Laws of nature govern our physical reality. They vary in how readily apparent their existence and effect are, but they do exist and are in effect at all times. Gravity is probably the most obvious. It is also the best at making the point that we should live in accordance with the laws of nature in order to maximize our experience here. You better know there’s a trampoline below or be wearing one of those flying suits if you plan on walking off any cliffs. It is clear that our physical movements are bound by the laws of nature, but what about our behavior? Do the physical laws also have…
“Entropy and the Inevitability of Life” by Iridium Alchemist There are many elegant ways to state or (often mis)interpret the infamous third law of thermodynamics. Its most precise and current formulation states that as the temperature of a system tends to absolute zero the entropy of a perfect crystal also approaches zero. This statement has broad and far reaching implications that are not immediately obvious. Arthur Eddington poetically referred to the third law of thermodynamics as the arrow of time. According to him time apparently moves in the direction of increasing disorder. As far as experiment has borne out this is a very good approximation of the universe in which…
Last week I threw out a little underhanded statement about marriage to see if it might spike some controversy or debate. No one mentioned it so far, which I take to mean one of the following – my mom hasn’t read it, no one read it they just liked it on FB,1 or I’m right and everyone agrees with me. I’ll lean toward the latter, especially since this week I am going to break it down and prove conclusively that marriage really doesn’t matter. So what does matter? Well, as the word implies, something that is material – not in the sense of being tangible, like a piece of paper, but…
I got married recently. Now, we all know that marriage doesn’t matter, but weddings can. Naturally I shun social obligations of any kind and am partial to the Money Mustache approach. But MasterDebator and other friends have persuaded me of the potential merit of the public ceremony of a committed relationship. Here are some of the worthwhile aspects of wedding ceremonies: – growing filial love with close friends and family – proclaiming your vows publicly for the universal record – speeches – doing things that scare us – dancing And here are some of the aspects better left out: – writing invitations or thank you letters – long drawn-out religious…
*Note: do your research before fasting. Check the links at the bottom to see if it is appropriate for you. Lent and the season of sacrifice are upon us, so it seems fitting to continue our exploration of Love with a discussion of a dietary topic I have been experimenting with for the past year – fasting – from food in particular. Though there are many types of food fasting, for the purposes of this article let’s call it going without food for 16 hours or more. I had stopped fasting for a while as my research into Ayurveda led me to think it wasn’t appropriate for me.1 But my visit…
Last week we found that the true universal meaning of Love is that which the Greeks called agape – a force in nature that expands knowledge and consciousness in the Universe. This is ultimately what these pages are about – helping to expand my and others’ knowledge through creative acts and through sharing in what I have learned or am in the process of learning. But the work of one person, while important, pales in comparison to what we can achieve as a community – and so it is a fitting time to share the work of some of my associates, with the hope that more people get involved in…
In a departure from my typical criticisms of Western holidays – more accurately, “holey days”, bereft of value and meaning – today I want to take a look at what Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about: Love. We can all agree that love is a nice word – we want love, we want to love. But what is love? Most would be hard pressed to narrow down a single, all-encompassing definition. After some digging and contemplation on the concept, I feel I have a satisfactory answer. The English language is part of the problem – we have one word that can express so many different degrees of emotion –…
I visited the Philippines – mostly Manila – over the last couple weeks and was impressed with the life there on a number of fronts. I stayed with a fairly well-off family in Makati, a central area and business district in Manila. Here are some of my takeaways from the experience. Hospitality This is what the dining table looked like every morning, afternoon, and evening. To say we were well-fed would be understatement. I put on 3kg on the 9-day trip and not just from 3am Ube ice cream and an epic halo halo that no one would help me with.1 Many traditionally-minded cultures place great significance on how well…
As mentioned last week, I wasn’t quite in the mood for a full vacation, so I brought some work with me – my dancing feet and video camera. I’ve been contemplating shooting video versions of the Weekly for some time now but have been holding off due to the extra time investment it would require. Above is a trial but is something I will potentially pick up once I’ve built a foundation in my Farmers Market work and wrapped up some other projects. This week I thought it fitting to discuss the concept of vacation and how we have lost touch with its ultimate goal in the modern world. That…
“Fishing on R&R… But you’re feeling fit, ready for duty?” “Yes general, very much so sir.” Greetings everyone from sunny Philippines, where I have been dragged kicking and screaming away from the frigid Tokyo winter to attend a tropical wedding (always a wedding). Since leaving the standard workforce I have been on a number of vacations. Some have been of the modern worker (especially Japanese) variety, whereby the body simply shuts down in response to a combination of excessive work and lack of sleep. Others have been weddings, where I don’t need or want the vacation, but I have to take time off to maintain a semblance of a standing…
