The Brain and The Mind: One or Separate?

Ever since the dawn of time, man has striven to understand his own mind, his thoughts, his emotions, and especially, his dreams. I share in this exploratory mission, and have in such an exploration stumbled upon a rather curious thought:

The "Brain" and the "Mind" seem to be separate entities all to themselves, while still being unquestionably linked together.

Is this the case, though? Can it be possible to be one, and also separate? Do they even intermingle at all? Is one dominant over the other? Are they equal to one another? The answers to these questions I will attempt to find as we go along. A daunting task for a mere mortal such as myself, but I shall continue, in earnest, to try.

Can two things be One and also separate?

First things first, can it be possible to be intrinsically linked together as "One" and also be separate from one another, each being "One" individually? We must find the answer, I think, in a simpler example and then see if it applies to the more complex. I would like to present the idea of a human hand to you, and myself. "One" hand is comprised of many smaller parts, each part comprised of other, even smaller parts, so on, so forth. Can we say that the "One" hand is a single unit all to itself? I think we can assert that as a truth. The one hand encompasses within it's Being all the smaller parts of the whole, and I think this as well can be asserted as a truth. The one hand has smaller parts, as we've already established, comprising it's whole. Fingers, for example - four of them, and one thumb - comprise a set of smaller pieces of the whole one hand.

Is each finger a "One", all to it's own, and able to stand alone? I would have to say yes, because a finger is still a finger if it is cut off the whole one hand and lay separate from the whole. It is recognizable as a finger, and is known to be a finger, whether it's attached to the one hand or it's not. Can the finger perform a function without the hand, though? I would have to absolutely say no to this, because without the hand's ligaments and the muscles within it to move the finger to perform any kind of function, the finger is useless. It maintains the appearance of a finger only, but cannot perform the function of a working, operational finger.

Likewise, without the finger, the hand cannot function properly. It requires all it's smaller parts of the whole to perform as the one hand. Afterall, a hand without fingers is not really a hand, as we can understand a hand to be - it is an incomplete mass of flesh which has no function or quality to it. With all the ligaments and muscles it has within it, the hand cannot use those ligaments and muscles to grasp an object without fingers with which to do so. It is still recognizable as a hand, but without it's fingers it is useless.

So let's take this example and slap it onto the ideas of Brain and Mind, shall we?

I would suggest that for this example, we understand that the Mind is the whole, which has many parts within it with which to function properly. It is, in essence, the Hand. The Brain, likewise, is a part of the whole, and is for this example akin to the fingers and thumb.

Taking the above example, and applying it here, we can easily say that "One" Mind is comprised of many parts making up it's whole, including the "One" Brain. Taking the Brain first, we can understand now, rather easily, that it is a separate entity, recognizable as a Brain with of without the Mind attached. A Mortician would be able to tell you this were true, as a corpse's Brain can be observed as a Brain, simply inactive. It is recognizable, but cannot possibly function on it's own separate, without being connected to the Mind. It cannot perform any function, or serve any purpose detached.

Likewise, the Mind must follow suit in the example above, and be understood to be a Mind even as the Brain is taken from it. It would appear as a Mind, be able to be recognized, but couldn't function properly without the Brain being a part to it. Without the Brain, the Mind would be a shadow of it's former self, in this view, and while still able to Be, wouldn't be able to perform any remarkable function, or serve any purpose anywhere near what it could while having all it's parts intact. Just as a Hand without Fingers could serve a small purpose - possibly by being something to lean on, or push open a door with - the mind in this capacity couldn't perform it's originally designed function, and be MUCH less useful in this state.

Do the Mind and the Brain intermingle at all?

I believe by using the above examples, we can assuredly agree that the Mind and the Brain do, in fact, intermingle with one another intimately. They are both separate entities, as we found, but are intrinsically connected to one another to the point which without one, the other would suffer tremendously. This question has been answered to my satisfaction by the examples above, and I hope to yours as well - if not, find the comment box below!

Is the Mind or the Brain dominant over the other?

Again using the example already supposed above, I can say at this point that this question becomes rather clear to me. The Brain, while being an integral part of the whole Mind, cannot even exist other than in appearance on it's own, much like the Finger - it simply dies apart from the Hand. Thus is the fate of the Brain - when separated from the whole of the Mind, it simply dies, and cannot live on by itself. It cannot stand alone and perform any function whatsoever.

The Mind, however, seems to have the ability to survive and function - even on a much more limited scale - on it's own separate from the Brain. Much like the Hand would live on, but be simply crippled, without the Fingers, the Mind would seem able to survive in some form without the Brain at all. It's abilities would be severely lacking, and desperately wanting, but it would survive - I believe - and continue on in whatever state it's left in.

Conclusion:

The Mind seems to be the encompassing "One" to the whole between itself and the Brain, and the Brain merely a smaller, but sufficiently important, part of that whole. The Brain, while intrinsically connected to the Mind, is not required for the Mind's survival, but is necessary for the Mind, as a whole, to function properly and serve an expected purpose.

Thanks for reading, and I hope your BRAIN doesn't hurt, like mine does right now ;)

A Diatribe On Evolution In Terms Of Reincarnation

I was on my way home one day recently and as I was mindlessly driving along, a thought smashed into my mind - as they tend to do when my mind is idle (this isn't often). It was so profound a thought that I instantly wanted to explore it further and try to gain some understanding on the concept. The thought was as follows:

"What if evolution is nothing more than the reincarnation of minds, creating an automatic advancement in understanding with each reincarnated being?"

Well, upon pondering it for a short while here and there, I have decided to write down my further thoughts on the matter for observation - in the hopes that others might find this document and either refute it or add to it. So, first things first; initially, I found myself contemplating this simple statement and extrapolating on it a bit with the following. A few things, though, must be stated as already understood concepts by me personally, so that we're all on the same page.

Firstly, it must be understood to continue with this thought that as time has passed, assuming for just a moment that time is anything at all, all life forms on our planet we call Earth have slowly but surely become more and more advanced - both physically and mentally.

Secondly, the advancement of intellect has far and wide skyrocketed in the past few hundred years as far as human beings are concerned. If this were to be drawn on a chart, the inclining curve would have slowly but steadily risen at about the same ratio for hundreds of thousands of years, and then suddenly - for no particular reason - turned upwards at an astounding pace. Upon writing this very statement the thoughts hits me that the curvature of the line would appear to follow precisely the Fibonacci Series of numerals. Notice how the curvature at the outermost region is slow, but steadily increases to a tighter, swifter curve as it progresses.

Thirdly, it is apparent to I think anyone that the following statement is true: Human intellect has with each generation progressed at an astounding rate of speed. The greatest minds of the 14th century couldn't have dreamed up a Hadron Collider on their best day, but now it's second nature for almost everyone to understand what it is and what it can accomplish. There is no doubt in my mind that the concepts of the great Stephen Hawking will be mere child's play in a few hundred years.

Lastly, it is documented and understood that certain human children are able to recall places, events, and even family members from previous lives. There are no adults who exhibit this amazing talent, only children. This is center of all sorts of debates in itself, which I will leave, for now, alone entirely.

So let us move into the ponderings, shall we?

Human Into Human Reincarnation

I believe that this will be the simplest to put into words, as it was the first direction my mind wanted to wander as this thought came to my attention. It should also be the simplest to understand, as the traditional way of understanding reincarnation is the same as this would be, only that the formerly human mind would return to this plane of existence as another human.

Take, for example, the idea that if I were to die and be reincarnated - in whatever manner isn't going to be debated here - and I would return as a human, just the same as I was before. My "being" as it were (or if you prefer "soul" just use that instead) would retain the vastness of information I had collected in my previous go-round on this Earth. However, having collected certain types of information and knowledge previously, I am struck with a form of amnesia - I cannot readily call forth that information, but it is stored somewhere for safe-keeping nonetheless.

I, personally, am artistic, interested in Philosophy and Theoretical Physics. I have a strong moral and ethical compass, and an affination to outer space and ancient anythings (Cultures, Dinosaurs...). Now, if the reincarnated "me" were to become an astrologer it wouldn't be surprising, and it also wouldn't be surprising if this version of myself were to come up with new, ground-breaking ways of studying the cosmos. The reason I say this is that if this thought be correct, that the collective knowledge of all humanity is reincarnated with each generation, it would be EASIER for my next life's mind to comprehend the things I already understand now. In other words - studying the cosmos would almost seem like a natural thing for this person.

The reason I take the time to say the previous bit is this: if it be simple and second-nature for my next life's mind to study the cosmos, chances are that the basics of this would be understood and learned at a very young age, and into adulthood this person would most likely stretch the bounds of human understanding of the subject, thus pushing the envelope of human understanding and coming up with new and better ways of thinking about things such as space, time, and bodies in space. This would certainly match the concept that a previous life had assisted in this person's understanding and eventual advancement of the subject.

Therefore, a human to human reincarnation would advance the collective understanding and intellect towards a particular topic by leaps and bounds, drawing on the fact that it be simple and easy to understand the current knowledge on whatever subject, this person would have a supreme advantage in that field and be able to expound upon everything, including previous life's experiences without even realizing it, and create a quantum leap in understanding.

Animal Into Human Reincarnation

This pondering is fairly easy, as it pertains to the process of what a human being would be like if it's previous life were an animal of some kind. I believe it would be clear what the results would be, and rather easy to point out in the real world we live in as well. I can think of a few individuals right now that I might put into this category as possibly having happened.

The mind of an animal would obviously be centered around basic instinct - or a knee-jerk reaction based thought process, or no thought process at all and only basic emotion and reaction instincts. I can imagine racism being something that still lingers in our society because of this type of reincarnation happening. Spousal abuse, child abuse, rape, murder, etc...I can imagine all these human actions being the result of the mind of an animal being born into a human body, and it's animalistic, completely irrational behaviors being prevalent.

I'm not certain what else to add here, because I didn't have to think on this idea very long to come to the above conclusion, and I think it sums the concept up rather simply.

Human Into Animal Reincarnation

I think this will be somewhat more difficult for me to put into words my thoughts, but I will give it a go anyway. If you can follow me through the mess of trying to write down this madness, I applaud you, and will look upon you with shock and awe, my friend.

Basically, the idea here is that a human mind who has passed from this physical realm into wherever else there may be, would either be placed by an intelligence, by complete chance, or by choice into the body of an animal. I'm going to simply use the animal of African Lion for this little bit, just to try and make things as simple as possible in an impossibly unsimple thing. 

Let's say, for another example using the same animal, that I upon physical death awaken as a Lion. I have the same selective amnesia as in the previous example, and do not actively recall anything of my former life as a human. The Lion's physical brain is simply incapable of expressing thought process on the level of a human being, and with that, my "being" (again, insert "soul" if it makes you feel better) would be extremely limited in capacity, but as a retainer of vast amounts of knowledge, I may be a very clever Lion, as far as Lions are concerned.

Chances are, my new Lion self will be able to recognize dangers more quickly than my other Lion counterparts, and have a distinct advantage in the game of survival. I may, if a male Lion, be able to win dominance battles easier than other Lions due to the fact that my mind in trying to function on a completely higher level - only restricted by the brain capacity of my physical body. It wouldn't be obviously apparent that I were anything super-special outwardly, but in the end, I would most likely have the highest chance of producing offspring and controlling a Pride as my own than other Lions who hadn't had a previous existence as a human being as I had been.

As a result, my influence on the Lions around me, and my direct offspring, would be cleverness which they could copy and try to match, and eventually as generations pass, Lions in general would appear to become more clever as a whole because of the influence my formerly human mind had on them while I was in that physical form.

This is a hypothetical, and in no way do I think I'm some kind of super-human super-intelligent person and that if I were to be born again as a Lion I'd single-handedly cause an evolutionary process to occur. At the same time, though, I somehow think that if a human were to be reincarnated as an animal of any kind, this would be the result.

Human Into Animal Into Human Reincarnation

This will be quite possibly the most difficult to explain my thoughts on as I have pondered it, and the hardest to follow as I will probably fail to make any sense at all, but regardless I will try, as always.

So this concept that a human would die physically, and by some process be reincarnated as an animal, and then again physically die and be reincarnated again back into the form of a human being is quite interesting to me, for many reasons. First of all, there would be a very large gap between the first life as a human and the next, as an entire (or possibly multiple) animal life/lives is/are between them.

Let's imagine Leonardo DaVinci having been reincarnated multiple times into animal form; possibly that bluebird that visits your front porch every morning and sings a glorious song, or that elephant who would paint pictures! Wouldn't that be an interesting thing to find out, but at any rate, let's say after a few lives in animal form, his mind is finally reincarnated back into a human body. What might this person be like?

This individual would probably be excellent at classical art, and be able to restore old paintings that have lost their flavour due to age and fading. This person would most likely also be excellent at fine arts, and push the envelope in the art world to the very limits of what humans think possible. Is this work possibly an example of DaVinci reincarnated? Who knows, but if this idea be true, then I think it's very likely that whomever first came up with the concept of 3D Sidewalk Art was most likely the reincarnation of an ancient renaissance master artist.

This concludes my thoughts on this most interesting concept - as always, think for yourself and don't even believe my own words! Come to your own conclusions, and please leave a comment below!

The Most Important Decision Of Your Life When Shit Hits The Fan

So, you wake up one day and things are a bit different in the world. Perhaps you've been one of the sleeping masses all your life and today is your wake-up call; perhaps you've been awake for a while, but just didn't think today was coming so soon. Either way, today is the day that shit just got real - today's the day shit hit the fan, and you weren't ready. How could you be? Nobody's truly ready for the day you have to make the most important decision of your life, and your family's life: Do you try to stay in your home and stick it out, or do you pack up and take off?

The grid's down - electricity, cell phones, running hot water, all non-functional - and on top of that, you realize almost immediately that everyone...and I mean EVERYONE...will be flooding into every grocery store buying up everything they can get their hands on, and you need to get there, too. You need to get there yesterday.

Panic sets in; what if you're already too late and the shelves are bare? What if you get mugged on the way? What if the grid doesn't come back online...ever? Fear can be your worst enemy at this moment, but it can also motivate you to take action. So what do you do? How long will this last? The television's not working - just static. Chances are you don't have a radio inside your home, not many do these days, so you've got to get to the car to turn on the radio and see just how bad things are, and if this is just temporary or long-lasting. Good thing is, you need to get to the car anyway to make a run to the store just in the off chance there's anything left.

On the way to the store, listening to the radio broadcasting news about the fact that this madness isn't going to end anytime soon, you have to make a decision; when you get back home, do you stay or do you go? Most of us will have more than just ourselves to consider with this decision - this life or death decision - and we need to carefully weigh things out.

I'm not going to bother making a list of things to stock up on, there are literally thousands of those lists already out there that are probably better than anything I could write up. I'm going to stick to the decision of staying in your home and sticking it out there, or bugging out and going into the open to try and survive.

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STAYING HOME AND STICKING IT OUT

When SHTF and you stay home, your house had better
look like this within a day or two...

The easiest thing to do right now, especially if you have a house with a basement or storm cellar nearby, is to stay at home and stick it out. You don't have to pack up anything that way, and you have all your possessions at your disposal whenever you need them. This is what most will do in a modern-day urban survival situation when SHTF. There are pros and cons involved here, so let's take a look at staying home in this situation.

PROS

• You have shelter already and don't need to create on the fly.
• All of your possessions are there already, and there's no packing involved.
• If things get really bad, you have a sturdy shelter to barricade into.
• You know the people around you, or should already. The "community" feeling will stick for a while.
• If you have a basement/storm cellar you have a seriously good place to bunker down if intruders come around.

CONS

• Heating a larger area if the weather's cold at the time is more difficult than a smaller shelter.
• Houses are the first places desperate people check for supplies when things get bad.
• Looting will go off the charts once chaos begins, and houses are targets for intruders.

Basically, the good things are also why the bad things exist for staying in your home and trying to stick it out. If you've got a generator for when the electric goes out, it's going to make noise which will attract very unwanted attention. If you're also the only house on the block with lights on, people will be knocking down your door to get in eventually, and no amount of barricading will stop them from getting in if they really want to. Generators will also only work so long as there's gasoline to put into them, and that's something that simply won't be available like it used to - either not available at all, or available but at a cost that's even more astronomical than normal.

You'd better have a rifle and plenty of ammo already in the house before this day comes, because finding one afterwards will either cost you a fortune or force you to take a life to get your hands on one. With the massive assault on the 2nd amendment to the Constitution currently underway, it should be clear to any rational thinking person that they should cling to their weaponry instead of giving them up. You don't want to be the only person in town who doesn't have a weapon to defend him or herself with if this day comes, because there's no question that those who have guns after the SHTF date will have a much easier time of things - both defending themselves, their family, and property and also securing supplies with force if necessary. Make no mistake about it - there will come a time soon after this begins where you'll have to secure materials and supplies by force or simply intimidation by running off other would-be gatherers. Doing so without a firearm will literally be impossible.

Right at this moment, if you don't have a garden in your back yard which is at least not obvious to anyone passing by - in other words hidden from view - food is going to be a serious problem, especially in urban areas which is where the vast majority of humans are. If you're more rural, or completely rural, you're going to have an easier time of things, but after a while you'll still have the wandering band of nomadic desperate people showing up every now and then which you'll most likely have to run off at gunpoint and hope they don't do math. In just a few days' time, the first deaths of starvation will occur, and those that are in the process will literally do anything to get food. Don't think for an instant that you're off the menu, either; there are many many cases of people being trapped somewhere remote for a time, and they resorted to cannibalism just to survive. Obviously, not all of them made it out alive.

If you're surviving, and not one of the desperate, starving masses, you want to be as inconspicuous as possible. Let's face it, a lot of people simply aren't going to survive the first few months of a SHTF situation, and if you want to be one of the survivors, you've got to keep one thing in mind: it's you, and your family, vs the world. Period. Your best friend will eventually turn on you if their stomach tells them to enough times. Your family and children are the only friends you've got on the planet, and you're just going to have to deal with that fact if you want to live. Taking in "strays" (as in other people asking for help) is not an option. It will tear at your heart strings, and rip you apart inside, but it's just the way it must be. After things settle down, and the remaining people that survived, if even barely, the first few months of the crises are what's left, NOW you can seek out small groups of people and try to set up some kind of community or tribe of sorts and work together to continue surviving from then on out.

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BUGGING OUT AND LEAVING HOME

This is my actual personal Bug Out set. You should
seriously consider making your own, now!

There are some cases where simply packing up your gear and taking off is the best option. If you don't have a home with a basement or some kind of durable shelter of some kind, or if you simply realize that your house is the last place you want to be when people turn into crazed maniacs as they desperately cling to life looking for food and supplies anywhere and everywhere, it might be time to bug out. In densely populated areas, like an inner-city, or just a major metropolitan area, this is most likely the best option just because of the sheer number of people you're going to have to deal with on a daily basis on top of trying to keep yourself alive as well. There are some good and bad things with this as well.

PROS

• You can easily relocate with a stockpile of essentials and move from place to place avoiding other people who could see you as a walking restock facility.
• With the very basics of outdoor living or a bit of camping experience you can eek out an existence until things normalize.
• There are less worries of others seeking you out if you're less visible, such as in a house that's lit up with a generator.
• Disappearing for a while, or going "off the grid" as the expression goes, can be the best thing in a SHTF situation to give yourself the best chance for survival.

CONS

• If you have a large immediate family, organizing a massive "pack up and go" with only the essentials can be nearly an impossibility.
• Small children simply won't understand what's happening, and will resist leaving what they attach to as their secure home where it's always safe and secure.
• Leaving a home with a group is more difficult than alone, as there are frankly more mouths to feed and less to go around.
• If you're alone or with a family out and about, there's literally nothing between your family and would-be desperate raiders other than your firearm.

The worst part about bugging out when SHTF is that every bad thing about staying in a house to try and survive is exaggerated 100 fold when out in the open, but sometimes it's still the best option. The biggest drawback is having a family to care for while bugging out, which quite frankly most of us have. There's strength in numbers when it comes to fending off the desperate masses who would sooner kill you for your stuff than join forces with you, but at the same time with more mouths to feed and less supplies to go around things get really tricky really quickly. In the situation where a family must evacuate their home in order to survive, it's imperative that EVERY member of the family know how to handle a firearm - using common sense of course; don't give your 5 year old a rifle.

Don't forget the weapons: Rifles, handguns, shotguns, even a slingshot can come in handy. There's no substitute when it's do or die time than your firearm. Don't bring a knife to a gunfight they say, and it's unfortunately going to be all too true here, with nothing between you and other people who're desperate to get your stuff at the expense of your and your family's lives than your weapon. You can pack all the food and gear you want, but if someone comes along with a rifle and demands you give it to them or die, without a means to defend yourself, your family, and your sustenance, it doesn't matter what you packed because it's now gone.

The biggest thing here is already having your gear ready to go when the SHTF day comes, because quite frankly you won't be able to secure anything on or after that day from any store on the planet. The only time you'll have the chance to restock or get new supplies is if you happen across an abandoned house or stockpile somewhere; leaving your life, or the lives of your family, in the hands of pure chance and hope isn't very smart. Get ready beforehand, even if you think it's a long shot that anything bad will ever happen. If something DOES happen and you don't have anything prepared, you might as well turn the rifle on yourself, because you're not gonna make it, plain and simple. Reality is a harsh mistress sometimes, but the truth must be understood.

Take a few sets of communication devices with you that are battery, or crank preferably, operated which do not require the grid to be active to use such as walkie talkies. If you've got the funds, go all out when you buy some, and get the ones with the longest active range in the store, and get as many sets as you think might be necessary for your entire family to have one on them at all times. Foraging is going to be extremely important while you try and survive in the open, because those canned beans and other foodstuffs won't last forever. Communicating with your walkies will be extremely important at all times. Whenever possible, you should keep the canned foods in your pack and forage anything edible around you instead, to save the canned goods for when there's simply nothing else around you can find for sustenance. 

Know that the only people you can trust are those who share your blood - your family. Anyone else must be viewed as a potential threat and kept away from at all cost. Remember; desperate times call for desperate measures, and you're not the only one out there who's desperate. Everyone you encounter will, without a doubt, be viewing you as an exploitable recourse to keep themselves alive longer at the expense of your own life if necessary. Trust no-one other than who you bring with you, and make sure you only bring your family.

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GOOD LUCK OUT THERE

Good luck, my friends, when that fateful day comes. I wish you the best, as always, in everything you do and especially this. I wish everyone would be able to survive that situation but sadly, many will perish within just a few weeks of it happening. With the well-wishes comes my statement to you, however, that I will not stop to help you if we cross paths out there trying to survive, and don't expect you to help me, either. Much love, and stay safe in the world out there.

Understanding What A Resistance Movement Is

Buddhist Monk in protest of assaults and
killings of other Monks sets himself on fire
and sits silently in meditation until dead.

   A lot of times, when speaking with people on an individual basis, this is the most common misconception they will have.  Most likely, when someone thinks of a Resistance Movement, they envision a large group of militants with assault rifles, masks, and a bad attitude. While this may be the case in some conditions - such as a last resort scenario - it's not the most common way that most groups choose to go about their Resistance Movement(s).

PHASE 1 - PASSIVE AGGRESSION

   The most basic Resistance Movement is as simple as a peaceful protest on the lawn of a notable facility, where individuals come together to get a point across. They either are against an up-coming parliament vote outcome, or are showing general civil unrest to their parliament leaders. A clear message can be sent in this fashion that the people they represent are not satisfied with their decisions as of late, or want a specific decision to take place. Protest signs, megaphones, picnic environments are keystone elements of a peaceful protest.

PHASE 2 - VOCAL DISSIDENCE

   When that fails, the next step is typically for the group to take a step further, and become more vocal in their demonstrations. They will sometimes make it clear that they no longer support those in parliament, and will demand a change in leadership. Sometimes they will passively support alternative leadership instead of the status quo, and attempt to passively vote in new leadership when the terms are up for re-election. Other times, they will show the telltale signs of a group who is completely sick of their treatment by parliament leaders, and become belligerent to the point of Law Enforcement being called to try and regain control of the masses.

PHASE 3 - AGGRESSIVE RESISTANCE

   The next step is typically the point where the group(s) have tried every peaceful means possible, and have been ignored or have failed to make an impact themselves from outside the establishment. This is when you will start to see large groups begin to show up outside parliament buildings, and when the Law Enforcement Officers are on scene, the protest will turn aggressive if pushed back on. This can result in immediate force being applied by Law Enforcement to attempt to regain control over the situation and disperse the protesters. At this point, one of two things may happen; the Protesters will back down, and disperse for fear of arrest or physical harm, or the dissidents will shove back so hard that the Law Enforcement Officers must retreat, and the protest continues to escalate.

PHASE 4 - MILITARY INTERVENTION

   At this point in the game, Militant action can be expected to soon come to the protests if something isn't done by parliament officials to offer appeasement. In every case, the Military is called in to take charge of the situation when protesters begin to arm themselves and take a solid stance against the Law Enforcement Officers. The main issue that the protesters will run into in this situation is the fear of death that some will inevitably have within their ranks, and not wish to press the Military directly, and dispersion occurs more often than  not.

FINAL PHASE - ALL OUT RESISTANCE CONFLICT

   Unfortunately, sometimes those in charge of government simply don't listen, and think that they can retain their power by use of force through military intervention and intimidation. This has never worked in human history and has, in every case, escalated the resistance members of the public into an all-out conflict with those in authority. Sometimes the resistance wins out, sometimes not, but it undeniably sends a clear message that the people are to the point where they refuse to put up with any more madness from their elected officials, and will do everything necessary to remove them from office.

   Hopefully this information can allow you to decide if your Human Rights and Freedoms are worth going to the end of the protest possibilities or not. Personally, I am willing to lay down my life for the future of my child, your children, and our children's children who we are borrowing this world from today. They are the future, and if their future doesn't exist, nothing that happens right now matters anyway.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
Ronald Reagan

Do You Know What's Safe To Eat In The Wild? If Not, You Should!

Introduction

It may come to pass, in a very expedient fashion, that we will run into a situation where civilization is reduced to the infancy of mankind once again - a post-apocalyptic future, after the USA invades either Syria or Iran or both in the near future, where Russia and China launch themselves at The United States in an attempt to quell our government's lust for oil at the expense of human life beginning World War III, may come to pass rather quickly. In this scenario that isn't all that far-fetched at all, sadly, the survivors of the ensuing disaster will be forced to revert to a Hunter-Gatherer lifestyle.

Long before agriculture was invented by modern Humans, foraging and gathering plants, roots, insects of all kinds, and various wild-growing vegetables and fruits helped sustain our ancestors. Roaming, nomadic hunter-gatherers knew everything there was to know, by trial and error, about the natural food in their environment. How did they learn all this? They would try different things they would find in the bush, and remember the effects. This would result in deaths by poisonous agents, and the unlucky Human to have tried it would allow the others to know what to avoid in the future. After they learned what was good to eat and what would kill a person, or make them sick, the elders of settlements/villages/tribes would pass this information down verbally to the new generations so they didn't suffer from complete ignorance of the land.

So how can we, so far removed from the old ways of Human existence, ever hope to survive in the wild if a worst case scenario happens, and we're forced to forage once again? We can take advantage of the knowledge of many survivalists around the world who know, from being taught by those who hold the sacred old traditions dear, what's good and what's bad for us. Here are a few things to keep in mind when the time comes where we may have to survive on the land once more.

Edible Plants and Mushrooms

WildCrafting.net list of edible Plants/Mushrooms with Photos

Recipes for foraged ingredients

Baked Dandelion

Baked Plantain

Burdock Brown Rice and Mushrooms

Burdock Root Soup

Cattail Rice

Cattail Soup

Chicken Weed Wrap

Dandelion Fritters

Lambs Quarters Soup

Leek and Nettle Soup

Roasted Lambs Quarters

Stinging Nettle Soup

Stuffed Milkweed Pods

Wild Pizza

Wood Sorrel and Onion Tart

Yarrow Omelette

Source: http://www.ediblewildfood.com/

Keep in mind as well, that in a survival situation, the ability to actually make dishes such as these may not be possible. You will most likely not have an easy time coming across certain ingredients, but with a small herb garden, one might be able to self-sustain and eat very well, also. Keep in mind that everything you buy in the grocery store produce section can be grown by you in your own garden. All you need are seeds, and knowledge on how to care for each type of plant!

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER

Do not eat anything which you cannot identify or are unsure about! There are many many plants, fruits, berries, and roots that are very similar to one another in appearance, and to an untrained eye, it is easy to make a catastrophic mistake and harm yourself immensely. Don't risk your life or health on a 50/50 chance you're right. Always be 100% certain, or don't even touch it! In a survival situation, the SLIGHTEST illness can turn deadly almost immediately. Even a small infection that would normally be nothing more than an inconvenience can turn devastatingly deadly, or debilitating. Be sure, be safe, and survive.

Are We Living A Dream Or Is Our Dream The Reality?

We humans have five senses (over 4000 years ago, Ancient Egyptians wrote claiming to experience 365 different senses, ironically the same amount of days in our modern calendar year!) which we utilize to experience the world around us. This is an undisputed scientific and biological fact which cannot be argued against; however, I don't intend to argue against that statement. We indeed DO experience the world, or universe if you will, around us using the five basic senses we're accustomed to using. 

We have eyes with which to see, ears with which to hear, a nose with which to smell, a tongue with which to taste, and skin with which to touch. Another undeniable, scientific fact. What isn't undeniable are the definitions of the terms used: "Seeing", "Hearing", "Smelling", "Tasting", "Touching". Those terms have a few meanings, but only one is commonly understood and accepted; I think it's high time that the accepted definition of these words be changed dramatically, so here we go - down the rabbit hole possibly to it's lower levels!

SIGHT

THE TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING

Commonly, we understand that the act of "seeing" any "thing" is experienced when light travels into our pupils, is flip-flopped, the rods and cones of the retina start gathering black/white/color imagery and then convert that information into electronic neuro-pulse waves, sent to our brain which then processes the offered information and we then "see" the "thing(s)" that is around us.

In a nutshell, if all that madness flew right over your noggin, the objects outside our body are reflecting light waves (cool nugget: the color of an object is dependent on what light waves it reflects, not absorbs!) which our eyes then pick up on and transfer to our brain which shows us what we're looking at. Typically, the question of "What is sight?" ends there most of the time, and it very much shouldn't.

THE CORRECT UNDERSTANDING

Uncommonly, someone gets the wild idea to keep that question/answer thing about sight rolling, as I have recently, and starts to explore the more remote and profound concepts of what sight truly is. Concentrating on some particular idea for a length of time is equivalent, in philosophical terms, to meditation; that's just what I've been doing on the idea of senses as of late, and what I found my conclusion on sight was this:

Viewing the outside world is exactly the same as viewing one's dream world.

There are a few reasons why I come to this conclusion, and I will endeavor to list them all without forgetting any of them here.

1. The imagery that is collected by the eyes in one's waking, conscious life and sent to the brain for translation is the same imagery used in one's dreaming life - regardless of the fact that the imagery used in the dreaming life means completely different things than in the "real" world.
2. The images of "things" that we "see" in the universe around us only exist in our minds, individually. There is a certain level of common understanding that a tree appears in this way, a cat appears in this way, etc. but this must be learned. A newborn baby cannot distinguish a tree from a cat or a cat from a 747 jetliner - it has no concept of those "things" and even though sees them, cannot comprehend those objects, therefore they might as well not exist at that point. Whether dreaming or awake, the only place that anything is truly "seen" is within our own mind.
3. Every atom (Which is the building block of everything!) is 99.999% empty space with unlimited stores of energy contained within. If I turn the transparency setting of my Photoshop project layer to just 10% I can begin to view the layers behind it as it just begins to become transparent. If I were to crank that transparency setting to 99.999% the layer I was editing would literally disappear from view. I wouldn't be able to see it anymore. For all intents and purposes, it would be invisible, and not exist to me.
4. If we were to view, or "see" objects as they truly were, they would appear to be invisible and not even exist to us. (See 3.)

SOUND

THE TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING

The traditional way we understand hearing various sounds around us is that sound waves created from an outside source travel at a fixed rate of speed outward and if our ears are close enough to pick up the wave frequency, and if that frequency is within our discernible area, we 'hear' it. The sound is then sent via our inner ear, the eardrum, transformed into electronic pulses, and then into our brain where it is translated into an understandable thing which we can recognize as a sound - whether that sound be common or uncommon, or simply unknown.

THE CORRECT UNDERSTANDING

Uncommonly, the concept of sound is observed in a different way, which I have been fortunate enough to have a mind that's keen on viewing things in different ways in order to break them down and dissect them anew. I don't say that in a way to mean I'm somehow better than anyone else - I'm certainly not; I say that with the knowledge that any human being has the capability of doing the same as I do, but most simply are too distracted by other things to do it. I will attempt to explain why I view sound in a different way than the traditional.

1. Understanding that our human capability to receive and process sound waves is extremely limited to a small fraction of the entire spectrum of the sound waves that can possibly exist, it is clear that we only perceive an extremely limited amount of what's going on around us. This is shown clearly by the 'dog whistle' device.
2. The un-heard sound waves which are bombarding our bodies but cannot be 'heard' by our brains still have an effect on us both mentally and physically. They still exist, therefore they still much have an effect of some kind.
3. Understanding that our brain processes and completely ignores certain audible sound waves upon receiving them from the ear shows that we aren't even 'hearing' everything that can be heard in our very limited capacity anyway. Only a fraction of the fraction that we possibly can hear is recognized and not filtered out as 'background noise'.
4. If we were capable of recognizing every 'audible' sound wave that is processed by our brains, it would assuredly result in our ability to focus being completely destroyed by an overflow of audio stimulus. It is therefore understood that the human brain is simply not capable of functioning without the ability to filter out certain sounds entirely.
5. Certain sound wave frequencies can literally alter a person's mood, outlook, and attitude; sometimes on a person by person level according to certain past experiences (a person hears a familiar sound that reminds them of a positive childhood experience and their mood becomes more positive, while everyone else hears the same sound but is unaffected), or a generalized, all-encompassing level (your neighborhood grocery store plays a certain playlist of music to relax your mind in order to loosen your purse as you shop).

Sound waves are very special, because it is my concerted belief that everything around us, including ourselves, are nothing but wave frequency - audible wave frequencies are simply a certain type that we are programmed to be able to 'hear' and process as what we call sound.

SMELL & TASTE

These two senses I'm not going to bother covering, just because the traditional way of understanding them is the same way that I understand them to be - with a few minor adjustments. The adjustments are basically the addition of the ideas that everything is mostly empty space, so our minds are actually fabricating imagery for us to experience - smells and tastes are simply creations of our mind on an individual basis (some people dislike the taste of onions while others love tasting onions), or again a collective basis (everyone knows what sweet is, sour is, and bland is).

TOUCH

THE TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING

The usual way in which we humans understand touching things is that we come into contact with an object of some kind, and our skin's nerves and sensors transfer that information in electromagnetic pulse form to our brains where it is then translated into something which we can recognize and learn about. The sensation of burning when a child first puts his hand over a lit candle sends a clear signal to the brain that it needs to send a message to the body to withdraw immediately, and offer the sensation of pain so that the child learns not to repeat that mistake a second time.

THE CORRECT UNDERSTANDING

While the traditional way of understanding 'touch' may be true in some aspects, the core of it is simply incorrect and needs a better explanation. A bit of research and knowledge of certain things is required for this understanding to take place, but as it is considered 'fringe' and 'theory' it isn't taken very seriously nor is it in the mainstream of science - but it very much should be.

1. Understanding that every molecule in every 'thing' is 99.999% empty space, and that we cannot walk through walls when we clearly should be able to, something else must be going on which explains why empty space pressing against empty space cannot pass through one another.
2. Reflecting on this for only a short time, any thinking person (I think) should be able to come to the following conclusion: there are forces within 'things' which repel one another, and in some cases do not (such as many liquids which can be mixed together and entirely intermingle to create a new liquid).
3. Taking into consideration that every 'thing' is emitting it's own wave frequency pattern, it must be concluded that certain objects, such as the human body and a wood structure, have such differing wave frequencies in their natures that they cannot intermingle at all, and repel one another completely.
4. Understanding that at the precise instant of impact, an insect being hit by a vehicle on the road exerts the exact same amount of force against the vehicle as the vehicle exerts on the insect, until the vehicle's sheer mass wins out and decimates the insect, it can be said the following:
5. When we 'touch' anything, such as a wall in our home, we aren't really touching it at all, we're simply being made aware of the force pressing back against us, and when the force from one object's wave frequency pattern is far greater than the opposing wave frequency pattern, it can 'break' the opposing pattern.

CONCLUSION

In closing, it must be understood that we never see, hear, smell, taste, or touch anything outside our 'body'. Anything that we experience through what we call our senses is entirely dependent on our mind creating imagery, or a symbol, to represent whatever it is we're experiencing around us in a way which can be rendered intelligible, understandable, and translatable into what our feeble brains can comprehend. You obviously aren't meant to take this as the absolute truth - I don't believe anything I come across without first researching it myself and coming to my own conclusions, and I would hope you don't blindly believe me without researching these things for yourself as well. As always, much love and keep learning...learn something new every day and keep your mind alive!

The Department of Homeland Security just purchased 1.4 Billion rounds while you're being disarmed.

The Department of Homeland Security has purchased 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition- that is not a typo -- during the last six months. This includes 450 million rounds of  .40 hollow point, 200 million rounds of .223 rifle ammunition, and 176,000 rounds of .308 168-grain hollow point boat tail (HPBT) that is used almost exclusively as ammo for sniper rifles. From beforeitsnews.com we read:

Why is everyone all up in arms about the recent purchase by Homeland security of 1.4 Billion rounds of ammunition? Our undeclared Foreign War in Iraq Consumes about 70,000,000 (70 Million) Rounds of Ammunition Each Year, which would take about 20 years to consume 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition ordered by the Department of Homeland Security alone, not including all the ammunition ordered by the weather service, Social Security, etc! 20 Years To Use All 1.4 Billion Rounds Of This Ammo? Is the Department of Homeland security to protect us from foreign terrorists, or to protect the central government from the American people?

Read the entire chilling article. Avoid any political discussions about Obama's infamous 2008 quote, lest your blood pressure dangerously rise.

We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.

***UPDATE***2/22/13***FRIDAY***

H.R.748 113th Congress

This is just another piece of the never-ending puzzle

showing just how maniacal, tyrannical, and UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Barack Hussein Obama has become. If you weren't worried before, 

and you've got a family member male or female that's 18-25

you'd better start paying attention to what the hell is happening

in Washington D.C. - the corporation otherwise referred to as:

THE UNITED STATES.

Let's put these DHS numbers in perspective. An Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer displaces (weighs) 9,300 tons. 1.4 billion rounds weigh around 28,000 tons, three destroyers' worth, so to speak. It takes over 1,200 18-wheel trucks to move that much ammunition. That's the equivalent to a line of single trailer trucks, parked end to end, almost 14 miles long. There are 314 million Americans, men, women and children living in the United States this morning. This year alone, DHS has purchased four rounds for each and every American. We don't know how much more ammo the DHS may have accumulated during the preceding 36 months of the Obama Administration. This enormous DHS stockpile supplements the ammunition already held by the US Armed Forces, the National Guard, hundreds of local and state police departments, plus other Federal law enforcement agencies such as the ATF, Secret Service, FBI, TSA and the US Marshals Service. Why did DHS purchase 28,000 tons of ammunition?  Why did DHS purchase almost half a billion rounds of hollow point ammunition, banned by the Hague Convention of 1899 for use in international warfare, that is carefully designed to kill it intended targets? Americans have no good answers to these questions since the DHS is now refusing to respond to media inquires on the subject. Pull back the curtain of silence by asking your Congressmen and Senators these questions. These huge inventories are extremely troubling from the standpoint of a free society.  DHS and other Federal governmental agencies will be much less inclined to ever use this ammunition as long as Americans citizens stand firm in supporting our Second Amendment rights to bear arms. We must never forget that tyrants throughout modern history (Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and Mao) always disarmed their opponents before rounding them up and sending them to the killing fields.


From guest blogger Lee DeCovnick who's original post can be found here.

The Most Curious Allegory of the Cave

The son of a wealthy and noble family, Plato (427-347 B.C.) was preparing for a career in politics when the trial and eventual execution of Socrates (399 B.C.) changed the course of his life. He abandoned his political career and turned to philosophy, opening a school on the outskirts of Athens dedicated to the Socratic search for wisdom. Plato's school, then known as the Academy, was the first university in western history and operated from 387 B.C. until A.D. 529, when it was closed by Justinian.

Unlike his mentor Socrates, Plato was both a writer and a teacher. His writings are in the form of dialogues, with Socrates as the principal speaker. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato described symbolically the predicament in which mankind finds itself and proposes a way of salvation. The Allegory presents, in brief form, most of Plato's major philosophical assumptions: his belief that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world but only a poor copy of it, and that the real world can only be apprehended intellectually; his idea that knowledge cannot be transferred from teacher to student, but rather that education consists in directing student's minds toward what is real and important and allowing them to apprehend it for themselves; his faith that the universe ultimately is good; his conviction that enlightened individuals have an obligation to the rest of society, and that a good society must be one in which the truly wise (the Philosopher-King) are the rulers.

The Allegory of the Cave can be found in Book VII of Plato's best-known work, The Republic, a lengthy dialogue on the nature of justice. Often regarded as a utopian blueprint, The Republic is dedicated toward a discussion of the education required of a Philosopher-King.

The Allegory is so masterfully weaved together, it is clear that Socrates himself is akin to the mind of what I refer to as the Dream Master, the master craftsman of the mind's eye who weaves together the wonderfully vivid, meaningful, intelligible and beautiful dreams we all have every night. Try to follow Glaucon along as he's given possibly the most important information of any human's life to date by a wise man who claimed that the only thing he knows is that he knows nothing.

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[Socrates] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.
[Glaucon] I see.
[Socrates] And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.
[Glaucon] You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.
[Socrates] Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?
[Glaucon] True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?
[Socrates] And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows?
[Glaucon] Yes, he said.
[Socrates] And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?
[Glaucon] Very true.
[Socrates] And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow?
[Glaucon] No question, he replied.
[Socrates] To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.
[Glaucon] That is certain.
[Socrates] And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?
[Glaucon] Far truer.
[Socrates] And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?
[Glaucon] True, he now.
[Socrates] And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he 's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.
[Glaucon] Not all in a moment, he said.
[Socrates] He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?
[Glaucon] Certainly.
[Socrates] Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.
[Glaucon] Certainly.
[Socrates] He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?
[Glaucon] Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him.
[Socrates] And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?
[Glaucon] Certainly, he would.
[Socrates] And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer,

Better to be the poor servant of a poor master,
and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner?

[Glaucon] Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner.
[Socrates] Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?
[Glaucon] To be sure, he said.
[Socrates] And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.
[Glaucon] No question, he said.
[Socrates] This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.
[Glaucon] I agree, he said, as far as I am able to understand you.
[Socrates] Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is very natural, if our allegory may be trusted.
[Glaucon] Yes, very natural.
[Socrates] And is there anything surprising in one who passes from divine contemplations to the evil state of man, misbehaving himself in a ridiculous manner; if, while his eyes are blinking and before he has become accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the images or the shadows of images of justice, and is endeavoring to meet the conceptions of those who have never yet seen absolute justice?
[Glaucon] Anything but surprising, he replied.
[Socrates] Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave.
[Glaucon] That, he said, is a very just distinction.
[Socrates] But then, if I am right, certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put a knowledge into the soul which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes.
[Glaucon] They undoubtedly say this, he replied.
[Socrates] Whereas, our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of being, and of the brightest and best of being, or in other words, of the good.
[Glaucon] Very true.
[Socrates] And must there not be some art which will effect conversion in the easiest and quickest manner; not implanting the faculty of sight, for that exists already, but has been turned in the wrong direction, and is looking away from the truth?
[Glaucon] Yes, he said, such an art may be presumed.
[Socrates] And whereas the other so-called virtues of the soul seem to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise, the of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable; or, on the other hand, hurtful and useless. Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue --how eager he is, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his keen eyesight is forced into the service of evil, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness.
[Glaucon] Very true, he said.
[Socrates] But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below --if, I say, they had been released from these impediments and turned in the opposite direction, the very same faculty in them would have seen the truth as keenly as they see what their eyes are turned to now.
[Glaucon] Very likely.
[Socrates] Yes, I said; and there is another thing which is likely. or rather a necessary inference from what has preceded, that neither the uneducated and uninformed of the truth, nor yet those who never make an end of their education, will be able ministers of State; not the former, because they have no single aim of duty which is the rule of all their actions, private as well as public; nor the latter, because they will not act at all except upon compulsion, fancying that they are already dwelling apart in the islands of the blest.
[Glaucon] Very true, he replied.
[Socrates] Then, I said, the business of us who are the founders of the State will be to compel the best minds to attain that knowledge which we have already shown to be the greatest of all-they must continue to ascend until they arrive at the good; but when they have ascended and seen enough we must not allow them to do as they do now.
[Glaucon] What do you mean?
[Socrates] I mean that they remain in the upper world: but this must not be allowed; they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the cave, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not.
[Glaucon] But is not this unjust? he said; ought we to give them a worse life, when they might have a better?
[Socrates] You have again forgotten, my friend, I said, the intention of the legislator, who did not aim at making any one class in the State happy above the rest; the happiness was to be in the whole State, and he held the citizens together by persuasion and necessity, making them benefactors of the State, and therefore benefactors of one another; to this end he created them, not to please themselves, but to be his instruments in binding up the State.
[Glaucon] True, he said, I had forgotten.
[Socrates] Observe, Glaucon, that there will be no injustice in compelling our philosophers to have a care and providence of others; we shall explain to them that in other States, men of their class are not obliged to share in the toils of politics: and this is reasonable, for they grow up at their own sweet will, and the government would rather not have them. Being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received. But we have brought you into the world to be rulers of the hive, kings of yourselves and of the other citizens, and have educated you far better and more perfectly than they have been educated, and you are better able to share in the double duty. Wherefore each of you, when his turn comes, must go down to the general underground abode, and get the habit of seeing in the dark. When you have acquired the habit, you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the cave, and you will know what the several images are, and what they represent, because you have seen the beautiful and just and good in their truth. And thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that of other States, in which men fight with one another about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, which in their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst.
[Glaucon] Quite true, he replied.
[Socrates] And will our pupils, when they hear this, refuse to take their turn at the toils of State, when they are allowed to spend the greater part of their time with one another in the heavenly light?
[Glaucon] Impossible, he answered; for they are just men, and the commands which we impose upon them are just; there can be no doubt that every one of them will take office as a stern necessity, and not after the fashion of our present rulers of State.
[Socrates] Yes, my friend, I said; and there lies the point. You must contrive for your future rulers another and a better life than that of a ruler, and then you may have a well-ordered State; for only in the State which offers this, will they rule who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life. Whereas if they go to the administration of public affairs, poor and hungering after the' own private advantage, thinking that hence they are to snatch the chief good, order there can never be; for they will be fighting about office, and the civil and domestic broils which thus arise will be the ruin of the rulers themselves and of the whole State.
[Glaucon] Most true, he replied.
[Socrates] And the only life which looks down upon the life of political ambition is that of true philosophy. Do you know of any other?
[Glaucon] Indeed, I do not, he said.
[Socrates] And those who govern ought not to be lovers of the task? For, if they are, there will be rival lovers, and they will fight.
[Glaucon] No question.
[Socrates] Who then are those whom we shall compel to be guardians? Surely they will be the men who are wisest about affairs of State, and by whom the State is best administered, and who at the same time have other honors and another and a better life than that of politics?
[Glaucon] They are the men, and I will choose them, he replied.
[Socrates] And now shall we consider in what way such guardians will be produced, and how they are to be brought from darkness to light, -- as some are said to have ascended from the world below to the gods?
[Glaucon] By all means, he replied.
[Socrates] The process, I said, is not the turning over of an oyster-shell, but the turning round of a soul passing from a day which is little better than night to the true day of being, that is, the ascent from below, which we affirm to be true philosophy?
[Glaucon] Quite so.

Pope Benedict XVI Resigns

I've recently learned through the wonderful world of trickling information through the internet that the Patriarch of Catholicism has decided to step down from his most holiest of posts, designated to him by his god directly, and resigned his seat.

This is a very curious turn of events, so let's see if we can't try and understand what's happening here, and what this means for the Catholic Church and it's future, shall we? We shall! Below, you can read as I have his written statement which is addressed to, I assume, the Cardinals of Rome.

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

BENEDICTUS PP XVI

With this being read, what can be gleaned from the statement itself in it's most basic form?

1. Pope Benedict XVI has examined his conscience before his god.
2. Pope Benedict XVI describes the nature of his post - words, deeds, prayer, suffering.
3. Pope Benedict XVI is in poor health - poor enough to force him to consider resigning his post.
4. Pope Benedict XVI understands that the act of resigning from his post is a serious act.
5. Pope Benedict XVI declares that with full freedom he renounces the ministry of Bishop of Rome.
6. Pope Benedict XVI states the exact date and time of his resignation: 2/28/2013 20:00 hrs
7. Pope Benedict XVI states that he entrusts the Church to their supreme Pastor, Jesus Christ.

Well, those are some very curious things, indeed. Let's look at them for a moment and try to understand what's being said. Firstly, a very strange comment - at least to me, it may be understood as normal to a Catholic - stating that he's examined his conscience before his god. Let's use Socratic Philosophy to try and figure this madness out, shall we? What can be said about the words "examined" and "conscience"? To examine is to view closely, to judge for defect. If you examine something, you're carefully looking it over and noting details about it. One's conscience is understood to be that little voice inside one's mind that helps with ethical decisions. If your conscience is clear, you're at peace with yourself because you have no regrets, would you not agree? If your conscience bothers you often, you clearly have something in your past that you certainly don't want hitting the front page of the newspaper. I would say that the larger question is: What was the result of his conscience examination? I would imagine it was not clear, as shuttling pedophiles around to different churches after they diddle little kids repeatedly would weigh on one's conscience, wouldn't you?

Then he offers a list of the duties of his post - not only in word and deed, but in prayer and suffering. This is also very curious, because if a portion of his post is suffering, for one thing, living in a mansion being waited on hand and foot every day of your life seems a bit less like suffering and more like monarchy. However, if he truly wishes to suffer for his post, I would imagine suffering through failing health due to aging would be a very welcomed struggle to one in his most pious position. It doesn't appear that he wishes to fulfill his duty of suffering , and is instead simply walking away from it; he takes the easy road and has chosen instead NOT to suffer, and simply walks away from his duties and post.

He then states that it is understood to him that in resigning from his post as High Bishop of the Catholic Church, he is doing something "serious". Obviously it's a serious action, but just HOW serious is this resignation that he's doing? Let's look at a bit of Catholic history, and try to find an answer.

• Marcellinus: This early church pope abdicated or was deposed in 304 after complying with the Roman emperor's order to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Apparently, this Pope resigned because he was forced into doing something against his religious beliefs and was shamed.
• Benedict IX: Sold the papacy to his godfather Gregory VI and resigned in 1045. The current, soon to be former, Pope's namesake, apparently desired money above all else, selling the big seat to someone else and resigning.
• Celestine V: Overwhelmed by the demands of the office, this hermetic pontiff stepped down after five months as pope in 1294. Pope Benedict XVI prayed at his tomb in the central Italian city of L'Aquila in 2009. Apparently this Pope didn't like the limelight, and resigned his post in order to be more secluded. Hey, thanks god for the vote of confidence, now piss off!
• Gregory XII: The last pope to resign, Gregory XII stepped down in 1415 to help end a church schism. Basically, upon a small bit of quick research, this Pope and another had claim to the big seat, and he made a mistake by sending a proxy to a meeting in his stead, who agreed, while speaking on Gregory's behalf, that Gregory would step down. Screwed over because he didn't want to go to a meeting, good job.

So what does this mean? Only 4 Popes in the Catholic Church's history have ever resigned by some means or another, and they were all under very strange circumstances - all except this one. Is Benedict XVI feeling guilt finally about all the pedophilia that's gone on under his reign that he's done absolutely nothing with but cover it up? Is he finally coming to terms with the insanity of claiming condoms are immoral and banned by the Church in Africa, making 100% certain that the widespread overpopulation and spread of the AIDS virus goes unchecked by any means? Has he actually understood that his religion is nothing more than a ponzy scheme, custom built to gather large amounts of donations (offerings) from the poor, meek, and mild only to live in the lap of luxury - in a palace worth millions? Who knows, but I for one am glad he's going bye bye. Maybe the next Pope can use wisdom, intelligence, and common sense to dictate to the ignorant masses what to think, do, feel, and believe.