Today something strange happened. While I was embarking on a journey of spring cleaning the likes never seen before in this humble rental home, I heard a strange cry, the origin of which I could not discern. It sounded as though someone was trying to get my attention. I looked out the window and saw nothing. I looked out the front door, and through the flyscreen was a beautiful male magpie perched on my front doorstep, whistling, calling for it's mate or I am not sure what for, and it turned and looked at me as it continued to sing. It appeared as though the magpie was calling for me, and oh the sound was so sweet, haunting, beautiful. I am quite frankly, amazed. I examined the form of my wild magpie companion from a distance, observing the relative size of it's head to it's body. The brain of the magpie would be a fraction of ours, yet the sense of self awareness was unmistakable. And the song. I found it difficult to believe that such a beautiful melody could originate from this bird perched upon my front doorstep, yet I was witnessing this with my own eyes and ears. I was saddened that I was without portable recording equipment or I would have recorded this haunting melody for the enjoyment of my readers.
I must confess that I have developed a healthy respect, and attachment for my resident magpie family, and it appears they have also with me.
As demonstrated by my experience yesterday. When going to ready my bike to ride to work (I am a keen cyclist and use organic powered transport to commute to work), I opened the back door and I was instantly recognised by the father of the magpie tribe, who promptly waddled over toward me. I yielded to compassion and turned back toward our fridge. I opened the door to retrieve some rye bread and turned and noticed the magpie perched upon my backdoor waiting for me like some sort of pet dog. I jokingly remarked to the magpie that it may as well come inside and make itself at home, as it appeared it was ready to waddle in to the house and follow me around.
I have since heard from a work colleague that some people have taken in magpies as pets, and I am not surprised. These much maligned birds have demonstrated a surprising level of intelligence and beauty I have never previously considered possible, perhaps more so than cockatoos, which despite their physical beauty and famous sense of humour, emit an awful shreak as a call. Cockatoos are quite destructive birds by comparison. I have come to develop and affection for magpies, resisting childhood experience that these are violent and dangerous birds.
The beauty and intelligence of the magpie has also reinforced my theory that carnivorous animals, at the top of the food chain (perhaps excluding sharks) are generally the most intelligent and prone to demonstrate qualities that we recognise in people. I am not entirely sure why, but it appears to be linked to REM and uninterrupted sleep brought on the by the comfort of security in one's position in the cycle of life. Dolphins, magpies, whales all exhibit these characteristics. Cockatoos are, I understand, herbivorous and I have seen less cunning than in magpies.
I was vegetarian for several years in my 20s, and I am now selectively omnivorous. I understand that the human brain and that of other intelligent creatures requires a considerable energy and nutritional supply, perhaps reinforced or caused by the need to be cunning to survive.
It is the dark side of beauty, that the carnivorous (omnivorous?) magpie perched upon my doorstep sings such a beautiful song.
Also, I have noticed the parents have begun to wean the children, who have taken tentative steps toward self sufficiency by assisting their parents in removing grubs and other pests from our garden.
The cycle of life.
And how blessed is my partner and I to witness such beauty right before our eyes.
At times it feels as though life is a gift, and such wonders as these are all around for those that care to see.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
When I pass on from this world, "I" will cease to exist.
Yet "I" have never existed.
"I" is a construction of our intelligence and self awareness.
It is a product of the near death experience of our species one hundred thousand years ago.
"I" is what brought us back from the brink.
Yet it is only a side effect of our cognitive capacities.
"I" enables us to experience untold joy, and unimaginable suffering.
Yet we have a choice, offered to none others but ourselves.
The choice is to let go of our ego and attachment to the now and fear of the unknown.
We can give ourselves to God and the Universe as we approach the ocean of our birth.
Or we can expend the remainder of our lives paddling madly upstream against the current, and when we reach the ocean, look back upon the magnificent land we traversed and pine for the experiences and joy we never had.
We are all footprints in the sand, washed away by the tide.
Our contributions to the world we live in will live on past the tide, for all to see.
Yet "I" have never existed.
"I" is a construction of our intelligence and self awareness.
It is a product of the near death experience of our species one hundred thousand years ago.
"I" is what brought us back from the brink.
Yet it is only a side effect of our cognitive capacities.
"I" enables us to experience untold joy, and unimaginable suffering.
Yet we have a choice, offered to none others but ourselves.
The choice is to let go of our ego and attachment to the now and fear of the unknown.
We can give ourselves to God and the Universe as we approach the ocean of our birth.
Or we can expend the remainder of our lives paddling madly upstream against the current, and when we reach the ocean, look back upon the magnificent land we traversed and pine for the experiences and joy we never had.
We are all footprints in the sand, washed away by the tide.
Our contributions to the world we live in will live on past the tide, for all to see.
Today I witnessed something beautiful. Whilst my partner cooked dinner for us (my eternal gratitude for this act of kindness), I did something unusual. I turned off the television, and instead turned to the garden through our windows, our very own 1000 inch widescreen television boasting clarity unrivaled by the most expensive entertainment system in the world. And in surround sound as well.
In our garden was our magpie family. The baby magpies are growing quickly and approaching the size of their parents. They really are incredibly cute. I watched as one followed it's mother (?) around the garden, sqwaking and begging for food. Instead, the parent almost completely ignored it's offspring, and instead led by example, foraging our newly mowed lawn (care of a last minute dash before our rental property 'inspection' the day before). Patiently ignoring it's offspring, the mother would forage ahead. I observed as the child poked and scratched tentatively at the ground as did it's mother, learning how to feed for itself, and some day, possibly next spring, raise it's own offspring. However, the incessant begging of one brought down the violent wrath of it's parent, sending the child on it's way. The remaining child was left alone in the garden as the parent flew off to have a stern word with a competing bird.
Flying on to the clothesline, there the lone child remained perched, looking toward the sky for it's formerly loving and attentive parents, unsure of it's place in the world and it's chance of survival on it's own. Yet I remained distant at this crucial juncture. For to intervene may threaten the long term survival of this bird. Emotionally stirring it surely was, invoking natural feelings of compassion and concern for the welfare of this bird I have watched grow from infant to adult through the spring, yet uninvolved I remained.
It is a reminder of the cycle of life, and what is life? The magpie perched precariously upon my clothesline is constituted of matter that only a few months ago was lying in my garden and throughout the neighborhood. Matter turned by life in turn in to complex molecules from elemental dust and gases, which in turn was created in the searing heat of a star (the likes of which ITER will seek to emulate), from elemental particles, and prior to this from raw energy and hyperdimensional string (?), possibly in turn created from the collision of our universe with another in the bizarre unimaginable space that our universe is possibly encased within.
The cycle goes on, cosmic music vibrating in coherant notes like an orchestra, creating matter, and ultimately the magpie I see perched upon my clothesline.
Einstein once claimed that he was consumed in his work not for an instrumental control over our environment, but to understand "the mind of God", and perhaps he did.
And the treasures that lie all around us every day, are truly remarkable. To be alive and have good health as I do is the greatest blessing I could ever have bestowed upon me.
And now that I have completed my studies for this year, I have resolved to obtain my SCUBA diving license and continue my journey onward in to the deep. I have read reports in to the intelligence of certain species of fish and octopi in particular. My goal is to go SCUBA diving in order to attempt some level of communication with the most intelligent fish I can find, which I am hoping will be native to the waters of tropical Queensland as this is also the ideal location for a holiday :-)
I will obtain a water proof case for a digital camera and take photographs, and post images of any successes on to this blog.
Treasures all around, for but the price of a single Windows Vista upgrade. The best high definition television in the world will never compare with such an experience.
The cycle of life, witnessed in my own backyard, beautiful.
In our garden was our magpie family. The baby magpies are growing quickly and approaching the size of their parents. They really are incredibly cute. I watched as one followed it's mother (?) around the garden, sqwaking and begging for food. Instead, the parent almost completely ignored it's offspring, and instead led by example, foraging our newly mowed lawn (care of a last minute dash before our rental property 'inspection' the day before). Patiently ignoring it's offspring, the mother would forage ahead. I observed as the child poked and scratched tentatively at the ground as did it's mother, learning how to feed for itself, and some day, possibly next spring, raise it's own offspring. However, the incessant begging of one brought down the violent wrath of it's parent, sending the child on it's way. The remaining child was left alone in the garden as the parent flew off to have a stern word with a competing bird.
Flying on to the clothesline, there the lone child remained perched, looking toward the sky for it's formerly loving and attentive parents, unsure of it's place in the world and it's chance of survival on it's own. Yet I remained distant at this crucial juncture. For to intervene may threaten the long term survival of this bird. Emotionally stirring it surely was, invoking natural feelings of compassion and concern for the welfare of this bird I have watched grow from infant to adult through the spring, yet uninvolved I remained.
It is a reminder of the cycle of life, and what is life? The magpie perched precariously upon my clothesline is constituted of matter that only a few months ago was lying in my garden and throughout the neighborhood. Matter turned by life in turn in to complex molecules from elemental dust and gases, which in turn was created in the searing heat of a star (the likes of which ITER will seek to emulate), from elemental particles, and prior to this from raw energy and hyperdimensional string (?), possibly in turn created from the collision of our universe with another in the bizarre unimaginable space that our universe is possibly encased within.
The cycle goes on, cosmic music vibrating in coherant notes like an orchestra, creating matter, and ultimately the magpie I see perched upon my clothesline.
Einstein once claimed that he was consumed in his work not for an instrumental control over our environment, but to understand "the mind of God", and perhaps he did.
And the treasures that lie all around us every day, are truly remarkable. To be alive and have good health as I do is the greatest blessing I could ever have bestowed upon me.
And now that I have completed my studies for this year, I have resolved to obtain my SCUBA diving license and continue my journey onward in to the deep. I have read reports in to the intelligence of certain species of fish and octopi in particular. My goal is to go SCUBA diving in order to attempt some level of communication with the most intelligent fish I can find, which I am hoping will be native to the waters of tropical Queensland as this is also the ideal location for a holiday :-)
I will obtain a water proof case for a digital camera and take photographs, and post images of any successes on to this blog.
Treasures all around, for but the price of a single Windows Vista upgrade. The best high definition television in the world will never compare with such an experience.
The cycle of life, witnessed in my own backyard, beautiful.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
No endeavor in all of human history has brought together so many diverse cultures and viewpoints for a single cause as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).
Some would call it the Tower of Babel. I call it our Saviour.
Some would call it the Tower of Babel. I call it our Saviour.
Hi World,
Looks like I was spot on the mark, and this goes to show that even a humble hobby gardener can contribute to the greater good of humanity. No idea is too small, no idea lacking in 'qualification'. Any constructive and well thought out idea on any issue is worthy of attention. Below is the response I have received from the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER - iter.org). I must confess that I got a bit of a kick out of this, as even though my suggestion was long ago considered and implemented, the fact that a humble hobby gardener with no formal education past basic high school physics can contribute to such high level discussion is heartening.
And also timely.
Today I turned on the news and massive icebergs are floating south of New Zealand. The worst drought in possibly all of Australia's recorded 200 year history has descended upon the land. I cringe when I see a leaking tap. I recall snow on the hills surrounding Canberra in winter as a kid. Now they are barren. Destroyed by hot bushfires that sterilised the hills, and entire ecosystems disrupted. Global change is real, it is happening now, it is relevant to all that inhabit that Earth. It is no longer the domain of idealists, artists and socialists. And by God it is frightening.
However, ITER has the potential to save humanity and the Earth. No multi-cellular organism has so successfully colonised as far and wide as Homo Sapiens, rivaled only by bacteria. We have unlimited potential, to both harm and create life whether by design or accident.
ITER has the potential to provide base load power, for water desalination and the millions of toasters, kettles, hairdryers and wide screen televisions we unleash upon the world year after year.
I am a hard nosed capitalist and proud, I am not an armchair philosopher or yet another skinny-latte socialist.
I just agree with the Stern Report produced by the former chief economist of the World Bank, Nicholas Stern, that the cost of doing something now, is a pretty good deal compared to the costs of only symbolic electorate appeasing policies. ITER is a first class example of constructive action. For a few billion, we can have our consumer appliances and sedentary lifestyle that we cherish so much, and my magpie family will graze unharmed across my lawn after I mow it as they have been doing today (also the baby magpies are starting to play around and chase each other, it is incredibly cute).
The response below is also a validation of my belief that language shapes culture and thinking and therefore engineering solutions. Engineering solutions in the coming years will come to reflect other cultures and ways of seeing the world.
Without further ado, here is the response from ITER.
Dear Ian,
I apologise for the delay in answering...
Indeed, the "edge localized mode (ELM)" is a troublemaker for fusion scientists. What happens is that the hot plasma is kept together using a strong magnetic field. However, every now and then, a 'puncture' appears in the magnetic cage, and hot plasma pours out and potentially damages the walls of the plasma vessel. That we are now faced with this problem is actually a sign that the efforts of the scientists to contain the plasma have been very successful.
One of the current ways that people think about to lessen the problems is, as you say, to step a little bit away from creating "perfect" containment, but allow the plasma to seep through a little bit, in a controlled way, by introducing some chaos to the outer part of the magnetic field. The chaos can possible keep the ELM's from occuring. A qoute from a recent article on this problem:
"Until now, reactor designers have lived with these discharges, but Evans and his
team found a way around the problem. The group modified the DIII-D tokamak
reactor at General Atomics so as to introduce chaotic static into the magnetic field
around the plasma.This weakens the field just enough to let a little bit of plasma
team found a way around the problem. The group modified the DIII-D tokamak
reactor at General Atomics so as to introduce chaotic static into the magnetic field
around the plasma.This weakens the field just enough to let a little bit of plasma
leak out through the bottom, relieving some of the pressure in the system and
preventing it from bursting. "It's kind of a beautiful concept," Evans says."
I am sure you will be glad to know that all over the world people work together to solve the many challenges of fusion power, and the ITER project has Europe, Japan, China, India, Korea, Russia and the USA as its partners. Together, the ITER scientists represent a very broad scope of viewpoints.
thank you very much for your question,
best regards,
mark westra
Friday, November 03, 2006
Nuclear Fusion
I was thinking about the magpies while I was out riding my pushy (bicycle for non-Australian speakers) the other day, basking in the stretch of blue sky and bright spring colours, and thought how wonderful it would be if we could get this nuclear fusion thing working just like it works in the sun that makes my bike rides so enjoyable, and keeps the magpies warm (yeah I've developed a real soft spot for my magpie family, I do get a little clucky over such things, I guess that's why I was vegetarian for 5 years and still would be if my hyped up carnivorous male metabolism did not suffer for it, and even now I am quite picky).
So I started thinking about this thing called an edge-localised-node or something like that that those smart scientists keep coming up against when they try to heat matter to 150 million degrees and keep it there (you won't do it with even the best laid campfire), hence sparking nuclear fusion, promising greenhouse (and magpie friendly) energy for us and our progeny. And I started thinking about the Latin roots of my language and how it tends to split things in two, either on or off, black or white, and how even our so called amazing computers are really just a product of this cultural heritage harking back to the industrial revolution (binary computers have reached their peak, look up Moore's Law and Quantum Computing sometime).
So, while whizzing along with my heart rate up around 170 to 180, with some wild Goa trance in my ears care of the binary based Internet we all know and love, magpies flying around, some swooping me so I know they are there, I applied this thought to plasma turbulence. What if our smart scientists were trying to apply Western cultural heritage to a problem that is more fundamental than that? I.e - do they have to completely eliminate plasma turbulence? Like the Goa trance in time with my heart beat, why can't they just live with the vibrations of nature, the harmony of vibrations that is all matter, and channel or tune the turbulence in to some sort of harmonic or set of harmonics instead? It's like supressing emotions, as we all seem to do (well Western Anglo-Saxon people anyway), it gets you in the end. My Croatian partner does not suffer this affliction (boy do I know), perhaps I can learn from that. Perhaps it's the same with plasma, supress it and it will lash out and there will be no cancer-free cigars and Nobel prizes at the after party.
So I sent ITER an email anyway (http://iter.org). They probably thought of this long before I was born and are doing it already if it works, but hey.. If all 6 billion of us keep brainstorming, someone is bound to find the answers eventually. Even if it is just monkeys bashing randomly at a keyboard and by chance producing a Shakespeare play.
It beats sitting around cafes drinking skinny-latte's all day sprouting opinions on the failures of our politicians :-)
Here is my humble suggestion in an email to ITER anyway...
So I started thinking about this thing called an edge-localised-node or something like that that those smart scientists keep coming up against when they try to heat matter to 150 million degrees and keep it there (you won't do it with even the best laid campfire), hence sparking nuclear fusion, promising greenhouse (and magpie friendly) energy for us and our progeny. And I started thinking about the Latin roots of my language and how it tends to split things in two, either on or off, black or white, and how even our so called amazing computers are really just a product of this cultural heritage harking back to the industrial revolution (binary computers have reached their peak, look up Moore's Law and Quantum Computing sometime).
So, while whizzing along with my heart rate up around 170 to 180, with some wild Goa trance in my ears care of the binary based Internet we all know and love, magpies flying around, some swooping me so I know they are there, I applied this thought to plasma turbulence. What if our smart scientists were trying to apply Western cultural heritage to a problem that is more fundamental than that? I.e - do they have to completely eliminate plasma turbulence? Like the Goa trance in time with my heart beat, why can't they just live with the vibrations of nature, the harmony of vibrations that is all matter, and channel or tune the turbulence in to some sort of harmonic or set of harmonics instead? It's like supressing emotions, as we all seem to do (well Western Anglo-Saxon people anyway), it gets you in the end. My Croatian partner does not suffer this affliction (boy do I know), perhaps I can learn from that. Perhaps it's the same with plasma, supress it and it will lash out and there will be no cancer-free cigars and Nobel prizes at the after party.
So I sent ITER an email anyway (http://iter.org). They probably thought of this long before I was born and are doing it already if it works, but hey.. If all 6 billion of us keep brainstorming, someone is bound to find the answers eventually. Even if it is just monkeys bashing randomly at a keyboard and by chance producing a Shakespeare play.
It beats sitting around cafes drinking skinny-latte's all day sprouting opinions on the failures of our politicians :-)
Here is my humble suggestion in an email to ITER anyway...
Hi Mark,
You guys have probably already considered this although I thought I would make a suggestion just in case.
I was thinking the other day that Western civilisation tends to think in binary logic, on / off, black / white and so on, and our engineering solutions tend to reflect this drive for ‘perfection’.
Cheers..
The beauty of life
All around me, I never cease to be amazed by the beauty of life. Something that is ultimately just vibrating bits of hyperdimensional string, or whatever those crazy theoretical physicists have come up with now to explain it all, can coalesce in to something as beautiful as life, and eventually look back upon itself and all of life.
Since moving to Canberra, we (I live with my partner) first noticed a lone magpie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Magpie) grace our back yard, watching us as we slowly transformed a ill maintained rental property in to a thriving ecosystem replete with luscious vegetable patch that now completely sustains us. Ever curious, this magpie would observe us, and assist us with removing insects and other pests from the garden. There is an undoubted look of intelligence in it's eyes. When we mow the lawn, this magpie will swoop down and clean up the exposed insects and pests for us. I grew attached to this mapgie and have often fed it rye bread and seeds to the initial chagrin (and now amused resignation) of my partner.
The magpie seemed to settle in, and we developed a healthy mutual respect.
Before the spring, it found a mate, and we delighted in observing these two birds frequent our garden and grow fat off our garden pests and supplied food.
A few weeks ago, well in to the spring, I heard a sqwaking, and observed a timid baby magpie toward the rear of the garden, and once more we delighted as we threw rye bread on to the lawn and observed the two parents rush to it's demanding offspring to share the spoils of our kitchen and garden.
When the magpies see us emerge from the back door, they actually came waddling up to us, hopeful of more spoils to share with their offspring.
And since then, we have watched this little baby grow (we believe there may be two, so it's a nuclear family) and take timid steps toward what is now fully developed flight.
It is a beautiful sight, and a beautiful sound to awake to. As we lie in bed, we often hear the baby magpie skwaking for food and it's satisfied gulping chirp as it is fed by it's attending loving parents. It is truly a wonderful blessing.
Magpies are reknowned for being violently protective of their offspring. Yet these magpies appear to be violently protective of *us* and their offspring, fending off other birds and pests from our vegetable patch (although sadly I suspect also the soil enriching worms I have encouraged although this may strengthen their population through 'natural selection').
I actually had a strange experience recently. When going outside to take the washing off the line, this very large, black bird was had appeared out of nowhere, and sat on the line as I took the washing off, watching me all the while, not at all afraid of me, almost me afraid of it! They are large and sharp looking birds.
And all the while I keep thinking, bits of vibrating hyperdimensional string, coalescing in to self sustaining forms that constantly replenish themselves with other bits of highly organised hyperdimensional strings, in a lifelong paddle upstream that eventually takes us to the wide ocean as we lose our form, ultimately conceding defeat to the universal trend toward entropy and disorder. The magpie and ourselves, all on the same river, different boats, different strengths, different weaknesses, all travelling toward the same ocean.
The crucial difference between the magpie and ourselves however, is that we are painfully aware of the ocean drawing us inexorably toward our subjective understanding of 'demise'.
With this understanding, many turn to ordered religion (contrasting with universal trend to disorder!), some to spirituality, some to madness, and some to all consuming inward looking reflection or self-centred 'athiesm' or 'hedonism' (both of which are a sure course to premature defeat),
I, am at such a crossroad. I have chosen spirituality, and if required, religion. I am a man of science and reason. However, I am not by nature a hedonist or self centred vessel of premature defeat. I read New Scientist, many newspapers, listen to News Radio, and Radio National (both science and 'religion' shows). I have resolved to nurture a part of myself, a seed of a soul if you will, that I will not allow to be subjected to dissection by reason.
I will marvel at the Cassini probe hurtling around Saturn, the almost weekly discovery of extra-solar planets and the inevitable discovery of other complex life, either on Europa or outside of our solar system. I will marvel at the the relentless march of science to map our genome, cure disease, and threaten us, and the magpies, with anhialation should our means overtake our maturity.
However, I simply can not accept that the universe was created from nothing. Perhaps our universe is but a ripple in a vast ocean, the intersection with other ripples of which causes violent precipitation or collosal disturbance (big bang? other disturbances?). Perhaps God is so far removed from our universe, that God is the overarching self awareness of a magnitude I will never comprehend, that oversees a vast ocean of universes, of possibilities, some devoid of life, others (perhaps our own) rich with complex life. I don't know. All I know is that if we expend the remainder of our lives caving in to cynicism and self centred self reflection and knowledge (don't we all know and loathe the dinner party guest who knows and is supremely critical of everything, yet never offers any constructive suggestions or expends any effort for anyone but themselves and the validation of their opinions), we will never know God.
I will read the Bible, and I may even come to practice it. I may as well practice something. I know there is a part of the brain that lights up under a PET scanner when someone has a 'religious experience', I know that 'de-ja vu' is caused by the mismatch of the total distance electrical signals travel in the brain causing an 'out of sync' experience, I know many things my unquenchable thirst for knowledge has uncovered, however I will not allow myself to become that supremely scornful or just plain cynical yet often lonely critic of all that I see.
When I come across another latte-socialist when I am out door knocking for a political party, another chardonay-socialist at a dinner party who counters everything I say, I will ask them "what is your solution? What is your suggestion?". It never fails to quiten them, and quickly. I don't see them planting trees when the rest of us are, I don't see them picking up rubbish off the street, I don't see them sacrificing their precious skinny latte to champion a worthy cause, I only see them sprouting stern opinions. Big whoopy do.
I will strive to make this world a better place. This is my manifesto.
And when my canoe reaches the ocean, I hope that I will not be alone, I hope that my partner and my family and community will be with me, and that my matter is not consigned to a hermetically sealed box where it is of no use to anyone, rather that it is distributed through the Earth to be re-used again, so my essence, now disordered, will live on, and hopefully, memories of the Good I have done.
Perhaps in my lifetime we will encounter other beings, in our universe, who are on the same journey. One thing is for certain, the universe is one collossal struggle against disorder, energy is order, and no matter the form of any other beings or life we encounter, the struggle will be the same, and we will have a common understanding. I only hope they are not as dogmatic in their views and as fearful of genuine inquiry as many of our religions tend to be, causing untold war and suffering and a totally unjustified fear of progress.
And all the while, the magpie sits on the clothesline, watching me, so similar, yet so blissfully unconcerned with any of this.
I watch the magpie as it raises it's streamlined form to the air and gifts the world with a beatiful and strangely complex melody that is a primordial language of sorts, and flies off to attend to it's offspring.
We are so like magpies, on the same river to the ocean. Always have been, always will be.
Since moving to Canberra, we (I live with my partner) first noticed a lone magpie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Magpie) grace our back yard, watching us as we slowly transformed a ill maintained rental property in to a thriving ecosystem replete with luscious vegetable patch that now completely sustains us. Ever curious, this magpie would observe us, and assist us with removing insects and other pests from the garden. There is an undoubted look of intelligence in it's eyes. When we mow the lawn, this magpie will swoop down and clean up the exposed insects and pests for us. I grew attached to this mapgie and have often fed it rye bread and seeds to the initial chagrin (and now amused resignation) of my partner.
The magpie seemed to settle in, and we developed a healthy mutual respect.
Before the spring, it found a mate, and we delighted in observing these two birds frequent our garden and grow fat off our garden pests and supplied food.
A few weeks ago, well in to the spring, I heard a sqwaking, and observed a timid baby magpie toward the rear of the garden, and once more we delighted as we threw rye bread on to the lawn and observed the two parents rush to it's demanding offspring to share the spoils of our kitchen and garden.
When the magpies see us emerge from the back door, they actually came waddling up to us, hopeful of more spoils to share with their offspring.
And since then, we have watched this little baby grow (we believe there may be two, so it's a nuclear family) and take timid steps toward what is now fully developed flight.
It is a beautiful sight, and a beautiful sound to awake to. As we lie in bed, we often hear the baby magpie skwaking for food and it's satisfied gulping chirp as it is fed by it's attending loving parents. It is truly a wonderful blessing.
Magpies are reknowned for being violently protective of their offspring. Yet these magpies appear to be violently protective of *us* and their offspring, fending off other birds and pests from our vegetable patch (although sadly I suspect also the soil enriching worms I have encouraged although this may strengthen their population through 'natural selection').
I actually had a strange experience recently. When going outside to take the washing off the line, this very large, black bird was had appeared out of nowhere, and sat on the line as I took the washing off, watching me all the while, not at all afraid of me, almost me afraid of it! They are large and sharp looking birds.
And all the while I keep thinking, bits of vibrating hyperdimensional string, coalescing in to self sustaining forms that constantly replenish themselves with other bits of highly organised hyperdimensional strings, in a lifelong paddle upstream that eventually takes us to the wide ocean as we lose our form, ultimately conceding defeat to the universal trend toward entropy and disorder. The magpie and ourselves, all on the same river, different boats, different strengths, different weaknesses, all travelling toward the same ocean.
The crucial difference between the magpie and ourselves however, is that we are painfully aware of the ocean drawing us inexorably toward our subjective understanding of 'demise'.
With this understanding, many turn to ordered religion (contrasting with universal trend to disorder!), some to spirituality, some to madness, and some to all consuming inward looking reflection or self-centred 'athiesm' or 'hedonism' (both of which are a sure course to premature defeat),
I, am at such a crossroad. I have chosen spirituality, and if required, religion. I am a man of science and reason. However, I am not by nature a hedonist or self centred vessel of premature defeat. I read New Scientist, many newspapers, listen to News Radio, and Radio National (both science and 'religion' shows). I have resolved to nurture a part of myself, a seed of a soul if you will, that I will not allow to be subjected to dissection by reason.
I will marvel at the Cassini probe hurtling around Saturn, the almost weekly discovery of extra-solar planets and the inevitable discovery of other complex life, either on Europa or outside of our solar system. I will marvel at the the relentless march of science to map our genome, cure disease, and threaten us, and the magpies, with anhialation should our means overtake our maturity.
However, I simply can not accept that the universe was created from nothing. Perhaps our universe is but a ripple in a vast ocean, the intersection with other ripples of which causes violent precipitation or collosal disturbance (big bang? other disturbances?). Perhaps God is so far removed from our universe, that God is the overarching self awareness of a magnitude I will never comprehend, that oversees a vast ocean of universes, of possibilities, some devoid of life, others (perhaps our own) rich with complex life. I don't know. All I know is that if we expend the remainder of our lives caving in to cynicism and self centred self reflection and knowledge (don't we all know and loathe the dinner party guest who knows and is supremely critical of everything, yet never offers any constructive suggestions or expends any effort for anyone but themselves and the validation of their opinions), we will never know God.
I will read the Bible, and I may even come to practice it. I may as well practice something. I know there is a part of the brain that lights up under a PET scanner when someone has a 'religious experience', I know that 'de-ja vu' is caused by the mismatch of the total distance electrical signals travel in the brain causing an 'out of sync' experience, I know many things my unquenchable thirst for knowledge has uncovered, however I will not allow myself to become that supremely scornful or just plain cynical yet often lonely critic of all that I see.
When I come across another latte-socialist when I am out door knocking for a political party, another chardonay-socialist at a dinner party who counters everything I say, I will ask them "what is your solution? What is your suggestion?". It never fails to quiten them, and quickly. I don't see them planting trees when the rest of us are, I don't see them picking up rubbish off the street, I don't see them sacrificing their precious skinny latte to champion a worthy cause, I only see them sprouting stern opinions. Big whoopy do.
I will strive to make this world a better place. This is my manifesto.
And when my canoe reaches the ocean, I hope that I will not be alone, I hope that my partner and my family and community will be with me, and that my matter is not consigned to a hermetically sealed box where it is of no use to anyone, rather that it is distributed through the Earth to be re-used again, so my essence, now disordered, will live on, and hopefully, memories of the Good I have done.
Perhaps in my lifetime we will encounter other beings, in our universe, who are on the same journey. One thing is for certain, the universe is one collossal struggle against disorder, energy is order, and no matter the form of any other beings or life we encounter, the struggle will be the same, and we will have a common understanding. I only hope they are not as dogmatic in their views and as fearful of genuine inquiry as many of our religions tend to be, causing untold war and suffering and a totally unjustified fear of progress.
And all the while, the magpie sits on the clothesline, watching me, so similar, yet so blissfully unconcerned with any of this.
I watch the magpie as it raises it's streamlined form to the air and gifts the world with a beatiful and strangely complex melody that is a primordial language of sorts, and flies off to attend to it's offspring.
We are so like magpies, on the same river to the ocean. Always have been, always will be.
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