Troy

Yesterday I went to see Raoul Peck's film Academy Award nominated film I Am Not Your Negro which was based on Remember This House, an unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin. The documentary was very well done. Baldwin's work was to focus on his friends Malcolm X, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King, Jr. “By the time each died, their positions had become virtually the same position. It can be said, indeed, that Martin picked up Malcolm’s burden, articulated the vision which Malcolm had begun to see, and for which he paid with his life. And that Malcolm was one of the people Martin saw on the mountaintop.” Baldwin's words and people like these men are sorely needed today. I believe there are people with the potential of Malcolm, Martin and Medgar among us today, but Black institutions are so fractured that these Brothers simply do have the platforms to emerge our of obscurity. If they do have a platform capable of reaching the masses it is owned by white folks more interested in revenue than uplifting Black people. This renders any impact of the magnitude of a Malcolm, Martin or Medgar impossible. It has been almost half a century since the American people have seen Black leaders and activists of any significance. Today they do not have to be gunned down they are just bought out.

Drapetomiania was racism, not the practice of science. Bloodletting was obviously not backed by observation and experiment. If anything science stopped the practice. Man will twist anything including spirituality, religion, and science for self-benefit. This does not make spirituality, religion, and science bad--at makes the people who exploit these bad. This distinction is important. Of course, science's body of knowledge changes as new information comes along to prove previous knowledge wrong; as in the case of Einstien correcting Newton's calculation of motion near massive bodies. This is the way that knowledge advances. Also, science is not about "balance" or "common sense." For example, current knowledge about the quantum world defies common sense and is completely counterintuitive. because particles on the subatomic scale simply do not behave the same way large objects do on the macro scale. I'm still surprised that what I was taught about the structure of atoms was a century behind the then current knowledge. But then our education system, I've learned, has little to do with actually "educating" people....

Pioneer the premise of your questions are flawed in that somethings are not either/or and more complex and nuanced than your questions suggest. But I'll answer them: -Do you believe climate change is natural OR man-made? Both, but there is substantial evidence that the man-man contribution is causing more changes than would be occurring otherwise--to our detriment. -Do you believe a gay lifestyle is environmental OR are they born that way? Both are contributing factors, but human sexuality is very complex. -Do you believe in evolution OR creation? Evolution. @Pioneer1 can you answer the same questions? Also, I believe you about your response the missing/edited response.

Del I guess it is a matter of how good the effect is. In fact, a good illusion can be a desirable experience. Here we go! Pioneer, why you gotta go off the deep end again? Not one has suggested that we go through life being suspicion of everyday situations. Is that called paranoid schizophrenia? All I'm saying is that science can dramatically conflict with our senses and everything we have previously been taught or experienced. A stubborn reliance on only senses to the wonders of the universe. Similarly, a stubborn reliance on what science can prove can have the same effect.

LOL! I ain't saying you are removing posts but I clearly remember your response and my reaction to it. Sure hallucination is a possible explanation... but If I had time I would check the server log ;-)

@harry brown is this the book you are referring to?

I read the abstracts of the sources papers in Nature and I simply don't understand it--the science is way over my head. "Observation of discrete time-crystalline order in a disordered dipolar many-body system" "Observation of a discrete time crystal" What is the significance of what you've shared here?

OK @Delano , if you want to continue using the quantum world (photons with no rest mass) to advance your argument against a point I made about the macro world (the planet Mercury), have at it. I made my point and you've ignored it. I've explained why your point is completely different and it has fallen on deaf ears. .. maybe it is because you are an alpha male :-) I hear what you saying @Cynique. But the differences between Newton's and Einstien's calculations in our everyday existence are indeed small enough to be ignored. This is different than the race argument I'm making. To advance a position that there are multiple races when all the current science tells us there is only one is simply does not make sense, there is not an issue of degree. Now of course, the social aspects of difference "races" are real. I just wish the language was not so sloppy over this issue. Out sloppy language explains our beliefs and behavior. @Pioneer1, I recall you responding to my question about climate change. In fact I reacted to your response here. However. I do not see your response now. Are far as perception being reality and seeing is believing. Here is my argument against believing everything you see.

There is an old saying believe none of what you hear and half of what you see. I've also understand that eyewitness testimony is often flawed. This is the reason I don't rely on my own observation to understand the nature of reality. I while don't ignore my observations, or those of others, I know it is our condition as Sapiens to be limited in our perception of reality. The image chessboard below helps make my point. Most people will look at the square labeled A and square labeled B not see them as being identical in color. Many, even after being told that science has proven that these squares are they same color, many people will stubbornly hold onto the fiction that the squares are different colors--simply because that is the way they perceive it. Sometimes we have to look at things a different way to perceive them correctly. You can print out the page, cut out squares A & B and place them side by side. But I find most people are unwilling to make this shift in thinking or take the extra to discover an answer that conflicts with their worldview. This too is part of the human condition. Understanding why we perceive these squares as differently is a step in the direction of self-discovery. I've shared images like this on this forum before, but in a different context.

Del the article did not say the difference was "minuscule," Here is what is did say (emphasis added): It wasn't too long after Newton published his laws of motion that people noticed something was off about them. To be specific, they were off by the orbit of an entire planet. And they remained off until Einstein, and general relativity, explained why Mercury moves the way it does. Taking your pilot statement seriously, airline pilots can travel using Newton's equations without any fear of missing the landing strip. Indeed, Newton's equations are adequate for virtually all circumstances we are, personally, likely to encounter. Perhaps, that is the point you are making and maybe I was being too technical. However, if we ever have occasion to travel close to a massive object, like the Sun, then Newton's equations would be inadequate. But this has little do with spirituality. I also doubt Newton's or Einstein's law will matter much in the astral realm

Del 45 is the President holding perhaps the most powerful office on Earth. Why is that not analogous to being king? If it because some think he is a joke? Every president --even Obama, who you identify as an Alpha male, had his detractors and people who thought he was a joke. Indeed, the large number of Obama detractors is part of the reason Trump is in office (ignoring fake news, media bias, and psychogenic manipulation). Besides you are not in disagreement with me your issue is with Merriam Webster ;-)

Yeah I was a youtube video (I did not watch it), whose subject was astral sex. I'd be content just to explore the universe for now :-) Cynique, you are fortunate, for many who are fortunate enough to reach your age, their memories seem to fade... I think we will all benefit from you relating your experiences as you move through your twilight years.

Del regardless of what we think of "45" (I like that name for him), he is the prototypical alpha male. His rise to presidency just reinforced this.

I never mentioned the quantum realm. I'm not sure why you introduced that since I used a planet's orbit to make my point. If you are unhappy the word "wrong" how about "less precise." Though I suspect if you were a passenger on a spacecraft headed for Mercury you'd want to use the correct calculation, not the "less Precise" one. Here is a blog post with describes, in lay terms, why Newton's laws fails to accurately describe Mercury's orbit. Don't worry about the point I did not understand. Let's just stick with this issue for now. Were you previously aware of Einstein correctly explaining the orbit of Mercury? If not, does this new information change your thoughts on the accuracy of Newtown's laws at the macro scale?

Del I don't really understand the first point. As far as the second, sure Newton's equation work well enough to predict come movements, but it fails to predict the orbit of Mercury which is how it was discovered to be wrong. The example, of Mercury's orbit, is well known and you can easily find it on your own. If you have trouble finding it let me know. -------------- Cynique, you are twisting my words. I never wrote, nor do I believe, that one should not keep an "open mind" profound matters. What I reject is holding on to a belief that has been proven to be wrong. Also one does not have to believe in "race' to fight racism. There is a difference. I know full well trying to break down the science of race to a racist as he slips the noose around my neck would be futile. This very website is a consequence of racism, not race.

Cynique, I think I feel more like Del more in this regard. I know Del came to this realization about himself much sooner than I. For example, I know people judge me and value what I do by how much money I have and make. In fact, I valued myself the same way, without any real consideration for my nature. This is what followers do. They do what they feel is important in the eyes of others rather than themselves. I this regard I try not to be a follower. Case in point, a follower can not run a website like AALBC.com. But not being a follower is not what makes on an Alpha Male. To Del point about seeking followers, leaders do not they seek followers; they inspire people to follow them. Now I occasionally do things that impress people, but I don't think I inspire followers. For example, I've been engaged in an on going effort to get indie Black webmasters to work together for mutual benefit and while this effort has had small successes, on a larger scale this effort has failed thus far. This is an attempt to lead that is not succeeding very well--but I keep trying. If I ever succeed in this effort I would consider myself a real leader, but still not an "Alpha male." "45" is an Alpha Male. I don't perceive myself as an Alpha male. Maybe I'm the Alpha Male of Black Online Booksellers

Mel I think I understand. Del I'll look into the book though I'd be interested in more detail about astral projection, I'll also consider your advice too. Cynique, did you always have these vivid recollections or is these lucid recollections a relatively new experience?

@Cynique, of course if evidence comes along to prove a previous idea is wrong that is terrific, and a great thing because we advance knowledge. But to cling to old ideas when evidence disproves it is just silly (as in the case with race). Further to conjure up ideas without proof to dispute something that has been proven is just silly and an exercise in magical thinking. For example, Newton's laws of gravity were proven wrong by Einstien. No reasonable person--certainly not a scientist--will cling to Newton's laws in the light of new information. But in terms of our day to day struggles and getting through this thing called life, being aware that gravity is a warping of space-time is largely irrelevant. So what people believe and how that reconciles with science is a completely different conversation. ----- @Delano, Matter is indeed matter the formula E=MC2 is an equation describing the vast amount of energy matter has not what matter is. The mind has finite ability so our perceptions of what is real is indeed a function of the physical limitations of our brain. But we have not fully explored the potential of the brain or it's energy, so there is a lot we don't know about the brain's potential and what it is capable of doing or even perceiving. There are people who theorize that we are part of some complex program. This seems perfectly plausible for a sufficiently technologically advanced civilization to create. So this could all be as fake as the news we consume. Actually the fact that doctors can stimulate the brain in such a way to create the NDE experience we so often hear about; the feeling of happiness, the beckoning bright light, etc is one of the things that make me skeptical about those NDE accounts being other worldly.

Laoth, I not a novelist, but I'm a reader. So while I won't try to tell you how to write, I will tell you how I've interpreted what you've written. Also, these are my opinions and I'm not asserting that this is the "right" way. "Person of color" is so nebulous a description it is meaningless. It is a description that can be applied to the vast majority of people on Earth. But the way you've used the term is perfectly acceptable. I simply would not use it for the reason stated--it is not clear that you are talking about a Black person. "Black" would also be acceptable because it is so commonly used, and clearer. "Colored" is an anachronism and would not be appropriate unless you were writing a period piece or trying to be snarky or funny. But since you are engaged in creative writing you might consider dispensing with these terms altogether, and figure out another way of expressing the thought. But here I'm entering an arena beyond my expertise

This event has been scheduled for March 25th

Yeah, I'll have to ponder the Alpha male thing too... Mel I don't think the conversations Del, Pioneer, and I have been a having are a function of our gender. Indeed I think the even the ones Cynique commented on were on a higher level than the exchanges she had with Sara. If you were around for any of those let me know if you agree. While the Cynique and Sara debates always devolved into something very childish and crass, I would not attribute it to the innate behavior of women--even thought it confirms to the catty behavior stereotypically associated to Black women. You see my point? As far as "45" being in the office, those articles you shared helped explain how it happened quite well. @Delano I just now fired up some incense I never thought to look at the brand name before. What I just lit up is from HEM. I also saw a ton of astral project audio files on youtube. Honestly much of what I found on YouTube strikes me as nonsense--like "astral project today in 4 easy steps". Is there a book on the subject of Astral Project that you can recommend?

Well you've come to the right place. The only ignorant question is the one not asked. So that I understand where you are coming from please use the term in a sentence here are some examples. This morning, on the bus, a colored person sat next to me and I quickly changed my seat. A black person entered my store, and I made sure I kept my eye on them. Over dinner I learned my daughter is dating a person of color; I hope it is just a phase. If you share your sample sentence I can tell you the appropriate phrase to use when describing someone.

It sounds like your experience was a bit different from astral projection when you maintain your individuality, a sperate consciousness. It sounds like you integrated into a larger consciousness. Did you learn or experience anything that you can relate that might help me understand better? Maybe some information you learned that has served you well. Again I don't even know what to ask or what is an appropriate question as your experience is so different that anything I have ever experienced.

@Pioneer1 You must also appreciate that both what you know and believe do not have to be true. Indeed you've demonstrated that numerous times on this forum. For example, you do not believe in man-made climate change or that there is only one one human race, despite both of these things being true. But you are not unique, this is the human condition. People live their entire lives believing things that are demonstrably false. Largely this is due to ignorance, but often it is hubris. Now some things can not be proven or disproven. We can, of course, have beliefs in these areas. But asserting knowledge without evidence or experience is foolhardy. Christians speak of "faith," which is their "proof" of things unknowable. @Mel Hopkins, actually I do believe in other dimensions, a spiritual realm, higher vibratory level, or whatever it is called. I'm actually excited when I hear these stories of personal experiences from people I know. I might have faith in you, and believe your story, but knowing it to be true will take a lot more for me.

OK @Pioneer1, you wrote a lot of things but avoided answering a direct and simple question. Even though you conceded that I did not bring up ethnicity, that did not stop you run rambling on and arguing points I never made. Unless you are willing to acknowledge that there is one one race there is nothing I can say that will make sense to you.