tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80397027314628936392023-11-15T08:24:21.060-08:00I am Mena KooMena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-82727539321749009152020-04-04T08:47:00.000-07:002020-04-04T08:47:40.484-07:00Welcome To My World<br />
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For many decades, I had to
apologize for needing to wash my hands, spray sanitizers, or wear a mask
whenever I was in company, at a public place or at someone’s house. I would
risk offending visitors to my home if I requested them to please wash their
hands, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>use the sanitizers I provide or
wear the home slippers that I provide. I would risk offending people if I used
sanitizers after I shook their hands or after coming in contact with them in
some way. I tried to be discreet of course.</div>
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I have been a
germaphobe since I was in my 20’s. It began when a family member discovered he
was allergic to many antibiotics and we had to keep ourselves as germ-free as
possible. Over the years, it didn’t escape me it was as if, I was building my
own version of a Noah’s Ark in anticipation of a future variation of the biblical
deluge sometime during my lifetime. People would make fun of me, criticize me, give
me a hard time, whatever, because I was behaving in what was to them, a crazy
way.</div>
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Now, with the Covid 19 upon us,
this is the time in my life that I can say the whole world has joined me in my
“crazy” lifestyle. I’ve known for decades what was most important – health in
every way (holistic), spirituality, compassion, love,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>equanimity, self-discipline, and the less-is-more lifestyle. Now, the rest of the world knows this too.</div>
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Talking to nature, talking to
myself, talking to my dogs, that was the norm of my semi-recluse lifestyle. Now
I read others all over the world are doing the same. I rescued stray dogs to
give them a home and to provide me with some non-intrusive company. Others are
doing the same now <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and that’s great for
the strays. Although, lockdown is misery for the dogs. Whether pets or strays, they don’t
know what’s happening. Pets wonder why we have stopped taking them out for
their daily exercise and the strays must be depressed and lost for they no
longer see the food placed at their regular feeding stations. I imagine many of
them will die of starvation during the lockdown period.</div>
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As a regular homebody, my home
gym was/is in use. I get to play taiji in my garden at home. Others are forced
to follow suit during the lockdown periods.</div>
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I never had much of a social
life. My lifestyle during lockdown is moreorless the same. Reading and self-reflection
was mostly my lifestyle. Now others are tasting more of these.</div>
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I had to face my mortality before
this CV 19 threat. I was living my life every day as if it was my last day on
Earth. The difference now is that many others are facing their mortality with
me. Life has become a level playing field. Of sorts.</div>
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Aware of being an energy entity
for some time already, everything and everyone continues to be energy to me. The
difference now is, others are becoming more aware of their spirituality.</div>
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Living in lockdown mode, food and
personal hygiene become apparently vital. Mental stimulation and a good
internet connection too. I used to value these anyway. Now others value what I valued
for decades.</div>
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I was living a simple, minimalistic life before
CV 19. I continue to live this way. Nothing was permanent then; nothing
is permanent now.</div>
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I focused on my energy imprints
-- what energy imprints was I going to leave behind? Now it’s more of the same.
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I was always aware farmers are
precious for the survival of humanity. This period brings this home like no
other period in history.</div>
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Being more-or-less self-employed
and working from the home base almost all my life, isolation is not new to me.
Now that the rest of the world is joining me in this lifestyle, I feel more
connected to the rest of the world.</div>
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This lockdown is playing to my
strengths. However, there is some change in my level of solitude online. I’m
more connected online nowadays as the Covid 19 pandemic makes me more available.
This brought about some new opportunities to connect with people of various
kinds of walk. The likes of which I wouldn’t have crossed paths with before Covid 19.</div>
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From time to time, we read about
how the Earth is in danger from humankind’s excessive behavior. Some people,
myself included, stuck with the faith that nature will somehow find a way to
correct the imbalance. Nature will find a way. Earth can survive without
humans. Humans cannot survive without nature. Nature trumps in the end. Make no
mistake. Nature is God. God is nature.</div>
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<span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Finally, research shows there are benefits to </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://trauma.massey.ac.nz/issues/2017-1/AJDTS_21_1_full.pdf#page=33"><span style="background: white; color: windowtext;">facing a crisis collectively</span></a><span style="background: white;">, compared to experiencing it alone. Studies have
found that social support during times of trauma can lead to better emotional
health and </span><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/palliative-and-supportive-care/article/does-social-support-from-family-and-friends-work-as-a-buffer-against-reactions-to-stressful-life-events-such-as-terminal-cancer/92AA3CD38BC2B37295F07DA3B60120D0"><span style="background: white; color: windowtext;">less severe stress reactions</span></a><span style="background: white;"> in the long term.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">See:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="color: #383838;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/facing-the-coronavirus-crisis-together-could-lead-to-positive-psychological-growth-134289">https://theconversation.com/facing-the-coronavirus-crisis-together-could-lead-to-positive-psychological-growth-134289</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615437/virtual-happy-hour-introverts-lockdown-coronavirus/">https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615437/virtual-happy-hour-introverts-lockdown-coronavirus/</a></div>
<br />Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-82508135889212773502019-07-19T10:42:00.000-07:002019-07-20T10:22:49.694-07:0021 Lessons for the 21st Century -- Excerpts<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.4667px;">By Yuval Noah Harari<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P xii – Democratic politics, human rights and free-market capitalism seemed destined to conquer the entire world. But as usual, history took an unexpected turn, and after fascism and communism collapsed, now liberalism is in a jam. So where are we heading?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Liberalism is losing credibility exactly when the twin revolutions in information technology and biotechnology confront us with the biggest challenges our species has ever encountered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Big Data algorithms might create digital dictatorships in which all power is concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite while most people suffer not from exploitation, but from something far worse – irrelevance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P xiii – Is there still a clear border separating reality from fiction?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Who are we? What should we do in life? What kinds of skills do we need?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What can we say about the meaning of life today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Philosophy, religion and science are all running out of time. People have debated the meaning of life for thousands of years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P xiv – Artificial intelligence and biotechnology are giving humanity the power to reshape and re-engineer life. Very soon somebody will have to decide how to use this power – based on some implicit or explicit story about the meaning of life. Philosophers are very patient people, but engineers are far less patient, and investors are the least patient of all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P xv – After some soul searching, I chose free discussion over self-censorship. Without criticizing the liberal model, we cannot repair its faults or go beyond it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If you value this book, you should also value the freedom of expression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 4 – Since the global financial crisis of 2008 people all over the world have become increasingly disillusioned with the liberal story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 5 – Today, few would confidently declare that the Chinese Communist Party is on the wrong side of history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Some discovered a liking for the old hierarchical world, and they just don’t want to give up their racial, national or gendered privileges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In 1938 humans were offered three global stories to choose from, in 1968 just two, in 1998 a single story seemed to prevail; in 2018 we are down to zero.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">To be suddenly left without any story is terrifying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Many liberals fear that Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump portend the end of human civilization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 6 – Already today, computers have made the financial system so complicated that few humans can understand it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">For example, it might become impossible or irrelevant to tax dollars, because most transactions will not involve a clear-cut exchange of national currency, or any currency at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Will the political system manage to deal with the crisis before it runs out of money?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 7 -- If a thought buzzed in our mind and kept us awake at night, most of us did not know how to kill the thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The revolution in biotech and infotech will give us control of the world inside us, and will enable us to engineer and manufacture life. We will learn how to design brains, extend lives, and kill thoughts at our discretion. Nobody knows what the consequences will be. Humans were always far better at inventing tools than using them wisely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Similarly, it will be easier to redirect the flow of our minds than to divine what it will do to our personal psychology or to our social systems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In the coming century biotech and infotech will give us the power to manipulate the world inside us and reshape ourselves, but because we don’t understand the complexity of our own minds, the changes we will make might upset our mental system to such an extent that it too might break down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The revolutions in biotech and infotech are made by engineers, entrepreneurs and scientists who are hardly aware of the political implications of their decisions, and who certainly don’t represent anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 8 – Ordinary people may not understand artificial intelligence and biotechnology, but they can sense that the future is passing them by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In 2018 the common person feels increasingly irrelevant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The liberal story was the story of ordinary people. How can it remain relevant to a world of cyborgs and networked algorithms?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 9 – It is much harder to struggle against irrelevance than against exploitation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 10 – In particular, the liberal story learned from communism to expand the circle of empathy and to value equality alongside liberty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 11—Liberty is not worth much unless it is coupled with some kind of social safety net.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Most people who voted for Trump and Brexit didn’t reject the liberal package in its entirety – they lost faith mainly in its globalizing part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 12 – The rising Chinese superpower presents an almost mirror image. It is wary of liberalizing its domestic politics, but it has adopted a far more liberal approach to the rest of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Democracy is based on Abraham Lincoln’s principle that ‘you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time’. If a government is corrupt and fails to improve people’s lives, enough citizens will eventually realize this and replace the government. But government control of the media undermines Lincoln’s logic, because it prevents citizens from realizing the truth. Through its monopoly over the media, the ruling oligarchy can repeatedly blame all its failures on others, and divert attention to external threats – either real or imaginary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 13 -- By manufacturing a never-ending stream of crises, a corrupt oligarchy can prolong its rule indefinitely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">But I am yet to meet a single person who dreams of emigrating to Russia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 14 – People may give the system an angry kick in the stomach but, having nowhere else to go, they will eventually come back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 16 – But liberalism has no obvious answers to the biggest problems we face: ecological collapse and technological disruption.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">However, economic growth will not save the global ecosystem – just the opposite, it is the cause of the ecological crisis. And economic growth will not solve technological disruption – it is predicated on the invention of more and more disruptive technologies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">We are consequently left with the task of creating an updated story for the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 17 – We are still in the nihilist moment of disillusionment and anger, after people have lost faith in the old stories but before they have embraced a new one. So what next? The first step is to tone down the prophecies of doom, and switch from panic mode to bewilderment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Any story that seeks to gain humanity’s allegiance will be tested above all in its ability to deal with the twin revolutions in infotech and biotech. If liberalism, nationalism, Islam or some novel creed wishes to shape the world of the year 2050, it will need not only to make sense of artificial intelligence, Big Data algorithms and bioengineering – it will also need to incorporate them into a new meaningful narrative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 20 – It turned out that our choices of everything from food to mates result not from some mysterious free will, but rather from billions of neurons calculating probabilities within a split second.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If you think AI needs to compete against the human soul in terms of mystical hunches – that sounds impossible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 21 -- For how can a computer understand the divinely created human spirit?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 22 – Two particularly important non-human abilities that AI possesses are connectivity and updateability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 23 – Today close to 1.25 million people are killed annually in traffic accidents (twice the number killed by war, crime and terrorism combined).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 24 – Many doctors focus almost exclusively on processing information: they absorb medical data, analyse it, and produce a diagnosis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The human care industry – which takes care of the sick, the young and the elderly – is likely to remain a human bastion for a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 25 – Of all forms of art, music is probably the most susceptible to Big Data analysis, because both inputs and outputs lend themselves to precise mathematical depiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 27 – In the long run, algorithms may learn how to compose entire tunes, playing on human emotions as if they were a piano keyboard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 29 – Instead of humans competing with AI, they could focus on servicing and leveraging AI.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 30 – How do you unionise a profession that mushrooms and disappears within a decade?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 32 – At least in chess, creativity is already the trademark of computers rather than humans!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 33 – Thus even after self-driving vehicles prove themselves safer and cheaper than human drivers, politicians and consumers might nevertheless block the change for years, perhaps decades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The challenge posed to humankind in the twenty-first century by infotech and biotech is arguably much bigger than the challenge posed in the previous era by steam engines, railroads and electricity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 34 – Technology is never deterministic, and the fact that something can be done does not mean it must be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 36 – In the stock exchange, for example, algorithms are becoming the most important buyers of bonds, shares and commodities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Algorithms obviously have no consciousness, so unlike human consumers, they cannot enjoy what they buy, and their decisions are not shaped by sensations and emotions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 37 – These models should be guided by the principle of protecting humans rather than jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">One new model, which is gaining increasing attention, is universal basic income. This will cushion the poor against job loss and economic dislocation, while protecting the rich from populist rage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 38 – This is in fact the utopian vision of communism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 39 – Taking the right steps was more important than making speedy progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 42 – To really achieve its goals, universal basic support will have to be supplemented by some meaningful pursuits, ranging from sports to religion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 43 – But in the lives of all people, the quest for meaning and for community might eclipse the quest for a job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 45 – You might object that people were asked ‘What do you think?’ rather than ‘What do you feel?’, but this is a common misperception. Referendums and elections are always about human feelings, not about human rationality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 46/47 – Just as divine authority was legitimized by religious mythologies, and human authority was justified by the liberal story, so the coming technological revolution might establish the authority of Big Data algorithms, while undermining the very idea of individual freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Feelings are thus not the opposite of rationality – they embody evolutionary rationality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 48 – For all practical purposes, it was reasonable to argue that I have free will, because my will was shaped mainly by the interplay of inner forces, which nobody outside could see. I could enjoy the illusion that I control my secret inner arena, while outsiders could never really understand what is happening inside me and how I make decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">However, soon computer algorithms could give you better counsel than human feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">When the biotech revolution merges with the infotech revolution, it will produce Big Data algorithms that can monitor and understand my feelings much better than I can, and then authority will probably shift from humans to computers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 49 – But by 2050, thanks to biometric sensors and Big Data algorithms, diseases may be diagnosed and treated long before they lead to pain or disability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 52 – Algorithms will repeatedly make mistakes due to insufficient data, faulty programming, muddled goal definitions and the chaotic nature of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… because most people don’t know themselves very well, and most people often make terrible mistakes in the most important decisions of their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 53 – It might become so easy to manipulate our opinions and emotions that we will be forced to rely on algorithms in the same way that a pilot suffering an attack of vertigo must ignore what his own senses are telling him and put all his trust in the machinery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 55 – Humans are used to thinking about life as a drama of decision-making.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What will happen to this view of life as we increasingly rely on AI to make decisions for us?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 56 – Already today we are becoming tiny chips inside a giant data-processing system that nobody really understands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">People might object that algorithms could never make important decisions for us, because important decisions usually involve an ethical dimension, and algorithms don’t understand ethics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 57 – The moral of the parable is that people’s merit should be judged by their actual behavior, rather than by their religious affiliation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 58 – That’s just the way natural selection has shaped <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i>. Like all mammals, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i> uses emotions to quickly make life and death decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Distracted, angry and anxious human drivers kill more than a million people in traffic accidents every year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Computer algorithms, however, have not been shaped by natural selection, and they have neither emotions nor gut instincts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 59 – In effect, every car will be driven by Michael Schumacher and Immanuel Kant rolled into one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Granted, the philosophical algorithm will never be perfect. Mistakes will still happen, resulting in injuries, death and extremely complicated lawsuits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Given that human drivers kill more than a million people each year, that isn’t such a tall order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 60 – So if you want to study something that will guarantee a good job in the future, maybe philosophy is not such a bad gamble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Tesla will produce two models of the self-driving car: the Tesla Altruist and the Tesla Egoist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 61 – Yet the real problem with robots is exactly the opposite. We should fear them because they will probably always obey their masters and never rebel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 62 – The real problem with robots is not their own artificial intelligence, but rather the natural stupidity and cruelty of their human masters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 63 – Yet autonomous weapon systems are a catastrophe waiting to happen, because too many governments tend to be ethically corrupt, if not downright evil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 66 – Not only will the regime know exactly how you feel – it could make you feel whatever it wants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Democracy in its present form cannot survive the merger of biotech and infotech. Either democracy will successfully reinvent itself in a radically new form, or humans will come to live in ‘digital dictatorships’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 69 – But in reality, there is no reason to assume that artificial intelligence will gain consciousness, because intelligence and consciousness are very different things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 70 – Hence despite the immense power of artificial intelligence, for the foreseeable future its usage will continue to depend to some extent on human consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The bots could identify our deepest fears, hatreds and cravings, and use these inner leverages against us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 71 – Unfortunately, at present we are not doing much to research and develop human consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The economic system pressures me to expand and diversify my investment portfolio, but it gives me zero incentives to expand and diversify my compassion. So I strive to understand the mysteries of the stock exchange, while making far less effort to understand the deep causes of suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Indeed we have no idea what the full human potential is, because we know so little about the human mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If we are not careful, we will end up with downgraded humans misusing upgraded computers to wreak havoc on themselves and on the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 73 -- …and just as humankind seems about to achieve global unification, the species itself might divide into different biological castes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Inequality goes back to the Stone Age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Property is a prerequisite for long-term inequality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Following the Agricultural Revolution, property multiplied and with it inequality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 74 – Industrial economies relied on masses of common workers, while industrial armies relied on masses of common soldiers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The history of the twentieth century revolved to a large extent around the reduction of inequality between classes, races and genders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">An entire generation grew up on this promise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Now it seems that this promise might not be fulfilled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Already today, the richest 1 per cent owns half the world’s wealth. Even more alarmingly, the richest hundred people together own more than the poorest 4 billion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 75 -- At the same time, improvements in biotechnology might make it possible to translate economic inequality into biological inequality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Humankind might split into biological castes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">By 2100 the rich might really be more talented, more creative and more intelligent than the slum-dwellers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">By 2100, the richest 1 per cent might own not merely most of the world’s wealth, but also most of the world’s beauty, creativity and health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It’s very dangerous to be redundant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 76 – Instead of globalization resulting in global unity, it might actually result in ‘speciation’: the divergence of humankind into different biological castes or even different species. Globalisation will unite the world horizontally by erasing national borders, but it will simultaneously divide humanity vertically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">From this perspective, current populist resentment of the ‘elites’ is well founded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Not just entire classes, but entire countries and continents might become irrelevant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 77 – Maybe one of ‘our’ biggest problems is that different human groups have completely different futures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The key is to regulate the ownership of data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… and politics will be a struggle to control the flow of data. If data becomes concentrated in too few hands – humankind will split into different species.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 78 -- Once algorithms choose and buy things for us, the traditional advertising industry will go bust.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 79 – In the big battle between health and privacy, health is likely to win hands down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The key question is: who owns the data? Does the data about my DNA, my brain and my life belong to me, to the government, to a corporation, or to the human collective?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Politicians are a bit like musicians, and the instrument they play on is the human emotional and biochemical system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 80 – Data is everywhere and nowhere at the same time, it can move at the speed of light, and you can create as many copies of it as you want.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">How do you regulate the ownership of data? This may well be the most important political question of our era. If we cannot answer this question soon, our sociopolitical system might collapse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 89 – People estranged from their bodies, senses and physical environment are likely to feel alienated and disoriented.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Yet they cannot live happily if they are disconnected from their bodies. If you don’t feel at home in your body, you will never feel at home in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 90 – Yet it is extremely difficult to know each other as ‘whole’ people. It takes a lot of time, and it demands direct physical interaction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Will Facebook take a true leap of faith, and privilege social concerns over financial interests?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 92 -- We may come to miss the good old days when online was separated from offline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 93 – Just as in nature different species fight for survival according to the remorseless laws of natural selection, so throughout history civilizations have repeatedly clashed and only the fittest have survived to tell the tale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 93/94 -- Muslim countries will never adopt Western values, and Western countries could never successfully absorb Muslim minorities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Chimpanzees live in mixed groups of males and females. They compete for power by building coalitions of supporters from among both sexes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 96 – In truth, European civilization is anything Europeans make of it, just as Christianity is anything Christians make of it, Islam is anything Muslims make of it, and Judaism is anything Jews make of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">To be German in 2018 means to grapple with the difficult legacy of Nazism while upholding liberal and democratic values. Who knows what it will mean in 2050.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 97 – Similar distortions of ancient traditions characterize all religions. The Islamic State has boasted that it has reverted to the pure and original version of Islam, but in truth, their take on Islam is brand new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 98 – The heated argument about the true essence of Islam is simply pointless. Islam has no fixed DNA. Islam is whatever Muslims make of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Species often split, but they never merge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 99 -- Indeed, links may form even between sworn enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">War spreads ideas, technologies and people far more quickly than commerce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 101 – Global politics thus follows the Anna Karenina principle: successful states are all alike, but every failed state fails in its own way, by missing this or that ingredient of the dominant political package.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">No group rejecting the principles of global politics has so far gained any lasting control of any significant territory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 107 – Today, learned people throughout the world believe exactly the same thing about matter, energy, time and space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 108 – The people we fight most often are our own family members. Identity is defined by conflicts and dilemmas more than by agreements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 109 – The big challenges of the twenty-first century will be global in nature. What will happen when climate change triggers ecological catastrophes? What will happen when computers outperform humans in more and more tasks, and replace them in an increasing number of jobs? What will happen when biotechnology enables us to upgrade humans and extend lifespans?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Though humankind is very far from constituting a harmonious community, we are all members of a single rowdy global civilization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Might a return to traditional nationalism be the solution to our desperate global crises (sic)? If globalization brings with it so many problems why not just abandon it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 110 – Contrary to common wisdom, nationalism is not a natural and eternal part of the human psyche, and it is not rooted in human biology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 112 – It is a dangerous mistake to imagine that without nationalism we would all be living in a liberal paradise. More likely, we would be living in tribal chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The list of countries lacking robust national bonds includes Afghanistan, Somalia, Congo and most other failed states.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">For generations the most basic criticism of nationalism was that it led to war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 114 – In 2016, despite wars in Syria, Ukraine and several other hot spots, fewer people died from human violence than from obesity, from car accidents, or from suicide. This may well have been the greatest political and moral achievement of our times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 115/6 – Humans are destabilizing the global biosphere on multiple fronts. We are taking more and more resources out of the environment, while pumping back into it enormous quantities of waste and poison, thereby changing the composition of the soil, the water and the atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">For thousands of years, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i> behaved as an ecological serial killer; now it is morphing into an ecological mass murderer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 117 – ‘Hello, I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i>, and I am a fossil-fuel addict.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 118 – At present the meat industry not only inflicts untold misery on billions of sentient beings, but it is also one the chief causes of global warming, one of the main consumers of antibiotics and poison, and one of the foremost polluters of air, land and water. According to a 2013 report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, it takes about 15,000 litres of fresh water to produce one kilogram of beef, compared to 287 litres needed to produce a kilogram of potatoes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This might sound like science fiction, but the world’s first clean hamburger was grown from cells – and then eaten – in 2013. It cost $330,000. Four years of research and development brought the price down to $11 per unit, and within another decade industrially produced clean meat is expected to be cheaper than slaughtered meat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 119 – This technological development could save billions of animals from a life of abject misery, could help feed billions of malnourished humans, and could simultaneously help to prevent ecological meltdown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Hence there are many things that governments, corporations and individuals can do to avoid climate change. But to be effective, they must be done on a global level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 120 – Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia depend on exporting oil and gas. Their economies will collapse if oil and gas suddenly give way to solar and wind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 121 – In order to avoid such a race to the bottom, humankind will probably need some kind of global identity and loyalty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 122 – Some believe that consciousness might even be severed from any organic structure, and could surf cyberspace free of all biological and physical constraints. On the other hand, we might witness the complete decoupling of intelligence from consciousness, and the development of AI might result in a world dominated by super-intelligent but completely non-conscious entities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Each of these three problems – nuclear war, ecological collapse and technological disruption – is enough to threaten the future of human civilization. But taken together, they add up to an unprecedented existential crisis, especially because they are likely to reinforce and compound one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 123 – In times of crisis people do risky things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 124 – Technology has changed everything by creating a set of global existential threats that no nation can solve on its own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 125 -- True, when you have multiple loyalties, conflicts are sometimes inevitable. But then who said life was simple? Deal with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">We now have a global ecology, a global economy and a global science – but we are still stuck with only national politics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 126 – Rather, to globalize politics means that political dynamics within countries and even cities should give far more weight to global problems and interests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 127 – Yet secular people are a minority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 128 – Traditional religions are largely irrelevant to technical and policy problems. In contrast, they are extremely relevant to identity problems – but in most cases they constitute a major part of the problem rather than a potential solution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Medicine too fell within the religious domain. Almost every prophet, guru and shaman doubled as a healer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 129 – Even mental illness – the last bastion of religious healers – is gradually passing into the hand of the scientists, as neurology replaces demonology and Prozac supplants exorcism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Traditional religions have lost so much turf because, frankly, they just weren’t very good in farming or healthcare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Scientists too know how to cut corners and twist the evidence, but in the end, the mark of science is the willingness to admit failure and try a different tack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 131 – There is no such thing as ‘Christian economics’, ‘Muslim economics’ or ‘Hindu economics’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 132 – Humankind is likely to be divided into two main camps – those in favour of giving AI significant authority, and those opposed to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 133 – It would go without saying that Evangelicals will object to any cap on carbon emissions, while Catholics will believe that Jesus preached we must protect the environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">From this perspective, religion doesn’t really have much to contribute to the great policy debates of our time. As Karl Marx argued, it is just a veneer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 134 – Human power depends on mass cooperation, mass cooperation depends on manufacturing mass identities – and all mass identities are based on fictional stories, not on scientific facts or even on economic necessities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">So, in the twenty-first century religions don’t bring rain, they don’t cure illnesses, they don’t build bombs – but they do get to determine who are ‘us’ and who are ‘them’, who we should cure and who we should bomb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 135 – Other religious traditions fill the world with a lot of ugliness, and make people behave meanly and cruelly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Freud ridiculed the obsession people have about such matters as ‘the narcissism of small differences’.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In Saudi Arabia, a lesbian could not even drive a car until 2018 – just for being a woman, never mind being a lesbian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In 1853 an American fleet forced Japan to open itself to the modern world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Yet Japan did not copy blindly the Western blueprint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Japan upheld the native religion of Shinto as the cornerstone of Japanese identity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 136 – Any element in Buddhism, Confucianism and the samurai feudal ethos that could be helpful in cementing loyalty to the state was added to the mix. To top it all, State Shinto enshrined as its supreme principle the worship of the Japanese emperor, who was considered a direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu, and himself no less than a living god.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Japan was the first power to develop and use precision-guided missiles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Japan sank dozens of allied ships with precision-guided missiles. We know these missiles as the kamikaze.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The kamikaze thus relied on combining state-of-the-art technology with state-of-the-art religious indoctrination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Knowingly or not, numerous governments today follow the Japanese example. They adopt the universal tools and structures of modernity while relying on traditional religions to preserve a unique national identity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 137 – No matter how archaic a religion might look, with a bit of imagination and reinterpretation it can almost always be married to the latest technological gadgets and the most sophisticated modern institutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The North Korean regime indoctrinates its subjects with a fanatical state religion called Juche.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Though nobody claims that the Kims are descendants of a sun goddess, they are worshipped with more fervor than almost any god in history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Religions, rites and rituals will remain important as long as the power of humankind rests on mass cooperation and as long as mass cooperation rests on belief in shared fictions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Unfortunately, all of this really makes traditional religions part of humanity’s problem, not part of the remedy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 138 – There certainly are religious sages who reject nationalist excesses and adopt far more universal visions. Unfortunately, such sages don’t wield much political power these days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Built on the promise of universal liberal values, the EU is teetering on the verge of disintegration due to the difficulties of integration and immigration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 139 – Though globalization has greatly reduced cultural differences across the planet, it has simultaneously made it far easier to encounter strangers and become upset by their oddities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… it has been Europe’s very success in building a prosperous multicultural system that drew so many migrants in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 140 – But should this be understood as a duty or a favour? Is the host country obliged to open its gates to everybody, or does it have the right to pick and choose, and even to halt immigration altogether?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 141 – Anti-immigrationists stress that one of the most basic rights of every human collective is to defend itself against invasion, whether in the form of armies or migrants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 143 – Anti-immigrationists tend to place the bar high, whereas pro-immigrationists place it much lower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Precisely because Europe cherishes tolerance, it cannot allow too many intolerant people in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If Europe allows in too many immigrants from the Middle East, it will end up looking like the Middle East.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 144 – Tolerance is a universal value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 145 – For pro-immigrationists, if third-generation immigrants are not seen and treated as equal citizens, this means that the host country is not fulfilling its obligations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The root issue of this debate concerns the gap between personal timescale and collective timescale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 147 – Indeed, if all human cultures were essentially the same, why would we even need anthropologists and historians?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If cultural differences are insignificant, then whatever we discover about Harvard undergraduates should be true of Kalahari hunter-gatherers too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 148 – Unfortunately, such broad-minded attitudes cannot stand the test of reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 150 – Traditional racism is waning, but the world is now full of ‘culturists’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 151 – Skin colour matters a lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The shift from biology to culture is not just a meaningless change of jargon. It is a profound shift with far-reaching practical consequences, some good, some bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 153 -- …when you clearly define a yardstick, a time, and a place, culturist claims may well be empirically sound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">While culture is important, people are also shaped by their genes and their unique personal history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 155 – Terrorism is the weapon of a marginal and weak segment of humanity. How did it come to dominate global politics?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 159 – Diabetes and high sugar levels kill up to 3.5 million people annually, while air pollution kills about 7 million people. So why do we fear terrorism more than sugar, and why do governments lose elections because of sporadic terror attacks but not because of chronic air pollution?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">As the literal meaning of the word indicates, terrorism is a military strategy that hopes to change the political situation by spreading fear rather than by causing material damage. This strategy is almost always adopted by very weak parties who cannot inflict much material damage on their enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 163 – Like terrorists, those combating terrorism should also think more like theatre producers and less like army generals. Above all, if we want to combat terrorism effectively we must realize that nothing the terrorists do can defeat us. We are the only ones who can defeat ourselves, if we overreact in a misguided way to the terrorist provocations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">A terrorist is like a gambler holding a particularly bad hand, who tries to convince his rivals to reshuffle the cards. He cannot lose anything, and he may win everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 167 – The success or failure of terrorism thus depends on us. If we allow our imagination to be captured by the terrorists, and then overreact to our own fears – terrorism will succeed. If we free our imagination from the terrorists, and react in a balanced and cool way – terrorism will fail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><b>Mena note: Here I find myself substituting efawism (EFAW – Evil Forces At Work) with terrorism and substituting terrorist with efawist.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Hence while present-day terrorism is mostly theatre, future nuclear terrorism, cyberterrorism or bioterrorism would pose a much more serious threat, and would demand far more drastic reaction from governments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 168 – It is hard to set priorities in real time, while it is all too easy to second-guess priorities with hindsight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 169 -- … reunified Germany is hailed today as the leader of the free world, and China has become the economic engine of the entire globe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">We just cannot prepare for every eventuality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">These are different problems that demand different solutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 171 – In contrast, in 2018 successful wars seem to be an endangered species.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 172/3 – Though some Third World dictators and non-state actors still manage to flourish through war, it seems that major powers no longer know how to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The greatest victory in living memory – of the United States over the Soviet Union – was achieved without any major military confrontation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">China, the rising power of the early twenty-first century, has assiduously avoided all armed conflicts since its failed invasion of Vietnam in 1979, and it owes its ascent strictly to economic factors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">For all its military prowess and for all the hawkish rhetoric of Israeli politicians, Israel knows there is little to be won from war. Like the USA, China, Germany, Japan and Iran, Israel seems to understand that in the twenty-first century the most successful strategy is to sit on the fence and let others do the fighting for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 175 – Russia has been following the playground-bully principle: ‘pick on the weakest kid, and don’t beat him up too much, lest the teacher intervenes’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 176 – Together, the USA and EU have five times more people than Russia, and ten times more dollars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Today, information technology and biotechnology are more important than heavy industry, but Russia excels in neither.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 177 – As Putin’s rise sparks an upsurge of Polish nationalism, this will only make Poland more anti-Russian than before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 178 – There are no silicon mines in Silicon Valley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The atom bomb has turned victory in a world war into collective suicide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 179 – We should never underestimate human stupidity. Both on the personal and on the collective level, humans are prone to engage in self-destructive activities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Germans, Italians and Japanese were enjoying unprecedented levels of affluence. Why, then, did they go to war in the first place? Why did they inflict unnecessary death and destruction on countless millions?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 180 – Human stupidity is one of the most important forces in history, yet we often discount it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The problem is that the world is far more complicated than a chessboard, and human rationality is not up to the task of really understanding it. Hence even rational leaders frequently end up doing very stupid things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Moreover, it is exceedingly dangerous to assume that a new world war is inevitable. That would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">On the other hand, it would be naïve to assume that war is impossible. Even if war is catastrophic for everyone, no god and no law of nature protects us from human stupidity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 184 – It is certainly true that Judaism begot Christianity, and influenced the birth of Islam – two of the most important religions in history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 185 – Similarly, without Judaism you would not have had Christianity, but that doesn’t merit giving much importance to Judaism when writing the history of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">But when you look at the big picture of our history as a species, since the emergence of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i> more than 100,000 years ago, it is obvious that the Jewish contribution to history was very limited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 186 – The coin, the university, the parliament, the bank, the compass, the printing press and the steam engine were all invented by Gentiles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 187 – All social mammals, such as wolves, dolphins and monkeys, have ethical codes, adapted by evolution to promote group cooperation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Apes not only avoid taking advantage of weak group members, but sometimes actively help them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 188 -- … but apparently ape leaders developed the tendency to help the poor, needy and fatherless millions of years before the Bible instructed ancient Israelites that they should not ‘mistreat any widow or fatherless child’ and before the prophet Amos complained about social elites ‘who oppress the poor and crush the needy’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 190 – The Bible is far from being the exclusive font of human morality (and luckily so, given the many racist, misogynist and homophobic attitudes it contains).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Confucious, Laozi, Buddha and Mahavira established universal ethical codes long before Paul and Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Buddha and Mahavira already instructed their followers to avoid harming not only all human beings, but any sentient beings whatsoever, including insects. It therefore makes absolutely no sense to credit Judaism and its Christian and Muslim offspring with the creation of human morality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 191 – From an ethical perspective, monotheism was arguably one of the worst ideas in human history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Monotheism did little to improve the moral standards of humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What monotheism undoubtedly did was to make many people far more intolerant than before, thereby contributing to the spread of religious persecutions and holy wars. Polytheists found it perfectly acceptable that different people will worship different gods and perform diverse rites and rituals. They rarely if ever fought, persecuted, or killed people just because of their religious beliefs. Monotheists, in contrast, believed that their God was the only god, and that He demanded universal obedience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 192 –Nevertheless, by insisting that ‘there is no god but our God’ the monotheist idea tended to encourage bigotry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 194 – Einstein was Jewish, but the theory of relativity wasn’t ‘Jewish physics’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Darwin was a Christian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Does it imply that the theory of evolution is a Christian theory?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 195 -- … it was the Gentile thinkers who laid the groundwork for the achievements of Einstein, Haber and Freud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 196 – Many religions praise the value of humility – but then imagine themselves to be the most important thing in the universe. They mix calls for personal meekness with blatant collective arrogance. Humans of all creeds would do well to take humility more seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 197 – Does God exist? That depends on which God you have in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Why is there something rather than nothing? What shaped the fundamental laws of physics? What is consciousness, and where does it come from?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This is the God of the philosophers; the God we talk about when we sit around a campfire late at night, and wonder what life is all about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 198 – The deeper the mysteries of the universe, the less likely it is that whatever is responsible for them gives a damn about female dress codes or human sexual behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In truth, we haven’t got any evidence whatsoever that the Bible or the Quran or the Book of Mormon or the Vedas or any other holy book was composed by the force that determined that energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared, and that protons are 1,837 times more massive than electrons. To the best of our scientific knowledge, all these sacred texts were written by imaginative <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i>. They are just stories invented by our ancestors in order to legitimize social norms and political structures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 199 – I personally never cease to wonder about the mystery of existence. But I have never understood what it has got to do with the niggling laws of Judaism, Christianity or Hinduism. These laws were certainly very helpful in establishing and maintaining the social order for thousands of years. But in that, they are not fundamentally different from the laws of secular states and institutions.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Perhaps the deeper meaning of this commandment is that we should never use the name of God to justify our political interests, our economic ambitions or our personal hatreds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">You want to wage war on your neighbours and steal their land? Leave God out of it, and find yourself some other excuse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">When I think of the mystery of existence, I prefer to use others words, so as to avoid confusion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">... the mystery of existence doesn’t care an iota what names we apes give it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Of course the cosmic mystery doesn’t help us at all in maintaining the social order. People often argue that we must believe in a god that gave some very concrete laws to humans, or else morality will disappear and society will collapse into primeval chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 200 – Yet though gods can inspire us to act compassionately, religious faith is not a necessary condition for moral behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Morality of some kind is natural. All social mammals from chimpanzees to rats have ethical codes that limit things such as theft and murder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 201 – Morality doesn’t mean ‘following divine commands’. It means ‘reducing suffering’. Hence in order to act morally, you don’t need to believe in any myth or story. You just need to develop a deep appreciation of suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Even inquisitors who deliberately inflict as much pain as possible on their victim, usually use various desensitizing and dehumanizing techniques in order to distance themselves from what they are doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">One obvious answer is that humans are social animals, therefore their happiness depends to a very large extent on their relations with others. Without love, friendship and community, who could be happy? If you live a lonely self-centred life, you are almost guaranteed to be miserable. So at the very least, to be happy you need to care about your family, your friends, and your community members.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 202 – On a much more immediate level, hurting others always hurts me too. Every violent act in the world begins with a violent desire in somebody’s mind, which disturbs that person’s own peace and happiness before it disturbs the peace and happiness of anyone else. Thus people seldom steal unless they first develop a lot of greed and envy in their minds. People don’t usually murder unless they first generate anger and hatred. Emotions such as greed, envy, anger and hatred are very unpleasant. You cannot experience joy and harmony when you are boiling with anger or envy. Hence long before you murder anyone, your anger has already killed your own peace of mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If you were completely free of anger you would feel far better than if you murdered an obnoxious enemy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">So the value of the lawgiver god ultimately depends on the behavior of his devotees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">But if a particular temple causes violence and conflicts, what do we need it for? It is clearly a dysfunctional temple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Secularism can provide us with all the values we need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 203 – According to this definition, secular people do not believe in any gods or angels, do not go to churches and temples, and do not perform rites and rituals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Self-professing secularists view secularism in a very different way. For them, secularism is a very positive and active world view, which is defined by a coherent code of values rather than by opposition to this or that religion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Rather, morality and wisdom are the natural legacy of all humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In contrast, secular people are comfortable with multiple hybrid identities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 204 – This ethical code – which is indeed accepted by millions of Muslims, Christians and Hindus as well as by atheists – enshrines the values of truth, compassion, equality, freedom, courage and responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What then is the secular ideal? The most important secular commitment is to the truth, which is based on observation and evidence rather than on mere faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Often, strong beliefs are needed precisely when the story isn’t true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This commitment to the truth underlies modern science, which has enabled humankind to split the atom, decipher the genome, track the evolution of life, and understand the history of humanity itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The other chief commitment of secular people is to compassion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Such people are motivated by obedience rather than compassion, and what will they do if they come to believe that their god commands them to kill heretics, witches, adulterers or foreigners?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">When secular people encounter such dilemmas, they do not ask ‘What does God command?’ Rather, they weigh carefully the feelings of all concerned parties, examine a wide range of observations and possibilities, and search for a middle path that will cause as little harm as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 206 – Healthy relationships require emotional, intellectual and even spiritual depth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Suffering is suffering, no matter who experiences it; and knowledge is knowledge, no matter who discovers it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 207 – We cannot search for the truth and for the way out of suffering without the freedom to think, investigate, and experiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Humans should always retain the freedom to doubt, to check again, to hear a second opinion, to try a different path.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It takes a lot of courage to fight biases and oppressive regimes, but it takes even greater courage to admit ignorance and venture into the unknown. Secular education teaches us that if we don’t know something, we shouldn’t be afraid of acknowledging our ignorance and looking for new evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Many people are afraid of the unknown, and want clear-cut answers for every question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">People afraid of losing their truth tend to be more violent than people who are used to looking at the world from several different viewpoints. Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 208 – If the world is full of misery, it is our duty to find solutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Instead of praying for miracles, we need to ask what we can do to help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The secular world judges people on the basis of their behavior rather than of their favourite clothes and ceremonies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 211 – The only place rights exist is in the stories humans invent and tell one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It thereby contributed to the happiness and welfare of humanity probably more than any other doctrine in history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">As long as you define yourself as ‘an individual possessing inalienable natural rights’, you will not know who you really are, and you will not understand the historical forces that shaped your society and your own mind (including your belief in ‘natural rights’).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If we are committed to the right to life, does that imply we should use biotechnology to overcome death? If we are committed to the right to liberty, should we empower algorithms that decipher and fulfil our hidden desires?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 213 – But if you believe in a quest for truth by fallible humans, admitting blunders is an inherent part of the game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 214 – What was the biggest mistake your religion, ideology or world view committed? What did it get wrong? If you cannot come up with something serious, I for one would not trust you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 217 – Democracy is founded on the idea that the voter knows best, free-market capitalism believes that the customer is always right, and liberal education teaches students to think for themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 218 – Humans rarely think for themselves. Rather, we think in groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">We think we know far more today, but as individuals, we actually know far less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">We think we know a lot, even though individually we know very little, because we treat knowledge in the minds of others as if it were our own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">From an evolutionary perspective, trusting in the knowledge of others has worked extremely well for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 219 – Bombarding people with facts and exposing their individual ignorance is likely to backfire. Most people don’t like too many facts, and they certainly don’t like to feel stupid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 220/1 – Even scientists are not immune to the power of groupthink.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It is extremely hard to discover the truth when you are ruling the world. You are just far too busy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Yet if you want to go deeply into any subject, you need a lot of time, and in particular you need the privilege of wasting time. You need to experiment with unproductive paths, to explore dead ends, to make space for doubts and boredom, and to allow little seeds of insight to slowly grow and blossom. If you cannot afford to waste time – you will never find the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Worse still, great power inevitably distorts the truth. Power is all about changing reality rather than seeing it for what it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">No sultan can ever trust his courtiers and underlings to tell him the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 221/2 -- If you really want truth, you need to escape the black hole of power, and allow yourself to waste a lot of time wandering here and there on the periphery. Revolutionary knowledge rarely makes it to the centre, because the centre is built on existing knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Leaders are thus trapped in a double bind. If they stay in the centre of power, they will have an extremely distorted vision of the world. If they venture to the margins, they will waste too much of their precious time. And the problem will only get worse. In the coming decades, the world will become even more complex than it is today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">As Socrates observed more than 2,000 years ago, the best we can do under such conditions is to acknowledge our own individual ignorance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">But what then about morality and justice? If we cannot understand the world, how can we hope to tell the difference between right and wrong, justice and injustice?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 224 – Back then, people had only one pension fund, called ‘children’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 225 – The system is structured in such a way that those who make no effort to know can remain in blissful ignorance, and those who do make an effort will find it very difficult to discover the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 226 – However, in a world in which everything is interconnected, the supreme moral imperative becomes the imperative to know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">But without the benefit of hindsight, moral certainty might be beyond our reach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 228 – Even if we truly want to, most of us are no longer capable of understanding the major moral problems of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In trying to comprehend and judge moral dilemmas of this scale, people often resort to one of four methods. The first is to downsize the issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The second is to focus on a touching human story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 229 – The third method to deal with large-scale moral dilemmas is to weave conspiracy theories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The fourth and ultimate method is to create a dogma, put our trust in some allegedly all-knowing theory, institution or chief, and follow them wherever they lead us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 230 – Such a solution, however, only takes us from the frying pan of individual ignorance into the fire of biased groupthink.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">But we now suffer from global problems, without having a global community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">All the existing human tribes are absorbed in advancing their particular interests rather than in understanding the global truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Should we call it quits, then, and declare that the human quest to understand the truth and find justice has failed? Have we officially entered the Post-Truth Era?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 232 -- …it seems that we are indeed living in a terrifying era of post-truth, when not just particular military incidents, but entire histories and nations might be faked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 233 – In fact, humans have always lived in the age of post-truth. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i> is a post-truth species, whose power depends on creating and believing fictions. Ever since the Stone Age, self-reinforcing myths have served to unite human collectives. Indeed, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i> conquered this planet thanks above all to the unique human ability to create and spread fictions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">As long as everybody believes in the same fictions, we all obey the same laws, and can thereby cooperate effectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… remind yourself that centuries ago millions of Christians locked themselves inside a self-reinforcing mythological bubble, never daring to question the factual veracity of the Bible, while millions of Muslims put their unquestioning faith in the Quran.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 234 -- …yet billions of people have believed in these stories for thousands of years. Some fake news lasts for ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">For better or worse, fiction is among the most effective tools in humanity’s toolkit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 235 – After Japan’s defeat Hirohito publicly proclaimed that this was not true, and that he wasn’t a god after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Again, that does not mean that these fictions are necessarily worthless or harmful. They could still be beautiful and inspiring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 237 – ‘A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 238 – Besides religions and ideologies, commercial firms too rely on fiction and fake news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The truth is that truth was never high on the agenda of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 239 – In practice, the power of human cooperation depends on a delicate balance between truth and fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In fact, false stories have an intrinsic advantage over the truth when it comes to uniting people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 240 – Thus in the economic sphere, money and corporations bind people together far more effectively than any god or holy book, even though everyone knows that they are just a human convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">We learn to respect holy books in exactly the same way we learn to respect currency bills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 241 – You cannot play games or read novels unless you suspend disbelief at least for a little while.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Humans have this remarkable ability to know and not to know at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Truth and power can travel together only so far. Sooner or later they go their separate ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 242 – Scholars throughout history faced this dilemma: do they serve power or truth? Should they aim to unite people by making sure everyone believes in the same story, or should they let people know the truth even at the price of disunity?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The most powerful scholarly establishments – whether of Christian priests, Confucian mandarins or communist ideologues – placed unity above truth. That’s why they were so powerful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Underneath all the fake news, there are real facts and real suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Human suffering is often caused by belief in fiction, but the suffering itself is still real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… and we should strive even harder to distinguish reality from fiction. Don’t expect perfection. One of the greatest fictions of all is to deny the complexity of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It is the responsibility of all of us to invest time and effort in uncovering our biases and in verifying our sources of information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">First, if you want reliable information – pay good money for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The second rule of thumb is that if some issue seems exceptionally important to you, make the effort to read the relevant scientific literature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 244 -- The scientific community has been our most reliable source of knowledge for centuries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Does that mean scientists should start writing science fiction? That is actually not such a bad idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… a good science-fiction movie is worth far more than an article in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Science</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nature.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 245/6 – In the twenty-first century, perhaps the most important artistic genre is science fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… perhaps the worst sin of present-day science fiction is that it tends to confuse intelligence with consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 246 – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Matrix</i> depicts a world in which almost all humans are imprisoned in cyberspace, and everything they experience is shaped by a master algorithm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 247/8 – The current technological and scientific revolution implies not that authentic individuals and authentic realities can be manipulated by algorithms and TV cameras, but rather that authenticity is a myth. People are afraid of being trapped inside a box, but they don’t realize that they are already trapped inside a box – their brain – which is locked within a bigger box – human society with its myriad fictions. When you escape the matrix the only thing you discover is a bigger matrix.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">But in truth, everything you will ever experience in life is within your own body and your own mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">No. Whatever you can feel in Fiji, you can feel anywhere in the world; even inside the matrix.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Perhaps we are all living inside a giant computer simulation, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Matrix</i>-style. That would contradict all our national, religious and ideological stories. But our mental experiences would still be real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Even if the gas chambers were just electric signals in silicon chips, the experience of pain, fear and despair were not one iota less excruciating for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Pain is pain, fear is fear, and love is love – even in the matrix.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The fear is still real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 249 – But the truth is that humans gained control of the world not so much by inventing knives and killing mammoths as much as by manipulating human minds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">According to the best scientific theories and the most up-to-date technological tools, the mind is never free of manipulation. There is no authentic self waiting to be liberated from the manipulative shell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 251 – The same cannot be said about the most prophetic science-fiction book of the twentieth century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Aldous Huxley wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brave New World</i> in 1931.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The underlying assumption of the book is that humans are biochemical algorithms, that science can hack the human algorithm, and that technology can then be used to manipulate it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 252 – Huxley’s genius consists in showing that you could control people far more securely through love and pleasure than through fear and violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 253 – And there’s always <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">soma</i> to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 255 – Escaping the narrow definition of self might well become a necessary survival skill in the twenty-first century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 261 – If this generation lacks a comprehensive view of the cosmos, the future of life will be decided at random.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 262 – So what should we be teaching?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Most important of all will be the ability to deal with change, to learn new things, and to preserve your mental balance in unfamiliar situations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… you will above all need to reinvent yourself again and again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">By 2048, physical and cognitive structures will also melt into air, or into a cloud of data bits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 263 – By 2048, people might have to cope with migration to cyberspace, with fluid gender identities, and with new sensory experiences generated by computer implants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">We cannot be sure of the specifics, but change itself is the only certainty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 264 – ‘Who am I?’ will be a more urgent and complicated question than ever before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This is likely to involve immense levels of stress. For change is almost always stressful, and after a certain age most people just don’t like to change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The harder you’ve worked on building something, the more difficult it is to let go of it and make room for something new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">To stay relevant – not just economically, but above all socially – you will need the ability to constantly learn and to reinvent yourself, certainly at a young age like fifty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">How to live in a world where profound uncertainty is not a bug, but a feature?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">You cannot learn resilience by reading a book or listening to a lecture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 266 -- … don’t rely on the adults too much. Most of them mean well, but they just don’t understand the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Due to the growing pace of change you can never be certain whether what the adults are telling you is timeless wisdom or outdated bias.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 267 – Technology isn’t bad. If you know what you want in life, technology can help you get it. But if you don’t know what you want in life, it will be all too easy for technology to shape your aims for you and take control of your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The voice we hear inside our heads was never trustworthy, because it always reflected state propaganda, ideological brainwashing and commercial advertisement, not to mention biochemical bugs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 268 – The algorithms are watching you right now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 269 – Every generation needs a new answer, because what we know and don’t know keeps changing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What kind of an answer do people expect?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Homo sapiens</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> is a storytelling animal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">When we look for the meaning of life, we want a story that will explain what reality is all about and what is my particular role in the cosmic drama. This role defines who I am, and gives meaning to all of my experiences and choices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">To understand the meaning of life means to understand your unique function, and to live a good life means to accomplish that function.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 270 – It makes no difference what your particular path is, as long as you follow it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 271 – The eternal repetition gives power to the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Other religions and ideologies believe in a linear cosmic drama, which has a definitive beginning, a not-too-long middle, and a once-and-for-all ending.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 272 – Nationalism too upholds a linear story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 274 – Eternity is at the very least 13.8 billion years – the current age of the universe. Planet Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, and humans have existed for at least 2 million years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">As for the future, physics tells us that planet Earth will be absorbed by an expanding sun about 7.5 billion years from now, and that our universe will continue to exist for at least 13 billion years more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 276 – All stories are incomplete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Like movie stars, humans like only those scripts that reserve an important role for them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 277 – A crucial law of storytelling is that once a story manages to extend beyond the audience’s horizon, its ultimate scope matters little.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In most cases, it takes surprisingly little to exhaust our imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 278 – If I am reborn in a new body after the death of my present body, then death is not the end. It is merely the space between two chapters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 279 – The meaning of life is thus a bit like playing with a live hand grenade. Once you pass it on to somebody else, you are safe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 280 – A wise old man was asked what he learned about the meaning of life. ‘Well,’ he answered, ‘I have learned that I am here on Earth in order to help other people. What I still haven’t figured out is why the other people are here.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 281 -- … to the best of our scientific understanding, none of the thousands of stories that different cultures, religions and tribes have invented throughout history is true. They are all just human inventions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Any</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> story is wrong, simply for being a story. The universe just does not work like a story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 282/3 – Second, not only our personal identities but also our collective institutions are built on the story. Consequently, it is extremely frightening to doubt the story. In many societies, anyone who tries to do so is ostracized or persecuted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Once personal identities and entire social systems are built on top of a story, it becomes unthinkable to doubt it, not because of the evidence supporting it, but because its collapse will trigger a personal and social cataclysm. In history, the roof is sometimes more important than the foundations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 283 – A ritual is a magical act that makes the abstract concrete and the fictional real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 285 – If you want to know the ultimate truth of life, rites and rituals are a huge obstacle. But if you are interested – like Confucius – in social stability and harmony, truth is often a liability, whereas rites and rituals are among your best allies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">So by waving a colourful flag and singing an anthem you transform the nation from an abstract story into a tangible reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 286/7 – Of all rituals, sacrifice is the most potent because of all the things in the world, suffering is the most real. You can never ignore it or doubt it. If you want to make people really believe in some fiction, entice them to make a sacrifice on its behalf. Once you suffer for a story, it is usually enough to convince you that the story is real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This is of course a logical fallacy. If you suffer because of your belief in God or in the nation, that does not prove that your beliefs are true. Maybe you are just paying the price of your gullibility? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">However, most people don’t like to admit that they are fools. Consequently, the more they sacrifice for a particular belief, the stronger their faith becomes. This is the mysterious alchemy of sacrifice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Once he convinces us to make some painful sacrifice, we are trapped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The sacrifice is not just a way to convince your lover that you are serious – it is also a way to convince yourself that you are really in love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Once the lover makes such a huge financial sacrifice, he must convince himself that it was for a worthy cause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Self-sacrifice is extremely persuasive not just for the martyrs themselves, but also for the bystanders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 289 – When you inflict suffering on yourself in the name of some story, it gives you a choice. ‘Either the story is true, or I am a gullible fool.’ When you inflict suffering on others, you are also given a choice. ‘Either the story is true, or I am a cruel villain.’ And just as we don’t want to admit we are fools, we also don’t want to admit we are villains, so we prefer to believe that the story is true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In fact, monotheists practiced human sacrifice on a much larger scale than most polytheistic cults.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">At a time when the Spanish conquistadores stopped all human sacrifices to the Aztec and Inca gods, back home in Spain the Inquisition was burning heretics by the cartload.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 291 – Just as in ancient times, so also in the twenty-first century, the human quest for meaning all too often ends with a succession of sacrifices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Such cognitive dissonances are inherent in almost all societies and movements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 292 -- … but the human brain has a lot of drawers and compartments, and some neurons just don’t talk to one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Fascism insisted that people should not believe any story except the nationalist story, and should have no identity except their national identity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Sometimes several of my identities pull me in different directions, and some of my obligations come into conflict with one another. But well, who said life was easy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">People call almost anyone they don’t like ‘a fascist’. The term is in danger of degenerating into an all-purpose term of abuse. So what does it really mean? In brief, while nationalism teaches me that my nation is unique and that I have special obligations towards it, fascism says my nation is supreme, and that I owe my nation exclusive obligations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust indicate the terrible consequences of this line of thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This is why today people sometimes adopt fascist ideas without realizing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 294 – The problem with evil is that in real life, it is not necessarily ugly. It can look very beautiful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 297 – Faith looked increasingly like mental slavery, while doubt came to be seen as a precondition for freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The modern human is free to sample them all, choosing and combining whatever fits his or her taste.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 298 – The meaning of life isn’t a ready-made product. There is no divine script, and nothing outside me can give meaning to my life. It is I who imbue everything with meaning through my free choices and through my own feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In itself, the universe is only a meaningless hodge-podge of atoms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Take away human feelings, and you are left with a bunch of molecules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The universe does not give me meaning. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i> give meaning to the universe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 299/300 -- I am free to create my own dharma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What then is the aim of my life? To create meaning by feeling, by thinking, by desiring, and by inventing. Anything that limits the human liberty to feel, to think, to desire and to invent, limits the meaning of the universe. Hence liberty from such limitations is the supreme ideal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In practical terms, those who believe in the liberal story live by the light of two commandments: create, and fight for liberty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This sounds extremely exciting and profound in theory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">To the best of our scientific understanding, there is no magic behind our choices and creations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The liberal story instructs me to seek freedom to express and realise myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Humans obviously have a will, they have desires, and they are sometimes free to fulfil their desires. If by ‘free will’ you mean the freedom to do what you desire – then yes, humans have free will. But if by ‘free will’ you mean the freedom to choose what to desire – then no, humans have no free will.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… why does one person aspire to be more religious, while another is perfectly happy to remain an atheist? This may result from any number of cultural and genetic dispositions, but it is never the result of ‘free will’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The process of self-exploration begins with simple things, and becomes progressively harder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Ultimately we should realize that we do not control our desires, or even our reactions to these desires.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Realising this can help us become less obsessive about our opinions, about our feelings, and about our desires. We don’t have free will, but we can be a bit more free from the tyranny of our will.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 301 – And in order to understand ourselves, a crucial step is to acknowledge that the ‘self’ is a fictional story that the intricate mechanisms of our mind constantly manufacture, update and rewrite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 302 -- … the universe has no plot, so it is up to us humans to create a plot, and this is our vocation and the meaning of our life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The universe has no meaning, and human feelings too are not part of a great cosmic tale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">They are just vibrations in the body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The Buddha taught that the three basic realities of the universe are that everything is constantly changing, nothing has any enduring essence, and nothing is completely satisfying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Suffering emerges because people fail to appreciate this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The eternal essence is sometimes called God, sometimes the nation, sometimes the soul, sometimes the authentic self, and sometimes true love – and the more people are attached to it, the more disappointed and miserable they become due to the failure to find it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">According to the Buddha, then, life has no meaning, and people don’t need to create any meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 304 – Having accepted that life has no meaning, I find meaning in explaining this truth to others, …<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">‘No story’ can all too easily become just another story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 306 – There is very little chance that world peace and global harmony will come once 8 billon humans start meditating regularly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The big question facing humans isn’t ‘what is the meaning of life?’ but rather, ‘how do we get out of suffering?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 307 – Because the most real thing in the world is suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 308 – So if you want to know the truth about the universe, about the meaning of life, and about your own identity, the best place to start is by observing suffering and exploring what it is. The answer isn’t a story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 311 – Yet the real enigma of life is not what happens after you die, but what happens before you die. If you want to understand death, you need to understand life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The closer you observe yourself, the more obvious it becomes that nothing endures even from one moment to the next. So what holds together an entire life?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The first thing I learned by observing my breath was that notwithstanding all the books I had read and all the classes I had attended at university, I knew almost nothing about my mind, and I had very little control over it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 313 – Suffering is not an objective condition in the outside world. It is a mental reaction generated by my own mind. Learning this is the first step towards ceasing to generate more suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Many people, including many scientists, tend to confuse the mind with the brain, but they are really very different things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 314 – But we cannot see the mind through a microscope or a brain scanner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">As of 2018, the only mind I can access directly is my own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">To become trustworthy anthropologists, we must learn how to observe human cultures in a methodical and objective manner, free from preconceptions and prejudices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 315 – It is even harder to observe my own mind objectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The methods they developed are bunched together under the generic term ‘meditation’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">… but in principle meditation is any method for direct observation of one’s own mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">P 318 – And we had better understand our minds before the algorithms make our minds up for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-8147821268181319072019-06-11T10:03:00.001-07:002019-07-19T10:52:27.514-07:00Homo Deus -- Excerpts<b>By Yuval Noah Harari</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This piece began by me wanting to
write a book review. Then I decided no, I would just write down some notes for
my own reflection. It is said that the average person only remembers about 1 percent of a book. I painstakingly typed out the excerpts below to give myself a better
chance of remembering what I had read. I’m one of those who read to remember,
not read to forget. I now share this effort with those who may not get around
to reading this excellent book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Harari is an atheist. I am Spiritual
But Not Religious (SBNR) aka Spiritual But Not Affiliated (SBNA). I believe in energy
that does not die, the soul, and afterlives. Hence, I disagree with those parts
of the book that cover these subjects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5RpbveVC_4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5RpbveVC_4</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The prologue says, “I encourage
all of us, whatever our beliefs, to question the basic narratives of our world,
to connect past developments with present concerns, and not to be afraid of
controversial issues.” – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dr. Yuval Noah
Harari</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The book is full of questions:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
P 3: What are we going to do with
ourselves?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What will we do with all that
power?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Excerpts:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
P 3/5: Misfortune or stupidity on
the collective level resulted in mass famines. Mass famines still strike some
areas from time to time, but they are exceptional, and they are almost always
caused by human politics rather than by natural catastrophes.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
P 5: Though hundreds of millions
still go hungry almost every day,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in
most countries very few people actually starve to death.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
P 6: For the first time in its
recorded history China is now free from famine.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
P 14: Incidentally cancer and
heart disease are of course not new illnesses – they go back to antiquity. In
previous eras, however, relatively few people lived long enough to die from
them.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
P 16: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is therefore likely that major epidemics
will continue to endanger humankind in the future only if humankind itself
creates them, in the service of some ruthless ideology.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
P 17: Sugar is now more dangerous
than gunpowder.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Today the main source of wealth
is knowledge.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
P 19: Cyber warfare may
destabilize the world by giving even small countries and no-state actors the
ability to fight superpowers effectively.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Though cyber warfare introduces
new means of destruction, it doesn’t necessarily add new incentives to use
them.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 20: Throughout
history, if kings and emperors acquired some new weapon, sooner or later they
were tempted to use it.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 21: Coca-Cola
poses a far deadlier threat than al-Qaeda.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
If the Jungle
Law comes back into force, it will not be the fault of terrorists.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 22: History
does not tolerate a vacuum.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 23: When the
moment comes to choose between economic growth and ecological stability,
politicians, CEOs and voters almost always prefer growth.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
Humans are
rarely satisfied with what they already have.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 24: Humanity’s
next targets are likely to be immortality, happiness and divinity.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
We are
constantly reminded that human life is the most sacred thing in the universe.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 25: Because
Christianity, Islam and Hinduism insisted that the meaning of our existence
depended on our fate in the afterlife, they viewed death as a vital and
positive part of the world.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
Just try to
imagine Christianity, Islam or Hinduism in a world without death – which is
also a world without heaven, hell or reincarnation.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 28: If you
ask me today, is it possible to live to be 500, the answer is yes.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
Paypal
co-founder Peter Thiel has recently confessed that he aims to live forever.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 29: But if
you believe you can live forever, you would be crazy to gamble on infinity like
that.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 30: But life
is generally divided into a learning period followed by a working period.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 31: In truth,
so far modern medicine hasn’t extended our natural life span by a single year.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 32: A
relentless war against death seems to be inevitable.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
As long as
people die of something, we will strive to overcome it.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 34: For who
would like to live forever in eternal misery?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 38: The rate
of suicide in the developed world is also much higher than in traditional
societies.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 40: Achieving
real happiness is not going to be much easier than overcoming old age and
death.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
Rather, we
become satisfied when reality matches our expectations.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
John Stuart
Mill, explained that happiness is nothing but pleasure and freedom from pain.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 41: According
to the life sciences, happiness and suffering are nothing but different
balances of bodily sensations.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 44: Perhaps
the key to happiness is neither the race nor the gold medal, but rather
combining the right doses of excitement and tranquillity. <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 45: In order
to raise global happiness levels, we need to manipulate human biochemistry. And
this is exactly what we have begun doing over the last few decades.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
People have
been quarreling about education methods for thousands of years.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 46: The
biochemical pursuit of happiness is also the number one cause of crime in the
world.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 47: The state
hopes to regulate the biochemical pursuit of happiness, separating ‘bad’
manipulations from ‘good’ ones.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
In research
labs experts are already working on more sophisticated ways of manipulating
human biochemistry, such as sending direct electrical stimuli to appropriate
spots in the brain, or genetically engineering the blueprints of our bodies.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 48: To attain
real happiness, humans need to slow down the pursuit of pleasant sensations,
not accelerate it.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
This Buddhist
view of happiness has a lot in common with the biochemical view.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 49: For what
is the point of running after something that disappears as fast as it arises?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
With each
passing year our tolerance for unpleasant sensations decreases, and our
cravings for pleasant sensations increases.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
You may debate
whether it is good or bad, but it seems that the second great project of the
twenty-first century – to ensure global happiness – will involve re-engineering
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i> so that it can enjoy
everlasting pleasure.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 50: Up till
now increasing human power relied mainly on upgrading our external tools. In
the future it may rely more on upgrading the human body and mind, or on merging
directly with our tools.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 52: Breaking
out of the organic realm could also enable life to finally break out of planet
Earth. Not even the toughest bacteria can survive on Mars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A non-organic artificial intelligence, in
contrast, will find it far easier to colonise alien planets.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
Technologies
for upgrading humans pose a completely different kind of challenge.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 135.0pt; text-align: justify;">
P 53: Many
scholars try to predict how the world will look in the year 2100 or 2200. Any
worthwhile prediction must take into account the ability to re-engineer human
minds, and this is impossible.<br />
<br />
<b>(Mena note: Why impossible? Because the mind is a part of the soul factor?)</b><br />
<br />
P 56: In
pursuit of health, happiness and power, humans will gradually change first one
of their features and then another, and another, until they will no longer be
human.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 65: What is
the point of making predictions if they cannot change anything?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
The more we
know, the less we can predict.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
For what is
the use of new knowledge if it doesn’t lead to novel behaviours?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 67: Knowledge
that does not change behavior is useless.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 68: Historians
study the past not in order to repeat it, but in order to be liberated from it.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 75: If you
start with a flawed ideal, you often appreciate its defects only when the ideal
is close to realization.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 76:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Homo sapiens</i> does its best to forget
the fact, but it is an animal.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 97: The
twenty-first century will be dominated by algorithms. ‘Algorithm’ is arguably
the single most important concept in our world. If we want to understand our
life and our future, we should make every effort to understand what an
algorithm is, and how algorithms are connected with emotions.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
An algorithm
is a methodical set of steps that can be used to make calculations, resolve
problems and reach decisions. An algorithm isn’t a particular calculation, but
the method followed when making the calculation. <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 99: The
algorithms controlling humans work through sensations, emotions and thoughts.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 100: What we
call sensations and emotions are in fact algorithms.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 101: 99% of
our decisions -- including the most important life choices concerning spouses,
careers and habitats -- are made by the highly refined algorithms we call
sensations, emotions and desires.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 118/9: The
traditional monotheist answer is that only Sapiens have eternal souls. Since
pigs and other animals have no soul, they live only for a few years, and then
die and fade into nothingness. The belief that humans have eternal souls
whereas animals are just evanescent bodies is a central pillar of our legal,
political and economic system. It explains why, for example, it is perfectly
okay for humans to kill animals for food, or even just for the fun of it. There
is zero scientific evidence that in contrast to pigs (animals), Sapiens have
souls.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 124: The
most up to date theories also maintain that sensations and emotions are
biochemical data processing algorithms.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 125: We won’t
be able to grasp the full implications of novel technologies such as artificial
intelligence if we don’t know what minds are.<br />
<br />
<b>(Mena note: Minds are a part of the soul factor.)</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
To be frank,
science knows surprisingly little about mind and consciousness.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 128: One of
the wonderful things about science is that when scientists don’t know
something, they can try out all kinds of theories and conjunctures, but in the
end they can just admit their ignorance.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 129: The
better we understand the brain, the more redundant the mind seems.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5RpbveVC_4&fbclid=IwAR32pnjdedWbJOlLEWPNcj7XX6XfIAmLUAGFpRDmpj5d6GuDLsySDEHgZYg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5RpbveVC_4&fbclid=IwAR32pnjdedWbJOlLEWPNcj7XX6XfIAmLUAGFpRDmpj5d6GuDLsySDEHgZYg</a><br />
<br />
<b>(Mena note: This video begs to differ. There is a section where it's shared that people are found with very little brain matter and they live normal lives.)</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 134: As
private individuals, many biologists and doctors may go on believing in souls.
Yet they never write about them in serious scientific journals.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 136: Some
scientists concede that consciousness is real and may actually have great moral
and political value, but that it fulfills no biological function whatsoever.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 139: Since
there is only one real world, whereas the number of potential virtual worlds is
infinite, the probability that you happen to inhabit the sole real world is
almost zero.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 169: The
value of money is not the only thing that might evaporate once people stop
believing in it. The same can happen to laws, gods and even entire empires.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 170: Yet we
don’t want to accept that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our </i>God, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our</i> nation or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our</i> values are mere fictions, because these are the things that
give meaning to our lives. Yet in truth the lives of most people have meaning
only within the network of stories they tell one another. Meaning is created
when many people weave together a common network of stories.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 171: Each
round of mutual confirmation tightens the web of meaning further, until you
have little choice but to believe<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what
everyone else believes.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 174: Nobody
in twelfth-century England knew what human rights were.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 177: Hence
if we want to understand our future, cracking genomes and crunching numbers is
hardly enough. We must also decipher the fictions that give meaning to the
world.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 181: Animals
live in a dual reality. Sapiens, in contrast, live in triple-layered reality.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 187: We
encountered the term 'algorithm' when we tried to understand what emotions are
and how brains function, and defined it as a methodical set of steps that can
be used to make calculations, resolve problems and reach decisions.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 195: As
bureaucracies accumulate power they become immune to their own mistakes.
Instead of changing their stories to fit reality, they can change reality to
fit their stories.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 198: In
practice, the power of human cooperation networks depends on a delicate balance
between truth and fiction. You cannot organize masses of people effectively without
relying on some fictional myths. So if you stick to unalloyed reality, without
mixing any fiction with it, few people will follow you.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 199: Really
powerful human organizations are not necessarily clear-sighted.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 201: Even
when scriptures mislead people about the true nature of reality, they can
nevertheless retain their authority for thousands of years.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 205: History
isn’t a single narrative, but thousands of alternative narratives. Whenever we
choose to tell one, we are also choosing to silence others.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 206: Corporations,
money and nations exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us;
why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in their service?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 207: In the
twenty-first century we will create more powerful fictions and more totalitarian
religions than in any previous era. Being able to distinguish fiction from
reality and religion from science will therefore become more difficult but more
vital than ever before.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 209: Thanks
to computers and bioengineering, the difference between fiction and reality
will blur, as people reshape reality to match their pet fictions.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 210: How
does modern science relate to religion?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 214: Just as
the gap between religion and science is narrower than we commonly think, so the
gap between religion and spirituality is much wider. Religion is a deal,
whereas spirituality is a journey.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 215:
Spiritual journeys are nothing like that. They usually take people in
mysterious ways towards unknown destinations.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 218: From an
historical perspective, the spiritual journey is always tragic, for it is a
lonely path fit only for individuals rather than for entire societies.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 219: Science
always needs religious assistance in order to create viable human institutions.
Scientists study how the world functions, but there is no scientific method for
determining how humans ought to behave.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 220: Science
studies facts, religion speaks about values, and never the twain shall meet.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 229: We have
no scientific definition or measurement of happiness.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 231: The
uncompromising quest for truth is a spiritual journey, which can seldom remain
within the confines of either religious or scientific establishments.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 255:
Modernity accordingly inspired people to want more, and dismantled the age-old
disciplines that curbed greed.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 257:
Humankind was salvaged not by the law of supply and demand, but rather by the
rise of a revolutionary new religion --<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>humanism.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 258: The
modern deal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>offers us power, on
condition that we renounce our belief in a great cosmic plan that gives meaning
to life. Yet when you examine the deal closely, you will find a cunning escape
clause.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
This escape
clause has been the salvation of modern society, for it is impossible to
sustain order without meaning.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
Throughout
history prophets and philosophers have argued that if humans stopped believing
in a great cosmic plan, all law and order would vanish. Yet today, those who
pose the greatest threat to global law and order are precisely those people who
continue to believe in God and His all-encompassing plans.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 259: The
humanist religion worships humanity and expects humanity to play the part that
God played in Christianity and Islam, and that the laws of nature played in
Buddhism and Daoism.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
Whereas
traditionally the great cosmic plan gave meaning to the life of humans,
humanism reverses the roles and expects the experiences of humans to give
meaning to the cosmos. According to humanism, humans must draw from within
their inner experiences not only the meaning of their own lives, but also the
meaning of the entire universe.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
This is the
primary commandment humanism has given us: create meaning for a meaningless
world.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 260: Meaning
and authority always go hand in hand. Whoever determines the meaning of our
actions – whether they are good or evil, right or wrong, beautiful or ugly –
also gains the authority to tell us what to think and how to behave.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 261: For
centuries humanism has been convincing us that we are the ultimate source of
meaning, and that our free will is therefore the highest authority of all.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 262: The DSM
diagnoses the ailments of life, not the meaning of life. Most psychologists
believe that only human feelings are authorized to determine the true meaning
of human actions.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 272: As the
source of meaning and authority relocated from the sky to human feelings, the
nature of the entire cosmos changed.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
Angels and
demons were transformed from real entities roaming the forests and deserts of
the world into inner forces within our own psyche.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
You experience
hell every time you ignite the fires of anger and hatred within your heart; and
you enjoy heavenly bliss every time you forgive your enemies, repent your own
misdeeds and share your wealth with the poor.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 275: In the
Middle Ages, without a god I had no source of political, moral and aesthetic authority.
I could not tell what was right, good or beautiful. Who could live like that?
Today, in contrast, it is very easy not to believe in God, because I pay no
price for my unbelief. I can be a complete atheist and still derive a very rich
mixture of political, moral and aesthetic values from my inner experience.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 278:
Experiences and sensitivity build up one another in a never-ending cycle. I
cannot experience anything if I have no sensitivity, and I cannot develop
sensitivity unless I undergo a variety of experiences.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 279: We
aren’t born with a ready-made conscience. If we pay attention, our moral
sensitivity sharpens, and these experiences become a source of valuable ethical
knowledge about what is good, what is right and who I really am.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 288: If you
want to understand war, don’t look up at the general on the hilltop, or at
angels in the sky. Instead, look straight into the eyes of the common soldiers.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 311: The
entire twentieth century looks like a big mistake.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 315: History
is often shaped by small groups of forward-looking innovators rather than by
the backward-looking masses.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 319: In the
early twenty-first century the train of progress is again pulling out of the
station – and this will probably be the last train ever to leave the station called
<i>Homo sapiens</i>. Those who miss this train will never get a second chance.<br />
<br />
In the
twenty-first century, those who ride the train of progress will acquire divine
abilities of creation and destruction, while those left behind will face
extinction.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 321: Ask
yourself: what was the most influential discovery, invention or creation of the
twentieth century? Now ask yourself: what was the most influential discovery,
invention or creation of traditional religions such as Islam and Christianity
in the twentieth century?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 323: If the
whole universe is pegged to the human experience, what will happen once the
human experience becomes just another designable product, no different in
essence from any other item in the supermarket?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 342: Most
experiments have indicated that there is no single self taking any of these
decisions. Rather, they result from a tug of war between different and often
conflicting inner entities.<br />
<br />
<b>(Mena note: Many lives, many identities?)</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 348: The
important thing is that we always retain the feeling that we have a single
unchanging identity from birth to death (and perhaps even beyond).<br />
<br />
<b>(Mena note: Again, the soul factor?)</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 349:
Paradoxically, the more sacrifices we make for an imaginary story, the more
tenaciously we hold on to it, because we desperately want to give meaning to
these sacrifices and to the suffering we have caused.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 351: It is
much easier to live with the fantasy, because the fantasy gives meaning to the
suffering.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 380: The
crucial problem isn’t creating new jobs. The crucial problem is creating new
jobs that humans perform better than algorithms.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 386: So if
you wish to obey the old adage and know thyself, you should not waste your time
on philosophy, meditation or psychoanalysis, but rather you should
systematically collect biometric data and allow algorithms to analyse them for
you and tell you who you are and what you should do. The movement’s motto is
‘Self-knowledge through numbers’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Mena note: Cue Astrology, Numerology, etc.
as algorithms.)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 402: If we
are not careful the result might be an Orwellian police state that constantly
monitors and controls not only all our actions, but even what happens inside our
bodies and our brains.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
In the
twenty-first century the individual is more likely to disintegrate gently from
within than to be brutally crushed from without.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 411: Just as
the spectrum of light and sound are far broader than what we humans can see and
hear, so the spectrum of mental states is far larger than what the average
human perceives.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 414: Different
socio-economic realities and daily routines nurtured different states of
consciousness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Mena note: Why rich people think
differently from poor people, for example.)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 423:
Humanism always emphasized that it is not easy to identify our authentic will.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
Many people
take great care not to probe themselves too deeply.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 424:
Technological progress has a very different agenda. It doesn’t want to listen
to our inner voices. It wants to control them.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 427: The
most interesting emerging religion is Dataism, which venerates neither gods nor
man – it worships data.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 428: Dataism
declares that the universe consists of data flows.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 429: The
work of processing data should therefore be entrusted to electronic algorithms,
whose capacity far exceeds that of the human brain. In practice, this means
that Dataists are skeptical about human knowledge and wisdom, and prefer to put
their trust in Big Data and computer algorithms.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 439: Mixing
godlike technology with megalomaniacal politics is a recipe for disaster.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
Politicians find
it convenient to believe that the reason they don’t understand the world is
that they don’t need to understand it.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 443: If
humankind is indeed a single data-processing system, what is its output?
Dataists would say that its output will be the creation of a new and even more
efficient data-processing system, called the Internet-of-All-Things. Once this
mission is accomplished, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i>
will vanish.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 444: Humans
are merely tools for creating the Internet-of-All-Things, which may eventually
spread out from planet Earth to pervade the whole galaxy and even the whole
universe. This cosmic data-processing system would be like God. It will be
everywhere and will control everything, and humans are destined to merge into
it.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homo sapiens</i> is an obsolete algorithm.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 445:
Remember that according to current biological dogma, emotions and intelligence
are just algorithms.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
Like other
successful religions, Dataism is also missionary. Its second commandment is to
link everything to the system, including heretics who don’t want to be plugged
in.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
We mustn’t
leave any part of the universe disconnected from the great web of life.
Conversely, the greatest sin would be to block the dataflow. What is death, if
not a condition in which information doesn’t flow? Hence Dataism upholds the
freedom of information as the greatest good of all.<br />
<br />
<b>(Mena note: A point for Wikileaks?)</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 446: Dataism
is the first movement since 1789 that created a genuinely novel value: freedom
of information. This novel value may impinge on humans’ traditional freedom of
expression, by privileging the right of information to circulate freely over
the right of humans to own data and to restrict its movement.<br />
<br />
<b>(Mena note: A point for Wikileaks?)</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 447:
Dataists believe all good things – including economic growth – depend on the
freedom of information. So if we want to create a better world, the key is to
set the data free.<br />
<br />
<b>(Mena note: A point for Wikileaks?)</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 449: Just as
free-market capitalists believe in the invisible hand of the market, so
Dataists believe in the invisible hand of the dataflow.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
Humans want to
merge into the dataflow because when you are part of the dataflow you are part
of something much bigger than yourself.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
Human
experiences have been the most efficient data processing algorithms in the
universe.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 454: All
truly important revolutions are practical. Ideas change the world only when
they change our behavior.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 456: After
Darwin, biologists began explaining that feelings are complex algorithms honed
by evolution to help animals make correct decisions. When you listen to your
feelings, you follow an algorithm that evolution has developed for millions of
years. Your feelings are the voice of millions of ancestors, each of whom
managed to survive and reproduce in an unforgiving environment.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
For millions
upon millions of years, feelings were the best algorithms in the world. <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 457: Dataism
now commands: ‘Listen to the algorithms! They know how you feel.’<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
But where do
these great algorithms come from? This is the mystery of Dataism.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 458: The
seed algorithm may initially be developed by humans, but as it grows its own
path, going where no human has gone before – and where no human can follow.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
At present we
have no idea how or why dataflows could produce consciousness and subjective
experiences. But maybe we’ll discover that organisms aren’t algorithms after
all.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 459: Is
there perhaps something in the universe that cannot be reduced to data?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
If Dataism
succeeds in conquering the world, what will happen to us humans?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 460: Dataism
thereby threatens to do to <i>Homo sapiens </i>what <i>Homo sapiens</i> has done to all other
animals.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 461: We
cannot really predict the future, because technology is not deterministic.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 462: In the
twenty-first century censorship works by flooding people with irrelevant
information. Today having power means knowing what to ignore. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Parts I question:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 119: Yet the
life sciences doubt the existence of soul not just due to lack of evidence, but
rather because the very idea of soul contradicts the most fundamental
principles of evolution.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 120: If you
really understand the theory of evolution, you understand that there is no
soul.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 153.75pt; text-align: justify;">
P 121: The
theory of evolution rejects the idea that my true self is some indivisible,
immutable and potentially eternal essence. According to the theory of
evolution, all biological entities are composed of smaller and simpler parts
that ceaselessly combine and separate. Something that cannot be divided or
changed cannot have come into existence through natural selection.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Mena note: The soul is energy and energy
can be transformed.)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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P 122: That’s
why the theory of evolution cannot accept the idea of souls, at least if by
‘soul’ we mean something indivisible, immutable and potentially eternal. Such
an entity cannot possibly result from a step-by-step evolution. <br />
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But the soul
has no parts.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Mena note: Metaphysicians would disagree.)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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P 123: Hence
the existence of souls cannot be squared with the theory of evolution.
Evolution means change, and is incapable of producing everlasting entities. <br />
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This terrifies
large numbers of people, who prefer to reject the theory of evolution rather
than give up their souls.<br />
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P 329: To the
best of our scientific understanding, determinism and randomness have divided
the entire cake between them, leaving not even a crumb for ‘freedom’. Free will
exists only in the imaginary stories we humans have invented. Just as evolution
cannot be squared with eternal souls, neither can it swallow the idea of free
will. For if humans are free, how could natural selection have shaped them?<br />
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P 330: If by
‘free will’ we mean the ability to act according to our desires – then yes,
humans have free will, and so do chimpanzees, dogs and parrots. But the million-dollar
question is not whether parrots and humans can act upon their inner desires –
the question is whether they can choose their desires in the first place.<br />
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P 332:
However, once we accept that there is no soul and that humans have no inner
essence called ‘the self’, it no longer makes sense to ask, ‘How does the self
choose its desires?’ In reality, there is only a stream of consciousness, and
desires arise and pass away within this stream, but there is no permanent self
that owns the desires, hence it is meaningless to ask whether I choose my
desires deterministically, randomly or freely.<br />
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Doubting free
will is not just a philosophical exercise. It has practical implications.<br />
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P 338: Science
undermines not only the liberal belief in free will, but also the belief in
individualism. The single authentic self is as real as the eternal soul, Santa
Claus and the Easter Bunny.</div>
<br />Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-8758023985331244522018-12-23T10:14:00.000-08:002019-07-10T08:35:45.289-07:00Prebirth Contract, You Say?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Those who believe in the Prebirth Contract theory say we all choose the lives we have. Some of them say it’s not a belief, opinion or theory; they say they have reproducible evidence from recorded hypnotherapy sessions and from interviews with disembodied spirits via mediums. Giving this theory (it is a theory to me) the benefit of the doubt, assuming it’s how they say it is — we choose the horrible, traumatic, circumstances/experiences/events in our lives so that we fulfill a prebirth wish/desire/agenda for the purpose of soul evolution — I need to ask:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1. How do souls make use of the “lessons” in a particular lifetime in the afterlife and/or in-between lifetimes? If we can’t remember our previous lifetimes (unless we submit to soul regression therapy), how do we apply the lessons learned from previous lifetimes? How do souls (energy/consciousness) benefit from such painful/traumatic experiences? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2. Do animals also choose the circumstances, experiences, events in their lives? I just saw a video of a homeless man being forcibly removed from the curb by a group of policemen answering a call complaining about a vagrant and his dog. The dog was understandably agitated when the police started to manhandle his owner. One of the police officers put his knee on the dog and promptly shot it in the head. On seeing this, the owner became hysterical and had to be subdued by no less than 6 police officers. The dog continued to wag its tail until he passed. This happened in Barcelona, Spain. The video was posted by the dog rescuer who happened to witness the event. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR0TcV0uj7o">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR0TcV0uj7o</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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3. Are we to believe that everyone (animals included) involved in every situation on the planet is sticking to the script of the prebirth contract? If we believe in free will, does it not suggest that some players in any given script can and will go slightly off-script at a whim or even go completely off on a tangent? At what point in the script does anyone get to say, “Stop! I know what I agreed to in the prebirth contract but now I’m here and about to do this horrible thing and I’m making a free will decision that I’m changing my mind. I don’t want to do this.” That one person’s free will decision — “no, I’m not going to do this awful thing” — will alter others’ prebirth contracts’ scripts and ripple through many lives and lifetimes. So how do we know when it’s a prebirth contract playing out tightly by the script and when is it a case of free will altering the course of destiny and/or fate?</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4. It has taken me a lifetime to learn the major lessons in my life. I won’t be able to benefit from these lessons with the time I have left of this lifetime. I’m wondering how these lessons in my life will serve me (my energy/consciousness/spirit) in the afterlife and in-between lifetimes? I’m guessing that if we meet the challenges lifetime after lifetime without diminishing the quality of our souls, we actually increase the sum total of our energy. And then, what? I’m hoping it means we get to choose to enjoy the quality of our consciousness on a different plane instead of having to learn lessons ad infinitum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5. Imagine the situation in a court of law when criminals think to plead not guilty citing the prebirth contract as a defense. Mind-boggling stuff. They are pleading insanity as a defense, why not this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Recommended viewing:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRLDdw8UzhQ&list=WL&t=2612s&index=7">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRLDdw8UzhQ&list=WL&t=2612s&index=7</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I welcome insights. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-13095636555200640332018-04-08T01:45:00.000-07:002018-04-08T02:31:15.862-07:00Happiness As A Default State?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Recently, I read a Facebook post quoting Will Smith, the celebrity, sharing his opinion about happiness. He said, no one is responsible for our happiness. He said he told his beloved wife that he is “retired from making her happy.” He said they both had a good laugh over that. They were able to laugh is because they were secure in knowing that they had each other’s love and devotion. Do you think his wife would be laughing if he told her he is in love with another woman? Would he be laughing if his wife told him she is leaving him for another man? It’s easy for people with everything going for them to say, “We are responsible for our own happiness.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some people dislike the Law of Attraction because it says we attract what we are. Successful people like the LoA because they like the idea that they are "driving their kar-ma." People who see themselves as losers in the game of life might not like what the LoA is saying to them—that they are responsible for not being good enough, whatever "good enough" means to them. In my opinion, if we say we are responsible for our own happiness and if we are not in a happy place, it just serves to make us feel more desperately out of control. Like, what is wrong with us? As if we need to feel worse than we already do. I understand that if we blame others for our situations in life, we are giving our personal power away. I understand we have to reclaim our power and that we achieve this by assuming full responsibility for ourselves and for our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet, it seems to me, our safety and well being depend on the actions of other people we come into contact with. A lot of our happiness depends on our environment. On the larger scale, we get depressed knowing what drives the politics and corporatocracy in our world. We feel desperate at times knowing that vaccines are not safe for humans and animals. That doctors who speak out against the conventional treatments “commit suicide” by the hundreds. Then, there are the victims of narcissism on the spectrum. How can children be responsible for their own happiness when one or both parents are narcissistic? The parents have so much power over their lives and happiness for the first twenty years at the least. Even when they get to leave their narcissistic childhood behind, they carry a lot of that baggage into their adulthood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Such victims usually (if not all of them) attract spouses/partners/others who are also narcissistic on the spectrum and maybe NPDs or NSPs. (Narcissistic Personality Disorder or Narcissists, Sociopaths, Psychopaths.) My research yielded that some children inherit narcissistic traits from their experiences growing up in such traumatic environments. In my opinion, only the empaths are spared this inheritance. Barely. Even empaths are known to become nasty co-dependents as they struggle to cope and deal with their reality. Not every narc victim/empath ends up being a life coach. That is to say, not every victim is able to turn the disadvantages around and make them work productively for them instead. Most victims end up in a sorrowful way. Even those who have succeeded to be life coaches continue to struggle with their backstory narc issues on a regular basis. It becomes a lifelong challenge to be happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some of the “baggage” humans carry can even be traced back to past lives experiences and the energy imprints we all bring to the present life. Not all “baggage” has to do with our experiences in this present lifetime. Though, in my opinion, souls will have more conscious intent to exercise the energy signatures in a given lifetime rather than from past lifetimes. Some people say, souls that are to take more than to give, are likely to be born males because our society encourages and allows more such expression of intent by the males. Females are generally raised/conditioned to be more nurturing and giving. There are exceptions of course. In both genders, the personality is heavily influenced by the events in the course of a life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A narcissist, sociopath, or psychopath’s intent will be different from that of an empath’s. An empath’s baggage will not be the same as the narcopath's. (Narcopath is a catch-all term that includes all the cluster B personality disorders— narcissists/sociopaths/psychopaths on the spectrum.) An empath’s baggage is likely to do with the fact that he/she has a history of not listening to their intuition. They were trained by the NPD’s/NSP’s in their lives to ignore the signs and signals and to dismiss their inherent powers of discernment. This can develop into a pattern which is why they say winning and losing becomes a habit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even the former victims of narc abuse who have succeeded to uplevel with quantum tools and who have managed to become coaches, teachers, and guides, carry a lifetime of baggage even as they keep on moving forward with their evolution of consciousness. I understand that happiness can be a default state of mind just as misery can be a default state. When happiness is the default state, we as the Chinese say, “use the sky as a blanket if it should fall on us.” People with happiness as a default state find ways to focus on what works. Regardless of what is happening in their lives, they are able to distance themselves from it all and be on the outside looking in. The opposite would be the miserable default state where the people keep complaining about their lot even though they may enjoy more abundance and good fortune than the average person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That default state aside, how can victims be wholly responsible for their own happiness? The rape victim, for example, is usually traumatized for a lifetime. I say if society at large is responsible for causing such distress to the souls involved, society has to come to the rescue of the victims. Who is this “society?” Each and every one of us is responsible for someone’s happiness or misery regardless of the default state. Everyone has to be kinder, gentler, more thoughtful and more helpful. I understand that we get to take charge of ourselves at some point in our lives. We get to say “that’s enough, I’m too conscious to let this toxicity or madness continue.” Yet, just because we get conscious and want to stop the toxicity or madness, it doesn’t mean others around us will cooperate. We only get to create our own reality if we are the only ones in it. If the reality involves other people, we need to get them on board. We don’t live in a vacuum. Our actions affect other people and vice versa. To counter Will Smith’s philosophy, how about I share a quote?: <i>If there is something we can do to make someone happy, we should. The world needs more of that. </i>Or how about:<i> If we can’t help someone to be happy, let’s not do anything to contribute to their unhappiness?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Studies have shown that depressed people get a lift when they are helped with something to make their lives easier and more bearable. Sometimes, it’s a job/income stream, other times, housing, friends, pets, anything that adds value to their lives. Every time I leave the safety of my house, I depend on other road users not to endanger my life. Just a case in point: The place where I play my Taiji is now infested with fire ants and I have to find another place to play. An occupant of one of the houses was badly bitten by the fire ants around the fences and she started spraying chemicals to kill them. So the ants were driven further up from where they originally were. I’m not saying this lady was not right to protect herself from the fire ants. I’m saying we are all inter-connected. Our decisions affect other people. Decisions have a “domino” or a “ripple” effect. How can we say everyone creates our own happiness when in reality, each of us is much affected by the actions of our fellow humans? We multiply the happiness in the world when we share our good fortune and abundance and we divide grief and suffering when we have people who are present to share them with us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many people in my old neighborhood are unhappy because when they bought their landed properties, they were unaware of the developers’ future plans to build condos literally in their backyards. In this situation, Will Smith and his wife can move away and buy new property where it suits them but most people are stuck with their mortgages. There are many things in our lives that affect our happiness level. People who say they are in full control of their happiness either have so much money that they can literally buy their way out of some unhappiness, pay for the happy experiences or they haven’t suffered the experience of some kind of personal loss and/or tragedy. Like the lady in Penang who lost her four children to the tsunami of 2004. The best she could do to cope and deal in the aftermath was to turn to a life of charity (as receiver and giver) after ten years of depression. I have had to take myself to the fifth dimension via my Taiji explorations and then, stay there for as long as I can and learn to take everything with me to the fifth. I find the 3-4 dimension on the planet depressing. As Einstein said, I paraphrase: <i>I love humanity; it’s humans I don’t like. </i>Add the EFAW to the equation and I need my daily fix of the fifth dimension. Mama mia!<i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They say, whatever happens, we should not take it personally. The other day, while at the seaside, I was looking at a wedding photo shoot going on to my right and a funeral going on to my left. I was playing Taiji in the middle; what was going on was not personal to me but it was personal to the people on my right and left. It was personal to their individual timeline. When my beloved Sharpei died, I was a wreck. Who knew? I watched the grieving family throw the ashes of their beloved into the sea with white flower petals. The family left soon after but I stayed back to observe the currents and watched as the white flower petals were carried by the waves into the far distance. I thought it was a poetic way to be sent off from one dream to the next. I started to plan to have my own ashes dispersed into the sea when my time came, in front of where I play my Taiji and suddenly, the impersonal became personal. Nowadays, I play my Taiji surrealistically aware that one day, I will most likely be in the sea in front of where I now play my Taiji. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I’m Taiji-ing and passers-by walk past inches from me, that becomes personal. They are encroaching on my personal space. I can smell their body odor, perfume, cologne, whatever and I can hear their conversations, feel their energy, etc. They affect my happiness level when they do not know how to allow me my personal space. I’m not a celebrity/rich person who can play Taiji on my own private property or swim in my own private pool. The public will affect my happiness depending on how they behave. Unconscious humans with their lack of mindfulness and concern for others will have an effect on the happiness of others on the planet whether they are aware or not, whether they agree with Will Smith or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-3942741526473002152018-03-27T08:47:00.000-07:002018-03-27T10:31:45.554-07:00Where Does An Influence End?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I’m taking guitar classes. Again. This is my third teacher.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was fourteen, a male friend, Johnny, tried to teach me to play a song for a talent competition. (This male friend was two years older and he was to die at age twenty in a motor accident. This sort of interrupted my entry into the music industry. This would also happen again further up the road influencing me to think that the music industry was perhaps not what I had signed up for in the pre-birth theory.) There were only four chords to the song that Johnny selected for me for the talent event—C, AM, F, G—and I couldn’t manage it. So I just focused on vocals and at sixteen, I delivered the vocals of a more complicated song with the accompaniment of a whole band. Johnny had a band too but ‘The City Burners’ was not the band contracted to accompany singers in that competition. I was placed runner-up in the statewide singing competition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Following that competition, there were ample opportunities for me to learn the guitar before I turned thirty. My boyfriends when I was sixteen and nineteen could play the guitar well. I didn’t take to the guitar then as I found the metal strings hurt my fingers too much. Around that time, I purchased a second-hand 12-strings classical guitar hoping that the nylon strings would not hurt my fingers and that I would be able to master the instrument. I found the 12-strings harder to play than the 6-strings so I gave it away to someone who would put the guitar to good use. I did not touch a guitar again until I was 30-ish. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A housemate who was an accomplished guitarist died in a freak motor accident (TG was thirty-one) and I was left to dispose of his belongings as his older sibling had cancer and didn’t want to bother with them. I gave everything away but kept his seasoned Kapok guitar, songbooks, record player, vinyl records and cassette tapes. Over the next few years, I would listen to TG’s massive collection of music taste—Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Beatles, Elton John, AC/DC, and the other popular rock/blues musicians of the 70’s and 80’s. I would teach myself to play TG’s Kapok using the songbooks which had the chords and lyrics to the covers. It was a great way to learn the guitar I thought although it was Eric Clapton and Beatles songs that I was mostly learning. Mama mia! I discovered to my amazement and pleasure that I could actually play and sing some of the covers as long as I had those songbooks to look at. This became a habit and until today, I struggle to play a song by memory; even one of my own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Around that time, I had my ‘outer space experience’ which I share in my published books and began to write my own songs. A friend who knew the guitar belonged to TG joked that he must be channeling the songs through me. I laughed at the idea at the time but later seriously considered the possibility. I finally dismissed the idea when I found I couldn’t master the guitar despite wanting to very much. If TG was channeling the songs through me, wouldn’t I be a better guitarist since he was an expert? As well, the songs I was writing was not TG’s kind of material. He was Blues/Rock/Reggae. I was developing Folk/Country/Ballads stuff. Still, there is such a thing as energy imprints and energy signatures that dead people leave behind with their beloved properties. Who knows how much of my songwriting was influenced by my dead friend? I then decided to give all of TG’s stuff away including the Kapok and bought myself a new Kapok to see if it would affect my songwriting. I continued to write my songs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The few years after my ‘outer space experience’ were the most creative years of my life. During that time, I began my three books—<i>Changing Orbits, The Dance of the Chi </i>and <i>Different Realities</i>. I invented a board game and began several card games before getting distracted by life. I also wrote about a hundred songs and poems. I stopped the creative projects when I got involved with dog rescue for the next twenty years. Only now am I revisiting those projects to complete them literally, before I go. <i>Before I Go</i> was the original title for my memoirs, <i>Changing Orbits</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Proper guitar classes began during this intensely creative period. I didn’t know it at the time but I was in a 20-year relationship with my hybrid version of an NPD—NSP. (Narcissistic Personality Disorder—Narcissist/Sociopath/Psychopath.) In my case, he had a Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde personality so it wasn’t all bad and negative. I was able to take some positives from the relationship. Still, it was crazy making and the madness spilled into all areas of my life. Put it this way, my judgment, discernment, plans, decisions, wishes, heart’s desires and personal boundaries would be interfered with. Hindsight is always 20/20 and I see now this relationship was/is karmic and fated. The one thing that got me through those times was the thought “it could be worse.” No matter what I was going through, it could always be worse. I still use this line today. No matter what I experience, it could always be worse. When I wrote the first edition of <i>Changing Orbits</i>, I thought my story was one-of-a-kind. Since then, I discovered the terms Empath/NPD/NSP and realized these conditions are widespread. Only the details are unique.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In spite</span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> of all the crazy-making drama, I managed to learn how to basically pluck, strum, and play the scales—Do re mi fa so la di to—in order to aid in tuning the guitar. That was when we had to tune the guitar by ear. Nowadays, I use a digital tuner like most if not all musicians. My then teacher identified my style as similar to the following artists (even though I had not heard most of their material at the time—I was listening to TG’s collection):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Suzanne Vega</span></i></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Joni Mitchell</span></i></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Joan Baez</span></i></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Joan Armatrading</span></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tracy Chapman</span></i></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Jim Croce</span></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">James Taylor</span></i></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Neil Young</span></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young</span></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John Denver</span></i></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Dave Loggins</span></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bob Dylan</span></i></li>
<li>-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Lee Ritenour</span></li>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wasn’t familiar with them except for those in italics. Recently, I used YouTube to catch up with the music of the rest on the list above. Mind you, my teacher didn’t say I could one day play like them, just that my songwriting style was similar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was taught basic music notations—semibreve, minims, crochets, quavers, semi-quavers, demi-semi quavers—time values and transpositions with notes. I was also taught what a keynote was and how that was different from a key signature. My notebook from that period tells me I also learned about the Simple Duple, Simple Triple and Simple Quadruple. Not that all this learning serves me today. Today, I cannot remember what I had learned more than twenty years ago. I read that stress destroys brain cells and impairs the memory. Not to mention (but I will, anyway), I am getting old. See this link: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlVEwIHGlOc&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlVEwIHGlOc&feature=youtu.be</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My current teacher is a self-taught performing artist. The others were formal music teachers. As such, her style of teaching is different from the others. I’ve only taken two classes and this is what was covered:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">The guitar should be the proper size to fit the body and the guitar has to accommodate the body, not the other way around. (So I was ready and happy to sell my oversized Yamaha in favor of using my second self-purchased Kapok acoustic that is the right fit for me.) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unless the chair is low, my right knee needs to be pivoted with a footstool or brick to get the guitar to sit comfortably on the thigh.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">The head moves left to right by pivoting the chin, not the neck.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">The correct wrist position when holding the chords and when strumming. (I had developed a number of bad habits both as a singer and a guitarist.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Whenever possible, the thumb should bend to mute the E string.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">She taught me how to play the G chord in a new way which leaves me a bit flustered and clumsy but I’m getting the hang of it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">This teacher is of the digital age so, with my smartphone, I was shown how to use the free downloaded metronome instead of my old table metronome.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m also encouraged to upgrade my digital guitar tuner. I have two but she says they are not good enough to tune the guitar to a professional level.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m told that if I continue with the weekly guitar classes I should be able to put my songs on YouTube in about three months’ time.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This is an extremely busy phase for me. I don’t know if I can manage the next three months of guitar classes as I have </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Different Realities</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> to publish, Taiji practice, and my last two rescues to care for. My current teacher sees a pattern and is thinking that I will quit these classes too. Freelance and performing artists teachers are hard to come by and suitable ones are a rarity where I am. I would like to stay the course if I can. However, there is this nagging thought: If this was meant to be, wouldn’t I have mastered the guitar by now? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(Copy and paste will load the link if clicking does not.) <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2017/04/the-tone-circle-john-coltrane-drew-to-illustrate-the-theory-behind-his-most-famous-compositions-1967.html" target="_blank">http://www.openculture.com/2017/04/the-tone-circle-john-coltrane-drew-to-illustrate-the-theory-behind-his-most-famous-compositions-1967.html </a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.4667px;">This link </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">clues me to the answer. I was not good at Maths in school. </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">"Musician and blogger Roel Hollander notes, “Thelonious Monk once said ‘All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians.’ Musicians like John Coltrane though have been very much aware of the mathematics of music and consciously applied it to his works.”</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My current teacher doesn’t think this has anything to do with my lack of musicality. She says she’s “horrible” with maths too and that it all boils down to the determination, right practice and the interest to explore in music. She agrees the diagram in the link looks similar to the "circle of fifth" and that music is quite like maths in many ways especially when it comes to the counts. She says we’re not playing jazz or fusion music so it’s basically elementary maths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sooner or later, we all have to face our mortality, don’t we? Reflecting on my own, I asked myself what I wanted my life to be defined by. The process of becoming Mena Koo, author of <i>The Dance of the Chi</i>, <i>Different Realities</i> and <i>Changing Orbits</i> was/is therapeutic and meaningful for me as I feel these books cover how I put my s*it together and survived all the challenges of being a victim. I did not want my life to be defined by victimhood so I used the knowledge of metaphysics and the power of intention to rewrite my narrative from victim to survivor. I believe my books can make a difference to some who are attracted to read them. However, I’m not sure that Mena Koo, poet/songwriter is that helpful in the scheme of my lessons learned and my legacy. Not to sound pompous with the use of the word “legacy” here, I think we all should think about our legacies<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129;">—</span>what energy imprints are we leaving behind? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">I mean that in the way that I’ve benefitted from reading certain books but I wouldn’t say my life has been impacted in any major way by a poem or a song. Music can be fun and de-stressing but in retrospect, those twenty-something years that I gave up my creative projects and Taiji for the dogs were the most meaningful in my timeline. Were they the most productive years? No. Were they the most practical things I have done in terms of my personal survival, growth, and evolution? I don’t think so. They were some of the craziest, hardest, suicidal, times in my life. Yet, because they were about the dogs and others; because they were not about what I wanted/needed, made them the standout, special, times. Could I do it all again today? No. I just don’t have it in me anymore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If I were to die tomorrow, I would be proudest of those times when I was able to give and not expect anything in return. The joy and fulfillment were in knowing I was making a difference in the lives of those I rescued. In asking myself how I would want my life to be defined I would have to say I want to be remembered for being a kind, thoughtful, compassionate, insightful, sensitive, human. Someone who did her best to play well, the cards that were dealt. Someone who “walked through the fires” as best as anyone could. They say the victims of NPDs/NSPs pick up narcissistic traits in their battle to cope with all the narcissism around them. Hence the world is so messy as wounded people go on to wound others down the line. Those of us who are conscious of this must put a stop to the sickness and begin the healing process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-7740451420097867482018-03-17T03:03:00.000-07:002018-03-17T03:25:37.063-07:00The Reviews For The Dance Of The Chi<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Today, I heard from a reader of <i>The Dance of the Chi</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“I must confess that I am struggling with the book. This is to say that I am not at a stage where I am capable of understanding many of these matters. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Much you write about is way outside my terms </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">of reference to</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> start with, but also the journal form of the book, by its nature, skips from one deep topic to another, which makes it hard for me to deal with. I really don't want to put ot</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">her, </span>more able (sic)<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">, r</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">eaders</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> off and I do find much of it fascinating, so no need to publish this. Just saying, that's all.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I replied:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Thanks for the feedback. It is what it is. :)</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Everyone holds a space in the jigsaw of life. Feedback is feedback.</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Optometrist who happens to be of the Christian faith and who impressed me with his personality and intelligence got a free copy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The way he looks at me and talks to me after reading the book tells me he thinks I'm crazy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So ya, I understand it's different strokes for different folks. Hehe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We only have to connect with our own kind of weird.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He immediately shot back: <br />
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Having said all that this morning, there's lots which is very clear and really helpful to me. Your section on EFAW, for example and so I'll press on. Thanks for the opportunity!</span>” (sic)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">See what I mean?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Feedback is feedback.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s fascinating to me how readers decide what to address in their reviews from the over 300 pages in paperback and whatever the Location counts on eBook. I am a slow reader and I find it incredible that someone can read <i>The Dance of the Chi</i> in less than a week. A friend even said she read all of it in two days! I suppose not everyone will read the book in its entirety and some will flip through the pages according to their personal inclinations and interests and then if they leave a review, the review would be based on the parts of the book that were actually read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm on record for saying I'm not for editing the reviews of my book(s) as I find I can take a lot from the comments that are left by readers, be they, friends or strangers. So far four reviews have been published and they are as different as the individuals are different. This has inspired me to blog about the reviews I've received. Until now, no reviewer has shared their thoughts about ‘My EFAW Theory’ and ‘My Outer Space Experience.’ I'm curious why no one has found those chapters worthy of a mention in their reviews. Still, I am grateful for any review as reviews do help to garner more interest in the book(s). I would like to take the opportunity here to thank the readers of <i>The Dance of the Chi</i> for their thoughtful reviews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If I am the one writing the review, I would not like to be told what to write or to be told to write something that the author would approve of. I believe we have to be fair to both the author and the potential buyer. Imagine writing to help the author at the expense of the reader? That would not be a good thing IMO. I take the reviews as they come. One of these days, if I should get an unpleasant and negative review, I shall have to take from that as well. Experiences are meant to be what they are. Alan Watts, the philosopher, said: <i><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129;">Wanting a positive experience is a negative experience. Accepting a negative experience is a positive experience</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129;">.</span> Unless the reviews are left by haters and trolls up to no good, I can't complain about the reviews I have. They are all meant to be helpful and they are, each in their own way. I am grateful that my readers take the time to leave a review. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I read books, I tend to put myself in the mind of the authors. I try to feel whatever they are feeling and experience whatever they are experiencing. When I can’t wrap my mind around the mind of the author is when I can’t read a book. So it’s fair game if someone can’t read my book(s). I find that people who purchase a book are more likely to read as much of the book as possible as they don’t wish to waste their money. Purchasers are also more likely to be able to appreciate the contents as they know what kinds of books they want to invest in. This is the reason I don’t care to give my books away for free. I need to target my audience and the best way to do that, it seems to me, is for them to actually buy the book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As my book reviews go, most reviews have the effect of making me reflect on the readers’ reading experience. Each reviewer is likely to say something that would make me sit up with alertness and attention. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It doesn’t go unnoticed by me that the reviewers are, in effect, complimenting how I managed to "put my sh*t together (</span>tao<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">-</span>gether<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">)" in order to publish the books. It occurred to me that because everyone has problems and obstacles in life, the people who succeed at their creative projects are the ones who could manage to get it together despite or in spite the obstacles along their path. That's just what the books were/are—getting my act together. That’s the reason Zig Ziglar said: </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">What you get by achieving your goals is not nearly as important as what you become by achieving your goals.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The last twenty-one years (three Uranus cycles) for me was "do or die" time. The next seven years will be more or less the same. The next seven years of challenges and stress can be the best of times and the worst of times. My projects are how I create meaning/purpose/direction for my life and how I channel my energy, intent, and angst. We need to stay in the higher vibrations and my projects aid me to do that in a big way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve covered what the writing and publishing process do to add to the quality of my being. I’ve covered what the reviews do for me. Another huge bonus of being in this industry is the friendships and interactions with fellow writers and editors who cross my path. It's a treat to be exchanging with fellow writers who appreciate the need to be clear in the expression of complex and abstract ideas. It is a pleasure to exchange and interact with people who as a result of being who they are, force me to uplevel and improve my game. There is so much to learn and I learn something new every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A reviewer called my attention to my arms. He wondered about the significance of my arms. When playing Taiji, my arms in an extended posture would be the physical expression of me in the moment of an expanded mode of being. This is then followed by a contracted physical expression of me in the moment of a contracted mode of being. The "expanded mode" is the one that allows me to reach out to others and make the connections. The contracted mode is when I need my solitude. Some teachers in the energy arts say (each in their own way), the arms are the physical expression of energy flow and vibrations that is expressed by the spirit via the body. I imagine the arms are also the body part with the most concentration of "intent." We express a lot of intent with our arms. I can't imagine what it's like for the Thalidomide babies who have to live their whole lives without arms. And what of those who lose their arms at some point in their lives? They would have to develop "alternate arms" of expressing energy flow and patterns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's no surprise that writers tend to be the ones to write the better reviews because they have the analytical discipline, training, and their way with words, to begin with. Even when writers are not impressed with what they are reading, they can still dig deep to leave a kind and/or encouraging word for the author. I reiterate reviews reveal as much about the reviewers as they do the books they review. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When indie authors publish, we have no idea who would be drawn to read our work. Whether the book is a free reading or a purchased reading, the writer and reader would have to be connected on some level or else, of the millions of authors (and even more books) out there, why would anyone read one author and not another?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">It's all good. Again, I thank my readers for taking the time to read me and I'm grateful for the friendships and mostly positive reviews.</span>Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-28956743415500769652018-02-14T11:17:00.000-08:002018-02-16T10:33:41.020-08:00Mena Coming Out<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been sitting on my songwriting for as long as I have been sitting on </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Dance of the Chi </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">and my poetry</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">.</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Now that the <i>chi</i> book has been published, I feel it’s time to also share the songs and poetry. However, I find I am not as ready as a singer-songwriter as I am as an author. Publishing books require me to write them and allow me to engage the services of vendors in the industry to get the books published. These are the cover designers, editors, and </span>formatters<span style="font-family: inherit;">. With songwriting, I have not been able to connect with compatible musicians to present the songs in the best possible light.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just as with my energy arts manifestation, I have to wait for the right people to show up. While in waiting mode, I have decided to go ahead and share raw home video snippets that I have managed to edit with the help of a friend who was roped in to tutor me in putting my smartphone to good use. I’m sharing some videos now as my way of launching my YouTube channel on this Lunar New Year. I’m more nervous about sharing my music than I am about publishing books. With the books, I do the best I can and leave the rest to the Universe. I can’t help whether the books resonate with others or if they fill a need out there. With songwriting, I <i>know</i> I can do a lot better if I have someone who can accompany me on an instrument. As well, I also feel songs are supposed to be entertaining and I won't be making any difference with what I put out. It's just something I am doing to complete my bucket list. If people don't like my songs, at least I have shared them rather than regret not sharing them when I'm too old to do anything about them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the years, I have had people come and go without much success due to incompatibilities. In my opinion and from experience, musicians aren’t generally a very spiritual lot. I find it difficult to hang out with them. I mean, I don’t do drugs (avoiding prescription and over the counter as well), alcohol, or cigarettes. I’m a germaphobe/health nut, an empath, and I don’t like crowded, (worse, if smoke-filled) places. An introvert by conditioning if not by nature, I don’t enjoy small talk. Sigh. Until I connect with that special someone, I shall remain nervous about the sharing of my music. I want to share when I comfortably <i>know</i> I have presented the songs as well as they can be presented. If you’re reading this and have some musical ability and interest to collaborate, please check out my video clips and see if we are musically compatible enough to work on a few songs together. I plan to share some short clips with lyrics any day now. If my music project doesn't take off, the teachers say it means I simply <i>did not </i>sign up for this before I was born. It is what it is. In my dreams, I play the piano extremely well. I believe that is from a past life. I haven't been able to tap into that lifetime's talent in this lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZjy1W-T5N_iP-Pi-YG2DMA</span><br />
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-49964755657996021692018-02-14T09:35:00.000-08:002018-02-18T22:02:10.025-08:00Festivals, Celebrations, and Values<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t live my life by a calendar and today (Valentine’s Day) was spent at the seaside, as usual, playing <i>Taiji</i>. It was about 6 PM and there were more than the usual number of people there. I was determined to play the three sets as is my usual practice—the series 24, 88, and 42. If I play these well, the session lasts for about an hour. Otherwise, it would be over within 45 minutes. At the far end of the beach, I caught sight of a huge “LOVE” sign made up of individual letter blocks of the alphabets placed on the beach just in front of the waves. I thought that was a setting for a movie or a setting for a wedding photo shoot. Turns out, it was a couple celebrating Valentine’s Day by having a romantic dinner on the beach. They had put up a tent with the table, chairs, and dinner stuff all in place.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then, I was distracted by a number of Chinese people, in family mode, carrying foam boxes to the beach. I wondered could they be the food caterers for the romantic “tent” couple? That is quite a lot of food for a couple, I thought. No. They placed the boxes on the sand far from the tent and then I thought they were going to have a picnic on the beach. No. They opened the boxes and started to bring a crab at a time to the water’s edge. They were sending the crabs back to the sea. I was taken by surprise and thought, wow, such a nice gesture and an act of compassion. The adults were setting a great example for the kids. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Further on the right of where I stood, I saw a couple of Buddhist monks in garb surrounded by what appeared like carloads of also Chinese people. The people were holding plastic bags and taking things out a handful at a time and throwing them into the sea. My curiosity got the better of me and when I had completed my Taiji play, I went to have some words with the monks. I asked what they were throwing into the sea. I couldn’t make out what the sea creatures were as they were very small. I was told they were clams. This group of people was rescuing clams from the market to throw back into the sea. I asked if they were doing that to celebrate their version of Valentine’s Day. The monks said it was just a coincidence it was Valentine’s Day. They belong to a temple nearby and these kinds of activities are performed regularly by the devotees. These kinds of action are thought to cultivate good karma for this lifetime and many lifetimes hereafter. I observed a handful of other races and people of seemingly other religious faiths not being impressed by what they were witnessing. It looked to them like food is food and people were throwing food into the sea. Ai. I have seen people laboring hours under the hot sun to gather enough clams to sell to the market in order to earn a living. Here, the Buddhist devotees are throwing these clams right back into the sea. This is an example of contradicting values and the controversies in our world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The head monk shared that they were vegetarians, not vegans. I asked what sect of Buddhism they were and he said “Mahayana.” We chatted about the Thai Buddhist sect (</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">Theravada</span>)<span style="line-height: 115%;"> who has to eat anything devotees offer during their daily alms. This sect of monks could eat meat. He said the devotees would be schooled about what NOT to offer the monks. For example, alcohol. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I was told the monks at the temple nearby where I play my Taiji were initially taught <i>Shaolin Kung Fu</i> but they had all forgotten the discipline through lack of practice. They also were taught Taijiquan but had neglected all these over time. I was reminded of how I had also neglected to practice for more than 20 years while busy with stray rescue work. I was lucky I could refresh my memory with the help of a local Taiji master and also with the help of YouTube videos. Regular practice is so important for muscle and other memory. As with any skill, the more we do, the better we get at it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also took the opportunity to tap the monks’ belief system. I told the head monk that I believe we are all energy and since energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed, that I had to believe our souls/spirits/consciousness are eternal. I shared that I had encountered another belief system on the internet forums which said that eternity is not guaranteed. It said that if one does not engage in active soul-making lifetime after lifetime, one could be diminished to a state of nothingness eventually, reminiscent of Toltec Shamanism beliefs. I wanted to know what the head monk thought. He said there is no state of nothingness. Even if humans keep doing bad things lifetime after lifetime, incurring bad karma lifetime after lifetime, they would still have some kind of form, like the clams they threw back into the sea. These clams would be brought to the temple first and prayers would be said for them and they would be made to listen to the Buddhist dharma so that their consciousness could be given a lift and they would stand a chance of a better life next time. The head monk said, every living thing can and should be given a chance at a better next lifetime and we help them by uplifting their consciousness. I couldn't help recalling what I recently read about this being equal to someone dying of hunger being helped by the recitation of a recipe. Oy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember this from a recent social media post:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">In our practice of Shikantaza we do not seek for anything because when we seek for something, an idea of self is involved. Then we try to achieve something to </span><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="text-align: start;">further the idea of self. That is what you are doing when you make some effort, but our effort is to get rid of self-centered activity. That is how we purify our experience. — Shunryu Suzuki, Letters from Emptiness</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Someone wiser than me once said: “If the ideal of unconditional love is to be valued, we won’t find it in the practice of religion. Real compassion doesn’t arise from believing in God, from practicing various rituals, or from studying the concept of karma. Compassion can only result from conscious choice, and this requires the freedom to choose without the threat of punishment or the promise of reward. If people are obedient to their faith, it’s a safe bet that compassion is absent from their lives. They probably don’t even know what real compassion feels like. The more we collectively abandon all religion, the better off this planet will be. This doesn’t mean we have to abandon all spiritual pursuits. It just means we must stop turning spirituality into something it isn’t.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I end this sharing by wishing everyone a happy Lunar New Year of the Dog. Woof!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-84761367926687934892018-01-02T10:17:00.000-08:002018-01-02T10:17:22.293-08:00The Question Is Half The Answer<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">There are many theories out there but as we know, theories cannot be proven. I shared previously the Tibetan belief of the Bardos of Dhamatta and Becoming. This is about the soul spending X amount of time immediately after a human’s or animal’s death and going into the next Bardo and then spending another X amount of time there before being ushered into a new incarnation or rebirth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many wisely question how anyone could definitely know things of this nature. Metaphysics, as we are aware, is an intuitive "science of knowing." How do the masters and teachers know anything? I will share that I believe the souls/spirits of humans who do evil things will be trapped for a while after they die. Just like those who have experienced violent deaths whether by their own hands or by others. Their stream of consciousness, vibration, energy, etc. will likely pull them into a kind of "prison" where more dark/heavy energy exists. How long they remain there, is anyone's guess. I mean, we know of disembodied spirits (ghosts) who are trapped on the Earth plane after death and they can remain trapped until someone knows how to guide them to the other side. Once on the other side, they can choose (as some believe) to be reincarnated or the powers beyond our comprehension (as others believe) can propel them into the next energy experience with or without their cooperation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have often reflected on these issues myself. I find it hard to believe that a human who allows him/herself to do evil things can die and be reincarnated immediately after to do good things. I would think the previous consciousness stream would still predominate. So even if murderers get to experience more lifetimes after the one in which they caused so much suffering and pain to others, I don't think these life chances will come about as quickly as for the average soul. I like to believe in cosmic justice and karma so I hope these souls get to experience what it's like to be on the receiving end of such evil. Not necessarily out of a sense of revenge but if they understand what the pain and suffering are like, they might not ever want to inflict such on others again. I like to believe just as goodness is its own heaven, evil is its own hell. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On Yuval Harare's RSA talk: A History of Tomorrow, he shares his view that there will always be hierarchy. In the future, there will be humans created by Biotechnology to be higher up in status due to manufactured qualities. The masses down the hierarchy line will just have to find their own way to live a meaningful life. In addressing this ongoing existential crisis, I've simplified living to love and compassion. Whatever is the question, love and compassion are the answers. The Dalai Lama said as much: <i>If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. This is the way of peace. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I studied astrology for the patterns of energy and the timing of events. I don't want to invite a discussion on astrology—to each our own—I just want to say that life's traumas will hit every human at some point. What good is that to know unless we can find ways to suffer less, right? I've discovered a metaphysical philosophy that we can manage our suffering by choosing to take on certain kinds of suffering rather than let life manifest these sufferings for us. For example, if a human has been fortunate all his/her life, and he/she wishes to avoid the suffering that's inevitable to come, he/she should get involved with charity work that involves inconveniencing themselves and involving different degrees of suffering for the cause. In this way, the suffering is voluntary and under control. Otherwise, life will run its course and the suffering can be unmanageable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They say the love consciousness is the highest vibration of all so that means love is of merit to the overall universe, right? If it's not coming quite easily to individuals and the planet, I guess that means we are not doing the right things to attract it. I guess that means we have to be the gifts we want? On every level, beginning with the individual, if we want love, we have to BE love. People keep praying/meditating for world peace. I would start first with personal peace then move on to household peace and the wider community. If we are not in peace to begin with, there can be no world peace. The humans who are causing the most pain and suffering in the world are themselves in a state of "Hell" (Narcissists, Sociopaths, Psychopaths, etc). I call this state the EFAW state. EFAW stands for Evil Forces At Work. Whatever we choose to call this state, it's the opposite of Love and Light. People who do not like the word “evil” might want to replace that with “dark/heavy energy.”<br />
<br />Whenever I’m unsure about a person, an event or an experience, I create two boxes in my mind. One is labeled 'Creative;' the other 'Destructive.' When in doubt, I ask myself which box does this (whatever) go into? Once I get down to that kind of simplification, the values of my world are not that complex or abstract anymore. </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">For everything that we gain, we lose something and for everything that we lose, we gain something.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> For me, the best kind of love is the kind that brings me peace. Putting a value on humans is more complex because humans are multidimensional entities existing in a multidimensional universe trying to make sense of everything in a 3-4 dimensional world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the case of NSPs (Narcissists, Sociopaths, Psychopaths) aka the catch-all term Narcopaths, do these souls decide between lifetimes, while in spirit form, to create all the confusion, drama and suffering in order to teach others in their "soul group" the lessons that they agreed (again, between lifetimes in spirit form) they wanted/needed to learn? If that is the case, does this mean they will attract the "nature-nurture" events in their lives to manifest the conditions suitable to play out their NSP roles? This would mean it doesn't matter why NSPs become what they are. It becomes their soul purpose, does it not? This would explain why they can't change even when at times they appear to be really invested in being better people. I don't like this "pre-birth soul contract" theory. I like the idea that the point of power is always in the present and that souls can make and break contracts at will at any time—during a lifetime or between lifetimes. However, just because that's what I like it doesn't mean that is the way absolute reality works.<br />
<br />I don't like the idea that souls actually choose to set themselves back in the evolution of their consciousness in order that other souls might make progress in their evolution of consciousness process. This seems to me that metaphysical minds all over the world are desperate to find the answers as to why people do what they do. The world (human affairs) doesn't make sense because people, IMO, are leaving out a vital point of reference and that to me is the EFAW (or the dark and heavy energy). Once we factor the EFAW into the equation, it begins to make sense. Basically, it's an energy battle. It always has been and it always will be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The problem I have with the “pre-birth contract” theory is that it appears to be predetermination and fate in other words. If it's true we can't remember these sacred contracts when we are born into our present lifetimes, then our conscience should prevent us from doing harm to others, correct? If this is so, since the NPDs and NSPs do not have a conscience, then they must be the "chosen ones" or the ones who "volunteered" to do all the hurting. Does this make sense or not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Again, we are all multi-dimensional entities manifesting in a multi-dimensional universe. Planet Earth is so challenging because we are spirits struggling within a 3-4 dimensional reality which is limiting our multi-dimensional selves (our consciousness).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-82966788586747514292017-12-15T20:19:00.000-08:002017-12-16T04:15:33.050-08:00Are There Any Dudes In The House?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">If we can buy into the New Age philosophy, "where we are is where we need to be," and "what we are doing is what we need to be doing," we will feel better able to cope with our challenges. The philosophy says we don't need to be anywhere but where we are in order to work on our karmic themes and lessons we came back to master. We can run but we can't hide. We just have to face ourselves, our souls, and our truths. </span></div>
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<br />There has been a new religion around for about a dozen years already. Dudeism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">http://dudeism.com/whatisdudeism/<br />
<br />“The Dudeist belief system is essentially a modernized form of Taoism stripped of all of its metaphysical and medical doctrines. Dudeism advocates and encourages the practice of "going with the flow," "being cool-headed," and "taking it easy" in the face of life's difficulties, believing that this is the only way to live in harmony with our inner nature and the challenges of interacting with other people. It also aims to assuage feelings of inadequacy that arise in societies which place a heavy emphasis on achievement and personal fortune. Consequently, simple everyday pleasures like bathing, bowling, and hanging out with friends are seen as far preferable to the accumulation of wealth and the spending of money as a means to achieve happiness and spiritual fulfillment.” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudeism</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_6" title="March 6"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">March 6</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> is the annual sacred high holy day of Dudeism: The Day of the Dude.” While I dig the Dudeist manifesto and I enjoy the funny and irreverent writing of Oliver Benjamin, the founder of Dudeism and Rev. Dwayne Eutsey, <i>Arch Dudeship</i>, I am hoping it’s not going to go the way of the hippies in the sixties. The hippies were mostly right philosophically but they didn't have a sustainable long-term plan for survival in the real world. Let Dudeism run its course by all means and let’s see how it changes our world. Many believe Dudeism is the religion for our time and place.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><a href="http://dudeism.com/takeiteasymanifesto/"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">http://dudeism.com/takeiteasymanifesto/</span></a><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />If Dudeism is about taking it easy and not working so hard to have a respectable lifestyle or to change the world, I hope it’s not going to encourage laziness and apathy. I mean, it says life is short and complicated and nobody knows what to do about it so we shouldn’t do anything about it. Like, really? Seriously? We know control is an illusion like everything else but don’t we still try to stay on top of everything that goes on in our lives? The Lennonism line, “Life is what happens to us when we are planning other things” doesn’t stop us from planning our lives, does it? We want to be the scriptwriters of our stories, don’t we?</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Metaphysical teachers tell us when we were born all the solutions to our Earthly problems were embedded in our DNA. We just have to dig deep and pull strength from our soul/spirit wisdom. Our physical bodies may be weak from time to time but our spirits just need to be aligned with our life purpose and we will thrive. We are told we can operate on soul energy.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">If we are sick or diseased, and many of us are, it won't hurt us and might actually make a positive difference if we ask for forgiveness for all the mistakes we have made, all the hurt/pain/suffering we have inflicted on others. For each one of us who needs therapy because of what someone else has done to us, someone, somewhere, needs therapy because of something we have done.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">If we do not get cured after we've made all these life/energy changes, we would have become better human beings, we would have made a positive difference in our time and place and we would have lived a more expanded and meaningful life. In addition, we would have prepared ourselves well for the eventual dying and death scenes that all of us have to be ready for. “In a world where Death is the hunter, it doesn’t take a lot to die.” – Don Juan via Carlos Castaneda.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Even if we have by and large become cynical, some <span style="background: white;">still believe in united thoughts, prayers, and meditation as ways to move the world forward. Others still believe in doing what we can. For example, some people are going off the grid, not supporting the 'system,' or living outside of the ‘system.’ These are ways some of us feel we can do something.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Some cling onto hope, not losing faith that evil will be its own undoing. Others understand something about the structures and movements of energy at a cosmic level. The understanding is that the "operating system" of the cosmos run all kinds of "programs/apps," some constructive and some destructive. From a human point of view, the destructive ones are termed “evil” when manifested through human vessels like the perpetrators of wars and heinous crimes. This cosmic process is impersonal, indifferent and as we understand it, down to cosmic intent or design. Whose intent and whose design?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Some of my Facebook friends believe there can be an end to evil if enough humans want the end of evil. In my opinion, evil, as a force, cannot be eradicated. For evil to be eradicated, goodness and love would also have to go. One cannot exist without the other. Whatever evil we think we want or need to see removed in our present times, that evil will only be replaced by another evil. There is no end to evil; just as there will always be problems. Every day we solve problems and every day we wake up to new problems to be solved. There is no end to that either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">As I said in <i>The Dance of the Chi</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">This, it seems to me, is an example of the Yin and Yang forces at the universal level. Scientists report observations of what appeared to be a glowing of gamma radiation from the disc of the Milky Way. They said these were the light of distant combat between armies of matter and antimatter, annihilating each other in tremendous flashes of energy.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">This strikes me as proof that the system we live in will always be one in which energy will somehow combat energy. Different forces will combat each other. If it’s true for the outer reaches of our Milky Way, why not for us here on planet Earth?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It seems we live in a violent world as a reflection of the violent outer reaches of space. Perhaps the clue to the fate of the soul can be found with the clue to the fate of the Universe. If the Universe is without an end, is the soul also without an end? If about 90% of the mass of the Universe is unseen, could it be that about 90% of a human being is also unseen? As above, so below? The macro universe and the micro-universe?</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "bookmanoldstyle" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It turns out, metaphysicians and New Age scientists now tell us we use only 5% of our brains and that 95% of our brains is the subconscious.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Some people say that’s why Utopia can never be. What would we do with ourselves if we live in a perfect world where there are no problems and no evil? So, while Dudeism can’t change the ‘system’ or get rid of the Universe’s “programs and apps,” it can change the way we react to them. If enough people get behind the philosophy of Dudeism, can that critical mass make a difference to the ‘system’ as we know it? What do you think?</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Yo, dudes, I think you guys are a blast but if life is short and complicated and nobody knows what to do about it, we shouldn’t just do nothing about it. We should take some kind of action, man! Like creating a new religion! </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-63194946069227286392017-06-26T02:53:00.000-07:002017-06-26T05:22:29.966-07:00Book Review: Are We Just Bubbles?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">Are We Just Bubbles?</span></i></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> – Author, Dan Bowlds. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">https://www.amazon.com/Just-Bubbles-Alternate-View-Existence/dp/1329590414/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498470476&sr=1-1&keywords=are+we+just+bubbles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">A review by Mena Koo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">(A note from Mena: I had to skip the technical portions of the book and lock in on stuff that I could understand and follow. I think it’s fair to say that the reader has to be highly motivated to read books like these.)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">When dealing with science and scientists, they are allowed to say: <i>I don't know or we don't know the science of that so we don't have the answer to that</i>. When dealing with Metaphysics and Spirituality, we get to use the imagination and we get to allow the intellect to have a bit of fun. Kind of like science fiction writers, I suppose. It was no less than Einstein who encouraged this in us saying, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Knowledge is the past; imagination is the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">If everything is alive and conscious, and if everything and everyone is connected, it follows that the collective consciousness is a reality. This would be what is known as the “universal intelligence.” Most people call this God, yes, for want of a better name. But most metaphysically inclined people prefer not to use the word God for it is too connected to organized religion. We just say “the Universe.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The chapters in Dan’s book mainly cover the technical aspects of how the Universe works. This will be primarily of interest to the scientific community, but even the non-scientific should know enough about how it works to understand that our physical world is an illusion. An illusion, in that it is all made up of something we can't see, and it is only through the action of a creative “expansion energy” that it exists. Dan offers his views to any who is willing and who wants to explore a different way to consider our existence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I have been interested in Dan’s book and lecture videos as I sought to discover things he mentions that might be in common with what I believe. I would like to take the stance that either extreme is wrong. That those who say there is no God and those who say there is a personified God are both on the extreme ends. I like to believe the truth is again in the middle. I like to believe there is a Creator but what is this Creator that pumps all the energy into the space bubbles — the space bubbles that go on expanding into the infinite void?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I quote a commenter from a recent Facebook post, who has given me permission to quote him but who doesn’t want to be identified here: <i>Prof. Kaku seems to assign a position to Einstein that he did not in fact hold. Einstein certainly believed in free will. Kaku overlooks the fact that free will is still possible in a fully deterministic universe because accurately determining what will happen next in such a universe requires full knowledge of the system. Kurt Godel showed that no entity within the system can possess such knowledge. Granted, an entity outside the system might possess such knowledge but said entity then could not interact with the system in any way since by doing so it would become part of the system. Thus free will is not only possible but pretty much unavoidable.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I was struck by this comment as it explained in a scientific way why God if he does indeed exist, is so absent from our planetary affairs. If this God is outside of our “finite universe,” pumping in absolute energy into our expanding space bubbles, this God cannot micro manage to answer our prayers. This is why our world is in such a state and this is why believers find it hard to let go of their versions of God. In hard times, humans need a crutch to lean on, to draw strength from. We don’t want to feel destitute in our misery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Godel proved that no part of an isolated system can contain a complete description of the system, except, of course, the entire system itself. Thus an all-knowing God cannot exist within the universe of which it is all knowing. Since interacting with the universe requires one to be part of it, it is clear such a God cannot interact with the universe either.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">"Since interacting with the universe requires one to be part of it, it is clear such a God cannot interact with the universe either." <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I thought this explains a lot. While there is no God micro-managing us, I need to stress that I believe in a kind of cosmic justice. Just because there is no personified God to punish humans for doing evil, it doesn’t mean that humans are not penalized for bad decisions and actions. I believe in cause and effect (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction) and I believe in Karma (even if Karma can be transformed in a lifetime). Our own actions and behavior will either reward us or punish us. What goes around comes around and the law of attraction applies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Dan’s view is we are all connected, and we must make a giant leap into the next level of our understanding of consciousness and social evolution if we are to survive on this planet. Dan says, without kindness, love, willingness to seek the truth, and tolerance of others, he would never have come to this realization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">In ‘Are We Just Bubbles?’ Dan presents the possibility of an unseen dimension and expansion of space that might be the underlying cause of all that the Universe is. It is not the author’s intent to “prove” any of what he is proposing. The author feels if what he proposes cannot be disproved, then the certainty of what we now think the Universe is, based upon our measurements, comes into question.</span>Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-11058768226138269042017-06-24T09:18:00.000-07:002018-08-21T12:14:34.301-07:00My First Editions<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Two years ago, my first digital editions were offered on my own platform. I created a website to make my digital books available to Malaysians for whom Kindle books are not available. I toyed with the idea of offering the platform to other writers whose Amazon digital books were also unavailable in their own countries. I did not know of Smashwords then. Smashwords makes digital books available all over the world, in multiple formats which can be downloaded several times over as many days.<br />
<br />People then asked, what about printed books? How was I going to make those available if I didn’t use the PODs (Print on Demand) portals on the internet? I put off creating the paperbacks then as my first editions were not professionally edited. I paid good money for my first edition book covers as I didn't want to distract from the several levels of editing and dozens of proofreading runs that I had to do for practical reasons. There was difficulty in finding a local editor who could resonate with my content and the foreign quotations (not that they were a match for my genre) were simply outrageous. At the time, I was surrounded by sharks in the industry and couldn’t afford the 8-9 cents a word they were going to charge me for editing. Insane, right? I thought I would do my best on my own and just put the book(s) out there to test the market. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a blessing in disguise that my website didn’t take off. My website was hosted on a Malaysian server and we would have had to pay Malaysian income taxes. I’m better off now that I’m on Amazon and Smashwords since income earned overseas is not taxable locally. Since Amazon and IngramSpark printed books are so expensive to ship outside of the USA and Europe, I’m going to have to photocopy and bind my manuscripts for sale locally. This is the only way to make the book marketable locally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve never been able to work the Facebook friend thing. Now that Amazon doesn’t allow Facebook friends to leave reviews, I can’t see myself suddenly getting excited over a Facebook friendship. I like that we are able to exchange messages without being Facebook friends. The only advantages to being Facebook friends, it seems to me, is that we get to tag our friends on various posts and we get to send posts in private messages. Other than those features, it’s all the same friend or no friend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m told Amazon's search engine algorithms are driven by keywords and reviews and that both help with the book’s discoverability. Yet, reviews are merely opinions and are subjective. Reviews are only as good as the reviewers or as good as the reviewers invest the time to make them. I just got a review from a friend for whom English is the third language. The comments are positive but the review itself needs editing! Being his third language, I can’t place a lot of value on his opinions of my ideas, can I?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I first got on the self-publishing scene, the various writers’ groups were all about “you read my book, I read your book; you review mine and I’ll review yours.” I couldn’t play that game as a) I’m in a country that cannot download Kindle books. b) I couldn’t read other indie authors’ books so they weren’t going to read mine. c) I thought that I couldn’t exchange reviews with other authors even if they sent me the PDFs as Amazon wouldn’t allow reviews unless the book was purchased on Amazon. (I was mistaken. As long as someone has spent USD 50.00 on Amazon on any purchase not necessarily books, that person can leave a review. The idea behind this is the person may have purchased the book from a different portal.) d) Even if the authors were interested in accepting my reviews off of Amazon, I found I simply couldn’t invest my time reading fiction genres. I read to remember; most of those books are for people who read to forget. Clearly, if I wasn’t going to read their books, they were not going to read mine. That was the mood of the writer forums.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This time around, with my second edition (my first on Amazon and Smashwords), my experience is different. I stumbled upon <b>Dan Bowlds</b> who authored <i>Are We Just Bubbles?</i> It was a book about “An Alternate View of Existence.” It was non-fiction, about the Universe and energy and in Dan’s words, “we (he and I) are both searching for answers to questions that have plagued mankind since the dawning of our consciousness: How we are here, why we are here, what is to become of us. Each of us has to seek the answers to these questions in our own way, and one that satisfies us. There are no wrong ways, except when we deny our own reasoning and logic to falsely gain the favor of someone trying to force their beliefs on us. Above all, we have to have a humble heart and be thankful for our existence.” Here was a book that I thought I could interest myself in reading and reviewing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s Dan’s review of my book:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Mena Koo's “The Dance of the Chi”, is about her journey of “going where the imagination, magic, and mystery are” through the practice of Tai Chi. It is written chronologically with current updates interspersed, and is a history of her progression from the early practice of Tai Chi for health and self-awareness reasons, to a higher level of meditation and spiritual enlightenment. She believes that Chi is a vital yin and yang force, two energies that operate the Universe to make it whole, and through the practice of Tai Chi, we can tap into this infinite energy of the Universe. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br />She has written this book to share her Tai Chi experience so that others may benefit from what she has learned. The book is interspersed with her poems and songs which are a good read in themselves. I would recommend this book to students of Tai Chi who also want to develop their metaphysical spirituality.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dan admitted his book review is very brief and wanted to make sure that I am okay with what he has said. Dan added he went through my book rather quickly and highlighted points that he thought were important, then wrote the summary from his take on what he surmised from the notes. Dan apologized if what he has said is not correct and asked if I would like him to change anything in his review. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have declined Dan’s offer as I want reviews to be as authentic as possible. I now appreciate why Amazon doesn’t allow friends to review books. Friends tend to do favors for each other and they would write biased reviews which would not be fair to the purchasing public. I also appreciate that writing reviews are not easy things to do if we want to do them honestly. It’s a huge responsibility all around, whichever way one views it.<br />
<br />I see that Dan has left out many major ideas in <i>The Dance of the Chi</i> of which I’m particularly fond of. I feel that his review tends to limit my audience. I feel that ‘My EFAW Theory’ and ‘My Outer Space Experience’ is not limited to Tai Chi students. I feel the chapter ‘Differences and Similarities of Tai Chi and Yoga’ and the ‘Healing Therapies’, among many other ideas, are not limited to Tai Chi students. My philosophy of life throughout the book is also not limited to Tai Chi students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-58578818970577352192017-05-25T02:51:00.000-07:002017-06-11T10:43:57.577-07:00What Have I Done?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Dance of the Chi</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> is now available on <b>Amazon </b>but currently is not available to Malaysians. Malaysians, please go to <b>Smashwords. </b>The digital book is priced at<b> </b>only USD 0.99 cents. The <i>Look Inside</i> feature on <b>Amazon</b> is not available yet but the same feature, called <i>Online Reader</i> is available on <b>Smashwords</b>. I have opted to share 20% of my book for readers to sample. 20% is about 30 pages (?) of the book. When you get to the respective sites, just look for the words <i>Look Inside</i> and <i>Online Reader</i> and click on the link. It will take you to the free sample reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/726049<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whatever you do, do not write a book if you think it is the same as keeping a journal. It is not. If you have to write, write, but do not self-publish thinking that the process somehow organizes your thoughts in and of itself. The book has to be professionally edited because we generally can’t see our own inconsistencies. When it comes to non-fiction or creative non-fiction, even the editors might not catch our inconsistencies because they are not knowledgeable or familiar with the genre. Finding a suitable editor is not easy. That means we have to proofread our manuscripts dozens of times to finesse it. The discipline of organizing our thoughts and ideas will help us “know what we are thinking.” Perhaps that’s why we write. We need to know what we are thinking. Seeing the project through to the end regardless of how maddening the process is will build character. We do find ourselves and become more in the process and that’s the reward. What comes after publishing is not within our control. And that means, or should mean, it’s time to chill and spend some time balancing other areas of our lives. Areas that were neglected because we simply had to write and do this thing called self-publishing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Self-publishing costs money (at least for me, it did) and working with the system and the vendors who we engage to help us with the system will run us into the ground if we’re not already grounded. The system is not perfect and neither are the vendors. Everybody is doing their best to cope with the challenges in their lives and the stress just builds and builds. The editors and formatters can’t and don’t do it all and we still have to finesse our manuscripts on our own. We are in charge of crossing all the ‘t’s and dotting every ‘i.’ Publishing projects are fraught with challenges not for the half-hearted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Promotion and marketing. I always thought that might be a drag for empaths. Studies show that narcissists are better at marketing and sales because they are known to be chameleons. They can be charming and persuasive as they pretend to agree with everyone in order to get their narc supply. Simply put, they understand the dynamics and know how to close a sale. Now that all the words are taken care of, I’m psyching myself to being more sociable on social media. When I was in the writing and publishing stages, I simply did not have the time or energy to engage. It was working around the clock for a few years and my idea of a break was to eat properly (not stuffing my face in front of the screen), do household chores, attend to the dogs’ needs and exercise. A writer or any creative person who spends a lot of time and resources developing their ideas passionately tends to neglect their friends and family in the process. Is it any wonder we tend to be loners? Time for humans is finite, we can’t do it all or have it all. For everything that we gain, we lose something. For everything that we lose, we gain something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All that said, it’s a filtering process. We will get to a point where we will know ourselves and our paths better and know how we want to spend what’s left of our time. If we didn’t know this before, it will be seared into our consciousness: Time is precious. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What have I done? I’ve put myself out there for people to take pot shots at me. Ai! My universe/energy theory, based on my Tai Chi insights are now grist for the mill. Recently I stumbled upon another writer with his ‘theory of the universe’ book available on Amazon as well. We became Facebook friends and he sent me a free copy of his book and I said I would be happy to write a review detailing how his book is different from mine. When I discovered he doesn’t subscribe to the Big Bang theory and his universe/energy theory is based on the Universe being finite, I couldn’t imagine how I would be able to take his book in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I mean, when we are at a certain age or stage in our lives, we tend to be riding on a certain belief system. It’s difficult to read a writer who is not coming from the same place (and not going where we're going?) as we are said to understand what our souls already know. When we read something we can’t resonate with, it’s just a whole lot of words there in front of us and it’s difficult to go where the writer is trying to take us. Perhaps this is a case of cognitive dissonance? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My book is based on a Tai Chi way of knowledge and Tai Chi equals infinity. If one cannot accept the concept of infinity, it would be difficult to wrap one’s mind around my imaginations? This drives home the point that once we believe certain theories or stories in life, it’s hard to let go and start embracing opposite theories or stories. There is just not enough space in our heads for new belief systems to take root and flourish, plus the inner animations or algorithms are simply missing from that place deep within us. While the freedom to discuss dissenting issues should be allowed and encouraged in the interest of growth and expansion, actually calling out someone on their beliefs can be a confrontational exercise. Especially, when we are able to spot some of the inconsistencies in their content and their book has already been published. Authors may be more receptive to such challenges when their books are in the beta reading phase or even the editing phase. If at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The author of the ‘other’ energy theory, <i>Are We Just Bubbles</i>, <b>Daniel P. Bowlds</b>, said he was looking forward to reading my book. When I was proofing <i>The Dance of the Chi</i> on KDP, I came upon the Big Bang theory and the word “infinite” so many times, I felt bad to put my new friend through what must be an agony of a reading experience. I wondered how many pages he could bear to read before being rattled enough to give up trying to take in another writer’s unfamiliar and opposing views. At certain points in our lives, we gravitate towards people (and books) that can augment and refine our thoughts and ideas, helping us to answer some of the questions that need answering. Building structures are more fun than tearing down structures, yes?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This reminds me of what someone said about the legal process. This person said it’s widely believed that even before a case goes to the courts, the lawyers and judges already have an opinion on the matter and they know which side they are on. Then it’s only a matter of finding the legal points to support the arguments or be against them. After I’ve spent my whole adult life believing in the Big Bang theory, I present my case using the Big Bang theory and the concept of a never-ending expansion of consciousness. Thus, we can see how difficult it is for religious people who have spent their whole lives believing in their holy books to suddenly be able to make a turnaround and embrace the opposite of what they have believed for so many decades. That’s why it’s said it’s easier to fool someone than to convince someone that they had been fooled. Confronting the possibility that one has been barking up the wrong tree all one’s life is a harsh awakening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Update:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Daniel has messaged to say he’s reading the Free 20% sample and so far finds the book “interesting.” That means the first 80 pages of my book is not too rattling? </span><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">J</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> We’ll see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Quantum entanglements -- even free thinkers don't think alike. Free thinkers are more or less experiencing an ongoing state of confusion/chaos as we are more open to ideas outside of our core. I think of it as an evolution of consciousness exercise. Humans generally cannot accept what we have no experience of. <b>Gary Zukav</b>, in <i>The Dancing Wu Li Masters</i>, said knowledge is past tense; imagination makes physics come alive. <b>Einstein</b> said imagination is more important than knowledge. Scientists are limited by their knowledge. The rest of us are limited only by our imagination. My book is just me allowing the intellect and imagination to have a bit of fun. The views I hold today will evolve as my consciousness expands. My book is just an exploration of ideas. My ideas/beliefs/interpretation of the Universe/life on Earth could well be dismissed and laughed off the planet. I'm not sure whether I would prefer my book to be ignored or whether I would like for critics to have a field day. Whatever, I've got my hard hat on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm a semi-recluse because I don't care to get into arguments and disagreements. Everyone is on their path and learning at their own pace. Everyone is doing the best they can to survive, thrive, and to make sense of their world. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs as long as they are being wrong not doing wrong. Behind every argument is someone's ignorance. We will all get there in due time. We all want the same things — to be healthy, happy and at peace with ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-7430285718286566752017-05-01T06:48:00.000-07:002017-05-01T06:48:26.756-07:00From The Dance of the Chi: Tai Chi Insights<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bruce Lee</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was so brilliant and exciting with his martial arts skills, but in my opinion, he was a victim of his own “warlike” attitude. People who lost to him in “combat” or who did not dare take him on in combat, turned to other “means” to defeat him. I am aware of the official cause of his death: that he died due to his body reacting to drugs that were not prescribed for him. My metaphysical friends and I believe “forces” were already being thrown at him long before he succumbed to the official cause of death.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some Chinese believe in the <i>3 Wan, 7 Pak</i> metaphysical theory. So if people know how to spiritually mess with your <i>3 Wan, 7 Pak</i>, they can pull parts of your <i>7 Pak</i> away and you will be in a weakened, incomplete state, spiritually. This can happen to anyone regardless of their superior physique or martial arts skill. I have linked this <i>7 Pak</i> to the 7 chakras but the <i>7 Pak</i> is more than that. The best translation that I can come up with is <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Link199"><i>3 Wan</i> </a>is like 3 parts of soul and <i>7 Pak</i> is like 7 levels of consciousness.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some Chinese with a metaphysical bent believe humans have 3 parts of soul and 7 levels of consciousness, or senses (please see<b> <i>3 Wan, 7 Pak</i> </b>below).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Here, I attempt to break the above down. This is tougher than the ‘Definition of EFAW’ theory because the EFAW theory is my own from experience and insight whereas this <i>3 Wan, 7 Pak</i> is a metaphysical Chinese belief I have only heard of vaguely in conversations. I have not been able to read anything on this in any language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Link30"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc475822125"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc475223159">Tai Chi Insights: <i>3 Wan, 7 Pak</i>:</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">1. Our connection with Source </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">2. Our being in the Universe.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">3. Our Higher Self or Over Self.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Something to think about: “Heaven creates. Earth sustains. Humans destroy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Link32"><b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16pt;">7 Pak</span></i></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16pt;"> (7 Levels of Consciousness):</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> All levels are related to crossover dimensions, only some are more obvious than others.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">1. Soul, Higher Self, or Over Self. The sum of all the experiences, thoughts, and feelings we ever had from the beginning of our individuated soul-making.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">2. Spirit. Spirit is a small percentage of our Soul or Higher Self. All our present experiences, thoughts, feelings, and sexual energy or <i>Ojas</i> (Sanskrit). Hence, when we succeed to harness the sexual energy, we gain more spiritual energy. Related to intuition and Extra Sensory Perception (ESP).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">3. Astral Self (Auric field).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">5. Psyche (Mind)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">6. Conscious 5% and Subconscious 95%</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">7. Unconscious<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Update 2014</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I believe there are documentaries out there now for those of you who are interested to know more about this side of the <b>Bruce Lee</b> story. The story covers three generations of his family — his father, himself, and his (only) son. <b>Bruce Lee</b>’s son, <b>Brandon Lee</b>, died in a freak accidental shooting with a fake bullet during filming. Some accounts say it was a real bullet that found its way into the prop gun, mysteriously. This EFAW family story goes beyond the scope of this Tai Chi book. I expand on the story in <i>Different Realities</i>. </span></div>
Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-80842889816706678632017-04-04T04:31:00.001-07:002017-04-04T04:31:58.576-07:00A Chapter from The Dance of the Chi<div class="MsoHeading7">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc475822118"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc475223152">My Two Tai Chi Teachers</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The person who first taught me Tai Chi was an old Chinese man in his eighties. I shall call him <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Link43"><b>AP</b></a> in this book to protect his privacy. <b>AP</b> could speak English and that was important for me, as my Chinese was below average. My birth father was an Anglophile who worked for the British and we were raised to speak English even at home. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">AP</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was 95% blind (cornea damage in one eye and Glaucoma in the other) and he couldn’t check my postures as we went about our Tai Chi. This turned out well for me as I didn’t have to endure the usual petty “correction of postures” that most students find disruptive as per the learning process. He was also hunched up due to Osteoporosis and somewhat infirm, and I couldn’t learn the postures properly from watching him play. Blind, hunched up, and infirm — not a good Tai Chi teacher by any standard — but he was perfect for me. He couldn’t judge me by my appearance, so he relied heavily on judging me by my personality. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Due to his condition, wannabe students didn’t have confidence in him beyond just following his play at the neighborhood park. Again, this worked well for me as I more or less had <b>AP</b> all to myself. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Update 2015:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">In time to come, this would prove to be my preferred way to interact with others in all areas of my life. I thrive on one-on-one situations. I do not do well in group situations. Hence, in later years I would seek out one-on-one refresher courses for the Tai Chi sets that I didn’t remember, and when unable to get this exclusive interaction, I would back off. This applies whether I’m learning guitar, languages, or even in a songwriting situation when I need someone to accompany me on an instrument. I need the intensity and focus of the one-on-one. I also need the shared agenda. The project has to mean as much to the other person as it does to me.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">AP</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> would be at the neighborhood park by 5:30 AM to do his exercises and the followers would trickle in and surround him and learn whatever they could from him. <b>AP</b> didn’t charge a fee, for he knew no one would pay to learn from him. Besides, he didn’t need the money. He was a lonely old man and it suited him to have some company. Everybody was welcomed. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">That was how I stumbled upon the group play. I saw them and I approached out of curiosity. I was not a morning person and I’m still not a morning person. However, that day, I was recovering from some emotional trauma and decided to do things a bit differently. I woke up early and decided to go for a jog. Serendipity was what it was. Around 8:30 AM, the group would disperse and each would go about their daily business, but I would stay on to talk to <b>AP</b> and to whoever also chose to remain behind. Usually, it was just <b>AP</b> and I but sometimes <b>AL</b>, his goddaughter (also one of his students), would be present. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I would always have my water bottle with me and most of <b>AP</b>’s followers would too. But I noticed <b>AP</b> didn’t bring a water bottle and that he would be dry-mouthed and tipsy by 8:30 AM. So I suggested that he should bring a water bottle but he said he was usually not thirsty. I explained that by the time he felt thirsty, it would mean his body was already dehydrated. I suggested that I would bring his drinks daily and I asked what he would like. He said he liked Chrysanthemum tea and that was what I would prepare for him every day. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">And so began our one-on-one sessions. <b>AP</b> was quick to figure I wasn’t like any student he had experienced. No one before me even thought to get him a walking stick; the type that blind people need. I went to the local blind institution and bought a folding stick; the kind that <b>AP</b> could fold and stick into his pocket when unused. I next went to the local stationary store and bought some highlight color paper, the kind that glows in the dark. I glued the glowing paper on the stick so that the stick would glow in the dark. <b>AP</b> was so thrilled with this gift. He could walk from his house to the neighborhood park in the early morning darkness before the break of dawn in relative safety. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I showed him due respect and I also showed him I had a healthy respect for myself. He was perfect for me because he was flexible and savvy enough to think out of the box with me. Soon, I convinced him to let me learn at my own pace. I explained I was itinerant and had no idea how much time I had with him. <b>AP</b> agreed to teach me as much as I could absorb on a day to day basis. He had a good memory for the Forms 24, 48, and 88, all of which he taught me — plus some <i>Kung Fu</i> moves he included in my training. All in, we spent about eight months together. During that time I was doing nothing but Tai Chi. I helped type out the various Tai Chi forms for <b>AP</b> to distribute to his other students who, like me, needed the notes in English. The Chinese-educated students had lots of material (the classics as well as more recent) to draw from. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Update 2014</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">: </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I tried to take refresher courses for Forms 42 (that I had learned from teacher #2 who came after <b>AP</b>), 48, and 88, as I had more or less forgotten the choreography for lack of practice. However, I found I had to give up after a few days as the teachers were too bent on getting the little details right; details that I had already mastered but was unable to manifest due to lack of practice. I just really needed to remember the choreography and then to practice and I would be able to manifest the details. Had <b>AP</b> done this with me; had <b>AP</b> the eyesight then to correct my play like these teachers like to do, I don’t think I would have done as well as I did all those years ago. That’s why I said <b>AP</b> was perfect for me. Because he left me alone, I was able to learn at my own pace, using my own tools, references, and modalities. I was able to focus on the esoteric and not the itty bitty bits which just distract from the whole. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">AP</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was very patient and generous with his time and knowledge, and he was good at teaching Tai Chi theory. He said I was his most intelligent and fastest learning student ever. We spent 8:30 to 10:30 AM together every day and then I would walk him back to his house, which was near where I lived at the time. After a while, I would use the car as the sun was just too hot for the walk back. To give readers an idea of the average timeline of individual tuition in those days, here’s a sample from an ad of that period (1987). </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Link114"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">Individual Tuition</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">: </span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">First Year</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> – Beginners Class: Fundamentals of <i>Qigong,</i> Tai Chi Chuan, <i>Bagua Zhang </i>and Push Hand. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Second Year</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> – Intermediate Class: Tai Chi Sword, Tai Chi Broad Sword, Tai Chi Fighting, Beginning Massage. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Third Year</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> – Advanced Class: Free Sparring, Remedial Massage, Teacher Training. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I learned 24 forms in a week, 48 forms in two weeks, and 88 forms in a month. <b>OPC</b> was doubtful I was really learning so much Tai Chi in such a short time. He said he knew of people who took decades to learn just the 24 and would play just the 24 their whole lifetime. <b>AP</b> was perfect for me as he was happy to let me learn using my own tools and at my own pace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some of you may be wondering by now, what is the difference between these sets of Tai Chi practice? 24 is the choreography put together for beginners. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">In 1956, the Simplified (or 24 Postures) Taijiquan was compiled by the Chinese Sports Commission. Tremendous efforts were put into promoting Taijiquan. The 24 Postures Taijiquan was derived from the traditional Yang Style Taijiquan long form. It was the result of many Taijiquan masters working towards standardizing and simplifying Taijiquan, for use as a health-promoting exercise. Many of the more complicated and repeated movements were deleted from the long forms for ease of learning and practicing. The sequence starts off with very simple movements and gradually becomes more complicated. Even though the 24 Postures Taijiquan sequence is a simplified version of the long forms, it is still a "traditional" sequence with the original martial applications in every movement.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">It consists of 20 different postures from the Yang Style Long Sequence. Three of the postures are done on both left and right sides, and one of the postures repeats itself, making a total of 24 postures. Because this sequence is based on Yang Style Taijiquan, the training guidelines and principles of Simplified Taijiquan follow the characteristic "flavor" of the Yang Style. – </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">From a YouTube description</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">48 is a bit more challenging, as the choreography gets a bit complicated.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Tai Chi 48 Postures form is ideal for those interested in experiencing the true essence of Tai Chi Chuan, because it combines powerful techniques from all styles into a sequence embodying the spirit of relaxation and softness with circular, continuous movements.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Simplified Tai Chi 48 Postures form was created in 1976 by the Chinese National Athletic Association in order to promote the art of Tai Chi. While maintaining all the movements from the Simplified Tai Chi 24 Postures form with slight modifications, this sequence also incorporated other more challenging techniques from the Yang, Chen, Sun, and Wu styles of Tai Chi Chuan. The martial applications and Tai Chi Push Hands techniques for each movement are still intact in this shortened form, and it should be performed with Yang-style flavor. – From a YouTube description</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Link177"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">88</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is usually managed mostly by the older masters. The longer the play, the more memory, and discipline are involved.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tai Chi Chuan 88 or 108 form, is the same form. Depending on how you count the steps it comes up to 88 or 108. This is also a Yang style choreography.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I believe for any relationship to work, there has to be a fair exchange of energy. So I made myself useful to <b>AP</b> and his old sickly wife whenever I could. They had grown-up children, but the children were all living away and the old couple relied on <b>AL</b>, the goddaughter, to help them when they needed help. <b>AP</b> bought me a gold necklace and asked me to be his second goddaughter but I politely declined as I didn’t want to create a triangle with <b>AL</b>. As well, I was itinerant and wouldn’t have been able to carry out my long-term duties as a goddaughter. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Before I left Penang and <b>AP</b>, I assisted with writing letters to all his children to get them to help him secure the operation(s) that would help him recover some of his eyesight. His daughter was a nurse then in Melbourne, Australia, working for an eye surgeon. She flew her father over to have a Glaucoma drainage operation by her boss. Not long after that, I was in Kuala Lumpur when <b>AP</b> had his cornea transplant at University Malaya Hospital and I visited him at his son’s house. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">After <b>AP</b> regained partial sight, I was excited to play for him so that he might see the postures of his “favorite” pupil. (Many Tai Chi masters don’t like to use the word “play;” they prefer “practice,” but <b>AP</b> loved the word “play” so I use it often.) He suggested a few minor corrections, but overall he was distracted with the fact that he could see me after all this time. Once he could see again (albeit not 20/20), his life changed and our relationship changed as well. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">About three years after I left Penang and <b>AP</b>, I returned to Penang and saw the need to study Mandarin to better understand the Chinese language, culture, and <i>Wushu</i>. During these one-on-one Mandarin classes, I would bring out my Chinese text Tai Chi books and <i>Han Yu Pin Yu</i> notes, and get the Chinese tutor to explain the meaning of certain Tai Chi related words, phrases, and concepts. This prompted the Chinese tutor to tell me she couldn’t explain that much to me as she was unfamiliar with <i>Wushu</i> and metaphysical concepts. She told me there was an old man who played Tai Chi in her neighborhood every morning and that she would introduce me to him. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although I knew for some time that I needed a Tai Chi master to check on my postures, I couldn’t find the “right” one. For three years after <b>AP</b>, whenever I practiced in the parks and open spaces, masters would come up to me and invite me to join their classes, clubs, associations, groups, whatever, but I always declined as I knew classes were trouble for an outlier like myself. I just knew I had to wait for the right situation. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Teacher #2 was also an old retired Chinese man in his seventies and he could only speak Chinese, but by then I already knew the fundamentals, and all he had to do was perfect my postures. Or so I thought. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">While <b>AP</b> emphasized on playing Tai Chi as “soft as cotton,” <b><i>Foong Sifu</i></b> aka <b>Master Ang</b> was more inclined towards the “martial” art part of Tai Chi. He was always dueling with me in training. He also imparted some metaphysical, philosophical, and physiognomy knowledge as it was passed down to him from his masters. Communication was hampered by my lack of classical Chinese, but I knew just about enough regular Chinese to connect the dots. It helped that I wasn’t really being taught anything new per se. It helped that my soul was being led to remember. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Both my teachers were with <i>Wushu</i> (Martial Arts) associations when they were younger but were retired by the time I met them. Both of them assumed an exploratory dynamic with me, which suited me immensely. This was highly unusual in those times when the norm was master-disciple interactions. I was thirty-ish and they were both eighty-ish. Yet they were able to treat me as more or less an equal. I felt comfortable enough with them to share that I was only learning Tai Chi for the health and metaphysical aspects. I told them that Tai Chi, the martial art, was invented during times when people did not have weapons to protect themselves. They had to agree since weapons were added to the <i>Qigong</i> martial arts later on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Update 2017:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Both these masters were born and lived almost all of their lives in Malaysia. <b>OPC </b>and the medical doctor/shaman I write about in <i>Different Realities</i> were also born here but they lived parts of their lives abroad. I used to wonder why I was born in Malaysia as I obviously don’t fit in. Fate, fortune, and destiny are sometimes used interchangeably. Only in hindsight, everything becomes clear(er).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">There was this <i>Qigong</i> master in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, who was killed with a single gunshot wound to his chest when he was confronted by robbers. He asked them: “<i>Do you know who I am? I am Mr. So and So, the Martial Arts Master, blah, blah, blah.</i>” They promptly shot and killed him. These are not times for martial arts bravado. That said, knowing some martial arts can aid the self-confidence when we are out there in the scary world where one can be attacked and victimized for no reason at all.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">To <b>AP</b>’s credit, <b>Master Ang</b> didn’t have very much to correct where my postures were concerned. The corrections were very subtle. Thereafter, whenever people watched me play and asked who my teacher was, I would say <b>AP</b>, and nobody could believe the old blind man taught me how to play the way I was playing; so I always had to add that I had two teachers. <b>Master Ang</b> corrected some of the postures, and then, they were like, <i>Oh okay, now we understand.</i> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Actually, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Link120"><b>Master Ang</b></a> taught me Forms 42 and 55, on top of finessing the 24, 48, and 88 that I had learned from <b>AP</b>. 42 and 55 are just more different sets of Tai Chi choreography exercises. Later on, I came across 37, 58, and 103, and found all these confusing at first until I understood they were all someone’s choreography. The 103 is also known as the 85, 88, 108, 113, or 150 form. Like I said, they are confusing. Nowadays (2016), I see many postures created by imaginative masters/teachers. Some even mix the postures up with the different Tai Chi Schools of play. Innovative! Interesting! Challenging! Exciting! But … not for me. I like to simplify, simplify, as <b>Thoreau </b>coaxed us. Life is complicated enough as it is. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I also watched other masters at play whenever possible, to see if I had learned the sets and postures correctly. I attended international <i>Wushu</i> competitions held in Kuala Lumpur and referred to form books and videos — whatever was available pre-internet and YouTube days. In 1993-94 (I got on the Internet only in 1996), I visited China and played Tai Chi with the locals in the public parks. It was a delightful experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-22982400321351097682017-03-02T02:44:00.000-08:002017-06-19T05:49:26.556-07:00Keeping It Real<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many years ago, when I was writing content for my website, <b>astrologyTOMORROWtoday.com</b>, I wrote and published over a thousand articles spanning an eight-year period and didn’t receive a single critique regarding my usage of the English language. I had more than a million unique visitors over that span of time and everyone was focusing on the content, not the standard of English. Since I started publishing books, suddenly, it’s all about the grammar, punctuation, syntax, and format. Nobody is talking about the content and the ideas. In reflecting why this is so, I had to conclude that it’s the publishing industry that has set these standards. The content on my website was offered to the public for free before self-publishing became a case of too much supply and not enough demand. Books are for sale and not for free so they are held up for scrutiny. Then again, even books that are offered for free get scrutinized and critiqued. Yet, I see errors of punctuation in the newspapers (online and in print) on a regular if not daily basis and no one critiques the newspapers. Why do you think that is?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As writers go, I don’t know which is worse -- for our books to be ignored and to remain in obscurity, or for our books to be critiqued mercilessly. People get hurt when told they are not good enough. It hurts only because we aren’t able to see ourselves in the light. Three years ago, when I started writing books for publication, I went to my defunct <b>astrologyTOMORROWtoday</b> website to tap some old articles for blog write-ups. There were over a thousand articles on that archive on the Lycos free server but I was appalled at the standard of my writing. Over the eight years, this website had about a million unique visitors. No one complained about the grammar or syntax, etc. and yet, I was able to judge that my writing then was not good enough. I wanted to maintain the archives with a view to editing some material for blogs or books but when I realized the search engines were bringing up those archived pages, I had to delete the whole archives. I chose not to let present readers access the old archives as I was not proud of my level of writing then. Nowadays, I set higher standards for myself and I don’t expect a lot of negative critiques. Even so, I’m not going to be knocked off balance by critiques. I know my English is not perfect but I’m good enough for the purpose of sharing my messages. We only feel hurt when we are not ready to see ourselves in the light. If you Google ‘astrology tomorrow today’, you will still see links to my old website(s). I wrote under the name <b>mEinah</b> aka <b>Mei Nah Khoo</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I noticed an odd thing in recent times. When I quoted content from traditionally published books in my manuscript, one of my editors found errors in those quoted passages. He kept correcting the errors of these published books and I had to tell him not to. I used “[sic]” to keep the quoted passages as they appear in the original works but my first editor suggested they were not necessary. I also used “[sic]” to show that the spelling, word, or phrase that I used was my choice, not bad English or a typo and again, my editor said it was not necessary. Should I listen to the editors or not? For example, the well-known “good, better, best.” I want to make a point with “good, gooder, goodest.” Why can’t I use the latter?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I agree writers have to set aside a time to take on critiques. Not any and all time is a good time. During the alpha reading phase, we look forward to the critiques as we build our manuscripts and during the beta reading phase, we look forward to the comments to finesse our manuscripts. Then we have the manuscripts pro edited (more critiques) and pro formatted and once published, we look forward to fewer critiques as by then, there is nothing we can do to improve on the manuscripts unless we want to pull the book and re-write, which is a lot of hassle. The time writers don’t enjoy critiques is when the books have already gone to print and it would cost a lot to make the changes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All artists, whether in paint, prose or song, are in the business of communicating with their public. We feed, gain, and grow off the interactions. Let it not be said that I can’t take criticism of my work. If I’m putting myself out there getting my ass kicked, whoever wants to critique should earn the right to critique by a) buying my book(s) and by b) critiquing on my social media page(s). If I am afraid of critiques, I would be preferring to take them in private rather than have to apologize now for not being able to handle critiques via personal email. I choose to handle critiques in public so that we all enjoy more mileage from our investment of time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Talking about critiques, the experts say we shouldn’t ask our friends for critiques as they tend to be too kind. In my experience, strangers have been kinder. Most strangers stick to the old maxim, “if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.” The people who leave snarky reviews or comments appear to have an agenda, don’t they? The people who know me like family, friends, and acquaintances pull no punches or they simply ignore my books. The writers on the forums have shared that their families and friends are not happy for them when they have published a book. In my opinion, the people who have known us for some time think that by becoming authors, we will consider ourselves superior to them in some way. They do not want to feel inferior to us so they need to minimize our accomplishments in order to not feel bad about their own sense of a lack of accomplishments. They probably had talents and dreams at one time too. Whereas we were able to discipline ourselves to work our talents to a point of fruition, and they have not, bother them no end. Friendships and relationships have ended as a result of this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sadly, it’s the people in our lives and those we know who don’t want us to pull ahead. They do not want to be left behind. If they don’t like us, they don’t want us to succeed because that means we’ve done something right for our progress and they were wrong to have looked down on us. It’s about them, not about us. So we have to be careful who we allow into our minds and lives. We have to have enough self-confidence in ourselves to know we are capable of good, steady work. Experts say there is no such thing as overconfidence. One just cannot have too much of confidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many writers get depressed when they discover that their books don’t sell as they hoped or wished they would. Many bubbles get burst and then it’s back to our personal reasons for writing and publishing.</span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-83510074303943900832017-02-02T07:25:00.001-08:002017-06-03T01:47:12.839-07:00Hopping on the Self-Publishing Wagon?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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I sympathize and feel for all writers, who are struggling with the various requirements of self-publishing. I share what little experience I have in the hope that I can do my part to alleviate the suffering. Make no mistake, self-publishing can be a lot of suffering. Our creative challenges serve a purpose or else we wouldn’t be striving toward our creative goals even when the odds are stacked against us.</div>
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<b>This is what I have learned about the self-publishing industry during my short time wading in, 2014-2017:</b></div>
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If you can’t afford a properly trained editor, you might as well forget about self-publishing. Unless the quality of your writing is good enough like some of the non-fiction writers I personally know. They have self-published with no pro editing and have managed to hold their own in the business. The untrained, inexperienced and/or untalented editors are simply not good enough. If the editing is not good enough, your book will not be able to compete in the open market. You might be publishing just for family, friends and small groups. If you are okay with that, then go ahead and publish. Who knows, you might be one of the self-published ones who will get lucky.</div>
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Most of us in the industry know there are different levels of editing. There's basic proofreading, there's line editing, copy editing, and there’s development editing. The time it takes to properly edit a manuscript depends on what is needed to make the manuscript publication worthy. Most of us know editing a book takes about three weeks to a month. So if someone takes a week or less to “edit,” that is proofreading, not editing. We are told over and again, no good editor is going to tell us a price without first sampling our manuscript. We are advised to make sure they read about 10-25 pages of our writing before quoting any fee.</div>
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My genre is not easy to alpha and/or beta read and reading the manuscript alone will take more than a week in most cases, nevermind the editing part. My genre is not easy for even the pros to proofread and/or edit. My experience with the various industry vendors has been unpleasant and unsatisfactory mostly. Some people are just not cut out for this business. Writing/editing/proofreading, require detailed, sharp minds, sharp eyes, foresight, insight, and many other qualities. Just because editing pays well, it doesn't mean anybody who writes well can be an editor. I actually have had people who write poorer than me offering to edit my work. How crazy is that? Editing software cannot work without the experienced and knowledgeable judgment/discernment of the skilled editor. Like I said, software editing does not work well in my genre.<br />
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Graphic work and indexing also require a lot of concentration. If the vendors are highly stressed in their lives, they tend to make a lot of mistakes causing a lot of redo’s and then the interaction with them becomes unpleasant as they resent the extra work and time required. The point is, the redo’s are the cause of the extra work and time put in. The solution is simply to get it right the first time, isn’t it? If vendors turn in sloppy and unsatisfactory work, do not expect the customers to be happy and satisfied customers.</div>
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I did appreciate the feedback from my first editor. He is a self-published writer of several novels and he was able to suggest which parts of my manuscript could do with elaboration, which parts needed tightening, what was redundant, how my material/ideas affected him, what kind of response he hoped I would get from readers, that sort of thing. In the final analysis, yes, we are apt to get what we pay for. Even with the better editors, writers must do the final proofreading to get everything just right.</div>
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On the writing forums, I was one of those who stuck my neck out defending the low-end editors and vendors as I had wanted to help the underdogs in the business. I am always wanting to help the underdogs in any area of life. Some of the writers were telling me how they had spent their life savings and also remortgaged their houses to pay for the publishing and promoting process and yet, they were not selling any books. I thought that wasn’t right; I thought there has to be a way for people to publish without making themselves homeless.</div>
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If anyone is looking for an editor, it’s also important to take genre into account. The editor you work with should ideally be a "fan" of your genre. It's not required but it's helpful. In my case, I’ve been looking for more than a year already and I’ve not been able to find someone who meets my requirements. My genre: Self-help/Spiritual/Personal Transformation and Religion/Spirituality. I did stumble on one suitable candidate but that person was priced out of my orbit.</div>
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It appears good help is truly hard to find and if we want things done thoroughly well, we might have to learn to do everything by ourselves. That, or get lucky attracting a support system that delivers the goods. This saying just about wraps it up: <i>Cheap, fast and good -- you can at most, pick two of those at any one time.</i> Just for your information, I spent about USD2,600.00 for this publishing project between 2013-17. I don’t expect to break even anytime soon. I take this expense like I’m paying for a full year’s Publishing course at a university. If a semester costs about USD900.00, then this amount I spent is like for three semesters. I have learned so much about this industry and the people in the industry during the past three years. Working with people is extremely difficult (harder than writing) but the experience of the past three years is serving me well. Life is hard for us spirits in human form on planet Earth. Humans have to balance the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Disembodied spirits have less to balance. Light entities, not Earthbound, have even less to balance. I hope this sharing will be of benefit to other writers. I believe the journey can be the goal. During the process of trying to get published, I have become more than what I had started out with.<br />
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PS: Seems to me, since writers (books) are reviewed publicly on Amazon to help the public with their decision making, vendors should also be reviewed publicly to help writers with their decision making. On Fiverr, they do have a review system where customers get to review the services of the vendors. When I went there to get a Facebook cover done, I picked a vendor with a lot of 5 Star reviews. Perhaps Amazon should create a list of vendors who will be willing to subject their services for public review. Then writers can tap from this "vetted" source and those not on this list would be a risk for writers to engage? What do you all think of this idea?</div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-77602759913711429252016-12-31T11:50:00.000-08:002017-06-03T05:58:54.544-07:00The Self-Publishing Industry<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The perennial late developer, I arrived late for the self-publishing party and had to read a lot of the comments on Writers’ forums to understand the industry. Some of the people who have worked in-house for publishing companies say they don’t trust the information on these forums but I take the common denominator as the truth. While it may be true that unqualified people are passing themselves off as editors on these forums, it’s also true that many wannabe authors don’t have the funds for the more experienced and more expensive editors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In "in-house" work, there are usually many staff members and each is assigned a certain task. For instance, one person does the graphics and book covers, another does the index, another does the structural/development-editing and another does the copy/line editing, proofreading and another does the promotion and marketing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With regards to self-published authors, these "solopreneurs" have to do as much as possible on their own to make their project cost efficient. They write, self-edit with and without software, get beta readers, rewrite, and get the manuscript pro-edited if they can afford it. They sometimes design their own covers, upload to Amazon by themselves, as well as promote and market their books. These solopreneurs have to be respected for their multi-talents and commitment to their vision and passion. They have suffered much in the trial and error stages and have to be appreciated for sharing their experiences so that those who come after them will be spared the same trials and errors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I first got onto the scene, I was wondering what should solopreneurs do if they don’t have the budget for pro-editing? Should they give up on their goals to publish or should they go ahead and publish the self-edited books? The forums were clearly warning newcomers not to engage the cheaper editors on offer as they were “not professional” enough. Even if that is the case, what are we going to do if we can’t afford the “professional” fees of an experienced and qualified editor? Especially for wannabe Asian writers and others from third world countries where the fee of a professional editor in US dollars is equivalent to five months of minimum wage or more. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">When I was new on the scene, I encountered the sharks in the industry who asked for 9 cents a word for editing. That horrified me as it was the equivalent of the price of a low-cost house in many parts of Asia. In some parts of the world, that kind of money can buy a few low-cost houses — houses that could house the homeless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Coming from Asia myself, of course, it would be hard for me to justify spending that kind of money on pro editing. So I settled for the other option. I took the view that everyone has to start somewhere and even an inexperienced editor is better than having no editor at all. I knew I had to find an editor who could edit non-fiction/metaphysical/Tai Chi so I took a leap of faith with an ex-newspaper sports editor who offered to edit for a flat fee. More importantly, he would not take any payment upfront. He was happy to be paid after he delivered his work. His charges are like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Copy Edit:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> $150<br />
<b>Line Edit:</b> $200<br />
<b>Proofread:</b> $200<br />
<b>Developmental:</b> $300<br />
<b>Any Two Options:</b> $250<br />
<b>All-of-the-Above:</b> $400<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I settled on the first two on the list for USD 250.00. I know it’s not the ideal thing but I did my own proofreading to save some money. I am good at proofreading because I am not a speed reader. I read word for word, line by line and so I am able to spot errors. I proofread both editions of <i>The Dance of the Chi</i> about fifteen times in total and each time, I found myself shortening sentences, adding sentences, tweaking the punctuation, formatting, and spacing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My <b>second editor</b> offered free editing to go with the fees for some graphic work and indexing. He offered free editing as a sample edit because he was interested in working on my next two books. He offered to charge me half a cent per word with a 20% discount. My <b>first editor</b> contributed to the presentation of the content and prompted me to elaborate certain parts. He set me straight with the commas in and out of the parenthesis. He prompted me to be clear about my choice for the single and double quotation marks, and upper and lower case words and abbreviations. He attended to the nuance of the language and shared his opinion of my material. Overall, he gave very encouraging feedback.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My <b>second editor</b> was on point with the tweaking of the graphics from the first edition and did acceptable work with the indexing for the paperback version and references for the eBook version. His questioning led to the inclusion of an <b>Author’s Note</b>. Some people say editors are a pain to work with. That’s because they question and probe what is not clear to them and that causes a bit of rewriting and finessing but isn’t that what they are paid for? My <b>second editor</b> appeared to be editing the work of the <b>first editor</b> where punctuation and grammar were concerned. He also contributed further to the presentation of the content.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Both editors contributed what they could to the revised edition of <i>The Dance of the Chi</i>. Are they good/professional enough? I have nothing to compare them to, so I can’t say. I don’t know what a cent a word or more cents a word editing is like as I can’t afford them. All I know is, even after both editors had done their work, I still had much to do on my own. I can only assume this is the same with the expensive pro editing. No one will love our creations as much as we do. No one will invest the amount of patience and care that we do. We have to take on the responsibility of dotting every “i” and crossing every “t.” I’ve read comments on the forums to this effect. Even after professional editing, we have our work cut out for us. I can’t complain about my two editors as they stepped up for me with their offers of affordable, positive, encouraging and favorable feedback.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From these two separate experiences, I can say that editors <i>do</i> have their own filters and if they are <i>not</i> familiar with the subject or the genre, writers will find they have a lot of explaining to do. However, I find that could work in our favor as the editors represent the readership out there and if they are confused about some things, we have the opportunity to clarify, elaborate and/or tighten the manuscript. Of course, all these services can be rendered for free by writer friends if you are lucky enough to have such qualified friends for beta reading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">When I first published, I thought I might be able to make writing books a career. Yes, go ahead and laugh; it’s hysterically funny, isn’t it? Two months later, I realized that self-publishing is not about creating income to pay the bills. Not for most writers, that is. Still, I continued to write with the view to publishing; spending my savings on the projects because I have some things to say and I need to say them before I go. As </span><b style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">David Icke</b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> says, "</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">When you're passionate about something, you find a way</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">."</span>Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-24509205467881535542016-12-02T08:12:00.001-08:002017-10-31T21:29:01.383-07:00My Area of Expertise?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Asians are raised to be modest so we don’t as a rule, handle compliments well. We are taught to downplay our assets and strengths so if people tell me I’m beautiful I’m to respond with: <i>No! You need a new pair of spectacles.</i> If they tell me I’m smart, I might say:<i> You’re not too dumb yourself! </i>Recently, a regular on my social media pages alluded to my “authority” on energy, vibrations, and <i>chi</i>. My cultural training clicked in and I made a joke to deflect the compliment. As an afterthought, I realized I should stop doing this as I’m a metaphysical writer. I write about energy, vibrations, chi, the EFAW (Evil Forces At Work) and esoteric stuff. People expect me to know what I’m writing about. I can’t expect to be taken seriously if I don’t “own” my area of expertise. If I’m not an expert on energy and forces, why should anyone believe what I say? </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you’ve been coming to my social media pages lately, you might have noticed there are quite a number of posts to do with narcopaths. Narcopath is a catch-all term to describe people with cluster B personality disorders. This includes the narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths. It feels like I have been taking a course on how to identify them, deal with them, avoid them and move on from them. Hence, in retrospect, I now understand that my parents were on the spectrum of narcissism, even if they were mostly just regular people with personality disorders doing their best to live their lives and raise a family. My parents were probably like most people on the low end to mid-range of narcissism. On the extreme end of the spectrum are the NSP’s (narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths) who make careers out of their narcopath disorders. These are the ones who spend a lot of time on social media trawling for victims. They don’t have regular jobs and they use their victims as energy and “income streams.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">People like to say “go with the flow”, but that only works if the flow is a positive current, not a negative one. When you meet a narcopath, <i>do not</i> go with the flow. These narcopaths need the pure and positive energy of the empaths hence they target empaths as a rule. As well, empaths are known to be more kind, compassionate and giving, so they make good “supply” sources. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you discover you are actually dating a narcopath, for sanity’s sake, do </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">not </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">continue with the flow. Turn the other way, cut your losses, go no contact, protect yourself from the love bombing (if you’re at that stage), devaluing (if you’re at that stage), or the triangulation, ghosting or hoovering (if you’re at those stages). Whatever the stage you find yourself in, the quicker you get out the better your prognosis for a full recovery.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In my opinion, narcopaths want or need unconditional love. Why else would these sicko’s push people to the limits of their endurance if not in the hope of experiencing unconditional love? Healthy people know love relationships are based on good behavior, mutual respect, consideration, and trust. NSP’s are found even among religious leaders and every level of NSP’s have their “Flying Monkeys” to aid them in their dirty tactics of bringing their victims down. Flying monkeys are usually gossipers or people who listen to gossip. If you don’t want to be used as a Flying Monkey, do not listen to or spread gossip. "Gossip is murder by character assassination."</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Predators don’t hook up with other predators for neither party fancies being the prey. Sometimes, NSP’s are forced to deal with other NSP’s in a business or political setting and then the bigger predator wins. I use the word “win” because NSP’s divide the world into these two classes of people – Winners and Losers. NSP’s label kind and compassionate people as “Losers.” Most narcopaths would prefer to stick to easier prey. Most don’t prefer to take on their own kind. With their own kind, they only exchange negative energy. With empaths, they get their fill of pure, positive energy.<br />
<br />Experts say narcopaths’ number one fear is abandonment and rejection. They say NSPs (narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths; not to be confused with NPDs (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) aka narcopaths, can’t stand being rejected or abandoned. That’s why they fly into rages and punish and/or threaten anyone who threatens to leave them. When their love bombing and impressing you stop getting them the results they are after, they know you are seeing through their fake personas. At that point, they either decide you are not good victim material and move on to the next supply or they take revenge on you by any means.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">The following was lifted off various YouTube videos:<br />
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<i>Once you unmask a narcopath, you expose him for the fraud he is and when you reject a narcopath, you are rejecting the false self they have so carefully constructed to impress you and to victimize you.</i> <i>Psychologists say once their false self is negated, their entire reason for existing collapses since whatever true self they may have left is completely inaccessible to them and the false self cannot survive on its own. Their false self is completely dependent on the approval and attention of others, who it feeds from like a vampire. When a narcopath is rejected, he is forced to confront his own emptiness and nothing scares him more than that. He has done everything to avoid confronting who he truly is and the narcopath will try to destroy anyone who threatens to expose him to himself or to the world. </i><br />
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<i>Narcopaths hate being made fun of or to be made to play second fiddle to any activity in their victims’ lives. They may laugh cruelly at the misfortunes of others, and they may chuckle at the discomfort of someone else especially if the discomfort was caused by them. Most narcopaths are sadistic and have no</i> <i>empathy. They treat other people like objects for their entertainment. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Experts say for a victim/survivor, success is always the best revenge and the healthiest way to move on. I’m not comfortable with the word “revenge” but I agree it’s best to move on. We move on by focusing on what we want; not what we don’t want. We move on by focusing on what we can do; not on what we can’t. We must stop giving our energy to the narcopaths. People should be warned that the evil is very real and the narcopaths never change. There is no such thing as an ex-narcopath. Once a narcopath, always a narcopath. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet, there is always an exception to the rule. I read of a case where a child psychopath was cured of her illness and grew up into a normal, loving, human being. But the odds are stacked up against them. Research has been inconclusive as to why narcopaths are the way they are. Some studies say it’s in the genes yet siblings don’t all turn out to be narcopaths. Other studies say it’s to do with their upbringing yet siblings raised the same way by the same parents don’t all turn out to be narcopaths. I say, if we leave the soul and EFAW out of the equation, we won’t be seeing the whole picture. The soul and EFAW have to be factored in. Would you take a chance on a narcopath to change? Many have and many have been destroyed by the narcopaths’ trails of destruction.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many survivors have taken to YouTube to expose their narcopaths and to share their stories and lessons with these narcopaths as a way of validating their experiences and to do meaningful work to help other victims and would be victims. The abuse, they say, is beyond what is acceptable in society and they want to stop these narcopaths from doing more harm. They consider this an evil that must be exposed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently realized the reason my whole life has been about coping with narcopaths (in various degrees on the spectrum), is because I was to develop my EFAW theory and demonstrate my beliefs to the world as a published author. Spiritual teachers tell us at some point in our lives, we will be called upon to demonstrate our beliefs. My time is now. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being of a metaphysical and spiritual nature, I find myself trying hard to take something positive from my narcopath experiences. If it’s true every event has something to teach, some good if we look hard enough, I want to dig deep to find what even the crazy, destructive experiences with narcopaths may leave us. So I came up with these following points. Victims and survivors, please don't strafe me over this exploratory pattern of thoughts. I'm just trying to appreciate the big picture. Granted, for most victims, the pain and suffering endured by being on the receiving end of the narcopaths’ evil madness render them incapable of forgiveness much less being able to see any positives from the experiences.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Even if they were not being sincere during the love bombing stage, the emotions they invoked in us were real. They made us smile, laugh, and we did feel joy in our hearts for as long as the fake "love relationships" lasted. In this sense, the narcopaths leave both their positive and negative marks on us. We just have to find something positive to take away from life's otherwise negative experiences. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- When narcopaths mirror us to manipulate us to like them or fall in love with them, they show us who we are. And when we respond to who they present themselves to be in the beginning stages of the "hit," we know what we are looking for in other people. There is some clarity offered up there. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Since there is currently an epidemic of narcopaths around the world, it means there is no short supply of victims. It means there are a lot of empaths and good people around to feed these narcopaths or else they wouldn’t be proliferating at this rate. Knowing there are so many good people around should warm our hearts and give us hope.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- I wish to set an example of accepting responsibility for my narcopath experiences. I wish to stay compassionate and calm in my assessment of the situation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I finally understood what my latest narcopath’s strategy was in publicly announcing himself to be an “ex-NSP.” He just presented himself one day, on my social media page and announced he was an ex-NSP. Not only that, he also announced he was a recovering alcoholic, was recently homeless and that he had spent some months in jail. He said he would wear his past and that his life is an open book. I asked him why he was here and what he wanted from me. He replied he didn’t know. He said he was just going with the flow. (It rhymes! Lol …) By doing that, he came across as very honest and I would give him the benefit of the doubts. What a masterstroke in cunningness. What a master class in NSP deception. By telling you he <i>was</i> all these in the past, you would look and feel bad if you held his past against him. <br />
<br />The Chinese believe that if a bad person is able to change his bad ways and become a good person, he is better than a person who had never been bad. The Chinese believe such people should be given the chance to turn over a new leaf and that we should help them achieve this by not turning away from them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today, I believe he initially came to me for some help. I believe he had done some research on my background and he hoped I would be able to assist him in his personal energy battles. He was savvy enough to discern that he had a problem with the EFAW. I believe he thought that being an energy expert, I would be able to guide him and that he could learn from me how to cleanse his energy. It was his soul that was reaching out for help. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He was not wrong. I used to have a shaman friend (who I write about in <i>Different Realities</i>), who would take on cases of the EFAW aka demon possession. At the very least, the shaman would advise people what to do to neutralize the EFAW that was disturbing them and preventing them from being the best versions of themselves.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The more this latest NSP would share with me of his horrible past, the more I felt pressured to show him unconditional love. It was as if I was being tested or more accurately, it was as if my spirituality was being tested. He would tell me that as soon as he disclosed his past to others, they would all “run away” from him and he would say to me, “you can run away now.” Of course, I would try my utmost not to run away. I always thought it was not fair for society to tell us, “Honesty is the best policy” and then when someone chooses to be honest, society would punish this person for his honesty. I wasn’t going to punish this “ex-NSP” for being honest, was I? </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He needed unconditional love. He needed help. He hoped I would step up for him and I tried. I felt the EFAW energy driving his behavior and actions at times, across the distance of thousands of miles and toward the end of the “experiment” (I believe that was what it was for him), we both knew the game was up. When the games began, he had announced: “The music has begun; shall we dance?” I actually felt a chill in my body just reading those words at the time. After three months of what seemed like effort on my part and what I know must have been entertainment on his part, the music ended and we stopped “dancing around the pole.”<br />
<br />What saved me from this latest NSP was that he was only a virtual connection. As long as I remained true to myself, my path and purpose, he would see that I am not good victim material and he would go away sooner rather than later. For the past ten years, I have been able to expose narcopaths within three months as long as I stick to my boundaries and let them expose themselves and disappear quickly so I don’t waste too much time and energy on them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Especially for romantic links, I think it’s safer for women to stick to traditional models where the male is expected to do the wooing. Traditionally, the male gives to the female first. That would protect the woman from narcopaths as the narcopaths can’t give much or for long without wanting something in return and they will expose themselves in quick fashion. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you familiar with the saying, if we are looking for people with no flaws to be our friends, we will have no friends? Well, I usually get into trouble when I make it a point not to be too judgmental. Being judgmental is using discernment. Without discernment, our experiences and knowledge count for nothing. When I lower the bar, the quality of friends get lower and lower and before I know it, I have another narcopath in my life!</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just as narcopaths have their “harem” of victims to fall back on for energy, entertainment, sex, money, favors, etc., the rest of society also has a “network” of contacts for some of these resources. Most of us generate our own energy so we don’t need that from others. Most of us like our own company and don’t need others to entertain us. If we need sex, most of us need it from only one partner or we choose to be celibate. Most of us create our own income streams and work hard for the money to pay our bills. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What that leaves are favors and services. Healthy networking will allow us to have a pool of contacts to exchange favors with and/or for paid services. No one is so strong we couldn’t do better in life with a support system. Only the narcopaths go about it the selfish, destructive way. They enter fake relationships based on what they perceive their “prey” may be able to do for them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Healthy people have narcissistic traits as well but on the lowest end of the spectrum. We are told that is healthy and necessary to a degree because it's helpful for us to feel a bit special. These traits aid the confidence that allows us to take risks, put ourselves out there to be judged or simply to flirt with an attractive stranger. We know relationships are about giving and taking; you help me, I help you. Nothing wrong with you scratch my back, I scratch yours. If narcissism is a continuum, then a diagnosis of pathological narcissism sits at the very end of the spectrum. </span></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-26849151916139482682016-11-05T02:09:00.000-07:002017-01-28T23:33:26.079-08:00Frauds Online Alert<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Today, I’m writing about <b>Ann.</b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Ann was/is a Ph.D. in Nutrition working in India, Vietnam, Cambodia and other Asian countries as Advisor to local environmentalists on crops – how to stay organic and away from GMO products.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">While here in Malaysia, Ann joined a local university as a lecturer. About six months into this teaching position, Ann met a German Caucasian man on the internet. He told her he was also a Ph.D. in Nutrition and shared pictures of his life, his place of employment and children back in Germany. <br />
<br />I’m not sure if he told Ann he was divorced or separated, but he invited her to Germany for a work associated visit. This man told her he was holding a Fair for activists to fight GMO products. This man even paid for Ann’s expenses to Germany supposedly for her lectures.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Ann took a week’s leave of absence from her work at the university to fly to Germany. At the prearranged hotel suite, she waited for a knock on her door as the German man was supposed to visit and take her to the venue of her lectures. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">(<i>Here I’m thinking the narrative could be different had she taken the precaution to meet at a public place instead. But then, after six months of correspondence, Ann already felt comfortable with the German man and was there as a friend and fellow activist</i>.) </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Ann went to Germany for this event as she was at that point, barred from a number of Asian countries for her anti-GMO lectures. When Ann opened her hotel room door to greet the German man, what she saw were three Nigerian black men who quickly accessed the room and explained that they are a syndicate with this kind of modus operandi. Apparently, the German Caucasian man Ann was communicating with via emails, face chat, and even videos, was a member of this syndicate. They were so sophisticated in their operation; Ann had even “verified” all his “credentials.”</span></div>
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So, the Nigerian syndicate wanted USD50k for her release. Ann had depleted all her savings at that point because of her long running activist activities so she had to turn to family and friends in the USA to come up with the (relatively small) ransom.<br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"> <br />She survived the ordeal but when she returned to Malaysia, she lost her job. Ann was sacked from her job due to a prolonged leave of absence without prior notice. The university sued her for breach of contract after she made claims of salary due to her in terms of tens of thousands in Malaysian Ringgit. (1 USD = RM 4.21.) My friend who assists with patients at the General Hospital here met her while she was there seeking treatment for her <i>Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease </i>(<i>COPD</i>). Apparently, Ann had breathed in too much chemicals in her line of work. Ann is an example of why it’s so hard to trust people you meet on the internet. The world is so crazy as it is. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></div>
Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-90827835435406715022016-10-03T09:40:00.001-07:002017-01-28T23:38:14.726-08:00Self Publishing: an Update<span style="background-color: #dbdbdb; color: #dbdbdb; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 0px;">Debate over what the “correct” price should be for eBooks is ongoing. Unless you have an established reader base, anything over $5 will stall eBook sales. Some argue that $3 is top tier for indie publishers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am not in a rush to publish this time around. The first time I had self imposed a dateline to discipline myself to achieve my goals. The process was manic and desperate toward the dateline. I was jumping over so many hoops to launch my website believing it was the way to market eBooks -- bypassing Amazon, and remaining free to do what I wanted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Before the launch, there was an average of 600 visitors a month to my ‘Work In Progress’ web page and I thought they must be waiting for the book(s) to be released. Why else would they have visited the page only to see an announcement that the books would be available on the site when it was ready? As it turned out, they were curious to see how I would market my books with the new model. I was the only one rushing. Now I am taking my time. Writers are the only ones in a hurry to publish. No one is in a hurry to read our books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I learned that the public won’t use their charge cards on a site that is not well known and trusted; even if the payment goes through PayPal. People don’t want strangers knowing the details of their charge cards BUT they don't mind Amazon and other huge internet companies having them. The debate over what the “correct” price should be for eBooks is ongoing. Unless you have an established reader base, anything over USD 5 will stall eBook sales. Some argue that USD 3 is top tier for indie publishers. I was offering my books for USD 5. Enough said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There was no compatible editor in sight so while I waited for one to show up, I kept self-editing my books over and over about a dozen times -- word by word, line by line. So much so I finally understood why some books still have errors in them even after a professional edit. I realized the fewer errors there are in the manuscript when it is submitted for pro edit, the more likely the finished product would be error free. Editors are human beings. They read through the manuscript once and they correct what jumps out at them as errors. If they were to read the manuscript a second or third time, they will still be able to catch errors that were missed at the first run through.<br />
<br />Even after publishing, I will continue to edit as I see fit because, like me, my books are never going to be the finished product. When I grow and learn new things, my books will grow with me. I will keep on updating to make it current and relevant to the times. So eBooks will work better for this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Re social media pages. Before I created my own, I would think nothing of dropping dissenting comments on other people’s pages. I honestly thought I was adding quality to the pages by offering a different point of view. Why not share another side of the issue, right? When I was ignored by page owners and regulars, I used to think that it was wrong for people to behave so clannishly. Now that I have my own pages to maintain, I see that owners of pages have no time to engage with dissenters or people who may just like to argue for argument sake or to get attention. Owners of pages have to focus what spare time and energy they have on their work and “their people;” people who buy what they are selling. I quickly understood that on social media, we take what we can use and just move on. We don’t hang around and risk being called a troll. What’s a troll? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to Wikipedia: <i>“In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion, often for their own amusement.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine when we post something and ten or more people show up with dissenting comments. As page owners, we are pushing our own messages and agenda. We are representing our own ideas and philosophy. So if others don’t agree with us, they should just move on and find a page that they can feel at home on. Or perhaps start their own pages. Energy is finite. We have to conserve our energy for the battles that make or break us. </span></div>
Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-20306046662232851252016-09-02T06:03:00.000-07:002017-06-03T02:19:36.559-07:00What Have I Read?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For some time now, I have been thinking about sharing the kinds of material I have read since people assume because I’m a writer, I must have read a lot; especially of the classics. English is not my mother tongue and I took up serious reading only in my twenties. Malaysia and Singapore have a peculiar brand of spoken English. In Malaysia, it’s called <i>Manglish</i> and in Singapore, it’s called <i>Singlish</i>. Both are a mishmash of the local National language and various Chinese dialects. Most of the local people don’t speak proper English and my writing style tends to be basic and simple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I developed the reading habit as I said, relatively late – in my twenties. It started with the books and magazines that were passed down to me by my family of friends and budget travelers who were mostly Caucasians. At the time, <b>Colleague One</b> was a Psychic and <b>Colleague Two</b> was a Palmist and I would hang out with them and their foreign clients for a social life that was out of the ordinary. I didn’t have to leave home to meet the world; the world came to me. <br />
<br />These travelers were usually adventure and/or spiritual seekers out to taste the world or “find themselves” on a shoe-string budget. When they were done with their reading material, they would hand them over to me. These ranged from Time and Newsweek magazines, Readers’ Digest, History to Metaphysical and Spiritual books. When these ran out, I would hit the second-hand book stalls for autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, more Metaphysical and Spiritual books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our local libraries don’t carry the kinds of material that would interest me. Books from second-hand book stalls were supplemented by assorted books that were passed on to me by yet more friends and contacts. Books in my country are relatively more expensive than in most other parts of the world. Even buying from Amazon, the shipping cost of the books is more than the price of the books themselves. Outside of the USA, there is no free shipping. I was thankful I <i>did not have to buy </i>a book until I was in my thirties and they were Astrology, Numerology, Palmistry and Oracle types of books. As well as <i>Tai Chi Chuan</i>, <i>Yoga,</i> Herbs, Gems, Essential Oils types of books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have since given away the books that I didn’t think I would need for reference. I am a de-clutterer and we de-clutterers tend to de-clutter. So I can’t go to my book shelves now to share the titles of the Top 100 books I’ve enjoyed or that have impacted my growth the most.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have managed to go to storage (boxes with silver fishes!) to see what books I have kept to come up with a list of my reading material to share in this write-up. Too many loved books and “old friends” were given away as I didn’t want to burden myself with them, moving as I did, from rented house to rented house. I felt that good books should be shared so I parted with gems like ‘A Brief History of Time’ (<b>Stephen Hawking</b>), 'Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’, ‘Many Lives, Many Masters’, and many, many more I can’t recall as of this writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The books that are still in boxes (collecting silver fishes) are:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tao Te Ching</span></i></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Chuang Tsu</span></i></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lao Tzu</span></i></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I-Ching</span></i></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Chinese <i>Pa-Kua</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Astro Psychology (<b>Karen Hamaker-Zondag</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Siddhartha (<b>Hermann Hesse</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Drinking Tea, Living Life (<b>Visuddhacara</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Dancing <i>Wu Li</i> Masters (<b>Gary Zukav</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">The Teachings of Don Juan (<b>Carlos Castaneda</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Tibetan Art of Living and Dying (<b>Sogyal Rinpoche</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Conversations With God -- the trilogy (<b>Neale Donald Walsch</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Supernature (<b>Lyall Watson</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Assorted <i>Tai Chi, Wushu, Yoga</i>, <i>Guasu</i>, Oracles, Gems, Precious Stones, Sacred Science, Astrology, Numerology and Philosophy books.</span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just off the top of my head, here is a list of some of my favorite books:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1. The Godfather series – <b>Mario Puzo</b> (<i>bought at second-hand bookstores – since given away</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2. Papillon -- <b>Henri Charrière</b> (<i>bought at a second-hand bookstore – since given away</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3. The Teachings of Don Juan -- <b>Carlos Castaneda</b> (<i>a gift</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4. Dancing Wu Li Masters – <b>Gary Zukav</b> (<i>passed on to me</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5. Tibetan Book of Living and Dying – <b>Sogyal Rinpoche</b> (<i>passed on to me</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">6. Drugs and Magic – <b>George Andrews</b> (<i>bought at a second-hand bookstore</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">7. Conversations With God (the trilogy) – <b>Neale Donald Walsch</b> (<i>Book 1 was a gift. Later, I gifted someone with a new copy of Book 1</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">9. Almost all of <b>Shirley MacLaine</b>’s books (<i>all now given away</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">11. Assorted History, Philosophy, Reincarnation, Astrology, Numerology, Oracles, Metaphysical books (<i>Mostly given away</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>What have I been able to take away from the reading? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">We are all basically energy; or stardust. Everything else is just humans making a lot of sh*t, creating drama and stirring more sh*t. Low vibration stuff.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">As a semi-recluse, I stay away from as much sh*t as I can. I survive as a human being until I don’t. We survive every single moment until the last one.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I have reflected upon all the reasons people lose their lives. I have reflected upon how much I have sacrificed to be healthy. I have thought about how much others have to fight to stay alive.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">When the going gets tough, just remember to breathe. Deeply. We get our second wind that way.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">We can all survive on the planet if we can get back to basics.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">The brain is the hardware; the books, the data. What we put in, we churn out. So we need to choose our reading material carefully.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Books we read stay with us longer than the shorter reading material we scan on the internet. It takes me days, weeks or months to get through a book at my own pace so it has a greater impact than social media reading.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a saying that people who read the same books make good friends because in general, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“No two persons ever read the same books.”</i><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> -- <i>Edmund Wilson</i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here are a few more quotes about books and reading:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You will be the <b>same</b> person you are today in five years but for two things: the <b>people</b> you meet and the <b>books</b> you <b>read</b>.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> -- </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: bold;">Charles “Tremendous” Jones</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> (I know … who? </span><span style="font-family: "wingdings";">:)</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 19.2pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">“Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood.”</span></i><b style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 19.2pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">– <b><i>John Green</i></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading</span></i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">.” </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">– <b><i>William Styron</i></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 16.8pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">“The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 16.8pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> – <i><b>W. Somerset Maugham</b></i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 16.8pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">“If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 16.8pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> – <i><b>Toni Morrison</b></i></span></li>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-20416849359813465022016-08-02T02:36:00.000-07:002017-06-03T02:38:01.306-07:00Kiss It<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of us don’t have the time or interest to read long blog articles so I make it a point to kiss it (keep it short and simple). I hope this is short enough. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">With the discussions over refugees’ desperate attempts to find a safe haven in Europe and other developed countries, my own opinion on this issue was slanted heavily towards compassio</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">n when I recently had to pack for what might have been an emergency trip.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I took the opportunity as an exercise to ask myself what I would take with me should I find myself being forced to leave home abruptly not knowing exactly where I was going and for how long. It took just a few seconds to register that wherever I go, I have to take my body and my mind. Those two things are not an option to leave behind. :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Very quickly I noted that I would prioritize the things that I need to stay safe, healthy, productive, progressive and expressive. I stuffed a carry-on backpack with important travel and identity documents, charge cards, journal, notepads, pens, vitamin supplements, first aid, medicine, bathroom things, hand sanitizers, mosquito repellent and a change of clothes. I also included my laptop, tablet, camera, battery chargers, batteries, and cables. An external hard disk and data sticks made their way into the “priority” backpack as well. <i>(I am aware not all of these things would be prioritized by war refugees. They probably would prioritize lots of food, water, blankets and sleeping bags. I was packing for a trip; I was not packing as a refugee would.)<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I looked around the house and asked myself what else I would be missing if for some reason I was not able to return to my house where all my “stuff” is kept. I decided that I would have to keep safe all my original song lyrics with chords plus the extra external hard disk and extra backup data sticks that store my original works in progress. That was it. <i>(My creative babies are obviously my soul’s expression.) </i>My dogs are my children/companions. I would leave them to friends if I had to make a trip but if I were leaving the country as a refugee and couldn’t bring them along with me, that would be a potentially mental-breakdown-type of decision to make. <i><br />
</i><br />I realized what people mean when they say one is not rich until we have something that money cannot buy. I was okay with having to leave behind everything that money could buy but I was not comfortable with leaving my two dogs behind. Even if I had good friends to leave them in relatively good hands to, to leave them in a scenario where they would have to fend for themselves, in a country that has a majority of dog haters? I would go insane. So I was happy to see that my neighbor – a refugee from the Ukraine – brought her little dog with her. I don’t know how she managed that (money was obviously not a problem) and I was impressed with that particular human being. First, she came with her partner and dog; later other members of the family joined them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought of the other refugees; in the Ukraine and other parts of the world. Imagine having to leave everything behind and taking with them their old relatives and/or young children. Imagine leaving everything you know and have behind for the unknown. It’s impossible to fathom. And that’s why we have to feel compassion for the refugees. True, they seem to be mostly of a particular background and faith and they seem to end up in places that are predominantly of more liberal beliefs and practices. True, in present times, integration is an overwhelming challenge. I mean, in previous times, there were no terrorists of the present scale. So yes, these are different times and I understand both sides of the fence on this issue. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am aware some people think it’s a good idea to fight evil with evil. If you are an inherently good person/soul, you will lose to the inherently evil people/souls if you try to play them at their game. You just won’t have the depth of evil in you to draw from to do better than others who are used by the evil forces and who have a bottomless well of evil to draw from. The good camp wouldn’t be able to match evil acts for evil acts and would be playing the game to the evil camp’s strength. Eventually, the good camp will be outplayed and consumed by the evil as well. If you are a good person/soul, your strength is in your goodness. You have to play to your own strengths. The evil person can’t be good and the evil person can’t do the good things that you can. You have to draw from the well of goodness which is not accessible to the evil camp. Goodness won’t feed the evil; goodness will starve the evil. You can’t fight darkness with more darkness. The whole planet will then be consumed by darkness. You can only fight darkness with light. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Regulars of this blog are aware I’m open to connecting with people <i>“my kind of weird.”</i> When I look at some if not all of the friends I have, they don’t measure up to my “kind of weird” either because while all my close friends are on the kind and compassionate side, they are lacking in the other qualities that qualify them as “my kind of weird.” Though they come closest hence they have been with me on my life path for decades.<br />
<br />The people I speak of acknowledge that while they are kind and compassionate, they seem to lack the qualities to become successful in education and personal finance; mainly because they did not prioritize education and personal finance. I was similar to them in this way as they were a great influence on me during my developing phase. I now find myself thinking perhaps we lacked the “intelligence” to appreciate the importance of education and finance in this three-dimensional world.<br />
<br />I have been with them for decades for a reason. We must be at a fundamental level, birds of the same feathers for us to have been close friends for so many decades. I like to say that I was so stupid for so long that I feel I have no more credit left for stupidity and have no choice but to be smart from here onward. :)</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> I like to say to my friends: <i>Yo, listen up. We have been so stupid for so long, we have exceeded our stupidity quota. No one has the right to be as stupid as we were and expect to survive in this dog eat dog world</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s as if when someone is being kind, the brain switches into “stupid” mode. And when someone applies intelligence to a situation, it’s as if the “kindness” mode has to be switched off. It’s almost as if the quality of kindness develops at the expense of intelligence and vice versa. In Chinese, there is a saying: <i>“When we want to help, we talk heart (sentiment). When we don’t want to help, we talk head (reason).” </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve been told that in a particular developed country, it’s been said: <i>“Kindness is the mark of a loser.”</i> Yikes. Who wants to be a loser? Do we want to be kind? Sure. Compassionate? Why not? Kindness and compassion attract good karma and who doesn’t want good karma? Even if one doesn’t believe in the concept of karma, one should want to be good because virtue is its own reward. But do we want to be poor? I don’t know anyone who wants to be poor. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the words of <b>Garth Brooks</b>: <i>“You aren’t wealthy until you have something that money can’t buy.”</i> So, kind people are kind of wealthy? Helping others is a kind of art form. One has to get the balance right or else become a charity case as well in no time at all. What is the point of doing so much charity that we become a charity case ourselves? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">“Healthy boundaries aren't walls or barbed wire fences. They are gates, portals that we selectively open when it is healthy to do so. Sometimes we have to wall others off - to heal, to get a taste of what it feels like to be protected - but eventually we come into a sacred balance. Here, we make conscious decisions as to when to open, when to close. I think of it as the art of selective attachment. Rather than responding from a patterned place - too open or too closed - we look at each situation on its own merits. We keep the gate closed, when it is unsafe to open it. We unlatch the gate, if there is a healthy basis for connection. Healthy boundaries are situation specific, evolving and clarifying as we grow.”</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> – <b>Jeff Brown, Author.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The situation is like this. When we die, we leave everything behind. We only get to take what we inherently are. Call it soul, spirit, energy, consciousness, whatever you want. Those of us who believe in many lifetimes, get that we have to prioritize the quality of our souls/consciousness since that is what we bring with us lifetime after lifetime after lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those who believe in a ‘Heaven’ or a ‘Hell’ after they die have to chalk up enough ‘credit’ to get to heaven. I’m not comfortable with the belief system that it doesn’t matter whether a believer in a personified God is good or bad. The belief stipulates as long as you believe in your God that will get you to your Heaven even if you are a bad person and do bad things during your time on Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Atheists are mostly scorned upon and feared because most people think that Atheists have no fear of “Judgment Day” so they have no incentive to be good and to do good deeds. Actually, there are Atheists who do good deeds simply because it’s the right thing for humans to help each other and to be kind to the animals. Kindness and compassion feel right to them and they appreciate that virtue is its own reward. They don’t do good things to get “blessings” or “good karma.” Not that there’s anything wrong with doing good things to get blessings and good karma. Whatever your beliefs, just be good and do good deeds. Someone said: </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Whenever in doubt as to what is the right thing to do, just do the kind thing. Then, you will always be doing the right thing for kindness is never the wrong thing</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">. </span>Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039702731462893639.post-66520552501693991022016-07-06T05:51:00.000-07:002017-01-28T23:49:52.394-08:00“My kind of weird” = “My people”<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">“My kind of
weird” begins with the basic qualities of compassion and kindness. These two
qualities cover thoughtfulness and consideration. Tick those boxes and we can
play and see if the other qualities are compatible. If those boxes can’t be
ticked, it doesn’t matter what other qualities a person has, he/she will not be
“my people.” I find these basic qualities necessary as I work on the premise
that we are all victims and come from a broken place. Compassion and kindness are
preservation and survival tools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">After
compassion and kindness, it’s important to have the quality of true
intelligence. What is true intelligence?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">In ‘Utopia,’ while commenting on the role of intellectuals in politics, <b>Sir Thomas More</b> concluded that <i>at
best, intellectuals could, by their counsel, prevent some evil from being done.</i>
Most then would agree that true intelligence would be the ability to solve the
problems of our times. True intelligence is when you can be a part of the
solution and not a part of the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">It is said
the classics teach us to think and that there’s no better way of sharpening
one’s intellect. If you agree with this line of reasoning then, being
intellectual must mean that intellectuals are able to think for themselves; to
question what they read and what’s been said to them. Short of quoting
the Buddha when he said that <i>no man
should accept anything on faith. Every person should question what he hears
even if it’s from the Buddha himself</i>. And it’s important to read because
reading hones the thinking process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">And what
about the bit about: “<i>Intelligence having
to be developed together with the heart or else there will be an imbalance in
the personality?” It is said that intelligence minus the heart can justify any
evil. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">To
answer the questions: What’s “my kind of weird?" And, who are “my people?” The
short answer is, “my people” are compassionate, kind and truly intelligent. “My
people” are faithful, loyal and grateful (hence dogs are my people too). “My
people” are self-empowered, insightful, dynamic problem solvers who are
predominantly solution oriented. If you’re selling those qualities, I’m buying.
Finally, “my people” either like or love me. They buy what I’m selling. Yes,
they do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mena Koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17743559995712545845noreply@blogger.com0