Opus 2024-011: An Adventure Begins

As I get older I become more aware of the gaps in my education.  Some of the bothers me not.  When I read of listen to someone who drops the names of current cultural icons, when I see of picture of someone who is supposedly famous and I have no clue, when books are mentioned that I have never heard of, I shrug my shoulders and get on with life.  I am philosophical about it.

There are others that I know I should have read but if I did it was more skimming for a class than reading to understand.  1984 would be a good example.  It is a book that I read since retiring and found I should have been on my fourth or fifth time through.

Currently I am begining a journey through Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.  I am in no hurry.  I am curious to see why it is still in print.  That means taking my time and considering whether there is anything to ponder on after a bit of reading.

As I begin reading, I see that Aristotle is declaring what is the most important science.  He comes to the conclusion that it is political science or politics.  

“But such is manifestly the science of politics; for it is this that ordains which of the sciences are to exist in states, and what branches of knowledge the different classes of the citizens are to learn, and up to what point; and we observe that even the most highly esteemed the faculties, such as strategy, domestic economy, oratory, are subordinate to the political science.” pp. 3-4

While I would agree that the modern deep state elites are trying to use politics to dominate and control the country I don’t think they could be accused of using it for the greater good.

Christians would reject the idea totally.  For us the primary area of study should be theology.  In the middle ages, when the church was instrumental in establishing the university system, theology was considered the queen of the sciences.  How far it has fallen and how the definition of science has changed.

Aristotle.  The Nicomachean Ethics, Translated by Harris Rackham.  England:  Wordsworth Classics of World Literature, 1996.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-010: Point of View

The difference is instantly observed.  Being outside and observing the wonders of the sky and creation bring home the reality of God.

You can experience this concept in your room sitting in a chair, but it’s just more easy in the outdoors.  I experience this contrast as the temperature fluctuates in central Texas.  One day when I go walking I am in a T-shirt.  The next day I have on a flannel shirt, insulated vest, scarf, heavy coat and gloves.  It makes you think about how things can change so quickly.  Sitting in the central heat doesn’t stimulate the same juices.

I think perhaps many scientist who do not believe in God are locked into their physical laboratories or their library surrounded by their books.  They study physics but don’t get a chance to contemplate those physical laws at work in the grandeur of a stormy sky or wind blown tree.  Often what seems to reasonable at a desk just doesn’t make much sense when faced with reality.

They need to get out more

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-009: The Noble Sacrifice

As we were eating our Christmas celebration meal on New Year’s Eve my wife was talking about some of the things that she did not prepare this year in the interest of simplicity.  Or was it variety?  I can’t remember.  It sounded good.

The next day as I was putting away silverware that had been washed after the meal, and I noticed what was there and what wasn’t there.  There were no slotted spoons.  That means that we didn’t have any form of green bean casserole or a dish that might have fluids in it that need to be drained.  I got to thinking about this idea of simplicity.  Often our claim of simplicity or variety is just a way of avoiding producing more complex results.

For a meal you can make things that are complex.  You can also make things that look really complicated but aren’t.  It is amazing what you can buy premade.  It looks like you spent hours in the kitchen.  Many times the things that cooks claim as complex are relatively easy to produce.  What is lacking is the desire to produce them.

I find it amusing the mystique that seems to be built around cooking.  I will accept that there are many little tricks that you can learn that make a big difference.  I still haven’t figured out how my wife can fix a steak on the stove top and make it taste so good.  I’ve asked her to show me what she does several times and so far she’s managed to avoid doing so.  At the same time if you can read, you can follow directions.  Things that come in different types of packages have very detailed directions.  Cookbooks have step by step instructions.  I know I can make a pretty good chili and I got my basic directions from a Betty Crocker Cookbook and then consulted several others to find out what kind of spices would give me that desires I wanted.  It wasn’t rocket science.  It was a matter of reading directions.  In some cases the hardest part is figuring out how to use the can opener.  

When it comes to other areas of life, this also applies . When I was teaching, we went through a stage where principals assumed in order to have a purpose in life their role was to make us miserable by demanding daily, detailed, meaningless lesson plans.  They wanted lesson plans written in such a way that there’s no way they could ever be applied, but we followed the formula the principal wanted.  You learn to adapt, adjust, and put on a great act.  Cut and paste boilerplate was a life saver since the noble leaders never looked at what we turned in.  They just had a secretary check off if we were obedient.  Recently, I watched a Sunday School class being taught by someone who obviously had put no preparation into it, but was very good at making it look like he had important and in-depth truths to share.

So be gentle and kind.  If people want to make you think that they have really done you a service, then thank them graciously and get on with life.  It won’t hurt you and there’s a possibility it won’t hurt them either.  We would be amazed at how much of life is done this way.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-008: Click Bait: Be Careful What You Wish For

We’re hearing a lot of criticism of the FBI.  I personally feel like most of it is deserved, and the rest probably doesn’t go far enough.  One of the bits of click bait that I just saw, but I’ve chosen to ignore, is something to the effect that the FBI knew about the Louisiana shooter 20 hours before the terrorist attack occurred.  I think the inference was that they should’ve done something about it.

Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.  Do you really want an agency like the FBI to have even more power to look into your personal life and mess with you.  Think of all the abuse we see.  Think of the raid on Mar-a-Lago.  Think of the swat teams that have attacked folks in their homes early in the morning because they offended the Biden ministration.  Think of the blank stares when it comes to Hunter’s laptop or the Epstein guest list.

Giving the FBI more power to snoop and to ignore the due process clause of the constitution is in the same category of having qualifications for the right to vote.  In principle, in the right hands, administered with restraint and good will it might be fine.  Unfortunately, none of those qualifications exist.  Just as the Jim Crow South took the idea of qualifications and begin giving literacy test in Chinese sharecroppers, so the FBI would use their nose under the tent to persecute people protected by the First Amendment.

In fact, if you are into conspiracy theories, a good one to come up with would be that the Cabal controlling the country is planning these attacks on hopes that you will be willing to give up more of your liberty so that they will have more control. After all, don’t we all want to be safe?

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-007: Tax Dollars at Work: Dim Your Lights

One of the first things I do every morning is to check the weather.  Actually, I check the temperature.  The rest of the weather is something I’m not too worried about.  This morning I was warned, or told, that there was a “Special Weather Statement” that I needed to read.  OK.  I was open to a little entertainment so I touch the screen.

I was taken then to a “Special Weather Statement” from the National Weather Service.  They informed me, I could just hear the drum roll in the background and I imagine the deep voice, that there will be fog today.  They went on to share with me how that meant that I should drive with low beams, at a slower speed, and leave more space between me in the car in front of me.

Thank you, weather app.  Thank you National Weather Service.  I’m sure that when I went outside, I would have assumed that my glasses were just fogging up because of the temperature change.  When I took them off to clean them, I would’ve wondered why I still couldn’t see.  It’s good that I have the federal government here to tell me that it’s foggy.  I’m sure I would never notice.

Thank you weather app and thank you. National Weather Service for assuming that my father did not teach me how to drive in fog.  Actually I’ve known since before I could drive that you turn your low beams on in the fog.  I also am quite aware that driving 80 miles an hour in a heavy fog on a curvy road with lots of traffic is not a way to live to see your great-grandchildren.

I would suggest that perhaps Elon and Vivek might look at the National Weather Service as one of the things that does not need to be broadcast into every home every day.  I understand if I am flying a jet across the country I might need some kind of heads-up but not for knowing if it is raining outside my front door.  Of course, that could be just me.

We might also need a National Restaurant Service to warn us about putting white powder in our coffee out of those little shakers on the table.  Some wise guru might also tell us that it’s not a good idea to eat your peas with a knife and be careful with that fork because you could make holes in your eyeballs . Also, they might want to remind us that knives can be sharp and that glasses when they were knocked off the table might break.

You are welcome for this heartfelt recommendation.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-006: Word for the Day

The word is grand.  As I came out to begin my daily walk and looked at the combination of blue sky and heavy great clouds with sun shining through I looked for a word and that was it.

It was grand.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-005: Standing Still, and Marching On

As a new year starts to enroll, we tend to think about time.  We celebrate an arbitrary choice of days as New Year’s.  We look back and reminisce over the actual measure of one revolution around the sun.  We might even hold our breath and try to stop things from going so fast.

Is time standing still for you or does it just keep marching on?

Most people tend to think in three dimensions:  Height, width, and depth.  If they think of them they can also add time so we live in four dimensions.  These are pretty much all human beings need or are aware of.  Remember there was once a musical group that called itself the Fifth Dimension?  That was supposed to be cutting edge.  Scientists now talk in terms of dozens of dimensions.  To most of us that’s just nonsense.  It has nothing to do with the world we live in.  In their abstract way of manipulating and trying to understand the universe they find uses for them but I hope you never had to have anybody explain any of them.

Yet I accept that they exist.  I am willing to accept that up to a point.  Science tend to think in terms of what we would consider science fiction.  As long as their equations work out, they’re happy.  In many cases, it doesn’t matter if their equations say anything to you about the universe or make a difference in any aspect of existence.  They get a prize, a grant, a promotion, an interview on Joe Rogan.

We look at time as something in motion.  Some people say we live in a time machine that only goes in one direction.  We can’t stop it.  We can’t go back.  If God is outside time, then he would view it as a sculpture not a motion picture.

The nature of time is change.  Is there any change if you exist outside of time?  Some things we will never know in this life.  That should reassure you, as well as peek your create curiosity.

Get ready for more change.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-004: Christmas Balance

What a glorious day. We celebrated Christmas as a family on New Year’s Eve because the grandchildren were up North with the other side of the family.  It was worth the wait.  Not only did we get to enjoy pictures of their trip to the north with them sliding down hills and falling off sleds, but we got to enjoy them on our own schedule.  As I said, what a glorious day.

There were the normal types of things that you would expect when families get together.  That is double true when you have the children allowed to attend.  We had the normal moments of excitement.  We had broken glass.  We had spilled apple juice.  We have thorns in the flesh.  It was a typical family day and as I said, it was glorious.

So much of life is that way.  We have the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, the things we want to remember and the things we want to forget.  So much of how we view it depends upon our attitude.  Don’t you hate that word?.

One of the topics of discussion was how the kids got sick when they were up north.  There were certain events which were not described, which I assume had to do with children barfing all over their parents, but in retrospect a good time was had by all.  It reminded me of a time when my daughter was staying with us instead of flying back to Japan as she finished her second pregnancy.  My granddaughter was at that age where she had to still sleep in the same room with Mommy, but old enough for a separate bed.  I remember fondly, yes fondly, the night where I was awakened to the news that my granddaughter had thrown up all over her crib.  Pretty disgusting when you think about it, but it was my granddaughter.  We jumped in, cleaned up the mess, wash the sheets, changed the kids clothes, did the huggy-kissy thing and put her back to bed.  Even at the time I remember thinking about how I would look back on this as a great experience with my granddaughter.  She won’t remember, but I will.  Oh, the warmth of barf in the middle of the night.

An added benefit is I will be able to share the story at her wedding.

So get your attitude in check, reminisce with joy, and anticipate the unknown.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-003: Click Bait: Reading Between the Lines

My wife called me in to share with me the latest Clickbait on a video she was watching on YouTube.  Yes, I sat down and looked at the headline for the Clickbait.  Several things became obvious, at least to me.  And I think probably they will be obvious to you.

The first thing was that another car had driven itself into a crowd of people killing 10.  Tesla should be ashamed of itself.  All of these self driving vehicles that are running people down in the headlines.  Now I would not have originally noticed this but I’ve seen others pointing this out time and again.  The headlines ignore who was driving the car.  Small point, I know.  They simply say that the car kill people.  The logical conclusion is that Elon Musk is guilty.  When I say this, I don’t mean the Elon Musk who is an African-American, but the Elon musk who seems to be suffering from white privilege.

The second thing that I can gain from the headline is that the driver of this vehicle, if you will excuse the assumption that it had a driver, was either a native born minority ethnic group, or a foreign-born terrorist.  You know this because if the driver was the pastor of a local, all white, Baptist Church, all of those details would’ve been part of the headline.

I don’t really need to watch the video.  If it were in print, I wouldn’t need to read the article.  I know everything that there is that I will find to be true.  Some America hater once again tries to disrupt our society by making people afraid to go out in large groups.

Unfortunately, it seems to be working at times.

Hang in there. Do your shopping. Enjoy your family. Watch your back.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-002: Orange God Bad

I am getting close to the end of the Joe Rogan program (2008) where he interviews Stephen Meyer.  Overall, it’s an interesting conversation.  Since I’ve read a couple of Meyer’s books, I am not shocked by anything he has to say or surprised by the scientific basis of what he is saying.  I did find at least two things very frustrating.

The first was how Rogan kept asking the same question every 10 or 15 minutes through the whole interview.  To paraphrase that question it would be, “Yeah, but what if?”  He kept wanting to say what if 400 years from now we have these big breakthroughs and find all kinds of neat cool stuff that just proves your point totally wrong, “What then?”  This, of course, is just an intellectual approach to playing the Why Game.  It is a pointless task based on just a wild hope that something will prove you wrong.  It isn’t that you don’t make sense.  It is not because facts are not on your side.  It isn’t because you refuse to admit the nature of science is change and new information.  It is because for you to be right people like Rogan would be confronted with a need to change.  They will sacrifice anything to cling to their assumptions.  It is almost as if they are the mirror image of what they accuse others of being.

I’m not saying that there might not be new discoveries to prove current theories wrong.  Meyer kept repeating that science is never settled and he expects there to be new discoveries.  I’m just saying that there is no basis at this point for projecting such discoveries, and it’s rather childish to put your faith in wild speculation.  

The second frustration would be on the part of Meyer to me.  One of the things I picked up in reading his books was the dishonesty of scientists in their inner motivations.  I don’t know how many times he pointed out in his books that the only real reason why many physicist had a hard time excepting the Big Bang Theory was because it would point toward the existence of a god.  In other words, their atheistic theological perspective was the assumption and mold for all of their thinking, and they refused to consider anything that went against that basic assumption.  How similar to the caricature of Fundamentalist Christians.

To use their terminology, your typical liberal, materialistic, atheistic scientist is living in his own version of “orange man bad” but in this case it is God with the orange hair.  That seems to be the answer to everything.  It has no basis in reality, but they insist on rejecting anything having to do with God, or pointing towards the existence of God, with a simple statement, “Orange God bad.”

Rogen and Meyer had a good discussion.  Both sides were respectful.  I still have about a half hour to go so I don’t know if they will reach any conclusions but I would recommend it.
homo unius libri

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-001: Are You Awake Yet?

I must admit, I whispered that because I don’t know where you are at this point in your life.  I stopped staying up to greet the new year a long time ago, probably when my last child moved out of the house.  I can remember as in my immaturity wanting to stay up all night.  I can remember as a teenager going out and running around with my friends until past midnight at least.  I can remember the challenge.  I have never been one to party hard, drink excessively, and hope I got home alive.  It was enough to stay up as late as I could.

No more.  I go to bed.  I get up.  New Year’s Day is just another day of retirement.

It is also a good day to stop and contemplate the future.  Every culture has these moments.  We know about the Chinese new year with the dancing dragons and the fireworks.  There is a Jewish new year.  The Muslims celebrate a new year.  It goes on everywhere and in addition to the celebration and partying there is often serious reflection on what direction your life should go.

One Bible verse that stands out to us this way is,

Joshua 24:15 (KJV) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

We don’t have Amorites anymore.  Your fathers may not have served the God of the Bible.  Nevertheless, today is a day of decision.  It could simply be to be a better parent, or to spend less money on Twinkies.  Do you have decisions to make?  Of course you do.  The big decision is what is your motivating force, you’re guiding light, the compass that provides direction.  I would trust that you would make a decision today, to serve the Lord.  I would hope that’s just a repeat of last year.  I would hope it’s just a desire to do better rather than a need to make a radical change.

I pray that you would take advantage of the opportunity you have by taking the day off, spending time with family and time alone.

Happy new year. May God bless you and may you be obedient to him.

homo unius libri