How Many Do You Know?

Recent news about a material that bends light around objects, rendering them functionally invisible. I remember the invisible car in "Die Another Day" and how the fanboys were complaining about how ridiculous that was...Hah! Turns out it was closer to current reality than the laser in "Goldfinger."

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So...apparently part of the confusion in the Clinton campaign was people like Mark Penn urging Hillary to go more "negative" on Obama, paint him as "Foreign" and "Un-American"...and if I read correctly between the lines, this was something that she was very, very reluctant to do. Kudos to her, even though it may have cost her the election. There is a sobering reality here, that race is boiling under the surface of this election, and every time someone can bring it up--sideways if possible--Obama will take a hit. Just yesterday an old friend was talking about how she was visiting Conservative relatives, and the consensus was that McCain would win because "white men won't vote for a black man." Meaning, of course, that THEY wouldn't vote for a black man--but they wouldn't say it like that. Few people are that honest. What an interesting election.

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As I've said before, America is going to get the president it deserves. Make of that what you will.

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Somehow, and I'm not entirely sure why, I found myself pulled into multiple conversations on that old debbil "What is the Meaning of Life?" There is indeed an answer, but it can't be put into words. All one can do is point in the direction of the reality and let those with the will and courage find it for themselves. It's kind of like someone asking: "what's the taste of Prime Rib?" Well...there's the restaurant. Go taste it for yourself. A few people wanted to engage me in the "it's all a machine. There is nothing. There is no meaning." How interesting, especially considering that there appears to have never really been a "nothing" that the universe came out of to begin with: intellectual concepts of time and space kinda break down. I find those who would argue for nothingness to be fascinating. Must be a pay-off somewhere, but aside from avoiding the negative aspects of organized religion, I'm not sure what it is.

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Someone wondered if I prefer people to be dishonest, specifically on the issue of race relations. In other words, if they think that blacks are inferior, would I prefer they keep their opinions to themselves, or pretend to believe "all men are created equal." Hmmm. With me, in private conversation? I would prefer scathing honesty. I like to know who I'm dealing with. And I've had friends who believed in "The Bell Curve," and they were still my friends. If they were good and honorable people, who treated other human beings with kindness and courtesy, then their belief that, on average, whites are superior to blacks doesn't have much to do with their quality as men and women, and I can admire them while disagreeing.

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All other things being equal, would I rather spend the majority of my time around people with my own beliefs and values? Who wouldn't? But not all of it. How else do we grow, and understand the world through the eyes of others?

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On the other hand, would I want them passing their beliefs on to their children? No. But I wouldn't want them to be dishonest, either. Something like "this is the way I see the world. This is what I believe. Now, it's your turn to go out into the world and decide for yourself. I've been wrong in the past, I'll be wrong in the future. I may be wrong about this...I don't think I am, but I may be."

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THAT would be honest. Few people have that level of clarity, however. Consider how very much I love Musashi's principles, and that the very first principle is: "Do not think dishonestly." Lying isn't a good idea. It is best to avoid situations where one must lie, because it fosters the tendency to self-deception, and subsequent distortion of the reality map.

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But in my experience, the average member of any group thinks their group is better . I had a cousin express disbelief that I could respect someone who considered whites superior. I laughed at him, and pointed out numerous comments he'd made clearly implying he thought blacks were superior. There is, in my mind, no difference. Men do it to women, women to men. Straights to gays, gays to straights. Christians to atheists, and vice-versa. It's just the default setting of human consciousness. Those who don't have that tendency are unusually awake, and I hold them precious. I don't denigrate people for having the tendency. Those who are honest enough to admit it, despite the call of "political correctness," are actually laudable, even if their beliefs are, in my mind, mere self-serving hierarchical core social wiring. It's no big thing. So they're asleep...what else is new? How many awakened, adult people do you really know, anyway?

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