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
"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
It's Monday afternoon here now and the storm has begun to show its effects. The satellite image above looks ominous in revealing the magnitude of this storm, and we are continuing to track the storm for as long as the power holds out. We have several mobile devices in the house, although we expect even … Continue reading Hurricane Update 2PM
As I write, Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the East Coast of the US, and is expected to make landfall plus or minus 50 miles from our home. We have spent most of the day in preparation for punishing winds, torrential rain, and possible flooding. The storm is approximately 900 miles wide and will … Continue reading Hurricanes and Hope
Sitting beside my brother's bed in the early morning hours, watching him sleep peacefully, I came across this image of earth from space, and it occurred to me how remarkable it is that life as we know it exists at all. We rarely contemplate the larger implications of life on earth since we are immersed … Continue reading Life Ebbs and Flows
All things being equal, our common sense notions of the world in which we exist can be said to represent a version of reality that is reasonably reliable as a general standard for determining our individual status within it. In spite of the fact that our perceptions of the world are a product of a … Continue reading Appearance and Reality
As a new life begins, in the swirling chaos and excitement of birth, the immediate impact on the consciousness of the parents and extended families is profound, although we often don't recognize the radiant waves that ripple across our immediate world of consciousness, since we are caught up in the web of newborn childcare and … Continue reading Consciousness in the World: A Thirty Something Son
"Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth -- more than ruin -- more even than death.... Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and … Continue reading Consciousness in the World: Connections
John's Consciousness 