Past Lives

Einstein said that coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous.  If he said it, then it must be true, right?

Anyway, I had a high school reunion yesterday; sort of a past life event.  I think a reunion is a way or reaching backwards and pulling our memories into the present moment.  It was "over the top" fun.  All the girls were still pretty and all the guys were still 12.  It was perfect.

Another thing ties into this subject of past lives.   While driving to the reunion, I heard a song from way back.  It was called "Brandi" by Looking Glass.  It's a story about a guy, a sailor, who comes to a port and has a good time.  He likes Brandi but as he puts it, "My life, my love and my lady is the sea."

I am an ex-navy man and I can relate to this.  This song from my past, as I drove to my past, reminded me of my past.  No matter what exotic port we were calling on, when the ship returned to the sea, a part of everyone on board could feel it -we were going home.  The sea called and we went without hesitation.

It's hard to describe other than to say, it was a beautiful thing.

Now, what do we really think about when we read a title like "Past Lives"?  For me, its a reincarnation thing.  Did I live before?  Who or what was I?

I have this feeling about my own Past Life (one of possibly none or many).

I was in Sweden a few years ago with my wife.  We went to this giant building.  Inside was a ship named VASA.  This ship set sail in 1628 and was the pride of the Swedish fleet.  After it traveled less than a mile, it sank and stayed at the bottom of a bay for centuries.  It seems the king wanted a lot of canons (who doesn't?).  Too much weight caused the ship to tilt and take water into the cannon ports.  It sank quickly.

So, Erika and I go into this giant building where this ship is.  Almost as soon as we entered, we came face to face with this giant wooden ship.  I immediately felt this strange sensation of familiarity come over me.  I knew I had been on that ship before.  So much emotion came up that I almost cried.  Instead, I man-upped and said something like "nice ship."

How did that happen?  Better asked, "What actually happened?"  As we walked around, everything was familiar.  Everything.  Somehow, I either knew that ship or I knew of ships from that period.  To this day, I believe that my stint in the Navy in the 1970's and 80's was not my first experience with My Life, My Love and My Lady...

I think I will add a "Past Life Experience" tab to my website below.


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Universal Truths and MMA (Mixed Marial Arts)

For the purpose of this ramble, I am going to call a Universal Truth, a moral or ethical condition which, when viewed by a rational group, would be deemed by 100% of those doing the deeming, to be either true or false.

For example, in physics, we may call gravity a Universal Truth.  Drop an apple and 100% of a rational (very important condition) audience would agree that it will fall to the earth.

But what about value, moral or ethical questions.  Is there such a thing as a Universal Truth.  Is there something that 100% would call good or bad - right or wrong?

Off the top of my head, I would say no.  Now, many would disagree with me, thereby making my point. For if we agree on the definition of Universal Truth but cannot agree that such a thing exists, then we failed to get the 100% majority in either direction for such a thing to be true.- I'm not sure that made a lot of sense.

Let's try this.  Is it right or wrong to kill someone (I ask diving right into the deep end.)  Opinions vary.  What about stealing or lying?  I bet most of you would go either direction if the conditions were right.  I also bet you can't find a condition that would sway 100% one way or the other.

So, Jim, you ask, what are you getting at?

I am getting at the fact that maybe Shakespeare was right when he caused Hamlet to say, "For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."  I have to admit that I have always liked this idea.

When a Republican votes no and a Democrat votes yes, is either wrong in doing so?  I would answer, "Only if they voted in a way they believed to be wrong at the time they did it."

Overall, I think we are fairly good judges of what is right or wrong for ourselves.  I also believe we are fairly poor judges at doing the same for others.

So where does the MMA come into play?

I had a friend recently mention that she, her adult son and her husband were watching MMA last night.  Now, MMA is basically two men in a cage trying to beat each stupid.  It's bloody.  It's brutal.  It's inhuman.  I love it!  Or at least I use to.  Now days, I prefer something that doesn't remind me that I am no longer as big and strong as I once pretended to be.

So anyway, this friend posts a comment about MMA and her family time on Facebook and BOOM.  Someone takes offense.  She comments on what a shame it is that people let such things into their houses.  She continued on a bit about God and such, I am not getting it perfectly accurate but the point was clear.  Good Christians wouldn't watch such stuff.  At least that was what the commenter was saying.

Her truth, not mine.

If there is such a thing as a Universal Truth, something that maybe we could be 100% of a rational audience to agree on, it might be this, "Your truth is not my truth."

I will have to relook at my list of pet peeves.

There is of course, tailgaters, pretend news people and now Universal Truthers.

http://www.worldgratitudelist.com  Leave a list.  Read a list.  Be happy.

j