Topic Tuesday #123 2014/11/25 - "The Hero"

Topic Tuesday #123 2014/11/25 - "The Hero"

It was like any Tuesday in memory. The man jumped in his car and drove to work. He clocked in just seconds before the hour. So far, so good. The coffee bar was in disarray and the pot was empty. The dulldrum of the morning was going to require coffee so he broke down the coffee maker and got a pot brewing. He cleaned the area while he waited and then poured 2 cups the way he liked them. Off to the cube farm.

Almost at once he was confronted with his supervisor, who looked like hell. "Here, chief." And he handed the second cup to him, "looks like you are about a quart low."

The supervisor, was stunned and the scowl he wore fell away and a seldom seen grin spread wide. Whatever was on his mind was long gone as the cup immediately went to his lips. "Thanks Joe, you've saved the day again!"

Often, we do not realize how egocentric we are. We forget that other people even have their own thoughts and desires. There are times when these microcosims collide and we touch the person behind the mindless drones that inhabit our own worlds. We are all the hero of our own stories, while the others are the Non Player Characters (NPC) that have missions for the hero. Your best friends have personality. Perhaps they are just written better than the other NPCs, or maybe you are all part of a pick up group, about to go off and do something darring.  

Or maybe they are just like you, their own hero, saving the day, one cup of coffee at a time. 

Topic Tuesday #119 2014/10/28 "Perception As Reality"

Topic Tuesday #119 2014/10/28 "Perception As Reality"

We are amazing. Seriously. Think about your reality. What are you? No matter what your ultimate belief your reality is a marvel. Check this out, and bear with me. 

In the macroscopic view our solar system is orbiting the center of a galaxy that is also spinning around a galactic center. Inside our own star system, our relatively small planet has a thin atmosphere of various gasses and trace minerals. The biosphere that supports the only known life in the universe at this time, is equivalent to the skin of an apple. That peel is just as thick. Below that, it's too hot, perhaps for all but the most extreme forms of life. Above that, there are no nutrients to support life, as we know it. As we continue to draw closer to our own existence in between the "Macro" and the "Micro",  as we exist on what amounts to be a biological spaceship, we are little more than biological robots. I know that sounds odd, but it is a mater of perception. We only experience life through an interpretation of our senses. Sight is processed by our brains, and then interpreted and given meaning by our collected experiences. The same as our other sensations. If we stub our toe on a coffee table in the dark, though it may seem instantaneous, our nervous system still has a speed limit. The strike takes time to make its merry way along our cells to our brains to then be interpreted as "Pain" and then our brains react and send the response back to our motor neurons to yank your foot away from the offending furniture, and begin our slapstick dance around the room while stifling an expletive.

Everything you always wanted to know about sex by Woody Allen

Our consciousness is the captain of a biological spaceship navigating middle earth and middle management. Neuroscience and biology have settled on (for the moment) that consciousness is an emerging property of our brain's architecture. If we alter our neuro-chemistry, our reality changes. LSD, PCP, Marijuana, Peyote, Caffeine, Oxygen Deprivation, Sedatives, Uppers, Opiates, Love, Genetics, Brain Damage... All these things and more change our perception of reality.  In the end, we are only as effective as our information, and all we are is the information we obtain from our senses. Our interpretation of the data is our reactions and feelings and thoughts, and everything that we represent, all that we are.

I like to make an attempt to believe as many true things and as few wrong things as possible. To do that, I have to question reality, and in turn, my perceptions. In this respect, I am ever changeable and changing. I will change my mind based on new input, both good and bad. I hope that everyone does. Keep learning. Keep questioning. Never give up. Keep your hailing frequencies open.

Helm, all ahead full, and watch out for that coffee table.