The problem with mathematics is that it makes me uncomfortable.  Not because I’m afraid I won’t understand it or that I’ll do poorly on a test.  Both those things are true, but neither bothers me a bit.

For me, the problem is that math is so damned predictable.  That’s sort of the point, I suppose, but if mathematics can indeed perfectly describe existence, there is very little room… actually no room… for free will.  That makes me sad.

Math finds patterns; and patterns are predictable; and things that are predictable are predestined; that is to say they don’t have choice; and I want to feel like I have some control.

I take such comfort that there are things that are unpredictable.  Unpredictable things make me think that, perhaps, while there are rules and a great deal of predictability in the universe, maybe there is also something else – a life spark – something that does not bow to the deterministic power of math (or rather the deterministic power that math describes).

Perhaps, bound as I am by the tides of existence, I may also have true choice.

Religion is most beautiful and nourishing when it exists outside the bounds of human knowledge.  The problem with the old religions is that their scope was tethered to the outer limits of what humans knew at their conception.

As, over time, the purview of gods have become the purview of humans, the religions have, like children’s tales, lost their believability.  That is to say, I can have faith in something unknown, but it is very difficult to have faith in something for which I have concrete evidence to the contrary.

We don’t need to abandon religion.  We need new religions.  We need a place outside our ability to understand.  That is where magic and imagination live.  Religion should be the result and source of our inspiration.  Religion can help us expand and grow.  What good is a religion that constrains the mind and soul?

Everything that could, or will, or has, or could have happened, is happening – at this moment and forever. That’s infinity. Perfectly big and small, in every way, all at once.

Dear Thomas Jefferson,

You had some really good ideas.  I like the whole educated populace yeoman farmer thing.  You were really down with the whole Enlightenment deal, and I dig that.  And, listen, I get it, you were limited by your time and circumstances.  We all are.

But, I mean, you were so close.  All you had to do was apply this whole egalitarian all men are created equal stuff to all people and we really could have had something!  States might have functioned sustainably with relative autonomy.  The federal government might have stayed weak.  I mean I get it, local, buy fucking local.

No really, I get it.  Books and wine are expensive, and, honestly, who’s going to bring them to you if you let everyone go to U of VA, whenever they feel like it, for free?

You gave it over to the federalists!  You said you wanted an academic and egalitarian society and then you FUCKED YOUR SLAVES!!!  You fucking your slaves fucked all of us, because now five white guys with roman numerals behind their names and an Asian (who my public school education has given me just enough training not to call a Chinaman) are running EVERYTHING!!!

You wanted education for every citizen, but you didn’t want to let everyone be a citizen, and so like dumb chattel we’ve been giving more and more power to fewer and fewer people.

And, man, I know Sally must have been a dish, but maybe she would have stuck around even if you hadn’t had a title on her.  I know you already had Martha, but you were a progressive kinda guy.  Maybe the three of you could have made it work.  Different strokes and all.

Seriously, who decides they need to disassemble a top down system and then leave a top down system?  You, Tom… YOU.

AND YOU KNEW IT WAS WRONG!!!  You said it was wrong?  Fuck man, that ginger giant George gave up a kingship and you couldn’t be bothered to spend a little bit less money on Madeiras and STOP OWNING PEOPLE… WHICH YOU KNEW WAS WRONG!!!

You were greedy, Tom.  You knew to rotate your crops, but you kept planting tobacco.

Aww well, you were only human…  Man, you had some great ideas.

Education for all.  Agriculture for all.  Science for all.  Arts for all.  Local determination for all.  Perhaps enough time has lapsed that we can leave the legacy of your hypocrisy and get on with the implementation of your ideas.

Ok, I’ve got it!  Everyone’s gonna love this!  We slash military spending to practically nothing.  Then we take the money we save and buy all private citizens a bunch of guns.

My progressive friends don’t have to worry about going to wars, because we won’t have a military.

My conservative friends won’t have to worry about a tyrannical government, because the citizens’ militia will be… well everybody.

I’ll get some new toys.

And everyone – except the people in whatever part of the world where human rights atrocities will continue to occur because we won’t be getting involved – will be happy and drink sweet beverages from McDonalds and enjoy the delicious subsidized corn syrup that has made our country great!

… Did I mention you get a free gun?

The only ingredient anger needs to exist is fear.  Without fear, anger withers.

What if we keep the internet and go back to living in huts so the alien farmers will think we’re slow growers and leave us alone?

…Let’s keep clean hot running water, and antibiotics too…

We live in a society that seems to be predicated on one premise – everyone is judging everyone else.

What if we are the city builders for another species – intergalactic farmers?  They seed a suitable planet, and it grows predictably.  They time when to return to check on their stock.  And when we have prepared everything, they come back to harvest us and occupy our former dwellings.