A Parable for 2010

Angel of Death on a Quest ©
Angel of Death heard so much about perfection that he was curious. He asked the guardian of the temple of Truth if she could enlighten him on the matter.
Truth came down steps to say, ‘I ought not be talking to you.’  The angel asked why. The transcendent beauty of Truth was in full flow. She said, ‘You ask me of all persons’. Angel of Death insisted and Truth explained that he made man confused. If it were not for him man could have stayed focused on her.  In the end Truth asked the angel to try Paradise for perfection.

Thus angel of Death and Destruction went to Paradise and the 72 houris were all gamboling in the fountain of pleasures. They on seeing him quickly covered themselves. But the angel of Death sniggered and said, ‘You perfect beings! Bah!’ the angel was most annoyed and said, ‘ Whoever said you are perfection incarnate, lied. You are as hairy as a bear.  If I were to hug you, I must search next for flea powder. Bah! ’ He was most irritated and he went to the earth.
His ears perked up as he heard great crowd worshiping one who was thumping the Bible. ‘Is he perfect?’ he wondered. So he showered pot full of gold. Immediately he threw the Book in order to pick up all the pieces of gold that fell about him. He was in glee since his congregation were all intent in their prayers. ‘He cannot be perfect,’ decided the angel. Next he saw a bearded rabbi who boasted he was perfect. When asked on what grounds did he come to that conclusion he said he was letter perfect. ‘No, you shall not live a moment longer’ said the angel. The angel of Death true to form struck him dead. Next he came across two fellows giving their speech before a video camera. From their speech the angel understood they were preparing themselves for  martyrdom. The angel saw they had shaved themselves ritually. The angel casually asked them, ‘What next?’ The wretched fellows said, ’Paradise and houris await us’. He asked,’So you shaved yourselves?’ He could not help laughing himself. He roared in laughter unable to control himself.   He could not tell them that they only shaved to add hair on those 72 houris in the most unlikeliest places.
Later on a sober reflection the angel of death had to admit the imperfect beings had no notion of truth so they merely did some mumbo-jumbo to add to their imperfection.
benny

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Offside

 Astronomer Edwin Hubble demonstrated that all galaxies and distant astronomical objects were moving away from us, as predicted by a universal expansion. Using the redshift of their electromagnetic spectra to determine the distance and speed of remote objects in space, he showed that all objects are moving away from us, and that their speed is proportional to their distance.

Similarly how far each of us is far from the Truth absolute can be understood by scanning *Energy Profile of each. Like the red or blueshift our actions hold certain permanence in the Cosmos.

Permanence in this universe? One may ask. It all depends what you think of your soul. If my soul or essential Self is permanent my Energy profile also matters.

Nucleons have same mass as fermions and are two different states of the same particle. In similar fashion whether as spiritual being or as physical being each of us shall go on about the plane of soul till we are perfect. Pure energy as light in the Cosmos.

                  * I have already covered the topic of Energy profile. Any shift of truth of my actions from the absolute is set in space-time coordinates.

                  benny

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Devil is in Details

Nucleus of an atom is made up of protons and neutrons, collectively known as nucleons. These are fermions (spin-half particles) of almost the same mass (in fact it is often useful to think of them as two different states of the same particle, distinguished by different values of quantum number, isospin).

 Nucleons interact with one another via certain type of force while the protons also interact via another: a nuclear force and electromagnetic force respectively. What is fundamental in nuclear physics may be used as an analogy to explain the working of an individual in terms of nation. Individual takes the place of quark. Even as individuals interact it produces a force that make certain changes in the ideals of nations. This force law created by individuals will show on what flimsy grounds the much vaunted  ideal of a nation stands.

 Nations hold certain ideals and so does an individual. ‘In God we trust’ but business of America is business. Where making money is an ideal and citizens are encouraged to make money and lack of money is held out for ridicule in a subtle manner, the force law of greed works on individual,- and Bernard Madoff is a classic example. Several hundred spectators crowded Monday into a courtroom in Manhattan to witness the sentencing of Bernard Madoff for a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme. Among them were many who some time ago didn’t think it amiss to ask the disgraced financier, “Can we kiss your behind, Mr. Madoff?” They were all for catching a favorable nod from one who turned out to be no better than a common thief.

Last year the crowd was for singing his praises and come Monday the crowd wants blood. It seems to me they are behaving like fermions as two different states of the same particle.

2.

A quote from Antony and Cleopatra:

But when we in our viciousness grow hard,-

O misery on’t! -the wise gods seal our eyes;

In our own filth drop our  clear judgments…

While we strut to our confusion.(Ac III;Sc XIII)

‘Snorting coke may be to turn off but it comes to a point it shall take much more than that to turn oneself in’.

benny

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Does God Control Human Events?

When Senator What-Is-His-Name was picked by the President elect to be his running mate, no one in the corridors of Power could believe. ‘He has never opened his mouth except to ask for donation for some cause or other.’ Sniped one. The other added, “Only cause he knows is his own.” The senator was despised by most but succeed he did to be the Vice President.
Vice President What-Is-His-Name was the envy of all. Shortly thereafter the whole circle of  political pundits was stunned to see the VP sit in the seat vacated by the President who died of a sudden stroke. His enemies howled with rage to say there was no justice or God to allow such an egregious blunder happen.
Just after President What-Is-His-Name left office an inquiry revealed several irregularities. Following these led to his downfall and those who prided in hobnobbing with him while in power suddenly became silent whenever his name was dropped. It was as though his name had become synonymous with something unspeakable.
Now the question is this: is there some one or a set of principles that see to apportioning credit or blame to the works of man?
2.

Things are not what they seem. An example of this was demonstrated with a telling effect on May 29, 1919 during a solar eclipse. The importance of the occasion was in validation of General Relativity into which we need not now go into. It shall suffice to say we might not have known the position of the actual star but for the solar event. Think of God’s hand being revealed in certain phenomena or events. One attributes an event to Him while another may dismiss it as superstition.

While we see the moon shining out there the time taken for the light to reach us would have lapsed some 2 minutes. We are witnessing an event and our senses do not give us the full picture. When we point out to the downfall of man or elevation of another we may judge it according to our own beliefs and persuasions. How far are we right?
benny

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Give and Take

Life on a material plane is a question of moral dilemma. Every childhood is mapping out possibilities from opportunities very limited. A child who is encouraged to imitate a role model may want to be like its peer. Young Tiger Woods will thus take to golfing under the guiding hands of his father. A child having careful nurture has a better chance of settling on a career than one who is neglected. Once he realizes in what direction his talents lay will he not make his chance count? Without thousands hours of practice and carefully going over his shots and perfecting his swing Tiger Woods would not have amounted to much. Being a world class player has its own niche to enrich the lives of many others. If Tiger Woods could enthuse another to follow his lead this question of moral dilemma largely is settled. With so much of sweat and tears that man gives on regular basis for himself and for others the moral dilemma is left to the other who knows only to take or feather one’s nest on someone else’s labor. 2

How much of my body with its appetites low or sublime should be allowed to take the lead while soul is all the time rapping within for getting itself heard? This question is solely left to my discretion and not over to others. Period.

benny

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The Life of Aesop-selected

9.

Tantalus was like a second father to Basileus. Iadmon was often away on something or other and the boy always looked to Tantalus for guidance. Once he asked Tantalus of what stuff his spirit was made of. He said his tutor swore by it whereas he could not make head or tail of it. Tantalus knew the boy of 14 was serious. He explained spirit as something similar to heat that accompanied the lighting of the oil lamp. “The life of man burns and the light which we see from his actions would generate heat. The City of Athens is a city of lights, fame of which is supplied by so many men and women. It is the spirit of the city which gives heat in such intensity much more than, say in a small town.” Basileus thought over it and said, “It is the spirit of the times which is the key.” “No, spirit of man is the key,” Tantalus said with a smile, ”If it were not for that how we can judge the quality of any age?” Spirit of man gives his age and place its special flavor. What moves Sparta with their Spartan way of life would leave an Athenian cold.

10.

Man is a physical and moral being.

Aesop sought his mentor out often in order to clear many of his doubts. One day Hesiod narrated story of a sage who wanted to revive one at the point of death. He sent the monkey-god to fetch a certain herb from a mountain. The time was short so the monkey-god brought the whole mountain to the physician-sage so he could choose the exact herb himself. “It is the task of each to find Truth and not leave it for others.” Aesop agreed with his mentor that Truth was for all occasions. Truth applied to both body and spirit. “The body must be true to Truth: actions give it the correct volume and shape. It has that seal of truth: thereby he is seen as human to all. He also ensures his growth by referring to Truth.” (Ch.2 His Baggage-page 45-46)

benny

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Just One Point

Soul has its own special language and its contour always will be a fit for the individual. Moses will thus being brought up in the household of Pharaoh and familiar with Egyptian folklore,arts, jurisprudence, lay down the Hebraic legal system drawn from ideas already extant. Similarly St. Paul taught at the feet of Hebraic scholars,- notably Gamaliel, will lay down in his epistles a curious form of theology , a fusion of Old and the New. In the story of Soul’s Vocabulary the mentally challenged boy formulated a new way of counting that was more in keeping for his milieu. Soul of the individual is paramount and one may wonder how Moses would have viewed the Pauline epistles. Let Paul take care of his soul as Moses his.

Moral of this is that you may convert a man to your belief-systems but shall never succeed quite completely. Can leopard change is spots? Or salt acquire the sweetness of a sugar crystal?

benny

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Moral Sense

Morality seems to be one word that is misunderstood as Truth. We explore the validity of truth like in a game, in the game of Life. We are blindfolded by our humanness and we feel the shape from our senses, what is an absolute value. Morality however holds different emphases. Truth we bear in our soul as though some gleam caught in our Self. With which we may embroider Selfishness in so many ways. A man like Gordon of Khartoum would invite death though his nemesis offers him a way out. He is not so much as troubled by his inconsistencies or dirty heel but to prove something to the world. Man who plays the part of Messiah unfortunately has to struggle with his inner demons or messiah complex in some cases.

Morality is not such selfishness that only clouds ‘the ray pure serene ‘ Truth.

What is it then? Morality is binding man’s essence or Soul to the wagon of Truth. As such his humanness may drag him through the streets and yet when he speaks it makes other take note of the Highest. He may be a thief and yet like Francois Villon gives man an insight into Truth. He is not pretending to be a moral reformer but merely following a bend of his mind. Take Percy Bysshe Shelley for example. His search for Truth got him kicked out of university since atheism was frowned upon as evil. All his life he followed his inclinations perfecting his craft and his Republican ideals like a moth trying to snuff out the false light of mercantile class of England. In the process he ruined the lives of a few women because he practiced free love!   Can we connect morality with such a man?

2.

Morality is what gives even a fallen leaf its poignancy. ‘I fall upon the thorns of life; I bleed!’ so lamented Poet Shelley. His moral sense was of the highest order despite his controversial life style. I cite his example specially to show morality is not to be confused with living true to the position the organized religion might hold. Position of any organization changes with times. Truth does not. This itself ought to  warn people not to sell their true selves like Esau did. (note: the story of Jacob and Esau is alluded here. Patriarch Jacob  had great many faults for which the world has often faulted his children ever since. A Jew in the former times signaled to the ‘gentiles’  certain characteristics which we see in the Patriarch who for all his unpleasant traits valued the worth of being first born correctly.) If we compromised our essence what else is there for us to cherish?

Alas my essence must burn with gem-like hardness drawing on the oxygen of the world. Moral sense gives the flame its shape, drawing others to bask in its warmth.

Let me define Moral Sense: It is your correct understanding of your self in context of something else. A moral Being has his sense to bring his world into a sharper focus by actions worth of his being and as in the case of Shelley through his poetry.
3.
Even mundane events in our world about us draw us to learn a moral lesson. Moral in the sense it gives us fresh insight to our life among myriad life forms. Thus a rose fades; or a flower in its bloom has fallen by the wayside. It doesn’t fade off uncared for. It lives still in our mind.
Morality is the celebration of humanness in the web of life. With such understanding we maintain correct sensitivity to appreciate the role of every life form. In what myriad ways we are served by it and in what ways we acknowledge our debt or repay it ought to keep our life significant. Such a moral sense is positive in nature.
Moral sense does not make a fuss about meat eating or sticking to a diet of herbs and greens. We need not forget: plants are also life forms. A glutton would say:‘making a fine salad is to celebrate the life of plants.’ A dyspeptic man might argue and he would say,” Eating sparingly is to celebrate life.’ Moral sense is much more than superficial observance of rituals and diet. It is your very life with which you negotiate with other lives. Our lives are on the line so to speak.
Tailpiece:  Moral sense is not counted in dollars and cents. If we do not get our way in a deal we do not have to hire a lawyer who (may) find a loophole in the law to make the other party pay. Do we have to have our pound of flesh every time we have walked an extra mile?

benny

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Blank Page of your life

Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) was described by his first teacher as ‘impenetrably stupid.’ Balzac similarly was written away as useless.Einstein was not expected to set the world on fire either. Many more instances could be cited where those who were in authority so lightly dismissed those youths who didn’t fit their mold. Are lives of men and women such stuff, as simple and regular as some rock specimens to be labeled and put away?
Naturally Oliver Goldsmith in the eyes of his peers might have seemed ’stupid’. They might have in the past predicted similarly and were found right.  The only difference between Oliver and other boys was in this: other boys compromised with the opinion of the elders while he didn’t. Oliver Goldsmith explored his life despite of his uncommon clumsiness and many failings, to find its common center. His creative output (among which ‘The Vicar of Wakefield ‘She stoops to conquer and many poems are literary gems) gave his life its compactness.

I have made a fool of myself many times. I might again make mistakes. But these are nothing compared to the one I could if I go by opinion of others. They might write me off from mistakes. But how right they are to put a seal on my life for good or bad? My growth is not driven by my mistakes but from my life force . It is such I could use it as a straw or as a steam roller, which coupled with my character shall smash to powder every negative aside of others that is not truly part of me. These mistakes are incidentals due to my trust misplaced in others or my inability to change shapes of my words to counter false friends. I came across the case of art dealer Lawrence Salander, 59, who was arrested at his New York home on Thursday, when he and his gallery were charged with 100 counts, including grand larceny and securities fraud. So far, authorities have identified 26 victims of Salander’s scheme, including McEnroe, who lost $2 million after investing a half share in two paintings, which was sold at the same time to another collector. ( It is learned that McEnroe never recouped the money.)

The con artist’s scheme, which lasted from 1994 to 2007, included luring investors who paid cash in exchange for shares of ownership of works of art.Why did he do it? He ‘needed’ the money to fund “an extravagant lifestyle” of lavish parties and private jets. Most of the artworks, which are yet to be valued, are being held in the custody of a bankruptcy court in Poughkeepsie, New York. Many of the investors have filed civil claims against Salander and his gallery, which filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2007. Was such a charade really necessary? What scandalous times do we live in where a man would rather be known for a crook than as one whose word is his bond and as straight as an arrow. What is Madoff now worth for?(It seems a Milwauee man won at Lotto $1500 by using his prison number. It is is the only good it has done in his case.) Who cares for Madoff’s philanthropic works now by hindsight are equated for trapping the unwary investors. Even now from two examples cited above we may understand that fraudsters get their comeuppance sooner or later.

Our lives are blank pages where what is written must be the truth of our character that met the challenge of our circumstances and like the white plume of Cyrano de Bergerac remains unsullied. It s panache of the  highest sort.

Tailpiece: In cases where doubt exists the best course open for any is to prove by his or her deeds.
benny

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Dear Diary:entry #222

Two half truths do not make a whole; nor does a lie supported by two witnesses make it true.

benny

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