Do you have Greyface?

I had this short intense dream just before waking. My roomate comes out and looks at me very worried, and says that I have greyface. Looking very solomn about it, as if its a near fatal diagnosis. There's a little more to the dream but its unimportant. The only greyface I know of is in discordian philosophy, and a google search reveals the same. Which is funny, as I don't feel that I'm suffering from that particular curse, but then, who would.
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In the year 1166 B.C., a malcontented hunchbrain by the name of Greyface, got it into his head that the universe was as humorless as he, and he began to teach that play was sinful because it contradicted the ways of Serious Order. ``Look at all the order around you,'' he said. And from that, he deluded honest men to believe that reality was a straightjacket affair and not the happy romance as men had known it.
It is not presently understood why men were so gullible at that particular time, for absolutely no one thought to observe all the disorder around them and conclude just the opposite. But anyway, Greyface and his followers took the game of playing at life more seriously than they took life itself and were known even to destroy other living beings whose ways of life differed from their own.
The unfortunate result of this is that mankind has since been suffering from a psychological and spiritual imbalance. Imbalance causes frustration, and frustration causes fear. And fear makes for a bad trip. Man has been on a bad trip for a long time now.
It is called THE CURSE OF GREYFACE.

To choose order over disorder, or disorder over order, is to accept a trip composed of both the creative and the destructive. But to choose the creative over the destructive is an all-creative trip composed of both order and disorder. To accomplish this, one need only accept creative disorder along with, and equal to, creative order, and also willing to reject destructive order as an undesirable equal to destructive disorder.
The Curse of Greyface included the division of life into order/disorder as the essential positive/negative polarity, instead of building a game foundation with creative/destructive as the essential positive/negative. He has thereby caused man to endure the destructive aspects of order and has prevented man from effectively participating in the creative uses of disorder. Civilization reflects this unfortunate division.
POEE proclaims that the other division is preferable, and we work toward the proposition that creative disorder, like creative order, is possible and desirable; and that destructive order, like destructive disorder, is unnecessary and undesirable.
Seek the Sacred Chao -- therein you will find the foolishness of all ORDER/DISORDER. They are the same!

Understandings

Small post this time:

I understand for the first time, and all at once a number of things I had not previously.
1. Why I actually like the few mobster movies I have seen, in particular, goodfellas.
2. Why I have lead the early life I did, in the family I did, etc.

1. to keep it short: I like Goodfellas because the characters get what is coming to them. The limits of the system were ignored, by greed, wrath, or hubris, and each character suffers in turn. This is justice.

2. While I have not often mentioned it, as it seems so petty, in my heart of hearts I have lamented growing up in such a privileged environment. I felt that I did not have to struggle as some do to gain what I had. I envied the idea of a self made man. What I now understand is that this isn't the first time I took that idea, but the last time I had just what I wanted. Hardship from the beginning. Life can be a cruel mistress, and if one has cunning, intelligence, sense, and a bit of instinct, one can survive fairly well in most any circumstance, for at least a time. Honest appraisal: I chose to be born in similar makeup once before, but without any privilege. My talents led me to my, and I have a feeling, many other's doom. Keeping the talents, but changing the environment allowed me to make different choices this time. Choices which would not have been apparent from another starting point.

I'll always remember, one time years ago, when I mentioned that I had no great hardship, and felt this to be a source of sadness, I was told "Perhaps that is my task (or was it burden?)". Perhaps being born to decently well off parents, who could provide well for me, yet without opulence, is the same sort of task as being born to a destitute family where every last thing must be hard won. I didn't understand that thought then, and I still don't fully, but it makes a little more sense in my soul than it used to.

Computing the Answer to Life the Universe and Everything

I keep hearing a lot about "what the fuck is the point" from various sources. I always have two answers, one I can't express properly, the other is "none at all".

The reason for this is that there is no real great point to any given event in any given lifetime, or even any lifetime itself. The only "point" to be had is manufactured to facilitate further choice structures.

However, taken in aggregate, thousands of lifetimes and billions of moments and experiences change how a being is, and there is the real point to life. Of course if I could give all the answers I'd write a book, found a religion, and retire wealthy, healthy, and forever misunderstood. However, that is the feeling of the great purpose to life, that is why each experience has value, no matter how trivial seeming, nor how painful, nor how glorious.

If you were to look at a single transistor in a single arithmetic logic unit of your computer, it would appear pointless, and indeed useless. At best it can hold a few nano-coulombs of charge, it only has two states, charged, and not charged, and is mere microns in size. Put together a few trillion of them in a certain order and a with a certain state, and you have the contents of your screen, or a working model of a galaxy, or a battle on a long forgotten field, or a potential cure for genetic disease.

Moments, and experiences are the transistors of your life.

One more Crackpot 2012 theory

Crackpot? hell yes, because all theories of the future are, but this one keep beating my head in, which means at least 5 of you need to hear it.



2012 is graduation.


Taking a lot of shit in aggregate thats the point. What else is the great cycle than a term in the cosmic school of life. 26000 years aren't but a blink in the continuum that is eternity. Of course in this school there are no credit requirements, no course listing, no bells, or lunch breaks. Everyone in the school is a student and a professor at the same time, and often in the same classroom.

The catch to the school is that there is a time limit for completion, or withdrawal. You can drop out, leave with an associates, or bachelors, but if you choose to stay the whole course, the dissertations at the end are the make or break point in your pursuit.

We're there folks. Its time to start writing our theses, or put the pens down and give it another go in (or for) another 26000.

Some will choose to quit. That is rightly frustrating if they are close to you, but it is their decision to make, and you don't know your own past, future, and often even current state with enough certainty to make any qualified judgments about theirs.

I had the single sentence thought earlier tonight "Because this is our last chance." Last chance for exactly what I can't say/don't know. Best guess would be this short poetic blog of a friend:

"I already know your dance with fate

I already see that scared rabbit look in your eyes.

That defensive stance.

I know that you're coming for me, and I know why.

I know that I am the easy target,

the one who is willing to do this dance with you,

I already know all that,

because we've done this before you and I.

We've had lifetimes to dance with each other.

Isn't it time we got it right? "

So yes, the feeling I get is that here we are, going on toward graduation, but its the critical time where if we fuck up, we have to re-apply and re-enrol in the PhD program, and the matriculation here is very long by our present perception. 2600 lifetimes give or take a few hundred.

Letter on Liberty - Currency

This was originally an email, but it could do with getting more exposure than one recipient. Original subject was in regards to me mentioning a "vocal minority" being responsible for the placement of "in god we trust" on our currency, in relation to a current poll on CNN or somewhere if it should be removed.
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Yes I'm speaking of those who put it on the currency in the first place. Also, importantly this country isn't founded only on the idea of "majority rule" despite the common interpretation of "democracy". The constitution was put in place partly because of how easily segments of the populace can be swayed to support ideas which are anything from silly to outright evil. If not for the constitution we'd likely still have prevalent human slavery here, for nowhere would the idea of "all men are created equal" be in the public consciousness, and the economic benefits of continued slave labor could not be ignored. There are other guiding principles to this nation that override simple mass opinion.

I'm speaking of the singular minister who wrote to the secretary of the treasury in 1861. (One letter from ONE person) Then that secretary ordered the director of the mint to put a new motto on the coin. Three people who shared beliefs set up the change of motto for an entire nation of people. Three people thought it was a good idea. Heres the text of the letter from the minister:

" Dear Sir: You are about to submit your annual report to the Congress respecting the affairs of the national finances.

One fact touching our currency has hitherto been seriously overlooked. I mean the recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins.

You are probably a Christian. What if our Republic were not shattered beyond reconstruction? Would not the antiquaries of succeeding centuries rightly reason from our past that we were a heathen nation? What I propose is that instead of the goddess of liberty we shall have next inside the 13 stars a ring inscribed with the words PERPETUAL UNION; within the ring the allseeing eye, crowned with a halo; beneath this eye the American flag, bearing in its field stars equal to the number of the States united; in the folds of the bars the words GOD, LIBERTY, LAW.

This would make a beautiful coin, to which no possible citizen could object. This would relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism. This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed. From my hearth I have felt our national shame in disowning God as not the least of our present national disasters.

To you first I address a subject that must be agitated.
"

(anyone else notice how that minister supported the idea of removing the image of liberty on the coinage in favor of national symbols supported by traditional symbols of god, with the idea of liberty being relegated to just a word?)

here's the text of the short letter from the secretary of the treasury to the director of the mint

" Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.

You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.
"

This went through a little back and forth and "IN GOD WE TRUST" was settled on, the minting of it passed into law by an act of congress, as the mint couldn't legally alter mottos and devices of the union without congressional approval and additional legislation.

Its not as if there weren't Jews, Shintoists, Confusionists, Voodoonistas, and who knows how many other religious followers, but they were mostly black or yellow and didn't matter.

Lets also not forget that then, as in many areas now, you cannot openly NOT be christian if you want to continue conducting business and be treated civilly. This is why Joseph Smith had to move from New York to a nearly uninhabited portion of the country which became the state of Utah. He wasn't a Christian. He had his own doctrine. I may not agree with what he founded, but based on the principles of this nation, I cannot deny him the ability to openly practise his beliefs either.

Say places in rural America, like Carlsbad. If you aren't a Christian of some sort, you are ostracized. The Jews are accepted since they're close enough and or in the bible as god's chosen people, and the Mormons are tolerated since they still believe in Jesus, but even those sentiments aren't universal, and the Mormons are smart enough to have a walled off compound where they can safely practise their faith. Some will tout their Christianity in one sentence, then say how much they can't stand "The goddamn jews n arabs n niggers" in the next. (I'm not making this up these are real "christians" out there, and this attitude accounts for the majority of them I've ever met.)

No matter that this country promises freedom of religion to its citizens, no matter that the nation is supposed to follow the principles of a separation between church and state, every mention of God on our currency, as the motto of the country, and in the pledge of allegiance are instances where a group of Christians with power put their religion ahead of the principles of liberty and equality of the citizenry at large.

Really, lets reverse this for just a minute. Lets say that America was colonized first by some monotheistic sect of Hindus who were threatened with death back in India for their beliefs. Then, about 150 years ago the civil war happened, but the populace was mostly Hindu, and one of them wrote in saying that we really should have the concepts of Law, Freedom, and Vishnu on our currency, lest later generations think we're heathen.

How would you, as a Christian, feel seeing "IN VISHNU WE TRUST" on every piece of currency? How would you feel saying "ONE NATION UNDER VISHNU" every morning in school, when, according to the propaganda of this nation, you had freedom of religion and there was a separation of church and state?
Do you really have a right to practise any religion you want when the very currency of the nation states your religion for you? Its effectively saying that if you are a citizen of this country, if you are part of that WE, then you trust in the god mentioned on the money, no matter what you may personally believe.

The ONLY reason the current version can be considered to not be in violation of the first amendment is that GOD in all caps can be seen as non religion specific. This could be attributed to the deity of your choice, including Vishnu, however it still carries the same disregard for those who do not actually have a specific deity, such as agnostics, atheists, Taoists, Buddhists, Pagans, Satanists, Shintoists, and also disregards any polytheistic or pantheistic religion such as most aboriginal belief systems, hinduism, and norse and olympian theologies. Yes they still have followers.

So, one of two things ought to happen.
1.) We bring the currency in line with the existing principles of the nation, that being any citizen here may choose and follow their own religious and spiritual beliefs without governmental interference, and without fear of persecution. (Although this is still far more an ideal than a reality as is)

2.) We should just drop the farce and declare one of the sects of Christianity to be the only acceptable legal religion, and the rest of us can just move out of the country to somewhere that has an idea of what LIBERTY actually means.