Category Archives: Religion

Colorado, Exercise, Fort Collins, Religion

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 30TH, DECEMBER 2018

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Well I hope that everyone had a Happy Holiday!!  Or a Merry X-mass!!  Or in the original, a Happy Saturnalia!!  How every you want to say it or celebrate it, I hope it was a good one!! 

THE snow has been great. Wow, let me just say it again.  This has been a great ski season so far.  I am at 14 for the number of snow days now.  And it continues to be good.  I haven’t been out skiing this much… well, I guess since my kids were younger and they were in ski and snowboard programs.  I am truly hoping that the snow continues in the mountains.  Funny, I say mountains because here on the Front Range of Colorado we are still in what is considered a drought.  Where I live in Fort Collins, we only average about 15 inches of moisture per year and as of this date we are still about 6 inches behind, a little more than 1/3 of our total moisture.  Crazy.  But and there is always a but, as an old farmer told me once, “Most things out here are irrigated, so as long as it snows in the mountains, we should be good.”  And so that is what I am hoping!!

Cathy Fromme Prairie Trail in Fort Collins, Monday, December 17th, temperature was close to 60 degrees!
Riverbend Ponds in Fort Collins, December 29th, 2018
Riverbend Ponds in Fort Collins, December 29th, 2018 – Wow!!  You never know what you might see!!

Trying to get in a little bit of last-minute walking, biking and running for 2018.  Again, that is what is pretty cool about Fort Collins and the Front Range of Colorado is that you can ski in the mountains and then you can come down and do some fair-weather activities too.  It can still be cold but no ice or snow on the ground and as long as the sun is on you… not too bad.


???????????WHAT WILL RELIGION DO???????????

  • “You don’t need religion to have morals.  If you can’t determine right from wrong, then you lack empathy, not religion.” Anonymous
  • “This is my simple religion.  There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy.  Our own brain, our own heart is our temple.  The philosophy is kindness.” – Dali Lama
  • “If your religion requires you to hate or hurt someone.  You need a new type of religion.” – Unknown
  • “Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool.” – Mark Twain
  • “When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent.  Do you see why it is violent?  Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind.  When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence.  So, a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understand of mankind.” J. Krishnamurti
  • “We shouldn’t even need the word “atheism”.  If people didn’t invent ridiculous imaginary gods.  Rational people wouldn’t have to deny them.” – Ricky Gervais
  • “Your ignorance of scientific knowledge is not evidence that god exists.” – Unknown

The last couple of weeks I have been doing a little bit of contemplating of how religion will change over the next 10 to 20 years.  And change it must.  As we continue down the path of better understanding of the laws of nature and our place in the universe, religion will have mounting pressure to adapt.  Or maybe I should say that those who use religion as power, a way to exert control on the masses, will have to adapt.  New discovers are being made every day in science, in all fields of science, around the world.  If you want to see how fast things are coming out, check out the website called: 
https://phys.org/   Most the articles are a synopsis of the topic, usually one or two pages long, and have a link to the original article at the bottom. On each article heading at the bottom there is a clock showing how long ago the article came out. If you follow the web page for a week or two, it become readily apparent that things are moving along at a good clip.  Ray Kurzweil the American inventor, author and futurist talks about the “Coming Singularity.  Where things change so fast that it seems like magic so to speak.  One day something is not possible then tomorrow it is.  The web site covers all aspect of science.  From hard Astrophysics to Biology and Medicine. 

Not really sure how religion will eventual deal with it all?  Take the example of exoplanet discovery.  When the first discoveries were made over 20 years ago, the science and scientist involved did not get much attention other than a little ridicule from their peers.  Now the number of exoplanet discoveries are staggering.  There are over 3000 known exoplanets as of June of 2018?!  Just think of that for a moment.

And then realize that we are only looking at a very, very small fraction of the known universe.  I read somewhere that it was like “Looking at a glass of seawater sitting beside the ocean.”  We are not even scratching the surface yet and there are already 1000s of discovered exoplanets.  Unreal.  We are not the center of the Universe.  How does religion cope with that?  And what happens when life is inevitable discovered on one of these exoplanets or moons of exoplanets? How does that fit into any “Earth Religion”?  Maybe it will be time to write a new “divinely inspired” section to the Bible, to the Koran, to the Buddhist text, etc.…. to help explain exoplanets!!  Do a quick web search and you will find that the “exoplanet discoveries” have already been analyzed by “creationist” and they have come to some interesting rationalizations.  My favorite is when they twist words from the bible to mean whatever they want or need for explanation.  I think that they are going to have to do better than this!  We are but a small speck in our galaxy.  What hubris to think that our planet is the only planet with life.

Genetics and Synthetic Biology is another huge game change in my opinion.  Recent advances in this field have given us the ability to change the human genome forever.  We now have the capability to manipulate genes at the sperm and egg level without “controlled” breeding.  The potential, good or bad for Eugenics is a real possibility.  To create plants, animals and humans that have never been seen before on planet earth.  What if you designed telomers that never shortened?  Lifespans could become a moot point.  Live as long as you want, no need for the Buddhist idea of rebirth, or Christian and Muslim heaven, or hell.  How would religion cope with that?? There have already been advances with Synthetic Biology that are just mind blowing when you think about the potential possibilities.  DNA is made up of four building blocks, Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine – all life, as we know it, is made up this way.  But now researchers have living microbes that have 6 building blocks.  A totally, never before seen organism on this earth, semi-synthetic and most important making proteins….  Check out this clip on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H1tUMRJoeo  

The implications of rapid advances in genetics and how it will affect synthetic biology are incalculable, for a better understanding check out this Wiki page on Synthetic Biology:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology   Or do what I did and re-watch the short TED talk on YouTube that I posted above and then try to imagine all the possibilities!!

AI is another one that gives me pause when it come to religious thinking.  While we have not created a “sentient” AI yet (that I know of), I believe that the day will come when we do.  This will be another game changer.  I think that just creating very, very smart Algorithms or what I would call “Super Smart Calculators”, will get us closer, but not “sentient”, the true break through could be some kind of semi-synthetic modified organism or animal or human mated to hardware…  Wow the ethics involved in that?!  Crazy?!

When I think about some of the advances in the above topics, it is not too hard to imagine these scenarios or something similar happening.  How does religion handle that?  How much twisting of the “holy word” will that take to explain the above advances in science?  If we colonize Mars or the Moon, do we take the same old religions and their associated dogmas with us?!  Do we want to create the same old hatreds, bigotries, intolerance’s, prejudices, racism’s that exist on earth today because of religion? Do we recreate them on Mars or the Moon?  And if we don’t, what do we replace it with?

 I think there is a solution.  All religions, MINUS THE GODS, have some great pieces of psychology and sociology incorporated into them.  These thoughts and writings have been refined over time to help explain and guide human nature and morality.  They are as true today in some cases as they were 10 thousand years ago.   Why not create a true Universal Moral Code that incorporates the best from all religions.  But no belief in any “magical beings.”  Something similar to what Dr. Kent Keith came up with in 2003 when he was writing about morality and ethics.    

The advantages to be able to do this would be immeasurable to the human race.  Can you imagine, if we gave up the belief in the supernatural (i.e. Gods) and moved to some kind of “Universal Moral Code.”  No more wars, death and destruction based on religion or the excuse of religion.   Something that could be applied to all aspects of life, that we all agree upon, that treated ever one equally and fairly.  That could be applied to a person and a business.  That could curb the excesses and greed of capitalism and Corporations.  That did not see Science as the enemy?  Isn’t it about time the human race left the trappings of the belief in a Godhead and moved into a modern age of enlightenment? This could be the first step….  The question becomes will we do it willingly or will it be forced upon us by continuing advances in science??

Search for Enlightenment by Simon Gudgeon.

That is about it for me on this blog post.  Hope I have given you dear reader something to think about.  Damn, where did the time go!?  It’s almost a new year.  What will 2019 bring?  Oh well I guess we will have to wait and see.  There is an old saying that “Reality is stranger than Fiction” and I truly believe that to be true.  I do not think that 2019 will be any different.  So, take care my friends.  Set those New Year’s resolutions and get healthier!!  I will see you next year!!

X-mass Dinner with some of the family 2018
Book Review, Colorado, Psychology, Religion, Sociology

MUSINGS FOR MONDAY 29TH, OCTOBER 2018

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“You must do the things you think you cannot do.”                        Eleanor Roosevelt

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that come along.””  Eleanor Roosevelt

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”    Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Fort Collins Sunsets – great afternoon and evening running this week!!

Well it is the end of and the beginning of another week.  This blog post was a little late in getting out due to working at the day job over the weekend AND studying for a class required by said day job.  I pull 12 hour shifts and it does not leave much time to do anything else.  Especially if you want to ensure you get an adequate amount of sleep.  It just amazes me how often I would short myself on sleep and then wonder why I got sick.  And why I thought this was a normal occurrence?!  I have become one of those anal people that track everything, including sleep.  Seven to eight hours is now the norm.  And guess what?  I do not get sick as often as I have in the past.  A definite decrease in the number of colds and viral illnesses, etc.…  I also attribute this to eating a much healthier diet than I did in the past too.  But that is a topic for another Blog post.

A great book out there on this subject.  And one, I would say needs to be put in that “read a second time category” is called “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker, PhD.

You can find this book at Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1539802696&sr=8-3&keywords=why+we+sleep&dpID=51dUdCh2ZdL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

One of the things the author goes over is sleep and how it is affected by alcohol.  It really changed my perspective on having a drink, be it beer or wine, with dinner.  I have stopped doing this except for every once in a great, great while. (like once per month) Also, he talks about how our memory is affected by the lack of REM sleep due to alcohol intake.  I call this a “hard truth” because if you are like me you grew up with alcohol being a part of family traditions so to speak and it is hard to get away from.  After reading the book, I think of all the nights of burning the candle at both ends, drinking, staying up late, etc.… and how in reality this was a total waste of time.  I truly believe that it prematurely aged me physically.  Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about changing the past but to go forward with better lifestyle habits.

And for shift workers that do night shifts.  In my opinion they do not get paid enough.  Truly, for all the individuals that work nights, I would go as far as to say you need to get paid time and half.  Great book.  Well worth the read or two.

 

Another book that I think is a good read is called the “The Book of Joy” by Douglas Carlton Abrams, the Dalai Lama, and Desmond Tutu.  It is basically an interview and discourse between two “Spiritual masters” that have very different back grounds but do share the one common element of having faced and survived significant adversity in their lives.  The Dalai Lama’s persecution by the Chinese and Desmond Tutu’s struggle with the South African Government and Apartheid.

 

One of the reasons I believe the book is interesting is that they both come from two different religious backgrounds.  One is Buddhist and one is Christian.  When asked questions, their answers are not that far apart from each other.  Obliviously there are some major “religious dogma” differences but philosophically they are very close in the advice they give.  The other part of this book that I found inspiring was how they came to grips with the adversity and still found joy and what appears to be lasting happiness.  I listened to the book as an audio book while running but it might be better to purchase it as regular print so that you can go back and reread a section or two.

You can find the book at Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Book-Joy-Lasting-Happiness-Changing/dp/0399185046/ref=sr_1_1/135-8262170-6644902?ie=UTF8&qid=1540750504&sr=8-1&keywords=dalai+lama+joy+book

 

Almost done with the current drawing.  Getting closer…  Lol.

Winter is coming and the squirrels are scarfing food where ever they can find it.  Lol

Well that is about it for me.  Hope you get a change to read the above two books.  They are defiantly worth the effort.  Have a great week and may life be good for you.   See you out there on the trails!!

Book Review, Life and Meaning, Psychology, Religion

MUSINGS FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 6TH, 2018

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“Practice at any stage is just being who we are at that moment.  It’s not a question of being good or bad, or better or worse.” – From the book of Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck

Wow!!  This is my 14th post this year and that is saying a lot for me.  I hope that I am getting better at this and not boring you dear reader too much.  I like writing a blog and I am trying to make it a habit.  Funny how “BAD” habits come much more easily than the ones  you want to incorporate as good habits….  Well…. They seem to come a lot harder!! What is that about??  LOL- I did find  a book this summer that helps with this.  A book by the author Stephen Guise.

Stephen gives us a strategy to help develop habits that we want for lasting change.  I think that we do some of these behaviors already but because we don’t have a systematic way of doing them we don’t get lasting or consistent results.  In writing the book Stephen tells his own story of how he came to this realization and helps you to see how it can work for you.  From the book:  “A mini habit is a very small positive behavior that you force yourself to do every day; a mini habit’s “too small to fail” nature makes it weightless, deceptively powerful, and a superior habit building strategy.”  He goes on to explain that the problem is not with you.  It is your strategy.  And this is where the trouble begins in trying to achieve a goal.  I first listened to this book as an audio book and was so impressed with its simplicity and message that I bought the paper back version so that I could read it again and to have for easy reference.  This is a down side of audio books – no easy reference.  You can find the book at Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Habits-Smaller-Bigger-Results-ebook/dp/B00HGKNBDK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1533228099&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=mini+habits&psc=1

On a different note.  I did see in the news that the Attorney General of the United States – Jeff Scession created what he calls a “Religious Liberty Task Force.” The idea I guess is to protect religious freedoms.  But I am wondering whose religious freedoms and if your flavor of religious mythology does not go with my flavor of religious mythology does that give you the right to discriminate against me?  I believe that the quote from Rachana Desai Martin hits it on the head.  And this will be “Interesting” to see how this plays out in the future.

“This is just another in a long line of thinly veiled attempts by this administration to sanction discrimination in health care, often to the detriment to the health and rights of women, the LGBTQ community and other communities,” said Rachana Desai Martin, a federal policy advisor for the Center for Reproductive Rights.

I have come to believe that all religion is mythology.  People try to say that there is a difference but I think Joseph Campbell was right – “They are one and the same.”

 

I remember watching a lecture by him and he was talking about the “biggest religion on earth” and that got my attention because it was not what you thought it was going to be.  He stated, if I remember right, by saying that all religion is mythology.  And the “one mythology” that all cultures on earth believe in, all cultures accept, and the only one that has ever come true??  Then he pauses and keeps you in suspense for a moment…  He finally states:  “It is Science Fiction.”  And I am thinking What??  He then goes on to explain how SF is all mythology – it is all made up in the minds of men and women, just like religion.  The only difference is that all cultures at some point have practiced it, still believe in it and most of all, it occasionally comes true.  Every thing that we take for granted in the world today, from the technological to the social,  was once just a thought in someone’s mind.  Again you might be thinking What??  It does take a little time to get your head around it.  The first thing is to come to the realization that SF covers everything in life.  From the Scientific to the Social, not just Robots and Spaceships, but all of the human condition.  SF is the world’s largest and greatest unrecognized religion.  Oh well, interesting idea when you start to think about it.

You can find lots and lots of books on Amazon that touch on this thought.

Well I think that this is going to be it for me.  It has been a good week running but still a lot of smoke in the area from California wildfires.  I guess it could always be worse. So, until next time.  Adios Amigos!!  And I hope to see you out there!!

Exercise, Family, Longivity, Psychology, Religion, Sociology, Trail Running, Transhumanism

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 25TH, MAY 2018

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“The pessimist is not guaranteed a tomorrow. And, if tomorrow does come, the pessimist does not expect to feel better at the same point in the race…. indeed, it might feel even worse. So, the pessimist plugs on and accomplishes their goals today. And today is the only day that counts.”  Gary Cantrell

 

Well it has been a good week so far. Got to see some of the family this week and that was a really good thing. I have not seen my sister Cathy in a while and anytime they are up visiting their son in Denver (my nephew) I want to take the opportunity to see them. Even though the visit was brief it was good to see them all.

My wife Janet and Richard (my nephew).

 

My daughter Cathryn and my two great Nephews, Ford and Henry.

 

My sister Cathy and myself.

 

And of course, the proverbial group picture.

Not pictured is my nephew’s wife Laura and my brother in law Rick…somehow, they escaped all the pictures?  Thinking about the two great Nephews gives me pause and I wonder where has the time gone.  And that does make me feel a little old.  Older than I want to be.  And what is that about?  I want to live as long as I can and as healthy as I can.  To be able to truly enjoy life when I am 100 and older.  I don’t want to be confined to a Nursing Home.  I am a believer that there is some really smart guy or gal out there right now working on the longevity questions and how to extend life indefinitely.  But not just indefinitely but to be healthy and fully functioning at the same time.  My oh my how that would change things??!

If you are a true believer in one of the worlds mythologies (religions) then how would you wrap your head around this?  I mean really, how would you and still believe?  If it became possible in the future to not die of old age?  To stay alive as long as you want barring any kind of incurable disease or trauma of some kind.  I don’t think we as a species have thought much about this.   But with that said, some have, especially some of the wealthiest individuals in the world today.  They have put a significant amount of money into this research.  As an example of a few:  Larry Ellison (Cofounder of Oracle), Paul Glenn (Venture Capitalist), Dmitry Itskoy (Russian Multimillionaire), Peter Thiel (PayPal and Facebook fame), and Sergey Brin (Google Cofounder) to just name a few.  This give me the belief that in 20 to 30 years, or maybe sooner, we may have some real progress in longevity.  I have heard that the first kid to live over 150 years of age has already been born.  Can you imagine spending 30 to 40 years in one area of work and passion but then being able to switch to a different field entirely.  Spend the same amount of time and then switching again and again and again.  Wow!  Of course, with all that there would be some big adjustments in current life.  Retirement?  Religion?  Environmental? Family? Sociology? Psychology? etc.… To just name a few.  But maybe this would be the best motivation for humanity to move off world and maybe even to the distance stars?  Some might see a reason why this research needs to be curtailed but for me I don’t see these issues as problems, but challenges for humanity.  From the Trees, to the Plains, and then to the Stars….

The futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil believes that we are approaching this point.  His belief is that the emergence of A.I. will usher in this Golden Age of Humanity.  That what seems impossible now will become common place.  That A.I. will create what he calls the Singularity.  A rapidly developing and accelerating technology growth, an explosion in technological progress that happens overnight.  Now before you start doubting this, you should check out a web site called:  https://phys.org  It is a “churn site.”  It does not publish its own data but short synopsis of research that is occurring around the world.  In almost every field.  And it shows when it was published.  And every day it changes, sometimes hour to hour.  It’s the sheer volume of information in different areas of research that is published each and every day that gives me chills just thinking about it.  I believe that Ray Kurzweil has it right when says we are fast approaching a time when a break through in technology will seem just like magic.

It is like we are on a mathematical curve that approaches an asymptote, the y value changes become larger and larger in relation to x.  Almost to the point that the line described is becoming vertical.  Kurzweil thinks this will be when we truly create AI or Artificial Intelligence and then, well then, all things become possible in short time frames we never thought imaginable.  Have a problem…. get an AI to work on it and bingo solutions appear where there seemed to be none.  Wow!  It would be truly amazing if things work out this way.  Just unreal and if you are still in your 50s or younger and reading this…well you might live to see it happen and more?!

Now some see the immortality question from a little different angle.  They see humanity becoming immortal by embracing Transhumanism.  And to some degree this has already happened in several areas of medicine.  This can be thought of the blending of human and machine so to speak.  If you have any of the following then you could be considered Transhumanist: cataract replacement with artificial lens, joint replacement with mechanical parts, an artificial heart valve, implantable penile prosthesis, pacemakers, even amputees from the last middle east conflict that use advanced prostheses.  All of these can be considered Transhumanism.  And as technology move forward, my guess is that we will see much more of this, no part of the body will be off limits.  My personal opinion is that it will be a blending of human and machine that will truly allow us to be immortal.

Well that is probably enough for this week.  In the word of Gary Cantrell, there is no guarantee for tomorrow.  Not yet anyways.  So, I need to get out and do some training for the next Ultra attempt.  It is June 2nd in Golden Gate State Park.  Called the Dirty Thirty.  Check out the website:  http://dirty30.org/  It is a 50k or about 32 miles.  Here’s hoping to no mud, but of course it is an Ultra and in the mountains.  So, you never know what you are going to get.  Take care my friends…  Have a great Holiday weekend.

Dinning, Exercise, Life and Meaning, Psychology, Quad Rock 50, Religion

Musings for Friday 4th, May 2018

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Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.

Joseph Campbell

It has been another good week. Cathryn and Janet both had Birthday’s this past week. Cathryn turned 20 and Janet turned 57. Or as she likes to call it…she has reached “Level 57”. I think that is pretty funny. Myself at the moment, I have reached “Level 56”. When you say it that way, it doesn’t sound so bad. Like you’re in some kind of video game and the object is to reach the highest level. LOL. Now that is funny.

The restaurant for Cathryn’s Birthday is called Café Vino and I would recommend as very good. It is in Fort Collins. Check out their web site at: http://cafevino.com/

The one that we went to for Janet’s Birthday is in Windsor and is called Chimney Park. And it is very good too but has a little different ambiance. Café Vino is a little more relaxed in my opinion and Chimney Park is something I consider more formal. The difference in food quality is minuscule. There are things I can get at Café Vino but not at Chimney Park and vice versa. Of note there is a better beer selection at Café Vino. For me it really comes down to what I am hungry for and whether I want to drive to Windsor or not. The web site for Chimney Park: http://www.chimneypark.com/

My suggestion is check out the menus online and decide from there. I don’t think you will be disappointed by either.

 

On a different note, I have been watching a video series called the “Human Universe.” It is hosted by Physics Professor Brian Cox and it is on Curiosity Stream. The link for the web site: http://curisotystream.com

The series is composed of 5 one hours shows and are listed as follows:
1. Ape-man – Spaceman
2. Why Are We Here?
3. Are We Alone?
4. A Place In Time And Space
5. What Is Our Future?

It was filmed in 2014, so it is about 4 years old, still fairly recent in the scheme of things. They are all pretty good. But the second one raised a few questions. From the closing scenes of the second show:

“If the Theory of Inflation is correct it explains how our universe appeared apparently from nothing. And it also strongly suggests that there is not just our universe but a vast number, perhaps even an infinity of them.”
“We have known for a long time that we are infinitesimal specks in a vast universe, but now the suggestion is that we are infinitesimal specks in a vast infinity of universes.”
“Our current best theory for the origin of the universe, backed up by experimental evidence, suggest that there are an infinite number of universes. An infinite number of copies of you and me and the existence of the whole thing is inevitable, no purpose, nothing special, you are because you have to be.”

 

Now I don’t know about you, but damn that gives me chills just thinking about it. If this was to be proven at some point. It would be a radical change in our cosmology. “An infinite number of copies of you and me and the existence of the whole thing is inevitable, no purpose, nothing special, you are because you have to be.” Wow! Watching this film series reminded me of the quote that I placed at the start of this blog by Joseph Campbell.

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”

I think that the quote fits in very nicely with the above idea of an infinite number of universes. The Universe does not need a purpose to exist. We do not need a meaning to act. The actions that we do, give us the meaning. And you don’t need to have some kind of “mystical being” overseeing it all. The quality of our world is made better by US. We are our own validation, we are our own authority. The power to make the world a better place or not resides in us. Again, Wow! A little scary, and to some degree liberating. Definitely something to ponder……

OK, OK enough of the soapbox for now. The film series is a good one to watch. Here is a trailer from the series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF53SrCIQRI&list=PLrBWchMkYBlD6Dg53t3KGdx2AonTwo_Zq&index=6&t=0s

Last but not least just a quick note about training for the Quad Rock 50. In a nut shell it is going well. No injuries so far this year. And I feel pretty good after a 20-mile training run, as if I could continue on without too much difficulty. I believe this to be a good thing.
I am lucky to live where I do. First it is Colorado, second it is Fort Collins, and third the city of Fort Collins has had a great open space and trail program for about 40 plus years. A few blocks from where I live I can pick up a trail called the Powerline Trail that connects with the trail system in Loveland and to the trail system in Fort Collins. Truly I can get in a very long run just from the house with what I call minimal traffic interference, except for one road crossing. The section of the Powerline trail that I like to use most for running is a 5-mile dirt section next to the concrete path. I have nick named it the treadmill. It is useable in almost any weather, 150’ of elevation gain or loss and it is very close. I think that it beats running in the basement with the TV on hands down expect in the most inclement weather. Well that is it for me. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Powerline Trail looking North

Powerline Trail looking South towards Loveland. Lots and lots of crab apple trees in this section.

Religion

FRIDAY 24TH, APRIL 2015

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“Since the Bible and the church are obviously mistaken in telling us where we came from, how can we trust them to tell us where we are going?” – Anonymous

“Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.” – Seneca the Younger

“All thinking men are atheist.” – Ernest Hemingway (A Farewell to Arms)

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” – Voltaire

“Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quite. Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“The cultivation of loving-kindness and compassion is not intrinsically a religious endeavor. It has really a much more general pertinence and general applicability. You don’t have to be religious or buy into a religious doctrine to do it. This is why I think it is important to develop techniques that are secular and not simply religious in orientation.” – The Dalai Lama

 

I am no longer a Christian or have any religious affiliation. I am an atheist. Freedom, freedom and saying it again, freedom from the old religious quicksand that engulfs so many others. How fortunate I am. My God – if there was a god – that felt so good to say! Wow! I am an atheist. I am an atheist and I am free. What a relief. That took me a very long time to say. 53 years to be closer to the mark. I AM AN ATHEIST. Wow!

Growing up in Wichita Falls Texas I was exposed to the Southern Baptist way of religion. And until I was 20 years old I still believed in it. The bible was the word of God. And anyone that goes against it would be struck down and sent to hell. Literally – no ands, if or buts, you would go to hell. I literally believed this until College. Damn College it opened my eyes. The study of Geology and Biology – specifically the age of the earth, fossils that are millions of year’s old, and comparative anatomy started me down the road to that freedom. What I was learning could not be reconciled with what the scriptures and the “man” on Sunday championed. Just could not do it.

The field of study that completed the liberation was, of all things, Art History. Really – it was Art History – it helped me finally come to the understanding that all of what we take for granted in our religious iconography – has just been made up, copied, changed and adulterated in some form or another since time immortal. This includes paintings, drawings, decoration and ritual, architecture and most importantly writing (ex – the Bible, Quran, etc…). All of it has just been made up. Nothing in religion as in art is sacred.

Now this is not to say that I am not a spiritual person – you can be spiritual and not believe in any kind of religion or god. In fact, any meaningful activity or experience can be considered spiritual. Your work can be spiritual to you. Sex can spiritual to you. Painting can be spiritual to you. Hell even mowing the lawn has been described as a spiritual experience for some people. Long distance running is spiritual to me. It is a subjective experience in the pursuit of psychological growth.

So what is my philosophy on life? That is a good question and it took me 50 years to formulate an answer and I am not done yet. At the moment I would have to consider myself closer in Buddhist thought than anything else. But not Buddhist thought in the traditional sense with all the robes, rituals and religious dogma that has been placed on it over time. I am secular in Buddhist thought. Again, no robes, no rituals and most of all no religion. There is no consideration for the supernatural or reincarnation and karma is considered only in this life – your intentions, actions and their results. Some have called it a return to the original teachings of the Buddha – the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. Whatever you say about it – I believe that it lays a frame work to build and live a more meaningful and compassionate life. A frame work that allows for the unique differences of others without the discrimination and judgement of others. Religion in contrast is about control and domination of the masses, disguised as kindness and compassion, but really more about control.

A philosophy or way of life that does not allow this will not appeal to some that are in charge or think that they are. Maybe this is the next step in human psychological evolution – the end of all religion and an adoption of a more compassionate and loving human experience?

The above opinions are mine and I am sticking to them for the moment. The bottom two pictures are from bike riding this past week. The middle one is from the Pine Ridge Open Space looking South towards Denver and the bottom one with the large Bull Snake is from the Redtail Grove Open Space, both of which are in Fort Collins. The day I came across the snake it had been a cool morning and my guess is that it just needed some warmth. The sun was directly overhead and the concrete of the bike path was quite warm. Ahhhh – the simple pleasures of just lying in the sun, even for a snake. Well that is enough for this week. Take care and hope to see you Out There!

 

Alien Life, Religion

FRIDAY 10TH, APRIL 2015

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Signs of Alien Life Will Be Found by 2025, NASA’s Chief Scientist Predicts

“I think we’re going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we’re going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years,” NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan said Tuesday (April 7) during a panel discussion that focused on the space agency’s effort to search for habitable worlds and alien life. By Mike Wall YAHOO! News

What? Alien life somewhere out there beyond our own biosphere? Really? Just because there are 200 billion or more stars in the Milky Way Galaxy alone. And that current research shows there might be tens of billions of solar systems (stars with planets). Why should there be life somewhere else besides earth? It causes me to stop and wonder. Are we so egocentric in our thinking that a lot of us cannot even envision life beyond earth – even if it is just a single celled organism? That in the entire Universe we are it? That no other sentient beings exist? What a colossal waste of space this would be if it were true.

Of course I do not believe this. I think that it is no different when Europeans were afraid to sail too far from the shore. That the ocean just dropped away at the horizon, that there were sea monsters, that the sun boiled oceans, etc… Of course part of the problem was their technology – squared sailed ships, inaccurate clocks and maps, etc…. But as it got better, most of those fears and worries vanished. That is what is happening now – the technology is getting better. And I firmly believe as the NASA scientist believe we will find extraterrestrial life, even if it is just a single cell organism. This discovery when it comes will be a game changer.

Some people have argued that if there is intelligent life out there why have they not contacted us? And that is a good question. My thought is that the distances between stars are enormous, really hard to get your head around and we are in a backwater so to speak of the Milky Way Galaxy. Also our planet may not be as “special” among other planets in the MWG. Only special to us of course. Or maybe Carl Sagan had it right. If you are an advanced species in the galaxy with the capability to travel to other stars and you came across Earth and humanity with all its issues: wars over religion and race, poverty, environmental destruction and generally man’s inhumanity to man. Why would you stop? I mean really why would you stop? Would you want to visit Syria, or the border between Israel and Palestine, or maybe you would be better to go to the Baltics or Ukraine? Oh I know: listening to the debate in this country and others over whether it is OK to be Gay or not? And if you were an advanced star traveling species why would you want to miss out on the “Superstitious dogma that is Religious belief.” No – I do not think that you would stop. I think that Dr. Sagan got it right.

Maybe, just maybe the discovery of Alien life in the Universe will help with the egocentric nature religion has given to people. The discovery of even a single celled organism outside of our own planet’s biosphere throws the whole idea of “we are the center of the universe” off balance. This egocentric view that religion has helped to instill will be a thing of the past. And in turn this will be the end of religious belief for most people on earth. Of course there will still be diehards that will try and keep the faith so to speak but over time as new discoveries are made their numbers will become fewer and fewer.

The other exciting possibility is the uniting of all countries, nations and people on earth. We will now be a world among other possible worlds. Exobiology will become a real science and not just a theoretical one. The human race will unite like never before in the face of real alien life. It might be the catalysis to push humanity out of the quagmires of religious belief and into a new and higher state of human development. Well this is my opinion and I am sticking to it.

The pictures are all from a trail called Towers Road in Horsetooth Mountain Park. HMP is just behind Fort Collins and is an incredible recreational resource for the surrounding area. Towers Road Trail is fantastic hill training. It gains about 1600 feet of elevation in about 3.4 miles and is very runnable all year long. When I took these pictures on Wednesday April the 8th it was a somewhat hazy day on the Front Range of Colorado. A cold front had pushed through the night before and we were getting a little upslope from the east. Enough to give haze and clouds but not enough for rain and thunderstorms. Temps were about 50 to 55 degrees at the time. The top picture is looking Northeast over part of Horsetooth Lake. The second picture is looking South towards Denver. The third picture is looking due East out over the lake and Fort Collins. The forth picture shows what the trail is named for. The road winds its way up to the towers at the top of the ridge, elevation about 7,100 feet. The fifth and final picture shows Horsetooth Rock and this landmark is what the park is named for. Early settlers to the area thought the rock looked like a giant horse’s tooth with a rough chewing surface and groove. But according to local Native American legend, Horsetooth Rock is the remains of an evil giant’s heart cut in two by the powerful Chief Maununmoku, thus protecting his people from the giant’s wrath. This last part was from the Department of Natural Resources Larimer County.

Well this is it for me this week. Have a great weekend and see you out there!!