Philosophy and Religion

Exploring ideas in these areas.

Zhenren and Selene Explained

Zhenren and Selene Explained

This post is an attempt to explain the reasoning behind the conversations between Zhenren and Selene.  Zhenren represents an individual looking for enlightenment.   Selene represents Zhenren’s personal god.

Our family likes from time to time to go out to Sunday brunch.  One Sunday, we chose to go to El Torito Restaurant.  When we entered the restaurant close to our house, I noticed something different going on inside the restaurant.  Very close to where the omelets are prepared was a layout of clothing, looked like shirts in piles and some product information on the same table.  As we were seated in a separate room, I noticed that behind my wife was a family seated in a booth that seemed to know what was going on as people would come up and chat.  I decided to walk over and ask if my suspicions were true or not.  A women that looked like your typical soccer mom, the apparent mother to a number of children at the table, told me that indeed the restaurant had agreed to host the event.  It seems that their daughter had committed suicide a few years earlier.  As a tribute to their daughter, to keep her memory alive, they decided to form their own teen suicide prevention organization called Hope.  The mother told me how their daughter’s suicide had totally shocked them and led to their realizing that this is a more common problem than most people realize.  Their efforts were to make families with children aware of this in an effort to save lives.  I agreed to put their web site as a link to this one.  When I got home I did some research and found out that indeed this is a serious problem.  I just could not get it out of my mind as to why some young person would end their life.

The conversations between Zhenren and Selene is my extremely  small attempt to contribute to aiding in preventing teen suicide.

I some times kid around by saying that I sort of have given up on helping adults because they had their chance at life, old enough to have enjoyed all this for a while, made their choices, and now must live the choices they made out as results or outcomes.  Poor choices naturally and typically result in poor outcomes.  Adults become set in their ways and typically chose not to be open minded to new ideas and new information which stops mid course adjustments and even realization that former assumptions about life were wrong.  So, the dialogues between Zhenren and Selene are my attempt to provide a new philosophy for young people.  It just might be too late for adults to come to enlightenment if they have not yet attained it.  The conversations try to bring truth rather than authority for your consideration.  All the posts here try to reveal, examine and share truth elements.

Zhenren represents a person looking for answers, looking for enlightenment which might also be a teenager somewhere.  Selene is that person’s personal god.  What is ironic is that Selene does not exist.   Selene tells Zhenren what I want her to say.  That does not make me god, I just take what I have learned and put them out for Zhenren and others to accept or deny.

This embedded philosophy is an attempt to base this belief upon truth and not existing authority or any type of authority.  This philosophy tries hard to start with a clean slate of logic, if that is possible, look for the truth elements and come up with answers that work for now and into the future.

What is most disappointing to me is to study other religions and find that they are based upon a foundation that just does not hold up to the truth.  There is no reason for a philosophy to be complex beyond anyone’s everyday complete comprehension and many religions seem overly complex probably because they are founded upon evolution of thought and principles by many people who did not share the same ideals but had a hand in the outcome.  There is no reason for a belief system to require a priest to read a thick book that is difficult to comprehend by the masses and open to interpretation and manipulation by the priest.  There is no reason that a belief system needs to be based upon paying others money to subscribe.  There is no reason why a belief system requires attendance at certain functions.  There is no reason why a belief system requires a person to show homage to any person living or dead, icon, or imaginary figure.  A religion’s sole reason for existing is to give comfort to the individual, not a tool for manipulation.  I encourage you to find your own enlightenment based upon science and not suspicions or authority.

Contrived or Continuum?

Contrived or Continuum?

Zhenren: I have at times a feeling that all of this is a dream. Some times I feel I am at the center of the universe and this is a contrivance for some purpose. I feel at times that this is all a put up play for my benefit. Out of all the strange thoughts, I feel, at times, that I am destined to achieve great things just because I am at the center of all that is going on. It is this center viewpoint that is naturally so important to me. I feel cursed some times that because I see myself at the center people are looking at me, expecting me to become something special.  At other times I think all this is a huge accident, I came through the wrong door and entered a place I do not want to be in.  I wonder if this world will continue after I die. Is what I am seeing every day, what I experience every day, some god play thing?  Am I just a sophisticated toy for some giant being and this world is just a sophisticated game? At times I am very much alone with these thoughts. All these ideas run in my mind and I can not set straight what is going on, what to do.  I can not tell anyone about this or they will think I am insane.

Selene: A child in some far off land who has barely enough to eat or lost one or both parents, or is in the middle of a war will not have time for such thoughts. That child’s existence is so close to death that their only thoughts are of hunger and sorrow. The purpose of life is to survive for that child any you. You have been suddenly thrust into an utterly brief absurd existence full of sensory overload of sound, sights, touch, emotion, and thoughts. You are different from that child barely clinging to life because you have the time to reflect, think about a much better future for yourself. Reflection opens up possibilities and you can, at times, see yourself alone within this huge stage play we call life. You do have a degree of freedom to write your own lines in this play, set a course for yourself in the play, to gain some reward for your efforts. This is not a game contrived by a giant. You are not an ant inside some sophisticated ant farm. You have been dropped into an utterly fantastic evolution continuum for no purpose at all except what you can make out of all this. Out of this evolution continuum a species of animal evolved to such a high degree that it can understand its own existence. It can see itself separate from everything surrounding it, blades of grass, clouds, air, water, other animals. That ability to reflect is both a gift and a curse. Sit back and be stupefied by being suddenly dropped into this life theater or move forward, become a principal actor in this utterly fantastic absurd life you now lead.  The choice is yours.  The choice you should not make is to not finish this out.

Zeitgeist – The Movie

Zeitgeist – The Movie

We received this private e-mail:

I got a great film for you: Zeitgeist. You can view it for free online. Do a
quick search.

Can be found here: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

“There is some controversy at (CSU) Fullerton regarding this film. … A student informed me that a student was doing some research on it in the library. He wanted to screen it on campus. While in class, campus police (allegedly) came and physically removed him and interrogated him regarding his research of the film in the library. They tracked him with his sign on/off the computer. {You know Big Brother is out there looking at everything, including this email.) To make a long story short, the administrators gave him the smallest room they could find in McCarthy Hall, rather than the screening room in TSU.”

“It is stuff like this that needs to be exposed. The Frankfurt School of theorising/philosophy claims that capitalism (i.e., monopoly capitalism) is the precursor to authoritarianism (cf. Germany and the events leading up to Hitler; today, we have Bush).”

“So, much for the Constitution.”

– – – – – – – – – –

We responded:

“Just finished the movie. WOW!!! Don’t know what to think! It is so
fantastic to contemplate! I need time to mull it over and research it. I
really do NOT want to believe it. If it is true, I have a LOT more work to
do than I thought. If true, I see no hope that the American people will set
things straight. They have been played like a piano for so long and so
well.”

– – – – – – – – – – – –

Response back:

“That is usually the response from people, but the claims can be substantiated.”

Sabri Bogday

Sabri Bogday

Zhenren: It seems a Turkish barber working in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, has been convicted of uttering a phrase against you and his punishment might be death under a strict brand of Islamic law.

Selene: Your description is absurd in many different ways. How can an utterance from an angry man against a concept that he created lead to his death? You fashioned me out of your own need to give you comfort. Why then use me as a justification for harming others? You live in an absurd world. Why do you create more absurd conditions than what you have to face by evolution and nature?

Is Life Survival?

Is Life Survival?

Zhenren:  I am often times confused by my own existence.  I some times think that life choices are tests for survival but yet I live a comfortable life.  I read about people who are suffering because they were born into poor circumstances.  I feel that If I make the wrong choice I will fall or fail into situations and become like the less fortunate people I read about in magazines, newspapers and see on the news.   My parents want me to go into business, science or engineering studies in college.  I want to write, take photographs and play computer games.  Nothing seems to fit the way I want.  I am scared to make the wrong move.  The things that my parents want me to do seem logical and offer the best chances for survival but my interests are toward self expression.

Selene:  You are correct, life is a constant effort to survive and for those who live deep inside the modern way of living, might not be seen.  Do not mistake the comfortable life you lead as a permanent situation that I gave you.  You are correct, if you make a mistake in judgment you can suffer accordingly.  You are correct, your level of success depends upon a lot of factors, some you do not have any control over.  One factor for success is to have a passion, an intense interest in something.  It is this passion that can motivate you further than those who do not possess it.   You must always be calculating in your chances for survival and your parents can some times guide you correctly.  Remember, it is best to enjoy life while fighting to stay alive.  Remember, to try to help others stay alive and enjoy this gift we call life.

Best to Follow Truth.

Best to Follow Truth.

Zhenren: You use the words “live direction”. What exactly do you mean by that?

Selene: You are living in a vast environment with natural forces swirling about you. The swirling is not the vortex of a wind force but a linear path you see is a perfect evolution process. You have also created your own constructed world in parallel, be it very small, that too evolves. When making decisions, you would be wise to look at the compass, the direction that truth points you toward. Those who do not measure truth will eventually be brought back sometimes with pain and lost time.