Plants and Consciousness

I said that I would write about the consciousness of plants. Few think about this and I will say that theirs is a radically different consciousness than ours, but, it is there. I will give one story that illustrates why I know this is so.

Once, at a place I worked, One of my jobs was installing new plants (it was at a condo in S. Florida). I had some nice zinnias started and it was my time for a weeks vacation. I told 2 of my co-workers to make sure they got water because they were in a spot the sprinklers didn't reach. I figured if I told them both, at least one would remember.

Well, I was wrong about that and, had we not had a couple of brief little showers that week, my flowers would have been dead. As it was, they were limp, browning and almost done for. Now, the day I came back was a rare day in S. Florida in that there was no wind, and as usual, it was very hot. I took one look at the zinnias and grabbed a 5 gallon bucket and filled it with water. As I approached the plants, and keep in mind there was not the slightest breeze, they began shaking and swaying, as if there were a 15 mph wind. They knew I was bringing water and they were excited.

Plants have awareness. I know this. So, remember, when you are tending your gardens or when you're walking in the shade of trees, they are aware of you, so show a little respect.

Animals and Consciousness

Western science seems to believe that consciousness is an almost exclusively human trait. Oh, they allow that some apes have a dim sort of awareness and that a few mammals show some tiny bit of consciousness, but they give the prize to us humans.

Well, they are wring. Anyone who spends time with a dog or cat or any other domestic animal, and who can stop being so taken by their own awareness can tell you that animals are not just mechanically instinctual creatures. They have moods and emotions just like we do and, at times and in some ways, they are more aware of their surroundings than we are.

And, it's not just pets. For awhile, I worked for my Dad and every afternoon, about 2 Pm, we took a break and sat in his little office. The room had a nice window and, every single afternoon, as we sat down, a small lizard came out and sat on the window sill. Every afternoon and exactly as we sat down. As soon as we left, it disappeared. The creature knew us, I am convinced of that, and just wanted to hang out.

Another example. I used to go out and smoke my pipe in the evening, near some shade trees. Every time I came out, a mockingbird would perch on a nearby telephone pole, always the same one, and sing. I knew it was the same one because it had an odd white streak on its tail feathers. Well, I used to play harmonica and I whistle a lot, so, One evening, after it sang for a moment, I whistled back a short tune. It copied it and improvised a nice passage after. Every evening, we met and exchanged tunes until, one evening I whistled a complex passage. It tried to respond, couldn't, looked at me, and flew off. It never came back again. It was as if it disliked being shown up and I always regretted that I did that. Oddly enough, the tune was a piece by Roland Kirk called Serenade for a Cookoo.

Call me insane, you won't be the first and I am sure others will follow, but I am convinced that animals are very conscious. It is a different sort of consciousness, but it is real and we should show them more respect. Next time, I'll tell you about plants.

What We Do KNow

After stressing that we really do not know a lot, I should say that we do  know a few things.

We know that this Universe in general, and this Earth in particular, are perfect for life as we know it. This is sometimes called the 'Goldilocks effect" and, by physicists, the 'Anthropic Principal'. Just the tiniest variance from the way things are and we aren't. Now, physicists for years have tried to say that our Universe was just a random event. Now, even those who have long declared themselves atheists, such as Roger Penrose and Martin Rees, are saying that there must be some intelligence behind the Universe; that the odds against it being random are simply to great.

We know that our history books are, at best, incomplete, and mostly just wrong. Egypt and Sumer were not the first civilizations. This we know from the discovery of temple sites, both underwater and buried in sand, that far predate the Pyramids and the Tale of Gilgamesh.

We know the basic mechanics of the World and the basic workings of life. Not much more than the basics, but at least we have a clue and can manipulate reality to our own purpose somewhat successfully ( although we do need to watch our step a bit more)

We know that the Earth was not created in 6 days, 6000 years ago. True, there are a considerable number of humans who cling to that notion but, there are also folks who still think the Earth is flat.

We know that biological beings change over time, morphing their way up the tree of life. We don't know how this happens, but, again, at least we have clues.

And, finally, we know that life, in spite of the countless heartaches and disappointments, is good. So, enjoy your day and enjoy your life.

What We Don't Know

I heard someone once, when asked about some investigation say, 'we don't know what we don't know. I believe that this should be the motto of our new religion.

We humans are quite full of ourselves the crown of creation. Maybe that is a bit of an over reach. Yes, we have enormous brains buy it seems that we use very little of them and spend much of our time filling what we do use with useless junk. Now, I have no problem with useless junk, it can be a lot of fun, but we overdo it.

We think that everything we do is of vast importance. Well, most is not and much of what is important, we do wrong. Of that were not true, we would not be killing each other at the fantastic rate we are now seeing.

We think we know so much. We do have some things that seem to be facts but, are they? Our science presupposes that the rules it has made up are actually descriptive of the world. To a degree they are but only to a degree. Take quantum mechanics; the laws we have work within a certain limit of values, then they break down. Physicists tend to just want to overlook that inconvenient fact but, the guy who wrote those formulas, Paul Dirac chastised them mightily for that since they cannot justify simply ignoring answers that don't make fit their beliefs. He insisted that either his formulas were incomplete or that there were things going on that they just didn't understand.

Biologists still teach Darwinian evolution. One problem. It does not work. Fossil record show that biological change does not happen slowly. Instead it tend to happen in great bursts, followed by long period of stasis.

We only perceive a small range of the energies that exist. And that only applies to what we can detect evidence of with our most sophisticated tools. What else exists? We don't know what we don't know.

Don't Judge

I have covered The importance of being kind and the need for tolerance, so  let me touch on being nonjudgmental. Jesus said not to judge but, as is pften the case, that is a wretched translation.

A better translation for the word we tranlsate as judge, would be to separate out and cast aside. Shunning, an Amish practice is an example of what he meant by judging.

No matter what the actions of a person are, we do not have the right to separate them from humanity. If they are a danger, yes, we can imprison them but, even then we have to recognize and respect their humanity and treat them accordingly.

Why? Everything in the Universe contains a spark of the Divine, of God, if you prefer that term. As such, we are no better or worse than anyone else. This is why the death penalty is not acceptable. It is the ultimate cutting off and separating.

We can certainly defend ourselves and if, in doing so, another dies, well, so be it. We can kill other creatures to feed ourselves, although I believe we should at least give some thought to the fact that we are consuming what was once a living being and that we need to show them respect while they are alive.

By the same standard, the infamous super-max prisons where inmates are kept in isolation for 23 out of 24 hours a day, are completely unacceptable. If someone must be incarcerated, okay, but they must be treated humanely.

If we would be nonjudgmental, in the above sense, then the World would be a far more humane place and that would surely be better than the slaughterhouse we have been.

 

 

 

Tolerance

Another element of our new religion needs to be tolerance. You may think you have all the answers. If you think that, fine, but realize that others may disagree and likely do not want you hammering them over the head with your ideas. And, guess what, you probably are not 100% right.

We all have different ways of seeing the World. This is how it should be. God know, if we were all the same, life would be terminally boring and God may as well have created just 1 human. Since our Creator allows, even encourages diversity, I am fairly sure we should do the same.

A lot of our problems, and recent World and National events show that we have plenty of them, could be solved, or at least eased, if we would just be tolerant of other's views. If you just cannot stand certain people or certain cultures, stay away from them. When in a common area, say a store or government building, show each other respect, then go your separate ways. That's all.

This may seem like a simple answer and you are right. But I can guarantee you that if we all would back off, give each other some room and realize that none of us, not you or me or anyone else, has all the answers, not a one of us is perfect and that no one has a monopoly on God's benevolence, then, maybe we could start to work things out. It will be slow, but start we must, because this madness, this urge to slaughter, has got to stop.

Look at it this way. Your Creator tolerates you no matter how badly you have behaved. The proof of that is that you are still here to read this. Since that is the case, how dare you be intolerant of anyone else?

Kindness

There is but one rite that a new religion need, kindness. There is no accompanying ceremony, no ritual or liturgy, and it can be practiced anywhere, anytime,  by anyone.

Nothing can change the World faster than frequent acts of kindness, and, quite frankly, there is not much else you can do. I hope no one seriously believes that voting for either of the buffoons running for President will change things and it has become painfully clear that Congress is useless.

I used to think local government might accomplish things but, alas, no. Most local politicians are just miniatures of the big ones and if you want proof, look around. Mismanagement has ruined once thriving cities like Detroit and, in Flint Michigan, we have no idea what long term harm had been done by their mistreatment of their water supply.

I used to think that churches might be an answer but, again, no. I have dealt with an abundance of these self=proclaimed Voices of the Lord and find most of them useless. Want proof? Easy. Look around. Churches are now about divided between the mega-churches who fell the Creator is only interested in  how many they can cram into their massive monuments to greed and the tiny churches that preach a theology that would have been outdated in the Dark Ages.

No, friends and neighbors, the answers do not lie anywhere but within ourselves, within our own lives, our own communities and our own circle of acquaintances. We can be kind to each other, help our neighbors. say a few words of support, take a few minutes to talk to the lonely. If this were done in communities around the World, slowly, things would change. Yeah, it would take a long time, but it took a long time for the human race to get into the wretched shape it's in now.

At the very least, with very little effort on your part, your world will get better. Kindness should be the most important doctrine in any religion.

This Morning

I am an early riser and this morning, when I went out, the sun was beaming softly through banks of low, gray-white clouds. 3 seagulls had drifted in from the Atlantic and were busy squabbling with a dew crows over some scraps of garbage. The dispute was resolved amiably when it became apparent that there was plenty from all.

A neighbor or two stumbled to their cars and began their trek to work and traffic began rumbling on the nearby highway. A rehab center sits at the end of the street and the night guard was exchanging 'good mornings' with a few residents out for a walk.

The kudzu that drapes the  trees in the lot next door is almost visibly growing, the oaks have settled into their summer stateliness, and the loblolly pines, having at last dropped most of their cones, are attempting to touch the clouds.

Ragweed is prolific and a myriad of wildflowers dot the landscape. Somewhere nearby, a lawn is being mowed and the smell of fresh cut grass blends with a touch of salt from the Atlantic and a hint of muck from the nearby waterways.

A couple of squirrels have grown used to my presence and sit eating breakfast a few feet away. They must be puzzled at the presence of such a large, but friendly and harmless, creature. Anyway, we get along well and exchange pleasantries before I head in for coffee, sausage and bread.

This, this day to day routine, is the Divine dance. It is all we really know. All conjectures of mystics and theologians, of Popes and bodhisattvas, of Saviors and philosophers pale into insignificance at these sights and sounds and smells. The presence of the neighbors, the birds, the squirrels, and the trees of Creation is all we are given as evidence of the Creator and, if you look at things the right way, that's enough. Life, the gift of the Creator is all we need to create a new religion. Belief, without dogma, benevolence without moralism, pleasure without Hell. No structure, no priests or preachers or finger wagging, money grubbing churches. Just us. Just life. Get that right and then maybe our Creator will, at last find us worthy of deeper knowledge, but, we have to get the basics right first. America, your new religion is life. 

Religion and History - Don't Believe Everything You Read

We in the West, and at least for now we are the dominant culture ( notice I said for now), have a tendency toward literalism, a side affect of the Rational Enlightenment. All plusses have minuses attached and this is a big one.

Let's look at Buddhism. The oldest Buddhist scriptures are the Pali canon, written about the time of Jesus. They are said to have been written about 500 years after Gautama Buddha lived. Yet, they are filled with the sayings of this man. Are they actual quotes? Well, I have trouble remembering what I said 20 minutes ago and I seldom make long, detailed, intricate comments on the nature of the Universe and its relation to human consciousness. I have trouble believing that his precise words, and they are exceedingly precise, were remembered for 5 centuries. Yes, I know that in so-called primitive cultures, knowledge is passed and preserved orally and we are told that this is done to perfection, to which I say, "phht."  If oral traditions say that a giant lizard ate the village chief 342 years ago, must we believe that? I don't.

What about that belief that he lived around 500 BC? Well, that is what most Western references say and so do many Indian histories. But, other Indian histories place that time about 1000 BC, plus or minus a few hundred years, as do some Chinese histories and some Arab histories (remember, the Arabs were trading with China for many centuries before the Roman Empire was dreamed of).

Those promoting the 500 BC idea say that some Buddhist scriptures point out that shortly after the death of Gautama, a king, Ashoka, converted to Buddhism and created an idyllic kingdom. True, there was a King Ashoka in the 3rd century BC but recent research seems to be showing that his reign was considerably less than idyllic. However, the same research has shown that there was another Ashoka who's, by what accounts we have, did have a fairly pleasant kingdom. However, he lived about 2500 BC. Now you have a gap of 2000 years between Gautama's life and the first written record of his words.

Then to complicate matters more, about 100 years after the Pali canon, new saying of the Buddha began to be written by the Mahayanists, often contradicting the original sayings. They pulled a standard trick, saying that the new teachings were what he taught advanced students, the others were for dumb laymen. This same tactic has been used much by Christians trying to explain why Jesus often contradicted himself in the Gospels.

In other cultures, there is not the obsession with literalism that we Westerners have. That is a good thing in ways and a bad thing in other ways. They can follow a figurative teacher, we have to believe our teachers were real and that every word they are said to have spoken was actually spoken. I suppose the first is a better way of thinking but, why not just test the ideas for yourself, see what you find, and stop worrying about what someone said in the dim recesses of time.

My point?  All ancient writings are suspect. For that matter, so are all modern ones, and tales of the ancients must be taken no more than  semi-seriously. If you think they make sense, and are of some use to you, great. Just don't hammer others over the head with your beliefs. If some of what is written in these texts make no sense to you, then you are probably right, but, again, be easy with those who believe them. Unless they start hammering you with them. Then respond as you see fit.

Religion _ Mistranslations, Mistakes, and Out and Out Lies

The leaders of various religious groups, over the course of centuries have, quite often, lied. Now, I, personally, have no big trouble with lies. After all, to be totally honest, all story tellers lie and I love stories. But, when you are lying to control people, to gain power and wealth, that is unacceptable.

Again, I am going to stick to Christianity, not to pick on them, but their claim that their scriptures are historically perfect and, in fact, the very word of God, places a burden of truthfulness on them.

Let's look at the 4 Gospels. They contradict each other frequently. The early church fathers knew this, assuming they were literate and not psychotic, yet the swear that they are the given word of the Almighty. A lie, obviously.

They have placed the birth of Christ at December 25. Now, the Gospels tell of shepherd tending their flocks at night. It is cold in Israel at that time of year and the shepherds were doing no such thing. December 25 was the time of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia and also the birthday of the Roman god/ savior Mithra. The Church just decided to use an old holiday that folks weren't going to give up and make it Christian. Thus they lied.

The Gospel of Mark, in many Bibles, ends with the reappearance of Christ, post crucifixion. This has long been thought wrong and in fact, now that we analyze such things, we know that someone, somewhere,  added that on to the original text. We know that because it is written in  a very different style of Greek which, like English, changed as time passed. The original book ended with the women going to the tomb and finding it empty. From a writer's point of view, that is a much better ending. Obviously, this is the word of humans, not God.

Peter is called the first bishop of Rome, thus giving authority to the Popes and other church officials. Sorry, this is a bald faced lie since, when Peter lived, their was no church and thus no bishops. In addition, Peter still thought of himself as a Jew.

If all of these writing are the Holy Word of God, then how can Luke, in the book of Acts, give a totally different timeline to Paul's journeys than Paul does in his letters. While I am on the subject of Paul let me also note that Paul did not write all of those letters. Again, we know this because the style of writing differs and not all of the epistles use a Greek from the same era.

The early church historian, Tertullian, spoke of 'pious fraud,' in other words lying about facts behind the faith for, 'the good of the followers.' Pope Leo X commented on how the church had gained power and wealth from its 'little myth of Jesus.'

You get the idea. Those who founded the religion blatantly lied and continue to lie, and, again, Christianity does not have an exclusive on lying. Anytime people can gain power and wealth, and religion is a sure fire, tried and tested means of that, they will lie to consolidate their positions and lie to hold them. When you are shaping people's world view, their consciousness, the way they relate to each other, lying is inexcusable.