Month: May 2017

That “order” within the universe is evidence of a god/ intelligent supernatural being.

It’s a weird argument that I am still figuring out.

Two things I think about:

•Order is simple a projection of the mind. There is no order without a mind to perceive it. Order is limited to by our capacity to perceive it

•The laws of thought seem to necessitate an eventual order.

These alone are hard to get around, as in, why must a god exist independently of our mind. And then, are we god? The Bible said we’re made in his image. Perhaps there’s been a big misunderstanding, and the reality is that god IS us, and expresses himself through us. Perhaps he’s not “outside” us as many seem to intimate. But literally, god is our mind.

It’s impossible to discuss a universe devoid of the human experience, so discussing the reality of god without discussing our ability to fully/appreciably apprehend a god kinda moot

But if bypassing perception was possible, and we were left, somehow, with some laws that seem to materialize order, I’d say it would begin with the laws of thought.

Evangelical/ non-denominational/ baptist variants believe that baptism is not required to secure eternity confined within the pearly gates of heaven.

Catholics are big on the baptism = necessary to get on god’s list of people attending his eternal worship party

Baptism is more of a public declaration of devoting your life to God, and seeking his will. A symbolic rebirth, casting off the old, the shame, the sin, the guilt, the old ways, the foolish ways, the ignorant ways, the way of the world, of he that is in the world— and affirming to god and onlookers of the public proclamation

Lots of great symbolism in the Bible. I think it’s a great tool for transformational psychology

But it’s too loaded for most, too many perverted cultural and historically detrimental interpretations

Ego death is one of the most transformational human experiences, in my opinion. Christianity, in its essence, embodies and facilitates this transformation

My response is that the “born a sinner” is simply that the acknowledgement that we don’t know it all, that pride is detrimental to growth, that humans are fallible, that we don’t know everything. It encourages a humility necessary for personal growth

Ego is an adaptive reaction formation to real or perceived threats to existence

A persons Psychology is essentially their ego

Perhaps you could say that the “soul” is the archaic reference to this  Continue reading “Religion, information, symbolism, language, wisdom notes”

The quality of your thoughts determine the quality of your life

Meditate on the highest thoughts, capture the the purest ideals and lock them away in the purlieus of the heart

Seek words of wisdom; bask in their sublime reach for the divine

I masticate books, and digest them thoroughly, with marginalia and long pauses for reflection, and journal the consequences of later reflections they inspire within me, so that every iota of their nutrition, of their divine insights, be fully absorbed into the essence of my being, so that my gaze may be broadened, and my spirit enlarged, to ensure victory over darkness, and all that is ignorant to life

Reflection is the essence of consciousness. It is the impetus of self-awareness, and necessary for acquiring wisdom and learning.

I was laying on the couch yesterday afternoon, in a hazy daze, a result of a cold and the persistent heat throughout the day, and I was reflecting on my state of being. I began asking myself some questions to get my stagnating mental state moving in a productive direction. Far too often we drift with the momentum of days past, our daily activities driven by the inertia of the day prior, and we rarely pause and take stock of where we are, where we want to be, and a host of other questions about the state of our life.

What don’t I know?
What do I wish I knew?
What do I want to know more about?
What are the biggest questions?
What areas of life am I unclear about?
What skill do I wish was better?
Which knowledge areas would make me a better person?
What qualities make a good person?
What qualities make someone successful?
What is success?
What is happiness?
What is joy?
What is a lifestyle?
What lifestyle do I want?
What lifestyle encourages happiness and success?
How do I design an excellent lifestyle?
What do I want more of in my life?
What do I want less of in my life?
How do I become a better thinker?
How can I maximize my time?
What are my biggest challenges right now?
What are obstacles prevent me from achieving my goals?
What obstacles prevent me from achieving happiness?
How can I improve my relationships?
How can I work smarter?
How can I work harder?
What does working smarter look like?
What does working harder look like?
What does it mean that life isn’t fair?
What does it mean to be healthy?
What is the importance of balance?
Is balance important?
How do I identify self deception?
What is the benefit of silence?
How can I listen more?
How can I learn more?
How can I manage my time better?
How can I be more present and focused?
How can I ensure finance stability?
How can I manage my money better?
In what ways can I invest in my future?
What are the best investments?
What are anticipated life changes? List them out from now until the future
How can I plan for them?
Is there a formula for success?
Is there a formula for problem solving?
What books do I wish I read more of?
What is stopping me from reading more?

I just scribbled this list down, one after the other, and I felt like I had less answers than ever before, a great feeling that assuages this anxiety provoking feeling resulting from the equilibrium of drifting through daily living.

I desire stability at this point in my life, however I desire growth, so I must constantly seek challenges that disrupt this comfort.

Attitude is paramount.

I was thinking the other day, ideas are a dime a dozen. The premise of a story doesn’t guarantee a great story. The execution is all that matters. I recall being in art school as a child. The instructor had us draw a scribble on a piece of paper. I complied. They then told us to use that scribble and draw a character, or a scene, or some other artistic picture using the crude outlines of the scribble. I looked at my scribble: it was not impressive. I was disappointed. I wish I had a better scribble to start with, a better premise to build this artistic vision upon. I glanced at the student next to me, and watched as he transformed his otherwise dull scribble into an animated character, complete with expressions and a lively backdrop. I grew more despondent. I said, I don’t know what to do with my scribble. It’s lame. He had a pony tail and big lips and eyes that seemed to indicate his mind was elsewhere. But helped himself to my paper and transformed my scribble into something magical. I was beside myself.

This little scenario taught me that its not what you start with that matters. Execution and the imagination will bring you there, despite where you believe you are starting from.

Don’t get hung up on an idea. There are millions of good ideas. Don’t worry about the best idea. Take a good idea and execute brilliantly. Use your imagination to breath life into the idea, and it will blossom.

I haven’t written in far too long. Lots has changed.

I’ve been working at the toy lab full time since January. It’s been a quality living experience. I have some grievances that simply amplify in magnitude depending on how patient I decide to be. I feel as though the pace isn’t quick enough for me. That there is an overall laziness to the operation. That “time constraints” are vastly overestimated, that much more can be done in terms of product development and the like.

I feel as though I come up with many ideas, with much sound direction, but they aren’t adopted until months later, and even then its as if I never suggested it at all. Perhaps my ideas aren’t being pitched accurately, or perhaps they aren’t that profound.

We design toys. It occurred to me that having a narrative is essential for building a billion dollar brand. A narrative containing a compelling story about a believable world with relatable characters. Nothing too spectacular. I believe that books (as religion as demonstrated) were the first stories to provide this escape, or this inspirational narrative that people could contextualize their personal experiences with.

Oral stories to penned stories to printed stories to books and essays and poems to eventual oral stories on the radio, to comic books to picture books to movies to television to youtube.

Kids love small figurines. Large eyes. Collectibles. They like tactile toys, things to touch. They love when these are situated in worlds. Pokemon. Homies. Shopkins. There is a litany of examples of small, collectible like charms or characters. These are personalities, characters, in a story world.

I need to journal my daily ideas and insights. They don’t seem profound, but the daily revelations add up, and I’m convinced there is evidence to what I am saying, what I observe, and what the market demands.

I loath laziness. I do not admire people who don’t work hard and take action.   It makes me feel like life is being wasted away. I want to do more with my life.

All in all, though, life is good. Quality of life is good. I should devote more time to reading and writing, as per usual. I can’t wait to move into a home this October and have my library back with me. All I want in life is to study, to read, to reflect, to challenge myself and my ideas, and develop wisdom, and a more comprehensive understanding of life and all its idiosyncrasies and nuances.