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

Splitting The Difference

My wife a few months ago got interested in a musical group from South Korea with the name of BTS and most of their songs are in Korean but it is the music and the voices of the group that caught her attention.  Her interest increased to the point that she spent all day doing research on each member of the group and of course their families as well, including birthdays, likes/dislikes, clothes, thoughts about whatever, birthdays, and the fact that one of them had to enter the military for mandatory service in a couple of months.

BTS was supposed to have a concert in Atlanta a few months ago, but it was cancelled or postponed because of COVID...  I was going with her because I did not want her to do this alone because no one else her age was actually interested in this teenager appealing group.

From that interest she progressed into watching movies and series of Korean Shows on Netflix and HULU even though all of the movies were in Korean with English subtitles.  She tried to get me involved but I refused to watch subtitles.

Whenever I am not in the living room, even it it is for a moment, she starts playing the music of BTS as if she is almost completely deaf and when I return I am not nice with my comments like:  TURN THAT DAMN SHIT DOWN...

So, she decided to go to the our room in the basement that has been converted into a bedroom, with a couch, TV, and exercise equipment to watch her SOUTH KOREAN MOVIES and MUSIC...

FEELING GUILITY...  

I decided to buy some noise canceling headphones and suggested that she return upstairs to listen to whatever she wanted to listen to and I would just put on my earphones...  and, if I am wearing headphones, I might as well listen to classic rock music...

I got some headphones at WalMart for about $50 and the only other choice was BOSE for about $300 and I just could not see spending that much money to keep the peace.

LIFE GOES ON...

EAST TN: Ideal Retirement Location

As I have mentioned many times before, I am living in the Tennessee Valley of East TN and as far as I am concerned, it is an IDEAL place to live, especially if one is retired...   because of:

• its physical location weather protection
• its physical location geographically
• 30-60 minute access to everything
• Oak Ridge National Labs
• TVA Parks and Recreation
• Country Life and exposure to nature
• Tranquil surroundings
• University of TN
• its lower cost of living index
• its lack of urban influences
• its lack of crime

NOTE:   Not everyone is suited for this type of lifestyle...  but, let me assure you that we have local watering holes that serve beer, wine, and alcohol.  We have illegal drugs being sold to our elementary school children and high school students.  We have local prostitutes and call girls.  We have several members of the Mexican Drug Cartels living in our area as well.  We have political crimes and influence peddling.  We have telephone scams and computer hacking and all sorts of people trying to get access to our data to perpetrate a variety of crimes against us.

WHAT WE DON"T HAVE IS:

1. Racism
2. Black Lives Matter
3. ANTIFA
4. White Supremacists
5. Police Violence against Black
6. Blacks killing cops
7. Protesting and Riots
8. Burning of city buildings
9. Pipe Bombs
10. Domestic Terrorism

TODAY...

there is a light rain falling instead of snow.  The temps are in the 40's but will rise to the 50's but it is doubtful that we will have all the sunshine that we had yesterday.  Each day, the light extends the day against darkness by ONE MINUTE....  so, we are getting closer to spring and the rebirth of nature.  All our bushes will blow and grow.  All our flowers will return.  The Japanese Maple that I cut back will sprout new limbs as will the Crepe Myrle that surrounds our pool.

REGRETS...

My physical health and all the cuts I have on my body and all the recent procedures I have had, have kept me out of my HOT TUB for almost a month.  But, as they heal, I will return to its warmth and once again sit in the warmth of its waters and look up and see all the stars in the absolutely clear night sky.

What Is Consciousness?

Consciousness, at its simplest, is "sentience or awareness of internal or external existence."  Despite millennia of analyses, definitions, explanations and debates by philosophers and scientists, consciousness remains puzzling and controversial, being "at once the most familiar and most mysterious aspect of our lives."  Perhaps the only widely agreed notion about the topic is the intuition that it exists.  

Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied and explained as consciousness. Sometimes, it is synonymous with the mind, and at other times, an aspect of it. In the past, it was one's "inner life," the world of introspection, of private thought, imagination and volition.  

Today, it often includes some kind of experience, cognition, feeling or perception. It may be awareness, awareness of awareness, or self-awareness.  There might be different levels or orders of consciousness, or different kinds of consciousness, or just one kind with different features.  

Other questions include whether only humans are conscious, all animals, or even the whole universe. The disparate range of research, notions and speculations raises doubts about whether the right questions are being asked.

Examples of the range of descriptions, definitions or explanations are: simple wakefulness, one's sense of selfhood or soul explored by "looking within"; being a metaphorical "stream" of contents, or being a mental state, mental event or mental process of the brain; having phanera or qualia and subjectivity; being the 'something that it is like' to 'have' or 'be' it; being the "inner theatre" or the executive control system of the mind.  SOURCE:  Wikipedia

HOWEVER, the fact remains that whatever the CONSCIOUSNESS is...  we all have one and we all use our consciousness in different ways at different times based upon the external stimuli that is impacting or influencing or trying to impact and influence our behavior.  

Consciousness means simply that we are aware that we are aware (self-awareness) and because we have that awareness about ourselves, we are unique creatures...  and perception makes us even more unique...

Animals have instinct and intuition based upon previous experiences that has been imprinted upon them at birth...  but, human beings develop their own instinct and intuition as they develop and grow and experience...  nothing has been imprinted on humans except the free will to survive...  and, it is quite possibly that free will to survive that has caused our consciousness to develop.

Writing Is What I Do

I maintain 4 blogs:

Reflections:  White Scorpio  --  for my poetry (old and new)

Bipolar Scorpion  --  for my perspectives good, bad, or indifferent

My Cancer Pilgrimage  --  for the documentation of my Lymphoma and Melanoma ongoing battles

My Journal  --  for my love of writing and to post whatever is on my mind

Except for Reflections, which has been around since 2009, I only have less than 1,000 people who have visited my other three blogs on a regular or semi regular basic, usually ranging, on average about 10 hits a day...  so, my readership is very small...  and, I could increase it if I knew more about how to promote blogs or if I was willing to pay a monthly fee which I am not.

I am retired.

I am not financially well off...  as they say

I have no hobbies or interests, other than writing.

I don't play golf.

I don't like to drink alcohol and because of chemo cannot drink alcohol.

I have nothing else to do but write.

SO...

writing is what I do and will do, regardless of the number of people who actually read my postings.  It is not about the reader but about me having something to do with my time...  Retirees die quickly after they retire if there is nothing something that they can do.

SO...

I do research on a variety of TOPICS, like:

1. Psychology
2. Philosophy
3. Wealth Gap
4. US Enemies
5. Domestic Terrorism
6. Terrorism
7. Violence
8. American Education
9. STEM education
10. Physics
11. Retirement Planning
12. Quality of Life
13. Theoretical Physics
14. Quantum Mechanics
15. Astrophysics
16. Extraterrestrials
17. Aliens
18. Religion
19. Spirituality
20. Politics
21. Civil Disobedience
22. Travel
23. Cooking
24. Art and Artists
25. Forms of government
26. Political Science
27. Culture
28. Medicine
29. Entertainment
30. Coffee

Of course, my list does not end there...  there are literally hundreds of issues and concepts about which to write, explore, and discovery new views and vantage points, sometimes teaching myself and sometimes teaching others, at least those who take time to read what I have to write.  And if no one reads at all...  no harm done...  as what I do is being done to keep me alive a little longer.

That Dog Don't Hunt

I moved over to East TN from the Piedmont of NC in 1990, this month to be precise, to start the second Center for Quality and Productivity in the the State of TN at Walters State Community College and liked the TN Valley so much, I decided to stay.  East TN is similar but not identical to Western NC in that each area has its own unique expressions and common interest in moonshine.  They say (whoever they are) that moonshine is a poor man's drink...  and, perhaps that is true...  but, it is expressions that caught my attention not the moonshine.

THAT DOG DON'T HUNT is one of my favorites...  along with THE SUN DON'T SHINE ON THE SAME DOG'S ASS EVERYDAY...  both of which are applicable but the former is the one that I want to explain...

Political Parties, one could say are like hound dogs that lay around on the front porch collecting flies until some stranger comes by and they are up and after that stranger quicker than STINK ON SHIT...   as they say...  (again, whoever they is).  However, sometimes these hound dogs just don't have it in them anymore and the expression was born out of pure boredom:  THAT DOG DON'T HUNT.

Well sir...

that expression was used so often that it became the thing to say is something happened or if someone said something that just did not make any sense...

AND...

like most politicians, their comments JUST DON'T HUNT...

Most people around these parts liked Trump, not because they were head over heels in love with the man but because he was not a POLITICIAN...  Southerners don't like politicians much...  especially those of us who live out in the country...  in the rural parts...  where hound dogs lay around on the front porch until a stranger comes by.

WE DON'T LIKE BIG GOVERNMENT.

WE DON'T LIKE GOVERNMENT IN OUR BUSINESS

POLITIONS SHOULD JUST LAY AROUND ON THE FRONT PORCH

Day of Inauguration: Democracy's Loophole

As a political independent, I believe that we should give President Biden the same treatment that we gave ex President Trump...  what's good for the goose is good for the gander.  Of course that will never happen...  because the party in power has always believed themselves to be absolutely correct and therefor all behavior was absolutely acceptable.

AND..

it is because of this attitude that I left the Democratic Party

I did not vote for Trump in 2016 and I did not vote for Trump in 2020...  and, my reasons are my own but I still think that the OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT should always be respected regardless of the man inside it...  and, this was NOT DONE during the Trump administration.

I believe that history will show that we were wrong.

There is nothing special about inaugurations...  they happen every 4 or 8 years...  and, sometimes the Democrats win and sometimes the Republicans win...  and, the American People suffer the consequences of each new administration and their beliefs.

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT BIDEN WILL DO ONCE IN OFFICE, is cancel out everything that Trump put into place with EXECUTIVE ORDERS...  which is what TRUMP did regarding Obama, once he was in office.

THIS YOYO affect on our economy keeps it from being as stable as it once was because Presidents did not always do that...  they did what was in the best interest of the country at the time, keeping those policies that worked, regardless of the Party that put them into place.  TODAY, it is about erasing what the previous President did because of the person and because of the man.

HISTORY will record this as a negative aspect of our DEMOCRACY, understanding that it is not the WILL OF THE PEOPLE but the will of a few.

2021 will be the year where this is the most obvious, especially since 50% of the people are AGAINST THIS NEW PRESIDENT.

Elections today manipulate CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS simply for the purpose of getting the ELECTORAL VOTE from that State which may or may not be what the majority of the people in that State actually want...  DEMOCRACY's LOOPHOLE...

How does a PRESIDENT manage a country where 50% of the people are not supportive of him?  Trump faced that same problem...  except for one BIG ISSUE...  and that was the fact that mainstream media was AGAINST HIM...  and, this time mainstream media is not against BIDEN.

DOMESTIC TURMOIL is the fuel that feeds the fires of our enemies like:

China

Russia

Middle East

North Korea

Intelligence

 

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: Star Trek Was SOCIALISM

It is only fitting that today, the day that President elect Biden is sworn into office and the Democrats control the House and the Senate that we explore the origins of SOCIALISM in the US of A...   and, it is believed, at least by me, that the origins of SOCIALISM did not start with our Government providing services to the general public like:  education, transportation, parks & recreation, unemployment, social security, and medicate, but that SOCIALISM in the US of A started with the television show STAR TREK...  because it captured and forever locked in the heats and souls of the American Public into thinking that it was perfectly natural for the government to provide you with everything.

STAT TREK was about a UTOPIAN world in the future where there were still hundreds of countries on EARTH but only ONE GOVERNMENT:  The Federation of Planets...

Can you imagine China, Russia, North Korea, the Middle East, Europe, South America, Africa, Australia agreeing to be controlled by ONE GOVERNMENT?

With that said...

everything in one's life was provided for FREE OF CHARGE...  housing, food, clothing, allowance of money, education, healthcare, etc.   and, if you did not want to work, then you did not have to work but your share of the pie would ONLY BE BASIC...

The more you offered to society through education, experience, and the desire to WORK, the greater your share of the PIE...  like a bigger house, a bigger allowance, more food, a bigger vehicle, better vacations, better seats on an airplane...  etc.

• There was no JEALOUSY
• There was no ANGER
• There was no HATRED
• There was no RACISM
• There was no EXTRMARITAL AFFAIRS
• There were no WARS BETWEEN COUNTRIES
• There was NO DIRTY POLITICS
• There was NO BIASED MEDIA

Everyone from EARTH was considered an EARTHLING with NO COUNTRY AFFILIATIONS[...

There was UNIVERSAL HARMONY...

BROUGHT ABOUT BY THIS BRAND OF SOCIALISM...

And, the American people bought it...  hook, line, and sinker...

Life's Purpose: Do We Exist?

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, between substance and attribute, and between potentiality and actuality.  The word "metaphysics" comes from two Greek words that, together, literally mean "after or behind or among [the study of] the natural". It has been suggested that the term might have been coined by a first century CE editor who assembled various small selections of Aristotle’s works into the treatise we now know by the name Metaphysics (ta meta ta phusika, 'after the Physics ', another of Aristotle's works).

Metaphysics studies questions related to what it is for something to exist and what types of existence there are. Metaphysics seeks to answer, in an abstract and fully general manner, the questions:

• What is there?
• What is it like?

Topics of metaphysical investigation include existence, objects and their properties, space and time, cause and effect, and possibility. Metaphysics is considered one of the four main branches of philosophy, along with epistemology, logic, and ethics.

EXISTENCE

Existence as defined by the dictionary is:  the fact or state of living or having objective reality.

Objective reality means that something is actual (so it exists) independent of the mind. For example: while no one is nearby, a meteor crashes into a car, putting it on flames, leaving only a pile of ashes.

But, now does one prove that one exists simply because one perceives that one is living in some sort of reality? like an illusion... like a dream... like a fantasy...

The French philosopher Descartes believed that we exist because: "I think therefore I am."
but Descartes was a devout doubter in everything; in fact, his complete philosophical approach was based upon DOUBTING. So, if one thinks, one thinks in the context of doubt... so one would have to doubt that I AM.

So, this does not really help us much... even though DESCARTES' statement is still used today to prove that we exist.

The Movie THE MATRIX perceived existence in a another manner as if we were all in some illusionary dream world that was controlled by some sort of gigantic super computer and a variety of super program applications.

Without proof of existence... Life's Purpose is rather meaningless... wouldn't you say?

Drinking Coffee

 

Civil Disobedience: Immigration

It is not often that I watch the news anymore after the election as it all seems pointless now; but today, I watched FOX NEWS for some reason and it was reported that there is a huge caravan of immigrants from Honduras that are headed towards the US of A because BIDEN during his campaign encouraged immigration into the US of A...   of course, that was before (I think) he realized that the COVID Pandemic was not under control and would not be under control for another year even with a vaccine in hand...

BUT...

they are on their way...   

AND...

the reason that they are coming to the US of A is not because of jobs...  but because of BIDEN's promise to make sure that MEDICARE for ALL (including immigrants) was going to be available shortly after he was confirmed as President.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN...   MEDICARE for ALL?

Well...

first of all, there are NO LONGER ANY PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES....

Health Insurance will be provided by our FEDERAL GOVERNMENT...

What does this mean?

Well...

If you are sick...

you do not go to your family doctor...

nor do you go to a nearby clinic...

you go to the ER of a local hospital...

Now...

get ready for this...

if everyone in your local area goes to the ER...

then...

you could sit in the ER for an entire day before a doctor or NP is available to see you...

AND...

if your area is inundated with immigrants, who came here specifically for healthcare...

well...

they will be camping out the night before...

and will be first in line...

YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT...   and wait...  and wait...

You have about 4-6 months before the shit hits the fan...

Life's Meaning Is Purpose

Many people believe that life's meaning is to have PURPOSE...

Purpose is defined as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Does your life have purpose?

Do you have a purpose in life?

At 73 years of age, I have never really discovered (realized or became aware) of what my actual purpose was or is...  and yet, I believe very strongly that I was put here on earth for SOME PURPOSE.

According to the DALAI LAMA --  life's purpose is to be happy...

and, I suppose there is some logic to that feeling...  but, I also know that happiness is an illusion oftentimes, especially when people think money, power, control will make them happy...  so, in order to find happiness, one must first UNDERSTAND the TRUE meaning of happiness.  AND...  the true meaning of happiness, unfortunately, does not exist in our mental awareness or in our mental capabilities of understanding at this time...  

When we were created (however that happened) we were born with or evolved a FREE WILL...  but, Free Will has nothing to do with happiness other than gives us the motivation to pursue what we perceive as that which will make us HAPPY.  

Some us substitute CONTENTMENT with HAPPINESS...   and, the two, in my opinion, are mutually exclusive.

OTHERS BELIEVE OUR PURPOSE TO BE THE FOLLOWING:

• explore, experience, discover
• to understand
• to love and/or give love
• exercise one's free will
• to become better....   but, the next question is:  better than what?
• live in the moment...   which is what we are forced to do regardless...
• leave a legacy
• search for one's soul
• self-actualization
• serve others
• makes a difference....   to what?  to whom?

SO...

Here is my contribution to LIFE'S PURPOSE:

Life's purpose is to survive... and procreate...

We typically have 80-100 years of potential life that has been given to us...

we try to live as long as we can and if we do not procreate the human race will eventually become extinct...

We have been give free will for this purpose...

Whatever else that we do is subordinate to that one purpose of survival and procreation...

if we were not given free will we would have automatically and eventually become extinct...  so free will was necessary...

If free will was necessary then complex evolution as a result of the big bang is theoretically impossible to have been responsible for the creation of the universe and our ultimate creation thereafter.

We were put here intentionally so that we could survive and procreate...  and anything after that purpose is predicated upon one's free will to decide what one wants/needs to do next.