Looking on a wintry scene

I try to understand the concept of the greenhouse effect. For one thing, more than half the earth is always giving up heat to outer space without the sun shining on it. So anything that could be reflected back would only be in the direct areas of sunlight. But beside this, I don’t know how a scarce molecule can trap energy. Air is 78 % nitrogen 21% oxygen and .03% Carbon Dioxide. The further out you go, the thinner the air gets and so it would be more likely, if it was even possible, that heat would reflect out. Atoms give off energy 360 degrees while they are bouncing and tumbling in the vast empty space around them. Isn’t the nucleus of an atom a very small part of the area of the atoms in that trace, tumbling molecule? The physics don’t add up for carbon dioxide to have any effect on our weather even if it could be doubled to .06%.

All living things are carbon based so it seems we would want as much of it available as possible. The miracle of photosynthesis is dependent on it. It can be assumed that everything that is now a hydrocarbon started out as a molecule of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at one time. It would be a good thing to return it there for present living things to use and grow. More raw material for plants and animals.

The reason that hydrocarbons have so much energy is that they represent years of photosynthesis. Stored sun energy for us to release. It is a chemical chain reaction with oxygen as the catalyst. The oxygen causes the energy stored by the sun in those molecules to be released. Combustion is the ultimate solar energy. That is why renewable energy is lacking. Solar, wind and water can only be used immediately, while hydrocarbons are large accumulations of batteries that have stored years worth of solar energy.

Another usable store of energy is nuclear. When an atom’s nucleus loses a bit of mass, a huge amount of energy is released. The problem is controlling the chain reaction and the radiation that results. It is such a blessing to have so much energy available so we can get the work done that we want. Traveling, manufacturing, housing, communication and entertainment: energy makes them all possible. We shouldn’t demonize the sources but simply manage them properly while we look for safe reliable alternatives. The subject has fascinated me since I was a kid. There has got to be innovative people outside the corporate and governmental cronyism we are dealing with at present that can pursue this.

Along the way

And you interrupt my thoughts 

Back in the day we would write 

I have been asked about hope and where it fits in to what I have been writing. The purpose of having a rational element is to be able to sort things out. We have science where we observe and report consistencies, we have philosophy where we acquire a world view and we have practical applications of our knowledge. Our rational being or what some call our spirit is like a referee that hangs out in the background and applies each as it sees fit.

Today in our culture these areas are blurred and overlapped. We call philosophies science and pretend there is a practical application to philosophical things. The founders of our country had a grasp on this and fought to keep them separate. Lets take a little time and examine this.

We already discussed the so called “debate” on creationism. The fact is that none of this is based in science. There is a little sense to each side and either takes faith to believe. I am of the opinion that assistance was needed since it makes more sense but cant prove it as a matter of fact. I would have to show observable consistencies and that is impossible this far from the actual event. Just think of a crime scene a couple weeks and then twenty years later; not much evidence and open to conjecture. Origins; creationism or Darwinism, are therefore a philosophical subject. Neither belong in textbooks under the guise of science. Many evolutionists I have dealt with in the past simply have an anti-Christian philosophy. They thump science in the same way that Christians thump the Bible. But it is not possible for either philosophy to be proven scientifically.

Concerning government, we are looking for a practical application that will work for everyone. Theocracies have a tendency to contain people who claim authority over others based on their own philosophies. The fact is that we are all equal. No one has an appointed position by a god over other people. Those in government cannot appoint themselves the savior of their people either. Position doesn’t make one superior in wisdom to others. It is practical to have normal people who excel in normal life to become our representatives. We want someone who is sharp and yet one of us. Governing by this principle is more practical than having elites who want to push their own philosophical beliefs on us. We don’t want to feed their ego or become their subjects. We want them to do the job for us and that is it. Protect our rights and keep unity so we can be strong toward other countries.

We can discuss philosophical hope. The Bible can be applied figuratively or literally. Some believe that the judgment given in the New Testament applied toward the generation of that day. If you read history, there was literal destruction and mayhem for the Jews at that time. Some believe that it applies to our future. My experience is that they follow news stories and apply figurative things to current news. It is all nonsense. I believe in a creator and I believe in redemption. As far as contrasting it against judgment, I think better of God than that. Who would make such beauty and so many spirits with potential only to condemn them forever? It makes no sense philosophically. If someone saw fit to create me then he will also take care of me when I die. Otherwise he would be on the same level as a cruel torturer. He has a plan to help the people that I consider bad. I know it will turn out good. I believe he is love and see it as a driving force in the world and so I am going to go with it.

Practical hope would apply toward where I am going on this earth as a human. If I stay in shape and keep my mind sharp, I will have a better chance to contend with what life brings my way. Nothing is permanent. Depression and anxiety are a result of losing focus. Our happiness shouldn’t depend on others but others do bring us joy. So I do what I can to enjoy each moment, work toward goals and savor the past. Every lesson learned is golden but digging for it can be painful.  Depression and anxiety?; you have to admit that there is a certain pleasure to it. So don’t sweat it but look forward to the goodness to come.

When we discuss origins we are seeking knowledge about the unknown. The contradictions start with the concept itself. No one can claim to “know” about origins since we have no capability to go back in time. All we can do is throw around theories and believe the ones that make the most sense. A theory about origins can never be a matter of fact but simply a preference. That is why there really isn’t a debate since we debate about facts. The only debate is whether these speculations belong in text books as science. Science is about presenting things that are observable. Origins belong in philosophical studies.

That being said, lets move on and discuss what makes sense. Concerning evolution, I only ask for the probability that molecules could by chance come together and make a single amino acid. The answer is that there is next to no chance. If we go on to amino acids forming the complex proteins required to make a cell wall on their own, the possibility reaches the point of absurdity. To make a fully functioning cell that can feed itself and reproduce so evolution can begin just isn’t possible by any stretch of the imagination. Most of my evolutionary friends will say at this point that life came from an asteroid or something from outer space. This is nonsensical since the same principles would apply in outer space. There is no chance for a fully functioning cell to form on its own. To conclude that this sort of organization and function requires assistance makes more sense.  If a human attempts to recreate the beginning in the name of science, it would be an example of an assisted origin.

In ancient Greece there were mathematicians that believed math brought the universe out of chaos. This philosophy is similar to our present day evolutionists. Aristotle thought that these philosophies made as much sense as the ancient tribes that believed a volcano or the sun created everything. He thought that having a god or gods that formed the earth and brought life was the most sensible philosophy given what we know.  I tend to agree with him.

I pondered for a while

There is a subject that is final yet contains ultimates: the subject of eternity. We will all spend most of our time there so it is a subject that is worth considering at least. I hate to call it death because we seem to be travelers in this short life and so eternity must be our natural state. The question is,” what will it be like?” It is hard to describe because we make all our associations with our earthly life. We can conclude with certainty that we won’t have these bodies since we observe others leave their bodies behind only to decay. I hope you don’t mind if we leave conventional ideas behind for a while and just look at what we can know. It is emotional for some and there are many who have staked their entire lives on certain ideals.

I don’t get where there is talk about pain and pleasure; hell and heaven. It seems cultures have their own ultimates according to their norms. I can see a mother who spanks her kid telling him that if he is too bad there will be eternal punishment. There are also those who use time outs for their kids who would be more apt to say there is a purgatory. We see that a temperate person will avoid immediate pleasures for something better in the future. It would only follow that we would make an ultimate pleasure such as heaven for those who deny earthly pleasures but didn’t have time to enjoy the rewards. The ancients would have places for royalty verses the common people and they would have places that reward their war heroes. Generations have a pattern of following the cultural norms and using things associated with how things are on the earth as their template of eternity. Lack of good things would be the ultimate punishment and excesses of them would be the ultimate reward.

Some things I don’t get. One is the matter of judgment. I get the impression from teachings that many go on a broad path to hell and the path to heaven is narrow. What doesn’t make sense is there being a kind of standard where at a certain point you don’t make it. Where is this tipping point? I just can’t picture two very similar people but with one too many sins it is off to eternal punishment while the other gets a free pass to eternal pleasure. Maybe it is like waiting in line at an electronics store where if you don’t happen to get there early enough, they will be out of stock. If you don’t fill in the paperwork right, you don’t make it. Everyone has their certain acts and lifestyles that qualify you; it hurts the head trying to sort it all out for ourselves. Knowing the right person, acting the right way, attending the right church or following the right rituals; it can all get so complicated.Why try to understand perceptions of things that have never been observed?

How can there be pain if we don’t have pain receptors? We leave our pleasure centers behind too. Time is of no use since there are no material things. I recently read a couple books about how the Germans and former nazi’s were oppressed and murdered after the war. It was bad enough to lose ones ideals but to carry the guilt and blame for such atrocities was difficult. On reaching eternity will we just wonder,” What was I thinking?” Absent the animal passions, maybe we will think clearly. Isn’t vice based on chasing immediate pleasure? It would only make sense that when we lose the body, we would think differently. I think that by observing the artistry of nature and the universe that the origin, where we came from can only be beautiful. The destruction and corruption due to decay and chaos are foreign to life. Why would any of it follow us to this beautiful place?  That might be why we need a savior; to keep those things out.

The only thing we can do when considering eternity is to not look at the past as something that disqualifies future delight. It is an outlook that works here on the earth too….