...where the Two become the One
Atlas Shrugged meets Peter Pan meets a Logocentric Christianity The great departure was not an ending, but a thinning. It was a quiet exodus, unnoticed by those who measured the world in headlines and polls. There was no rupture in the sky, no grand announcement, only a gradual and persistent vanishing of certain individuals. They were the chess players in a world that had embraced Calvinball, the architects in an […] Read more »
Resolving the apparent contradiction between Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and Christianity In the vast landscape of philosophical thought, few worldviews are seen as more fundamentally opposed than Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and historical Christianity. One stands as a monument to the rational, self-interested individual, viewing self-sacrifice as a moral vice and faith as an abdication of reason. The other is widely understood to champion selflessness, submission to divine will, and belief in […] Read more »
Can individuality, individualism, or individuation exist without the ego? Individualism, from a Randian perspective, is the moral stance that man’s primary moral purpose is the pursuit of his own rational self-interest and happiness through the unfettered use of his reason. It holds that a man must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. In the modern search for meaning, the ego has […] Read more »
Attempting to live freely in a world dominated by those with an unearned ego. There is a profound and often maddening disconnect that a person of substance experiences when navigating the modern world. You can dedicate yourself to building a mind of logic, principle, and intellectual honesty, only to watch as those with fragile, yet grandiose egos—the masters of political flow—achieve practical results with astonishing speed. This isn’t a failure […] Read more »
The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools. ~Greek historian Thucydides The archetype of the warrior is etched into the bedrock of human history, a symbol of courage and discipline. Yet, within this single image lie two profoundly different figures: the soldier and the philosopher-warrior. The former is a highly effective instrument of power, defined by their […] Read more »
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ~Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad […] Read more »
Most conceptions of divine judgment, such as is found through a superficial reading of Revelation 20:11-15, fixate on actions as the primary subject of evaluation, treating deeds as isolated transactions to be weighed. Yet this perspective fundamentally misunderstands causality: actions are mere effects, outward manifestations of an inner landscape of character, belief and willful focus. While external forces—genetics, upbringing, cultural conditioning—shape this terrain, they never erase the sovereign space of […] Read more »
From a psychological perspective, the idea that “focus creates one’s reality” suggests that an individual’s attention and cognitive prioritization shape their perception and experience of the world by filtering sensory information and amplifying what aligns with their focus. This process, often linked to mechanisms like the brain’s reticular activating system, influences beliefs, emotions, and behaviors, effectively constructing a subjective reality based on where one directs their mental energy. The principle […] Read more »
Consent is the voluntary agreement to an action or proposal, expressed either explicitly through clear statements or actions, or implicitly through conduct that reasonably indicates acceptance. In legal contexts, implied consent may be inferred from suffering (enduring without objection) or tolerance (allowing without resistance), though these must align with rational, uncoerced choice to be morally valid. Coercion is the act of compelling someone to act or agree through threats, intimidation, […] Read more »
Cymatics is the study of how sound vibrations create visible geometric patterns in physical mediums like sand, water, or powder, revealing the impact of specific frequencies. These patterns demonstrate the organizing power of vibrational energy, showing how vibration can shape matter into intricate, orderly forms. Spontaneous order refers to the natural emergence of organized patterns, structures, or behaviors in complex systems without centralized planning or control, driven by the interactions […] Read more »
Isaiah 1:18 presents a divine invitation with profound implications: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (KJV). This suggests that reasoning—whether to purify one’s Self, resolve conflict, or negotiate preferences—holds a redemptive quality, capable of transforming sins and mistakes. The process implies a […] Read more »
Below is a Socratic like dialogue that I had with Grok today, exploring various forms of reasoning, which led to thoughts about using abductive reasoning to explore the nature of reality, including the possibility that we are in a simulated reality, much like is posited in the Matrix trilogy. Then discussing the necessity for opt-outs for transforming our current simulated reality into a “new earth” that’s inherently moral, including offering […] Read more »
In a world yearning for meaning amidst the fleeting currents of modernity, ceremonies that ground commitment to a higher purpose offer a timeless anchor, particularly within a philosophically logocentric and religiously Christian framework. Drawing from the rich traditions of Baptism, Communion, and Marriage, these rites exemplify how public declarations can unite individuals with the Divine, their faith, and transcendent ideals, weaving personal intent into a tapestry of eternal significance. Here, […] Read more »
“Who you become is infinitely more important than what you do, or what you have. You were purposefully created and created for a purpose. You are here at this very moment to become the-best-version-of-yourself—not some second-rate version of your parents, friends, siblings, colleagues, or even your heroes. Life is a quest to become perfectly yourself. It is through this quest that we become real…” – The Velveteen Rabbit Life is […] Read more »
Q: In five paragraphs, where does the concept of “grokking” come from, and how is it related and relevant to the concept of the Divine Logos and divine logic, divine empathy, divine reason, and divine understanding? For example the “for God so loved the world” verse highlights God’s empathy by participating in human life as a man to experience life with us, and to redeem us. A: The concept of […] Read more »