Evolutionary Argument for God

It would seem logical to deduce that if the universe is infinite, which it seems hard to deny that it is as this would imply a necessary being to determine its limits, then all things are possible, and all things happen at some time in some place. Since it is logically problematic to suggest a pre-existing necessary being. I will not attempt to do so. Instead I will take a more transhuman position and put forth the notion that omnipotence is the ultimate goal of evolution.

Evolution determines that all life evolves to be at balance (singling out a single species can lead to a misconception) and to minimise individual energy expenditure. Humans are the highest terrestrial life-form because their will is strong enough to impose their own order, despite the mistakes made as this editing process, like any skilful process, requires practice. Being capable of anything would not only be the greatest extension of this, but also, due to the ability to perform any feat, the state in which energy expenditure approaches zero. It is therefore evolution’s final goal.

Having established the above it is necessary to return to the idea of a pre-existing necessary being. If we assume that this being exists and is perfect in every way, then it must understand that it has no limits and has no need to limit the universe in any dimension or possibility. If the being is perfect in its form then it would have established evolution based on its own being, which means that its qualities should be in perfect balance, resulting in total benevolence to the point of absolute non-interference. Thus the universe would be made infinite so that interference was never required.

But the being need not be pre-existent to the universe. Taking into account evolution’s goals, we can infer two things, the first being that our current state-of-being is not perfectly efficient and can be improved upon, and the second is that our will, and skill with reality manipulation is not sufficient to acquire either a more efficient form or to bring about a more total order in the way we wish it to be. The idea that the natural order in place Is ideal can be dismissed as it would, given the inevitability of a human-like civilisation, prevent the final goal of evolution.

The reason why the being need not be pre-existent is that if the beings form is perfect it will be immune to all physics, and thus distinct from both space and time, therefore even though potentially born as a finite being it could become an infinite being. Because distinct from time, this being will have always existed, thus pre-existing the universe (upon which is does not rely to continue existing, being perfect), but since it has already been established that the universe is infinitely infinite, then it is a contradictory notion that pre-existence is even possible, and thus the being becomes not a creator but an editor or maintainer (were it not benevolent to the point of absolute non-interference).

Talk of a ‘goal of evolution’ under this model is not a divine imposition but a final push towards the ideal of balance. It has been known since the ancient Greek philosophers that balance is better than imbalance, and is taken by many as a truism beyond context. Imbalances in society change by the will of the people in an attempt to find perfect balance, though it would be a mistake for one to assume that a single socio-political system can achieve this (as politics will have a breadth of infinite size then an infinite number of inter-socio-political systems would eliminate the need for a unifying socio-political system, with the only true unifier being omnipotence). Thus, balance is not so much a goal but an inevitability, and this balance can only be absolutely fulfilled through the acquisition of omnipotence.

Therefore God can exist.

Pragmatism and Martial Arts

I spent five years training in Lau Gar Kung Fu, one of the five family styles from mainland China, and one of the styles to utilise the five animals: leopard, tiger, snake, crane, and dragon. I’ve just had a year off due to a lack of facilities and decent clubs to train at, and had a lot of time to reflect on my training and where I want to take it. As far as I’m concerned, the style itself is solid, and well-rounded given its emphasis on practical application and its concentration on sparring rather than patterns and choreographed line work. But that’s not why I’m writing this, I’m more concerned with individual techniques: their usefulness and efficiency, and their versatility.

To start with it has to be established that Kung Fu’s animal work was developed by observation of the respective animals’ movements and behaviour. The leopard is based around a strong core and stance and uses swift, penetrating strikes; the tiger attacks with unrelenting force, and does not defend, it rips its opponent to shreds with ferocity; the snake is the epitome of energy efficiency, striking openings and vital points and using its agility to avoid being hit; the crane represents self-control and grace, a master of evading coupled with effective redirection and counter-attack, frustrating its opponent into defeating itself; the dragon is balance, the cultivation of mind and spirit, attacking in a multitude of ways, parrying and off-balancing, exploiting weakness.

More important than the hand formations that any Internet image can show you are the mindsets that are brought out by appropriate training – there is a specific reason why the animals are in the order that they are, and that is because each one adds on the previous. Using the leopard one does not have to use a leopard fist, one has to remember that the leopard uses strength and speed to win, when that did not work one could go on an attacking rampage like the tiger, without regard for injury. If injured, one could then add the snake and avoid being hit again, using minimal energy to avoid stressing the injuries, adding in crane to then counter-attack if and when one has enough energy, and finally moving to the dragon when the opponent is equally injured.

You might be wondering where I’m going with this, I’m getting to it. The point so far is that techniques are only the surface, the tools with which a martial artist fights. Anyone can be given a box of tools, but only the people who put the real energy in will learn how to properly use them, and that is what the five animals teach a student to do, because a martial artist who can think and react efficiently in a fight is going to be far more effective than a simple rampaging tiger, and a person with a versatile mind is going to be more effective still. The hand movements that one learns while practicing the animals are to help them get into the mindset, and are to teach them how the body can be used outside of the orthodox punches and kicks, to open their mind.

The leopard’s paw is a very useful palm-striking hand, the tiger’s claw is excellent for grabbing and controlling, the snake is effective for blocking and controlling (making a C shape with the left hand, this is sometimes known as the snake’s mouth – because it’s about as big as, and looks like a moderately sized snake’s mouth from the side), the crane can be used for locking, and the dragon’s eye can strike vital points, as can the dragon’s claw (tip of the middle finger presses against the tip of the index with a slight curve). But using them is unnecessary, as is using the mindset of a single animal.


To that end, the following are a list of the hand strikes that I consider to be the most versatile and useful in combat. A cake is made with a basic recipe, this is the metaphorical cake mix of punches as far as I’m concerned, everything else is just icing. There are five basic kinds of movement one can perform with the arm: centerline, ascending, descending, exiting, and crossing.

Centerline
Palm strike: Open hand technique targeting the chin and nose
Straight punch: Basic Wing Chun punch in which a vertical fist travels in a horizontal line from your chest to your opponent (can be chambered through twisted hips).
Horizontal punch/jab: A light and fast punch to the head mainly used to keep the opponent on the defensive in order to set up for another attack.
Twisting fist: Similar to the straight punch, but the fist twists to horizontal in the last few inches of the strike (preferably either twisted from palm facing up, and slightly past the palm down horizontal level).

Ascending
Uppercut: Moves upward at a 45 degree angle from the shoulder to full arm extension, aiming for the chin.
Rabbit punch: Short uppercut that hits under the diaphragm.
Palm strike: An upwards palm strike to the chin or nose.
Elbow strike: Upward swing to the side of the body, if the hand is at hip level, the elbow simply rises sharply.

Descending
Hammer-fist: As though you were swinging a hammer down (normally to the bridge of the nose).

Exiting
Backfist: Like whipping a towel, this punch is fast but does not have the sopping power of centerline punches.
Elbow strike: The hand shoots in front of the body and the elbow then bends and simultaneously shoots outward.

Crossing
Forearm/elbow strike: With the forearm pressed against the upper-arm, the elbow hooks.
Cross: Similar to a jab but twisted so with some extra body-weight, though given the slight disadvantage it can put one at, it should be avoided.
Hook: Slow, weighted punch that should generally be avoided. A quicker variation can be performed by shooting the hand to the side and then sharply bending the arm whilst moving the upper arm across the body.


Those are basically all the punches you should ever, ever... Ever need (and then-some). If you find that you need to use anything more than a palm strike then you need to improve your palm strike skills, because of the bone formation in the hand the palm strike the least damaging to your hands (the bones naturally line up when the palm is flat and open, and you can quite easily damage the fingers and knuckles by comparison).

The following are the list of kicks that I find most versatile and the only ones I ever really use. There are two kinds of kick: linear, and circular. There are three heights of kick: head, core, and below the knee; the former however, should be avoided in favour of punches to that area (however, when training power, one should strive to kick powerful high, as it will make the low kicks all the more powerful). As you can imagine, this list will be short. I favour linear kicks because they are quicker and physically the more powerful.

Linear
Front Kick: The knee rises to waist level as the lower leg shoots forward. Body weight can be utilised but speed is normally sacrificed for the extra stopping power – something easier gained from side kicks.
Side Kick: Arguably the more powerful in terms of muscles. The knee raises to waist height, and the leg shoots out to the side at waist level.
Knee Strike: To the groin, ‘nuff said.
Stamp: Knee raises and the foot then stamps down at a forty-five degree angle into the opponent’s ankle or knee (either the side or the front is fair game).

Circular
Turning Kick/Roundhouse Kick: Knee raises to waist level as the lower leg snaps to full extension, all done while twisting the body and leg so that the kick moves horizontally.
Sweep: Very close range attack, best done as part of a more complex move where the hands push or pull the body in the opposite way – the foot contacts the legs as one’s stance is lowered, the leg then taking at least one of the opponent’s feet off of the floor (the hands then taking them to the floor).

In general, use of kicks should be minimum and they are best used when a moment of opportunity allows. They will typically inflict more damage, but require more time to perform and if your opponent is quick they can put you at a severe disadvantage because your stance is based upon a single leg once the kick has begun. If you feel like trying a jumping knee, grabbing their shoulders and driving your cap into their solar plexus, feel free, but that’s just icing on the cake. A martial artist’s skill is based on how many encounters he survives, not how many techniques he can perform.

My Personality

First interpretation. The final paragraph is only half-accurate, and the part about empathy is inaccurate also.


Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging
by Marina Margaret Heiss

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.

This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.

Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.

Functional Analysis
by Joe Butt

Introverted iNtuition

INTJs are idea people. Anything is possible; everything is negotiable. Whatever the outer circumstances, INTJs are ever perceiving inner pattern-forms and using real-world materials to operationalize them. Others may see what is and wonder why; INTJs see what might be and say "Why not?!" Paradoxes, antinomies, and other contradictory phenomena aptly express these intuitors' amusement at those whom they feel may be taking a particular view of reality too seriously. INTJs enjoy developing unique solutions to complex problems.

Extraverted Thinking

Thinking in this auxiliary role is a workhorse. Closure is the payoff for efforts expended. Evaluation begs diagnosis; product drives process. As they come to light, Thinking tends, protects, affirms and directs iNtuition's offspring, fully equipping them for fulfilling and useful lives. A faithful pedagogue, Thinking argues not so much on its own behalf, but in defense of its charges. And through this process these impressionable ideas take on the likeness of their master.

Introverted Feeling

Feeling has a modest inner room, two doors down from the Most Imminent iNtuition. It doesn't get out much, but lends its influence on behalf of causes which are Good and Worthy and Humane. We may catch a glimpse of it in the unspoken attitude of good will, or the gracious smile or nod. Some question the existence of Feeling in this type, yet its unseen balance to Thinking is a cardinal dimension in the full measure of the INTJ's soul.

Extraverted Sensing

Sensing serves with a good will, or not at all. As other inferior functions, it has only a rudimentary awareness of context, amount or degree. Thus INTJs sweat the details or, at times, omit them. "I've made up my mind, don't confuse me with the facts" could well have been said by an INTJ on a mission. Sensing's extraverted attitude is evident in this type's bent to savor sensations rather than to merely categorize them. Indiscretions of indulgence are likely an expression of the unconscious vengeance of the inferior.


Second interpretation (which although shorter, is accurate to the letter):

The Portrait of the Mastermind Rational (iNTj)

Of the four aspects of strategic analysis and definition, it is the contingency planning or entailment organizing role that reaches the highest development in Masterminds. Entailing or contingency planning is not an informative activity, rather it is a directive one in which the planner tells others what to do and in what order to do it. As the organizing capabilities the Masterminds increase so does their inclination to take charge of whatever is going on.

It is in their abilities that Masterminds differ from the other Rationals, while in most of their attitudes they are just like the others. However there is one attitude that sets them apart from other Rationals: they tend to be much more self-confident than the rest, having, for obscure reasons, developed a very strong will. They are rather rare, comprising no more than, say, one percent of the population. Being very judicious, decisions come naturally to them; indeed, they can hardly rest until they have things settled, decided, and set. They are the people who are able to formulate coherent and comprehensive contingency plans, hence contingency organizers or "entailers."

Masterminds will adopt ideas only if they are useful, which is to say if they work efficiently toward accomplishing the Mastermind's well-defined goals. Natural leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command of projects or groups, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once in charge, however, Masterminds are the supreme pragmatists, seeing reality as a crucible for refining their strategies for goal-directed action. In a sense, Masterminds approach reality as they would a giant chess board, always seeking strategies that have a high payoff, and always devising contingency plans in case of error or adversity. To the Mastermind, organizational structure and operational procedures are never arbitrary, never set in concrete, but are quite malleable and can be changed, improved, streamlined. In their drive for efficient action, Masterminds are the most open-minded of all the types. No idea is too far-fetched to be entertained-if it is useful. Masterminds are natural brainstormers, always open to new concepts and, in fact, aggressively seeking them. They are also alert to the consequences of applying new ideas or positions. Theories which cannot be made to work are quickly discarded by the Masterminds. On the other hand, Masterminds can be quite ruthless in implementing effective ideas, seldom counting personal cost in terms of time and energy.


Take the quiz yourself.

Love's Series

Love's Imagination

To love someone deeply gives you strength.
Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.
~ Lau Tzu

Our time together was sweet my love,
Time spent together has ended at last
As push has finally come to shove,
And now we must consider fast
Where we shall meet each other above,
As the fields of the next world are vast,
And the hand of God removes its glove
To make this life of ours part of the past.

You gave me the strength to face each day,
To stop from trying to end my life,
Our wedding had no chance of nay,
For the rest of our eternity: man and wife.
To this it has come and I never did pray,
Faith was not necessary to fight this knife,
And with the final breaths one does say:
I’ll see you soon, our time is rife.

Leaving you to your new existence,
Seeing your body pool with vital fluid,
I take up mine and seek vengeance,
For a world without you is truly arid,
And though this strength has transience,
And my courage is only briefly rabid,
They manifest from your absence,
They burn and linger like a celestial acid.

When retribution is ultimately found,
When my soul’s hunger is no more,
When I can listen to the satisfying sound,
Of gargling as I pierce his core.
But though he is now blood drowned,
My imagination and emotions are sore,
So I return to my real princess bound,
My strength and courage spore.


Love's Language

It's strange that words are so inadequate. Yet, like the asthmatic
struggling for breath, so the lover must struggle for words.
~ T. S. Elliot

Deep love and language,
The expression of passion,
Hard to explain or gauge,
How a person truly feels,
When words are only seals.

They restrict love, our lust,
That’s all we really need,
For words will have us bust,
Because our souls don’t speak,
Another way do they seek.

Lay you down next to me,
Remove the barriers of sense,
Allow us both to clearly see,
Spiritually commune together,
Without words we are sure.

“I love you”, one of the charms,
But this I do not require,
If you’ll take me in your arms,
And show me your love’s form,
Keep me from the speaking storm.


Love's Secrecy

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without
and know we cannot live within.
~ James A. Baldwin

When we first began dating,
Part of me suspected
That you would not sing
To the tune I expected.
I don’t blame you though,
Given what we now know.

When you told me “No more”,
I held back the pain and fear,
Holding onto hope, a shore,
Clinging to you, my dear.
I could never have let go,
Given what I didn’t know.

I continued to love you,
Whether you realised or not,
I knew it was what I had to do,
My golden, magic, only shot.
Poisoned dart that I blow,
It took you time to know.

I tried to move from the past,
But I could not scale that wall,
Without you I cannot last,
My one, my only, my all.
We have something to show,
Now that you too know.


Note: I in no way regret nor hold any ill will because of my hidden feelings in 2006, quite the contrary, it was strangely nice to spend time with her in a way where we didn't have an official commitment to each other (and means that our dedication to one another was and is all the stronger). That said, I am glad things have gone the way they have, because I realised I didn't want anyone else.


Love's Proximity

Can miles truly separate you from friends? If you want
to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?
~ Richard Bach

I’m hours from you by train,
Talking to you keeps me sane,
Here I will for some time remain,
For here I have much to gain.

My love cannot tire from this,
Only grow stronger when I kiss,
Only get fonder because I miss,
Only allow me, seeing you, bliss.

Distance means nothing to me,
As with you I will forever be,
In a way you don’t touch or see,
A connection filled solely with glee.


Love's Comfort

A man reserves his true and deepest love not for the species of woman in whose company he finds himself electrified and enkindled, but for that one in whose company he may feel tenderly drowsy.
~ George Jean Nathan

Our souls in privacy are one of two,
Excited in me brings the same in you,
As passion is the core of our language,
Like animals in a furious rage.

After pleasure fades away it leaves room,
For comfort of body and soul to bloom,
Less of a joy, this is nothing like that,
In your arms is where I want to be at.

Laying together, arms tightly wrapped,
We may not notice when we have napped,
For nowhere else can I find such great peace,
Never let me go, do not ever cease.


Love's Tomb

Take away love, and our earth is a tomb.
~ Robert Browning

I smell the musty fetid air
Of a world that misplaced love,
Dust of the dead swirling
Through the streets once fair.

It all began when love died,
Started to become petty,
Where the respect was lost,
When all breath was sighed.

From then it spiralled again,
Small spats, hysterical fights,
A pair once bound by vows
Went psychotically insane.

Beyond that it went too far,
To physical violence and pain,
Hell created by one another
Water replaced by boiling tar.

The climax was soon at hand,
As weapons were brandished,
And now, buried they are,
No longer do they stand.

Love does forever remain,
In the ashes of this earth,
It will never cease to exist,
And for us, never be a bane.

I would never end you and I
In fear of this happening,
For love cannot be lost,
Only taken away with a sigh.


Love's Apology

Love means not ever having to say you're sorry.
~ Erich Segal

I’m sorry that I have to go,
That I need to leave you here,
Never looking to the rear,
Not letting my pain show.

I’m sorry for not telling you,
For keeping it a secret so long,
I’ll never again sing you our song,
Because of what I need to do.

I’m sorry because it hurts deeply,
Know that it tears at my soul,
This was never once my goal:
The prices have been paid steeply.

But for all this I have no worry,
Because of your love and respect,
And the morality that you expect,
I have no need to say sorry.


Love's Appreciation

The way to love anything is to realise that it may be lost.
~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

You were there for me,
A long time together.

I was there for you,
The feelings we gather.

There for each other,
Love’s come hither.

You left me one day,
Never lasts forever.

Goodbye you did say,
Truth is love’s tether.

Never to return again,
Sombre honest heather,

So part did we then,
Predictable as weather.

I will try to find another,
Who’s less of a bother.

They never will be you,
But a pain breather.

I miss you my love,
That’s why I dither.

I wish to be born again,
To prevent this wither.


Note: While my experience with my girlfriend allows this to be dedicated to her because of the insight it gave me, it is also dedicated to my College English Literature teacher, Hayley (for events in her life I won't go into).

Technical note: This poem can be read 3 different ways - line 1 & line 2 of each stanza together all the way down, only line 1 of each stanza all the way down, or only line 2 of each stanza all the way down.

Poetry Selections

To Myself, Darkly

I see myself in myself,
Regress for all my life,
Images of darkness
Placed on a shelf,
Confusion forever rife,
Photographic assess.

I see myself in myself,
Photo, o' little photo,
Little photo of I,
Represents oneself,
Infinite visual canto,
I'm behind it, for I'm shy.

I see myself in myself,
Abundant possibilities,
But all truly the same,
For I am a simple self,
Lacking complex worries,
And this photo I do tame.


Blurb

Inside and out I'm simply me,
Feelings that you don't know,
Emotions you cannot see,
But a body that I can show.

To you and everyone I meet,
We may not exchange stories,
So there's no room for deceit,
And I must appear to please.

My looks are a summary of me,
One that I wear every hour,
I must make sure my looks will be,
Honest about me and never sour.

But whether you know me or not,
My appearance will impose:
Take me seriously with a spot
Of black paint on my nose.


Train of Thoughts

Ahh, I relax, traveling by rail,
Wild feline on metal
At the station, like a snail.

Kids returning from school,
Fighting, bickering as one,
Showing off to girls by the pool.

A crow atop the stone’s ident,
Shimmying left and right
With talons, forming a trident.

Moving again down the line,
Past the fields, houses, and waste,
And like the kids and the crow,
The rails painfully whine.

At Havant, I board a new train,
Loud, it tilts and groans,
Into darkness we plunge, not sane,
And then all I want is to get off.


Forever?

I can never believe that you or I,
Could end, may stop, might fade.
Will die.
For how can either you or me,
Pop into life, then cease to be?

Maybe it’s my immortality desire,
To exist forever, to the end of time.
To never tire.
To be the watcher, the keeper,
Of the mortal folk under my meter.

I put my faith in a higher reality,
Of a spiritual existence pre-life.
After mortality.
From where we came, we will return,
To allow our immortal fire to burn.

But perhaps I should leave a mark,
On those who have yet to come.
Give a spark.
Inspire future generations’ wisdom,
No more than part of a human sum.


Patience

I made a mistake in hindsight
Naked torso to the ultra violent,
Ultraviolet light.

Burnt were my back and front,
Searing pain struck me fast and hard
Like a brutal shunt.

For days post cooking my body broke
As the punishments for my mind
My body spoke.

Sleepless, lonely nights of thought,
The result of pain I just wish
They’d cut short.

The heat swells both outside and in
Movement restricted, and blisters erupt
On my skin.

Then came the most agonising ordeal,
Huge challenge of resistance,
An endurance seal.

Itching, painful, needles they try to slay
Hours I suffered, nothing to alleviate,
It must stay.

Time stretched on through challenges
Of my soul, a self-inflicted castigation
He says.

But giving in is useless as already
I know that time heals if I persist
And stay steady.

When my layers fall away, useless and old,
I rejoice as motility returns, feeling renewed
And cold.


Scrapheap

Beauty comes in many forms,
Many places and at any time,
From people, to fields of flowers and storms,
But an underestimated fellow is the scrapheap,
Overflowing with waste and grime,
To see the beauty you must look deep.

The beauty of the scrapheap is threefold,
The purpose is serves to humankind,
The shining of cans and the colours of mould,
And the diversity of cultures it sees,
About its reputation the ‘heap doesn’t mind,
For its beauty unlike most, is held in threes.

Like plants feed on our wasted air,
The scrapheap’s existence is comprised,
Of what we no longer want or need to be there,
And regardless of this, the scrapheap still serves,
So why is it not adored or prized,
With its iron will and steel nerves.

Put deepness aside, we look to the surface,
Banana peels, discarded bike wheels,
When something loses purpose, it becomes a disgrace,
So why is the glorious scrapheap disgusting,
When of all our creations, all of the skills,
Scrapheap is the most unique, it has the most meaning.


Deathly Beauty

I sit and stand each day and night,
Waiting for you to give me sight.
But as you pass you turn away,
Be it light or dark, night or day.

The dew flows down smooth from me,
Can you not, or won’t you see?
The dancing of my crystal spires,
You’re more concerned with rubber tires.

A timeless being cycling on,
Seeds that fly, one becomes my son.
Nurture by nature, and epoch,
More in life yet, you forge your mock.

Mirror for you, I surely am,
Not for the tiger nor the lamb.
See your choices in me my friend,
Soon your life will be at an end.

Blind to the deathly beauty now,
I ask the question to you: how?
Look for the joy: the dancing me,
Find the beauty: the winter tree.


A Frog Concern

- I -

Early morning, two ante meridiem,
Coming in from the human labour.

I spot something moving underfoot,
Bending down to see whom it is.

A tiny creature of innocence and joy,
The frog waves proverbially at me.

Hopping back and forth, confused,
Head hitting the door four times.

I’m curious as to how dumb he is,
How he can do it without care.

He doubles back, bouncing away.
I follow, glass in hand to capture.

The predator sleeps atop a throne,
His purring starts, a stretch.

The tiny morsel stops close-by,
But I, the human, intervene in time.

Released outside, the frog is free,
And I breathe a sigh of relief.

- II -

Bringing in my human transport,
I am now cautious of my tread.

How is it that my awareness
Triggers off my emotion: concern.

Are my motives of saving the time
It took to free helpless in my care?

Or is it actually some form of worry
That accompanies the godhood.

I hear a crack, my toes scream,
Looking down, I am relieved.

The victim of this crime was
Simply a snail, not the frog.

- III -

Next night comes after human time,
And I hear the mewing of a servant.

I tend to the unconditionally loving,
To find a plaything in his midst.

I search, I look, I feel, I encourage
Him to show me what he has.

Out hops the frog, a rear leg hacked
Clean from its socket. The cat purrs.

Maybe my concerns were all for naught,
For nature is a brutal cycle.

I am merely along for a ride,
And ethics are a human condition.

The frog was a noble creature,
Innocent and undeserving of this fate.

But there’s little I can do in the end,
And I find myself more helpless than he.

Mediocrity and Social Contribution

Why do martial arts?

I have a better question: why do anything? You're going to die, and it'll accomplish very little in the next 1000 years for you to really do anything with your life. Oh that's right, because individuals do impact society, either by their own exploits or as part of a communal contribution. What was I thinking...

There's very little for us to do in life but enjoy ourselves and try to make a contribution to the species, because we are finite beings. We won't get to see what happens in the twenty-third century, so we have two things we can do: we can enjoy our short lives, and we can do what we can to ensure that we make humanity better. We're like bricks in a house, whether you want to recognise it or not we leave behind a mark on humanity, and each of us is important in the whole: our individual actions affect small groups, which affect larger groups, which affect larger groups in turn, which can affect society and even civilisation.

So maybe your training is for fun. So is mine. But in addition to the training itself, I find satisfaction in pushing myself and achieving new things, new heights. This might affect other people who I train with, make them push harder, and they might go out and affect other people. Or they might not, I might affect them negatively by making them feel bad, and they might soon stop training because they feel outclassed and that there's no point, and might go on to focus on other aspects, and end up affecting those areas.

Why do I train? Because I enjoy it. I'm the kind of person who enjoys martial arts, I don't know why. I don't know why I enjoy writing as well. Maybe I'm looking to understand myself and the world around me, and have chosen these routes to try and do so. I find things like football to be trivial (perhaps because I see it as a shall, media-drenched, over-hyped sport which takes up too much of human concern where it should be spent elsewhere), other people don't (it brings them enjoyment to watch it or to play it). So which is better? Who is right?

Athletes of extraordinary skill have come out of both football and martial arts, who have, for thousands of years, pushed the known boundaries of the human capability to its very limits. There are also athletes of moderate skill (the supporting bands in music). Both football and martial arts also have the amateurs, people who aren't famous but still train in and play them anyway. Why would they bother? They enjoy it. Moving beyond amateurs' concerns, I'm sure a fair few of the professional athletes are quite humbled by the number of amateurs there are who look up to them, driving them to perform better, which in turn gives the amateurs a higher pedestal to move toward, to look up to.

For years I've always thought of football as something that humanity might be better off without. But I've come to realise that it is, quite simply, the result of human creativity, of the drive to seek pleasure and happiness, and more lately the result of such a large a population of intelligent beings. There can only be so many people who contribute to any one field before the progress of that field can go no faster. Generally, the professionals will make the largest contribution, and the amateurs will sit in their shadows, trying to be like them, living their lives for their own reasons.

Maybe we won't all be famous and acclaimed, and the success rate for that is low. But maybe that's not the point. Maybe the point is that, while enjoying our training, we also enjoy the idea, the fantasy, that maybe one day we can be that good. Fantasy can be a lot more powerful than reality in such matters. So why do I train? Why do I write? Because I enjoy them, but why do I enjoy them? Because maybe there's part of me that despite my doubts, believes that I can be famous, that I can leave my mark on humanity. Maybe volvox's altruism gene wasn't the only gene that a species contained for the good of the colony.

Parable of the Present

This was written by a friend of mine. I thought at first about writing my own treatise on why I consider myself an anarchist, but this was so well written I thought it would be best to post it here.


Parable of the Present
Written by Edwin Porter-Daniels

"What people do not realise is that Nineteen Eighty-Four is not a vision of the future, but a parable of the present" - Robert Anton Wilson

More terrifyingly, he said that more than forty years ago.

Whenever I switch on the radio, or watch the television, or walk through a town, or travel on the underground, or catch a bus, a train, a plane, whenever I hear a politcian talk, whenever I consider the society I live in, whenever people talk about "neccesary wars" or "liberal conspiracy" or "security", whenever I see a police officer, or hear an announcement about luggage at a station, or read a newspaper, or go outside, or stay inside, I see Big Brother.

And Big Brother sees me.

Whenever someone suggests something that restricts our freedoms in an obvious and clearcut way, people resist. Identity cards, constant surveilance, compulsory drug testing in schools - Big Brother is coming, they say, look out, if we don't stop this now, it'll be like 1984.

Too late.

I can't see anyway that this is not a distraction technique. If people can be made to concentrate on one particular thing, then they have a target, and they ignore everything else. Like new laws that take away freedom of speech. Or the constant low-level fear response that 99% of society expresses. You might not know what I mean. That just means it's working.

Think about it. Think about the last time you were at a station, preferably in a big city like London. Think about the announcements.

"For your safety... be vigilant... be suspicious..."

Be afraid, that's the real message. The bad guys are out there, and we want you to be scared. Scared people are easier to direct, easier to control. If you're afraid, you can't fight back properly. Let us help you. Let us protect you. Just sign your name on the dotted line...

You might think I'm a conspiracy nut. I'm not - it's not a conspiracy. It's not hidden from view, or plotted from behind the scenes, or masterminded by a shadowy world-wide organisation. It's right out in the open, and we let it by. How could we not, we're trained to, right from birth, right from the moment we first open our eyes. Do what we say. Follow orders. There has to be a government. The law is good. We'll protect you. Buy, buy, buy.

I'm an anarchist. People sometimes react with horror when I say that. They think it means "terrorist". Fear response, fight or flight, let them protect us. Another response is "Don't be stupid, we have to have laws"

No one has ever been able to explain to me why. "But, people will just kill people, and chaos will reign, and death and destruction and argh argh argh" Death, and destruction, and fear fear fear. We're so scared of not being told what to do, because we're told to be scared, we're trained to be scared of it, conditioned.

People have said to me "If there was such a big conspiracy, the government wouldn't let people be communists or socialists or anarchists. You're not in prison, so clearly there's not a conspiracy". Why bother locking people up, if you can manipulate society into never considering their possibilities. Communism, totalitarianism, democracy. They're all, at their most base level, the same. They are all control of the many by the few, enforced by violence. They are all governments. That's what a government *is*.

What about social contract, people ask. What about it? Surely if social contract is what's important it doesn't matter if you have laws or a government anyway? If we're honest, any government rules by fear and violence. There's not other way to rule, and still *be* a government.

We're trained to be scared from the start, from school. Don't get a detention, sit up straight, stand in line, conform conform conform, even if it's to the nice little set of non-conformists, make sure you're scared of stepping out of line. We don't beat kids at school anymore. We've just made what we do less obvious.

Look around you. Wake up. Only you have control over your life, any other control is either an illusion, or you've granted it. The reason that peaceful protest works is that the only response a government can have is violent, and that cannot be prolonged. If we all decide to not be ruled by the government, they do not rule us. If we decide to be unafraid, we will be. Stand up, and be yourself.