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method.eternal |
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method:
orderly arrangement of parts or steps to accomplish an end
eternal:
forever true or changeless
method.eternal joins two ideas that together make up the whole of life.
Into this world we are born without warning and every moment henceforth
follows in order from one state of being to the next, on and on, until
our last breath. The chain of being is constant, unstoppable,
methodical.
No word in the English language captivates both the imagination
and the heart so thoroughly as does eternity. Into this one word each
of us reflects the contents of our innermost desires. It comes to represent for us a
state of perfected completion from which we would hope to reach and from which we would then never deviate.
As we grow wiser through many joys and sorrows, brought about
by the methodical marching of moments in life we call 'now', we begin
to cultivate an image of what we believe to be worthy characteristics of
eternity, of that which should indeed be 'forever true and changeless'. We
come to recognize human actions of genuine kindness, receptivity,
compassion, commitment, and love. We then try to put these in practice in
our own lives.
Eternity stood aside us all along, of course, and we
related to it through our own level of understanding and maturity.
First as dependent children, then as rebellious youth, and finally as
humbled adults.
The truth is that the truth did not change. Truth cannot be
changed, but the more we engaged and sought truth, the more truth
changed us.
The deep intertwining of method and eternity is like a balanced dance. The methodical flow of life guides us to a deeper
understanding of eternal truth, and the eternal truth teaches us how to
step in time with the march of life.
Writing is for me an orderly arrangement of steps to accomplish the end of understanding what is forever true and changeless.
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Inspiration |
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TODO: Add content
Literary and Historical Figures
Jesus Christ
As you can tell from my podcast, I do not believe there is any valid evidence for supernatural events or physical miracles. This does not mean I don't or can't derive great lessons from the parables of Jesus in the Gospels. I love reading and thinking about his stories and parables. There is simply no logical reason I have to completely reject his teachings in order to reject the common portrayals of him. Thomas Jefferson took the time to create his own Bible, from four copies in different languages. He excised of all supernaturalistic events and boiled down the philosophical teachings from Jesus. I haven't gone to that length! But, I like to read interesting commentaries and opinions about his words from a variety of perspectives.
Buddha
Contemporary Figures
Carl Sagan
There has been no one who has influenced my critical thinking and my curiosity more than Carl Sagan. His public television series Cosmos astonished me as a child and continues to do so today. I recently read his posthumous book The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. I enjoyed reading this very much and found that his acceptance of the "god" of Spinoza and Einstein, the god of natural law who is most certainly not a Biblical anthropomorphic god, was very refreshing. His widow Ann Druyan regularly refers to him as a true agnostic, who saw no evidence for any anthropomorphic gods, but said that it is foolish to claim to know for certain that there isn't something like a god.
Joseph Campbell
Martin Luther King Jr.
Richard Carrier
Several years ago, when I tried my best to believe in some sort of literal interpretation of Christianity, I just couldn't justify it in my mind logically or morally. I found Richard Carrier's writings on the Secular Web and found in his words the utmost careful attention to matters of history, scholarship, and truth. Carrier stands for what he believes to be true about history and keeps an open mind, willing to admit when he is incorrect.
Robert M. Price
Ann Druyan
James Randi
Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Jacob Bronowski
Karen Armstrong
Sam Harris
Richard Dawkins
Reginald Finley
Kyle Maynard
George Carlin
George Washington Carver
Albert Einstein
Thomas Jefferson
Family
My great grandmother Carola has been a painter for nearly 80 years. She is now 95. She has a web page with photographs of many of her watercolor paintings as well as some of her illustrations:
Carola's Art
I am also the Curator for Life for the Carola L. Gough Art Gallery in Second Life.
If you have a Second Life account, drop Josh Jeffries a message and
I'll give you a tour. Here is a video clip previewing the gallery:
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Links |
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