Charles a mystery riddle....Nice one. Makes us use the mind. What a concept. The world will continue I feel. The humans because of there own ignorance may not be a part of it but the world will continue. Can't lose sleep over myself. The fear factory must continue. It is good for peoples bottom line. I myself I am going to trust that the human being who once they get a chance to take that first breath will go back to that defining instinct......SURVIVAL. Me I am not going to lose sleep based on the factory of fear.
Well said! We are motivated from one of only two things in life—love or fear. Instincts, like survival, can be based on love when one’s compassion and generosity helps them to procure the survival of others. Even the taking of life in our own survival, which we must do, can be made from a place of sacredness and compassion (ie love) when we give proper reverence and respect for the lives that were taken.
A gracious human based response to a tough situational. thank you for giving a well thought out response. By your verbiage I know it is sincere! Pleasure to learn about you here Kert. Thank you for creating a dialogue for a moment.
And I can say the exact same about you. Thank you! We all have to get to this place where we can invite a safe dialogue even as we hold strong opinions. We never have to resort to ad-hominem attack or name calling—but we should hold each other accountable to not only the highest standards of interpersonal relationships, but also of truth grounded in rational evidence-based logic. Even when we humans have such passions. I can respect another person when they hold a different opinion, but I cannot stand by mute if they say things out loud that place others in harms way.
I am always grateful, and will acknowledge it, when others can engage like this. And so i acknowledge and am grateful for you.
Thank you for the kindness and the respect. For me it is the ongoing fight for clarity and discernment! Not whether I like or dislike. The quest for reality that leads to clearness. Now with this what is called social media we have lost that. We have gone back to grade school.....Likes and dislikes/friends/followers. After two decades that affects are all around us. You must be accountable and you must be able to change your mind when it is warranted. This is also lost also. All of this is cratering society. I talk about the human conditions in my last book that i wrote. For me it is all about the human.... not the tool.....technology. Cheers
The Unabomber's Manifesto made sense in many ways. A return to a Jeffersonian agricultural society would bring people back in touch with the planet and remind them where food comes from. But, with the ratio of skilled humans and ergates being what it is, we will become more and more like the machines that rule us until the time comes that everything crashes.
This I can agree totally with you Charles. Though I will be clear I’m not a fan at all of Ted Kaczynski—regardless of what he propounded in his manifesto. Ends don’t justify his means. I can definitely get behind people moving more toward an earth-based, agrarian way of life.
I don't actually pretend to know how you're divining, but your conclusion seems to me to be hopeful. "Looking through a crack" seems to describe the narrow way we're forced to interpret events, always with very limited knowledge and a lot of guessing. As for not losing one's way, my guess would be to hold tight to your principles and don't get pulled under by the mob. As for the rest, I see a hopefulness that perhaps there are enough sane people left to see the madness for what it is and turn the tide.
And I really miss the old, old Dollywood. I loved the mine ride and the rollercoaster that went way up in the tower, and just walking from shop to shop.
I use Alfred Huang's translation of the I CHING for divination. Interestingly (at least to me), the discussion has veered from Democrat politics to the conflict between BRICS and NATO, and, of course, to the upcoming presidential election.
And I was only consciously thinking of the conflict between Russia and the EU.
Thank you, Jim. I try. It just bugs me when I read my own essay and see that spellcheck is unable to read my mind and type "now" when I forget to type the "w".
Yo, Chuck, thumbs up. What is incomprehensible are those educated and enlightened upper middle class citizens who will support Harris. I suspect that educated and enlightened upper middle class people can also be invidiously stupid.
My wife and I had the same sort of agreement regarding the election that we have when it comes to the temperature of the house. We were both going to vote for RFK. Now after the attempted assassination by Beverly Cheatle, she supports Kamala. TDS is dangerous and strikes the unexpected.
I thought you were doing some sort of oriental divinations. I looked up some terms like gua and xun and was led to I ching. Personally, I do not believe that tossing sticks or coins lead to any meaningful results. I do agree though there is an increasing sense of uneasiness and fear, and think the term Fourth Reich is very relevant. People are trying to build the 4th Reich and are making progress.
About everyone's behavior being controlled, why does it have to be by collective unconsciousness? Why could it not be controlled by higher spiritual powers of evil?
You said "The resulting hexagrams seem contradictory - unless there is a major change in the world’s leadership." So, if there is a major change in world leadership then there is no contradiction - and world leadership changes all of the time. Gorbachev, Napoleon, Hitler, the French and American Revolutions.
I predict there will be significant and unpredicted changes, just using my own ordinary human intelligence.
Obviously, there is no scientific reason to believe that tossing sticks or coins will lead the user to some insight or future event. All I know is that I have used the I CHING in less than a dozen situations and its answers have never been wrong. You are right when you say everyone behavior and moods could easily be controlled by evil spirits or the media (but I repeat myself).
When in doubt, using intelligence is never a bad idea.
I’m “hearting” this because I want you to know I read it. I will continue to read everything you write. We’ve grown together like that. I won’t, because of the commitment we made to each other, comment on your politics—we’ve been there, the both of us, and it’s always a hard and dark place. I’ll just re-iterate that I continue to disagree with your politics. Hell, I even disagree with your very first sentence on synchronicity. But, with that being said, because we can still respect each other as people and humans, I remain intrigued by your commitment to the iChing. I need to study with a teacher so I can dig deeper into it. I do have my own copy—but I don’t want to misuse it because it does appear to be a powerful tool of understanding.
You wrote: “The resulting hexagrams seem contradictory—unless there is a major change in the world’s leadership.” What if, Charles…what if the hexagram speaks directly to both Harris and Trump? What if Harris is “the person representing truth and sincerity?” And what if the “one at this place is not really gentle and humble…[and] can fool others for a while, but cannot dissemble forever” represents Trump? It cannot, by definition from the iChing and our actual events of the past 10 years be vice versa. Are you willing to accept THAT as a possible explanation AND trust the iChing in predicting a Harris victory in which “there is good fortune and no fault?”
After all, electing Harris as our president is, by definition, “a major change in world leadership.” The change, perhaps, we and the world has needed.
Lol! Thank you for that my friend. I shall maintain my own ignorance as well—a humble reminder I needed. After all, if we truly can humble ourselves, as all faith traditions teach, as both Jesus and Lao Tzu taught, then who among us can truly know the truth of things. I guess that is a consequence of these human body incarcerations. Only those who believe in absolutes find themselves in perpetual conflict.
It was in Anchorage, AK, back in 1971, when I was bothered by a mosquito and I killed it. I was convinced that the reason I had been born was to kill that mosquito. 54 years have passed and nothing of consequence has happened since that evening. I suspect my initial thoughts were correct.
Ah…but how do you know that the taking of that one, seemingly insignificant life didn’t allow for a much different Charles to evolve? You and I can agree—karma of all kinds can be a bitch! I mean, take Dollywoods parking lot as exhibit A!
No no. This will be an Obama victory. Eric Holder, all of the Chicago thugs, All of the criminals in our US government will continue to bleed us dry, There is nothing transformative or major change in the leftist party. They are no longer democrats. They have their own designs and you might not care, but many do. Many are not willing to give up our rights for their agenda
I’ll find interest if you, Rosemary, can actually explain, in detail, not only the “agenda” of the left,” but also the agenda from which you have an allegiance. One cannot talk in MAGA-ese anymore, with these tired cliches, and not expect to be called on them. That schtick is old and no longer working. Which is why Harris and Walz will win.
How unnecessary was it for you to post that insult directed at Rosemary and myself. I can easily explain in clear language that you can understand. There is a government program called OPERATION MOCKINGBIRD that puts the exact text for "news" reporters to use in their addresses to the nation. It has been pointed out by dozens of people how ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, NPR, and PBS talking heads use the EXACT SAME WORDS AND PHRASES to empty our minds of independent thought.
We disagree on that. And it wasn’t an insult; it was an honest question based on the desire for rational thinking and not rhetorical ad-hominem attacks. No one can empty our minds of independent thought unless we allow the to do that. That’s what cults do. That’s a MAGA playbook paragraph #1 directive.
I hate it when my friends' minds are taken over and clouded by evil forces. We agree that minds can only be emptied when those in possession of said minds are willing and able to simply let go. I frequently am reminded of the words of Joseph Goebbels: "A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth."
Just as Marxists always call conservatives a cult and just as they use the phrase Make America Great Again seem somehow obscene and evil, MAGA has been a catch phrase to the Left just as WOKE has become synonymous with foolish people who are greedy and stupid.
I have no feelings about Obama. I believe he was sincere when he said he planned to completely change America. He has done so. Similarly, I no longer have any particularly positive thoughts about Trump (despite the fact that he attempted to protect the border, that he hoped to spur creativity and growth by insisting that for every new regulation foisted on the American public, two be removed, and that he did not foolishly make America look weak, and bring on the 3rd World War).
I had no intention of voting for Trump until RFK, jr. decided to back him.
Hey Charles, I was asking Rosemary about Obama (she was telegraphing her disdain for Obama which can obviously be perceived as racist in origin since she has no evidence indicating why she disliked him other than the typical MAGA/Trump rhetoric)—I think I knew from previous convos with you where you stood. But, interesting this new info about your feelings of Trump and RFK, Jr. — who tried to make a deal with Harris for a place in her administration. When she shunned him, he endorses Trump. He’ll soon be dissolving into oblivion which always happens with Trumpsters. We could debate forever, you and I, about whether our country has been made stronger under Democratic admins vs. Republican. But we also agreed we’d not debate politics.
My views on politics are probably not basically different than your own. I am mostly concerned about the government's ability to meet its debts, to protect its citizens, and to provide hope.
Clinton balanced the budget.
Trump protected the border.
Reagan gave us hope and pride.
Under every administration since Washington, we have had Administrative Orders and dissentions (e.g. Jefferson v Hamilton).
For more than two centuries, America has existed as a democratic republic. Like a piece of ash in a rainstorm, we have allowed its destruction. Both parties are to blame.
There are many on the left or even democrats that have publicly announced that President Trump must not be re-elected and he will not be allowed to be President even if he is elected. The left is so far left, they are full of hate and disregard for any persons that have different thoughts than their views. They are uncivil, condescending, violent. Who has been looting communities, setting fire to government buildings? taking over parks, destroying monuments and statues?
I know who they are. Obama's Army. I am sorry you do not believe that.
Their agenda is to tear apart the USA. Obama hates the USA
Btw: you’re still using extreme MAGA talking points. No evidence. You cannot fabricate your own truths here. Unfortunately, trump has lead us into that sewer/swamp place and he wants to keep us all there.
He did maintain a military balancing act in Ukraine following Victoria Nuland's 2014 coup and he (or his son-in-law) arranged for the Abraham Accords. He also believed that for every new regulation the government stuck us with that two would be discarded. I can think of just two things he did while in office that disgusted me. (1) He didn't pardon Julian Assange and (2) he trusted Dr. Fauci.
Charles a mystery riddle....Nice one. Makes us use the mind. What a concept. The world will continue I feel. The humans because of there own ignorance may not be a part of it but the world will continue. Can't lose sleep over myself. The fear factory must continue. It is good for peoples bottom line. I myself I am going to trust that the human being who once they get a chance to take that first breath will go back to that defining instinct......SURVIVAL. Me I am not going to lose sleep based on the factory of fear.
Well said! We are motivated from one of only two things in life—love or fear. Instincts, like survival, can be based on love when one’s compassion and generosity helps them to procure the survival of others. Even the taking of life in our own survival, which we must do, can be made from a place of sacredness and compassion (ie love) when we give proper reverence and respect for the lives that were taken.
A gracious human based response to a tough situational. thank you for giving a well thought out response. By your verbiage I know it is sincere! Pleasure to learn about you here Kert. Thank you for creating a dialogue for a moment.
And I can say the exact same about you. Thank you! We all have to get to this place where we can invite a safe dialogue even as we hold strong opinions. We never have to resort to ad-hominem attack or name calling—but we should hold each other accountable to not only the highest standards of interpersonal relationships, but also of truth grounded in rational evidence-based logic. Even when we humans have such passions. I can respect another person when they hold a different opinion, but I cannot stand by mute if they say things out loud that place others in harms way.
I am always grateful, and will acknowledge it, when others can engage like this. And so i acknowledge and am grateful for you.
Thank you for the kindness and the respect. For me it is the ongoing fight for clarity and discernment! Not whether I like or dislike. The quest for reality that leads to clearness. Now with this what is called social media we have lost that. We have gone back to grade school.....Likes and dislikes/friends/followers. After two decades that affects are all around us. You must be accountable and you must be able to change your mind when it is warranted. This is also lost also. All of this is cratering society. I talk about the human conditions in my last book that i wrote. For me it is all about the human.... not the tool.....technology. Cheers
The Unabomber's Manifesto made sense in many ways. A return to a Jeffersonian agricultural society would bring people back in touch with the planet and remind them where food comes from. But, with the ratio of skilled humans and ergates being what it is, we will become more and more like the machines that rule us until the time comes that everything crashes.
Wow I would not have thought of this. Well done.
This I can agree totally with you Charles. Though I will be clear I’m not a fan at all of Ted Kaczynski—regardless of what he propounded in his manifesto. Ends don’t justify his means. I can definitely get behind people moving more toward an earth-based, agrarian way of life.
Love this. Name your book please!
The name of the book is Humanistry. Thanks for asking.
here is my amazon page. I am updating it this week.
https://amazon.com/author/akcidentalwriter
https://amazon.com/humanistry-pathway-regenerative-reimagine-impactful/dp/1960675419
Sorry for delay Kert. Hope this finds you well. Cheers
I don't actually pretend to know how you're divining, but your conclusion seems to me to be hopeful. "Looking through a crack" seems to describe the narrow way we're forced to interpret events, always with very limited knowledge and a lot of guessing. As for not losing one's way, my guess would be to hold tight to your principles and don't get pulled under by the mob. As for the rest, I see a hopefulness that perhaps there are enough sane people left to see the madness for what it is and turn the tide.
And I really miss the old, old Dollywood. I loved the mine ride and the rollercoaster that went way up in the tower, and just walking from shop to shop.
I use Alfred Huang's translation of the I CHING for divination. Interestingly (at least to me), the discussion has veered from Democrat politics to the conflict between BRICS and NATO, and, of course, to the upcoming presidential election.
And I was only consciously thinking of the conflict between Russia and the EU.
Great essay Charles...
Thank you, Jim. I try. It just bugs me when I read my own essay and see that spellcheck is unable to read my mind and type "now" when I forget to type the "w".
So much below the surface of all of this.
Will this be the year when androids break through the glass ceiling and one of them becomes our queen?
At this point, nothing would surprise me.
Yo, Chuck, thumbs up. What is incomprehensible are those educated and enlightened upper middle class citizens who will support Harris. I suspect that educated and enlightened upper middle class people can also be invidiously stupid.
My wife and I had the same sort of agreement regarding the election that we have when it comes to the temperature of the house. We were both going to vote for RFK. Now after the attempted assassination by Beverly Cheatle, she supports Kamala. TDS is dangerous and strikes the unexpected.
I thought you were doing some sort of oriental divinations. I looked up some terms like gua and xun and was led to I ching. Personally, I do not believe that tossing sticks or coins lead to any meaningful results. I do agree though there is an increasing sense of uneasiness and fear, and think the term Fourth Reich is very relevant. People are trying to build the 4th Reich and are making progress.
About everyone's behavior being controlled, why does it have to be by collective unconsciousness? Why could it not be controlled by higher spiritual powers of evil?
You said "The resulting hexagrams seem contradictory - unless there is a major change in the world’s leadership." So, if there is a major change in world leadership then there is no contradiction - and world leadership changes all of the time. Gorbachev, Napoleon, Hitler, the French and American Revolutions.
I predict there will be significant and unpredicted changes, just using my own ordinary human intelligence.
Obviously, there is no scientific reason to believe that tossing sticks or coins will lead the user to some insight or future event. All I know is that I have used the I CHING in less than a dozen situations and its answers have never been wrong. You are right when you say everyone behavior and moods could easily be controlled by evil spirits or the media (but I repeat myself).
When in doubt, using intelligence is never a bad idea.
I’m “hearting” this because I want you to know I read it. I will continue to read everything you write. We’ve grown together like that. I won’t, because of the commitment we made to each other, comment on your politics—we’ve been there, the both of us, and it’s always a hard and dark place. I’ll just re-iterate that I continue to disagree with your politics. Hell, I even disagree with your very first sentence on synchronicity. But, with that being said, because we can still respect each other as people and humans, I remain intrigued by your commitment to the iChing. I need to study with a teacher so I can dig deeper into it. I do have my own copy—but I don’t want to misuse it because it does appear to be a powerful tool of understanding.
You wrote: “The resulting hexagrams seem contradictory—unless there is a major change in the world’s leadership.” What if, Charles…what if the hexagram speaks directly to both Harris and Trump? What if Harris is “the person representing truth and sincerity?” And what if the “one at this place is not really gentle and humble…[and] can fool others for a while, but cannot dissemble forever” represents Trump? It cannot, by definition from the iChing and our actual events of the past 10 years be vice versa. Are you willing to accept THAT as a possible explanation AND trust the iChing in predicting a Harris victory in which “there is good fortune and no fault?”
After all, electing Harris as our president is, by definition, “a major change in world leadership.” The change, perhaps, we and the world has needed.
I still maintain my ignorance.
Lol! Thank you for that my friend. I shall maintain my own ignorance as well—a humble reminder I needed. After all, if we truly can humble ourselves, as all faith traditions teach, as both Jesus and Lao Tzu taught, then who among us can truly know the truth of things. I guess that is a consequence of these human body incarcerations. Only those who believe in absolutes find themselves in perpetual conflict.
It was in Anchorage, AK, back in 1971, when I was bothered by a mosquito and I killed it. I was convinced that the reason I had been born was to kill that mosquito. 54 years have passed and nothing of consequence has happened since that evening. I suspect my initial thoughts were correct.
Ah…but how do you know that the taking of that one, seemingly insignificant life didn’t allow for a much different Charles to evolve? You and I can agree—karma of all kinds can be a bitch! I mean, take Dollywoods parking lot as exhibit A!
You are a good person, Kert. I've had friends of 60 years abandon me and who now consider me nothing but an old fool that has lost his way.
I appreciate you (and the others who disagree with me -- but are still capable of thought).
No no. This will be an Obama victory. Eric Holder, all of the Chicago thugs, All of the criminals in our US government will continue to bleed us dry, There is nothing transformative or major change in the leftist party. They are no longer democrats. They have their own designs and you might not care, but many do. Many are not willing to give up our rights for their agenda
The change in leadership hinted at by the Ching might have nothing to do with the USA. It might have to do with the BRICS vs NATO.
I’ll find interest if you, Rosemary, can actually explain, in detail, not only the “agenda” of the left,” but also the agenda from which you have an allegiance. One cannot talk in MAGA-ese anymore, with these tired cliches, and not expect to be called on them. That schtick is old and no longer working. Which is why Harris and Walz will win.
How unnecessary was it for you to post that insult directed at Rosemary and myself. I can easily explain in clear language that you can understand. There is a government program called OPERATION MOCKINGBIRD that puts the exact text for "news" reporters to use in their addresses to the nation. It has been pointed out by dozens of people how ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, NPR, and PBS talking heads use the EXACT SAME WORDS AND PHRASES to empty our minds of independent thought.
We disagree on that. And it wasn’t an insult; it was an honest question based on the desire for rational thinking and not rhetorical ad-hominem attacks. No one can empty our minds of independent thought unless we allow the to do that. That’s what cults do. That’s a MAGA playbook paragraph #1 directive.
I hate it when my friends' minds are taken over and clouded by evil forces. We agree that minds can only be emptied when those in possession of said minds are willing and able to simply let go. I frequently am reminded of the words of Joseph Goebbels: "A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth."
Just as Marxists always call conservatives a cult and just as they use the phrase Make America Great Again seem somehow obscene and evil, MAGA has been a catch phrase to the Left just as WOKE has become synonymous with foolish people who are greedy and stupid.
There is no MAGA playbook, by the way.
Why do you hate Obama so much? Can you convince me that hatred is not racially motivated?
I have no feelings about Obama. I believe he was sincere when he said he planned to completely change America. He has done so. Similarly, I no longer have any particularly positive thoughts about Trump (despite the fact that he attempted to protect the border, that he hoped to spur creativity and growth by insisting that for every new regulation foisted on the American public, two be removed, and that he did not foolishly make America look weak, and bring on the 3rd World War).
I had no intention of voting for Trump until RFK, jr. decided to back him.
Hey Charles, I was asking Rosemary about Obama (she was telegraphing her disdain for Obama which can obviously be perceived as racist in origin since she has no evidence indicating why she disliked him other than the typical MAGA/Trump rhetoric)—I think I knew from previous convos with you where you stood. But, interesting this new info about your feelings of Trump and RFK, Jr. — who tried to make a deal with Harris for a place in her administration. When she shunned him, he endorses Trump. He’ll soon be dissolving into oblivion which always happens with Trumpsters. We could debate forever, you and I, about whether our country has been made stronger under Democratic admins vs. Republican. But we also agreed we’d not debate politics.
My views on politics are probably not basically different than your own. I am mostly concerned about the government's ability to meet its debts, to protect its citizens, and to provide hope.
Clinton balanced the budget.
Trump protected the border.
Reagan gave us hope and pride.
Under every administration since Washington, we have had Administrative Orders and dissentions (e.g. Jefferson v Hamilton).
For more than two centuries, America has existed as a democratic republic. Like a piece of ash in a rainstorm, we have allowed its destruction. Both parties are to blame.
of course they will win.
There are many on the left or even democrats that have publicly announced that President Trump must not be re-elected and he will not be allowed to be President even if he is elected. The left is so far left, they are full of hate and disregard for any persons that have different thoughts than their views. They are uncivil, condescending, violent. Who has been looting communities, setting fire to government buildings? taking over parks, destroying monuments and statues?
I know who they are. Obama's Army. I am sorry you do not believe that.
Their agenda is to tear apart the USA. Obama hates the USA
Btw: you’re still using extreme MAGA talking points. No evidence. You cannot fabricate your own truths here. Unfortunately, trump has lead us into that sewer/swamp place and he wants to keep us all there.
He did maintain a military balancing act in Ukraine following Victoria Nuland's 2014 coup and he (or his son-in-law) arranged for the Abraham Accords. He also believed that for every new regulation the government stuck us with that two would be discarded. I can think of just two things he did while in office that disgusted me. (1) He didn't pardon Julian Assange and (2) he trusted Dr. Fauci.