Who the heck do we think we are?

[Jake Reason]

Yes Cy, I guess it resolves down to this;
Who is more insane, the world or Dan?

Well, in over 20 years, Dan has never been able to attract one student or collaborator who fully agrees with his grand hypothesis, BPWH. IOW, the whole world thinks he's wrong about a great number of things. And so whether Psychology or Psychiatry evaluates him, they would be obligated to check off a number of boxes in their DSM-IV and ICD code lists.

But then what if they were to diagnose the World with their DSM-IV & ICD's?

In the final comparison of the World vs Dan, certainly the World would have a significantly higher number of check marked boxes.

Just look at the government bureaucracies, the global financial systems, the pharmaceutical and agricultural fiefdoms, and the infamous Military Industrial Complex. All these would have so many check marked boxes, that the only satisfactory remedial prescription for the enduring safety of humanity, would be; excessive medication, straight jackets, and padded cells.

And the worst part about this, is that it's Not funny.

Dan can at least function in society without causing harmful duress to others. The World's leading systems however, are profoundly psychotic. Threatening & debasing virtually all life & ecosystems, and making earth a dangerous abode for all humanity.

[Cyrellys]

Feb 11, 2012 9:06:43 GMT -7 Jake Reason said:

Yes Cy, I guess it resolves down to this;
Who is more insane, the world or Dan?

Well, in over 20 years, Dan has never been able to attract one student or collaborator who fully agrees with his grand hypothesis, BPWH. IOW, the whole world thinks he's wrong about a great number of things. And so whether Psychology or Psychiatry evaluates him, they would be obligated to check off a number of boxes in their DSM-IV and ICD code lists.

But then what if they were to diagnose the World with their DSM-IV & ICD's?

In the final comparison of the World vs Dan, certainly the World would have a significantly higher number of check marked boxes.

Just look at the government bureaucracies, the global financial systems, the pharmaceutical and agricultural fiefdoms, and the infamous Military Industrial Complex. All these would have so many check marked boxes, that the only satisfactory remedial prescription for the enduring safety of humanity, would be; excessive medication, straight jackets, and padded cells.

And the worst part about this, is that it's Not funny.

Dan can at least function in society without causing harmful duress to others. The World's leading systems however, are profoundly psychotic. Threatening & debasing virtually all life & ecosystems, and making earth a dangerous abode for all humanity.

I agree Jake it's not funny. And yes at least Dan can function in society. But I've also noticed that many of his beliefs and ideas put him hip deep in the EUGENICS movement. That puts him in Elite Circles or at least walking back and forth between some of them. Case in point, some of his relationships.

I recvd in my email today a relay of something thing that is supposidly circulating here in Montana. I'm still waiting to hear back from certain people to verifiy if it's real or the system trying to start the fight early which wouldn't be the first time. The person who sent it to me is from the other side of the nation. The primary reason it was created according to the content is the NDAA legislation which is legitimate reason enough. And it's designed to be circulated via email or as a flyer. Guys, it's a DECLARATION OF WAR against the system gone rogue.

Cy

[skaizlimit]

In the sense that the word psychology is being used here, I'd classify the field of psychology as psychotic itself. It appears to be a confederation of universes of its own, dependent upon an assortment of utilities deemed important or not depending on the time, place, and who's in charge. I think Dan is trying to rise above the relative utilitarian levels and reach the summit of utility which would be ... well, he uses various words and phrases attempting to get a handle on it. Can it be done?

[dan]

Cy, Skai and Jake,

I thank you all, so much, for keeping me company, especially on a day like this......

No, it's almost certain that the shrinks are not going give me a clean bill of health. The only question is why I ever thought that they might? I must have been crazy to think that they would.

I mean, let's face it, I come waltzing into their offices saying that I'm Jesus and that I have a CIA handler. If they didn't think I was crazy, then I would think they were crazy. So there we are. Is anybody surprised?

Ok, now, here was the highpoint of the meeting.......

Dr H asks me for Ron's phone #...... Frankly, that almost knocked my socks off. He's the first person who ever asked me for that. I know that Ron is very unhappy whenever I give out his number. So, I say, fine, let me call Ron to see what he suggests, keeping in mind that when I really need him, he usually doesn't answer. Boy, does that sound crazy!

But, guess what, Ron answers, on the first ring. Once again, I'm almost blown away. I had given him plenty of time to rehearse. Dr H asks to speak to Dr P. I hand him the phone, which is still on speaker. H asks P if he works for the CIA. P says, sorry, I can't tell you that. H asks P if I have any official connection with said agency. Ron says, no, Dan has no official connection. He is a family friend. End of conversation.

It turns out that Dr H did consult with the agency concerning the Aldrich Ames case. In the course of which consultation, his host shoved the table at him. H was not impressed by the civility of his host.

But I've enjoyed my conversations with both doctors. Both were sympathetic to the degree that their professions allowed. Dr H, however, cannot report favorably about me, without administering tests, which could easily cost me 1K$.

I'm disinclined to finance this fishing expedition. Dr H did latch on to the TIA (2006). He convinced me that TIA was a mischaracterization. T = Transient. There was a permanent blockage, albeit in a redundant artery. He seemed inclined to conclude that my Jesus gambit was the result of this 'stroke'. OTOH, Ron tells me, privately, that I've been acting more sane since the stroke. You take your choice, and you place your bet.

Ron has pointed out that there is no test for sanity. So, when Pastor Danny asked me to consult with a psychiatrist, he was, very shrewdly, sending me on an errand to find a left-handed monkey-wrench, bless his heart. This is what I will report back to the SfA.

Should I have fallen for it? Well, like I say, it was fun while it lasted. And I do still have a return engagement with Dr V, on the 24th. We will agree to my getting a non-committal letter wrt my sanity. That's the best we could ever hope for.

In the meantime, Aliyah is having a boxing match with a Jimmy Lee, this evening. I asked Ron if he was worried that his wife might get a black eye. No, she is very quick. Ok, will he send us a video of the KO?
----------


Cy suggests that the Revolution may be about to start, any day, now.

I'm surprised that there has not already been a revolution. Let's face it, the T-party and the Occupy movements have been mini-revolutions. Why have they not spun out of control, as they threaten to do in other parts of the world?

Unless there is cosmic intervention, they will so spin, IMHO. So, I sit by the phone, waiting for Ron to volunteer to go public. No, but that George K will call me to invite me back onto C2C. And I will keep pestering the SfA/GFC. As I will pester the Baltimore Green Forum, on the 26th. And, yes, will I stop blogging. Probably not. Not as long as Cy is willing to tolerate my sorry, maybe CIA, ass!



(cont.)

[Cyrellys]

lol, Dan, you know that you are and have been more than welcome here. I may be ornery at times but it generally doesn't last long. I'm glad to hear the shrinks are not putting you through a full ringer. Yes it's my opinion you are correct, sending you to the shrinks was a diversion to get you out of their hair. That's how today's society deals with problems or things they can't explain outright or come to easy terms with...they sweep it under a rug somewhere and then run from it like hell. If they pretend it doesn't exist long enough then to them it doesn't. Ostrich in the sand approach to the fantastic side of the universe.

You know about your valuation of the opinions of these shrinks, just keep in mind that they are individuals and every individual has an opinion and in life its not always one congruent with our own understanding of Reality. And if it really mattered, and every individual had to run through the psychiactric grist mill well, virtually everyone would probably be found lacking in some way or it would turn into a proverbial popularity contest, sort of like Prom Night Royalty. In the end just ask yourself, who exactly truely hast to be satisfied with yourself? Is it really any other person out there? No. The only person who hast to be satisfied with you is YOU. And if you are then you've accomplished more than most people out there.

Cy

[mdonnall2002]

Do the Eugenics/population controls of which Dan feigns with - stemming from mans ‘Unsustainable’ reaching and grasping towards the tangible things have a equitable solution? Do discussions on such subjects have to be draconian in nature? Questions I have:

If a civilization is unable to check itself responsibly ‘as a whole,’ which we currently have in this world of fragmentation, will this not ultimately lead to a systems implosion eventually? Would not unchecked growth, of any species, not eventually lead to starvation, famine, and death while mankind enlists the arrival of The Four Horsemen when those masses struggle to obtain the essential needs: Food, Water, Shelter, and Clothing?

What is the only way to obtain responsible behavior from its citizenry (to find sustainability) when so many see separate destinies before them? Unification? One banner? One cause? One belief? One dream?

If given the position of knowing this is the future of mankind – what would you (plural) do to minimize the suffering?

Please do not construe this as an attempt to come to Dan’s aid – for he likely is in possession of the hunted whispers that drags men down, dancing with the masters of the universe is far more useful than anything I could yield here.

[Cyrellys]

Hey mdonnall if you're asking me, and I think those are very good and reasonable questions btw, I would say I could write a book for an answer but I'll give some ideas of how I would start.

Number one. Restore the character and path of this nation under the Constitution. Take the shackles off the people. Ron Paul and a host of financial minds behind him have excellent ideas for dealing with our monetary problem. If we can start working on that then we ourselves can take some of the strain off the economic part of the system which will give us more time and open other opportunities.

Number Two. When it comes to Eugenics/Population Issues: You simply quit stuffing it under the rug. You acknowledge there is a eugenics movement among certain groups of elites and in other areas of society...at the same time you acknowledge that they do have a point...we're approaching 9 Billion and while some areas of the planet are not in immediate danger other areas are already over the cliff. You are truthful about both sides of the issue and you put ALL THE ARGUEMENTS not just the ones someone finds palatable on the table, in the books, on the 6 o'clock news, make it a household discussion. You DO NOT interfere with free will. You place all resources available free of charge to anyone who wants or needs it, no questions asked. It's probably the one thing that isn't in the Constitution that the Federal Gov should be the one to fund as non-partisan. No arm twisting, no social engineering; just make it freely available and let people deal with their own issues, culture, religion, etc. The biggest problem in western countries we have over population & reproduction is two-fold: A. Government trying to tell citizens what to do: simple F-off. People need to sink or swim on their own. B. Decrease the poverty culture by increasing OPPORTUNITY that is MORE APPEALING! If that means legalizing drugs and letting fools commit suicide with it stuff it...they'll gorge for maybe 10 years if even that and then they'll wise up because the younger generation will be taking all their opportunities they're squandering and run with it looking back at those who don't get it as pathetic. It also would allieviate the billions spent on a so called drug war. You want to spend money on the drug issue? Just let communities put it into cleanup and cremation. And it might satisfy some of the eugenics because if its legal and there's a sudden boost in idiots killing themselves off then you have fewer idiots and you haven't interfered in free will and you're not violating the Constitution trying to police something that is not specified in it. Happy happy both ways.

More on part B increasing OPPORTUNITY: If you're going to throw money at something invest it in your people...make it possible to get direct GRANTS just as one is able to get for college to start some sort of business that creates a TANGIBLE product. The biggest problem America faces right now is there's NOTHING HERE! We've stopped doing all the things that made us a positive part of a world community. WE don't even take care of ourselves! Our food comes from overseas, our clothes come from overseas, our wood for homes comes from Canada last I heard...look, it's not such a novel idea that if we want to set the example for others to follow then we clean up our own backyard. We call for everyone to get rid of those useless resource eating lawns and plant vegetable, herb, & flower gardens. We encourage fresh air, exercise, vitamins, and natural health solutions BEFORE taxing the regular medical system. WE encourage pet ownership because pet owners are healthier and happier people. WE make it EASY for any generation to get involved in small, medium, and large scale farming or ranching and those food commodities sell to processors and manufacturers and freaking housewives at farmers markets FIRST! We feed our own FIRST! Supply and demand will open other opportunities but we have to encourage and assist self-starters get going. Make it legal to keep chickens, rabbits, & goats cleanly in the city. It's not impossible. Teach people about Tower Gardens. Plant freakin Trees in any unused open space. If we're losing forest in South America then plant them up here. Anyone even a guy in an Apartment can learn how to make a go at seedling starting and then take them to a distributor. We have a whole southwest of the nation full of sand for seedling boxes and we know how to use vermiculture to create high grade nutrient filled soils. Speaking of Vermiculture....encourage people to start up Vermiculture factories EVERYWHERE. The resulting product can be used both here and shipped abroad to places where population has stripped the land of nutrients and made the soils unproductive. Heck some vermiculture manufacturers could specialize in producing the breeders to go to start new facilities in locations closer to soils in desperate need of the improvements. Empower people to fix the problems themselves...lay out the knowledge, better apply resources, and open opportunity. You it's pretty sick when all you see on tv is either glorified violence or superficial jewelry racks calling themselves a human galavanting around acting like fools. Quit IMMORTALIZING STUPIDITY! For crying out loud!

There's other ways of building shelter but its the system pushers who can't seem to get their wide arses out of the box keep getting in the way...straw bale, cob building, thousands of alternative building materials, the tire houses, and so on. I used to work in the Construction Industry. Its Building Codes that cant seem to learn new tricks. Government should not be in the business of Protection. It's like paying the mob for protection. They can walkin on you at anytime and take advantage of you because they have you by the ahemmmm, cough cough. And then you wonder why you have problems and now we're arguing with each other over population control or stablization.

And such arguements are preventable because leaders think the answer is more control rather then less....more telling rather than discussing....more secrecy rather than more transparency....But hey according to Mur there's no such thing as Communication. People like that are like bulls in a china shop...demote them. Here's one for all the Elites out there, you thought Mur was a pain in the arse? Well, your just a bigger version of him. He doesn't have enough power to use a system the way you do. But I guarantee you that he would if he did. Why do I mention this? Because for the last 20 years you've had all your flunkies promoting people just like him, just like you and now your boxed in a corner with problems you think you can't solve and so you're looking at imploding everything instead and that you can survive the chaos. I walk into all this and look around and say to myself, ok, who put the retard in charge of the ship?

yeah you made a mess...but even knots can be untied. Look you guys if you make the right choices and don't kill your planet or yourselves off in an attempt at catastrophic population reduction are destined to be mentors to OTHER WORLDS ONE DAY. So lets start with your mess right here. Having a huge population at this time is a GOOD THING because many hands make for much lighter work. Lose the fatalism, open the shades and the sash, let in the fresh air...and get everyone together and start talking about your problems. There are high energy troubleshooters among you who could tell you much the same things many ETs would tell you. You don't really need a whole lot of outside help, you just need to work together. Your tools are scattered on the floor all around you...there resources everywhere but you don't see them because you don't listen or employ the full strength of a tremendous population. Instead you shackle innovators and innovation. You fear friendly competition in energy production or manufacturing. Quit that. Some of you think that wars are the only way to maintain. No they aren't. They're the solution of people with broom handles in places broom handles don't belong. Get the rocks out of your head and quit threatening people for starters. So what if Iran wants to go nuclear. Pakistan already is and so is India. Big whoop. They're a people who love life too or they wouldn't have such a modernized country. You are the problem NOT THEM. And while I'm at it, someone tell Israel to sit down and shut up. They cause their own problems, let them fix them. You don't help them by trying to solve their problems for them. Some people have to learn on their own. You know if Israel had to suffer half the sanctions that you slap others with they'd probably learn to be more polite, and maybe they'd be half as harsh on their neighbors and things would settle down. Instead you cater to the primary instigator of conflict. But oh that's right, we can't do that because I hear Israel and its lobbyists control our government. Maybe you need to start by cleaning house here at home in that respect. Shrug.

We talk about if whether a civilization is unable to check itself responsibly 'as a whole' which we currently have in this world and if this will lead to a systems implosion eventually....not nearly as much as tyranny will. People with those types of problems can go either of two ways they can draw closer together and surpass all issues to work together in the face of tradgedy like how people pulled together in 9-11 to tear through the rubble seeking survivors and answers or they can go the other direction and crumble like a house of cards. There's nothing you can do to prevent cycles of choices like that. It's those types of choices that build character or display the true character of a people or at least to what degree they have achieved a good one or a more mature one. If you promote pulling together in times of trouble, self-sufficiency rather than protectionism, which is an impossibility anyway, then you allow those character building moments to become shining moments that produce a greater collective nature for everyone on the planet. People watch crisis carefully...they watch how people respond to them...rather than furthering tyranny teach self-sufficiency and preparedness...teach a mindset that allows people in an area to innovate solve what they can more easily see than those 1200 or more miles away. There's entirely too much thinking in the halls of power and policy that says people are inherently incapable or bad in nature...when the truth is only a fraction fit that description and the rest are largely beyond primative behavior or would be if given half a decent chance that they actually understood. You can capitalize on that truth and use it to set the example for others around the world. You don't have to go to other countries and take over. That just makes you the bigger thug on their block. They have enough of their own thugs. Show them here at home instead how it can be done differently. SET THE EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW and just be available to advise or make suggestions...communication...oops did I use that word again? COMMUNICATION.

I know I'm a pain in the arse. And to the general incorrigible observer out there, if you don't like that take a number and get in line because every freaking thing I run into seems to like taking chunks outa my hide so the line is sorta long.

My general point is that there are tons of things we can do to ease the suffering out there but we haven't done any of the right things we need to do yet to build the foundation either here at home or abroad to do any of it. It's not resources at all! Its PEOPLE & the LEADERSHIP! Get the home and the mind right and the rest will follow, people are natural innovators they can't help themselves, they just can't solve their problems if they are slaves (real or proverbial), prisoners (real or proverbial), despondent because you withhold OPPORTUNITY and try to hard to protect them, and last if you yourself are practicing Tyranny.

End Soapbox.

Cy

[skaizlimit]

Bummer, so jump style shufflin' is not the answer, then. Well, I thought it might be since it's not on the psycho code list.

[dan]

Meanwhile, back at the church, Bill and John were relieved to find out that I was not to be declared sane. After all, if I were sane, that could only mean that they were insane, which would only make them feel more uncomfortable with my presence than they already do. Who would that benefit? Certainly not me.

I did have a further convo with R&A..... BTW, she was able to get a TKO within the second round with Jimmy Lang, approx twice her size. For the next match, she will make a greater effort to get some real competition.

I questioned Ron concerning the near vehemence with which he denied my having any connection with the agency, whatsoever. Could he not have left the door open, just a smidgen?

His response was that he was never sure whether I wished to known as being sane or insane. That does give me some pause..... In dealing with other folks, my usual approach is to put my worst foot forward. I don't like to leave anyone left wondering about when that shoe might drop. So, yes, in that sense, and if in doubt, I am seldom reluctant to play the insanity (Jesus/CIA) card, early in the game.

I did mention my amusement with the incongruity of, in first breath, saying that he could not say where he worked, and, in the second breath, evincing an absolute certainty that I had no connection with the agency in question. I try to avoid paranoia, but could I could I be excused for wondering if this very succinct conversation had in no way been scripted? Is it real or is it memorex?

Wonderful. So where were we....?


Back to Cy and Md02......

I would be about the last one to propose any specific solutions. I'm only trying to be a useful philosopher.

You, Cy, point mainly to the need for self-empowerment. Amen to that! That is pretty much where my philosophy begins and ends.

One of my first premises/observations is that, historically, Jesus has done more for the notion of self-empowerment than any other such figure.

Sure, this is an arguable premise, but it is certainly not implausible, for starters. But why start there, in the first place?

Well, we could as easily have started with the notion of freewill......

The notion of freewill is denied to us by Science, as a matter of principle. If we wish to empower humanity toward greater expression of inventiveness and compassion, then, does it not stand to reason, that scientific secularism makes a poor launching pad?

Ok, so why not secular humanism? I'm not at all convinced that this is even a coherent view. Why should coherence matter?

If we wish to obtain voluntary cooperation, then we need to provide adequate reasons for that cooperation. Secular humanism provides no rationale for altruism.

Neither does pantheism. Ultimately, pantheism points to an impersonal world. Only persons can be altruistic, so pantheism is just a non-stater. This is not to say that Buddha and the Dalai Lama did not preach and practice altruism. It is only to say that they never felt inclined to justify this mode of expression.

Amongst the theisms, is there any question that the notion of charity and love are closer to the essence of Christianity, than to the other versions?

So what? Does that mean that our first priority should be to convert the Muslims?

Rather, I suggest that our first priority should be to convert the Christians......



(cont.)

[skaizlimit]

**The notion of freewill is denied to us by Science, as a matter of principle.** Whoa, Dan, you just knocked me off my wooden horse. Monty Python never took such a spill. Why is it that every time I am forced to busy myself with hordes of pesky people (not you folks, but other vague entities) streaming out of the mountains towards my humble little sand castle wielding torches and pitchforks, that someone throws me an actual exciting project to lose myself in for a while? I will now have to suffer a few arrows and spears flying in my direction from over the ramparts as I look into this seeming contradiction in the sentence I quoted. Hopefully in the process I can muster enough knowledge to stave off the floods. Of course already I'm ripping apart your sentence to see what it actually might say. "as a matter of principle" is not the same as "a matter of fact". So I've got some wriggle room in my little sand castle while I try to find a more stable set of stirrups as I rein this crittur through time and space.

[dan]

Skai,

Since when is it problematic that freewill is problematic for science?

Freewill, as is usually or properly construed, ever only pertains to persons.

When I last checked, science recognizes no such entity as a person. Were you ever under the impression that there was a scientific ontology of persons? If so, do you recall what may have given rise to that impression?

[skaizlimit]

I shot from the hip on this one, and thus misconstrued the word "denied", assuming the statement to mean that science objects to the idea of freewill among persons, since that is the usual context I find myself in. I am now apprised and shall proceed accordingly. Thanks.

Yet, this brief exchange has given me some insight into further looking into "person", "science" and "ontology". The basic question would be, "Can science deal with ideas of immaterial things?"

[skaizlimit]

In other words, Dan, I would like to study more of this but seem limited in time and focus.

[mdonnall2002]

Cy states on Eugenics:

“You DO NOT interfere with free will. You place all resources available free of charge to anyone who wants or needs it, no questions asked.”

“Decrease the poverty culture by increasing OPPORTUNITY”

“Yeah you made a mess...but even knots can be untied. Look you guys if you make the right choices and don't kill your planet or yourselves off in an attempt at catastrophic population reduction are destined to be mentors to OTHER WORLDS ONE DAY. So lets start with your mess right here. Having a huge population at this time is a GOOD THING because many hands make for much lighter work. Lose the fatalism, open the shades and the sash, let in the fresh air...”

I concur vehemently by nature of spirit that none should be made to suffer. Resources should be available free of charge. An effort to decrease poverty by increasing opportunity stands to have some disastrous effects if the maturity required has not already been obtained. The more opportunity that a society/nation has bears witness to an increase in the amount of viable resources it consumes. America, one of the megalithic beasts feasting on Earth, will soon be partially responsible as its devourer. Would not adding a few more first world countries, springing forth from prosperous times, hasten the world’s demise?

Dan opines:

“I would be about the last one to propose any specific solutions. I'm only trying to be a useful philosopher.”

“If we wish to obtain voluntary cooperation, then we need to provide adequate reasons for that cooperation.”

“Rather, I suggest that our first priority should be to convert the Christians......”

Surely you can speculate further on what would meet the criteria of an ‘adequate reason’ for that cooperation?

And what would the Christians be converted too, exactly? Are they not already the most fragile among us? Perhaps all that is required is a proper POV. Seeing is still believing in most parts of the world.

[dan]

Cy et al.,

Denying economic realities, on the brink of a resource crisis, is not likely to be any more beneficial than denying gravity while standing on the edge of a cliff.

Most people are unaware that there is a resource problem. Of those who are aware, most believe that it will be solved by science. Perhaps it will.

But that's not why we're here, is it?

Some of us have chased after lights in the sky. Others of us have chased fringe science and technology. We don't have much to show for our pains.

I chase after sprites. I don't have much to show either, but I continue to labor under the impression that I have more to show than anyone else. Perhaps I'm wrong, but no one has come close to finding a fault in the BPWH, for instance.

So, yes, I have only these two things..... the BPWH and RP. RP was almost a no-show, on Saturday. On first blush, he seemed to do an effective job of pulling out the rug, or more like the door mat. On further conversation and reflection, however, I can see a rationale, admitting that I may sometimes see rationales where none exist.

I simply submit that the BPWH is the only coherent cosmology that has ever been constructed. This ought to sound like a wild and wooly statement, but see if you can prove me wrong. Admittedly, I don't spend much time looking, but a prime aspect of a coherent world is that it will be the best possible world, and, hey, I still own the website, and it's not at all hard to find. But also there is the J-man and the cia business. They would both go with that territory. And I seldom grow tired of reminding folks why these three dots must be connected..... coherence, messy-antics and national security.

A coherent world is necessarily a finite world, in space and time. Running out of resources would be the prime indicator of that finitude. Running out of resources is right at the top of any list of national security issues. The only conceivable solution will be either a technical or a spiritual breakthrough. The national security apparatus spends billions, every year, looking for technical breakthroughs. They spend about a $100/yr on chicken BBQ, for Chicken Little. Are we to fault their sense of proportion?

And, sports fans, we can say, with very little doubt, that this is $100 more than they spend on any other 'known' messianic freak. Case closed? Is this not the ultimate sanity test? Is not the chicken/little BBQ test worth several dozen inkblot tests, and don't a lot of those inkblots look suspiciously like chickens, en flagrante?! Just wondering......

Cy believes that there is a conspiracy behind all of this. Well, my dear, we should pray, six times a day, that there is such a conspiracy. If there is not, then, truly, we are very far up sh*ts creek, with no paddle in sight! Am I right about that? And, let's also pray that it's not just a conspiracy of Dunces.

I'm reasonably confident that everyone attending to this little bloggy thing, believes that there is, behind everything, a relatively benign cosmic intelligence/coherence of some kind. IOW, we are not just congeries of atoms swerving in the dark, i.e. it is not entirely implausible that life is not just an absurdity in a meaningless universe, or that you and I are not just meat machines.

Wonderful, but so what?

Well, does it seem likely, given that our existence cannot be entirely unrelated to this cosmic presence, that we would have been brought all this way, just to be snuffed out, like a candle in the dark? Well, sports fans, would that not be the epitome of incoherence?

But, I suspect, that many of you would disagree, on just this one crucial point. At this crucial point, you would be tempted to fall back on the notion of the survival of the fittest, even though most evolutionists admit that the 'survival of the fittest' is a piece of tautological incoherence.

Nonetheless, amongst ufologists, there is the very widespread notion that we, Earthlings, are being tested, and that we very well may not make the grade, or matriculate into the galactic federation, for instance.

Sure, that makes some sense. Many are called.... few are chosen. Almost every spiritual tradition also instills the view that most of us will be judged unworthy, either in this life or the next. This is mainly what I argue about with the folks at GFC/SfA.

The Evangelicals and many ufologists, along with my sister, look forward to a cosmic rescue mission for those few of us who are deemed worthy. Again, not a belief that is, on the face of it, incoherent.

Universalism has never been a popular belief. Don't all of us have a sneaking suspicion that we are just a little better than the next person? Hey, you didn't hear me say that!

So what is my problem? Hmmm......

My problem is that an essential feature of the the BPW is that every creature must possess the best possible soul. Hmmm......, again.....

So, maybe your soul is just a little more beetle-like than mine, not that there's anything wrong with that! Hmmm......

I guess what I'm saying is that we, humans, are, quite plausibly, the only non-indigenous species. We are the only species that seems resolute to fly the coop, by hook or by crook, yes, even if we have to burn our bridges, which we seem quite intent upon!

We often act rather as if we were prisoners. And Cy should be quick to point out that, yes, we sure are prisoners, even, sometimes, of our own gilded/guilded cages! Even the best existentialists amongst us would agree that we were, somehow, 'thrown' into this world. Many others simply say that we 'fell'. Not a heck of a lot of difference. After all, those who think we fell would, on closer inspection, agree that we were tripped/tricked!

No one complains more about this wheel of suffering, than do my friends, the pantheists. But they never quite bother to explain where this wheel came from, or where, for that matter, we came from. Coherence is very far from being the forte of the pantheists.

If we do manage to breed ourselves into extinction, or blow ourselves to smithereens, we would be the only species to commemorate that eventuality with a poem, probably of regret. Yes, we can be accomplished writers of epitaphs.

Am I the only one in the world who has been vouchsafed a vision of the method that lies behind this madness? If so, of what benefit might it be? Will I be the only one to know what we truly missed? That's not how it feels to me. It's much more like just...... hey, Lord, make our day..... Surprise us!

But, about those sheep and goats..... We have the best possible sheep, and the best possible goats, and each of us took the best possible fall. Sure, some of us fell onto more fertile soil than did others. Does that mean that this is a game of double jeopardy? Does God like to kick us when we're down? God may not be the softest touch in the universe, but I truly can't imagine her as a schoolyard bully.

Yes, Creation is a test for us. But, it is not a test for God. Will God flunk? Will either you or I? John C thinks I'll flunk, if I don't think you'll flunk.


[I'm going to make a fresh start on this..... this morning. Here was the remnant, that was still on my screen.....]

6pm-----------

I didn't mean to say that Creation was a test. Rather, it is a challenge, for us. It does, usually, keep us pretty well occupied. We don't get bored that often. And, sure, some seem to rise to the challenge, better than others. But is it a contest? Well, there is plenty of competition, especially for those who seek it.

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