TABLE OF CONTENTS (With Links)
0. INTRODUCTION
1. BE HERE NOW
2. KNOWLEDGE
3. WISDOM
4. IMAGINATION
5. INTUITION
6. POSSIBILITIES
AND PROBABILITIES
6.1 WHAT IF ...
7. THE
RELATIVITY OF TRUTH
8. THE INFINITE UNIVERSE
9. THE WAYS WE SENSE THE
MATERIAL UNIVERSE
9.1 ABOUT TIME
9.2 VISION
9.2.1 THE SPEED OF LIGHT
9.3 COLORS
9.4 THE RAINBOW
9.5 SOUND WAVES
9.6 THE SENSE OF SMELL
9.7 THE SENSE OF TASTE
9.8 FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS
10. THE MIND
10.1 INTELLIGENCE
10.2 NON-CEREBRAL INTELLIGENCE
11. ABOUT EDUCATION
12. NARCOTICS
13. ADDICTION
14. WILL POWER
15. THE PURPOSES OF LIFE
16. GROWING OLD
17. ABOUT DEATH
18. MY GRATITUDE
Rev. 1.0
INTRODUCTION
This book contains some scientific knowledge, some personal
beliefs, some intuitive knowledge, and perhaps some divine
knowledge. I hope this book makes you wiser and more
knowledgeable. Or at least makes you wonder.
If there is such a thing as reincarnation, and I reincarnate as
another human (and not a different life form), then this is one of
the books that I would like to read, on that life. So that I don’t
have to spend thousands of hours thinking (rationalizing &
logically inferring) some of the things that I have written on
this book.
There are other reasons why I felt the need to write this book.
However, for profit, is not one of them. In fact, this book is
truly free. Free to download, copy, distribute, or display on any
website. I am making it available in HTML (the language executed
by internet browsers). I believe that knowledge should be shared.
And personal beliefs, acquired knowledge, wisdom, and sometimes
imagination, should be discussed and shared. Not censored, nor
inhibited by governments, religious organizations, or social
mores.
I used white letters, on black pages, because it causes less
stress on the eyes, than black letters on white pages. However, if
you prefer a different color combination, read with a browser that
will allow you to change the color of the letters and the color of
the pages, to whatever color combination that pleases you. And
most browsers will allow you to change the size of the letters.
I call wBook, any Book written in HTML (Hyper Text
Markup Language) and displayed on a website, for anyone to read,
with any browser running on any operating system, on any device
connected to the World Wide Web (a.k.a. Internet). wBooks,
unlike eBooks or iBooks, do not have any
protection scheme or encryption to prevent piracy, because wBooks
are meant to be free. They are used to share information, not to
make a profit. We do not have to use editions in wBooks,
instead, we can use revision numbers, or version
numbers.
You do not have to read this wBook in the numerical order of the
sections. In fact, as I wrote it, I moved the sections around, in
order to place them in what I believed to be a logical sequence.
But it is not the only logical sequence. So feel free to read the
sections in any sequence that you like.
1. BE HERE NOW
To be able to better understand and/or enjoy a book we read,
a lecture we hear, a movie we watch, or a conversation we
participate in, we should get into a “be here now” state of mind.
In a “be here now” state of mind we do not think about the past or
the future. We only think about what we are experiencing now, in
the present time.
I remember how easy it was, as a child, to get in the “be here
now” state of mind. And that was, probably, the reason why I could
enjoy flying a kite, unaware of what time it was, or how much time
I had spent playing. As we age, we start to loose our innocence,
and become aware of the malice and dishonesty that some people are
capable of. Also, we have to become aware of what time it is, what
day of the week, what day of the month, etc. This, and other adult
responsibilities, makes it more difficult to get in the “be here
now” state of mind. However, it is still possible, at any age.
I believe that all animals are, most of the time, in the “be here
now” state of mind. They rely mostly in their instincts and their
feelings, instead of the logical reasoning, or common sense, that
us humans, with a more evolved brain, are capable of. But that
human intellectual capability, of the cerebral prefrontal cortex,
came at a price. The suppression, sometimes, of feelings and
intuitions.
It is difficult, for some individuals, to get into the “be here
now” state of mind, unless they consume a small quantity of
alcohol, cannabis, or some other narcotic, to calm the prefrontal
cortex and reduce cerebral chatter. However, if they consume too
much of a narcotic, then it can be dangerous if they decide to use
power tools, or operate machines or motor vehicles, while under
that state of mind. Do not confuse the “be here now” state of
mind, with the “intoxicated state of mind” created by too much
alcohol or some other narcotic. People who practice Zen, Buddhism,
some form of meditation, or some forms of yoga, usually learn to
get in the “be here now” state of mind.
2. KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is the psychological result of reasoning,
or learning, or perception. Knowledge is to the brain, what data
& algorithms are to computers. A belief can become knowledge,
if we find empirical data to support it. However, empirical data
is not the only way to prove that a belief is valid and truthful.
Knowledge can be discovered. It can also be a product of rational
thought, or logical analysis. Some knowledge is absolute. But most
knowledge is relative, to the point of view, frame of
reference, or database, from which it is perceived, analyzed or
evaluated, and it is also time dependent.
We depend on our knowledge (and wisdom) to make our decisions.
Decisions that can affect our safety, our health, and our
happiness. Decisions such as: what do we eat? How much of it do we
eat? How often should we eat it? What trade or profession should
we learn? Who can we trust? etc.
Knowledge can be acquired in many ways. It can be taught by our
parents, teachers, friends, or coworkers. Or it can be self
acquired, from books, journals, magazines, documentaries, or
conversations. As babies, we begin to acquire knowledge by using
our senses. What we see, hear, taste, touch, and feel starts the
knowledge acquiring process. Once we learn a spoken language, we
begin to acquire knowledge by listening to our family members, and
later by conversations. And when we learn how to read, we acquire
a new and powerful way to acquire knowledge by reading magazines,
journals, books, web pages on the internet, etc.
In this 21th century, it has become obvious, that when searching
for data (scientific or otherwise), the human brain can not
compete with computers connected to the internet. However, to
interpret, analyze , or correlate such data, or to find the
usefulness or the meaning of the data found, or to question the
validity or truthfulness of such data, we need more that
knowledge. We need to use, in combination, our knowledge, wisdom,
imagination, and intuition.
I believe that some knowledge can come from within our mind,
instead of being a product of our senses. However, such knowledge
should be analyzed, to ensure that it is rational and/or logical.
3. WISDOM
Wisdom is the ability to use our knowledge and
experience, in a rational and logical way, in order to make better
decisions and avoid causing suffering to ourselves or others.
Socrates once said:
"Knowledge can
be taught, but wisdom comes only thru suffering"
This seems valid, because when we suffer, or observe the suffering
of others, due to the consequences of an occurrence, or a bad
decision, we are less likely to forget that event. We can also
acquire wisdom by learning history. Knowledge without wisdom can
be dangerous. Previously acquired wisdom, and imagining the
possible consequences of applying certain knowledge, helps us to
make better decisions. Wisdom is a kind of precautionary
knowledge, that sometimes helps us to make good decisions that
might have good consequences, and helps us avoid bad decisions
that might have bad consequences.
4. IMAGINATION
Imagination is the formation of a though or a mental image, of
something that is not currently perceived by our senses, or of
something that we know is not real. The mind has the ability to
imagine images that it has never seen, or sequences and/or
patterns of sounds that it has never heard. We can imagine a
sequence of events, that we have never experienced before, like we
do in dreams or day dreams.
Albert Einstein once said:
"Imagination is
greater that knowledge"
But why did he say that? Was it because we can teach knowledge,
but not imagination? We can input data and algorithms into a
computer, But how do we program imagination into a computer? Is
there an algorithm equivalent to imagination? I wonder. I believe
that imagination stimulates the brain. We should, encourage, not
only children, but also adults of all ages to use their
imagination. But as always, use moderation. Imagination sets the
brain free. Artistic imagination can create great works of art and
music. Most scientific hypothesis begins in the imagination of a
scientist. Imagination plays an important role in creating
fictional literature, and movies. Do-it-yourself individuals use
their imagination to create new ways of doing things, that might
be a more efficient, or might be easier to do.
In the section of this book, entitled "POSSIBILITIES AND
PROBABILITIES", you will notice how we can use imagination when
analyzing an occurrence of the past, present, or possible
occurrences that might take place some time in the future.
4.1 WHAT IF...
Originating a “What if...” type of question, is a cool and
acceptable way to stimulate the imagination, or a way to start a
philosophical conversation among friends, or family members.
Therefore, while being in a pleasant state of mind, I thought that
it would be a cool idea, to include, in this book, some “what
if...”s that, at certain times, over my long live, I have asked my
self:
What if this life is the ultimate “virtual reality game”. So real,
that we are not aware that we are playing it, while our “real”
physical bodies are in suspended animation on the “real” world?
What if this material life, is a form of prison, created by
spiritual lifeforms? And we are not aware of it, until our
sentence is completed (at the time of our death). Then, suicide
would be a escape from prison. However, if caught, after escaping,
we are sent back (reborn into the material world), in order to
complete our sentence.
What if God created reality to entertain itself, and part of God
is in one of the life forms on this planet? Or may be a part of
God is in everyone of us, that way it can see all that we see,
hear all that we hear, feels all that we feel, and know all our
thoughts.
What if, when our spirit (or soul) is reborn, if it is reborn, is
reborn in a randomly chosen animal life form, and not necessarily
as a human, again?
What if, each planet, that has life forms in it, has a planetary
God. And all planetary Gods are networked together, to form a
Universal God?
5. INTUITION
Intuition is a mental feeling. Our intuition, sometimes gives us a
feeling that we know something, although we have not used
conscious rationalization or logic to acquire that knowledge. It
seem to be a knowledge acquired through some subconscious or
unconscious process. Perhaps, our spirit (life force) is also
involved in the process. Then, the subconscious mind, creates the
conscious “feeling” that we call intuition. Sometimes intuition
seems to be a form of subconscious wisdom or subconscious
knowledge.
6. POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES
To know the truth about any event that occurred in the past, or
that is occurring in the present, or will occurred in the future.
We need to imagine some (or most) of the possibilities regarding
the event. Then estimate the probability of each of the
possibilities. We can use the following five levels (or degrees)
of probability:
Very likely
Likely
Unlikely
Very
unlikely
Impossible
Most of the time, the possibility with the highest probability is
what did occurred (if we are dealing with the past), or is
occurring (if dealing with the present), or will occur (if dealing
with the future). The more data we have available about the event
(or similar events that have occurred in the past), the easier it
will be to estimate the probability. We must also consider the
source of the data, and the probability of the validity of the
data.
Perhaps the following, simple example, can help to illustrate a
methodology for considering the validity of a data source. In this
example I will use persons A and B, and event X. The data, in
question, is verbal data from person A regarding event X, that B
may or may not have done.
Let us assume that A tells me that B did event X. I would then ask
A if he saw B doing X, or if he was told, by B or someone else,
that B had done it. If A saw B doing X, then I only have to
consider the honesty of A. However, if A was told by B that B did
X, then the honesty of B, also has to be considered, since B could
have lied to A. If I know persons A and B, then prior to
estimating the probability of event X having occurred, I try to
remember if A and/or B has ever lied to me before (about
anything). I also estimate the probability (or likelihood) of B
doing X. Why would B do it? What could be the probable motives for
B doing X. If the honesty of A is in question, and finding the
truth about event X is important, then I would want to talk to B
about it.
The validity of any data to be used in a rational analysis, should
always be in question, since politicians are not the only ones to
frequently lie. Scientist also lie, perhaps not as frequently as
corporate chiefs or politicians, and definitely not as frequent as
religious fanatics (although religious fanatics believe they are
telling the truth, due to their delusional state of mind), but
most persons, irregardless of their profession, trade or religion,
are vulnerable to corruption or delusions, specially if they are
dishonest.
The search for truth, is more than a philosophical endeavor. It is
an art, that combines imagination, intuition, wisdom, and
knowledge, in a logical & rational analysis.
7. THE
RELATIVITY AND DEPENDENCE OF TRUTH
"Truth is relative to, and dependent on, the frame of
reference, point of view, or data base, from which it is
observed, perceived, analyzed, or evaluated. And it is also time
dependent"
Ivan Q. (1970s)
This does not mean that there is no absolute truth. In fact, in
science, truth based on empirical evidence can be considered
absolute, as long as that empirical evidence is not negated
(invalidated), in the future, by new experiments and/or scientific
advancements. That is because truth based on material evidence, is
dependent on the validity of the evidence. And truth, based on
testimony, is dependent on the honesty, sincerity, and knowledge
of the person testifying. This relativism of truth, might seem
similar to cultural relativity (from Social Science) or
philosophical relativism. And yes, it is somewhat similar, but it
is not the same.
Most cultures are too influenced by the myths and beliefs of their
religions. In fact, in most major religions, questioning or
analyzing the validity, possibility, probability, or truthfulness
of any of their myths, beliefs, or tales, is considered a taboo, a
sin, or heresy. Probably because the religious leaders do not want
you to discover the truth, instead they want you to believe what
they claim to believe.
“The person, who does not search for the truth, will rarely
find it”
Ivan Q.
I believe that a simple example can illustrate the “frame of
reference” that I am referring to.
The Fox And The Rabbit (a frame of reference example):
A fox hunts down a rabbit and kills him. From a “fox’s frame of
reference”, it was a good occurrence, the fox now has something to
eat. From a “rabbit’s frame of reference”, it was an evil
occurrence, the rabbit was peacefully eating some vegetables when
a fox surprised him, murder him, and ate him. From “Nature’s frame
of reference”, it was a necessary occurrence, because there were
too many rabbits in that area, and they were depleting the very
vegetation that kept them alive. However, if the fox and/or the
rabbit are killed by a human, for the trill of it, or because that
human thought it would be fun or cool. Then the occurrence is
wrong (bad, evil) from “Nature’s frame of reference”, and from the
following "human frames of references"; moral,
social, environmental, humane, and compassionate.
8. THE
ETERNAL AND INFINITE UNIVERSE
There are a few important things I would like to clarify,
regarding our knowledge of the Universe. First, the “Big Bang
Theory” is just an “unproven theory”. And I don’t believe it. I
truly believe that the Universe is infinite and eternal, just like
the polarized forces that make it possible. And anyone who has
been “mystically enlighten” knows this. Also, the Universe is NOT
expanding. If it were expanding, some galaxies would not be
moving, in a collision course, toward each other, like Andromeda
and the Milky Way are. But do not worry, the collision and merging
of these two galaxies will happen so far into the future, that our
solar system might not exist by then. If there was a big
explosion, about 14 billions years ago, it was probably a
black-hole, at the center of a galaxy, that reached the black-hole
critical mass required to explode, creating a new nebula that
eventually created a new galaxy. That is the way galaxies are
“recycled”.
Although theoretical physicist believe that there is some kind of
space fabric, in outer space. I believe that the universal
space, where the universal matter moves around, is basically
nothing (dark, empty vacuum). Nothing (empty space) has to be
eternal, if matter is eternal. Because space had to precede
matter. Otherwise, there would have been no space for the matter
to occupy.
In Physics, it was understood that energy
can not be created nor destroyed, only changed from one form to
another. And matter can neither be created nor
destroyed, only changed from one form to another. This
logically implies that the energy and matter in
the Universe is eternal, because it could not have been
created (out of nothing), nor will it ever be destroyed (turned
into nothing). Once we increased our knowledge of nuclear
physics, and were able to create enormous amount of energy from
matter (such as a nuclear explosion) and were able to convert
energy into matter, then we proved that matter can be converted
into energy, and energy can be converted into matter.
For all practical purposes, we can assume that the Universe
is infinite. Although truly "enlightened humans" know it
is infinite. As we improve our telescopes, we see farther and
farther into distant galaxy clusters. However, we will never see
an edge of the Universe, nor will we ever see it's center were the
so called "Big Bang" occurred. Infinite space has no edges and no
center.
Therefore, after much logical
analysis (and perhaps some divine intuition), it is my humble
opinion, that the Universe is like “A never ending
story that had no beginning”.
9. THE WAYS WE
SENSE THE MATERIAL UNIVERSE
To survive and enjoy this material world, we have developed and
evolved senses. Current science recognize five senses; vision,
hearing, taste, smell and touch. However, the sense
of time can also be considered one of our basic senses.
Although it is somehow associated, or related, to movement, and
not the signals from a sensing organ such as the eyes or the ears.
Although we do seem to have an internal biological clock. There is
also the sense of rhythm, our ability to synchronize a
pattern of movement to a pattern of sound. And some humans, who
lack eye vision, can use their hearing, in combination with a
mental object-location map, to develop what we call echo
location.
9.1 ABOUT TIME
We really don’t know what time is. We assume, that in a periodic
movement, the same amount of time goes by, during each movement
period. However, we can not prove the validity of that assumption.
So, in reality, we are actually measuring movement. All clocks
rely on movement. If matter did not move at all (no celestial
movements, no atomic or subatomic movement), then there would not
be any way to measure time. May be time can not exist, if movement
does not exist. The way we perceive time (or feel time passing) is
different than the way we measure it. Sometimes we feel that time
is moving faster. And there are times when we feel that time is
moving slower. As we get old, we feel that the months and years
seems to be passing by, faster than when we were young. That is
because we perceive (or feel) the passing of a large amount of
time (like a month or a year) in relation to the amount of time
that we have been alive. So when we are 10 years old, a year is
1/10 (or 10%) of the amount of time we have been alive. And when
we are 50 years old, 1 year is 1/50 (or 2 %) of the amount of time
we have been alive. But no matter how we measure or perceive time,
the amount of time, that we will be alive, is unknown and limited.
So don’t waste it.
9.2 VISION
In Quantum Mechanics (Physics), the smallest force carrier is the
quantum. The quantum of the electromagnetic force is the
photon, a subatomic particle with no mass, that is supposed to
always travel at the speed of light (in vacuum), and vibrating (or
spinning) at a frequency proportional to the amount of energy it
carries. When these photons (electromagnetic waves) enter our
eyes, the rod cells and the cone cells send signals to the brain.
The characteristics of those signals are dependent on the
frequencies and amplitude of the electromagnetic waves (photons)
entering the eyes. The brain uses those signals to create the
image that the mind sees. However, the brain can make some
correction (or modifications), that is why sometimes we perceive
optical illusions, related to colors and dimensions. Also, I
believe that, depending on our “state of mind”, the mind can
create images that are not actually seen by the eyes. We call
these created images, visions or hallucinations. And in dreams, we
can see, hear and feel things that are created by our imagination.
9.2.1 THE SPEED OF LIGHT
The speed of light seems to be constant (in a vacuum),
because the light spectrum is small compared to the full
electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, the speed differences between
electromagnetic waves in the red frequencies and those in the
violet frequencies is extremely small. However, I believe that the
velocity of electromagnetic waves are proportional to their
frequency. Therefore, gamma radiation travels at a higher velocity
than visible light. This has already been verified when an
airplane with a gamma radiation detector on board, detected gamma
radiation bursts, prior to seen the light from lightning, in high
altitude clouds.
If you are an ambitious physicist, with access to the required
instruments, you should measure the speed of infrared light, ultra
violet light, x-ray, etc. And you will be able to prove that the
frequency of an electromagnetic wave (light, if the frequency is
within the visible light spectrum) affects its velocity. And if
you are a good at physics, once you have acquire the necessary
data, you can create an equation that shows the relationship
between the frequency and the velocity of electromagnetic waves.
I also believe that the velocity of sound is frequency dependent.
The higher the frequency, the faster it’s velocity. This should be
easy to prove, with the proper instruments in a physics
laboratory. Just measure the speed of a 100 Hertz sound, and then
the speed of a 10,000 Hertz sound. If my theory is correct, they
will be different. If this has already been done, then excuse my
outdated knowledge of physics, I have not studied physics since
the 1960’s.
I do not have the time nor the resources to do these experiments.
And I have no ambition for fame nor for any recognition from the
scientific community.
9.3
COLORS
Colors do not really exist, in the real world. They
are created (seen) by the mind of the beholder. If the surface of
material objects did not reflect electromagnetic waves of certain
frequencies, and absorb (or allow to pass through) other
frequencies, The mind would see all objects as white or black.
However, the fact that some matter does absorb (or pass through)
certain light frequencies, and reflect others (depending on the
molecules at the surface of such matter), allows the mind to
create and assigned colors to the images it creates (based on the
signals from the eyes).
Because colors are created and perceived by the mind, I believe
that colors can affect our state of mind, and our state mind can
affect the way we perceived colors. A vice versa relationship. I
really like colors and color combinations. Although, I like some
color combinations better than others. And, I have noticed, that
preference of certain color combinations, are heavily influenced
by culture, social class, and peer group pressure. I have read,
that the mind of some schizophrenics replaces colors with shades
of grey. It must be real depressing. It’s like watching old black
and white movies.
When I was a small child (1950s), I used to dream in shades of
grey. I believe that this was related to the fact that, during
those years, I used to watch a lot of black and white TV and black
and white movies. However, when I started to watch color movies,
on a regular basis, I started to dream in colors. I remember how
thrilled I was, that I could dream in colors. Not every mind
assigns the same colors to the same frequencies. There are some
people who see different shades of green, as orange or red. I know
this as a fact, since I knew someone, in the army, who had this
ability. And when someone camouflage themselves with green
camouflage, next to green vegetation, he could clearly see the
camouflaged soldier a mile away, when no one else in the company
could. But sometimes he would wear red socks with green pants,
because he saw the socks as the same color as the pants, only a
different shade. May be this is related to the fact that some
people have 3 types of cone cells in their eyes, and others have 4
types of cone cells in their eyes.
9.4 THE RAINBOW
Most people believe that the rainbow has 6 colors. That’s what I
though, a long time ago, because of the many drawings, paintings
and flags that show six colors. In reality, it should have 7
colors. However, due to atmospheric conditions and the fact that
the light from the sun is being refracted by water droplets of
different sizes and not a glass prism, it is difficult to see the
full spectrum. However, pure white light going thru a pure glass
prism does show each of the seven color bands named; red, orange,
yellow, green, cyan, indigo, and violet. The confusion was
probably caused by the fact that most people consider cyan and
indigo as shades of blue, probably because blue is a lighter shade
of indigo. Or may be some people actually see cyan as a shade of
blue. And what an extraordinary coincidence, that when the
numerical value of the frequencies of the 7 musical notes, in the
middle of the piano scale (A4-G4), when multiplied by one
trillion, each new value falls within each of the 7 color bands of
the rainbow. See image bellow:
9.5 SOUND
WAVES
Sound, just like color, does not really exist, except in the mind
of the beholder. Electric signals sent to the brain by our ears,
carry information regarding the amplitude and frequency of the
sound waves that out hearing detects. The mind then creates what
we hear (feel) as sound. And just like in the case of vision, the
mind can modify that sound. You have probably heard the following
famous question:
“If a
tree falls in the woods, and there is nobody around to hear
it fall, does it make a sound?”
The answer is, NO. The falling tree, as it accelerates (at 10
meters per second squared) due to the force of gravity, generates
a kinetic force. When the falling tree hits the ground surface,
that kinetic force collides with the molecular and atomic forces
of the surface that the tree is landing on. Some of that energy
(force of impact) is transferred to the air molecules, creating
“sound waves”. In fact, in a vacuum, the impact of the falling
tree does not create any sound waves. Because, sound waves can
only propagate through matter (not vacuum).
Originally, the perception of sound was to warn us. However, later
in human history, when we developed a spoken language, it became a
very important method of communication. And once we invented
music, it became another method for altering our state of mind.
Music can affect our state of mind, and our state of mind can
affect our perception of music. A vice versa relationship, similar
to the one between colors and the state of mind.
9.6 THE SENSE OF SMELL
The sense of smell is another feeling that is
created and modified by the brain and the mind. Depending on the
molecules that are sensed by the olfactory cells in our noses,
certain signals are sent to the brain. The mind then determine if
the scent is pleasant or unpleasant. And we automatically search
our memory for past events connected to that smell. The unpleasant
quality of some scents, seem to be already programmed in our
brains. I am sure this is related to our safety, because the smell
of rotting organic matter and shit, both rich in pathogens
(bacteria, viruses, etc) are among those unpleasant scents.
However, there are some unpleasant smells that are learned, and
not pre-wired into out brains. Most pleasant scents are learned,
and sometimes linked to other sensations. Such as the smell of an
apple, that can generate, in our minds, the image or the taste of
an apple. Sometimes, the mind, as it process smell and taste
simultaneously, it creates a relationship between the two, one
affecting the perception of the other.
9.7 THE SENSE OF TASTE
Signals from our taste sensors in our tongues, and signals from
our smell sensors in our noses, are used by the brain to create
the flavors that we feel with our minds. The fact that different
persons have different taste, implies that different brains create
different flavors, for the same combination of signals, or same
flavors can be felt (perceived) differently by different minds.
Also, it is very probable that our “state of mind” can affect our
perception of flavors.
Culture and peer group pressure, can also affect our taste. A good
example of this, is how most people claim that alcoholic beverages
taste good. Anyone that says that, has been brain washed. They
call it “developing a taste”. But what they have done, is convince
the mind that the original “bad” taste is to be ignore or
tolerated, because of the desired narcotic effect, that alcohol
has on the brain, ignoring the detrimental and harmful effect it
has on the liver and the brain. If we present a child, who does
not know what alcohol is, with 2 identical cups, one with wine and
one with grape juice (same type of grapes that the wine was made
from), the child will make weird or funny faces when he (or she)
tastes the wine, no weird faces when the juice is tasted. And most
children (if not all) will drink the juice and ignore the wine. I
am sure that we would get the same results if the experiment is
repeated using a dog or some other animal.
The main purpose of taste, is to help us decide what we can safely
eat or drink, and what we should not eat or not drink. And of
course, to enjoy (in moderation) the things that taste good and
does not harm us. But be aware that the amount we consume, and how
often we consume it, is very important.
9.8 FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS
The French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes once said:
“I
think, therefore I am”
Implying that we are consciously aware of our existence, because
we are able to think. However, I believe that the ability, of life
forms, to feel, predates the ability to think consciously, by many
millions of years. Our ability to feel, is as important as our
ability to think. So I offer you a new quotation, that I thought
about many years ago, but never published, because I am not a
writer by profession, and I have tried to keep my art and
philosophy, very private, until my retirement. So I hope that no
one has published it before.
“I feel,
therefore I live”
I believe that, although animal species are intellectually
inferior to humans, they probably are aware of their existence by
the mere fact that they have feelings, emotions, memory, and
intuition. Us humans, thanks to our intellectual capacity and will
power, have some control over most of our feelings and emotions.
However, we should not try to suppress all feelings and emotions.
Instead we should suppress the ones we consider harmful or evil,
such as anger, hate, and ignorance. And try to augment, or
enhance, the ones we consider fun and/or beneficial, such as
laughing, loving, patience, tolerance, compassion, empathy, joy,
etc.
10. THE MIND
I am not a neuroscientist, therefore I will not discuss the
physiological qualities of the organ known as the brain. Instead I
have decided to just mention a few things about the mind and
brain. From my computer engineering frame of reference (point of
view), I consider the brain very similar to the CPU (Central
Processing Unit) hardware of a computer, and the mind being
similar to the software that enables the computers to do all the
things they do. However, the brain and the mind are a lot
more complex than computers, because I believe that in order to
feel emotions, the brain/mind must be part of a living
organism that has life force in it (for a good
explanation of the live force, read the wBook "The Life Force").
Eventually Artificial Intelligence programs will be able to "fake"
feeling emotions, like some humans who "fake" feeling certain
emotions, because they don't want to be labeled psychopaths.
However, without life force in them, computers can
not feel anger, fear, love, empathy, joy, etc.
Because all forces have polarity, the life force, in us, can
become more positive or more negative depending on the things we
do and feel. These changes, in polarity, can affect our
sensitivity and response to certain emotions and feelings. If you
are not very mathematical and do not like to use the terms positive
and negative. Then think of negative as bad or evil, and
positive as good or divine.
Unlike computers, our brains can change physically (neurons can be
added and/or rewired), scientists call this neurogenesis and
neuroplasticity. And we can also create new habits and thought
patterns. However, habits, believes, and thought patterns, can be
positive or negative. So, thinker beware.
10.1 INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence is defined as the
ability to comprehend and understand. However, that definition
is very simple, in fact, whole books can be written about animal
intelligence, artificial intelligence, and non-cerebral
intelligence. But I will be brief, and just mention a few
interesting facts and beliefs.
An I.Q. test is one method of testing some of the capabilities
of intelligence. However, IQ tests are not perfect. And
intelligence is very complex subject. For example, one person
might be very good at solving mechanical problems, but not good
at solving electronics problems. This is obviously due to the
amount of knowledge and experience that each individual learns
in school, at work, or on his own time. Also, it seems that
certain brains are better at learning certain skills or
knowledge, but not others. And it seems that when a person
develops a passion for a field of knowledge or a skill, then in
most cases, that person will find it easier to acquire the
necessary knowledge and/or skills to be very good in that field
of knowledge or skill. Some examples of skills, and
fields of knowledge are; the sciences (mathematics, chemistry,
physics, electronics, philosophy, etc) , the humanities (acting,
music, art, etc), abilities to work with materials (wood, glass,
ceramics, metals, etc), etc.
Every brain is different, and we really don't know how many
neurons a certain brain has, nor how many connections each
neuron, of that brain has. And I believe that the number of
neurons, and the number of connection between neurons, is
proportional to the amount of intelligence and knowledge of that
brain.
However, some of the knowledge we acquire, can be misinformation
or disinformation (false knowledge, invalid data). False
knowledge (lies), when used as premises to an inference, can
create additional false knowledge. It is difficult, for gullible
persons, to make valid inferences when a lot of their knowledge
is invalid, due to the many lies (from dishonest individuals or
sources) that they believe to be true.
10.2 NON-CEREBRAL
INTELLIGENCE
While writing this book, scientist in more than
one country, proved the existence of non-cerebral intelligence.
They performed several experiments proving that a yellow slime
has the ability to solve a problem and is able to remember the
solution to previous problems it solved.
Normally I do not include references in this wBook. However, I
need show that this is not misinformation, disinformation, or
bullshit. Therefore I am including 2 reference links, hoping
that they will not change in the future.
https://phys.org/news/2016-04-intelligent-brainless-slime.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brainless-slime-molds/
11. ABOUT
EDUCATION
I truly believe that a course in philosophy, with emphasis in
logic and ethics, should be mandatory in the senior year of high
school, or the first year of College. Persons who do not know
logic, and do not understand the importance of ethics, are more
likely to make bad decisions. Some persons, because they lack
proper knowledge of logic and ethics, allow their subconscious, or
their emotions, to make decisions that are sometimes very
illogical, dangerous and/or evil.
When I was in High School, I thought that science was more
important than history. However, I later realized that we can
learned a lot from history. However, beware that some historical
accounts are bias by religions, politics, & culture.
Our education must not end with our graduation from a college or
university. We should continue to learn, on our own, things that
we have a passion for, or things that we consider important. Those
who choose a trade, instead of going to college, should also
continue to learn things related to their trade, and should read
magazines or books related to new tools or techniques of their
trade.
The better educated we are, the least likely that we will be taken
advantage of, the more likely that we will make better decisions.
And we will, probably, be happier at we do for a living.
We must NOT underestimate the importance of teachers. It is
difficult to teach a group of children who are being taught, at
home, ethical and moral values, than might conflict with ethical
and moral values that are based on logic and rationality instead
of religious believes. By definition, educating is about teaching
knowledge and/or skills, not beliefs. However, there should be a
course where; wright and wrong, good and evil, and acceptable
social behavior, can be discussed, with emphasis on current laws,
logic and rationalization, keeping religion and politics out of
it.
12. NARCOTICS
I have decided to not cover narcotics in this wBook. Instead, I
will write a separate wBook about the good,
the bad, and the ugly, of the many narcotics that
humans like to use and/or abuse.
13. ADDICTION
Addiction is an "abnormally"
strong craving or desire to consume a substance, or do
something. The substance can be food (usually fatty or sweet
substances) or it can be narcotics such as alcohol, nicotine,
caffeine, opium, cocaine, amphetamines, barbiturates, etc. Certain
pharmaceuticals, such as amitriptyline (elavil) can be physically
and psychologically addictive. The amount of the addicted
substance, to be consume, is critical. With the exception
of Cannabis, most narcotics can be fatal in certain amounts.
Addiction to certain behavior is caused by the chemicals,
released internally, into our blood stream, and felt by the brain.
Three good examples that can illustrate this, are; kleptomania,
voyeurism, and rage.
Kleptomania is an irresistible impulse (addiction)
to steal in the absence of any economic motive. The kleptomaniac
is addicted to the chemicals that our body releases, into the
blood stream, when we believe that we face danger if we get
caught.
Voyeurism is also a form of addiction. The Voyeur
who prefers to secretly watch a female getting undress, rather
than walk thru a nudist colony or watch nude females pole dancing
at a night club, is obviously addicted to the chemicals released
into the blood stream when he believes that there is a danger of
getting caught.
Rage can also be addictive. A person who frequently
feels intense anger, sometimes without just cause, is physically
and/or psychologically addicted to the chemicals that are
released, into his/her blood stream, when he/she gets into that
state of mind.
Addicts usually lack will power.
14. WILL POWER
Will power is like an internal spiritual force that
allow us to control our behavior and desires. Will power is what
allows us to abandon any addiction we might develop. And will
power can help, a physically addicted person, to endure the
painful process of physical withdrawal when he or she decides to
stop abusing a physically addictive substance.
Courage is a form of will power. It allows us to
overcome our fears when facing danger in doing what we believe
must be done.
15. THE PURPOSES OF LIFE
I am not going to dig into “the meaning of life”. That is an
abused theme. However, I should mention some purposes of life.
There are two very important purposes that seem to be hardwired
into the brains of all animals. They are “The survival of the
individual” and “The survival of the species”. Most individuals
find purpose in creating a new family nucleus (father, mother,
children) and usually have a profession or trade. However, we also
need some fun (hobbies, sports, music, dancing, reading, video
games, etc). If we learn a trade or profession that we enjoy, then
we can actually enjoy going to work. Then there are those
individuals, who think that work is an unpleasant activity, that
they have to endure in order to earn money. And there are some
persons that make their life’s purpose, the accumulation of as
much wealth as possible. One of my Calculus teacher, who was a
wise and humorous retired NASA engineer, gave us the following
advice:
“Find some trade
or profession that you like to do, so much, that
you are willing
to do it for free, but do it for money. And try to be
real good at it.”
I never forgot his good advice. In fact, over the years, I have
noticed that those persons, who have a passion for their trade or
profession, are better at their trade or profession and are
happier going to work each day, than those who do it just for the
money.
16. GROWING OLD
The "Rolling Stones" were correct, when the lyrics
to one their songs ("Mother's Little Helper") mentions "... what a
drag it is getting old". And although our school education prepare
us for adulthood, it does not prepare us for the tribulations we
will face, when we live beyond retirement age.
However, as an elderly person, we can still enjoy life, if we make
some beneficial changes to our habits and routines. Here are some
suggestions:
1. Wear comfortable shoes, that have the type of sole that are
less likely to slip and make you fall.
2. Walk a little slower, and more careful, than when you were
younger.
3. Do not chew hard candy or ice. Our teeth and bones become more
brittle as we get older.
4. If you drink alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, whisky, etc), try
drinking them less often and in lesser amounts. Older brains and
livers, are more vulnerable to the damage that alcohol inflicts
upon them.
5. Avoid large meals. Three or four small meals are better than
two big meals, when our digestive system is old ( > 70 yrs).
6. Adjust the number of hour you spend sleeping each night. For
me, 5 or 6 are not sufficient, I need 7 or 8. You need to discover
how many you need. It can vary depending on your age, and
your mental and physical condition.
7. Do not stay sitting too long, without getting up to walking
around the house for a few minutes. If you are watching TV, and a
commercial comes on, get up and walk slowly during the commercial,
raise your arms above you your head for a few seconds. This helps
to stimulate blood circulation.
8. Find a hobby or some new interest, such as reading magazines or
books that interest you. Learn something new. The brain needs to
be stimulated, or it can deteriorate.
9. Do not get depress, because you are getting old. Because the
alternative, is death.
17. ABOUT DEATH
We all know that we are mortals. Eventually, everyone dies.
And most of us fear death, because we don’t know what happens to
our life force (spirit or soul) after our brain stops functioning
(dies). Here are some of the most probable possibilities (not
necessarily in the order of the most probable to the least
probable):
1. When the brain goes unconscious and stops functioning, we loose
all awareness of the material world and will feel nothing. It will
be similar to being in a deep sleep, but without dreaming. And all
our individuals cell begin to die (decompose).
2. Similar to one, except that the life force, in the form of a
spiritual entity (soul? spirit?), leaves the physical (material)
body, and goes somewhere unknown. That spiritual entity, might be
mystically aware of itself, but will have no cerebral memories of
the life experienced by the physical body it just left, since
those memories were stored in the brain that is no longer
functioning. However, there is new scientific evidence
that proves that non-cerebral memory and non-cerebral intelligent
exists, therefore there is a possibility that a spiritual entity
may keep some memories of "the things it felt" while in
the live form that just died.
3. Similar to two, except that the spiritual entity will search
for a new born life to occupy (become the soul of a new life
form). We do not know, if the new life form will be of the same
species, or of some species assigned at random. Or assigned by God
(if there is a God, and if that is one of it's function).
4. Similar to one, except that the life force, does not leave as
an entity. Instead, the life force will dissipate all around.
Eventually the dissipated positive force is absorb by persons
doing positive things, and the negative live force will be absorb
by persons doing negative things.
By now you might be wondering why I have not mentioned heaven or
hell as being a destination for the spiritual entity. That is
because we can experience a heaven or hell, here on this planet.
During our life, we can be victims of hellish experiences created
by some demons (evil humans). Or we can benefit from heavenly
experiences provided by angels (heroes or divine humans).
Therefore, it is more probable that heaven & hell are right
here, on our planet, and not on some fictitious world above the
clouds, as imagined by old religious fanatics, a long time ago,
who had weird imagination, but very little knowledge.
Perhaps there is an equalizing and judging force (Karma?, or a
part of god?) that determines the person, or life form, a spirit
can be reborn into. And may be, the enjoyment of, or suffering on,
the next life, is dependent on the amount of positive or negative
live forces that we have accumulated during our life time.
17.1 WHEN DEATH
IS WELCOME
Sometimes, due to circumstances beyond our control, live becomes
unbearable. Such as the suffering due to a painful terminal
illness. Or due to the lost of mental abilities. In such
cases, death can actually be welcome, by some of us. However, some
individuals have been indoctrinated (or brain washed) into
believing that it is wrong for anyone, under any circumstance, to
terminate his or her life. There are some who claim to believe in
“the right to life”. But what about “the right to terminate our
life” or “the right to death”?
Lets rationalize this conundrum. You want the right to kill
someone in self defense, and the right to kill someone, considered
an enemy (during a war), or the right to kill someone sentenced to
death. But you want to deny everyone, the right to kill himself or
herself, if he or she believes that it is desirable or necessary.
That seems capricious and illogical to me.
Most humans believe that it is OK. to kill an animal that is
suffering (such as a horse with a broken leg, or a terminally ill
dog). However, the same persons believes that if it is a human
that is suffering, then it is NOT OK to end his or her suffering.
Do those humans have more compassion for other species, than for
our own species? That also seems illogical and capricious.
This ambiguous application of compassion and termination of life,
is due to erroneous religious beliefs that were created a very
long time ago, by intelligent deficient and knowledge
deficient individuals who had no knowledge of logical
reasoning. In fact they had very little knowledge about
everything.
18. MY GRATITUDE
As I come closer to my final exit (death), I want to extent my
gratitude to all those who befriended me, relatives and
non-relatives alike. Special gratitude to the teachers (&
professors) from Western High School (Washington D.C. 1960s),
Miami-Dade Jr. College, and Florida International University
(1970s).
And my gratitude to the co-workers, who befriended me, when I
worked at; Racal-Milgo, System Engineering Labs, Gould
Electronics (Computer Systems Division), Compaq Computers, and
Encore Computers.
And thanks to all those who shared an adventure, or a
conversation, with me.
I was lucky to have had, a loving Godmother who accepted the role
of motherhood when my biological mother had to go into political
exile, and a cousin who became my big brother when my brothers
where in exile.
I am grateful and lucky to have come into the USA, legally with a
temporary visa, then I was granted refugee status, since I did not
want to go back to an autocratic military dictatorship, controlled
by a communist party. A few years later, after graduating from
High School and receiving a draft notice, I went to see the
American Consul in Canada and was granted permanent residence in
the USA, just one day before going into the military. I am proud
to have served in the Army, although I knew that we could not win
the unpopular Vietnam war I participated in. Eventually, while in
College I was granted American citizenship.
I hope that reading this book has a positive influence (for the
better). And I hope you enjoyed reading it. Tell your friends and
family about it, they might benefit from it, or at least enjoy
reading it. Feel free to distribute copies of it, if you like. It
is a wBook, it belongs in the World Wide Web (a.k.a. the
Internet). I wrote it to share some knowledge, some wisdom, and
some beliefs.
Be smart, be wise, be healthy, be good, and be happy.
THE END