tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post4571112054899565521..comments2023-05-24T23:33:57.516+10:00Comments on My Unwelcome Stranger: Asparagus and the God part of it all [Final]Denis Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-13946226707646807982012-07-27T11:08:01.562+10:002012-07-27T11:08:01.562+10:00I love thinking and reading about religions and sp...I love thinking and reading about religions and spirituality and openness. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this Denis :)Sheshtynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-14328876219215533002012-07-22T12:00:21.599+10:002012-07-22T12:00:21.599+10:00Knowing that I know so little is one of things tha...Knowing that I know so little is one of things that keeps my eyes ears & mind wiiiiide open. And one the things I love most about life & my part (or not) in it. <br />Thanks again Denis - you are the kind of imparter/ Inspiror/teacher I hope my children come across in their lives many times.Debbie Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394407763841434057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-77765522253113384492012-07-22T11:15:54.774+10:002012-07-22T11:15:54.774+10:00As you say, Denis, "those who are stuck in a ...As you say, Denis, "those who are stuck in a sensory-intellectual bind of this form of consciousness that we live in for 99+% of the time"<br /><br />It's the 1-% that interests me, especially when the stories they tell are so consistent with each other, even those coming from children. Although science would and does dismiss them, relegates them to the looney bin, they seem to stand up to some form of scientific rigour, if one bothers to look. As for the looney bin, if science had been around at the time of Buddha and the Taoist sages, they'd be in there too.<br /><br />Stay looney. On this issue, be on the side of the 1%.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04715081266571704126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-88192688145913875022012-07-21T21:39:28.255+10:002012-07-21T21:39:28.255+10:00Oblio presents a paradox ... (http://en.wikipedia....Oblio presents a paradox ... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Point!) - your experience, existence, and reflections make the point. <br />Without being too maudlin, as always...<br />Best wishesDRKWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10974920542410321055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-10829049126147932552012-07-21T11:35:43.016+10:002012-07-21T11:35:43.016+10:00I think that's very wise. Let's face it, w...I think that's very wise. Let's face it, when people around us talk about the experience of death, not a bleedin' one of them have ever done it, however close they've been to dying people and understand its stages. <br /><br />This applies even to those who've had near-death experience, though I am inclined to be more interested in them than most; far more so than the jolly happy fully-healthy people who think they have an idea what they're pontificating on.<br /><br />I was one of those, before the time Dylan Thomas described beautifully and painfully as, 'A grief ago.'<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-grief-ago-2/Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-53285422868614931912012-07-21T11:22:01.632+10:002012-07-21T11:22:01.632+10:00Sometimes I stop writing about what's beyond o...Sometimes I stop writing about what's beyond our immediate experience because I think, who am I to lecture <i>anyone</i>? <br /><br />It's a fair question. But if something I say makes anyone think, then it serves a purpose, because there is nothing quite so irritating to me as complacency – especially when it's smug. Obviously neither of these terms apply to you. <br /><br />So many comments make me stop and think, and make me aware I know practically nothing at all. That's OK. I've learned to come to terms with that. :)Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-47345702021224682562012-07-21T11:09:56.887+10:002012-07-21T11:09:56.887+10:00Thank you once again. Parroting words has no meani...Thank you once again. Parroting words has no meaning if the person doing so doesn't understand or feel what they mean – just like the parrot. <br /><br />I <i>think</i> I understand what you're getting at re Life Science and its application.Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-29173300665181727332012-07-21T11:03:51.455+10:002012-07-21T11:03:51.455+10:00Bob – first of all, I have to admit that Blogger&#...Bob – first of all, I have to admit that Blogger's 'Comment' section has some wicked idiosyncrasies, and many people, me included, have lost their comment for somewhat the same reasons as you did. <br /><br />Well, I guess you experienced the law of karma at work! Ignore my advice about saving elsewhere e.g., to WordPad on a PC or TextEdit on a Mac, and you gonna get burned some time or another. Ouch! I hate that!<br /><br />I don't see what you said about losing stuff on a computer as rambling. On the contrary, when something's gone forever, you can <i>only</i> accept it and move on. I am amazed at the number of people who bury themselves in regrets and <i>can't</i> move on. They're tearing themselves apart when they should be saying, what can I learn from this and/or how can I stop it happening again?<br /><br />So, you did. Oldies are better at doing that, I reckon. Not always, though – we do have our Miss Havershams, intent on now making everyone as miserable as they are, bitterly resenting a past that can't be changed or is irretrievable.<br /><br />I find faith-based religion an endearing thing. I know that comment looks paternalistic, but it's not meant to be. It solves the dilemma about the obvious faults in logic of we humans - those who are stuck in a sensory-intellectual bind of this form of consciousness that we live in for 99+% of the time. <br /><br />I don't take it to be simplistic. On the contrary, I have friends whose faith is unshakeable and they are scientists and/or philosophers; highly intelligent people who are far from blind, ignorant or intolerant. <br /><br />I've never thought that human compassion is only the province of religious people, though I've experienced much from them. But <i>no less</i> than from avowed atheists. Compassion is a human trait and it does not depend on religion. Not in the slightest.<br /><br />Enough for here and now. There's much more to be said - but would it change anything?Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-46611176261703956622012-07-21T10:31:44.830+10:002012-07-21T10:31:44.830+10:00As Blaise Pascal once exclaimed, "Not the God...As Blaise Pascal once exclaimed, "Not the God of the philosophers, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!!!" That was a surprise to him.<br /><br />You never know what's around the corner.<br /><br />I've read discussions on whether Buddha was completely enlightened or not. To some, what he is reputed to have said comes from an intermediary state.<br /><br />As far as I'm concerned, some truths aren't worth knowing. I'll turn my mind towards what gives me comfort, courage, and hope. I also give more credibility to what people experience when close to death than to what the rational mind might postulate. <br /><br />JJoanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04715081266571704126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-90087683646299870252012-07-21T07:08:19.585+10:002012-07-21T07:08:19.585+10:00Thank you Denis. Much to think over and chew on he...Thank you Denis. Much to think over and chew on here. I'm in that group that always want more. Always pleased there are multiple parts. And yet you have in many ways written enough. Enough to inspire a broadening of the mind and another wee step towards understanding our own part in this universe. Which of course we must know. <br />Enough to provoke thoughtful questions and a larger view of the world, our part of the world, and the me part of the universe. <br />I appreciate your words. As I said above "given me much to think on"<br />DebbieDebbie Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394407763841434057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-73701847343044612102012-07-20T21:49:02.590+10:002012-07-20T21:49:02.590+10:00Etymologies:
Probably from French dialectal P...Etymologies:<br /><br /> Probably from French dialectal Perrot, diminutive of Pierre, Peter.<br /><br />"Parrotting" words / concepts, in my opinion, is a passive activity - an activity indulged by sentient beings searching for the internal satisfaction of being able to say "yes, I provided a response/suggestion".<br />Denis, my friend, priorities are constantly evolving and continue to do so. A desire to express appreciation for your confirmation that "Life Science" is separate and distinct from "Applied Life Science".<br />Thank you.DRKWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10974920542410321055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-50873941751494254362012-07-20T16:09:30.547+10:002012-07-20T16:09:30.547+10:00Gosh Denis, I agree. I mean how can I have faith i...Gosh Denis, I agree. I mean how can I have faith in a God who not only seems to lack compassion for, but also seems not to understand, technology. You see, after reading your blog and thinking deeply - which is not easy for some of us - I set out to record my immortal thoughts in your 'Post a Comment' box. Forty minutes later (and ignoring your advice) I pressed the "Preview your literary masterpiece' button and 'Bingo' I went straight to a Google page that asked me, quite politely as it happened' if I would like to create my own blog. Well, at that particularly moment, I didn't want to do that, so pressed the back button and - guess what - I got taken straight back to your 'Post a Comment' page only to find the comments had been posted into cyber-space. <br />So, for a while I sat and thought about non-attachment, acceptance, and what a nasty person God could be on occasions. Then I took a deep breath, went away and had a cup of tea, and came back to try again.<br />Your post, above, was exactly what I would have said ... at least, what I would have said after you had said it. But back to God and godless computers.<br />I am not attached to my computer. I love it much of the time, hate it a lot of the time, but basically enjoy it while it works. Computers involve suffering and the way to handle that is to avoid an 'attached dependence' on them.<br />Then there is acceptance of the moment. It is not always easy, but it helps. When you have lost - completely lost - your entire identity and raison d'etre in a computer crash, and when the technician phones up to say unfortunately the external back-up drive is corrupted. You have to stop awhile and think. You can't 'not accept' it, so you close your eyes and dream of being somewhere else.<br />I am rambling. Losing my posting to your blog is the consequence of downloading Google chrome. It didn't replace my previous Google browser, it works in tandem with it ... or should I say, it fights with it. Dodging backwards and forwards between the two is like trying to play cricket with two bats.<br />And so to reality, illusion and the meaning of life.<br />I was about 50 years old before I could believe that heavier than air machines could fly ... even today I am not that sure about it. Then there was television, and scientists telling me exactly what happened in the milli-second that followed the Big Bang (somewhat before my time). <br />And now I can sit at my desk and fume because it takes more than five seconds to access 17.5 million articles on fungal infections of the foot.<br />Can I really believe this is happening? Can this world of information all be accessed through a chip the size of a pea? Is living in a virtual reality any more or less real than living through my own thoughts in what I take to be the 'real world'?<br />Back to your post. After involvement over decades with Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism and atheism, I didn't quite 'come out the same door by in I went', but very nearly. I find The Tao - sometimes elusive but somehow sensed, a comfortable companion to life's journey. Along with a very basic unadulterated Buddhism, and Krishnamurti's 'Truth is a pathless land' - these are all that I have retained.<br />I cannot substitute faith for reason when reason fails me. And faith cannot offer me the joy of an open mind and the endless possibilities of an unknown reality.<br />Cheers Denis. Hang in there. (I will now copy and paste this before I start arm-wrestling with the Google twins again).<br />BobBob Lakenoreply@blogger.com