The Meaning of Life

We wear the uniforms which are appropriate to our purpose and wear different costumes for various occasions. Even the Indian guru's attire conforms to the accepted societal norm. Hipsters, New-Agers, Religious People, Hippies, Musicians, Yogis....all conform to the expectations of their peers. To most people nowadays the tie is a symbol of authority, and that's a little sad to me; there was a time when every man wore a tie, regardless of his status. I have noticed a difference in the way people treat me when I wear a tie, or even just a blazer jacket without a tie. This psychological reaction can be used to one's advantage in certain circumstances, or work against one in other circumstances. With this in mind I try to dress appropriately for the occasion. Perhaps a view into the history of neckties would help to break through the xenophobia a little? https://youtu.be/oThApiIH7dM

"BULLDADA"

The Church of the Subgenius has a term, "Bulldada," roughly, it describes things which were incredibly uncool when they were popular but due to the passage of time become cool. There appears to be some correlation between the uncoolness at the the time the thing was popular and the value of the Bulldada...

(The Rocky Horror Picture Show)/ Science Fiction-Double Feature

My father used to leave at the movie theatre when he had a hot date. A double-feature was cheaper than a baby-sitter and you didn't have to make it back in time.

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CRITICAL THINKING

I'm not religious. I am an agnostic; possibly pantheist; I think religion, including this new wishy-washy, feel-good, law of attraction, new age cultism is stupid, verges on evil and makes people apathetic to the suffering of others. I don't believe in ghosts, souls, gods, heaven, hell, original sin, immaculate babies, angels, demons, devils, dragons, unicorns or faeries. I don't believe any mumbo-jumbo, metaphysical voodoo, chakras, levitation or alternative planes of reality (except as proposed by physics AKA science). I don't believe in reincarnation. I don't believe in astrology, psychics, telekinesis or applied kinesiology. I think that by default its better to disbelieve things that cannot be proven. Instead of seeing things in black and white, I see a myriad of shades of grey.

I believe Christ was an ordinary man just like the Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or any other so called messiah, prophet, or deity. I consider religion to be the most destructive force on the planet. More people have been killed in the name of god than for any other reason. Religious intolerance divides people even more than racial hatred. The worst part of it is that they are all fighting over who has the best imaginary friend. I see very religious people as superstitious and intellectually challenged. Of course, I do have dear friends who are religious because I love them enough to accept them in spite of their cognitive failings. I hope that there is intelligent life somewhere out there in space, because there clearly isn't any here on Earth.

There aren't any benevolent aliens coming to save us from self-destruction. We are all together on this fragile little mud-ball out in space and there are no emergency exits. It is up to us to take care of ourselves and each other. Even if we suddenly evolve in our consciousness enough to stop killing each other, we could easily be wiped out altogether by an asteroid, comet, solar explosion, supernova or other unforeseen calamity. Our best hope is to immediately stop fighting, dissolve all national borders, stigmatize religion enough to prevent its destructive force, and begin a global effort to colonize space. Don't worry, anyone who wants to stay on Earth will have that option.

DOES THE HUMAN BODY LOSE WEIGHT AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH?

Do you believe that the human body loses weight at the moment of death? It is belief made popular by the 2003 film, 21 Grams, based on the experiments of Dr. Duncan "Om" MacDougall (c. 1866 – October 15, 1920), who also killed a dozen dogs during his research. However, the "good doctor's" results were never duplicated and his methods unable to produce consistent results. Supernatural claims are a dime a dozen; don't be duped. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_MacDougall_(doctor)

MAKING HISTORY

The invention of the internet and social networking has given humanity a gift it has never fully had before. Ours is the first generation to have general access to this revolutionary form of communication.

Tsankawi National Monument

Although, we have had the gift of writing and even printing for a long time, at that time the chance that one's works would survive far through history were small. The advent of the internet and blogging/social networking technology has made it easy for all of us to make our mark on history.
By creating content for the internet which is immediately shared to countless other networks and databases, we ensure our own immortality in the matrix which has become what we call the web.
David Settino Scott, III

DAVENE ON ARROGANCE

Arrogance:

I have been told, from time to time, that I am, or "are" arrogant...
I have addressed this issue in another post within this blog titled, HUMILITY.

It has occurred to me that although I did mention the word "Arrogance" in my article, I never defined it as I probably should have considering the importance of my use of the word in that particular blog-post.

I reprint the relevant portions of the definition of "Arrogant", according to dictionary.com, right here:

Ar·ro·gant [ar-uh-guh nt] Show IPA
adjective
1.
making claims or pretensions to superiorimportance or rights; overbearingly assuming;insolently proud: an arrogant public official.
2.
characterized by or proceeding from arrogance:arrogant claims.
Relevant Questions
What Is Arrogance?
How to Deal With Arrogan...
What Is Arrogant?
What Causes Arrogance?
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin arrogant- (stemof arrogāns ) presuming, present participle ofarrogāre. See arrogate, -ant
Related forms
ar·ro·gant·ly, adverb.
su·per·ar·ro·gant, adjective.
su·per·ar·ro·gant·ly, adverb.
un·ar·ro·gant, adjective.
un·ar·ro·gant·ly, adverb.

Synonyms
1. presumptuous, haughty, imperious, brazen. See proud.

Antonyms
1. meek. 2. modest, humble.

00:04

Arrogant is a PSAT word you need to know.
So is amass. Does it mean:

to come together; assemble

Pleased, esp. with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied a complacent smile.

I don't know exactly where it comes from, but the last paragraph here is what I identify with the most. And, with this definition in mind, I must gratefully acknowledge those people who have called me arrogant. I agree by this final definition, I am indeed arrogant.

Much love to all human beings and all other life on Earth!

Davene

IS CIVILIZATION MUCH OLDER THAN WE THOUGHT?

This video shows some fascinating Pre-Columbian artifacts which suggest that perhaps civilization on Earth goes back much further than scientists currently believe. Take a look and tell me what you think below.

Have you ever wondered if there was some elite power controlling your existence? Could there be an organization controlling events on a global level? The coincidences are many and they are hard to ignore...there is a good deal of religious nonsense in this video, but the first 15 minutes are very interesting.

I don't agree with everything in this video, but it is pretty good entertainment and it does ask some good questions.

HUMILITY

A "friend" of mine recently told me that I should "humble" myself. Apparently, she felt that I have an inflated ego. Of course I don't consider myself to be overly egocentric, and in fact, I believe she was being unfair in her analysis. However, the comment did cause me to pause and begin to wonder what "humility" really means, and why is it considered to be an admirable trait?

I will postulate that the terms "humble" and "humility" are rather subjective and any discussion of the meaning of these terms will be somewhat arbitrary. According to dictionary.com "humble" is defined as follows:

adjective

1. not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful.

2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.: In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.

3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly: of humble origin; a humble home.

4. courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.

5. low in height, level, etc.; small in size: a humble member of the galaxy.

verb (used with object)

6. to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.

7. to destroy the independence, power, or will of.

Hmmmn. There is little here that I would consider to be a desirable quality in anyone...certainly one should strive to not be arrogant. From the first definition it appears that in order to be "humble" one must first be successful--that leaves me out; I have never been successful. I wonder if my "friend" was trying to help me or just put me down? Perhaps she was just calling me arrogant and unsuccessful--if so, she would not be the first to call me arrogant. I have little patience for ignorance and some people interpret that as arrogance. If she was trying to point out that I am unsuccessful, it was hardly necessary--I already know that.

Let's take a look at the word "humility":

hu·mil·i·ty

[hyoo-mil-i-tee or, often, yoo-] noun

the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.

Synonyms
lowliness, meekness, submissiveness
Antonyms
pride.

And "Humiliate":

hu·mil·i·ate/(h)yo͞oˈmilēˌāt/

Verb:

Make (someone) feel ashamed and foolish by injuring their dignity and self-respect, esp. publicly.

Actually, that sounds exactly like what was going on when my "friend" requested that I "humble" myself.

The dictionary also mentions that the word originated in early feudal England and France (some time between 1200 and 1250-A.D.). This doesn't surprise me much--after reading the definition above, this looks like a word that may have been used by the clergy to keep the lower classes in "their place", much in the way they admonished the poor to be content in their misery with the promise of an everlasting reward in the afterlife (as long as they do as they are told).

Well, I still don't think these are qualities that a person in my station should try to adopt. Let me give a response to my "friend's" request that I "humble" myself here:

I will humble myself when my peers stop acting like selfish preschoolers who need a nap;

I will humble myself when world leaders learn to behave responsibly and act on behalf of their people;

I will humble myself when the wealthy stop pretending that they are more intelligent, industrious and righteous than the poor;

I will humble myself when religious zealots stop killing people in the name of their fictitious gods;

I will humble myself when I see other people treating each other with the same respect and unconditional love that I have for even the most ignorant and naive of my fellow humans.

I am humbled by the immensity of the universe and the insignificance of humankind.

My advice: Watch out for people who tell you to humble yourself.

David Settino Scott

WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT HATS AGAIN?

The meaning of life is explained very clearly in this clip from Monty Python's epic film, THE MEANING OF LIFE.

The Story of Rama and Sita

This is one of my favorite animated films, SITA SINGS THE BLUES. Watch the whole thing on YouTube! Here is part 1 of 10.

Here is a link: http://www.sitasingstheblues.com

THE CLASH - SANDINISTA

THE CLASH SANDINISTA

I think this has something to do with the meaning of life...

Insanity in the Name Of

Philosophical Discussion Forum looked to be as good a place as any for me to put this little bit. I love the idea of pantheism because it puts a little bit of god in all of us and doesn't require belief in supernatural beings or outright atheism either one. That said, this is what I want people to THINK about. WHY in a thousand lifetimes would ANYONE want a God that condoned killing? I know a lot of people will condem me for daring to broach the subject, but why can't we worry about GOOD rather than a GOD? Are we so greedy as a species that we have to create the illusion of immortality in order to feel good about our little egos? I notice a recurring theme in world events. It seems that the three religions that trace their roots back to Abraham are the CAUSE of nearly all the EVIL that makes the news these days. I like what John Lennon said a few years ago, IMAGINE. Imagine no religion. Imagine a world where people loved and helped each other rather than throw stones over differences that are about of all things something that doesn't even exist except in their overactive imaginations and some really old books. Who should we believe? People that wrote on clay with sticks and sat in the dark with animals or scientists with electron microscopes and the very best of computers and sensing devices? I could care less how someone chooses to view or not view god. I CARE very much when they take up arms over an illusion that no man has ever seen and that furthermore seems to be at the root of nearly every war that was ever fought. Always this god. I wish I could catch it and put it in a bottle in the Museum of Natural History. oops...supernatural I should have said. Sorry if I stepped on anyones toes with this but the more I look at the headlines the more sure I am when I say enough of religion is ENOUGH when it is the fuel for the fire of murder and hate. Thanks for hearing my unpopular side of this.

December 28, 2008 |