is not. It is jingoism. It is: let's jump on the band wagon and pound our chests while loudly proclaiming our tribe is better than anyone else's: "Our country (state,county, city, township), love it or leave it". While regional pride is a fine thing, this nonsense (I and my tribe are better than you and your tribe) is dangerous. To me, a true patriot opposes this type of thinking.

The true patriot is one who acts in a heroic manner for the good of their tribe. Especially those who sacrifice to that end. Most especially those who go oppose the mob opinion. I served in Viet Nam without regret. I laud those who throughout our history have given of themselves, perhaps risking their lives for their country.  I respect those who left the U.S. to evade the Viet Nam war but those who stayed behind and fought it were, in my book the at least as TRUE patriots.

For a democracy to function it is absolutely necessary that unpopular opinions be heard lest the democratic process be overwhelmed by the "tyranny of the majority". To publicly express an unpopular opinion requires courage. To be a heroic patriot means standing up to the crowd and saying "you're wrong" and "here's why."

Four Steps to a Rational Society

Four Steps to a Rational Society

    What does the obligation of the individual to society? What is the obligation of society to the individual?  In order to determine what a rational structure for a society might be, one must first ask what the function of that society is. In a democracy it seems clear that that function is to provide for the welfare of its members. When a society fails to provide the necessities of life for a member, that member is no longer capable of participating in the society. Thus food, shelter, clothing and health, both physical and mental are obligations of society.  Further when the society fulfills that obligation it seems only reasonable that the individual owes service of some form to that society.
    These conclusions lead to the first two of the four steps to a rational society:
1) UBI - Universal Basic Income (Guaranteed Income)
    The simplest way for a society to meet it's obligation of providing for the welfare of its members on an individual basis is what I originally called a guaranteed national income and has now come to be called "Universal Basic Income". This is a rational approach to equality under the law.
2) USvc - Universal Service (a universal draft)
    Any citizen not willing to provide service to the society in which they live is not worthy of that society. The mechanisms for providing that service under law must be, of necessity, of some complexity. However as a first pass it seems to this author that, as the working life of an adult is approximately 50 years, a draft for all citizens of 5 years service (10%h of adult working life) is not unreasonable.
    How then may the funds necessary to support step 1) and other public works be raised in an equitable? This leads to the second two steps:
3) Transaction Tax - a tax on all public exchanges of goods and services to the exclusion of all other taxes
    Providing the extensive funds necessary to finance UBI may best be achieved by a transaction tax in the absence of all other forms of taxation. The society provides the means for the transition to take place so ethical grounds for its taxation are established. The current system of taxation is so grossly unfair that it is laughable. The middle class experiences higher, & higher tax rates, while trillion dollar corporations use tax shelters to avoid paying. In the U.S. approximately 5 billion dollars in transactions occur every day. A 10% tax on these transitions would provide enough in a single day to yield over a thousand dollars for every U.S. citizen. Further, this would, in all likely-hood, result in a bureaucracy  greatly reduced from the current kludge. An old rule in design is "KISS: keep it simple, stupid." Simple is fairer.
4) Tax Use Choice - implementation of the citizen's right to determine how  his taxes are used.
    In today's society, an option that has never before been available is available: the choice of which public works (aside from the given UBI) to which the citizen's tax dollars are spent. The use of computers makes this possible. Every citizen should be able to say where their tax dollars are put to work. As an example, I am a proponent of space exploration. Many I know are not. I should be able to put my tax dollars into this public work while my neighbor, who supports better street lightening (which I think superfluous) puts their money into the lighting.
    Obviously, there are details to be worked out here should such a utopian scheme ever be adopted. Let me warn here that adoption of a 1)UBI without some form of 2)universal service can not work and I would oppose it. Today's political realities may prevent such a scheme from being adopted especially with regard to step 3) transition tax.  I am not holding my breath. . Further, there would be many technological challenges to implementing 4)a tax use choice though they are tech implementation problems, not theoretical limitations.
     Perfection is a goal that is likely unattainable practically yet should be the goal towards which we strive. I hope we have the wisdom to continue to do so.