Treehouses

As a boy growing up just outside of Alexandria, VA, our community was in between two large wooded areas that my lads and I played around in ALL YEAR LONG.  We dug out underground caves...  large enough for 4 people and built a 3-story tree house that started 20 feet about the ground.  We had found 3 trees close enough together to build our tree house and used scrap wood from a home construction site.  Once completed, our tree house was large enough for 4 people on the first floor, 3 people on the second floor, and only 2 people on the top floor.  We secured it with rope and nails that we got from home.

Once both the cave and the tree house were completed, they became our club house...  our club, at the most, was comprised of 6...   and, there was no real leader...  we just sorta made decisions together, simply agreeing with whatever suggestion was offered.

TREEHOUSE MASTERS is a show on cable staring Pete Nelson and his crew who travel the USA building treehouses for people for a variety of reasons.  On average, the client pays Pete $275,000 for one of his custom built treehouses, but it can go as high as $400,000-$500,000.  So, these houses are far from the ones that my lads and I built in the 1950's.

It would appear, based upon the photos below that many people are interested in tree houses outside of the treehouses built by Pete Nelson....

Philosophical Questions: 101-205

101. Would you be able to tell if time had been altered in some way?

102. Your perception of the world is just what your brain constructs for you from the signals sent by your senses. Plus, there is a slight delay, so you aren’t even experiencing the simulation in real time. What would it be like if humans could perceive what the world is actually like and do it in real time? Also, what are the ramifications of every single person’s reality being a little different and unique to them?

103. If language influences how we perceive color, what other things could languages be changing our perception of?

104. Is a sense of humor a byproduct of consciousness or something else entirely?

105. Are intelligence and happiness tied together in any way? If you are highly intelligent, is it more likely that you’ll be more, or less happy?

106. Human memory has been shown to be incredibly unreliable. With that in mind, how do you know which of your memories are genuine and which have been altered or made up?

107. Different people and different organisms perceive reality in vastly different ways. With that in mind, what is real and what is just our perception of reality? Or does every organism live in its own personal reality?

108. When, if ever, is taking a human life justified?

109. Can animals have morals?

110. Without religion would people become more, less, or be equally morally corrupt?

111. If humanity was put on trial by an advanced race of aliens, how would you defend humanity and argue for its continued existence?

112. What rights does every human have? Do those rights change based on age?

113. Do animals have rights and do those rights extend to all animals or do the rights change based on the complexity of the animal?

114. Is justice a human construct or is it independent of humans?

115. Why do people expect a universe full of randomness to be fair?

116. With no laws or rules to influence your behavior, how do you think you would behave?

117. What’s the difference between justice and revenge?

118. If it was discovered that personality traits were partly genetic and could be removed with gene therapy, would it be ethical to edit out negative character traits that harm others like extreme aggression, compulsive lying, or cruelty?

119. If you could press a button and receive a million dollars, but one stranger would die, would you press the button? And if so, how many times?

120. What would be the most ethical way to give away five million dollars?

121. Are people ethically obligated to improve themselves?

122. Is privacy a right?

123. At what point is overthrowing a government ethical, considering all the violence a revolution usually entails?

124. Can morality ever be objective or is it always subjective? If it can be objective, in what instances? If it’s always subjective, how do we decide whose concept of morality is correct?

125. Are intentions or outcomes more important when judging whether actions are moral?

126. Should there be limitations on the right to free speech?

127. If it was discovered that most animals were conscious of their existence and eventual death, what would be the ramifications of that discovery?

128. Should euthanasia be legal? Why or why not?

129. If scientists could accurately predict who was more likely to commit crimes, what should society do with that information?

130. Do business owners have the right to refuse service to customers?

131. If babies are considered innocent, when do people cease to be innocent?

132. Why do humans often associate beauty with morality?

133. If you can save another’s life and don’t because doing so would break the law, are you ethically justified in your decision?

134. Are all individuals morally obligated to save another person’s life if they are able? What if that person lives in another country?

135. Is it just and right to deny entry to a country when doing so probably means death for the immigrant and their family?

136. Should we terraform planets if it means that we may be destroying undiscovered microscopic alien life?

137. Does anonymity encourage people to misbehave or does it reveal how people would choose to act all the time if they could?

139. What is the most fertile soil for hatred? Fear, ignorance, jealousy, or something else entirely? Is it possible that some people are genetically predisposed to hatred?

140. If doing something good for others makes us feel good, can there ever be such a thing as pure altruism?

141. What is your definition of evil?

142. Do all people have equal value regardless of their actions or is a person’s value based on their actions?

143. Why are humans so fascinated by mass murderers if their actions are universally considered evil and vile?

144. As people, we feel our moral obligation weaken with physical as well as emotional distance from individuals in need. For example, you’re more likely to help someone dying of hunger at your feet than someone dying of hunger in another country. How does this human trait of morality dependent on distance shape our world?

145. If I steal a loaf of bread from you and eat it, when does the bread itself cease to be yours and becomes mine?

146. How much effort should an individual put into not offending others?

147. If you could start a country from scratch, what would it be like?

148. Would a government run with algorithms, A.I., and statistics be better or worse than the government we have now?

149. Would the world be a better or worse place if everyone looked the same?

150. What causes the most harm in the world, but is completely avoidable?

151. How far should governments go to prevent its citizens from causing harm to themselves?

152. Do people in wealthier countries have a moral obligation to help those in poorer countries?

153. What should the role of a government be, what boundaries and limitations should it have?

154. Is poverty in society inevitable?

155. How should we measure the productivity of a society?

156. What would a utopia be like, how would it function and continue to exist?

157. Do you think there will ever be a global government? If a world government did come to power, assuming it wasn’t particularly cruel or evil, would it be a good or bad thing?

158. What is the biggest threat to the social contract in our country?

159. Is it more or less difficult to be successful in the modern world than it was in the past (10, 50, 100, or 1,000 years ago)?

160. Could societies exist without a way to transfer value (i.e. without money or a barter system)?

161. What would happen if a maximum income of was implemented?

162. What will the economy of wealthy countries look like in 50 to 100 years?

163. What do you think the long-term effects of so many people being glued to their screens will be?

164. If all humans want the same basic things, why is there so much violence and strife between people?

165. Is the human tendency to create groups an overall positive or a negative trait in terms of general human flourishing?

166. What would happen to a society in which no one had to work, and everyone was provided enough food/water/shelter/healthcare for free?

167. Is the cultural trend of individualism and the rejection of collectivism a beneficial or detrimental trend?

168. Considering that the technology exists to enable a real democracy, would a true democracy (every single person can vote on every single legislation) be advantageous or detrimental?

169. If everyone said what they were actually thinking, what would happen to society?

170. What are the benefits and drawbacks of diversity in society?

171. Under our government are there any rights that you have but shouldn’t? How about rights you don’t have but should?

172. What is the most important right our government allows for?

173. Has social media been a net positive or a net negative for our society? Why?

174. How would society change if men were able to get pregnant and men and women both had an equal chance of getting pregnant?

175. Why have many societies begun to place such a high value on emotions and being emotional?

176. Is it right or wrong that everyone seems to be accustomed to the fact that all of humanity and most of the life on Earth could be wiped out at the whim of a handful of people?

177. In an ideal government, what should a good citizen provide to their government and what should that government provide that good citizen?

178. Should tax payers have the option to explicitly say what they don’t want their tax dollars spent on?

179. Can a society exist without laws?

180. Will humanity ever be able to escape tribalism and the creation of in and out groups? Should it?

181. How much privacy are you willing to sacrifice for safety?

182. How would the world change if there was an accurate measure of aptitude?

183. Is hierarchy necessary for all successful human communities?

184. Is some degree of censorship necessary?

185. What are the biggest moral dilemmas your country is facing now?

186. Was the agricultural revolution and the explosion of civilizations that came from it an overall good thing for humans or a negative? In other words, would it have been better or worse for people to stay in small tribes?

187. What will be/are some of the by-products to society of everyone having the ability to take pictures or a video at any time?

188. Does marriage as an institution need to be updated or is it fine how it is?

189. If you were given the ability to reform how your country’s leaders were chosen and how they serve, what would you change?

190. At what point is a technologically enhanced human not a human anymore?

191. Does the modern age make global conspiracies more or less feasible?

192. Is technological advancement a net positive or a net negative?

193. Is technological progress inevitable as long as humans exist or can it be stopped?

194. Is true artificial intelligence possible with our current technology and methods of programming?

195. What scientific breakthrough would have the biggest effect on humanity?

196. Why did technology progress more slowly in the past than it does now?

197. Will we keep leaping to even greater technological and scientific breakthroughs that radically change society, or will the rate of progress slow and humanity’s progress be limited to incremental improvements?

198. If a robust and cheap genetic engineering industry existed, would you have your genes edited? If so, what genetic changes would you choose to make? If not, why not?

199. Assume that in the future there will be huge leaps in human augmentation. Given a scale from completely human to completely machine, how far would you choose to augment yourself with robotics? What parts would you augment and why?

200. If the transporters in Star Trek existed and you used it, your particles would be disassembled and then reassembled, do you die every single time? Are you ever alive at two places at once? Are you ever completely dead?

201. Should full access to the internet be a fundamental human right?

202. Has the invention of the atomic bomb made the world a more peaceful place?

203. Do you think the singularity will occur? If so, what time frame do you think it will happen in?

204. If emotions are the product of biochemical reactions, then in the future we will be theoretically able to control them. If we could control emotions through technology, should we?

205. Is there a limit to what humans can create through technology and science?

COVID Norms

For almost a year, we, as a nation of people have modified our schedules, stayed locked up in the house...  only leaving for emergencies, to purchase necessities, or to see the doctor, and have pretty much worn a facemask everywhere we have gone.  Some of us have not been able to go to work for a while because certain businesses in certain States were prohibited from opening.  Our Federal Government, recognized the problem and sent out everyone $1,200 and followed that up with another $600...  however, for a couple that amounted to about $3,600 which was a drop in the bucket for those who were unable to work for 6 months...  and, amounted to about one month of expenses.

But...  with that said, the cost to the American Taxpayer was high...  because our Federal Government gets it money for the most part from taxes.

Now, we are facing new problems even with the vaccine because it will take another year before everyone in the USA has received the vaccine and some of our school teachers in grade levels K-12 are still very nervous about going back to work and risk catching the virus.  Consequently, some of our school children are missing out on their educational futures and could very easily fall behind academically a good 2 years unless their parents have been home-schooling them...  and, while home-schooling is a viable alternative it may not be appropriate for everyone.

While COVID still prowls over our country, we have an increase in violence prowling over our larger cities...   like New York City and other cities of a relatively similar size...  Most of this violence is in the Northern part of our country, but violence has a way of relocating to other areas and if violence needs to go somewhere, it will no doubt travel south.  However, violence is usually restricted to the cities proper and if it were to move South, it would not move into those rural areas because of our SECOND AMENDMENT and the fact that MANY SOUTHERNERS own multiple firearms and keep their usage certifications current...   especially since HUNTING is one of SOUTHERNERS favorite past times.

Older folks are more susceptible to COVID than younger people but younger people can be infected with the virus but display no symptoms making it deadly for older people to spend a lot time in public without wearing protection...   although, wearing a face mask does not protect the wearer of the face mask but other people...  so, the only way for older people to protect themselves is to not be around people who are not wearing face masks.

Healthcare workers have informed me that the wearing of facemasks is likely to be the NEW NORM for several years out into the future...

Mornings In East TN

Being retired, I can awake in the mornings anytime I want if I do not have an early morning doctor's appointment which I usually make if I am going to the University Medical Center for the sole purpose of getting a parking place in the lot where the building is located as opposed to parking in the garage and having to walk over in the heat or the cold.

HOWEVER,

if my wife gets up before me...  then our Siamese Cat believes that I should be up as well and literally HOWLS at the door until my wife lets him in.  Once he is in the bedroom, he is up on the bed and in my face touching me with his paw until I open my eyes.

I cannot just lay there because he continues to get in my face until I am actually out of the bed and getting dressed...  once dressed and out of the bedroom, our Siamese cat returns to his heating pad on the bed in the spare bedroom and goes back to sleep.

ONCE UP...

I make 3 cups of coffee with 2 spoons of Cappuccino Mix in each cup that I then pour into a metal YETI cup that I take with me to a recliner in the living room where I watch FOX NEWS...  I have discovered that FOX NEWS is more likely to present BOTH SIDES rather than present ONE SIDE of the story like the other stations do...   CNN, CBS, ABC, & MSNBC.

It bothers me about the LIBERAL ATTITUDE that is going on inside our political system and I fear that our country will forever change...  this fear is compounded by the fact that the rest of the countries in the world like:  China, Russia, North Korea, and the Middle East will become economically stronger and grow their militaries as well including NUCLEAR capabilities that will cause the USA to loose its TOP position in the world...   once that happens, we will gradually decline...

That decline will actually not directly bother my wife and I economically because of Social Security and the money we have saved; however, if the dollar is ever devalued, then it will take more and more of our savings to live....  even then, we are still covered...

After watching the news for about 90 minutes, I decide to have breakfast and fill my YETI cup up again with more coffee.  Breakfast varies but whatever it is, I try to keep it between 300-400 calories.  The same holds true for Lunch and Dinner and Snacks that I might eat that day.  If I can manage those calories, then my total intake is 1,600 calories each day which is PERFECT for my age and health and weight...  as long as I properly address the RDA of all areas:  Proteins, Dairy, Grain, Veges, and Fruits.

For the rest of the morning, I will write articles and post them to my blogs which includes typing up previously written poetry and posting it to a specific blog.  I have written over 42,000 poems and I want to post them on my poetry blog for anyone who wants to read them.  If not, then that's ok as well.

Then lunch and perhaps watch a couple hours of shows that I download from NETFLIX or HULU...  it could be a movie or it could be a series.  I prefer series but not all of them are well put together in the sense of acting and storylines...  and, I will not just watch something for the sake of watching.    IF there is nothing to do, I might take an afternoon nap for a couple of hours.

Since we are in the winter months, I am typically inside...  but, if we were in the summer months then I would do something outside as long as the humidity is low, otherwise I am inside.

Dinner or Supper might take place sometime between 4:00-6:00 pm depending upon whether I am hunger or bored and need something to do.  After dinner, I might work on my blogs or work on a class that I had been asked to teach...  There is typically no TELEVISION at night unless there is a special movie I want to watch...

I am in bed around 9:00 pm.

Philosophical Questions: 1-100

1. What harsh truths do you prefer to ignore?

2. Is free will real or just an illusion?

3. Is there a meaning to life? If so, what is it?

4. Where is the line between art and not art?

5. What should be the goal of humanity?

6. Does fate exist? If so, do we have free will?

7. What does it mean to live a good life?

8. Why do we dream?

9. Where does your self-worth come from?

10. How will humans as a species go extinct?

11. Is it possible to live a normal life and not ever tell a lie?

12. Does a person’s name influence the person they become?

13. Is the meaning of life the same for animals and humans?

14. If someone you loved was killed in front of you, but someone created a copy of them that was perfect right down to the atomic level, would they be the same person and would you love them just as much?

15. If you could become immortal on the condition you would NEVER be able to die or kill yourself, would you choose immortality?

16. What actions in your life will have the longest reaching consequences? How long will those effects be felt?

17. How long will you be remembered after you die?

18. If a child somehow survived and grew up in the wilderness without any human contact, how “human” would they be without the influence of society and culture?

19. How would humanity change if all humans’ life expectancy was significantly increased (let’s say to around 500 years)?

20. Where do you find meaning in your life?

21. What do you think would be humanity’s reaction to the discovery of extraterrestrial life?

22. Will religion ever become obsolete?

23. If you could teach everyone in the world one concept, what concept would have the biggest positive impact on humanity?

24. Is suffering a necessary part of the human condition? What would people who never suffered be like?

25. Does hardship make a person stronger? If so, under what conditions and at what point is it too much hardship? If not, what makes a person stronger?

26. Would things get better or worse if humans focused on what was going well rather than what’s going wrong?

27. What benefits does art provide society? Does art hurt society in any way?

28. How likely do you think it will be that humans will last another 1,000 years without killing ourselves off?

29. What do you attribute the biggest successes in your life to? How about your largest failures?

30. If freedom is simply being able to do what you want, are animals freer than humans?

31. Would you want to know you are going to die before hand or die suddenly without warning?

32. Is humanity headed in the right or wrong direction?

33. Does the study of philosophy ever lead to answers or simply more questions?

34. What is the best way for a person to attain happiness?

35. If you had to guess, what do you think would be the most likely way you’ll die?

36. Is it better for a person to have a broad knowledge base or a deep knowledge base?

37. What is the best way to train people to see the gradients in the world around them instead of just a simplistic “this is good, that is wrong” view of the world?

38. Is intelligence or wisdom more useful?

39. Which of your beliefs are justified and which ones aren’t?

40. What do you contribute back to society?

41. What are you going to do with the one life you have?

42. Is it more important to help yourself, help your family, help your society, or help the world?

43. What life-altering things should every human ideally get to experience at least once in their lives?

44. What is the most important goal every person should have?

45. Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?

46. What are you capable of achieving?

47. By what standards do you judge yourself?

48. Can human nature be changed? Should it be changed?

49. How replaceable are you?

50. Why don’t we as a species take more advantage of the fact that we have almost infinite knowledge available to us?

51. What two questions would you ask to get the most information about who a person truly is?

52. Some people believe that if life has no purpose, then there is no reason for living. While others think that if life has no purpose, that frees a person to find/create and follow their own personal purpose. Which is a more valid point of view or are they both equally valid?

53. Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?

54. Why do we judge ourselves by our intentions but judge others by their actions?

55. What activities cause you to feel like you are living life to the fullest?

56. Does knowledge have intrinsic value or does it need to have a practical use to have value?

57. What would you genetically change about humans to make them a better species?

58. How important is play in living a healthy and fulfilling life?

59. Where do you think is the most worthwhile place to find meaning in life? Work, family, hobby, religion, philosophy, helping others, all the small miracles, or something else entirely?

60. What is the biggest waste of human potential?

61. Is a life that focuses on avoiding pain and seeking out pleasure a good and worthwhile life? Why or why not?

62. Does jealously have value in driving humans to improve themselves or is it a purely negative emotion?

63. What percentage of your life do you feel truly alive? When do you feel that way? How can you feel that way more often?

64. What do you think your future self will remember about you now?

65. “Know thyself” is an ancient concept going back much further than Socrates and is at the root of much of philosophy. With that in mind, what are the most important things to learn about one’s self or is all self-knowledge equal?

66. What do you think existed before the universe was created?

67. Is math something that humans created or something we discovered? Is looking at reality mathematically an accurate representation of how things work?

68. Is it possible for a human to fathom the true depths of reality and existence?

69. If the universe is finite, what would beyond the edge of the universe be like?

70. What is the best path to find truth; science, math, art, philosophy, or something else?

71. As more and more is being discovered about quantum physics, we become less and less able to comprehend the nature of reality. Is this something temporary and our minds will adapt and begin to understand this new reality or is it possible that the human mind will soon reach its limits of comprehension? If it’s only temporary, is there is a limit to what the human mind can comprehend? If we are reaching our limits, how do we continue to study our reality?

72. Is there inherent order in nature or is it all chaos and chance?

73. What in life is truly objective and not subjective?

74. There has always been something. Before there was something, there was only nothing. Which do you think is more likely?

75. Is happiness just chemicals flowing through your brain or something more?

76. Why are humans so susceptible to magical thinking?

77. If every neuron in a human was accurately simulated in a computer, would it result in human consciousness?

78. Is it possible that some animals are self-aware and think about their ability to think?

79. How do you define consciousness?

80. Is it possible to prove that other people besides yourself have consciousness?

81. How conscious do you think animals are?

82. Assuming evolution is correct, do you think that if humans went extinct another species as intelligent as humans would evolve? If life exists long enough on a planet, is intelligence and consciousness inevitable?

83. Would it be more frightening to discover that humans are the most advanced species in the universe or that we are far from being the most advanced species in the universe?

84. How would you define genius?

85. There is zero chance that ALL your firmly and dearly held beliefs are true. So, which of your beliefs are most likely to be wrong and which are most liable to be true?

86. How much does language affect our thinking?

87. Why are humans so confident in beliefs that can’t be proven?

88. If all your memories were erased, what kind of person would you be?

89. Why do humans have such a strong urge to distract ourselves from the real world?

90. What is the benefit of consciousness from an evolutionary stand point?

91. Is the concept of “you” continuous or does past “you” continually fade into present and future “you”? In other words, what part of “you” sticks around over time considering that the atoms that make up your body are constantly being replaced and your memories are always changing?

92. Is it possible that someone’s genes might affect their political leanings? If no, why not? If so, what would be the ramifications?

93. Can rational thought exist without language?

94. Would selectively breeding an animal such as a dog based on intelligence, increase its intelligence over time? If so, how intelligent could dogs become? If not, how does intelligence emerge in a species?

95. Are there limits to human creativity?

96. Why do we resist doing things that we know are good for our well-being while craving things that are detrimental to our well-being?

97. Is it be possible for humans to create something completely novel and new that is based on nothing that previously existed? Or is human creativity just rearranging and building on previous ideas?

100. If there existed a perfect clone of you, would it also be you? Would it act in exactly the same manner as you (like a mirror) or would it act differently? If it acted differently then would it still be you? At what point would it not be you?

Transgendered Competing

 DO YOU THINK IT IS FAIR FOR A TRANSGENERED MALE TO COMPETE IN HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS WITH OTHER NON TRANGENDERED FEMALES?

Personally...

I do not think that it is fair for the competition to take place between a transgendered male and heterosexual female...

BUT...

I am not a LIBERAL DEMOCRAT...  who thinks that this situation is not only fair but normal...

I am NOT AGAINST transgendered people...  and if they want to live the way they want to live, then that is their business not mine...    and, if they want to compete mentally, well...  that is fine as well...  but, it is not fine for them to compete physically as males and females have two different kinds of bodies, including those males who are taking female hormones....

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS want to level the playing field when it comes to transgendered people....  but, how would they feel if their daughter lost out on a scholarship to college because of a transgendered male in a physical competition...

I believe they would raise HOLY HELL even if they were not religious.

God's Purpose = God's Will

In one sense, you are always living in God’s purpose. God is God and He works all things, including your life, according to his purposes. Nothing can happen without God ordaining it.

Psalm 57:2 says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” This is key in understanding God’s purpose for your life. God has numbered your days and will fulfill every purpose He has for you.  SOURCE:  Cornerstone.edu

This is where it gets interesting because if we believe that NOTHING CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT GOD ORDAINING IT...  then, what is the point of having free will and/or choice?

For Example:

Did Judas willingly betray Jesus or did God ordain that Judas betray Jesus...  BECAUSE...  without the betrayal of Jesus, there would be no arrest, no trial, no conviction, no crucifixion, no resurrection...   NO CHRISTIANITY...

So, one might speculate that it is God's Will that there would be a Christian Faith...  and, that this Christian Faith is based upon the crucifixion and resurrection of JESUS...

Do you then think that the betrayal of Jesus by Juda was COINCIDENTAL?

Can you say for absolute certainty that GOD does not control MANKIND's behavior like HE controlled the behavior of Judas?

Of course, one must first believe that the behavior of Judas was being controlled by GOD...  which is why we started with the concept that nothing happens unless GOD ordains it.

SO...

if you are religious and believe in the basic tenants of Christianity, then you purpose is completely and totally predicated upon the God's Will and what HE wants to happen to you...  even though God has bestowed all of mankind with FREE WILL and CHOICE.

PURPOSE unfortunately has nothing to do with Free Will and Choice, if it is God's Will that gives us purpose or Individual Will that gives us purpose...

AND...

can you still be religious and believe in the tenants of Christianity is you also believe that your purpose is your own purpose and has not been ordained by God or by God's Will?

DID GOD...

simply make sure that Christianity was established here on earth and then back off with HIS OWN WILL for mankind?

FOR INSTANCE:  

If it was pre-determined that I personally end up where I am today regardless of me making any choices as to the direction of my career...  then, it would have been pointless to believe that the choices that I was making were my own...  and, I would be forced to think that I was being manipulated like Judas by God.

On the other side of the coin and because God is omnipresent both in the present and in the future, then God was simply aware of where I was going to end up before I got there and the choices that I made were, in fact, my own.

Classic Rock Memories

Radio Station:  Classic Rock '64 -  '71

Commercial Free

• The Beatles
• The Rolling Stones
• The Doors
• Bob Dylan
• Neil Young
• Jimi Hendrix
• The Birds
• T. Rex
• Chicago
• Credence Clearwater Revival

Not too many days ago, I decided to buy some noise reduction/cancellation headphones so that my wife could listen to her music without disturbing me...  and...  while that purpose was not full achieved, I started listening to the above online radio station and just about every song took me back to memories of my past....  most of them good, since I was a carefree soul back then...

Most of these songs and groups were the ones I listened to when I was in High School in Cairo, Egypt and VOA (Voice of America) was the only radio station we could receive...   What we typically listened to was recorded music when someone returned to the US on what was called "home leave.".

The years '66-'68, I was attending college in NC and from '69-'71, I was in the US Navy, stationed at Little Creek, Norfolk, VA.  I received an honorable discharge in 1972 and returned to college...

Bayes Probability Theory

A scientist has calculated that there is a 67% chance that God exists.

Dr Stephen Unwin has used a 200-year-old formula to calculate the probability of the existence of an omnipotent being. Bayes' Theory is usually used to work out the likelihood of events, such as nuclear power failure, by balancing the various factors that could affect a situation.

The Manchester University graduate, who now works as a risk assessor in Ohio, said the theory starts from the assumption that God has a 50/50 chance of existing, and then factors in the evidence both for and against the notion of a higher being.

Factors that were considered included recognition of goodness, which Dr Unwin said makes the existence of God more likely, countered by things like the existence of natural evil - including earthquakes and cancer.

The unusual workings - which even take into account the existence of miracles - are set out in his new book, which includes a spreadsheet of the data used so that anyone can make the calculation themselves should they doubt its validity. The book, The Probability of God: A simple calculation that proves the ultimate truth, will be published later this month.    SOURCE:  theguardian.com

My first thought is The Lord's Prayer...

Our Father, who art in Heaven

hallowed be they name,

thy will be done

on earth as it is in Heaven;

give us this day our daily bread

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

for thine is the kingdom

the power and the glory

for ever and ever,

Amen

What is interesting here is that, not only are we acknowledging the existence of God, but we are ACCEPTING the fact that HIS WILL BE DONE...  here on earth just as it is accomplished in Heaven...  with the unique understanding that NO ONE KNOWS exactly the location of Heaven other than the fact that it is not here on earth.

We are also asking for forgiveness from the standpoint of us forgiving others...   and, the latter part of this request is the most difficult...  It is easy to ask but difficult to give...  and,  therein lies our conundrum...

What does it take inside our minds for us to forgive others who have WRONGED US?

Again, this is an easy question to ask but a difficult one to implement and yet our entire belief system is contingent upon being able to do this...  it might take us an entire lifetime to achieve this level of behavior.

Finally and most importantly and OFTEN OVERLOOKED is the fact that we are asking God not to lead us into temptation....  What this means is that GOD could lead us into temptation...  just as HE lead Judas into temptation...  even though that temptation HAD TO HAPPEN in order to created CHRISTIANITY.

If God can lead us into temptation...  then, that means that God can control our present as well as our future including our BEHAVIORS...  and, if this is the case, then, we have NO FREE WILLS...

So, if we believe in this prayer and understand that this prayer is the prayer that Jesus TOLD US that we should use when praying to HIS FATHER, then, we are also acknowledging that we are willing to give us our FREE WILL.    

Is this the tradeoff for religious beliefs:  giving up one's free will?

Watching The NEWS

Ever since our 2020 elections last November, I have stopped watching local and national news and the reason for my decision was simple...  the American Public does not want to know the TRUTH and when they hear the TRUTH they do not want to do anything about it, even though it negatively impacts them or will impact them in the near future.

The American Public is GULLIBLE and will damn near believe anything...  especially if mainstream media shares it on their networks.

The American Public is finally going to get what they deserve...  and, whatever it is...  it will impact me only a little but not near as much as it will impact them...  that is to say...  those who are still working...

This is one of the DISADVANTAGES of living in a DEMOCRACY...  an UNEDUCATED PUBLIC when it comes to voting AND/OR a public that is EASILY MANIPULATED...

Those of us who are retired are no longer IMPACTED that much by what GOVERNMENT may or may not do...

For Example:

• raising taxes won't bother us because of our low income
• increasing Medicare benefits will only help us
• limited healthcare resources will hurt us slightly because we get a priority
• waiting for operations will hurt us slightly because we get a priority
• we will not be taken into the military if we go to war
• our national debt will impact our grandchildren
• domestic terrorism happens in big cities for max exposure

I still have no desire to watch the news but that is not to say that I will never start watching the news again...  

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

The Weekend

TO A RETIRED INDIVIDUAL OR COUPLE...  the weekends are just two more days of the week, no more special or different than the other five days of the week other than specialty doctors are typically not available even though there is always a doctor ON CALL as they say.

The other issue about weekends is that the movie theaters have more people attending them as do the restaurants, and the malls or any other public place which makes it especially worrisome with our COVID pandemic lurking about in the shadows.

For my wife and I, weekends are a break from doctor's appointments and the need to get CLEANED UP and drive for 30-40 minutes into Knoxville and have to deal with the city traffic...  even though the traffic in Knoxville is not as great as the traffic in Nashville or Atlanta as we recall from our previous visits.

There are different shows on cable during the weekend as opposed to during the week and while that is somewhat appealing, cable programming leaves much to be desired outside of the news and a few cooking shows...  in fact, my wife and I spend most of our time watching ROKU and long for the day when all we have with cable is simply a WIFI hookup.

My wife and I can sleep in just as easily on the weekdays as we can on the weekends and do so often when we do not have an early doctor's appointment...  and, most of my appointments take place at the University Medical Center so I make them early in the hopes that I can get a parking place just outside the building rather than having to park in the garage and walk in the heat or cold.

The Quantum Mind

The quantum mind or quantum consciousness is a group of hypotheses proposing that classical mechanics cannot explain consciousness. It posits that quantum-mechanical phenomena, such as entanglement and superposition, may play an important part in the brain's function and could explain consciousness.

Assertions that consciousness is somehow quantum-mechanical can overlap with quantum mysticism, a pseudoscientific movement that assigns supernatural characteristics to various quantum phenomena such as nonlocality and the observer effect.  

Eugene Wigner developed the idea that quantum mechanics has something to do with the workings of the mind. He proposed that the wave function collapses due to its interaction with consciousness. Freeman Dyson argued that "mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent inherent in every electron.

Other contemporary The physicists and philosophers considered these arguments unconvincing. Victor Stenger characterized quantum consciousness as a "myth" having "no scientific basis" that "should take its place along with gods, unicorns and dragons."

David Chalmers argues against quantum consciousness. He instead discusses how quantum mechanics may relate to dualistic consciousness.  Chalmers is skeptical that any new physics can resolve the hard problem of consciousness.       SOURCE:  Wikipedia

From Stanford University, we have this:
The original motivation in the early 20th century for relating quantum theory to consciousness was essentially philosophical. It is fairly plausible that conscious free decisions (“free will”) are problematic in a perfectly deterministic world so quantum randomness might indeed open up novel possibilities for free will. (On the other hand, randomness is problematic for goal-directed volition!)

What is interesting here is the notion of the mind...   the consciousness...   the randomness of free will...  we use very little of our mind, so what is the rest of it there for?  

Why were we given something that we do not use?  

Why did we evolve something that we don't use because that is not how biological evolution works?

The quantum world is made of sub-sub-atomic energy strings that vibrate and move in unpredictable and random patterns which is why many theoretical physicists believe that there might be multiple dimensions.  However, when these strings are observed they move in a specific direction.

Why and How does this happen?

UNEXPLAINED...   just like the unused portion of the mind whose thoughts can be compared to the random movement of strings...  or perhaps, it is strings of the mind that causes the various episodes of our dreams...

Just the thought of this connection is mind boggling and overwhelming in its implications...

Profound Happiness and Enjoyment

One of the decisions that my wife and I made during the last few years of working before retirement was for me to take some consulting and teaching jobs since whatever income I generated would not impact or reduce my Social Security since I waited until age 67 to claim Social Security.  We decided to use that extra income to refurbish the house, especially the kitchen and bathroom...  but also to put in a 26 foot round pool, surrounded by a large deck with a gazebo and hot tub.

We knew that we could make this financial commitment because 5 years earlier, we achieved our financial freedom by becoming debt free 

Looking back at our paperwork...  all of this was done 10 years ago and I have been retired 6 years.  There have been some repair bills on the hot tub but that is because we were advised to use powder chemicals when we should have been using liquid chemicals...  and just normal wear and tear.  However, the pool has never needed maintenance but we have had to purchase a new motor.  During the summer months, the motor operates 24/7, so replacing only one motor is not that bad.

I am in a state of PROFOUND HAPPINESS AND RELAXTION every time I lower my body into the hot water of the HOT TUB.  Out hot tub seats 6 people, so there is plenty of room for me to extend out my entire body with my arms over the sides to hold me up.  I close my eyes and remain in that position for a good 30-40 minutes.  Then, I turn on the jets that massage my upper and lower back which is especially comforting when I have overworked in the yard.   I have lower back issues anyway so the massage is just a good way to keep my back relaxed.

I would say that I am in the hot tub every other day/night out of 365 days for a total of about 180 times a year and I get in the pool during the summer weeks about once or twice a week and typically that is for exercise purposes because I walk around the perimeter for about 20-30 minutes...  after 4-5 revolutions one way, I turn and walk in the other direction against the water currents that my movement created.

This past summer, when we could not go to MYRTLE BEACH because of COVID, our backyard pool and hot tub got a workout and while others stayed inside, we were outside enjoying ourselves either in the sun or the shade, it did not matter.

This was money well spent...

BTW...

most hot tubs last 10 or years and most pools last a little over 7-8 years...

my wife and I made of point of taking good care of both...

and, it has paid off.

At 73, I figure I only have 5 good years left maybe 7, but after 80, it is going to be a little difficult getting in and out of the hot tub.

Since my wife no longer enjoys the hot tub (for reasons that only her own), if we ever need to replace this one, I will invest in a 2-3 person tub as I really don't need all the extra space.

Going to College

After graduating from high school in Cairo, Egypt and traveling around Europe for 6 weeks, I returned to the USA to work road construction before arriving at my college of choice to live in the dorms while attending classes.  My first semester, I was without a roommate, and my second semester I lived off-campus in a trailer.  I attended college for 5 semesters before dropping out.

For my first 5 semesters, I took a variety of Freshman and Sophomore classes that back in 1966 had been specifically designed to FLUNK NON SERIOUS STUDENTS OUT OF COLLEGE.  I don't think that happens anymore...  as colleges and universities liked generating revenues from student tuitions.  Nowadays, the first two years are designed to help keep you IN COLLEGE.

Not only were many of my first two year classes block classes (as they called them) but the final exams were FOUR HOURS LONG...  nowadays, you'd be lucky to take an exam that was 50 minutes in length.

Cafeteria food was OK if I were to be kind...  and, when I enlisted into the NAVY discovered that meals aboard ship were just as good as any nice restaurant MOST OF THE TIME, especially if we were out-to-sea...  but, in port, they were like college cafeteria food, simply OK.

Some of my Freshman classes had 150-200 students and took place in the auditorium with the professor standing behind a podium on the stage...  and, it was very easy to get bored and stop paying attention.  These were typically art and music appreciation courses and were composed of dull lectures and slides.

Breakfast in the cafeteria was not well attended but lunch and dinner had waiting lines during the 3 hour time period range that students could attend.  I tried going at the beginning, the middle time, and at the end and there were always lines....  with the wait time of 30-45 minutes...  and, then almost impossible to find a seat...  because students would hang around and talk after eating.   The administration had counted on people eating and leaving...  not staying.

Teachers HAD NO RESPECT for students until they reached their JUNIOR/SENIOR years...  and then, they were pushed towards graduate school for some reason...  other than more education for the sake of more education...  and, not necessarily to get a PhD so one could teach.  I did not understand the logic in that philosophy until I retired.

College for me was boring.  Not much more different than high school, memorizing meaningless facts that would never be used after one graduated.  NO PROFESSORS made learning enjoyable or interesting or challenging...  teaching as if they did not really want to be there...  but, had no other choice.

I wasted two years in college...

I wasted two years in the military...

End of the Week Thoughts

Being retired, I have plenty of time to think, reflect, and write about those moments in my life that seem relevant to me know, but maybe not then...  when they were taking place...  and, instead of writing my thoughts in a state of silence, I have purchased a cheap pair of headphones and am listening to classic rock station on the interest from 1964-1977...  and, as it brings back memories, I write...  life don't get no better than this.

From 1962-1966, I attending high school in Cairo, Egypt as the son of a Diplomat so the house that we lived in was rather GRAND to say the least.  The living area was upstairs with a bathroom for each large bedroom and there were 6 bedrooms.  Downstairs, we had two rather large living rooms one of which had a stage for a small band, a kitchen, pantry, dinning area, and a all glass sun run in which we ate our morning meals.  There was a patio completely surrounding the house and an acre yard that was completely enclosed by bushes.

We had a cook who had an assistant and we had a house boy who cleaned and a gardener who maintain the outside yard.  My dad had an embassy car and driver who would also take us wherever we needed to go when he wasn't driving my dad somewhere.

It wasn't the life of a billionaire or even a millionaire, but it was a life of WEALTH and PRIVILEGE...

When I graduated from high school, I decided, for some reason, that I never wanted to live like that anymore...  that I wanted to live like the COMMON PERSON lived...  so, I lived in a trailer out in a field with no neighbors while attending college for 3 years until I decided that I wasn't satisfied and after dropping out, joined the US NAVY as an enlisted man which had never happened in our family...  I was later told.

Military life was not for me either...  too many rules and regulations...  and too much power and control, especially over those who were of a lesser rank, even though from one man to another man, we were all equal...  in the eyes of God.

Throughout my life, I did WITHOUT most everything that I did not need but as I grew older, I decided to reward myself with a few things...  convincing myself that I had finally earned them.  MONEY and thee quest for MORE MONEY was never something that I needed, even though I had earned both a BA degree and an MBA which was a ticket back then to HIGHER MONEY INCOMES.  I remained in the south where incomes were low and in education where incomes were even lower.

After 45 years of BEING CONTROLLED BY INCOMPETENCE or by those who because they were being controlled too had to act like they were incompetent, I decided to retire...   and, after calculating my finances...  decided that I a little bit more than I needed to live until my wife and I were 95 years old...  and, this was based upon the COST OF LIVING in East TN only...  if we moved somewhere else, even in the same State, it would cost us more to live.

Every year, I calculate our finances and I now look at me dying today and would my wife have enough money to pay the bills until she was 95 and after each calculation, the answer is always YES...  and, that includes living a MODEST LIFESTYLE like has been the case ever since I left high school.

So...

today, my wife and I went COVID was not here, took 4-6 (7 day) vacations each year and we would go out to eat once a week when not on vacation.  We have no need for additional clothes nor do we have any need for additional furniture for the house.  During the last few years of my career, I worked consulting gigs to earn some extra money for a pool, large deck, and hot tub and to refurbish our kitchen and our main bathroom making it handicap accessible.  We also had a large bedroom and bath built downstairs in half the basement, leaving the other half for a 2 car garage.

After 6 years of retirement, I an conveniently satisfied with everything that I have and do not miss anything that I don't have.  I have exactly what I need, nothing more, nothing less.  I have just enough money on which to live and enjoy my life as I want to enjoy my life.  AND...  we have been debt free for over 10 years.

I don't have an expensive car.

I don't fly first class.

I don't have a private jet.

I don't have a luxury yacht.

I don't have a big fancy house.

I don't have a million dollars.

Moving Wood

I lived with my family just outside of Alexandria, VA which was just outside of Washington, DC about 4-6 miles respectively in a community that, at the time my parents purchased our home, our community was considered out in the country.  And, before we moved in 1962, there were wooded areas on both sides of our community a little larger than the community in which we lived.  Plenty of space to go hiking and camping, build caves and tree houses and just do stuff that boys like to do at that age before high school.

I remember well the time I finally got caught breaking the law and while my parents talked the neighbors out of pressing any charges, and my mother took me to the Church to beg forgiveness, my Dad had other plans to teach me a lesson...  his punishment was HARD WORK...  and so, a mountain of chores was placed upon me to complete each day.

It was in the summer months when all this happened, so one of my tasks was the mow the lawn everyday.  If I needed more gas, I had to buy the gas out of my allowance or from earning money by mowing other people's lawns.  This was only done Monday through Saturday.

But...  the task I remember most was the MOVING WOOD task...  as I referred to it later.  My Dad purchased a cord of wood that was stacked on one side of the house.  My task was to move that cord of wood to the other side of the house, stack it perfectly, measure and record the dimensions of the re-stacked wood.   Then...   move it back to where it was originally, stack it properly, measure and record...  Then...  I had to do this again...   and again...  and again...  until I had completed 4 moves...

It took about 1-2 hours to mow the lawn and it took about 4-5 hours to move the wood...  So, I was at this pretty much all day long.  I had a wheel barrow to help move the wood.  I could not do these chores at my leisure...   I was up everyday at 7:00 am and had to start work by 8:00 am.  I would finish the wood around noon or 1:00 pm, eat lunch, and then mow the lawn...  so, I was finished around 3:00 pm and could usually do what I wanted or mow the lawns of the neighbors with whom I had contracts.  

This was done everyday as well except not on Sundays.

Later in life, when I was faced with a stupid or redundant or meaningless task, I just kept telling myself I was MOVING WOOD...  and thanked my Dad for teaching me this lesson of coping with stupid or punishing tasks.

Hallucinating Consciousness

 

A Purposeful Existence

                Why are we here?

                    Do we exist?

                        What is our purpose?

                            What is life's meaning?                         

  All of these questions have been asked only because no one knows the answers to them...  we can guess at the answers, speculate on the answers, and even logically theorized about the answers almost to the point where we sound convincing...  but, we simply do not know...  and, may never know until we, ourselves, are no longer alive.

the great physicist John Wheeler (who coined the word "black hole") said, "No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon."  So...  perhaps we exist so that we can observe and absorb  that observation into our consciousness in order to formulize understanding, then knowledge, then wisdom so that we can mentally evolve as we physically and biologically evolve...

AND IF...  that is our purpose...  then we are the result of some sort of intelligent design.

WE...   that is to say MANKIND...  is the only species here on earth with a consciousness...  and, the fact that this consciousness cannot be adequately explained by science is remarkable...

AND YET...  here we are with a consciousness...  and, this consciousness is used to absorb observation and extrapolate from that observation so that we can grow and evolve...   

So...  consciousness is not only necessary for observation...  it is also necessary for our very survival in order that we may continue to observe.

OUR CONSCIOUSNESS IS OUR ULTIMATE REALITY AND 

PROOF THEREFORE THAT EXISTENCE IS OURS...  without a consciousness, there would be no reason to exist and no reason to survive and no reason to procreate...

Life's Purpose:  Observe and Survive