1.4} AS WE REVIEW THE MAP, PART 1…
Before we embark toward new ground philosophically we will review a map of some major landmarks, and strategic vantage points, in the ideological territories that some of us have already seen together…
And after that, we will begin to move into new territory…
This may be of benefit to all of us…but particularly to those of us who have not traveled together before…
{More details on most of these review points were explored in the book, “Explorations of True Freedom and Global Balance”…}
1.5} TRUTH…
Philosophy essentially means, “love of wisdom”, or “love of truth”…
Therefore, truth is of the utmost importance for us…!
Here are some of the many things that we have previously noted…
Truth will always be greater than science…
Science can only try to verify the places where truth has already been.
Truth will always be greater than fiction...
Fiction will only be as strong as the elements of truth within it.
Truth will always be greater than {so~called} religion, or tradition...
Religions, or traditions, at their best, are glorious attempts to follow truth…
But at their worst, they can be something else altogether…
Truth will always be greater than faith {and belief}...
Faith will ultimately be only as strong as the truth upon which it is founded...
Because we may believe something, does not make it true...
But if, and when, we believe in something that is also true, then our faith, and belief, takes on the strength of the truth in which it believes...
Now faith and belief do have a variety of very significant strengths in and of themselves, {although limited, and temporary} within the dynamics of human systems…
But ultimately, faith founded in the highest truth will always prevail...over the longest period of time...
1.6} PHILOSOPHICAL SAFETY GEAR…
This refers to our practice of not putting any weight upon observations until we can test them in various ways, in order to find out how strong of a component of truth they may have. We will bring this gear at all times with us…
1.7} DISCRETION…
…IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR…
We noted that this was an excellent saying…!
1.8} BETTER TO HAVE IT…
…AND NOT NEED IT…
“…Better to have it…and not need it…
…than to need it…and not have it…”
This was also an excellent saying, about being prepared…
1.9} WE SEEM TO EXIST…
This was perhaps the biggest initial strategic landmark for all of us…and we utilized this as our philosophical launching point…since we had all seen it before…
1.10} BALANCE, ORDER, BEAUTY…
…AND EXCELLENCE…
We noted {among other things} that all things in the natural world seem to require many aspects of balance, and order, to survive…and most seem to produce various aspects of beauty, and excellence…
We therefore suspected that these qualities…balance, order, beauty, and excellence…were among those things that we could highly value, and perhaps aspire towards…{if we could understand them}…
There was a lot more to these concepts…
1.11} “COGITO ERGO SUM…”
This is Latin for…
“I think…therefore I am…”
This was stated by philosopher Rene DesCartes, in the early 1600’s…
1.12} “COGITO ERGO SUM…GRUVAE…”
This is Latin for…
“I think…therefore I am…groovy…”
This was stated on one of our expeditions…in the 2000’s…
1.13} GROOVINESS…
After an extensive battle trying to actually define grooviness, we finally decided that we did not want to cheapen this concept by trying to overly~define it…
We then had to regroup…and then we simply moved forward, with flamboyant esprit~de~corps…
That is, more or less, what I recall…
1.14} THE ORIGINAL SOURCE…
We went into significant detail, from a variety of angles, on this most dramatic of topics…!
In the long run, it seemed that rationally, and empirically, the greatest probability was that…the ORIGINAL SOURCE did have elements of {among however many other things} awareness, intelligence, and intentionality of purpose…and also having potentially infinite, or at least unfathomable, capabilities… {Whether or not any of us could fully understand any of these aspects at any given time, was another question…}
But, therefore, because of these aspects…
The ORIGINAL SOURCE, also fit the essential, basic description of…
…GOD ALL~MIGHTY…!
1.15} THEREFORE, A PRAYER…
Therefore, BLESSED GOD ALL~MIGHTY…!
If you exist, and you are aware, intelligent, and intentional, and you have potentially infinite, or at least unfathomable, capabilities…then you can certainly hear and answer this request…
May you verify, to each of us, in the manner of your choosing…that you are real… {Even though I’m already quite sure of it…}
And may you guide and bless this expedition, and our over~all lives, including everything that is important to you, and us…and lead us into the precise directions that you want us to go…and show us the perspectives that you want us to see…
And if you are real…then all the highest praise belongs to you…!
OK…!
1.16} AS WE REVIEW THE MAP, PART 2…
Also, please be aware…
It is extremely important, during this entire expedition, that we all…
1} Know precisely where we are…at all times…
2} Know precisely what we are doing…at all times…
3} Look incredibly super~groovy…at all times…
And, if by some chance, we come to a point in time where we do not seem to know precisely where we are…or precisely what we are doing…
Then, we must still…look incredibly super~groovy anyway…!
1.17} WE SEEM TO EXIST BECAUSE…
…GOD ALL~MIGHTY…
…INTENDED TO CREATE US…
This realization was so awe striking that we all just stood there, shocked, for quite some time…and crying tears of emotionally complex joy…
{Or, at least, I personally was doing this…}
Some of us lost consciousness for a period of time…
1.18} RELIGIOUS SCRIPTURES…
We went into rather extensive detail observing and comparing various aspects of the logistics of some of the most well known religious scriptures that exist…
We observed…
1} The Baghavad Gita…
{The most well known portion of the foundational Hindu religious scriptures...which also is a background for Buddhism…}
2} The Quran…
{The foundational Muslim religious scriptures...}
3} The Tanach…
{The foundational Jewish religious scriptures...}
4} The Bible…
{The foundational Christian religious scriptures...}
1.19} THE BIBLE…
Because of the immense importance of this, we will explore this again in more detail later. But based upon rational, logistical, evidence it seemed observable that…
The Bible may potentially have some of the greatest logistical vantage points from which to observe truth{s}…and, specifically, truth{s} about GOD ALL~MIGHTY...that may exist in any literature, and in comparison to any literature that we have ever even heard of...
This was due to, at least…the overlapping generational contiguity of it, the continuity of detailed themes, the time frames of its writing, the multiplicity of writers, the verifiable prophetic accuracy over time, and a great deal more…which began to seem beyond the possibility of human manipulation…
This, then, was a truly great landmark for us…and once again, we sat there amazed for quite some time, and as we did, incredibly…it began to appear to us, as if there were, something like…
…Angelic choruses…!
…heavenly songs…aromatic blends…
…diamond castles on emerald hills…
…with sapphire trees…!!!
…and infinitely much more…!!!
1.20} THE PERSON KNOWN AS…
…JESUS CHRIST…!
Again here, because of the immense importance of this, we will touch on this in more detail later…
But when we began to observe the biblical importance of JESUS CHRIST, it was so intense that, once again…{among many other things}…it began to appear to us, as if there were, something like…
…Heavenly celebrations…!
…of super~enhanced beauty…
…with sparkling rivers…of succulent nectars…
…and all the deligh