Happy

Happy happy happy happy happy happy...

Peter

Prince of Peace - God of War

I just watched Prince of Peace - God of War by John Campea. I recommend it. It's a documentary wrestling the question of pacifism and of just war.

My recommendation is:
Don't go to war without first watching this documentary.

Before today I had conceded to the concept of just war. That concept has been weakened by watching the documentary.

Maybe we're called to take a spiritual perspective and absolutely never use lethal force. I can't really lead myself to believe that totally though.

But then, why isn't it as simple as "Love your enemies" therefore do not kill them?

Riddle me that, all you fellow armchair philosophers!

Peter

Reality is Overrated

I'd rather live in my happy delusions than in your perfect world
I'd rather not live like you, pouting and upper lip curled
I'd rather drink a thousand rivers than chunder your words
I'd rather die and rise and fly on sky-seeking thunderbirds

Reality is overrated but you don't seem to care
I've found that realism makes me ache everywhere
Pretend is where it's at
Just ask the Cat in the Hat

Peter

Your Shoulders

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be

(Josh Groban)

Peter

Non-Linearity

So we're studying non-linearity in electronics. About time, I say. The world is not linear. I'll stand by that. You'll find some things that are pretty much linear, and you'll find some living creatures that are natural snack foods. But not many, and that's the point.

As a general rule, things are non-linear. It's man forming the world in his own image when he says that the world can be imagined as linear. It's an easy compromise.

Give me those harmonics, that intermodulation distortion. Mmm, tasty.

We study steady state, but there is no steady state. Everything, at best, is transient. Most stuff just isn't really comprehensible. We'll try, nay, even make progress. But we're all just sophomoric adolescents wandering around the world trying to make sense of it all.

Our minds are too small to fit reality inside. We can only ever hope to fit glimpses and unusual revelations.

Science is flawed. We will never make it. We will always remain ignorant and insufficient. We think and we think and suddenly we realise that it's not about understanding.

When God introduced himself to the people of Israel in Exodus, he didn't say "Ok Moses, tell them that it was this massive being that sent you, who is omnipotent and omnipresent, and all loving and all that kind of stuff, y'all understand?"

No.

He said "Tell them that the I AM sent you." You know the beingness. Yahweh. The one who was and is and is to come and bes without the shackles of time. He is what we are made in the image of. (Note well that proper theology tells us that God does think and does actually understand everything.)

We do not think first of all. We are.

And all this non-linearity reminds us that the world is more complicated that we can ever possibly imagine.

We stand on the edge of the ocean looking at shells and weird rocks. The ocean of reality stands totally undiscovered before us.

Rock on,
Peter