Rick's Blog

I have often used this analogy when describing logical thought and how some people (usually religious) refuse to see the obvious shortcomings of how they look at things. Consider this familiar setting: Wile E. Coyote looks across the canyon and see the Roadrunner. So he gets a bunch of planks of wood and nails one to his end of the canyon. He walks to the end of that plank and nails another plank to the end. He walks to the end of that plank and repeats the process until he runs out of planks almost all the way to the Roadrunner. The Roadrunner points down and runs away. Wile E. Coyote looks down, waves to the camera and falls down the canyon. Wile E. Coyote extended his thought process without having the proper logical support for the thought he already had and extended himself all the way across the canyon with no support to stand on. Eventually, his entire system collapsed under its own weight, as it should have from the very first plank. And this is the problem w...

O to struggle against great odds, to meet enemies undaunted! To mount the scaffold, to advance to the muzzles of guns with perfect nonchalance! To be indeed a God! ~ Walt Whitman, " A Song of Joys " I have come to know the joy of this inner strength of which Uncle Walt sings.  Didn't particularly like the path that brought me here, but as they say "no pain, no gain."  I struggled against those great odds, and they tore me down, but now I see they only succeeded because I allowed them to succeed.  I gave myself up to them.  Now the wool has been pulled back from my eyes, and I have reclaimed me for me.  I have remounted the scaffolding and rebuilt myself.  And now I know no fear.  I know no tyranny over my mind nor over my heart.  I meet my enemies undaunted, because they cannot make me cower before them.  I advance against them with perfect nonchalance, because their attacks cannot hurt me.  They are insects to my po...

I was thinking about why it is I think the way I think, like what exactly are my primary motivations for aspiring to live by my virtues. And I came up with this partial answer: Data. Lt. Commander Data, Science Officer of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D. Hear me out. I live my life with as much emotion as possible. I allow myself to feel and feel deeply, because I believe that is embracing life, and living life fully, and experiencing, being "close" to God. Because I now flex that muscle, I am strong. Because I embrace my emotions and my desire to laugh and especially my desire to cry, my emotional muscle strength can keep me in control when emotions like anger and fear come up. Because I feel and because I laugh and cry, anger and fear no longer control me - I control them . I am now stronger than them. I now have the whip and chair. And my animal will no longer overpower my human reason and my ability to stay in control and analyze and find the best solution to any situation...