Python Liberation Front

Being and Nothingness

We find ourselves in a miraculous world but with no answers and no certainty. It seems miraculous that anything at all exists. But it seems equally mysterious that we have no answers, no clue as to what is going on and why.

We can see that there are two kinds of things in existence; physical things, and inner consciousness. Both are real, but they are different.

If there were no consciousness, then no one would be aware of the existence (or nonexistence) of the physical universe. If there were no physical universe, our own consciousness might not exist, for all we know or can tell.

Our inner consciousness can imagine consciousness going on indefinitely. What can be imagined might be achievable.

As far as we can tell, the universe is open ended. We can try to make things happen as we desire and decide. We can choose the meanings we want to cherish most, and try to make outcomes that honor those meanings.

If we choose to strive to achieve immortality for consciousness, and to reward and honor and cherish what we decide is good, then we might achieve our goals.

In order to achieve those goals, we might use mostly our science and technology applied to the physical world. But without the pixie dust of imagination, supplied by the inner consciousness, we would never have started down the path to begin with.

The universe is apparently open ended. We have the chance, if we choose to take it, to strive for whatever goals we set for ourselves.

There is no guarantee of success. But who or what can stop us from trying?

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Greeks, Democracy, Underlying Values: Intimations for Our Time and the Future

Democracy, Speciality, Philosophy, Society, Culture, the Greeks:

The classical Greeks started out with a set of unique shared values including the quest for individual speciality and excellence, a reverence for truth, beauty, and language, and they created a cornucopia of cultural innovation. It is the values they shared as a society and the cultural innovations they created that matter most to history.

Part of their belief in the importance of the individual found expression in their invention of democracy, which derives from two Greek words meaning "rule of the people." But direct democracy as practiced by the Greeks was reserved for a small subset of the population not including women and slaves. Also, direct democracy is not easily extensible to large populations, and indirect democracies such as in the USA are easily controlled by money and powerful organizations. At any rate, democracy can equate to tyranny if the majority has uncontrolled animosity for minorities.

What is needed to control, moderate and shape indirect democracies is a system of values shared by the whole community, or at least accepted as binding by the whole community, that establish toleration and fairness as well as setting a work ethic and a motivation for striving for improvement and excellence; a good raison d'etre.

In most societies throughout most of history, such an ethic and set of shared values has been provided by a religion. It is the task of our age for humanity to forge such a set of values that can be accepted by societies around the world. This is not easily accomplished by any existing religions since they are now seen as mythological and lacking in scientific believability and authority.

What values should we agree upon?

Should we choose power, individuality, speciality, excellence, winner-take-all, and money?

Or are we all Greeks now?

"Does the eagle know what is in the pit,
Or wilt thou go ask the mole?
Can wisdom be put in a silver rod,
Or love in a golden bowl?" W. B.

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