It Can Be Hard

We are born into this world, we’re destined to be ill equipped.
Some before they’re born, they’re already getting whipped.
A billion things have happened, there’ll be a trillion more.
Paled to insignificance, whether a president or a whore.

We feel that we’re the drivers, the universe our truck.
Acknowledging the truth though, it doesn’t give a fuck.
You’ll be told you’re eternal, at God’s banquet you’ll be eating.
Best to be a skeptic though, your time is likely fleeting.

Indeed you could live long, over ninety years.
But my friend this is nothing, the way the universe is geared.
For even if you traveled, twice the speed of light.
You’d barely get to anywhere, and you’d be pretty bright.

Speed of light you see, is a thing that would be fun.
Yet with our current physics, it just cannot be done.
It was a thing that was predicted by Albert Einstein.
Near a century of testing, the theory’s doing fine.

Sometimes something happens, destiny we assume.
Just as we predicted, seems we guessed the tune.
Yet if we persist with the path, and have time to reflect.
We’ll oft see we were not quite, as smart as we had guessed.

Our hearts were full with nectar, so sweet was our flower.
Yet in another section, it’s now a different hour.
We danced in our mind, we were light on our feet.
However now we learned, all is not so neat.

Our brain was alight, neurons all switched on.
Endorphins, Oxytocin, a cocktail warm as sun.
Now though we’ve come down, and our time is not so swell.
To some it goes too far, and they send themselves to hell.

You’ll be forced then to question, “To bother why should we?”.
And indeed to make an answer, it can be hard to see.
There’s bumps and there’s bruises, there’s stress and there’s strain.
For whence there was pleasure, there now can be pain.

But remembering the question, I wrote in the last verse.
Not wanting to be rude, not meaning to be terse.
You see there’s an answer, whether you concur or disagree.
I understand you are you, and therefore are not me.

In my whimsy rhyme, about this I will say.
Though the universe is vast, today’s a special day.
Now’s a special minute, the next will be so too.
There’s indeed a real miracle, on top this sphere-y zoo.

Because in all that vastness, in all that space.
No thing could surely live, what rats could ever race.
However on this speck, some light minutes from the sun.
The miracle it’s happened, taken for granted, routinely done.

So now grab this precious, thing that’s you and me.
We can afford to be flippant, fuck you eternity.
Even though I’ll not last, relatively all that long.
I’ve been and saw and thought, I’ve loved my favorite song.

We’ve laughed and fought and hurt, we’ve made and heard some sounds.
We’ve guessed and thought and worked, we’ve bred and ran with hounds.
We’ve been crazy, we’ve been sane, we’ve been and gone again.
To the moon, rode on trains.
Said “Goodnight”, flown in planes.

We’ve laughed and we’ve cried, we lived and we’ve died.
I couldn’t list it all, not even if I tried.

So there then can you see, sitting here and reading this.
That though not too serious, I’ll still not take the piss.
For though it’s sometimes hard, and you’re down on your luck.
Try enjoy the ride, upon this epic truck…

 

Regards,
Shawneyfish.

Hypocritical Thought

All my enemies are simply born sociopaths, all of yours you just misunderstand.

Shawneyfish29

The Problem With “Pop-Sci”…

…and why I’m gonna use it.

In doing my writings on this blog I am presented with an annoying problem of available time vs research vs having a think about it and then writing. This is in practice is not an easy problem to solve. In the now rather varied and vast range of popular science outlets on the web there is a potentially easy solution to this: it is available, digestable and often good food for thought. However, it can, for a variety of reasons, not have the accuracy to yield discrete outcomes in debates. In many cases that’s because they are often having to break down complicated research into bite-size chunks which by it’s nature must lead to some inaccuracies. Further, by the time an article is written — and certainly with some more time thence — the dynamic and continually evolving nature of scientific research and discovery will certainly lead to the “perishability” of the expounded information. Even moreover, there is the fact that due to the highly specialized nature of science one could never remain one-hundred percent adept and informed about all of it all of the time. There will always be too much going on in the universe for one brain to comprehend and likely too much for all of them (i.m.h.o).

So this is why I’ve decided that I’m going to use it. And hopefully — universe willing — I can stay bright, sane and humble enough to retract and correct as I get better evidence.

Kind Regards,
Shawneyfish29

I Like Women With…

…”souls like males” who can be women, and men with souls of females who can be men (too). (I don’t mind the word soul at all even though I’m essentially atheist and areligious). And this is assuming there is really such thing as female and male “identities”, which in basic practice I feel there is; even if there are complexities and exceptions in the absolute truth of the matter. Also I’d have no idea what percentages there are in the “classical” male/female identity paradigm — such as you’d read in older novels — nowadays, though it may be more than some think and is likely less than what others think too.

And I feel I have seen that:
Many gay men are not stereotypically “femme” and the corollary is true for lesbian women (this was a mainstay of what a lot of people just assumed when I was younger especially, including myself for a time, and a surprising amount of people I would have spoken to still think this way — annoyingly). In fact I find it quite funny when I do on occasion meet a gay man who is possessed of the classical elocution of the stereotype. It is rare but apparently natural to some and I guess its memorability is what might have made it a mainstay of pop-culture perceptions. I think there are loads of other examples of how one memorable yet rare example of something became what the proletariat thought was the common type. Also if you watch the show QI an amazing amount of stereotypes seem to have come out of a need for early twentieth century entertainers to get across new character identities to people who could never have had a frame of reference for the real thing, such as the “Shiver-me-timber” pirate.

The different colours and shades of identity possibly says a lot about neurological plasticity and the necessity for identities to evolve with the greatest chance of survival. Trying to deny that you’ve ever altered your identity to best suit what would interact well with your peers is lying for most people I think.

So there’s some of my ten cents on the thing, if it’s shit then why?

Kind Regards,
Shawneyfish.

If We Had a “Soul” Then… ?

If we are products of the physical universe, and have only required the physical universe, its laws and its mechanisms, to emerge into being then is the “dead” physical universe that bit more alive than might be expected? And if it could be said (albeit heuristically) that we have a “soul” which is thus created out of and by the physical universe — indeed the universe — then is it fair to say that the universe has a soul, or that it at least contains the potential for the same. (As an aside, the word soul for me ((and as I am using it here)) mostly means the thing that is curious within us or which is the “driver” for things like curiosity and which can “feel metaphysical” even though it isn’t really, the part of the brain called “Me”.)

I also find it “funny” how there is repeating patterns in the universe as we find it. Even if it’s just my anthropomorphic pattern recognition in gear. Like there is the outer universe which has an environment somewhat separate to the galactic, which is somewhat separate to the solar system (like a some sort of “cell” in the galaxy in its heliosphere[1]), then we have our planet like a cell in our solar system, then there are biomes like cells inside the biosphere, then there are bodies like a cell of a species and then of course cells of those bodies. Each division, as far as a commonly known living thing is concerned, seems to serve to reduce some variable and allow an increased opportunity to bring about order i.e. makes some part of life more likely or easier to accomplish.

(The following is me rambling in my confusions on thermodynamics. Hopefully someone can take some sympathy on me an and throw me a link or something…) Does the way this has happened violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics? Conversely, does the fact that a molecule, such as water in outer space, turns to ice with molecules turning to crystals (which at least appear more “orderly”) prove thermodynamics because it does the opposite of become more random with the loss of heat? Or is it so that those molecules must in the end separate? I.e. that their “attempt” at order must eventually fail? Anyhow it seems (as in “has an appearance of”) that anything in losing heat becomes at some point in the process arranged more orderly as a measure to preserve its energy (whatever bit it has left) in order t0 “resist” descending into complete entropy or randomness; and that “living” molecules are sort of the most “competent” at this. Ergo about 3.8 billion years later on this planet there are apes asking questions like mine. (Well probably no dolphins are gonna be writing retard in the comments anyhow.)

The main point I’m making here though is that humans can be said to have a “soul” and it must be a product of the goings-on of of physics, somehow or another. In other words physics has all the “tools” by which this could happen. As I see it that shows that spirituality is something innate to the universe and is just so unreliant on any school of deity worship. To me that is so liberating and special.

That’s how I feel anyhow? How about you?

Kind regards,
Shawneyfish.

References:

1. Heliosphere http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliosphere.

 

 

Speaking of Shit…

Indeed we all are gonna end up on different paths in life; two identical twins born identically will do at least something different you could say. Yet for many of us we will share some core experiences. One of the more base if disgustingly intense ones is the fact that sometimes, I would suggest definitely at some time in life, “ya gonna see sum shit”. Now I mean here precisely that sometimes you’ll go and use a toilet and through one mechanism or another a turd will be proudly presenting itself there, right before your eyes. The feeling of disgust will come and so will a wondering of “how the fuck could that have happened to me in this moment here?!” And not to mention that which is left behind generally by the kingdom of Animalia outside of human environs, and of course baby poo which some doting mothers claim they love. I guess though I must be either unlucky or curious or both, but it has happened to me enough times for me to remark on the shape and consistency and to conceive that there are indeed different types.

One time a rougher colleague in a company I worked for, took pleasure in announcing to us all and showing some of his own creations; they were impossibly long and curled around like a snake in the bottom of the ceramic bowl. I’ve seen one that looked like one of Hankey’s brethren of South Park fame, while still others lacked any definable shape at all (more like oil-slicks). Yet most remarkably while using an old toilet — that if clean was yet lacking in adequate flushing power — I noticed once what had to be the most impossibly wide piece of excrement that I’d ever seen. I mean that it was as wide as it was long and just how it got through a human anus without causing some considerable discomfort I wasn’t able to imagine (I guess it could have caused pleasure too). What’s more, due to this rascally toilet, it happened enough times that I isolated who it was that made it and indeed no sign of an uncomfortable anus did I ever notice him make.

Well anyhow how about you? Got any shit-witnessing stories you’d like to share?

Kind Regards,
Shawneyfish.

Boring Old Matter and Mud

A pet peeve that I have had in my meanderings, ponderings, wonderings and talk-erings on things to do with the universe and its intricacies is that some people sometimes throw out an argument with the general rationale: “Oh the physical universe, i.e. mud and stuff how could that be all there is, you materialists are so narrow in your perceptions if that’s all you can conceive. Clearly there must be a higher power therefore tsk tsk”. In a more innocent era too much time ago, I was actually struck with a perplexity regarding that and I was not agreeing but still driven into a bit of a state of defeat. It was only later upon lots more reading and listening regarding research on chemistry, atomic physics and so on that I realized “Man that argument is just so seriously full of shit”.

An atom is such an insanely intricate, intricately balanced (in “normal” states), confusing, complicated, non-Newtonian (by which I mean having some phenomena utterly contrary to apparent physical norms) and is essentially — in many of its parts and behaviors — magical (I feel just ’cause it’s real doesn’t mean it can’t be magic).

Further, unlike the “great ‘not-see-able'” prime-mover of metaphysically oriented philosophies it is a thing which, through a lot of hard work and genius, can be put on display and demonstrated to anyone with a functioning pair of eyeballs, and indeed other sense organs to the degree that the imagination of science and science communicators permits. To use an over-used internet slang, the notion that it’s “merely” the material is a pointer to an utterly epic fail of someones’ comprehension of what’s actually in one tiny, tiny piece of the material universe, and embarrassingly that’s all it really says about the person making such an argument (i.m.h.o.). Most humbly, I also would add that my understanding of these things is very neophyte but at least it’s enough to realize it’s not “just the material”.

Kind Regards,
Shawneyfish29

An Interesting Discovery (for me)

I have been battling for a while a case of GERD. I tend to combat it with antacids as necessary and sticking to a diet that is low on refined carbs and high as possible in fibre. Believe me this can be as annoying as fuck both for the stabs of heart-burn and trying to keep the food I feel I need around.

I have had for sure some success in this, not having symptoms for weeks or months at times ((and had good advice from medical professionals.))) I definitely also would recommend that one research nutrition for ones’ self, taking care to avoid woo — cross check’s the word. But something simple has been somewhat revolutionary for me and can be expressed in one word: “chewing”, yip I mean it as I say it, fucking chewing.

Seriously, I don’t know if I have always been an inhaler of food or that it was gotten into as a bad habbit, but taking time to chew until the food is like a paste before swallowing is such a good idea (I was eating like a dog on the run). Some salient advantages as I have experienced them are:

• You don’t get latent wind (i.e. from unwittingly gulping down air).
• Much less reflux.
• You fill up at far more sane amounts of food, the hormones controlling the situation work much better/more accurately.
• Food satiates for much longer and in smaller amounts.
• You naturally adjust meal sizes to more useful dimensions, if for nothing else due to time considerations.

There is a lot of stuff written on GERD/GORD on the interwebs and of course people may have various reasons for having the condition that need their respective solutions, but this simple thing has really worked for me and perhaps may be worth a try for anyone that experiences unwanted reflux.

Kind Regards,
Shawneyfish29

Atheist Church, how cool is that.

It is frankly ancient “news” the fact that there is an Atheist Church / Atheist Church movement existing in the world today. I feel that purists may tend to rebuke this as Atheists may want to adhere to a fierce individualism in everything they do (“hear, hear I say”).

Yet if we “believe” (it exists without us needing to do so) in evolution it stands to reason that we can’t ignore an effectiveness that exists in coming together (jaysus that sounds too hippy-ish). Corny or not though grouping together as a loose but helpful association can only be good overall. Also, because many of us Atheists have definitely a spiritual side to us a forum to have contemplation and art and music on the topic is most desirable. I myself am somewhat Deistic as I like it’s pleasant heuristic notions of the Universe (bear in mind I follow no one entity regarding it). But to go back to the point, there is a common ground for us in that we choose not to subscribe to any deity or its earthly and dubious expressions by some equally dubious people so therefore — lets have a bit of a party!

So how do you feel about this? Good? Bad? If so, why so?

Kind Regards,
Shawneyfish.

My Fucking Blog

Dear Reader,

I was so keen starting off this blog and I have been in a dilemma on it ever since. I feel the first posts are shit or could be so much better, yet I threw them together hastily just to throw something out there and so I could get the feel of it. Yet of course the inevitable is the fact that later on you think “fuck I should have set out better, brainstormed and got references”… etc, etc.

So I reckon that there’s two types of writing to do regarding this, or maybe more, but for sure two:

#1 Impulsive attacks, ventings opinions and reflections, just to get an idea out into the universe.

#2 Things that I have dwelled upon for a while or done more ground-work on.

I think there is definitely scope for #1 on a blog. After all, I think many people will realize that blogs are for snap-shot opinions that are yet too complicated to express in a verbal conversation — as per the time that the general Joe Average has to spend and listen. I for one will ridicule to the bone whatever I put up that later is seen to be shit or false (but whenever I feel I have the time to do it and after I’m happy that it’s kosher). Anyhow these are strictly my opinions on things and never asserted to be “biblical” truth. (To turn a phrase, as I sure don’t put to much faith in that thing).

#2 I’ll just have to work on as drafts and when I feel it’s right put it up as something more intense, as more of an opus of sorts.

There is a central problem for me that things I want to write on tend to be dynamic and facts etc go out of date/evolve, further, with practice comes fluidity and there’s no better forum to practice than on the raw public just for the to and fro therein, and lastly there is the fact if I don’t do anything a desire I’ve had for years to write some is gonna just die for lack input.

Anyhow these are some things I have been pondering regarding blogging.

Have you ever had similar ideas/things happen on a project/hobbie/career. Feel free to tell me about it in the comments.

Kind Regards,
Shawneyfish