Sexually-transmitted disease sweeping Asia

What is God?

God is a metaphor. One could call it the Absolute Truth, the First Cause, the Unifying Principle, or perhaps the emergent consciousness of the Universe, which resides in us all, as in all conscious beings.

God is not an invisible man who lives in the sky, passes down rules, and grants wishes.

Unfortunately, many Christians in America believe in that invisible man and do not believe in God.

Unfortunately, many atheists hate God. Hate the very idea of God. Hate anything that contradicts their dogmatic belief in materialism (such as Freudian or Jungian psychology, and metaphor).

American Christians, generally, believe in magic. They believe that they can make a promise to Jesus and he'll wave his magic wand to grant them salvation. They miss the metaphorical truth behind the Gospels.

Atheists, generally, do not believe in metaphor. They do not believe that a cognitive state such as salvation exists and disregard spiritual teachings that point to the Way.

Neuroscience will lead the way to defining salvation and proving the wisdom contained in spiritual texts.

Two Ducks, One Egg

Lessons from The Eye (2008)

"Freakout" scenes are played between normal scenes, just as you hang jokes between normal scenes in comedy. They'll have a normal scene; then a scene with the girl walking in a hallway, getting on an elevator, or freaking out in her apartment.

This movie reinforces the value in studying comedy to enhance other writing. Comedy writing asks a lot of "what if" questions and, "What's funny about ____?" If you come up with an idea that makes you laugh, it's probably a good idea in general; just tone down the laugh factor. Comedy involves a lot of reversal [of expectation], and so does good writing.

Two scenes made me say, "Wouldn't it be funny if ____?" When she first walks around the hospital, there's a ghost of an old woman that floats/strafes to the right, then zooms toward her and disappears. This ghost keeps appearing and disappearing. It would have been funny if, just when she thought the ghost was gone, it had appeared right behind her and said, "Boo!" Also, in the freakout scene when she opens the oven and flames shoot out, it would have been hilarious if a cat had jumped out, like, "Meooowwww!" Sam Raimi movies often go that far with comedic "scare" moments.

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

All sound results from one force acting upon another. A drum stick strikes a cymbal; air crashes into air. But only one thing can create sound when there is nothing else in existence. That's the first cause, the unmoved mover.

Which is to say that the "sound of one hand clapping" is the state of perfect contemplation that corresponds to the metaphorical construct "God," which is consciousness contemplating its own contemplation, or presence. The "sound of one hand clapping" can be heard only in that place before thought arises, before time arises, the source of all creation.

Hold em starting hand rankings

Excel spreadsheet

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Games of Uncertainty and Fate

Games of chance are not games of randomness; they're games of uncertainty. The universe operates on strict principles of cause and effect. The way the dice strike the table when thrown determines, through the laws of physics, precisely what numbers will fall. Our problem is not randomness, but human inability to measure and reproduce those physics in real-time.

Imagine a demon with senses and intellect attuned to precisely measure and calculate the fall of the dice, and whose body can control their movement as they exit his hand. Such a demon would always win at dice.

Poker also is not random. Before the dealer reveals any card, the precise order of the cards in the deck is fixed. Winning is about how you play the cards you are given. You can beat fate by bluffing, by having more courage or virtue than your enemies. This does not mean, however, that one should always rush into battle despite the predictions of the oracles. Often the best way to beat fate is to fold.