The Ramblings of An Eternal Student of Life

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

◊ Jesus ‘n Me (and Paula, Gerd and E.P.)

Personal Reflections ... Religion ...

I got interested in the “historical Jesus” movement about 10 years ago, which was a number of years after the whole thing started getting public attention (given the Jesus Seminar and the best-seller books put out by Dominic Crossan and Robert Funk, arguing that Jesus was really a whole lot like a modern liberal social reformer). I’m always a little behind the curve. Well, about five years ago, after reading several books covering a wide range of positions about who Jesus really was and what he intended, I burned-out on the whole subject. But not before the apocalyptic crowd convinced me that Jesus is better explained by historical factors than by divine salvation. I could no longer go into a Christian church, not even an Episcopal church (the last kind of church that I affiliated with), and proclaim Jesus as the Son of God, true God and true man. From then on, I would still regard Jesus as a key figure in my life, a man from history deserving of much veneration and attention; but I could never again pray to him as a divine being.

So that’s pretty much where things have stood between me and Jesus for the past 4 or 5 years. But I had one more book about Jesus sitting on my shelves that I wanted to get to, by the highly regarded scholar E.P. Sanders (“The Historical Figure of Jesus”). I finally got around to starting that book in late winter, and I finished it not too long ago (it was my lunch-hour read). And I need to say, I found it extremely gratifying. After going thru about 6 or 7 big tomes sifting through the writings about Jesus and the historical / social context of his life, I was forming my own picture of him. It turned out that Sanders’ picture of Jesus was quite a bit like my own. We agreed on one very important point: that Jesus indeed foresaw an immediate “God revolution” in Palestine, the coming of the Kingdom of God in a very literal sense.

Even more important, Jesus did not see himself as a mere observer and prophet of a revolutionary event whose arrival could not be accurately predicted. » continue reading …

◊ posted by Jim G @ 8:40 pm Read Comments (3) / Leave a Comment

Saturday, August 7, 2010

◊ Skip Gates – Lincoln Inspiration or Deconstruction?

History ...

I was watching the PBS summer re-runs the other night and saw parts of a two-hour series called “Looking for Lincoln”. It got me so interested that I went onto the PBS web site today to view the show in its entirety. I’m a bit behind the curve here, as this series was first aired on Feb. 11, 2009, on the eve of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. So it took me a year and a half to find out about LFL and watch it. Better late than never!

The show didn’t initially influence my own opinion of Lincoln. For the past 3 years or so, I’ve made an effort to study the American Civil War, so I wasn’t surprised to hear that Lincoln was not an abolitionist and did not see African-Americans as human beings fully equal with Euro-Americans. I knew that Lincoln’s first concern in the crisis that lead up to the Civil War was to preserve the Union, and his long-running (but hardly unqualified) opposition to the institution of slavery was driven more by political pragmatism than humanistic enlightenment or religious idealism. I also knew that Lincoln wished to make the black man go away in America; Lincoln’s formula, until late in the Civil War, was to free the slaves but send them back to Africa. While President, Lincoln initiated various projects to start that process, supported by federal aid. But none of them were successful.

Looking for Lincoln is hosted by none other than Professor Henry Louis Gates. » continue reading …

◊ posted by Jim G @ 8:00 pm Read Comment (1) / Leave a Comment

Saturday, July 31, 2010

◊ Bubbly Thoughts

Personal Reflections ... Science ...

I’m not a big fan of Ken Wilber-inspired “Integral Theory”, as it seems to require large doses of wishful thinking in order to be “truly universal”, i.e. “integral”. But I recently decided to have a look at a book by Ervin Laszlo that proposes a science-based “integral theory of everything”; the book is called “Science and the Akashic Field”. As expected, it has a lot of wishful thinking once the “Akashic Field” side kicks in. But when Laszlo discusses pure science, he gets down to some interesting ideas and theories (i.e., those not his own).

I’m still cutting thru this book, and I just read an interesting overview that Laszlo provides of current “Metaverse” theories. These are serious ideas put forth by cosmologists about where the Big Bang might have come from, what might have existed before our Universe arose, what else there is out there beside our Universe, and what might eventually become of our Universe. There are many very interesting (and very speculative) theories out there, including the “chaotic inflation” model of physicist Andrei Linde. Laszlo describes Linde’s theory of how our Universe and others form as somewhat akin to a bubble bath. Universes form like bubbles from a churning pool of water and soap, each one expanding and separating off from a cluster of others.

Very interesting. This brought back a childhood TV memory » continue reading …

◊ posted by Jim G @ 7:58 pm Read Comment (1) / Leave a Comment

Monday, July 26, 2010

◊ Some Ironies

Economics/Business ... History ... Society ...

In the July 23 review of my life and economic times, found below, I speculated that the American economy was heading for “a new equilibrium” whereby the big corporations and maybe 80% of the population would do just fine, and the other 20% of America would be shut out. That other 20% would be permanently stuck in poverty, unemployment, or under-employment at best. It would scrape to stay alive thru “off the books” activity and whatever government support might still be available (which will obviously decline over the coming decade due to huge federal deficits).

Here’s an article I read today by economist Robert Samuelson that seemed to affirm what I am saying. Samuelson notes that most major American corporations are doing just fine with regard to profits; but they just aren’t hiring. They are learning how to maintain a sufficient return on their invested capital without needing to expand their business base beyond what the big recession of 2008 currently allows. They have adjusted just swell to the recession.

The recent gyrations of the stock market also seem to affirm this; » continue reading …

◊ posted by Jim G @ 7:58 pm Read Comment (1) / Leave a Comment

Sunday, July 25, 2010

◊ Greatest Generation

Photo ...

I was scanning some pix today from my father’s old Navy scrapbook. My dad served as a mechanic at Pearl Harbor from late 1944 to 1946. So he is a WW2 vet, and thus he qualifies as part of the “Greatest Generation“. Dad’s the guy at the center, putting a bit of wit into the act (by seemingly holding up the nose girl on the old F2A Buffalo fighter plane with his hand). My brother inherited his spirit and naughty humor; I am much more of a “stick in the mud”. But then again, Dad could be as stodgy and studious as the next guy when he had to be. We both got a part of him in our blood.

Whatever. The bottom line is that he and his generation did do a lot, and we Baby Boomers never gave them enough credit for it. Tom Brokaw struck a nerve with his book; maybe they are finally getting their due.

◊ posted by Jim G @ 2:52 pm Read Comment (1) / Leave a Comment

Friday, July 23, 2010

◊ My Life, Economically

Economics/Business ... Society ...

I am what you might call an “economic determinist”, at least in part. I believe that economic factors such as the material wealth of a society and how that society distributes that wealth determines a lot about that society. Of course, the real world is a two-way street. Social factors effect economics just as much as economics effect social factors. But both social dynamics and economic realities ultimately respond to the environment that the society and its economy live in. And of the two, I believe that economics responds quickly when things change, e.g. war, climate change, new discoveries, depletion of resources; and that social change then follows the lead of economics.

So, I am going to tell the story here of my own life and times in terms of economics, as a way to help understand all the social change that I’ve seen in my 57+ years. When I was born, the USA was recovering from the effects of a major world war. Technology developed in the course of WW2 was being applied to make new products and services, and to make existing products and services more cheaply. Also, the GI bill gave the work force an injection of higher education, providing another boost for the economy. Energy supplies were cheap, especially since the USA now had unhindered access to oil, minerals and other resources throughout the globe. Things were good and getting better.

The rise of the Soviet Union in the 1950s put a burden on the USA, creating the need for large military forces ready to fight the Cold War. » continue reading …

◊ posted by Jim G @ 9:45 pm Read Comment (1) / Leave a Comment

Saturday, July 17, 2010

◊ Lessons From Rome

Economics/Business ... History ... Politics ...

I realize that the fall of the western Roman Empire, and whether it has any parallels and lessons for America today, has been beaten to death in a stack of books, movies, magazines, op-ed columns and blogs. Despite all the discussion, there is no consensus on this topic. Some people conclude that the parallels between that ancient empire which once thrived between the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the North Sea, and the modern empire that has thrived since the 18th century between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans north of the Mexican Gulf, aren’t all that important. Others say that they are important, but that we have learned the lessons and are innovative enough to avoid Rome’s fate. Still others agree that there are some important parallels regarding decline, but are nervous about our ability to avoid it.

I’m not sure whether I fall into the second or third camp. Modern America still has a lot of innovative spirit and is riding the crest of an applied technology revolution that started over a hundred years ago and has not yet subsided. We might still come up with techno-fixes for much of what ails us. And yet, some of the parallels between what happened to Rome between the second and fourth centuries, and what is happening in the USA today, are compelling and even creepy. I think that they need more and not less public attention and discussion.

The Roman Empire is compelling because, well, it’s our family. » continue reading …

◊ posted by Jim G @ 3:54 pm Read Comments (3) / Leave a Comment

Thursday, July 15, 2010

◊ No Self, No Buddha

Religion ... Spirituality ...

As noted in my last entry, I’ve recently become involved in Zen practice. Of course, this is an “Americanized Zen”, not the real thing from Japan and China. In American Zen, you don’t need to become a dedicated, exclusive follower of the Buddha, as would be expected in Asia. I belong to a sangha whose roshi (i.e., guiding teacher and district-leader of sorts) is a Catholic Jesuit priest. That would be Fr. Robert Kennedy, SJ, who studied throughout his life under various Japanese and American Zen masters. Father Kennedy does not call himself a Buddhist, although he considers himself a student of Buddhist teachings.

So, there’s an ambivalent relationship with Buddhism in our group. We have our Buddha altar and idols, we chant some Buddhist drivel (like the Heart Sutra), and we occasionally discuss basic Buddhist teachings. And yet, our local leader (and many “modern Zen” web sites) tell me that Zen is open to all faiths or no faith. You have to respect the rubrics, he says, but once you close your eyes to meditate it’s up to you what to believe or not.

Well, that’s groovy. But I » continue reading …

◊ posted by Jim G @ 9:17 pm Read Comment (1) / Leave a Comment

Sunday, July 11, 2010

◊ Everything Zen

Photo ... Spirituality ...

I went to meditation sittings with two different Zen groups this weekend, Morning Star in Jersey City and Clear Mountain in Montclair. So I’m pretty zen-ed out. (And I’m going to need it, as my landlord is having contractors re-do my bathroom this week.)

Anyway, I try to find answers to the world’s problems using a whole lot of words on this blog. But for now, I’m going to say it (i.e., “the answer”) Zen style:

And I’m also going to illustrate it (again, “the answer”), Zen style:

So there, that’s “THE ANSWER”. For now, anyway.

◊ posted by Jim G @ 2:11 pm Read Comment (1) / Leave a Comment

Thursday, July 8, 2010

◊ Give Peace a Chance?

Foreign Relations/World Affairs ... Socrates Cafe ...

I just didn’t have a lot to say at the Montclair Socrates Café meeting this week. The topic of the evening was suggested by Kon, who always comes up with interesting topics. His topic on Tuesday was whether the US and western Europe have the right to criticize and judge inhumane practices that occur in the Muslim and underdeveloped nations (e.g., stoning adulteresses, chopping off the hands of theifs, female circumcision, criminalizing homosexuality, etc.).

So the topic had potential; a spin-off from the classic tension between relative and absolute views of morality. But after a while the discussion bogged down into a tear-session about how terrible our so-called civilized society is. Let’s just say that the people that attend these meetings are generally educated, well-off, and have a “liberal” political bias; they don’t stray too far from what they read or hear from the Huffington Post, the Nation, and NPR. So they decried our nation’s history of prejudice, poverty, slavery, male dominance, economic inequality and military action. Even today, we make war. We still have soldiers out there shooting bullets and killing people. Our economy distributes wealth, power and privilege in highly unfair ways. One fellow at the meeting decided to lecture us about Abraham Lincoln, claiming that Lincoln only issued the Emancipation Proclamation so as to prevent British aid to the Confederacy. He was clearly implying that Lincoln, who has been held up as the American Gandhi, was not against slavery in principle; in fact, our lecturer concluded that if Lincoln could have held the Union together without ensuring African Americans their rights as human beings, he would have taken the lesser path. (There is a more nuanced analysis of this question on Wikipedia).

I usually don’t jump into the conversation at Socrates for the first hour or so; » continue reading …

◊ posted by Jim G @ 9:59 pm Read Comments (2) / Leave a Comment

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