~Chapter Two~                         YOU IN THE BACK--- "So much poison in power, the principals get left out. So much mind on the matter, the spirit gets forgotten about." ---Neal Peart      I've always been  quick to hold my ground against the simple claims and advantages (if any) wielded by tradition.  In fact, that's the whole point--- to explore any alternatives to the present construct. This becomes paramount when we look at religion. It seems apparent that this particular gem of traditional wisdom needs an over haul.  The belief that one person's god can beat up another's has created far more trouble than it's actually worth.  In fact, religion can be tied to some very troubled times in human history. A person's belief is usually governed by the fear of persecution.  Religion is often the tool prescribed by those who wish to keep free thinking in check.  Since, as primates, most of us are followers there are always plenty of those willing to sacrifice free will for a false sense of security.     Incidentally, I should delineate between so-called religion and spirituality.  Some might agree that many religions frequently lack true spirituality.  By the same token, I'm not one to use the word spirituality in the same context as it's used in all those new age books out there either.  Having a healthy insistence on skepticism (a good quality to have if you want to avoid the same blind beliefs as the less thoughtful), I took the following query very seriously: "what is the spirit?"        The matter is handled delicately, but much more directly here.  It will be a topic handled with as much lack of subjectivity as is possible, and will include both the disciplines of physics, and the more sublime intonations supported by metaphysics.  The soul as a presence of energy (possibly metaphasic) will be studied later on.       What, for instance, is the bridge between mind (thought), and matter? The inner voice which we've for so long forsaken is the conduit through which this energy (bio-electric or magnetic by nature) can do its work.  A soul's presumed purpose of growing through each life experience can be rewarded well, so long as it's allowed to do so.  We also look at some of the ways in which something akin to a soul (if not the soul itself) might have come to be.  Finally, we'll learn how to listen again to our soul's desire.  You show me a world out of touch, and I'll show you a world that has ignored the pleas of the soul.                                                                         My oh my.  The things a person will do just to pass the time.  Over the past couple of years I've somehow managed to pilfer through my racing thoughts, and to seize upon some of them.  I anticipated the bookstore shelves becoming flooded with a flurry of  books containing all that "end of the world" ilk, and chose right then and there to offer something a little less nihilistic.  If we do somehow manage to squeak passed yet another Armageddon, and make it into the next century, then why do I get the feeling that there's gonna be a lot of embarrassed fundamentalists out there? Maybe then there'll be some more room for those of us who'd like to cast their gaze into a future that's decidedly more bright.     Let us first look inward though, and let arise from the ether of subconsciously induced thought, a glimpse of other tableaus of existence.      Some of the realms we'll visit aren't from the sanctimonious halls of some ready-made heaven, though some of them could be mistaken for such.  The difference here is that these particular vistas will be built by US, if that's what we wish for ourselves.  Any notion of heaven will likely have to be created right here on Earth.  Naturally I'm forced to remain vague for now, since we're just getting warmed up.  But I can tell you that in the pages to come, we'll try to imagine how such self-made heavens could come to be, especially after we re-visit some of the horrors which have already been allowed to transpire.  After examining some of them, we'll be in a better position perhaps to know that most of them could have been avoided the whole time, since it was we as a species who created many of the conditions that led to these misfortunes in the first place.       It's hardly a revelation in saying that many of the conflicts we're facing today were brought on by our own short-sightedness and a self-imposed denial of, well, just about everything important.  Who else do we have to blame for our strife? There's not come a cosmic zap (like the one that took out any animal bigger than an ostrich, including the larger dinosaurs).  We can no longer blame the devil for the pain and negligence we continue to visit on others (even though so many still try to).  As has often been suggested, blame is much better to give than receive.       We've crafted a world of our own choosing (through the myopic squint of anthropomorphism), which in turn had stemmed from an innate need to play follow the leader.  As primates, like any other social creature, we've put our collective destinies into the hands of but a few.  As will be discussed more completely during the "dialogue" portion of the text, the dominance-hierarchies that had served us so well in our distant past, have become a real threat to us today.        The story of how this came about leads us to how we must begin ridding ourselves of our animal origins, while simultaneously, respecting them.  We must do this so we can cross the thresh hold toward becoming a better species.  How might we be able to shed our old skin of Homo-Sapiens, so that we can become the more spiritual and technical beings we only pretend to be now? Might we not then be better suited to don the status of the hyper-Sapiens, or the proposed designation of  Hyperion? Such a name change wouldn't be out of the question in light of becoming a species of our own design.      A new title for our species is in the making, and will be earned by us when we begin engineering for ourselves (with special dispensation by nature), new physical and mental pathways assisted by the awesome force of genetic manipulation.  Oh, come on now...it's here whether we like it or not.  It's best to prepare for this"eventuality."  But are we yet advanced sufficiently in the ways of morality or ethics to handle these certainties? Most of us unanimously agree that we aren't.      That's why we'll investigate ways to make this future easier to handle.  To do that, our efforts will be based in no small way on how important it is that all of us be at least educated enough to make wise choices on our own.  We must make ourselves ready to face the coming changes that are most certainly going to bring about a major restructuring of any former ways of thinking.  This will be no easy thing, but it could be made a good deal more pleasant if we not only learn to accept it, but also, to embrace this change collectively.     Voyaging into the innermost recesses of thought, we will experience worlds without end.  While looking at wonders typically associated with a dream-state, we will come to discover that the outcomes of nearly all potentials are self-determined.  Not in some hokey, mumbo-jumbo sense, but truly.  Such self-determination can come about using little more the will to do so. To borrow just a little bit from tradition, it can be likened to the power of prayer.  In this case, any messages we decide to send will be transported on the vibration of light waves.  Here, we'll be talking physics 101, only hopefully, this will be a less confusing version.     Getting into this area will make it completely impossible not to dabble into the world of the sub-atomic.  Quantum physics are revealing more to us each day about the intimate connectedness of everything.  One day soon they'll usher us into fields of experience which has the promise of making real what was once only mystical.  There are tantalizing hints so far, that there are common threads which literally bind together all things.  Further in, we'll see how all perception is bound into a single state of being, and that it exists right alongside of all matter.  My hope is, that with this knowledge, will come the desire to not take this planet for granted anymore.  Everything is connected, including our actions --- good or bad.     A more spiritual approach to super string theory? Many events, what we would call destinies, are unfolding simultaneously.  But while locked in our linear experience with time (we think it only reveals itself to us only in increments), we can't help but feel a separation from the universe.  That's why we feel so lost at times, or why we create for ourselves a heavenly deity that's waiting to call us home.  We fancy for ourselves some divine place in the heavens.  If the lord of such a manor was to talk to us directly, we'd probably be  reminded that we're already there.     While the skeptic in me laughs at some of this stuff, it's that same inner voice (which as it so happens, shares with me a great love for science) that assures me of one thing...      Through quantum physics (yawning is contagious by the way), the soul will surely reveal itself to us.  This will be verified empirically, through the self-correcting methods put forth by science.  For instance, can the soul be detected as a source of bio-electric or magnetic discharge? Is this in fact, the actual well-spring of consciousness? But not all of these parleys into new perception will be so pleasant, and in keeping with the theory that paradise can be self-made, so too then can our perceptions of hell.       It's a pretty safe bet that any future we create for ourselves will be permanently accompanied by the continuing advent of technology.  Some may find that disquieting.  Nonetheless, in a world, or more appropriately, a possible world of both organic and synthetic life (for example), some way must first be found to accept the present one.  Before we go vaulting ourselves into the future (which as I said earlier, is already here), there are plenty of things we need to deal with in the here and now.  Our sensitivity to all living things must be founded on an ability to love who and what we are right now.  Never mind what may come later.      The reason we strike out so quickly at anything and everything not directly related to how we fit into the cosmic scheme bears closer inspection too.  That's just for starters.  As long as we stay in this ancient mode of thought, anything we can't force into our perception of reality is immediately ignored or discarded.  This might suggest that we must surely have to reconsider our true position in life's plan.  Can we keep on tossing out anything not resembling what and who we profess ourselves to be? Will we not in the end, be left feeling more alone and bitter than we ever did before? If misery loves company, then it too stands alone.      Sometimes, people in their desperation to believe in something greater than themselves, can become too easily misled.  Often, desperation fogs the ability to reason.  This is a sad affair, and is precisely why the concepts to be depicted here (if they are entertained at all) shouldn't be taken as anything more than an exercise.  It will be painted in the very broad strokes that leads us to ask simply: "What if?"     Some will be tempted to categorize this work into the heading of "new age."  If that's the case, so be it.  All that really matters is how this is only another way in which we might permit ourselves to see things in a slightly different light.  And as dim as this light might be, a small tidbit of truth may come into focus for us.  If so, it will probably reveal itself not as we wish it to be, but as it really is.                                                             It's appropriate now to mention, as a disclaimer if nothing else, that I took very little time for researching many of the concepts to be discussed here.  So the lines between fact and fantasy will occasionally be blurred.  It was more important that I overcame my racing thoughts, at least to the point where I could to shape from them some form of coherency.  All the knowledge herein, or perhaps the lack of it, was plucked greedily from the cesspools of raging static that had reigned over most of my adult life.  As for the book's content, any credit was duly given where ever it could be.       Most of the writing came to me impromptu.  A feeling of overwhelming urgency usually prohibited me from bothering  to consider my sources, if any.  But whatever the origins of this little experiment, I thought it more significant to present my thoughts as straightforwardly as possible, than to quibble with complete accuracy.  In my haste, I might well have sacrificed a few facts here and there.  Despite the sense of urgency that permeated my mind, measures were taken so that any conclusions were accompanied by all the honesty that could be mustered.  As an example of that honesty, I should tell you it will sometimes be hard for you (as it still is for me) to distinguish fact from pure delusion, truth from pale whimsy, or originality from blatant theft.  I just thought you should know that before we waded in any further.       I was originally going to call this collection of essays "You, in the Back," but felt the title too reminiscent of one of those saccharin sweet self-help books.  I mean, it's nice to be feeling so much freer of the depression that used to rack my every thought, but I choose to keep the sobriety that only a touch of healthy cynicism tends to bring with it.  Not necessarily everything will have a happy ending.  Anyhow, the original title was meant to refer to the general populace, with the word "you" in this case.     You are the ones who've allowed your voices to by muted by the white noise spouted by those in control of your lives.  You are, rather, we are lost in the shadows of a shadowy world.  We're obscured by the crowd, or are silenced by those people who we've let take charge of our collective fate.  This book will ask that you step forward, and that you turn your one hushed voice into the urging of millions.  There it is again, that damn delusion.  If you do manage to find that voice of reason, it needn't, actually, it shouldn't be uttered in violence.  It should instead be the voice of dignified resolve.  It asks, "what can we do to make the world better than it was when we got here?" Yes, another cliche, but certainly, not an unreasonable question.       Can anything be done to stop, or even reverse the damage already done? If so, how can it become real--- a force vaunted by action? Here, you'll be urged to step out of the darkness and to speak your piece.  You need to be reminded that, no matter your role in this life, we're all in this together.  It's a simple truth, yes, but so often it's the obvious that remains hidden.  I think Sherlock Holmes said that once.      There will be many such cliches to come, but I'll avoid them if I can.  And if cliche' must be used, it will only be because so many of them contain small kernels of a kind of truth so obvious, that they're constantly lost on many of us.  Cliches become so contrived because more often than not, they're true.  Let's not get cliche' confused with rampant over-generalization however.  This is a problem with me, still being so deeply rooted in the blacks and whites brought on by my illness.  Because of being bipolar (of two poles), I've become a person of extremes, which are also directly parallel to extremes of mood.  Still, I've done my best to remain objective, or as objective as can be expected while immersed in the subjectivity of self.       One of the nifty effects of reading is in how this act of physical inactivity creates a direct link between yourself, and another's mind.  As Carl Sagan once mentioned, "You're almost literally, inside someone else's head.  Maybe even a person long since dead."  In this case, you're inside of mine.  Luckily for you, you're always free to jump back out screaming if you have to.  You see, whenever I catch  myself becoming too self-absorbed, I immediately  resort to ill-eased attempts at humor.      As a reminder, these are the thoughts and feelings of but one, incredibly inexperienced mind awash in a sea of billions.  Despite the inescapable limits that are certain to result from this short-coming, you'll hopefully come to appreciate those quirks all of us have in common, and will process them into your own unique ball of perception.  A basic allowance might then be formed, which will lead in turn to a common construct of thought.  That would be a good place to begin the task at hand. For it's our commonality with each other which will carry us all forward.     When linked with a common cause, our individual perceptions can take on lives of their own.  That's the plan in essence.  And that's what we'll be spending a great deal of time trying to nail down.  What is the apparatus of perception? Perception at its surface is just that; perception.  It's a way in which something is observed, and then processed into our reality.     Every pair of eyes, and not just human ones, share the same function.  This is true even while being separate from the others.  They help the world (and the universe at large) too see itself anew.  Not all that original an idea, but it will serve us later on to make ever escalating leaps of further observing.  Our eyes are in effect, the lens that leads to consciousness.     We live today in a world that devalues, rather than glorifies the individual perception which we've all been given.  We're taught to suppress our feelings, and to concede to those who have been declared as being somehow better than us.  Such a declaration is usually so only because they happen to have more money than we do.     No person on Earth, no matter how wealthy, hasn't felt this sting of truth.  This is fact primarily due to how even if you manage to scratch together a zillion bucks, someone else is on the verge of making a zillion and one.  It's a race you can never win (even though if pressed, myself included, we'd all confess to wanting just a little of the filthy stuff).  Some would argue how the same thing can be said of another kind of race.   There's another kind of race some would say is doomed to fail.  The human one.  It would be nice to prove that notion wrong, even if only in theory.  When I ask myself why I should bother, I must confess to the possibility that it's only because how it might be a way to make poverty more easy to bear.      Most problems faced by us are directly proportional to either a fervent drive to get to the top, or to how we collapse with exhaustion in an effort to remain there.  If you're low man on the totem-pole (or woman), then you're qualified to do nothing but moan in protest about how nobody ever takes you seriously.  That's because of how you're just another loser who didn't have what it takes to stay in the game.  As a result, most of us spend our lives in the penalty box, watching helplessly as our team mates get the tar beat out of them.  We need a better referees.     As one of the losers (from a societal stand-point anyway), it really troubles me when I hear people tell myself and others who are dirt poor, that the only reason we feel this way is because we don't have money.  Sometimes, it seems like it's the less thoughtful among us who are deemed the most successful.  Are those of us who lack status, any less qualified to form opinions simply because we're not in the game to make dollars and cents? This makes no sense, not even a nickel's worth.  Who's more qualified than us to decide on a future for our world? After someone else's parade has passed  us by, who cleans up the mess left in its wake?     These days we're the spectators, but rarely are we the participants.  It's usually those of us who are left behind that are forced to sweep the streets clean, but our shame or pride has so far kept us from grabbing a broom.  We've learned (or have been conditioned) instead to simply put up with the problems that keep piling up more and more around us.  My apologies.  Sometimes it's so hard trying to keep things light.      So, this horse walks into a bar...     Despite the long faces, there are many things about which our species can be proud, like how far we've managed to come in the last few hundred years.  Some great strides have been made.  On the down side, most of the more impressive feats were accomplished by relatively few of us.  That's probably because frequently, such achievements were gathered under the auspices of science.      About every century or so, there comes along an individual or two who are born with minds that burn so bright, that they help launch us into that ever enigmatic place called the future.  The sad truth here is, only a scant handful of people are responsible for making the rest of us look good.  If individuals, or small groups of them with a common cause (sometimes, an honorable one) can do so much for the rest of us, just try to envision a day when our entire race works for the equally honorable goal of pulling ourselves out of the primordial muck.  Maybe even without relying on the burning ambitions of those who have in the past, tried doing it for us.     A number of issues to talk about will be approached more than once, but each time, a new view will be offered.  A single event can become as infinite as the number of ways it might be perceived, effectively making one event into many separate experiences.  When a story is told, and is then passed along through time, it changes in texture and feel.  Each person who tells it, whether it be a joke or a myth, a fable or an historic epic, tends to embellish it here or there.  This is how we make them our own.  We all do this, whether we're endorsing the tale with our own personality, or just because of how our memories are bad.       I feel it's important that we learn about how we've come to embrace the beliefs to which we so desperately cling.  After examining some of them, we'll learn that they have less to do with truth, and have more to do with the hidden agendas or intentions propagated by such beliefs.  A lot of token belief systems, considered sacred testimonials by so many, have been given many face-lifts through the ages.  Stories have changed so much in the telling and the retelling, so as to render most of them unrecognizable from their original intent.  Such a suggestion will probably offend some people, but like I said, this is unavoidable I'm afraid. The time for complacency is past.