Inspiration for A Thought Experiment. (Photo by me, taken at La Flor, near Santiago Plaza)
Back in 2011, as a gesture of support for my Spanish teacher who was additionally conducting an ethics course at a local university, I voluntarily concocted a thought experiment for her to inflict upon her students. I typed and submitted it to her in my poor Spanish after her mention of her class, hoping she would try it out; but I’m too embarrassed to show my poor language skills here. She was delighted, and she did share it with her students, conducting the experiment – although she didn’t use a secret ballot, which contaminates the experiment with observer bias.
For those unfamiliar with the concept of thought experiments, I’ll tell about one which has changed history for everybody on the planet. It was devised by Albert Einstein on his way to work one morning. He looked at the clocktower down the street in Berne, Switzerland, as he walked to his desk at the patent office, and began to think about the light bouncing off the hands of the clock, revealing what time it was. So he asked himself a question about that light: What would I see, if I could catch a ride on a beam of light, traveling at light speed? Well, his pondering of that question, we’re told here, radically altered humankind’s understanding of the laws of nature. A simple question. A profound experiment. A different world. That cellphone in your pocket, your tv, computer, digital gear, all of it harks back to his thought experiment.
Asking the right questions can change the course of your life. Ah, yes, it takes some pondering, and some listening. But intense curiosity comes first. (And I do think it’s important not to allow anyone else to answer for you – not your grandma, not your pastor, not your professors, nor any authority figures. You arrived, pre-loaded with cosmic wisdom and spiritual aptitude! Go inside your own consciousness, and listen.) The experiment I devised for my Spanish teacher basically asks individuals which role model they would prefer: the suffering but fashionable and popular artist, Frida; or the suffering, failed messiah (or so it seemed, even to his disciples), the crucified Jesus? Secret ballot is intended. So then, what’s you’re choice? Whom will you emulate?
If you’re not familiar with the life of Frida you may review it before voting. For those not familiar with the life of Jesus, I’ve linked The Message translation of the shortest gospel, that of Mark, as it is fast-paced, and rendered in lively contemporary English. (If you prefer a different translation or another language version, from Amuzgo to Uspanteco, including Español and Polski, you may select, using the pull-down menu, at the linked site.)
NB: in the comment section below this post, and in this note, there is a link to a blogpost written by a philosopher and friend who has some genuine insight on issues of consciousness and godtalk.
So, what’s your story?
It’s not where you live, or work, or study, but the stories you tell yourself that determine who you are – that shape your character, and then come alive in your daily experience. An article in TIME magazine argues that storytelling is a most important life skill. How do we acquire this vital skill? Do tell! (I found the book below to be very instructive some years ago.) One of my persistently favorite storytellers has been CS Lewis, who’s work runs the gamut from fantasy to criticism. And his own life story which details his transition from atheist to Christian believer, is worth reading, too.
Tonight around midnight there will be a full moon, and it’s being called a honey moon because it will happen low in the sky, refracting the sun’s light to make it seem honey colored. Here are a number of artworks inspired by the moon.
Foggy farmstead.
But there went up a mist . . . This morning we awoke to dense fog. I’m confident it did not make the sun blink, attempting to clear sleep from its singular eye, as it were. From that perspective, eight minutes away by photon express, all was bright, even if we can’t see much ’round the bend. Our days at this address are passing as we gradually transition towards Merida. It’s been lovely living in this grove of sugar maple trees, on this fertile farm. It’s been a promised land, which I claim ever to be beneath our feet. Even if we can’t see what’s up ahead.
Author and Naturalist, Jim Conrad
Jim Conrad has written from, and lived in Mexico, off and on, for many years. One of my early delights was to visit him at his palapa near Piste on our second vacation to Yucatan, in 2010.
My friend Hammockman tells me that Jim has a new book out: TAP DANCING WITH SANDPIPERS, which can be downloaded for free. This book is an extraction of his philosophical insights which have usually appeared at the close of the weekly blogpost of his nature writing. So it’s momentous to have this work gathered together into a single digital volume. Maybe someday it will actually become a pulp edition! (If you click the topmost link above, you will see several other digital volumes written from various locations around the globe, as well. There are a few pulp books from the past, which can be found at used booksellers such as ABEbooks.com by searching on the author name Jim Conrad.) These insights are frequently transcendent. Another book, GAIACOYOTE, sorta autobiographical (a novel, scroll to bottom of linked page), is quite a hoot. These insights are frequently transcendent. If you find the writing to your liking, you might consider buying the author lunch by clicking his DONATE button. Jim lives mostly off the land – and the kindness of strangers. I believe he is ineligible to draw social security; but a happier, more fulfilled guy you will rarely meet.
Presently Jim is living in Uvalde County, Texas where he is helping to establish a nature visitors-facility on somebody’s ranch. People who might enjoy a guided tour with this colorful guy can reach him there through his blog, BackyardNature, which appears on facebook, and at the second link above. (Those who don’t use facebook, but who would like to receive a weekly installment of his nature blog directly on their desktop are invited to be in touch with me for how to receive the blogpost by email.)
Jim invites a bush to say cheese.
Painting by Paul Schad-Rossa, Wikimedia
Juxtaposition rarely fails to amuse me. This morning we spotted an ad in New Yorker specifically touting the retirement paradise of Merida (while also including other locations in Mexico) – after reading a rousing examination of the concept of paradise (and slavery) written by Toni Morrison, who shares some quotes from Milton’s Paradise Lost to help make her case against exclusivity – which has happily not been our experience here in Merida’s Centro Historico. Indeed, we love the peaceful blending of economic classes here. (While Morrison’s article looks grim at first encounter, her treatment of the topic of inequality may be worth pondering at this point in time.)
One of the great things about Merida, over Buffalo, is sleeping with the windows wide open all winter. Here up north, it almost feels about time to take the storm windows off. But let’s not be hasty!
Memorial Day weekend is an important seasonal marker. In the Buffalo area, some of us joke that the snow is usually melted by now, when in fact it is daffodil blossoms that have fallen and melted away into humus for next year’s growth. To paraphrase, Except a daffodil falls into the ground and dies, it has opted out of Life’s plan. But if it dies, it brings forth many future blossoms. (see John 12, especially v.24)
Memorial Day is about remembering. As some have said freedom isn’t free. Yes, a high cost has been paid. Some understand this. Others, not so much. But the season invites us annually to pause from our liberties to reflect. Of course, some duties require our labor, not affording us time off. But such duties don’t generally preclude reflection. Gratitude is understanding. Are we grateful for what has been done for us?
I remember being a Cub Scout, and refusing to march in a Memorial Day parade because the memory of the previous year’s march was still vivid – heat, thirst, weary feet, boredom. So I adamantly refused, and my mother then excused my participation; but she wouldn’t allow me to attend the festivities after the parade. Clearly, I didn’t understand yet what had been done for me only a decade earlier, by those who didn’t come home from WW2. (I may not yet understand sacrifice, but I’m more focused and curious.)
Do we remember? Are we curious? Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15, especially v.13)
Painting: MOWING THE LAWN ON MEMORIAL DAY, oil on canvas, by Eric Chaffee, from photo by me, 1996. Awarded Landmark Prize, Alden Art Club, 2000.
Photo by Suren Manvelyan copyright 2013
Where the eyes wander, the feet may follow. And there is potential for great sadness awaiting some wanderers. A few years ago a good client fell to this affliction. He was (and is!) an otherwise fine and likable man. Today he is serving time in federal prison in Louisiana. ¶ I volunteer at a local prison every Saturday here near Buffalo to conduct what I call a stealth ethics class in the guise of a nondenominational (Christian) Bible study. We use the text to examine our behavior and relationships, which I’ve been doing since 1999. Believe me when I say that getting a grip, if for no other reason than to stay out of prison, is very much worth the effort. If you, dear reader, are struggling with this issue, I will share this tool which I learned about on radio several years ago. It may help you with private, personal accountability. ¡May that wandering eye cease to roam! Yes, loneliness may be the largest problem on the planet, but it is not satiated by counterfeit love. Know thyself! If this seems difficult, get help!
Aspen Eye. Uploaded to Photobucket by TreNarTheGreat
