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Retired from 10 years in the Canadian Navy, and 28 years in the Canadian Diplomatic Service, with postings in Beijing, Mexico City, Sri Lanka, Romania, Abu Dhabi, Guyana, Ireland, Trinidad, and, last but not least, India.

Wednesday 25 August 2010

Brane Waves






“The central idea (in
brane cosmology) is that the visible, four-dimensional universe is restricted to a brane inside a higher-dimensional space, called the "bulk". The additional dimensions are compact, in which case the observed universe contains the extra dimensions, and then no reference to the bulk is appropriate in this context. In the bulk model, other branes may be moving through this bulk. Interactions with the bulk, and possibly with other branes, can influence our brane and thus introduce effects not seen in more standard cosmological models.” –Wikipedia

Brane Waves

We stumble through our lives,
sometimes fortuitously,
on occasion catastrophically,
seeking meaning,
searching for light
in our Cosmic darkness.

Of our four dimensions,
only Time becomes our focus,
our Grail,
as it inevitably slips through
our failing grasp.

Could it not be, though,
given the unknowable complexity
of Reality,
that we are buffeted
and changed,
by the unseen Realities
that surround us?
Is our minuscule existence
fleeting or eternal;
in constant change
or fixed
in a perpetual Now?

When our Time ends
could we not simply
be colliding with another Brane,
perhaps named Reincarnation?
Could death not be the result
of an encounter with the Bulk,
bringing an enlightenment,
a return to the Source,
that could be called
Brahman?

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Canadian Government

"A democracy whose government refuses to heed the will of the majority as routinely as it embraces the narrow interests of a vocal fringe is no democracy at all; it is, by ambition and practice, an elected oligarchy."

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/1171329

Credo: Conclusions (*)

As soon as I started to learn about the concept of Brahman, I began to realise how much this ancient concept of reality acknowledges and embraces concepts that quantum physics and quantum cosmology are only just beginning to comprehend.
We are shown how to conduct ourselves through examples set down in various holy books.
The commonality of such guidance, received from such widely diverse sources, suggests to me a guiding and common humanity...a reference to a common font of truth.
The concept of Brahman tells me that Now is only one aspect of a reality that is constantly changing, growing and reducing.
Brane cosomology tells us that a different reality may only be a millimetre away.
Mandelbrot shows us that everything is simply a pattern that repeats, varying slightly, through dimensions we are only just beginning to suspect exist.
Religion, to me, has never been about accepting what someone else tells me is the best way to access a god: it has always been about personally searching for what is true, and, upon finding truth, test its transparency by holding it up against the fierce light of logic, finally to weigh the data against what my "heart/soul/atman" tells me is real.
It seems to me that I have found what to a Buddhist would be enlightenment;
to a Hindu moksha;
to a Christian salvation:
I have found a belief that I truly feel presents an intellectually plausible, and morally laudable, concept by which to live, and to grow, now, and in each and every possible iteration that may be.
This is my concept, and applicable only to me.
I do not ask others to believe or accept it: that is between you and your reality.
If, however, anyone might find food for thought within my conclusions, please partake.
I am happy with these “Conclusions”:
they have been a long time coming.


Credo: Conclusions (*)

I believe that,
at the moment of our death,
we are instantly rejoined with all that we ever were.

We will exist simultaneously
with all the events that have made up our lives.

We will be aware:
we will have the power,
at all temporal levels of our existence,
to change
all aspects of our lives,
constantly,
for the better.

We will labour with joy.

The changes that we make will spiral,
a constantly changing Mandelbrot fractal,
and we will exist in all of the spirals,
and be aware.

We spiral inward and outward,
in all dimensions,
each new loop swirling towards perfection.

We will know that,
although we will always strive to achieve a perfection
that seems attainable,
perfection exists only in the perfect joy
of being responsible and appreciative
in this moment
of existence.

I know that this is true:
I am doing it now.

I am living in this moment,
knowing that this moment is only
one constantly changing spiral,
in which each fractal iteration
contains an awareness of self.

This is Brahman,
and I am part of it.

~James D. Fanning
11 August, 2010




* My conclusions are based upon the following sources:

For moral guidance:

The Torah, The Koran, The Bible, The Vedas, The Upanisads, Gautama Siddharta, Gandalf, Terry Goodkind, walking in the fog with Ranger, dear Terry, my children, and, last but by no means least, the incredible Sherri S. Tepper.

For intellectual satisfaction:

Mandelbrot, Quantum Mechanics in general, and String Theory and Brane Cosmology in particular, Pachelbel’s “Canon”, M. C. Escher, Pink Floyd’s “Animals”, the wonder of language, and the foundation of my life, Robert Frost’s wonderfully ironic “The Road Not Taken.”


Tuesday 10 August 2010

The Lack of Real News

"Our country is being transformed without any need for grand declarations of vision or purpose. Just a Timbit of policy here and a piece of Friday-afternoon legislation there. Progressives must school themselves in the art of war. They must take back the story of Canada and write the next chapter as we move forward into the 21st century."

http://www.themarknews.com/articles/2003-the-lack-of-real-news

The Canadian Census Debate

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-long-form-will-return-voters-wont/article1667205/

Saturday 7 August 2010

Faith and Foolishness (Scientific American

"When presented with the statement “human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals,” just 45 percent of(American) respondents indicated “true.” Compare this figure with the affirmative percentages in Japan (78), Europe (70), China (69) and South Korea (64). Only 33 percent of Americans agreed that “the universe began with a big explosion.”"

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=faith-and-foolishness&sc=WR_20100804

The New Prohibition (Financial Post)

http://www.financialpost.com/opinion/columnists/Prohibition/3371491/story.html

The Ancient Hippie

The Ancient Hippie
Natraj dances with us all.

Welcome, and Namaste

Greetings fellow travellers,

For you American friends visiting, you will notice that this old Canadian uses Canadian English in this blog: kindly bear with me. As I blog primarily on subjects that are vitally interesting to me, I appreciate all feedback.

As I tend to be a bit of a language usage freak, I will, as required, edit obscenity and rude comments. That said, I welcome your opinions and discussion.

May your Dharma be clear

Peace

"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended:
That you have but slumb'red here,
While these visions did appear."


Puck’s epilogue to A Midsummer Night’s Dream