To understand where we came from, understanding evolution is essential. A loud voice from a minority of religions is distorting what it is and how the theory developed. When I was rethinking my beliefs, I had to go back and review it. Before Darwin, alternatives to religious origin stories were being floated. Then the Galapagos Islands were discovered off the coast of Ecuador. That country has continued to protect them, like the treasure they are, to this day. The climate there changes often, putting pressure on the flora and fauna, and the islands create places for the species to isola ..read more

 Previous Section        a few miles        Next Section 3 Campsites Stunning views and a beautiful lake https://superiorhiking.org/trail-section/caribou-river-wayside-to-lutsen/#section_4 This is a skip way up the shore since last time. I can't believe we missed two years of hiking. Ruth did a camping trip with some friends, but 2023 had some nasty weather to deal with. I don't know what happened to 2022.  2024 started out with very little snow, we found ourselves hiking in January. It's been a winter of either mud or ice, but we got ..read more

 Doniphan MO historical marker  https://youtu.be/Tr1d0ivyTTk?si=W7Nd_K0PT5JhwSgF Holt to Hoxie https://goo.gl/maps/bup9CB4u6aukc3gz6 Moore Cemetery, 2 miles west of Hoxie, near Black Rock Moore Cemetery - Google Maps - probably not it, because it's east of Walnut Ridge Moore Cemetery (Arkansas County, AR) (roadsidethoughts.com) - also not it Moore Cemetery (nlmatthews.com) City of Black Rock  About Us | Farm Service, Inc. in Walnut Ridge, AR (fsicoop.com) Farm Service founded by Joe Belk ..read more

 Computers are easy, there are icons, you don’t need to know all the technical terms. They are not easy. I’m a writer. I know how to type. I tried to move some text, like everyone said I could, and now it’s gone. It’s on the clipboard, look for the clipboard icon. Why can’t I just look for the clipboard itself. Well, you can’t see the clipboard, but, that doesn't matter. Of course it matters. We are literally talking about something existing. That’s what matter is. Well, this is more like energy. Okay, great, whatever, show me the icon. (shows icon) That’s two rectangles and a little scri ..read more

  This was posted on an atheist facebook that I'm a member of. It's private, so you might not have seen it. They didn't if it was in a church, or where they found it. That doesn't really matter. It's the kind of thing that people who say "God is energy" or "God is love" say. It's better than saying that God hates all the same people you hate, so I don't want to critique it too harshly. But, this is my blog. I say things here that I might not say in polite company.  Someone else commented that "at that point you see the Divine in yourself and others. Not really worship. Just acknow ..read more

  I hope I don’t lose too many with that heading. I promise not to list a bunch of dates and Greek names. Philosophy is part of science. I’ll get to more on that soon. Long before the word “science” was coined, there were the “Natural Philosophers” in ancient Greece. That’s a good place to start for this blog series which is about the line between and the gray areas around philosophy and science. Natural Philosophers Those ancient Greeks were philosophizing about what things are. They didn’t know about quantum physics or laws of motion and likewise, much of what they concluded was wrong ..read more

 Where to Start? That is not meant to be a philosophical question. When searching for roots, tracing down from the plant, you must ask how from the main root do I want to go? Roots eventually become tiny fibers that are indiscernible from the earth itself. Rather than starting at a place or time, I will begin with “Transcendence”. In a discussion on a religious podcast in 2023, an agnostic mentioned a transcendent experience they once had. The religious host asked him, “transcended from what, or into what, and you said you were grateful for it, grateful to whom?” The agnostic, Bart Campol ..read more

 Welcome to another blog series. Sometimes, I don’t complete the series that I start, but in all cases, something along the way is worth it. Thanks for reading this far. To keep this from being 100,000 words, I will need to refer to other existing discussions, like the title itself. Bigger thinkers than me have questioned the usefulness of philosophy in an age of science. People like Lawrence Krauss and E.O. Wilson. I won’t recreate their arguments here and may not specifically reference them as I address their concerns. It’s a big question. I’m not out to win the debate. Succinctly, for ..read more

 I'm gonna make a change For once in my life It's gonna feel real good Gonna make a difference Gonna make it right As I turn up the collar on my favorite winter coat This wind is blowin' my mind I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their needs A summer's disregard, a broken bottle top And one man's soul They follow each other on the wind, ya know 'Cause they got nowhere to go That's why I want you to know [Chorus] I'm starting with the man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways And no message could have been any cl ..read more

  I discovered a new author that I hope to study further in the near future. He crosses many of the disciplines I am interested in and applies them to the issues I care about, like polarization of views and how it affects us daily, and the changing face of religion. There are some time stamps for the parts I cover here. This interview begins with many terms. As it progresses, they get sorted out. About halfway through they apply the ideas to the polarization happening today. It’s a battle of nostalgia vs utopia. Each is a vision of perfection. One looks back at how far we’ve fallen and ..read more