Swarm Theory on the Mind

 Everything (and everyone) seems to be coming together in every way imaginable.  Information that was once cumbersome to find and use is now being collected and organized.  People from every walk of life, with every possible viewpoint are finding each other and driving an ongoing conversation about, well, everything.  Music is being inspired, generated, collaberated on, shared, and enjoyed completely online.  How is this happening? Or who (what) is facilitating all of this?  And what might this collaboration mean?  Or what is its cause?  Here might be a few answers.  Some of these links are now classic websites.  Some are barely breaking the surface of that ocean of data called the web.  A couple of these links explore the phenomenon of our interaction with technology, how things are changing, and what changes might be affected in the future by our continued use of this technology. The spread of this technology is...

How can we save ourselves, our families, and even our country? Desire and live a life of virtue. Whatever your faith, creed, or system of belief you must make a thorough self examination. Pare down your life to the core virtues and principles that influence everything you do. If you find yourself lacking or without any core virtues, don't despair. In making the attempt you have shown desire to do right. That is the first step and perhaps the most important. Take that desire to improve and work with it. Seek out virtues and principles that are true. Then make those the modi operandi of your life. It will take time, but it will be worth it. You will have a greater sense of fulfillment in the things you do, you will attract people of similar caliber who will become lifelong friends, and you will form such a foundation for society that it will not fail. Once you have found your core virtues and principles, stand up for them. Do not be afraid of what others w...

I'm not sure how to say this, or how to let you see, but it's as simple as the title makes it:  It's NOT about the PARTIES!!! Really people, when you think about it, saying you're a Democrat or Republican means absolutely NOTHING!!!  Those terms have been used in a completely opposite sense from how they are used now.  And technically, being a Republican should mean you are for a Republic style government (which is what the US is and what each state is.).  Democrat is a harder word.  Technically you would be for democracy, but a pure democracy would have every person voting on every issue in order to get anything done.  It just doesn't work.  As for how the term "democracy" is used in everyday language, well...  It depends on who you are and where you live...  but generally it is used as a synonym for a republic-style government with representation and certain unalienable rights and the whole bit. I digress, but for a good reason. ...

How did we come to be here, at the highest point so far in history, and yet at such a historic low.  The morals of individuals and society are together crumbling to the ground and leaving only a mockery of right in their place.  Organized religions are under attack from all quarters.  Society thinks nothing of weekend affairs, getting drunk, or half-naked women everywhere. Somewhere along the line we have also lost any common sense we once had.  It seems to go hand in hand with the degradation of society.  Decisions that once were obvious now take so much double speak and politics to make that when all is said and done the problem could have been fixed twice over but is indeed just barely getting underway. Here you may say, “But, now we are more enlightened and understand that one must be thorough when making a decision.”  It’s perfectly true that we need to look at both sides.  But when there is an obvious moral issue why does it take so much skir...

If you watch the tags on my posts, you’ll notice one or two that don’t really make sense.  One of these was on the post “Meditation.” I had added the tag “Founding Fathers.”  Now why would I do that?  Surely the Founding Fathers weren’t really into meditation?  No, they probably weren’t.  It was the last quote in my post that made me decide to add that tag: “You believe in freedom of speech; you strive for articulation. We believe in freedom of silence; we lapse into meditation.” –Proffesor Hari Dam It made me think of the couple hundred years the colonists had to exercise true freedom and live in true liberty away from the English mainland.  Having such an unrestrained use of land and their own labor gave many men the opportunity for leisure.  This leisure was used, among other things surely, for study and self-improvement.  There were many well-read people who had no pressure from war, insufficient means of living, or an established state re...

is AMAZING! I'm not talking about the Western misconception of trying to fly or have an out-of-body experience or whatever else the majority of us thinks of when we hear the word "meditation." I'm talking about moderation in all things; about temperance, self-control and restraint.  I'm talking about taking a few minutes out of the day to shut down the computer, turn down the radio, pull out the earplugs, turn off the TV and just clear your mind, let the stress of life go, evaluate your life, enjoy your blessings, give thanks for your friends and consider how you might make new friends out of old enemies. You know, this sounds a little like Christianity, doesn't it?  I have heard it posited, and believe to be true, that meditation is indeed part of Christianity.  Here's a few scriptures from the Bible: This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night. (Joshua 1:8)  Let the words of my mouth, and ...

Hello and welcome to the United States of America.  Here we believe in hard work, honesty, and capitalism... Hold a minute, wrong century. Let's try this: Hi, come on in, make yourself at home. If the fridge is empty just head on over to the neighbor's house and round up some grub. (They never lock their back door.)  For your entertainment we've got pirated videos and free music, which we downloaded while at work, using company time and bandwidth.  And don't worry if you make a mess, we've got illegal aliens who'll clean it up.  We could have hired the neighbor kids, but they know what to expect from an employer and would want a "reasonable" salary. ... I could go on, but I think you get the point.  If not, you are either a completely innocent person or you're part of the problem. Having said that, just know that if you are part of the problem I am trying my hardest to love you.  Those who I know personally have my love.  It's those ...

This may be stretching swarm theory further than it actually goes, but I shall apply it nonetheless. I have just had the idea that the title of this blog is more fitting than I at first perceived.  Originally it was just an intriguing bit of science that I had read up on and noticed every once in a while.  It also became a sort of running inside joke between me and a friend.  Now, however, I posit that this blog is bound by the theory of the swarm. It is a loose binding, as I am the primary author at the moment and there are precious few posts by others, but it fits to a point. All these various posts and bits and pieces of information go to make up a sort of swarm.  They are varied and deal with several subjects.  However, like a swarm of bees or otherwise, a dominant theme appears and best theory, idea, or decision comes to the forefront as more posts come to one or another point.  If I can get a full, cohesive view of this beast I may see the best ...