We seldom look back over the years of our lives and view them together as a comprehensive whole, but rather, most often, in retrospect, we see ourselves as having experienced a number of “turning points,” and while this terminology does address the sometimes “sudden” nature of what feels like pivotal moments of our lives, it … Continue reading Turning Points are the Peaks of Transitions
The extraordinary complexity of the human brain, which developed over millions of years of evolution, has finally produced creatures who can acknowledge their existence in a way that complex artificial physical systems may never do. The correlation between the processing of information in the brain, and that which takes place in our most sophisticated computers, … Continue reading A Summary of Quotes from My Blog on Consciousness
As human beings, we are, in large part, unremarkably different from many other species on our planet in our physical core components and basic constituent parts and systems. In our most fundamental nature, we exist physically as they do, we are made up of the same essential molecular structures, we rely on very similar biological … Continue reading A Fundamental Theory of Consciousness
Recent reading brought my attention back to a book of Celtic wisdom that I read years ago called, "Anam Cara," written by John O'Donahue. In that wonderful collection of words, O'Donahue explains the meaning of the phrase like this: "The anam cara was a person to whom you could reveal the hidden intimacies of your … Continue reading Sunrise to Sunset: A metaphor for life
The title of this posting is a bit overreaching, I admit, but if you will be patient and have been following along here, I think I can point the conversation in that direction, even if it takes a few additional postings to get through it. My friend and fellow blogger, Marc Schuster, passed along a … Continue reading Existence is Consciousness
It was early morning on the last day of summer vacation in the mountains, and I rose early to take in the sunrise on the river. Having spent the last few days constructing a raft, as I had learned to do from one older and wiser, I felt confident that I could navigate the lazy … Continue reading Why I Felt I Must Do It Again
Relief sculpture of battle scene in the Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy. “In these confused and restless zones, in which present blends with future in a world of upheaval, we stand face-to-face with all the grandeur—the unprecedented grandeur—of the phenomenon of man. What has made us so different from our forbearers, so ambitious too, and so … Continue reading The Phenomenon of Consciousness
"The greatest achievement was, at first and for a time, a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg. And in the highest vision of a soul, a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities." - James Allen, "Visions and Ideals, 1902 "A man becomes calm in the … Continue reading Consciousness in the World: The Universe is Alive
What is it about being human that separates us from all the other species on the planet? Why is it that our fellow creatures on Earth don’t enjoy the same level of cognitive talent as we do? What separates us from even those creatures with virtually the same parts and similar brain structures as ours? … Continue reading On Being A Conscious Human
"Wind" by Andrew Wyeth For many people, the idea of being "near death," is one they would rather not contemplate, but as anyone who has survived an accidental or unintentional brush with death can tell you, suddenly finding yourself at the edge of such a possibility tends to narrow your focus sharply on whatever action … Continue reading Neuroscience and Near Death Experiences
John's Consciousness 