Incredible claims

The Big Bang Theory of cosmogony is a claim by science which bothers me most; but I mean no disrespect to those clever people who conceived it, apparently proved it, and remain working on it. It does not make sense. Another theory in science which is unconvincing is the Darwinian Theory of Evolution. Now, a new claim from science suggests that there may be many versions of myself in this universe. While the first two theories above have a great deal of relevance, of what value is the third?

I did meet this ‘multiple versions of you out there’ claim relatively recently through a spiritualist group. The members were not scientists. The person who told me about this belief reminded me of those theologians (usually active in power-displaying institutions based on authority), who profess to tell those of us who seek succour from the vicissitudes of life, how to jump onto the treadmill they control, in order to reach Heaven (hopefully a place of peace which is pain-free).

As a freethinker, I believe that religious belief is a personal matter between me and my Creator; and that each of us should be free to trudge through the thicket of existence in search of the numinous. Of course, one could choose to ride in a charabanc driven to Heaven by a uniformed employee of an authorised travel agent. It is only when such a travel agency exercises dominance over independent seekers through its influence over governments that the pathway becomes horrendously pitted. One’s life can be constrained by the game-strategy of such power-seekers.

In contrast, whatever speculative scientists conceive of can rarely interfere with our lives, and our freedom to think and act for ourselves. They also make progress through challenge, and appropriate changes in their speculative perceptions. Indeed, there seem to be quite a few countervailing approaches in explaining the universe we occupy.

I am attracted to the idea of a non-material aether which pervades all.

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Commentary on some famous quotes

Commentary on famous quotes (Just for fun)

LENIN
• The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them in parliament. (Western democracy?)

• There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. (Is this why the average Australian seems to have a low regard for politicians?)

• Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted. (I have read that the Catholic Church needs 7 years)

• Can a nation be free if it oppresses other nations? (Unless it is an ‘exceptional’ nation)

MAHATMA GANDHI

• You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. (What if dirty water is everywhere?)

• There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed. (Can there be economic growth without greed?)

• In a gentle way, you can shake the world. (Leaving yourself shaken too?)

These quotations are from ‘BrainyQuote’ on the Internet (www.brainyquote.com)

Stepping outside one’s normal understanding

Most of us live within two domains; and we are presumably happy with that. The domains are: the physical and the mental. Mostly, we are busy doing (something or other). Sometimes, perhaps only if necessary, we think. We might even think about what we need to do – but perhaps not yet! That is because a partial life of being, instead of doing, is innately satisfying (remember Laozi).

Then the spirit world can enter one’s stage (of life). Inescapably, one’s frame of reference (from the second domain – thinking) has to come to terms with the implications of this third domain of one’s existence.

A significant implication that I came to realise relatively recently is that my memory must reside in my soul. My soul is of course me, irrespective of the body I occupy from Earthly life to Earthly life. How else could the manifesting spirit of my uncle display his possession of his memories of events which had occurred during his time on Earth?

That is to say that soul and spirit are the same. Thus, the insubstantial spirit of my uncle who appeared to my clairvoyant – but was not visible to me – was indeed the soul of my uncle.

Then there is the Hindu belief that memory is only an instrument of Consciousness. In the event, the human soul is linked to, or reflects, Consciousness.

Does not this connection then give credence to another Hindu belief – that we (our souls) have arisen from that Ocean of Consciousness – which pervades all existence?

In submitting this new understanding of mine, I state clearly that I am not challenging anyone’s right to believe whatever they will. After all, modern scientists are beginning to realise that reality is not only multi-layered, but also unfathomable because of the proven limitations of our ability to perceive what might be!

A mere nobody will enjoy peace

Gandhi reportedly told his supporters “Become nothing; become empty. Then we become invisible because nothing can find us and attack us.” That was the voice of experience; he was attacked (Winston Churchill allegedly referred to him as ‘that nigger’) for seeking independence for his people – to remove India as the jewel in the crown of British imperialism.

The above quotation is from ‘Think of an elephant,’ an enlightening book by Paul Bailey. The following is also from Bailey. “The head abbot in a Zen monastery set a poetry test to decide who should be his successor after his departure. The favourite monk impressed with his poem: ‘The cleanest mirror gives the best reflection.‘ However, one of the least impressive monks won the leadership succession. His poem: ‘No mirror; no dust; nothing.’

I am mighty impressed. Had he reached the status of being a nobody? That would be a great achievement!

As Socrates said, ‘True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.’ This is why I like Sgt. Schultz in ‘Hogan’s Heroes,’ a tv program I used to watch with my children (a lifetime ago): he used to mutter ‘I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing’ at crucial times. Another wise man (like Bailey, whose quotations I have drawn upon)!

A lazy fellow’s mantra

Having been born in a multicultural environment, that is, in an Asian nation-in-the-making of people of diverse ethnic origins, I was naturally exposed to a range of Oriental philosophies. Because I was born with the intention of being lazy, I like the dictum of Laozi, a great Chinese philosopher, which says “Do nothing, and then nothing is left to be undone.” He was most definitely a wise man.

The philosophies of Asia go back a long way. Those who uphold the Athenians as the cultural ancestors of the European West may consider what my elders pointed out. Wisdom is all pervasive, and belongs to no one; we are mere transmitters.

In recent years, I have also read that Egypt was the source of Athenian learning; and that Eastern philosophies were probably transmitted to the Athenians via the Persians, an advanced people.

Returning to Laozi, Paul Bailey, the erudite author of ‘Think of an elephant,’ points out that what Laozi meant “was for us to do everything from a state of mind that understands the secret of effortless action.”

Perhaps because I like elephants, my favourite Hindu deity is Ganesha, the elephant-faced dispenser of wisdom. So, my approach to management is to find a lazy worker: he will find the most efficient way of getting his job done well!

But, do not ever think of a pink elephant! It may choose to stay with you.

More of what actually happened

Widespread historical cultural and tribal memories (so-called folk myths) refer to other impacts of the cosmic catastrophe of about 13,000 to 11,500 years ago. (Refer to my previous post)

TERRITORIAL CHAOS
• “That Phaeton caused major changes to world topography is mentioned by many nations. Samoan Islanders: ‘… the land sank into the sea … The new earth arose out of the womb of the last earth.’ A Tahitian tradition: ‘… overturned the world into the sea …’ A pre-Columbian Maya script: ‘… ten countries were torn asunder and scattered … they sank with their 64,000,000 inhabitants 8060 years before the writing of this book.’ “ (What horror!)

• “The Mixtecs of Mexico speak of a now-vanished land to the east of the present Atlantic coast.” (This may have been the Atlantis that Plato wrote about.) “References to what may also have been a former continent in the Indian Ocean occur in several south Asian traditions.” “One from Sri Lanka refers to ‘the citadel of Rawana.’” “Even the Selungs of the Mergui Archipelago (off southern Burma) refer to such a continent.”

• From Peru: ‘… the Andes were split apart … the sky made war on the earth.’ From Brazil: ‘… Heaven and Earth changed places.’ From the Zuni Indians (describing the aftermath of the catastrophe): ‘Earthquakes shook the world and rent it. Creatures turned fierce, becoming beasts of prey … fear was everywhere …’ ‘… mountains reeled, the plains boomed and crackled under the floods and fires, and the high hollow places (caves), hugged of men and the creatures were black and awful … presently thick rain fell, quenching the fires; and waters washed the face of the earth.’ (Could there be a more devastating and terrifying scenario?)

DARKNESS: “Many catastrophe traditions refer to the coming of unnaturally prolonged darkness. These include the memories of the Aztecs of Central America, Akawais of Canada, the Japanese, the Hawaiian, and the Dusun people of Borneo.” (Among others)

HAIL AND FIRE: “Several traditions associate great falls of hail, ice, fire, dust, and other substances with the aforementioned calamities, and clearly accord their celestial origins.”

ICE-BOUND: “… the formation of widespread ice was indicated in the Old Testament. More interestingly, the Norse sagas provide further detail of the onset of such conditions …” (There are several more sources available)

Conclusion
Reports such as these, as recounted in Allan & Delair’s ‘Cataclysm’ are beyond the normal operative processes of the scientific method. Yet, scientific researchers are producing confounding information which seem to be taking us away from the standard model of reality. Why then should we, within this standard model, deny a coherent remembered scenario of utter devastation throughout the globe in the recent past?

So-called myth and science have to work in tandem on putting together an accurate historical past, since the past infiltrates the present, and thus shapes the future. Is there a message here that we might look beyond the materialistic domain to identify the significance of existence?

What actually happened

Catastrophe traditions are said to be known from every continent, except Antarctica. The Americas provide the largest number, and Africa the lowest. As the flow of Deluge waters was apparently north-west to south-east, this makes sense, were the continents to have been aligned as they are now. This suggests that any tilt of Earth and a claimed re-alignment of continents occurred before Phaeton moved off, releasing the piled-up waters as a globe-wide inundation.

The alleged sequence of events include:

• CONFLAGRATION. Ovid is quoted thus: “The earth bursts into flames, the highest points first, and splits into deep cracks, and its moisture is all dried up. The meadows are burned to white ashes; the trees are consumed, leaves and all, and the ripe grain furnishes fuel for its own destruction … great cities perish with their walls, and vast conflagration reduces whole nations to ashes.” Other legends confirm these effects.

• FLOOD. The Babylonian epic Gilgamesh “refers to a great ‘hail from heaven’ and a tremendous whirlwind or cyclone which ‘swept to heaven,’ accompanying a flood that ‘swiftly mounted up … to the mountains.” Again, other legends confirm this scenario.

• CELESTIAL DISORDER. In Ovid’s account, “… the Chariot of the Sun, driven by Phaeton, moved ‘no longer in the same course as before,’” and that “… the horses pulling it broke ‘loose from their course’ and ‘rushed aimlessly, knocking against the stars set deep in the sky …’” (How poetic!) “Ancient Chinese texts reported: ‘… the pillars supporting the sky crumbled, and the chains from which the earth was suspended shivered to pieces. Sun, moon and stars poured down into the north-west …’” (More poetry!). Other cultural memories are in the same vein.

Refer my next post for other reported events. The quotes above are from Allan & Delair’s ‘Cataclysm.’

Could cultural legends and traditions enlighten us?

As Allan & Delair point out “… numerous peoples all over the world have preserved ancient accounts apparently describing some of the tremendous catastrophes …” How are these to be tested? How are they to be interpreted? They also point out “… the superficial simplicity, even naivete, of many traditions. For the initial compilers and purveyors of traditions to convey, in clear and unambiguous terms, often quite elaborate original concepts and sagas, to essentially illiterate mass audiences, it was necessary for these traditions to be presented in simplified or general forms.”

One would not expect the immediate survivors of the Deluge and the calamities preceding it to do more than work out how to continue their lives. The next generation may have opportunities to think about what happened, and to reach some sort of conclusion as to how it all came about. The following generation may then feel competent to compile an explanatory narrative – often couched in symbolic form. Refer the legends about the Sumerian Lord Marduk, and other legends of a religious nature which seem to be current.

Borrowing from Allan & Delair, one might treat some legends as intended to instruct or entertain. Or, to view some traditions as symbolic in some meaningful manner. Or, to evaluate them as profane or religious explanations. Or, they could represent fragments of memories of real historical people and their experiences. Or, a combination of these interpretations.

Then, would the stakeholders in any current paradigm hold off judgement about apparently inexplicable events and relationships, while waiting to see what patterns of information those working at the coalface might produce?

For example, the theory of uniformitarianism, which allegedly denies catastrophes – by definition, could be held as the basal condition for life on Earth, while also accepting that normal performances of major objects in space could impact upon life on Earth most catastrophically from time to time, and without warning.

While truth maybe multi-focal, varying over time, it must surely be sought – no matter what we fear!

Uplift of lands offsetting subsidence

When portions of the Earth’s crust sink in one place, other portions tend to rise in compensation. So say Allan & Delair in ‘Cataclysm’. (See previous post about subsidence of vast landmasses.)

“… coeval evidence from the Philippines, various parts of Indonesia, the Pacific generally, and Australia so suffice here to assert that much of the topography of all these regions came into being a mere 11,500 years or so ago.”

“Much the same can be said of the present Alpine scenery in Europe. Not so long ago, geologically speaking, they were little more than a chain of hills.” (What a fascinating thought!)

“The geographical modernity of folded mountains in many parts of Asia was recognised early this century … confirmed by studies of mountain ranges in China … Similar youthfulness characterises the ranges bordering the Western Gobi desert … a large internal sea … occupied the Gobi basin … there is every indication that it was uplifted simultaneously not only with the Pamirs and the great ranges of western China, but also with the Tibetan Plateau … the draining away of the water … must have been a truly devastating event.”

I certainly remember reading that a Chinese emperor had appointed someone (Yu?) to drain the extensive waters inundating the land. Another memory – someone in China was sent to work out the cardinal points of Earth, such was the extended gloom.

“Among the ranges … were the Cordilleran systems in both North and South America, the Caucasus and many others.” “Not only were the Himalayas and their satellites affected by this gigantic crustal uplift, but so also were the Pamirs, Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Kailas ranges, the Kun-lun mountains and the Altai and Tien Shan mountains.”
Further evidence of mountain building is to be found in the Americas. Allegedly, it all happened 11,500 years ago.

This relatively small ball of molten material contained by a relatively thin and permeable crust must have been a delightful but boring pace for millions of years. Then Lord Marduk (or Phaeton) came to re-structure the place to make it suitable for the most voracious and destructive member of the faunal kingdom.

The subsidence of vast landmasses

There has apparently been a vast subsidence of landmasses in many parts of the globe about 11,500 years ago. The following are extracts from Allan& Delair’s ‘Cataclysm.’

“… a radically different disposition of land and water evidently existed until Phaeton’s visit. Large continental landmasses such as Fennoscandia, Appalachia, Beringia, Tyrrhenia and others in the southern hemisphere, existed in regions presently occupied by oceans now often miles deep. Their combined weight was stupendous and its redistribution through crustal collapses catastrophic.”

“… many of these changes occurred around 11,500 years ago at the onset of the Younger Dryas episode …” (when an ice age allegedly occurred).

Appalachia – “… a continental landmass in the North Atlantic, also known as North Atlantis. Now reposing some two miles (3.2km) below the level of the two adjacent continental shelves. Appalachia connected Europe and North America via Greenland and Iceland.” “These crustal … collapses … occurred synchronously with the break-up and drowning of the greater part of Fennoscandia, a now submerged northern landmass formerly connecting Spitzbergen with northern Eurasia.”

“Leaving the Atlantic for the Indian Ocean, we find in the latter interesting evidence for the geologically recent submergence of another extensive landmass or series of large islands which Wallace called the great Southern Continent.”

The Polynesian Islands “… are not volcanic eruptions of the sea floor … but the remains of a great Pacific continent, which was in early times connected with other continental masses.” (Lemuria?)

As well, “These changes extended even to the northernmost Pacific, when a continent-sized landmass, occupying the whole of the Bering Straits and the ocean floor immediately south of it, floundered … The scale of the subsidence … particularly along the eastern coastline of the Kamchatka peninsula, was spectacular. Science knows this sunken land as Beringia.”

Where were the offsetting uplifts of the crust of Earth?