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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.

Monday, 21 August 2017

Deus Ex Machina




(New to Quantum Shift series)  This is a rework of the first draft.



Forget epistemology, for the moment,
then set aside onotology too.
With common sense as our guide
let’s examine what may be true.

Brane theory, with branes flapping
in some marvellous cosmic breeze:
brushing against each other,
with a poke, a crash, or a squeeze.
Superstring theory, with shivering strings
vibrating in endless dimensions,
couldn’t this  interdimensional weird
fill our lives with a strange jangling tension?
Little wonder how we live in turmoil,
with gravitational waves breaking
at the speed of light, with ripples
and rips: catastrophes in the making.
Never forget the Mandelbrot set,
with spirals infinitely repeating
with iterations odd and wondrous,
continuous, and never completing.
The many-world theory, especially 
Everett’s interpretation,
where every thing that could be is,
just confounds imagination!

I could go on for ages
about theories, tests, and facts,
but the essence of my narrative
could then fall between the cracks.
Notwithstanding Bohmian physics,
quantum entanglement, and mechanics,
our species, when contemplating the unknown,
invariably panics.
The supernatural answers
to all that puzzles and perplexes,
make us feel safe, and cozy,
because some god provides the nexus!
It isn’t all just about us,
but we strive to give life reason,
and manufacture yet another god
that changes with the season.

We don’t need gods to make things work,
nor accept our eternal fealty:
we are more than capable by ourselves
to understand reality.
Learn, observe, make valid tests:
knowledge isn’t something terrible
Look for proof, not folk tales,
shun dogma, avoid parable.
On your path to understanding,
you must first open your mind:
abandon faith, seek logic,
and be amazed at what you’ll find.
With no cosmic Geppetto
pulling our cosmic strings,
you can learn, and love to embrace the joy
that natural progression brings.

Deus ex machina:
why can’t we use our brain?
Stop dangling gods from a hook,
and make good use of the crane.


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